home of GANG 22

2008-07-05T23:58:00.004+08:00

In case u guys are wondering where all the "army boys" of 22/06 are scattered around, here are the whereabouts of us:

Alvin - ASLC SISPEC

Jun Cheng - BSLC SISPEC

Eugene - BSLC SISPEC

Haziq - BSLC SISPEC

Guoping - OCS

Pin Quan - OCS

Jackson - ARMOUR INFANTRY

Zhi Hao - ARMOUR INFANTRY

Arief - TRANSPORT SUPERVISOR

Ivan - SIGNALS Man :)

Hopefully this will help. Do inform me on ur latest postings guys.

-Alvin

2007-12-13T11:08:00.001+08:00

Hopefully it's not too late to post these pictures for GRAD NITE! Guys, do add in more if you got because i goped these pics from others. Sry tried adding in captions but it turned out to be all over the place so i removed them. If anyone noes do feel free to add in captions haha. :)

-Alvin

2007-12-12T12:29:00.000+08:00

Hey guys dun leave this blog to rot! Anyone can update it so if you need the user and pw just ask me. Anw, there will be a class outing today at Clarke Quay. Details as follow:

Venue: Clarke Quay (MRT station)
Time: 6.30pm

Hopefully all will turn out or there wun be another chance to see Jackson again before he enlists!

-Alvin

STEAMBOAT GATHERING

2007-11-22T04:46:00.000+08:00

YAY! first gathering today and there's more to come!!! cos the torturous A's are finally over and we must meet up more often before the guys devote themselves to the army...
photos will be up soon and guys-dont forget to leave ur msgs on those colourful papers that our dear friend Guoping initiated for all us!
ok...that's all for now. Ciaos!

NEXT OUTING: ICE SKATING! (:

2007-08-26T16:29:00.000+08:00

PEOPLE

POLITICIAN & REVOLUTIONARIES
Ho Chi Minh
Born in a village in central Vietnam (1890) – indirectly ruled by the French under puppet emperor
Founder and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
A passionate nationalist obsessed by a single goal: independence for Vietnam
During Japanese invasion, he urged his followers to fight both Japanese and French
Crush French’s attempt to retrieve its empire Indochina
Undermined U.S effort to prevent communism in Vietnam – longest war for US, and their first defeat in their history- drastically change the way they perceived their role in the world
Remain committed to Vietnam’s independence even if the war was destroying his country

Martin Luther King Jr.
Well known for his “I have a dream” speech
Led Civil Rights Movement in USA
King organized and led marches for blacks' right to vote, desegregation, labor rights and other basic civil rights. Most of these rights were successfully enacted into United States law with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Pope John Paul II
Papacy lasted for 26 years (2nd longest)
Often credited as one of the major forces which contributed to collapse of communism in Eastern Europe
Notable for speaking against war, fascism, dictatorship, abortion, materialism
Well-versed in numerous languages and one of the most-traveled world leaders in history
§ In February 2004 Pope John Paul II was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize honoring his life's work in opposing Communist oppression and helping to reshape the world.
Constantly attempts to unite the world’s religions through his meetings with leaders of other faiths
e.g with Islam: in 2001, he became the first Catholic pope to enter and pray in an Islamic mosque in Syria. He also famously kissed the Quran there, an act which made him popular amongst Muslims

Slobodan Milosevic
1st president of the republic of Serbia (1989 – 1997), 3rd president of the federal republic of Yugoslavia (1997 – 2000)
personally responsible for the most destructive conflict, and the most terrible atrocities, recorded in Europe since World War II.
indicted in May 1999, during the Kosovo War, by the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for crimes against humanity in Kosovo (murder of 900 Kosovo-Albanians and the deportation of 740,000 more). He is the first head of state ever be brought before an international war crimes court.
responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims in 1990s
found dead in his cell at The Hague – heart attack

Albert Arnold Gore (Al-Gore)
45th vice president of USA (under Bill Clinton)
Environmentalist - in 2006 starred in the Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, discussing global warming and the environment. Under his leadership, one of Gore's organizations, Save Our Selves, organized the benefit concert Live Earth in an effort to raise awareness about climate change.

Pope Benedict XVI
Successor of Pope John Paul II
Controversial issue with Islam arose from a lecture delivered in Dec 2006 by him at the University of Regensburg in Germany
Touched on the issue of jihad or holy war and argued that spreading religion through violence was “contrary to God’s nature”.
Quoted 14th century Byzantine Emperor to make this point: “ Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
Sparked Muslim criticisms and protests around the world
Mended relations after a visit to Turkey, where he prayed in the Blue Mosque alongside Mufti of Istanbul and the Imam of the Blue Mosque

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Current president of Liberia
Africa’s first elected female head of state
Challenges include putting a country torn by 14 years of civil war back onto its feet
For essays on gender, examples:
Angela Merkel, Condoleezza Rice and Wu Yi, ranked 1st to 3rd respectively in Forbes Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2006
Others: Margaret Whitman – president Ebay, Ho Ching – Chief Executive Temasek Holdings, Queen Elizabeth II, Aung San Suu Kyi (myanmar) – Nobel Peace Laureate
SPORTS

Floyd Landis
American cyclist
1st in 2006 Tour de France
Failed a drug test which indicated high levels of synthetic testosterone
Claimed to be innocent
Final results still pending, could lose his title if proven guilty of doping

Muhammad Ali
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay
Named “Sportsman of the Century”
Retired American boxer and former three-time World Heavyweight Champion and winner of an Olympic light-heavyweight gold medal
Changed his name after converting to Islam
Barely graduated from his high school, often travel to fight on weekends
Refused to join the US army during the Vietnam war, as a result, he was stripped of his title
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
Devoted himself to humanitarian endeavours around the world since retirement

Zinedine Yazid Zidane
French-born Algerian football player, former captain of French national team
Led france to win 1998 FIFA world cup final
Sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the 110th minute of 2006 world cup final against Italy – Materazzi said to have insulted him (but no one knows of course)
Despite this, he was still awarded the Golden Ball as Best Player in the 2006 World Cup
Sponsorship deals with Adidas, Christian Dior etc earn him E8.6 million in 2005 – 06 season

