7.5 millions is TOO crowded.
All the HDB flats from pigeon holes become hamster holes..
pharoah88 ( Date: 15-Sep-2010 16:08) Posted:
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7.5m too many
City’s ‘elasticity’ must surely have its limits
Letter from Narayana Narayana
THE former chief executive of the Housing and Development Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Dr Liu Thai Ker, confidently said that “the quality of life in Singapore will not be affected even if the population were to hit 7.5 million people” (“S’pore has room for 7.5m people: Ex-HDB chief”, Sept 9).
His optimism appears to be underpinned mainly on the premise that “since we have planned for 5.5 million people (in the Singapore Concept Plan 1991), if we increase to, say, 6, 6.2 million, I think that additional 10 to 12 per cent will not make a huge difference”.
However, 7.5 million people is a whopping 36 per cent increase and elasticity must surely have its limits, with an eventual snapping point, which could have disastrous repercussions and consequences.
Dr Liu’s experience in the housing sector may have blinkered him into thinking only of providing accommodation for any increase in numbers.
A 50-storey block of flats would, of course, be able to house double the number of a 25-storey one but would it be possible to provide the necessary corresponding infrastructure and supporting facilities as well to ensure that “the quality of life in Singapore will not be affected”?
That is debatable, despite Dr Liu’s lecture on “the importance of urban planning”. As that well-known phrase goes: “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry” and so too do theoretical calculations and projections.
For example, the less-than-3 million population in the early ’90s has burgeoned to more than 5 million today but, despite the many improvements, public transport is not the projected breeze.
The MRT stations were designed so that a very definite six-coach train would fit into them with no possibility of adding more coaches to each train. Commuters now often wait for two or three to pass before they can get into one of them because of the overcrowding. |
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In the eVent Of crIsIs
CIVIL SERVANT retaIns jOb wIth fUll pay
bUt entrepreneUr's bUsIness and IncOme TANKED
pharoah88 ( Date: 20-Sep-2010 15:51) Posted:
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CIVIL SERVANT
[ZhevagO]
Is nOt
Entrepreneur
[ZhevagO]
pharoah88 ( Date: 20-Sep-2010 15:31) Posted:
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In Pictures: Billionaire Blowups, 2008
© Konstantin Ilyanok/Kommersant
Konstantin Zhevago
March net worth: $3.4 billion
Current net worth: $350 million
High-flying Ukrainian wunderkind has lost $3 billion in past several months. Shares of his iron ore producer Ferrexpo, which debuted in London in May 2007, have tanked 89% since March.
The stock's decline brought JPMorgan Chase to his door, recalling a loan.
To raise cash, Zhevago sold a 20% stake in Ferrexpo at a 30% discount. Soon after, Ferrexpo's CEO quit, and Zhevago took his spot.
It's probably a good thing the 35-year-old has a day job as a deputy in Ukraine's parliament and is an ally of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Pasted from <http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/22/billionaires-mitttal-ross-biz-billies-cz_lk_1222billieblowups_slide_11.html> |
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In Pictures: Billionaire Blowups, 2008
© Konstantin Ilyanok/Kommersant
Konstantin Zhevago
March net worth: $3.4 billion
Current net worth: $350 million
High-flying Ukrainian wunderkind has lost $3 billion in past several months. Shares of his iron ore producer Ferrexpo, which debuted in London in May 2007, have tanked 89% since March.
The stock's decline brought JPMorgan Chase to his door, recalling a loan.
To raise cash, Zhevago sold a 20% stake in Ferrexpo at a 30% discount. Soon after, Ferrexpo's CEO quit, and Zhevago took his spot.
It's probably a good thing the 35-year-old has a day job as a deputy in Ukraine's parliament and is an ally of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Pasted from <http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/22/billionaires-mitttal-ross-biz-billies-cz_lk_1222billieblowups_slide_11.html>
Sep 12, 2010
S'pore ministers visit Johor Sultan
-- PHOTO: MFA
Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor (in purple) and Johor Crown Prince Ismail Ibrahim chatting with (front row, from left) Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman, Singapore ministers Mah Bow Tan, Vivian Balakrishnan and Gan Kim Yong before the start of the brunch hosted by the Sultan of Johor at the Istana Besar yesterday.
The ministers, accompanied by their respective wives (back row, from left) Sheryn-Kaye von Senden, Joy Chia and Esther Loh, had been invited by the Sultan to his Hari Raya Open House at the Istana Besar.
Sep 11, 2010
Gap unbridgeable without external help
MS SYLVIA Wong ('Mind the textbook Gap'; Sept9) hit the nail on the head - the gap between the textbooks and the exam papers is unbridgeable by an average child without external help.
The textbooks leave much to be desired.
Assessment books available in the market are of some help. But most parents are lost when it comes to explaining concepts to the child unless they themselves are proficient in that subject. And how many of us have a grasp of all subjects to help our children?
Content matter and methodology have changed over time. We may have studied the same subjects in school but things are different now. That is why parents are forced to seek out private tutors.
