SHELL - OFFICIAL STATEMENT RELEASED

[MPeX]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 12 2005, 04:42 PM

So the next time Shell tells us cars are unlikely to catch fire compared to motorcycles, we can show them this picture eh?

 

Anyway MPex, I've already sent a letter to reply about the article to the ST Forum and Today, didn't CC to TNP though....

If your letter is in response to TNP's article, it is unlikely ST and Today will publish it leh..

 

Why not cc a copy to TNP too? "In response to your article "Full Tank of Fools" (TNP 10 Apr)... blah blah"

 

Higher chance of publication.. it can back up the material i sent to them also, and if they do decide to publish the article, they may include your quotes...

[mechwira]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 12 2005, 01:31 PM

It's quite funny and a bit worrying if you think about it, many people (including many youngsters with their futures ahead of them) are getting killed every other day on the roads because they choose to ride, and there isn't any big hoo-ha about the safety condition on the roads at all.

 

But when it comes to refuelling, they are happy to raise such a big issue and enforce so strictly their policy, which is especially puzzling, since there's no historical evidence of any deaths resulting from refueling while on the bike at all.

its the proportion of the 'hoo-ha' given to different issue thats very hard to stomach, isn it?

 

motorcycling is dangerous. yet the only measure made to address the issue has been tougher bike tests, more 'educational' components in bike tests. whenever this issue is brought up, we see pictures of bikers cutting in and out of traffic.

 

i'm all for tougher bike tests, and more education for bikers. very good. but where is the eductaion for drivers?? where are the pics of drivers pushing bikers out of the way?? i brought it up at the 'remake singapore' forum a few years back. nothing came of it obviously.

 

but no, we dont see all that.

 

we see bikers refuelling while straddling. whether this straddling issue right or wrong isn what i'm driving at: give more 'hoo-ha' to the issue that deserves more 'hoo-ha', thats what i'd like to see.

[MiCmAsTa]

Word Doc

[william_liu]

Originally posted by MPeX@Apr 12 2005, 04:46 PM

If your letter is in response to TNP's article, it is unlikely ST and Today will publish it leh..

 

Why not cc a copy to TNP too? "In response to your article "Full Tank of Fools" (TNP 10 Apr)... blah blah"

 

Higher chance of publication.. it can back up the material i sent to them also, and if they do decide to publish the article, they may include your quotes...

Got it dude, will send it to them tonight! Another thing is, what email should I send to?

 

 

Anyway just to clarify, my letter was in response to the article, but my main content in the letter was about Shell's policy... so let's hope it gets published!

[MPeX]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 12 2005, 05:00 PM

Got it dude, will send it to them tonight! Another thing is, what email should I send to?

 

 

Anyway just to clarify, my letter was in response to the article, but my main content in the letter was about Shell's policy... so let's hope it gets published!

I'm not sure what is TNP's forum email, i don't have a copy of TNP with me now..

 

I'm sure ST's agenda clashes with ours, coz that time no matter how i rephrase my letter, they kept throwing it back...

[william_liu]

Sent to their general email, plus cc to Zaihan... now all that's left to do is keep my fingers crossed.....

[MPeX]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 13 2005, 12:57 AM

Sent to their general email, plus cc to Zaihan... now all that's left to do is keep my fingers crossed.....

I hope one of the papers will publish your letter.

 

Coz ST and Today trashed mine the other time, and I attempted twice - from a seething lemon-juice coated letter to a more politically correct one.

 

If not, there's still Zaihan, our last hope.

[william_liu]

If not, the best I can do is to post it here....

 

You mean they actually replied and told you they can't publish your letter?

 

[MPeX]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 13 2005, 01:19 AM

If not, the best I can do is to post it here....

 

You mean they actually replied and told you they can't publish your letter?

 

Yep. A nicely formatted email template telling me that due to space constraints, they can't publish it. And some statistics about how many letters they receive a week, and mine is just one of them.

 

The only time my letter got published on ST was to slam that gong kia who suggested having a separate licence to carry pillion.

[william_liu]

Did you keep your letter under 500 words?

[Tyrian]

i sent letters to ST and Today too.. true enuff, they "bounce" my letter juz like bouncing a dishonoured cheque..

 

and i'm wondering those useless letters on other matters can get published on the papers.. letters such as "thankyou for ur help" blah blah blah..

[MPeX]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 13 2005, 01:30 AM

Did you keep your letter under 500 words?

It can't possibility have exceeded 500 words... that's a GP essay limit!

 

Anyway, i modified the same letter and used it in the Shell petition... doesn't look long right?

[BikeLover]

Originally posted by Tyrian@Apr 13 2005, 01:37 AM

i sent letters to ST and Today too.. true enuff, they "bounce" my letter juz like bouncing a dishonoured cheque..

 

and i'm wondering those useless letters on other matters can get published on the papers.. letters such as "thankyou for ur help" blah blah blah..