Pele
Just need to know that’s just his nickname
Former Brazilian football player, officially declared as the football ambassador of the world by FIFA and national treasure of Brazilian government
Born across the mountains from great coastal cities of brazil, in impoverished town of Tres Coracoes
Shined shoes until age of 11 until one of brazil’s soccer players discovered him and brought him to Sao Paolo
Been known to stop wars: both sides in Nigeria’s civil war called a 48-hour cease-fire in 1967 so Pele could play in an exhibition match in Lagos

SCIENTISTS

Marie Curie
Born in 1867
First woman to win a Nobel Prize (in Physics) in 1903
The only woman who have won 2 Nobel Prizes (Chemistry and Physics)
Discovered an unknown radioactive substance, radium and polonium which was an unknown chemical element
Died in 1934, her death was partly due to excessive exposure to radiation in her years of research

CELEBRITIES

Angelina Jolie
American actress
Poor family background, separation of parents
and her acting ability (won awards like the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and an Academy Award)
Became internationally known when she acted in the movie ‘Lara Croft Tomb Raider’
Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency
promoted humanitarian causes throughout the world, and is noted for her work with refugees through UNHCR.

Bono (Paul David Hewson)
lead singer and principal lyrist for band U2
songs he wrote were often rich in social and political themes
lyrics allude to a religious connection or meaning( ‘Gloria’, ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.’)
Humanitarian efforts
performed in band aid and live aid projects
involved in campaigning for third-world debt relief and raising awareness of the plight of Africa including the AIDS pandemic

Oprah Winfrey
Multiple winning-Emmy Award host of the The Oprah Winfrey Show
known as one of the most influential woman in the world
ranked richest African American of the 20th Century
lived in poverty and had dysfunctional home life
weight problems, tumultuous love life, and sexual abuse in her earlier years
despite that, she managed to achieve her dream as an actress
initiated “Oprah’s Child Predator Watch List,” through her show and website, to help track down accused child molesters. Within the first 48 hours, two of the featured men were captured
Oprah’s Angel Network is a charity aimed at encouraging people around the world to make a difference in the lives of the less privileged.
invested US$40 million establishing in Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls outside Johannesburg for 152 poor South African girls whose families have household income of less than E400 a month – theatres, beauty salons, yoga classroom
criticisms: the $40 million spent might have benefited a far greater number of students had the money been spent with less emphasis on luxurious surroundings and more emphasis on practicality – idea of quality education?

BUSINESSMAN / ENTREPRENEURS

Bill Gates
ranked as the richest person in the world since 1995 until recently
with recent estimates putting his net worth near $56 billion
one of the founders of the Microsoft Company
success of Microsoft and the software industry
Microsoft had revenues of US$44.28 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2006, and employs more than 71,000 people in 103 countries and regions
endowed a foundation with more than $28.8 billion (as of January 2005) to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning
according to a 2004 Forbes Magazine Article, Gates gave away over $29 billion to charities from 2000 onwards

Muhammad Yunus
Bangladeshi banker and economist
famous for his successful application of the concept of microcredit(microfinance)
founding board member of Grameen Foundation
The Grameen model of micro financing has been emulated in 23 countries
awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Grameen Bank, for their efforts to create economic and social development

Thambirajah Tharmadurai (T.T Durai)
former Chief Executive Officer of the National Kidney Foundation Singapore (NKF)
Durai worked full-time as CEO of the NKF, he was also a director of a number of other companies
paid a total of nearly 1.8 million Singapore dollars in 3 years from 2002 to 2004
found guilty of charges of misleading the charitable organisation with a falsified invoices between 2003-2004
to make claims for various consultancy services which were never rendered

Nanz Chong
founder of former one.99 chain of retail stores
named “Woman entrepreneur of the Year” in 2000
owned 14 one.99 stores
at the height of business in 2001, turnover was $14 million
declared bankrupt in 2003
moved on to become successful author, hold motivational talks and counsels ailing businesses
example of someone who have learnt from failure, to emerge even stronger and more successful

OTHERS
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie
British-Indian novelist very much known for one of his novels, The Satanic Verses
Provoked violent reactions from Muslims, because of what was perceived as an irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad
Faced with death threats and a fatwa, issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, which called for him to be killed
Knighthood in 2007 for literature – sparked disapproval, some Muslims see it as insult to Islam
A group of hardline Pakistani Muslim clerics bestowed the title of “Saifullah” or sword of Allah on Osama bin Laden, in response to Rushdie’s knighthood
Been in hiding since the fatwa was issued

Rosa Parks
Her simple decision to remain seated in the bus lead to disintegration of institutionalized segregation – ushering in new era of civil rights movement
Under Jim Crow laws, black and white were separated in every aspect of daily life, including public transport
Her act led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott – which lasted for 382 days
Severely damage bus company’s finances
Played an important part in internationalizing the awareness of the plight of African Americans and civil rights struggle

junhui, royce (:

just some of the few people who might be relevant for us to use in our essays, there're a lot more excellent examples of course but these are the significant ones i suppose. try TIMES 100 people of the century, not all of the information is particularly relevant, but they do have interesting insights of these people who've pretty much changed our world.

2007-08-23T21:35:00.001+08:00

Problems associated with the aged & Measures

Economic Problems :
1) Higher Dependency ratio to meet the retirement and medical needs of the elderly

