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Discussion in 'Chit-Chat' started by Loh, May 4, 2009.

  1. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    'Learning by doing'

    The Straits Times
    March 1, 2010

    New centre in Boon Lay teaches through play and hands-on approach

    By Maria Almenoar

    PAP Community Foundation (PCF) is testing a new teaching method to help its youngsters get ready for primary school.

    Yesterday, it launched an experiential learning centre called Kidz Haven at its centre in Boon Lay.

    The 255 children enrolled there will be the first among children in PCF's 247 centres to experience the teaching method, which develops learning skills through play and a hands-on approach in new rooms the school has created.

    There is now a dedicated art room, gym, drama studio and kitchen, among other things.

    As part of the programme, children will, for example, discover how to make a simple meal. They will also learn how to follow instructions as part of a language class, and find out where the dish came from in a geography lesson.

    Experiential learning is already being encouraged at the primary and secondary school levels as schools move away from learning by memorisation.

    Mr Teo (centre) observing a cooking class at Kidz Haven, where children learn through play and hands-on lessons. For example, in a cooking class, they learn to follow instructions and find out about the place the dish originated from. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
     

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  2. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    School shuttlers get SBA lift

    The Straits Times
    Sat, Feb 27, 2010
    By Frankie Chee

    SIX school badminton teams are set to receive a boost.

    A pilot project by the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) will allow Boon Lay Secondary, Maris Stella High (Primary and Secondary), Montfort Junior, Montfort Secondary and and Xinmin Secondary to tap the association's resources over the next two years.

    The SBA will provide coaching clinics, educate teachers-in-charge about the sport and set high performance guidelines and standards for the schools.

    It will also organise competitions between the schools, and form a selection team to allow the players to take part in overseas age-group competitions to help raise their standards.

    The schools - all badminton powerhouses - signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Partners in Badminton Excellence (PBE) Scheme yesterday.

    On their part, each will identify up to two talented shuttlers and offer an academic scholarship to these players.

    'This is important for honing young talents,' said SBA's president Lee Yi Shyan, who is also the Minister of State (Trade and Industry, and Manpower). 'If you want to reach the peak of sports, you need to start at a very young age.'

    The scheme is not limited to local students. As Mr Lee noted, there are many foreign students in schools now and they add diversity to the student population.

    Also, unlike the Centres of Excellence projects in many sports, the PBE will not reach out to pool badminton talents in the six schools. The system will instead develop whatever talents they have, which is why only schools with a track record in the sport were picked.

    After the signing, Mr Lee gave out awards for the North Zone Inter-Primary School Badminton Championships. Montfort Junior beat Maris Stella High in the senior boys' event, and Rosyth defeated North Spring Primary for the senior girls' title.


    6 school badminton teams are set to receive a boost.
     

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  3. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore table tennis gets boost in S$300,000 sponsorship

    Channel NewsAsia
    01 March 2010 2127 hrs

    By Loh Mei Mei,

    SINGAPORE: Singapore's programme to groom local talent in table tennis received a boost in the form of a S$300,000 cash sponsorship over three years.

    The Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) signed the sponsorship deal with local company QT Technology.

    It is the first cash sponsorship for the national sports association.

    STTA president Lee Bee Wah said the bulk of the money will be used to develop local table tennis talent.

    Last year, the STTA launched a programme with the PAP Community Foundation in 15 constituencies to teach the sport from kindergarten level.

    It aims to expand the programme to 22 constituencies this year and will launch similar programmes for students at lower primary level from next month.

    "I am very happy that as of today, we have 15 constituencies and eventually I hope we will have PCF programmes throughout Singapore in all the 84 constituencies," said Ms Lee.

    "And besides the PCF programme, we will focus on primary schools this year... and all this programme, we need money and we are glad to have this sponsorship from QT."
     

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  4. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    February 2010 is driest month for S'pore since records began in 1869

    Channel NewsAsia
    01 March 2010 1840 hrs

    By Joanne Chan,

    SINGAPORE: February was the driest month in 140 years, since 1869, when records of rainfall first started for Singapore.