Common...

 

So in the end, it's the editors' views that count, since choose what to publish. I don't think it's on a first-time-first-serve basis. Not really a forum, shld be ST Forum (Editor's View).

[hohosaint]

Originally posted by BikeLover@Apr 13 2005, 10:38 AM

Common...

 

So in the end, it's the editors' views that count, since choose what to publish. I don't think it's on a first-time-first-serve basis. Not really a forum, shld be ST Forum (Editor's View).

Well... They are liable for what they do.

[william_liu]

Originally posted by Tyrian@Apr 13 2005, 01:37 AM

i sent letters to ST and Today too.. true enuff, they "bounce" my letter juz like bouncing a dishonoured cheque..

 

and i'm wondering those useless letters on other matters can get published on the papers.. letters such as "thankyou for ur help" blah blah blah..

You mean like this:

 

Thank you for writing to us. We do appreciate your making the effort.

 

We receive 70 letters on average each day. Limited space means we can

 

publish only about a dozen every weekday.

 

This means having to make often difficult editorial judgments on which

 

letters to publish.

 

We regret we are unable this time to publish your letter, and hope you will

 

appreciate the constraints on space we face every day.

 

We hope you will continue taking an interest in the Forum Page.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Ms Noor Aiza

 

for Forum Editor

 

The Straits Times

 

 

:sian:

[hohosaint]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 13 2005, 02:07 PM

You mean like this:

 

Thank you for writing to us. We do appreciate your making the effort.

 

We receive 70 letters on average each day. Limited space means we can

 

publish only about a dozen every weekday.

 

This means having to make often difficult editorial judgments on which

 

letters to publish.

 

We regret we are unable this time to publish your letter, and hope you will

 

appreciate the constraints on space we face every day.

 

We hope you will continue taking an interest in the Forum Page.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Ms Noor Aiza

 

for Forum Editor

 

The Straits Times

 

 

:sian:

This wasn't the first time I saw such a reply when its about shell.

[william_liu]

Think I will write another letter, this time only talk about car passengers...

[madman]

so, it's a must to dismount for the rider, how about pillion? They didnt have signs say pillion must dismount right?...

 

guys, i think they shd provide scientific prove to convince us rather than just words like for your safety etc...

 

no scientific prove and no prove of any incident happenning becos we're refueling whilst seating on the bike.

[MPeX]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 13 2005, 02:42 PM

Think I will write another letter, this time only talk about car passengers...

Ur letter got trashed by STForum ah? See told u... i think they won't publish anything relating to Shell, coz no matter how i rephrase, they keep trashing my letters.

 

First letter took 2 weeks b4 they trashed it, 2nd rephrased letter took 3 days to reject, the 3rd letter I sent in the morning, afternoon they trash it leow.

 

Some bro mentioned, Shell is an advertiser with ST, full page adverts on "Better Mileage". You draw the conclusion...

[william_liu]

Originally posted by MPeX@Apr 13 2005, 10:22 PM

Ur letter got trashed by STForum ah? See told u... i think they won't publish anything relating to Shell, coz no matter how i rephrase, they keep trashing my letters.

 

First letter took 2 weeks b4 they trashed it, 2nd rephrased letter took 3 days to reject, the 3rd letter I sent in the morning, afternoon they trash it leow.

 

Some bro mentioned, Shell is an advertiser with ST, full page adverts on "Better Mileage". You draw the conclusion...

Yeah... mine took only 1 day...

 

I'll write another letter, this time without names then.......

[william_liu]

Why am I not surprised?

 

"Dear Sir,

 

Thank you for your contribution to our VOICES section, but I'm afraid we aren't

able to use your letter.

 

Please however continue to send your views to TODAY. We try to use as many

letters as possible, space permitting.

 

Once again, thank you for your interest in TODAY.

 

Best Regards,

 

Shanthi R.

 

MediaCorp Press Ltd, TODAY"

 

KA-CHING! KA-CHING! I heard more advertising money pouring in!

[mechwira]

u guys shd consider the notion that only New Paper is interested in making a big hoo-ha about straddling and using phone in petrol kiosks; maybe the other papers and probably everyone else think its such a small issue that nobody interested in talking bout petrol kiosk rules.

 

hope u understand of coz, wat i mean is other ppl not interested; but for bikers to bring the issue to shell is still worthwhile. itz jus other people couldn care less we straddle anot.

[MPeX]

Originally posted by william_liu@Apr 14 2005, 05:06 PM

Why am I not surprised?

 

"Dear Sir,

 

Thank you for your contribution to our VOICES section, but I'm afraid we aren't

able to use your letter.

I got the same reply from Today also.

 

Maybe ST and Today think that the biking population is insignificant to their readership statistics...

[BlackDawn]

anybody ever thought of writing to the Mandarin newspapers??? WanBao, maybe??

[tweakmax2]

write is no use la... just go to the shell station and call for press...