· Singapore: the cost of running services for the elderly is about a million dollars a year and their lifelong learning programme costs another half a million dollars.
· By 2030, only 3.5 persons will be supporting one elderly in Singapore
· Canada's publicly-funded universal health care system is already creaking at the seams amid increased demand.
· Increasing demands on pension systems.
· Spain's low birth rate and ageing population means it may face problems meeting future pension needs.
· France: Tax take is likely to fall by more than €500 million a year by 2030 due to the state’s ageing population; officials at the Department of Finance have warned the government --> additional pressure on public finances.
· Exchequer revenues would slide.
· State pensions systems face difficulties now, when there are four people of working age to each retired person. By 2030, Japan and Italy will have only two per retiree; by 2050, the ratio will be three to two.
· By 2030 it seems there will be only two Japanese of working age for every pensioner, which means that he will be working all the hours God sends to keep his parents and grandparents in pensions.
"By 2030, one in five Singaporeans will be at least 60 years old. With families getting smaller, we will have fewer children around to support us in our old age. "Part of the answer is to get workers to work longer and retire later. But another part is to ensure that Singaporeans have enough savings to continue enjoying financial security and good medical care throughout our lives.....” Mr Lee Hsien Loong (PM of Singapore)
Measures
· The Central Provident Fund Scheme. Every worker and employer puts in a percentage of the worker’s salary into the worker’s CPF. The CPF can be withdrawn at the age of 55 to meet the individuals’s retirement needs.
· The Medisave Scheme was introduced in April 1984 as a national savings scheme to help CPF members put aside part of their income in their Medisave Accounts to meet their personal or immediate family’s hospitalization expenses, especially after retirement.
· MediShield is a catastrophic medical insurance scheme that enables the individual to \ settle part of the expenses arising from prolonged hospitalisation and certain outpatient treatments for serious illnesses. It complements Medisave savings, which may be greatly strained in the event of prolonged illnesses which require longer-term medical treatment.
· The ElderShield, the disability insurance cover for Singaporeans aged 40 years and older, will kick off on Sept 30 2007. Under the scheme, they will get S$300 a month for five years, as long as they cannot do any of these activities without help - eating, bathing, walking, getting out of bed or going to the toilet. Premiums, payable from Medisave in their CPF accounts, start from S$146 a year for a 40-year-old man. Women pay premiums that are 28 to 41 per cent higher. This is because women live longer, and as a result more of them are expected to suffer from disabilities for a longer period, said Mr Moses LEE, Permanent Secretary at the Health Ministry. ElderShield is an opt-out scheme, so those who do nothing will automatically be covered. (Straits Times 16 Apr 2002)
· in the USA, Florida, there is the Health Savings Programme.
· Medical insurance such as Medicaid (United States), Medical Cards (Ireland)
· In Singapore, the government has also introduced the Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents which empowers the parents to bring their children to court for failure to provide them with financial support.

2) Shrinking Workforce

Paradoxically, despite the labour shortage, older workers often experience economic discrimination, both in the form of mandatory retirement and when they seek new employment. due to the general perception that the old are physically unfit, not agile, less ambitious, less vibrant and not dynamic, less flexible and more resistant to changes and technology
· Canada's population is ageing so quickly that in a decade, there could be more people leaving the work force than entering it, a factor which will pose major challenges for employers.
· Workforce will shrink by a fifth in the next decade—a considerable loss of knowledge and skills.
· The Russian army has had to tighten up conscription because there are not enough young men around.

Measures
· Encourage people to work for longer, and remove the barriers that prevent them from doing so by
§ Increasing retirement age
§ changing the mindsets of the people;
§ Changing workplace policies
§ Providing re-training and upgrading of skills for older workers to ensure they stay relevant economically
Ø Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge urged policymakers to knock down barriers to labour mobility and allow senior citizens to work longer.
Ø A larger pool of volunteers created, given the tendency of older people to donate their time to worthy causes.
Ø Companies should use performance, rather than age, as a criterion for employing people. Rigid salary structures in which pay rises with seniority (as in Japan) should also be replaced with more flexible ones.
Ø Gail Jackson, director of business development for skillsmatch.ca, a job site aimed at matching employers and mature workers, said "flexibility" is the ticket to retaining ageing workers, on grounds many want to stay active and work, as long as they are not confined to a 9-to-5, 40-hour-a-week job.
Ø A long-term solution rests with increasing the productivity of each worker.
Ø Redesigning of jobs to better suit the older workers, Workfare Bonus (for low wage workers) in Singapore
Ø Finland, which has the most rapidly ageing population in Europe has succeeded in raising retirement age from 60.1 years in 2004 to 60.7 years in 2006 with a pension reform introduced in 2005 to ease pressure on the state pension system to support the growing number of retirees. Up till 2005, the legal retirement age was 65 and early retirement was popular. Under the new rules, full retirement is allowed any time between 63 and 68 years of age and early retirement is penalized with a lower pension. The reform also made provisions for more flexible work schemes and work conditions for older workers.
· Tax exemption could be considered for the aged who can run some private businesses after retirement.
· Increase birth rates by providing incentives
Ø The family of every child born in Spain will get €2500 ($3,980) to help raise the country's low birth rate and support the fast growing economy, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said.
Ø Policies to encourage women into the workplace, through better provisions for child care and parental leave

· Use of medical technology such as ivf to increase fertility. In Denmark it is the large number of artificial conceptions - nearly 4% of all births - that is keeping up the population.
· Increased use of technology and automation to alleviate labour shortage problems e.g. e-banking and commerce, cashless card transactions for transportation and other services; more high-technology military equipment; more automation in industries
· Open doors to foreign talent and ease immigration laws
Ø Spain’s birth rate would be lower if it were not for the arrival of nearly four million mainly Latin American and North African immigrants since 2000 who tend to have larger families.
Unfortunately, high levels of immigration over the past decade have been a contributory factor in driving up house prices and the cost of the social infrastructure. Foreign labour and immigrants also often perceived as taking away jobs from locals.

Inadequate care for the elderly
The elderly often suffers

Ø physically from old age diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, heart problems, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease; loss of bodily functions e.g. incontinence; ;loss of use of senses especially sight (cataracts) and hearing (deafness)
Ø socially as their social circle decreases upon retirement and upon the death of their spouse and friends causing them to feel the burden of loneliness. Their children, if they have any may also be too busy to look after their emotional welfare. Can result in depression.
Ø financially and psychologically as they lose much of their economic independence upon retirement causing them to have low self-worth
Ø This low self worth stems largely from the fact that the new status of the elderly is often poorly defined, and they therefore tend to accept the negative labels that are applied to them. Pejorative terms used to describe the aged (geezer, biddy, chronologically challenged) show the lack of respect and consideration for the elderly due to stereotypes. For eg, it is widely believed that intellectual ability declines with age, but this belief is incorrect. Intellectual capacity remains unchanged until very late in life, and senility affects only 1% of elderly people.

· Yutaka Sakai, head of a local group that reaches out to at-risk residents said that “In Tokiwadaira, go into the men’s after they die and you can see straight away that most can't cook, clean or do laundry. They don't even throw out their rubbish. They have no idea how to look after themselves."
· There are fewer than 200 geriatricians across Canada, yet the need for them is increasing. One of the reasons that is that geriatricians are paid relatively poorly because the standard fee-for-service remuneration system favours doctors who see a large number of patients and perform procedures.