    The National Environment Agency (NEA) said 6.3 millimetres of rain fell in the month.

    1968 and 2005 had the next driest Februaries when 8.4 mm of rain fell.

    February also saw the hottest day so far this year.

    The mercury hit 35 degrees Celsius on the 26th of the month.

    NEA said February is traditionally one of the driest months, made worse this year by the El Nino effect.

    NEA said rainfall for the first half of March is expected to be below average for most parts of the island.

    Climate researcher from the National University of Singapore Matthias Roth said the El Nino effect is expected to last till May.

    Coupled with the El Nino effect, which may last for a few more months, an extended heatwave is expected.

    "Getting into March and April, those are generally drier months, or drier tail-end of the Northeast Monsoon," explained associate professor Matthias Roth, climate researcher from the National University of Singapore. "So this together with the El Nino effect, would result in relatively dry and warm conditions for the coming couple of months."
     

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  5. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    SM Goh says Budget 2010 a "transformational" Budget

    Channel NewsAsia
    02 March 2010 0003 hrs

    By S. Ramesh,


    SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has said this year's Budget may be seen as "unexciting" to some Singaporeans, but it is nonetheless strategically important because it is a "transformational" Budget.

    He said the aim of the Budget was to bring the economy to a higher level.

    Mr Goh was speaking at a dialogue at his Marine Parade constituency on Monday.

    Addressing an audience of grassroots leaders and residents, he said for incomes to go up, productivity needs to follow suit, including that of foreign workers.

    Mr Goh said the government decided against giving out too many goodies as no recession is expected this year.

    Furthermore, households will continue to get benefits from last year's policies.

    Mr Goh said: "When I read comments that the Budget has got nothing for me as a person, rather than a few of the allowances and so on, they are wrong. This Budget is for you. It is about how we can increase our productivity as a whole - you as a worker, the company as a production institution, the management as the people-in-charge.

    "If we can transform the economy through the measures introduced in the Budget, the income we have today can continue to increase."

    The dialogue saw Mr Goh and his panel, comprising MPs Lim Biow Chuan and Dr Fatimah Lateef, addressing a range of issues including tax incentives and more relief for those supporting the elderly or disabled family members.

    Mr Goh was also asked how confident the government was in achieving its stated aim of annual productivity growth of 2 to 3 percent.

    "At this stage I can't say with full confidence that we can achieve 3 percent growth per year, but it's a target which we want to aim at. If we don't achieve it, well it's bad but let's say we double it from 1 to 2 percent. That's an improvement. It means your income goes up, but much less than what we hope would be the case," he said.

    Mr Goh said one Budget statement cannot tackle all issues at one time, and this year's plan deals with the long-term.

    But many of the issues are on the government's radar screen, and details of initiatives will be released in Parliament.

    Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong
     

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  6. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Budget debate kicks off Tues

    The Straits Times
    Mar 1, 2010

    By Rachael Chang

    PARLIAMENT sits on Tuesday to kick-start a two-week debate on proposals in the government's Budget to transform Singapore's economy and help companies and employees work smarter.

    But before MPs weigh in on it, they have a slew of questions for ministers. These range from the polytechnics' fee revision, to the elderly and how pro-family business practices impact productivity in the workplace.

    MP Josephine Teo (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) has asked if fee hikes from next month for permanent residents and foreign students will give the impression that higher institutions of learning here no longer welcome foreign students.

    Fee hikes for PRs and foreigners at the Institute of Technical Education and five polytechnics was announced last month. 'Even as we reflect the true cost of education, we must put in place other measures to ensure that word does not get around that Singapore no longer welcomes foreigners,' she said on Monday.

    The Government need not provide more financial help but can facilitate the offering of scholarships and bursaries by private organisations, such as associations representing new immigrants.