The situation is aggravated by the extremely competitive times our children live in, where no parent wants his child to be left behind as the demanding curriculum of the Singapore education system gives second chances only to a select few.
Sonia Mehrotra (Mrs)
pharoah88 ( Date: 12-Sep-2010 15:00) Posted:
Sep 11, 2010
Give weak pupils a fighting chance
I FULLY agree with Ms Sylvia Wong ('Mind the textbook gap'; Sept 9). I taught academically weak primary school children for 40 years. It was heart-wrenching to see those children failing dismally at every continual assessment, semestral assessment and the Primary School Leaving Examination.
Those at the tail end of the streamed cohort, in particular those in EM2, floundered hopelessly because the examination questions were mostly well beyond their ability.
Parents who came for the parent-teacher meetings would invariably ask me why their children's daily work was up to par, and yet they failed abysmally at the exams. Initially, I tried hard to get the children accustomed to the challenging genre of questions, but it was an exercise in futility - the gap was yawning.
In the end, I accepted reality and grounded them in the basics - hoping they would score enough to be transferred to Secondary 1 Normal Technical stream. I use the word 'transferred' because the candidates who went to Secondary 1 had mostly Ds and Es (failing grades), in addition to a couple of weak Cs or Bs, and occasionally an A.
I argued for far more balanced examination papers so that the weak pupils had a fighting chance to at least secure a passing grade. My pleas fell on deaf ears as each succeeding year saw the emergence of even more challenging exam papers, which totally dashed whatever hopes the weak candidates had to secure at least a passing grade.
Not only were the questions very difficult but some were also couched in complex sentences requiring a good grasp of the language, and at the same time, guessing correctly what the setter wanted them to do. The smart and above-average children got by with the extra help they got at home or at tuition centres.
The parents of average and weak ones would surely be relieved and encouraged if those who set examination papers do so with some thought for the stragglers and strugglers. Ms Wong's arguments for a closer affinity between textbooks and examinations deserve the staunch support of all - parents, teachers and administrators alike.
Ho Kong Loon
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By Channel NewsAsia, Updated: 11/09/2010
Youths engage DPM Teo in dialogue, with focus on foreign talent
Youths engage DPM Teo in dialogue, with focus on foreign talent
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean
SINGAPORE : Youths in Singapore engaged Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean in a dialogue on Saturday afternoon.
The focus was on embracing new citizens in the country.
The Young Sikh Association said close to 400 people attended the dialogue.
This is the
third ministerial dialogue that the association has organised. The event received strong attendance from various groups including tertiary institutions, grassroots organisations and foreigners — most of whom wanted to give their take on the widely—discussed topic of foreign talent.
The participants raised their concerns about the foreign talent who compete with them for jobs.
DPM Teo, who is also Defence Minister, said: "Some work here and go back. They make a contribution to Singapore and they earn a decent living for themselves.
"Others come here to work for longer periods of time, and finally others, they come here and they finally decide to sink roots. And they hope over time to become like you and me."
Some foreigners, who made up around 20 per cent of the audience, explained what was holding them back from becoming Singaporeans.
One of them said: "We would like to have jobs in Singapore, but we have noticed there is a kind of discomfort between both sides."
22—year—old Huang Bin, a scholar from China who is studying at the National University of Singapore, shared those sentiments.
He said: "There are people like us, we do normal jobs, we get paid, we live here. There are also those workers who come here for a couple of years, they probably do not speak perfect English. But these are the people who get criticised the most. And they give the entire new Chinese immigrants a somewhat negative image. I am not blaming them, but I do feel this is an issue we should keep in mind and need to address."
Some university students were worried about the
growing number of overseas scholars overtaking the local intake.
One student said that some locals, despite scoring well, were unable to get into their desired course of study.
DPM Teo said: "Even if you create more places in medical school or law school, there will be more applicants who want to get there than there will be places.
"That is just something that students will have to live with. If you double the number of places, are we going to have enough places to satisfy everybody who thinks he ought to be in medical school? It is not possible. But do we have places for those who can go to university? The answer is yes."
The dialogue was a post—National Day Rally discussion for youths from all races and backgrounds. — CNA/ms
Sep 11, 2010
Give weak pupils a fighting chance
I FULLY agree with Ms Sylvia Wong ('Mind the textbook gap'; Sept 9). I taught academically weak primary school children for 40 years. It was
heart-wrenching to see those children failing dismally at every continual assessment, semestral assessment and the Primary School Leaving Examination.
Those at the tail end of the streamed cohort, in particular those in
EM2, floundered hopelessly because the examination questions were mostly well beyond their ability.
Parents who came for the parent-teacher meetings would invariably ask me why their children's daily work was up to par, and yet they failed abysmally at the exams. Initially, I tried hard to get the children accustomed to the challenging genre of questions, but it was an exercise in futility -
the gap was yawning.