Measures

1) Provision of facilities and recreational activities as well as campaigns to educate and encourage the elderly to lead active lifestyles to remain healthy and to intellectually stimulate their brains to keep Alzheimer’s at bay. Being involved in social and economic activities will also increase their social circle, increase their financial independence and improve their self-worth as contributing citizens.
§ Provide more learning opportunities to seniors. The courses should be short and non-examinable, and on topics that may be of interest to seniors.
§ Printing more large print books and more audio-visual materials that appeal to the elderly.
§ Marine Parade's "Young At Heart" lifelong learning programme is two years old and has already seen more than 500 seniors graduating.
§ Singapore’s The Good Life Wellness Centre, an elderly wellness centre aim at promoting productive ageing, has a membership of more than 650 people and the membership size could increase in number.
2) The aged need affordable elderly friendly housing that is safe, accessible, adaptable and barrier-free. Singapore has constructed flats especially built to cater to needs of the old. E.g. hand rails in toiiets, carpeted floors

3) Increased health benefits and services.
§ More funds directed for geriatric health care services and research into gerontology and how to help to help the elderly suffering from chronic old-age diseases.
§ Subsidised rates for healthcare, wards down-grading, medical fees competition, costs of medicines and alternatives, healthcare spending.
§ Singapore implemented the National community health screening programme for the elderly in July 2000
4) Educate more people to be volunteers to help befriend the elderly by joining organizations such as
Ø The Singapore Action Group of Elders (SAGE), a nonprofit organisation that supports the aged population including employment placement and counselling.
Ø Lions Befrienders, a volunteer welfare organisation that cares for and assists the elderly in coping with the demands of daily living
Ø The Buddhist Welfare Society, a welfare organisation serving the poor and the destitute by providing relief funds and medical care to the aged sick.

Ø SN Home Volunteer, a nonprofit volunteer group offering residential and institutional care for the aged sick and destitute.
Ø Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP)
Ø Fei Yue Community Services has a community involvement partnership programme
Ø Realm of Tranquility that provides encouragement of good deeds via a local charity organisation supporting the aged and poor.
Ø Habitat for Humanity in Singapore and Hong Kong have embarked on Operation Homeworks.
§ In Singapore, Operation Homeworks saw important improvements in the quality of the residents’ lives. When volunteers made the premises safer by trunking loose wiring and repairing toilets. Bug infested beds were changed and unwanted clutter removed. Led by HFH Singapore patron S Dhanabalan, some 300 volunteers converged at two blocks of one-room apartments where the poor elderly live in Bukit Merah and Geylang Bahru. The volunteers, including staff of Citigroup, Timberland and Ikea, cleaned up the apartments, painted doors and grilles, replaced damaged furniture as well as removed bed bugs, among other tasks.
· Over in Hong Kong, HFH China is no stranger to the Homeworks idea, given its experiences in two similar programs. In April 2006, HFH China launched a home safety and improvement program to repair 50 run-down apartments for elderly people in Hong Kong. The target was exceeded four months later when a total of 69 apartments for the elderly were repaired in Lower Ngau Tau Kok estate, near to Kowloon Bay. HFH China’s partner was the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal) whose community development center in Ngau Tau Kok implemented the project. Lower Ngau Tau Kok is an old public rental housing estate with more than 37 years’ history and over one-third of its 4,000 residents are the elderly people who live alone. The work done included plumbing and electrical jobs carried out by skilled technicians. Works completed included fixing of peeling ceiling paint, repairs of rickety windows, replacement of faulty sockets, installation of hand rails and new door grilles. The Aberdeen project was completed in December 2006.
In Japan, Tokiwadaira’s residents formed a taskforce to put in place a range of measures
§ E.g. free counselling, a hotline for concerned neighbours and an agreement from newspaper-delivery workers to alert them when papers remain uncollected from mailboxes.
§ Japan: gadgets available for people who are worried about elderly relatives.
§ E.g. "online" kettle that automatically sends emails to up to three recipients when it is switched on, and internet-linked sensors that can be attached to everyday items such as fridge doors and bathroom mats. This enables the support volunteers to sense something is wrong if these gadgets are not activated for a couple of days

5) Promoting close ties within families and community (social network) and changing the stereotyped perceptions about the elderly
§ Annual Senior Citizens Award
§ Public education, reading programmes for senior volunteers to conduct story telling sessions in libraries, campaigns

The Aged
1 million people cross the 60-year mark every month, and of them 80% are in the developing world. There are 70 million people in the world in the age group of 80 years or more in age, and the figure is projected to grow to 5 times its present size over the next 50 years.The reasons for greying population…
Decline in fertility, falling birth rates
o Increasing education opportunities for woman in both the developed and developing countries have increased the number of woman joining the workforce.
o Women are now more career-minded and places career ahead of marriage and giving birth. They marry at a later age or do not marry at all.
o Family planning and contraception is found to be more common.
o Eg. According to UN, the average fertility in the developing world dipped below 3 children per woman to 2.9 and in 20 of the developing nations. There was a steeper decline to only 2.1 children per woman.
o Eg. Feritility rates in Brazil have fallen from 6.15 per woman to 2.27 now.

Population bust following after population boom
o Many countries experienced a population boom in the 1960s to 1970s, but as countries became more developed and advanced, birth rates have decline rapidly, resulting in population bust.
o The number of births is not enough to replace the number.
o Number of aged is greater than the number of young people.
o Eg. In Singapore, the number of births per female fell to 1.24 in 2005, compared to 4.66 in 1965 - meaning population growth is not fast enough to even replace both parents.

Rising life expectancy, decline in mortality rates, increased longetivity
o With advancement in science and technology, improvements has been made and medicines and technologies are now able to prolonged the life expectancy of people and decrease the mortality rates.
o People are now able to live longer with cures and treatment available for almost all illnesses and diseases.
o Eg. According to the WHO, Japan is the country with the highest life expectancy of 74.5 years among 191 countries and Australia follows after with a high life expectancy of 73.2 years.