    Nominated MP Paulin Tay Straughan is asking for data on the productivity of businesses with pro-family practices. 'I would like to see how family-friendly firms are performing,' she explained yesterday. 'Employers need to understand that pro-family practices are a win-win situation.'


    Parliament will kick-start a two-week debate from Tuesday, on proposals in the government's Budget to transform Singapore's economy and help companies and employees work smarter. -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
     

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  7. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    MPs kick off debate on Budget 2010

    Channel NewsAsia
    02 March 2010 1312 hrs

    By S Ramesh,

    SINGAPORE: Singapore's Parliament has started its annual marathon Budget session with Members of Parliament (MPs) giving their views and that of their constituencies, and the business community on Budget 2010.

    Kicking off the debate, GPC Chair for Finance and Trade and Industry Jessica Tan said Budget 2010 is one of moving Singapore forward in the next decade and transforming the economy to ensure that it continues to achieve sustainable growth.

    Ms Tan told the House that reactions to the Budget have been mixed, based on feedback from channels such as REACH, online blogs and forums, as well as dialogue with business groups and grassroots leaders.

    "While many acknowledge the soundness of the approach and intent of the Budget, several felt that more may need to be done on the scope, timing and form of the initiatives to be more effective for both individuals and businesses," she said.

    One example is the move to raise the foreign worker levy.

    She stressed that if the increase is not calibrated, it may "send the wrong signal to companies looking to invest in Singapore or to foreign talents that Singapore is not open as it used to be".

    And although the rise in levy is graduated over three years, some business leaders have expressed concern that this may impede the ability of companies to leverage on and capture the opportunities of the recovery as their capacity will be impacted.

    Furthermore, productivity improvements of locals will not be immediate and it will take companies some time to innovate and achieve greater productivity.

    Ms Tan also noted that caregiving industries, Volunteer Welfare Organisations and the stepdown healthcare sector will be impacted by the increase in foreign worker levy as they are heavily dependant on foreign talent, and certain roles cannot be easily automated. This will affect costs of treatment.
     

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  8. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    F1 Singapore 3-day general admission tickets on sale

    Channel NewsAsia
    01 March 2010 1437 hrs

    By Mustafa Shafawi,

    SINGAPORE: Three-day general admission tickets for this year's Formula One Grand Prix will be available for sale from Monday.

    Early birds will get to buy the tickets at an average 15 per cent discount, till April 30.

    Prices range from S$168 for a Zone 4 Walkabout ticket to S$1,088 for a Pit or Turns Grandstand ticket.

    A new three-day Premier Walkabout ticket has also been launched. It will allow fans access to Zone 1 and the rest of the circuit park.
     
  9. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    From Vivo City across to Sentosa

    Those intending to visit Sentosa may find Vivo City (VC) shopping mall a good place to start. The MRT train will take you to Harbourfront (HF) from where you can take a short walk to reach VC. The Singapore Cruise Centre is located at HF too, so is the cable car which is now being upgraded.

    If you are a little thirsty and hungry, you can first feast at the Seah Imm hawker centre across the road from HF, linked by the overhead bridge. Here is where you can also take a bus to enter Sentosa.

    You can view Sentosa, especially Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), from the top deck of VC. This place is quite unique with almost half the area covered in shallow water for kids as well as adults to revel in. VC is designed unlike most of the other quality shopping malls here and has the added advantage of having an unobstructed view of the sea.

    I chose to walk across to Sentosa instead of taking the monorail or the bus. The travellators are not ready yet but the pleasant surroundings with trees, plants and flowers made the bridge crossing a breeze, although the heat from the afternoon sun proved a little discomforting.

    This was the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Tiger and RWS was giving a preview of its facilities, particularly of Universal Studios. The tickets at $10 were all sold out so I took the second best option of paying the entrance fee of $2 to visit some of RWS's other facilities.

    It was quite a grand showing and when RWS finally opens the theme park soon, many will be impressed and enjoy themselves with the variety of rides.