In the end, I accepted reality and grounded them in the basics - hoping they would score enough to be transferred to Secondary 1 Normal Technical stream. I use the word 'transferred' because the candidates who went to Secondary 1 had mostly Ds and Es (failing grades), in addition to a couple of weak Cs or Bs, and occasionally an A.
I argued for far
more balanced examination papers so that the weak pupils had a fighting chance to at least secure a passing grade. My pleas fell on deaf ears as each succeeding year saw the emergence of even more challenging exam papers, which totally dashed whatever hopes the weak candidates had to secure at least a passing grade.
Not only were the questions very difficult but some were also
couched in complex sentences requiring a good grasp of the language, and at the same time, guessing correctly what the setter wanted them to do. The smart and above-average children got by with the extra help they got at home or at tuition centres.
The parents of average and weak ones would surely be relieved and encouraged if those who set examination papers do so with some thought for the stragglers and strugglers. Ms Wong's arguments for a
closer affinity between textbooks and examinations deserve the staunch support of all - parents, teachers and administrators alike.
Ho Kong Loon
Sep 12, 2010
Queues form despite stoppage
Many say they take free rides to Sentosa, not to visit the casino
By Elizabeth Soh
Mr Joseph Yap being informed by a Resorts World Sentosa staff member in Bishan yesterday that the shuttle services to the integrated resort had ceased. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
DESPITE widespread media coverage that the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) shuttle services had stopped running, Singaporeans still turned up at pick-up points yesterday in the hope of getting a free ride to the integrated resort.
Queues were seen in Ang Mo Kio and Bedok, despite signs that said the service had been terminated. Up to 20 people were waiting at a bus stop in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 yesterday at 3pm. When told the shuttle bus was no longer in operation, they reacted with surprise.
Said mechanic T.M. Tan, 47, in Mandarin:
'How are we supposed to get there now? So troublesome.'
He just wanted to go SENTOSA ?
The shuttle service had been in operation since June, serving 19 locations across the island 15 to 33 times a day.
It had been ferrying an average of 2,500 passengers daily and was expected to take a crowd of up to 4,000 over the Hari Raya weekend.
The shuttle service ceased operations immediately on Friday afternoon after a directive from the Casino Regulatory Authority.
Read the full story in The Sunday Times.
Citizenship criteria: How much to disclose? — The assurance is that those given the red passport will be assessed on their allegiance to Singapore. Some are wondering, though, as the Government plans to approach a number of permanent residents to sink roots here, if the citizenship criteria can be clearer.
Esther Ng
estherng@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE
PRs know only that they are eligible to apply, if they are at least 21 and have been a PR for at least “two to six years prior to the date of application”, through two citizenship routes: Economic merits and family ties, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) website.
Last year, the criteria was tightened, with the only detail given that the ability to integrate was an important consideration.
Some countries such as Australia have a clear points system and Institute of Policy Studies research fellow Leong Chan Hoong is one for a more transparent criteria and process, so that applicants know what they are “getting into rather than just filling in forms”.
Said Dr Leong: “The system has to be one that Singaporeans feel is legitimate and assures them about who is being admitted to Singapore and the skills they bring.”
While the ICA has said before that it does not disclose publicly the exact criteria to prevent abuse of information, the National Population Secretariat has said previously that language, culture and contributions to society are broad citizenship considerations.
Those whom MediaCorp spoke to suggested clear indicators in the areas such as education, number of years as a PR, special skills or contribution to Singapore, a salary not less than the median wage and children who have served National Service or have become Singaporeans.
Said Sembawang GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak: “We want to attract bright talent, so the criteria could be a diploma or degree without going into which class or where it’s from.”
But limiting citizenship to diploma and degree holders could mean missing out on talented people without academic qualifications, for instance, hairdresser David Gan or a three-star Michelin chef, said Marine Parade GRC MP Lim Biow Chuan.
More than just defining the criteria, the challenge is to disclose criteria that is both broad and informative for the public, said observers.
Listing such details could subject the Government to “litigation through a judiciary review”, said Singapore Management University law lecturer Eugene Tan.
“If you give A citizenship but not B, and B finds out, B could challenge the Government in court, demand an explanation,” Assistant Professor Tan said.
While ICA may have a set of indicators, “the authorities would want to have the discretion on who they give citizenship and this is the same with other countries”, he added.
IT consultant Manikandan Renganathan, 38, who has lived here for 14 years before becoming a citizen this year, agreed.
“Once you reveal it, more people will try to meet what’s required of them. Do you take all these people in?” he said.
The flipside is that “those who are rejected won’t know how to improve their chances in a couple of years’ time and they could relocate to other countries pre-emptively”, said Asst Prof Tan.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak told MediaCorp, though, that from his experience in dealing with rejected applicants who turn up during his Meet-the-People sessions, the ICA does give “hints”.
“If the written reply says the applicant is advised to re-apply in six months’ time, it means the applicant is not ready yet, or if further upgrading is advised, the applicant needs to improve his skill or education level.”
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