Better nutrition, higher quality and better healthcare services and facilities
o With improvements made in technology, food is now made more available and thus there is better nutrition for the people. With affluence, people are also able to afford higher quality food and genetically modified food which contains more nutrients for the body.
o Better healthcare services and facilities are available to people and illnesses and diseases can be cured with improvement made in medical equipments and medicines.
o In countries like Singapore, subsidies for the medical fees are applicable for the lower income group to allow them to enjoy the healthcare services.
o With a higher possibility to receive healthcare treatments today, people are able to enjoy longetivity.
o Eg. In Singapore, the public healthcare systems began restructuring in the mid 1980s to provide better healthcare to the people of Singapore through higher quality services, greater medical expertise and increased cost effectiveness.
o Good and affordable basic healthcare are made available at the public hospitals and polyclinics to all Singaporeans through the provision of heavy subsidies by the government. The Singapore healthcare financing system is based on individual responsibility, coupled with the government subsidies to keep basic healthcare affordable.

Increased awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle
o Health education are provided in schools today to teach people how to take good care of their health and encourage them to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating healthily and exercising regularly.
o Eg. Organisations such as the Health Promotion Board (HPB) set up in Singapore aims to build a nation of fit and healthy Singaporeans. HPB assumes the role of the main driver for national health promotion and disease prevention programmes that reach out to the population. Specifically children, adults and the elderly.

Improved standard of living and quality of life
o With improvements made over the years, there is now better sanitation, hygiene, healthcare, food. In addition, the increasing affluence has also allowed people to improve their quality of life in a way such that they enjoy better food and nutrition, and they are able to afford good medical services.
o These have helped to improve life and thus increase life expectancy of people, especially in the developed countries.

Changing profile of the elderly in the developed world.

1) Better educated and have more enlightened views of the world, keeping abreast of world affairs. Hence, able to look beyond parochial interests.
2) More economically independent since they have more income to save, have made wise investments for their old age and often have multiple insurance coverage. In fact, ironically, there is an increasing social trend of the elderly supporting their financially able children well into adulthood e.g. paying for their children’s home mortgages, insurance, education fees of their grandchildren.
3) Lead more active lifestyles as they exercise regularly and have better nutrition. They are actively involved in sports, travel a lot and often volunteer their services to the community. No longer seen as merely useful as nannies to look after their grandchildren.
4) In the US, the elderly take a very active interest in politics and are more likely to vote relative to young people and government policies have been geared to capture the senior citizens’ vote.
5) Businesses have also been set up to cater to this growing consumer market such as health spas, skin care products, travel agencies, recreational centres, retirement communities
6) Legally, the elderly are empowered to make decisions about life and death issues such as the living will.
7) Traditional perspectives on old age as a phase of dependency, sickness and lack of productivity have today been overturned. With better standards of health awareness and nutrition, the elderly are making vital contributions to their societies. The U.N. has put forward the concept of "active ageing" and has called for governments to put in place policies that will keep aged people active for as long as possible, with more opportunities, a supportive environment and a better life.
· The U.N.'s Second World Conference on Ageing was held in Madrid, from April 8 to 12, 2002. The First World Conference on Ageing was held in Vienna 20 years ago. At that conference, an International Plan of Action focusing on the economic, psychosocial and health needs of the aged was prepared, and it called upon governments to approach the issue of ageing with a new sensitivity.
Numerous examples of active senior citizens in politics, business. entertainment industries and community service.

Related essay questions
1) Does the government of your country pay enough attention to the needs of the sick and the disadvantaged?
(in this case, the aged could also form a group under the disadvantaged.)
2) Should we look forward to growing old?
3) Assess Singapore’s success in tackling its population problems.
4) How far should citizens of your country rely on the government rely on the government to solve their problems?
5) The aged are a class to be feared in society. Comment.
6) The older, the better. Comment.
7) To what extent are the young in Singapore favoured at the expense of the elderly?

Compiled primarily by Kiang Pin and Karyn (12/05) with input from Melissa and Shu Yi (07/06) and Li Shean and Fanny (22/06)

-Lishean =))
Sorry for hogging up so much space! hahas

2007-08-21T22:01:00.000+08:00

Artificial life likely in 3 to 10 years

Scientists have found a possible way to create artificial life from scratch
It is in a field that is little-known known as "Wet Artificial Life"
One of the company is called ProtoLife which is located in Venice, Italy
All such companies are racing to be the first to breakthrough
Mark Bedou, CEO of ProtoLife says that this technology is going to change the world in pretty fundamentals ways
It will shed new light on our place in the universe, and also the mysteries of the creation of the universe and our role
It is also believed by several scientists to provide a solution to a variety of problems such as fighting diseases to locking up green house gases to eating toxic waste
For more information on how it is created, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070820/ap_on_sc/artificial_life;_ylt=AtgErwHvsgs2HVGD00yvowus0NUE
Basically its using nucleotides in a special membrane to form a synthetic lifeform
Jack Szostak at Harvard Medical School explains that making the membrane is the difficult part. Once the container is made, if scientists add nucleotides in the right proportions, then Darwinian evolution could simply take over

Reflections

It is definitely a technology of tomorrow and from the article, but there is no mention of any disadvantages of such breakthrough
There is also going to be a controversial debate over such creation of lifeforms since it is regarded as "playing god"
Most probably, it will transform into a debate similar to cloning
However, I felt that such technology may take years to discover
Even the most optimistic estimates of the technology place it at 3 to 10 years
And even Bedau says that "When these things are created, they're going to be so weak, it'll be a huge achievement if you can keep them alive for an hour in the lab"
Therefore, there is still much time for the public to understand the technology better first
Personally, I believe that such lifeforms will be beneficial if we can control it, and providing us with the solutions to those it is said to be able to give