    RWS has an ideal location not only with a seafront but it is also linked to the Merlion Walk and Siloso Beach with all the attendant facilities nearby like The Luge, the mono-rail station, the aerial cable ride, the beach for swimming and beach volleyball, etc. And if one still has the energy, one could visit many other attractions on the island.

    (More pictures to come)
     

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  10. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Resorts World Sentosa

    Although the Universal Studios was not open to us, there were quite a lot to see in the vicinity.

    Big fountains with streams and waterfalls created the lush atmosphere amid the trees and flowering plants. The two luxury hotels provided the colourful shops with beautiful things like the giant naked man and woman created by Botero and the magnificent glass sculptures in rather pleasantly designed showrooms. The drapes and other textile decorations here provided a soft touch in contrast to the hard concrete surroundings outside.

    The casino was a draw with many impatient visitors blocked from entering for whatever reason. Even here, a long-legged bronze elephant fought for attention at one corner.
     

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  11. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    The Merlion Walk

    This is the passage leading to the famous Sentosa Merlion. Whilst this Merlion is protected by the flora and fauna, the more popular one for picture taking at Marina Bay is exposed to the elements and the sea. Along the way are an assortment of sculptures and flora decorations with a Lunar New Year theme.

    Many foreign workers from India and China took the opportunity of the long holidays to visit this popular tourist resort.
     

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  12. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Colourful Merlion Walk

    This side of the Merlion Walk is surrounded by nature in the main but the opposite side is a pathway of colourful, brilliant man-made mosiac of magical sea creatures, few familiar but mostly uncommon, only to be found in the fantasy of the human mind.

    A common bond that runs through and connects these defying creatures is the water channel that hopefully cools them down and brings back some serenity and harmony.

    A wonderful place of seemingly kids' art to amuse the photographer. ;)
     

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  13. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    The Luge

    Farther down the road, towards the sea where the monorail station stands solid and tall, is a place of great interest and activity. There are eateries here and a souvenir shop but the more popular attraction is The Luge where many eager fans are waiting for their turn. They will not be disappointed! :)
     

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  14. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Siloso Beach

    My last stop was the famous Siloso Beach.

    Despite Singapore's lack of space and sandy beaches, Sentosa managed to carve out this niche for enthusiasts of the sun, sand and sea and became quite famous for its beach games, parties and 'Zouk out'.

    This place was alive with all sorts of beach activities for the young and not so young and will continue to attract greater numbers when more facilities are installed. A great place to relax and frolic under the sun. :)
     

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  15. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Ex-Romanian diplomat had several drinks before hit-and-run accident: court witness

    Channel NewsAsia
    03 March 2010 1418 hrs

    By Shaffiq AlKhatib,

    SINGAPORE: The former Romanian charge d'affaires to Singapore, Dr Silviu Ionescu, had been drinking alcohol the night his embassy car was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident.

    This was revealed at a coroner's inquiry on Wednesday by a witness who said she was with Dr Ionescu that night.

    Korean opera singer Jeong Ae Ree cut a glamorous figure in court as she detailed her night out with Dr Silviu Ionescu on December 14.

    Ms Jeong said they went to the Shangri-La Hotel for a function, where the former diplomat had a few glasses of white wine.

    Next, they went to Clarke Quay, where he downed two shots of tequila outside a Turkish restaurant.

    After that, they proceeded to the Legend Palace KTV lounge at Peace Centre off Sophia Road.

    Ms Jeong testified that Dr Ionescu had a few glasses of what she said was "probably a mixture of coke and spirits" at the lounge.

    Finally, he drove her home to the Hillcrest Arcadia condominium at three in the morning.

    The state coroner was shown CCTV footage of the two together at the Shangri-La Hotel and Peace Centre.

    There was also footage of them meeting at the lobby of Ms Jeong's apartment building the next day, on December 16, where she said Dr Ionescu explained he had only drunk juices and coke on their night out.

    He even showed her medication for his diabetes.

    All this puzzled Ms Jeong, who told the court she did not know why he did so.