Done by: ZHIHAO

2007-08-20T23:02:00.000+08:00

PRESERVING AMAZON DOES NOT IMPEDE GROWTH: BRAZIL

Summary:
- BRAZIL'S recent success in slowing the pace of Amazon destruction shows that preserving the environment need not slow economic growth.
- 25 per cent drop in the rate of Amazon deforestation in the 12-month period that ended in July 2006 should improve Brazil's credibility abroad.
- The government expects data to show a further drop in the deforestation rate for the year that ended this July.
-The challenge that Brazil face is how to use the forest and environmental preservation to improve the lives of people.
- Amazon lost a total of 14,000 square kilometres of forest cover between August 2005 and July 2006, 25 per cent less than the same period the year before.
- Environmental officials expect deforestation to drop by about a third in the August 2006-July 2007 period, to about 9,600 square kilometres.
- Brazil's economy grew by 3.7 per cent last year.
- The drop largely to increased government enforcement of Brazil's strict environmental laws.
- The government has advanced in the fight against deforestation.
- but much of the reduction was due to a drop in the price of soybeans and the strengthening of Brazil's currency, making it less profitable to clear forest to grow the crop.
- Greenpeace noted that a rise in soy bean as well as beef prices was likely to fuel more deforestation this year and next.
- An upswing in Amazon burning since June seemed to support this trend.
- Another factor that could to drive deforestation in the Amazon is the growing international interest in biofuels such as ethanol, which in Brazil is made from sugarcane, and biodiesel made from grains, oily fruits and seeds.
- But the president denied demand for agriculture land always results in rain forest destruction.
- 'It is necessary to grow agriculturally without cutting down more than has already been cut down,' President Silva said.
- Brazil is home to the bulk of the world's largest remaining tropical wilderness, the Amazon, which covers about 4.1 million square kilometres, about 20 per cent of which has been cut down.

My response:
- good example to show that even developing countries like Brazil is putting in more effort in environmental conservation despite the need to grow economically.
- a contrast to China which refused to set binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions, emphasising that it was down to the world's major industrialised nations to take the lead.
- more significantly for a country that still relies on coal for 70% of its energy requirements, Beijing INSISTED that economic development must remain higher on its priority list than environmental protection.
- Climate change is an environmental issue, but also a development issue. The international community should respect the developing countries' right to develop.
- the 2 examples here clearly tell us the contrasting ideas that exists among developing nations regarding environmental issues.
- for more information on economic growth VS environmental protection, refer to the markers' report for jct2007.

on a side note, i just want to say that there are alot of different recent examples that we can relate from China, so probably knowing more China related issues would be very useful to our compo and AQ.

:D QIANHUI

2007-07-22T01:36:00.000+08:00

Shades of grey in China’s widening income gap
The Straits Times, July 18

Summary:

Grey income is also known as under-the-table takings and is a nebulous concept
A product costs 100yuan ($20) but buyer requests to indicate cost as 120yuan on receipt. The extra money goes to the buyer himself, adding up to a few thousand dollars per contract
Such takings have added up to 4.8 trillion yuan in 2005
The sum made up 26% of GDP in 2005
Existence of undeclared income of white-collar workers means that the income gap between the rich and poor could be much larger
Top 10% of China’s household earn 55 times more than the bottom 10%
19m families (top 10%) found to have disposable income of 97000yuan
These families are responsible for ¾ of they grey income
Rapid economic growth has increased the overall incomes of China, but widen the gulf between the rich and poor as well.
Five main sources of grey income:
- Misused public works fund
- Corruption among financial institutions
- Extra fees levied on government administrative procedures
- Profiteering on land sales
- Disproportionate wage bill from the government monopolies
In 2005, the state monopolies in telecommunications, finance, public utilities and several other industries employed less than 8% (8.33m) of the country’s workers but accounted for 55% of total wage bill
Earned a total of 920bn yuan more
Extra money paid for special bonuses and trips the public sector workers enjoy
Social tension mounting over divide, therefore the structural problems must be fixed as soon as possible
Beijing has put in effort in eliminating corrupt officials, with the execution of the former State Food and Drug Administration chief Zheng Xiaoyu for accepting bribes amounting to 6.5m yuan to approve substandard medicines
Police has put up posters that cites this case, in a bid to deter wokers from pocketing irregular or grey income from questionable sources
Supreme People’s Court issued a list of “new forms of corruption” practiced by officials
- Illegally receiving stocks
- Buying houses/cars at ludicrously low prices in exchange for favours

Opinion:

Corruption is prevalent in China, virtually in every industry, even in the medical field, as an orthopaedic surgeon blatantly admitted "Patients proactively give me 500yuan or 1000 yuan before surgery. That way, they feel assured that we'll take better care of them."
From this article, it can be seen that the widening income gap is not just attributed to globalisation as commonly perceived, but also due to the unscrupulous nature of some
Widening income gap can bring about a whole series of problems such as
- Discrimination
- Increased social tension, social unrest
- Increased crime rates
- Poor get sucked deeper into the mire (difficult situation) and alleviating poverty further eludes them
Despite the government’s efforts in minimising corruption, it would be impossible to totally eliminate corruption because there would always exist black sheep
Moreover, Professor Zheng Yongnian, of the China Policy Institute at Nottingham University commented that "It's not enough to just kill the bad guys. When you don't have the right structurem there will always be bad guys."
To add on, China is too big and has too large a population for the government to see to every aspect of the society to ensure that the laws are not breached

fiona! (:

2007-07-20T00:10:00.000+08:00

WOULD YOU PAY $1 FOR A PLASTIC BAG?
(17 July 2007)

HK government estimates that Hong Kongers throw away 8 billion plastic shopping bags a year -> more than 3 bags per person a day
The call for the levying of taxes on plastic bags given out in supermarkets is an effort to reduce environmental pollution in HK
HK$5 ($1) is levied on every plastic bag supermarkets and retail chain stores give out
A year of trials run in the city’s supermarket shows promising results;

80 million fewer plastic bags were being handed out till date

However, critics argue that the government is sending the message that the use of plastic bags is evil and for any other material, it is fine. It backs the stereotypical ideas, causing adverse effects on such an industry as it faces a shortage of new entrant workers. It also hinders efforts in employing technology to reduce the damage that plastic does to the environment
Nevertheless, the foreseen problems faced by Hong Kongers (inconvenience) have not thwarted the hopes of environmental officials.
Abuse of plastic bags in HK continues to be a huge threat to the environment

BAG BAN WORLDWIDE;

California- law requires large grocery stores and pharmacies to sell reusable bags and recycle plastic bags that customers return
Uganda- bans plastic bags this month to reduce the stinking piles of rubbish that litters dusty capital. Officials want Ugandans to use banana leaves instead, the traditional way to carry goods
London- shows maybe be banned from giving plastic bags under new law. This month, officials proposed a ban on the bags, or the introduction of a 10pence (31cents) levy, to cut waste going into the landfill

Reflection

In my opinion, inconvenience is still one of the major factors that impede the efforts of environmental conservation. The phenomenon of global warming and its effects has grown in its depth of discussion over the years. As the situation becomes more real, most countries world over are taking their stance in preserving the earth.

I feel that the levying of taxes on plastic bags is a useful method in deterring the abuse of usage of plastic bags. This additional cost imposed to consumers hopefully enables them to feel the pinch and thus would switch to the more environmentally friendly approach of using reusable bags.

Singapore uses 2.5billion plastic bags each year, with 19million kg of used plastic bags constituting to the total waste.

The latest Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) Day by the National Environmental Agency (NEA) was launched a week leading to Earth Day on 18 April 2007. To ensure that the scheme lives on, every subsequent first Wednesday of the month is BYOB day. Each plastic bag taken at the checkout counters comes with an additional charge of 10cents. Also, only selected supermarkets are practicing BYOB scheme.

I would say that the BYOB scheme does not have much impact on me and this may also apply to others who don’t visit the supermarkets often. Hence, the handing out of little plastic bags for small item still has to be endured. However, it is undeniable that these supermarkets encounter one of the largest use of plastic bags and effects of the new scheme may be considerable. I believe that the use of reusable bags is a habit that can be cultivated if wanted. It really depends on how willing an individual is to carry along the reusable bag with him/her when visiting the supermarkets. Will you?

Education is still relied upon as the most feasible method in our quest to conserve the environment. It took 20 years for Singaporeans to cultivate the habit of bagging rubbish automatically, (even though there are still quite a number who STILL do not practice that). But after 30 years of no littering campaign, they are still littering. So, what next?

-Mel (:

2007-07-13T01:24:00.001+08:00

BEWARE THE POPULATION ALARMISTS

For years, the UN Population Fund has been seeking to justify its existence by issuing reports claiming that we must reduce birth rates in poor countries in order to achieve “sustainable development”.
In reality, global living standards improved dramatically over the past century despite a near-quadrupling of human numbers.
The idea of ‘overcrowding’ conjure images of hungry children, unchecked disease, squalid living conditions – real in today’s world but the proper name for those conditions is ‘human poverty’.
Between 1900 and 2000, human numbers almost quadrupled, leaping from 1.6 billion to six billion. But global GDP per capita quintupled over this same period.
Food production has steadily outstripped population growth
Over the 20th century, average life expectancy doubled from around 30 years to more than 60 years and infant mortality rates declined around the world. – due to unprecedented and extraordinary improvements in material living standards
No need for governments to alter our patterns of reproduction. Moreover, a part from morally reprehensible coercive schemes such as China’s one child policy, it is not clear the government population policies cn do much to change human numbers anyway.
No causative link between availability of contraception and fertility levels. The rate of contraception use is identical in Jordon and Japan, but Jordon’s fertility rate is more than 3 times higher.
In 1974, mexico started a national family planning programme. Brazil had never implemented such a programme but during the following 25 years, Mexican and Brazilian fertiliy levels fell at nearly identical rates.
Truth is that parental preference is the key determinant of family size, be it in rich or poor countries.
Parents around the world have been opting for fewer children since the 1960s
The poor need economic freedom so that they may raise themselves up, not sterile UN schemes.

Review:
Reports of poverty-related conditions in Africa and other developing countries have become periodic features in many of the world’s news, so much so that we’ve almost become nonchalant upon seeing images of starving children. Around a century ago, living conditions in LDCs around the world are generally comparable. Today, countries in Africa lag far behind in terms of development with nearly 70% of the continents population living with below US $2 a day. What has happened over the past 100 years that caused such a huge disparity in growth?

It is definitely more than just a problem of high birth rates that leads to poverty. No doubt the large population will put pressure on and exacerbate existing problems in the country but to put the blame entirely on overpopulation is simply overlooking other significant factors that the United Nations is obviously keen to avoid.

I believe that the cycle of poverty in which many African countries are trapped in has a lot to do with the flaws and inequalities of the world trading system. Many felt they were being pressurized into unfair agreements by the economic strength of the richer countries, in particular the USA and the EU. These unfair agreements usually have detrimental impacts on their economy.

Trade has the potential to be extremely beneficial in terms of lifting countries out of povery. It has been estimated that in Africa, a 1% increase in exports would generate US $70 million, about five times the amount Africa receives in aid. This export production can also concentrate income directly in the hands of the poor as opposed to aid channels. However, Africa’s share of world trade has fallen considerably from around 4% in 1980 to less than 1.5% by 1997.

Reducing birth rates in this case then, will not solve the problem of poverty if this issue of unfair trade is not addressed. Unfortunately, this problem will prove hard to solve due to reluctance of rich countries to change their policies that may adversely affect their own economy. With the high dependence of poor nations on aid from these rich nations, it makes it hard for them not to simply agree with the conditions imposed on them. Perhaps the first step UN can take to help in the fight against poverty is to give every country an equal voice, instead of letting rich countries dominate and then point its fingers at birth rates in poor nations.

royce

Asia fighting poverty by helping poor to save

2007-07-10T23:04:00.000+08:00

Asia fighting poverty by helping poor to save

Small loans to help the little people have beentaking off in Asia as a way to help tackle poverty in the region.
Microfinancing began when Bangladeshi economist, Muhammad Yunus started an experiment in 1974, during a famine in his home country, to give the poor small loans.
That proved immensely succesful. He managed to change the lives of more than 6.61 million people through the Grameen Bank that he founded in 1983.
Banking and financial institutions have been widening their reach to add social dimension to their regular businesses as a way to tap into the untapped cashflow and contribute to reducing income inequality.
In China: (where millions live in rural areas under poor living conditions)
- a local government initiative, the Hu Du Bi Project, allows farmers to withdraw money from their social insurance accounts as loans for investments in agriculture.
In India: (close to a quarter of people live below poverty line)
- the livelihoods of more than a million rural poor households has been supported through microcredit, savings and insurance services
The problem:
when poor people save, sometimes they have a goal, and sometimes not. It depends on whether they view it as risk management or are thinking of the savings in terms of a lump sum.
Bangladesh has been working to introduce the poor to simple banking services. This can also be applied to more affluent country like Singapore as it need to consider financial inclusion of all sections of society.