    The coroner's inquiry is not a criminal trial.

    Its role is to establish the facts surrounding the death of the hit-and-run victim, Tong Kok Wai.

    However, if the coroner rules otherwise, no charges will be made against him.

    The Malaysian died after being run over by a black Audi belonging to the Romanian embassy on December 15 at Bukit Panjang.

    Two others were injured.

    Dr Ionescu has maintained the vehicle was stolen, but evidence presented in court showed the car could only be unlocked by its original key.

    Police have also determined that Dr Ionescu was behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

    Dr Ionescu has been asked to attend the inquiry not as a "potential defendant", but as an "interested person". However he has so far not said he will do so.

    Also present at the Coroner's Inquiry were Subhas Anandan and Sunil Sudheesan, lawyers for Mr Tong's widow, and the Romanian Embassy's Economic Counsellor and Charge d'Affaires Alexander Nicolae Coseru.

    About 50 witnesses are due to give testimony at the inquiry.

    The Romanian Embassy has said the former diplomat's driver Marius Trusca will "assist the state coroner" in investigations.


    1. Silviu Ionescu (file picture)

    2. Jeong Ae Ree
     

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  16. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    Loh, diplomats have immunity from any civil or criminal prosecutions. There is nothing the Singapore government can do about it. It would have been better for the Singapore government to ask Romania to waive diplomatic immunity for their diplomat so that he can be tried in Singapore. If not then Romania obviously think any diplomatic fallout is minimal.
     
  17. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    SGH doctors perform Singapore's first dual-kidney transplant

    Channel NewsAsia
    03 March 2010 1706 hrs

    By Dylan Loh,

    SINGAPORE: Doctors at the Singapore General Hospital successfully performed a dual-kidney transplant last December, in what's believed to be a first for Singapore.

    Housewife Susan Ong finally got a new lease on life, after waiting eight years for a transplant.

    The 54-year-old mother of two had kidney failure and had to undergo 12 hours of dialysis treatment every week.

    It all changed last December, when she became Singapore's first dual-kidney transplant success story.

    Ong said she was scared and worried, but placed her trust in the medical team and went ahead with the operation.

    "We performed a dual-kidney transplant because we anticipated that the functional capacity of a single kidney from an older donor will not be enough for our recipient," explained Dr Terence Kee, a consultant at the Department of Renal Medicine at the Singapore General Hospital.

    "So with careful assessment of the donor, with respect to function and structure, we decided that we would place two kidneys into this recipient."

    This is made possible by changes to the Human Organ Transplant Act last November, with more kidneys made available for transplants. Doctors can now harvest kidneys from a person who has died and is above 60 years old but did not pledge organs for donation.

    In such an operation, doctors remove two kidneys from a deceased donor and transplant them.

    This usually takes one to two hours more than a single-kidney transplant surgery.

    Following Ong's successful transplant, doctors have performed another such procedure last month.

    More kidney patients like Ong will benefit from the availability of dual-kidney transplants as an option.

    Going forward, doctors say they expect to perform more of such procedures.
     

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  18. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    They have done all that is possible to bring justice to bear. I'm quite satisfied that our government is pursuing the matter vigorously for the young Malaysian who was killed in the hit-and-run incident. The testimonies from so many witnesses will reveal more in days to come and if it is proven that the ex-diplomat is responsible, the Romanian government will be hard pressed to provide whatever assistance necessary to uphold their law abiding image.

    We need to wait for the outcome.
     
  19. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    Obviously, the Singapore government has had no success in persuading the Romania government to waive their diplomat's imunity, which is usually conducted confidentially between governments. So shaming the diplomat, and indirectly the Romania government, by splashing Singapore's version of the injustice is what we are seeing now
    I hope this will not get out of hand.
     
  20. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Well, it is not surprising to me that you seem to have the most negative comments about Singapore even when the results are not known yet.

    I rather that you don't try to be too smart. :rolleyes:
     

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