Reflections

It is evident that globalisation has tremendously widen the income gap between the rich and the poor, over the past years. The income of the richest 20 per cent in the world is 140 times the income of the poorest 20 per cent in the world today. A decade ago, the income of the richest 20 per cent used to be 70 times of that of the poor. In order to reduce this income disparities, it is important that the poor get help from the government as well as NGOs. Hence, i feel that these governments in poor countries has been on the right path of implementing policies such as microfinancing to improve the standard of livings of the poor.
The implementation of such schemes has proven to improve the lives and living standards of millions of poor.

However, macrofinancing is quite tricky as it has the potential of being a detriment to the poor as well. As discussed above, the problem lies on the mindset of the poors, whether they are saving for rainy days or for the pursuit of material goods. Moreover, like all loans and credits, it has risks involved. Without proper planning, savings can be depleted easily while loans can plummet. For example, bumper crops will incur heavy losses on these poor farmers. They will then use their savings to cover the losses. Worse still, some will borrow heavily from their social insurance. Without money to pay these loans, they will be burden by their heavy debts and this worsen their living conditions.

Hence, educating the poor in risk managements and financial planning is of utmost importance before encouraging them to join such financial schemes. Besides that, rules and regulations which will prevent farmers from incurring heavy debts should be implemented before giving them loans. Then again, rules and regulations make borrowing difficult.

Nonetheless, i agree with the implementation of microfinancing in poor countries as i believe it is one of the better ways to improve the living conditions in the rural areas. Microfinancing encourage the poor to manage their own finances and do their own businesses. This prevent them from being over-dependent on the government. It is a good policy as it helps the poor to get on their own feet and fight for their own living. Perhaps, NGOs may help by giving guidance and help the poors in their financial planning.

~Anita~

94 dead in China's floods,landslides

2007-07-09T16:45:00.000+08:00

BEIJING - Floods and landslides unleashed by heavy rains have killed at least 94 people and left 25 others missing in parts of southern and eastern China, state media reported Sunday.

-500,000 people had been evacuated in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces and the city of Chongqing.
-More than 49,000 houses had been destroyed and another 240,000 damaged as a result of torrential rains in the worst-hit Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces over the past week.

- Direct economic losses could surpass $500 million.
- Flooding is a perpetual problem in China, with floods this year killing more than 200 people, destroying 118,500 homes and affecting the lives of more than 42 million people, according to the national flood control office.

- At the same time, droughts in the north of the country have left at least 7.4 million people short of drinking water.

My thoughts...

From the above article, it can be seen that natural disasters (in this case, floods) are potential threats for the human population and the surroundings, and what concerns us is that Mother Nature's doings can lead to drastic consequences, disrupting the normal lives of people and taking away innocent lives. As a result, people in disaster-prone regions often live in fear. One will never know what may happen next, since all these are unpredictable.

Looking back through China’s history, taming the waters of the country’s great rivers has been an issue of central concern to people’s lives. One need only look at the grim statistics of lives claimed by the waters to see why.

- In the 1930s, floods throughout huge tracts of China killed more than 400,000 people.

- Tens of thousands died in the 1950s, while the large-scale flood disaster in 1998 killed more than 40 000 people.

Chinese leaders today continue to battle with the problem.

Hence, large-scale projects like the construction of the Three Gorges Dam to control Yangtze River’s floods (to be completed in 2009) as well as the channeling of water from this river northwards to the Yellow River are hoped to reduce the effects of flooding in China.

Ironically, while half of China is being “fed” with excessive waters, the northern part of China is facing severe drought. If only there was a machine that could distribute water evenly throughout China…

It is indeed funny how climate changes globally and affects us, vulnerable humans. As mentioned earlier, it is impossible to predict the next strike from the angry rivers, though there seems to be a recurring pattern.

Therefore, we should realize how lucky we are to live in a country where cries of floods and earthquakes are rare.

Learn to cherish the people and things around us as life is indeed precious.

Most importantly, learn to love our environment.

"Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure."
— John McConnell, founder of International Earth Day

Done by: Guo Ping

2007-07-08T13:22:00.000+08:00

Singapore in a golden period, says MM Lee

- Investors from developed countries are pouring money into the region and Singapore is enjoying good economic growth and social development.

- Foreign direct investments in Singapore have maintained at about S$6 billion to S$7 billion, whereas in China and India, they are US$70 billion and US$10 billion a year respectively.

- The key is a having a good government which will get its policies right, to encourage economic growth.

- Singapore's economic growth this year will be around 5 to 6 per cent, which is quite decent for a maturing economy, said MM Lee.

- Singapore was able to push ahead when China and India adopted wrong economic policies and She is still ahead although they have recovered.

- Some 9.7 million visitors came here last year; unemployment is at a low 2.9 per cent and 49,000 jobs were created between January and March.

- More importantly, MM Lee said, the government has revised its vision on Singapore – to turn it into a city with a lively night life, a more liberal arts and entertainment scene, the building of the two integrated resorts and the introduction of Formula 1 racing here next year.

My views:
Singapore is indeed on her way to becoming a developed nation. She is in the transition stage of a developing to a developed country given the current indicators of urbanisation. China and India, on the other hand, are still in the developing stage.

The main reasons for the rapid economic growth of Singapore would include good governance, improved social and health infrastructure, better education system, a rise in the number of entrepreneurs as well as her human resource.

Singapore's economy did not crumble when the 1997 Asian financial crisis occurred. It is likely to be the same in the future in case of a economy breakdown as we are well prepared, as MM Lee described in his message.

In 1999, Singapore has a 92% adult literacy rate and 163 doctors per 100,000 people. Compared to India which has a 57% adult literacy rate and 48 doctors per 100,000 people, Singapore has certainly attained a higher growth status, and is ever improving.

Even though Singapore was predicted to face the water crisis in the past, we manage to sustain our resources and even manage to produce our own supply of water. Water is essential for a human's survival and indirectly affects the economic growth of a nation. An example of a successful entrepreneur who contributed in this aspect is Olivia Lum, who is the founder of the Hyflux company. NEWater is now incorporated into our daily use, and is expected to be the long term solution of Singapore's limited water supply. Even the Public Utilities Board is embarking on their project (Active, Beautiful, Clean Water project) which aims to make Singapore a water hub.

But of course, ultimately Singapore still depends on her human resource as the main form of resource contributing to economic growth. What we do directly or indirectly affects Singapore's economy.

- Alvin

2007-07-07T11:53:00.000+08:00

Testing testing 1 2 3..

- Alvin