S'poreans wanted, talent in tow

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/225927/1/.html
I think this issue of the non-staying Singaporeans has always been a topic of conservation amongst the locals. I really do not blame them for migrating to other countries as there is just too much competition is Singapore. Now, not only do you have to compete with the locals, but also the foreigners. With that being said, I have nothing against the foreigners but their arrival in Singapore does add more pressure on the locals.Apart from the stiff competition here, the costs of living are also rather high if compared to neighbouring countries like Malaysia or Australia. Imagine, the cost of a Toyota in Singapore can actually get the owner a two-storey semi-detached house in Malaysia. The United States also seem to be another favourite for Singaporeans. Although the costs of living there may be about the same as in Singapore, the opportunities that can be found there are much greater than in Singapore.So as PM Lee has mentioned, the only way to stop our local talents from ‘running’ away from home, we have to start instilling in them a sense of belonging and attachment to Singapore so that they will not migrate although the offer may be great.We definitely need this talented pool of people for the economic growth of the country. Hence, the government must now find solutions on how to do retain these talents.

SPCA aims to promote kindness and to prevent cruelty

SPCA has begun a new advertising campaign to highlight its four main services- education, cruelty investigation, adoption and sterilisation. SPCA wants to increase public awareness of its services, that it does more than just take in abandoned animals.

I think SPCA can take the opportunity to educate the public, prevent cruelty and abandoning of pets. in addition, to promote the services they offer, provide tips and help for pet owners. this way, more owners will be more responsible and aware of how to take care of their pets. At the same time, SPCA can try to attract more kind hearted citizens to provide help at SPCA as SPCA is not planning to expand its services due to lack of manpower. it is important that SPCA gets as much support from the public as possible, it can also reflect singaporeans' attitude towards the issue and promote animal welfare.

SPCA has put in alot of effort, therefore i think they deserve the public's support and donation. in addition we should all be responsible for our pets and not be dependent on SPCA.

NKF cuts fees again, tightens admission criteria

NKF is the cheapest dialysis provider in singapore. Due to that, it has been attracting many kidney patients each year, those who really cannot afford the medical fees and those who purely wants to save money.

NKF runs entirely by public money, it is unfair to both parties that the money has been utilise effectively. Therefore actions have been taken to execute this problem- NKF has decided to tighten the eligibility criteria to keep out those who can afford private care. this is to ensure that those who can afford private care do not utilise their limited dialysis resources which are established for the needy.

in my opinion, this action is crucial as NKF has already betrayed donaters trust in the misuse of donations for personal reasons. NKF must try their best to regain donaters' trust. To regain the trust will greatly help more patients with kidney problems as NKF has very limited resoures thus only able to help certain amount of patients. Most importantly, NKF has limited resouces. These resources should be fully utilise to help those who are really needy. patients who only want to save money are being very selfish and inconsiderate, they are depriving other needy patients who badly need financial help from NKF.

Schools encouraged to use animation to teach National Education

With relations to the article: National Education more integrated with curriculum now, the central national education office has encouraged schools to use animation to teach national education. Initially. students from CHIJ st josephs were asked to come up with an animation for the total defence campaign. this clip was in turn shown during the national rally.

Schools have thought of many innovative ways to teach national education. One way is animation - which has really helped some students learn the message in a creative way. In my opinion, it is a good way to tackle effective national education to students. The message that Sinagpore wanted to convey to the younger generation has been simplified. students can now learn and understand the message through the animation, firstly because it has been made simplier and more interesting by the animation and secondly, animation is something 'closer' to the students and younger generation, something in their era of life.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/226034/1/.html

National Education more integrated with curriculum now

National Education has come a long way since the initiative begun in 1997. National Education means building a strong sense of belonging to Singapore and appreciating each other's differences. Through National Education students engage and interact with one another, they are constantly reminded about school values, core values about respect for all, passion for learning, share and care. The students get to learn about one another's race, the history of Singapore and what struggles Singapore went through to achieve independence. These are some values they should learn to apply in their daily lives. Therefore I think it is absolutely essential for students to take National Education seriously, with respect and interest and it is critical that such lessons are made interesting and enjoyable for them.

With regards to this issue, MOE plans for National Education to be integrated across the formal and informal curriculum. In addition, Schools now have time to take ownership of the programme and find unique ways to integrate it with their curriculum. I think it is a good idea for everyone to pay more attention to National Education, everyone must be proud to be a Singaporean and thus willing to contribute to Singapore's growth and prosperity. Actions from classroom presentations to school-wide activities, approaches to provide a holistic programme for the students to showcase talent, build their self-esteem and get to know Singapore's history better. National Education is also incorporated into co-curricular activities like the Community Involvement Programme

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/226208/1/.htm

The fairer side of Singapore politics

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/analysis/view/211596/1/.html

I agree that Singapore's politics has become fairer. A total of 22 women contested in the General Election (GE) 2006. Although there have been notable women holding high corporate and political appointments around the world, there continues to be the sentiment that male prejudice persists to obstruct women's progress in these fields. It is not true that a woman's most important role is bringing up children and taking care of the family. There are successful career women who can juggle both work and family together. Women should no longer be known as the "weaker sex". It is time we downplay male prejudice and let women decide if more of them are prepared to handle the demands of public office and top corporate jobs, knowing what they may have to sacrifice as a consequence. This is a challenge for the feminist movement.

A grey revolution

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/analysis/view/217510/1/.html

With the rising of ageing population, the world's marketplace will also change to suit them.
There will be new ideas in products, services and business. Eldercare coordination firms could help older adults and their families navigate the services for home-based health and independence. Homecare nurses and aides (both human and robotic) would enable individuals with chronic health problems to maintain their independence at home. Smart clothes could monitor and adjust the temperature in different body zones depending on the circulatory needs of the older wearer, particularly useful for diabetics and individuals with circulation problems. High-tech exercise gear and equipment could be programmed to precisely “train” users to build healthier and more youthful bodies, or expedite the rehabilitation of recovering stroke patients. Homes will also be engineered to make if safer to live in.
In conclusion, as yesteryear’s baby boomers age, they are transforming the look, meaning, experience and purpose of maturity. And, true to form, they will revolutionise the marketplace too.

World oil prices at record highs on Mideast unrest

http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/060714/1/42435.html
The price of oil had reached a record high of 78US dollars per barrel and experts say it will continue rising to reach the 80dollar mark. Traders said tensions over Iran's nuclear program had also fueled the price gains as some analysts said oil prices looked set to break the 80 dollar barrier, with some even talking about the possibility of prices striking 100 dollars. Although Israel and North Korea are not oil producing nations, they have rocker the world oil markets because they have led to heightened global tesnsions as a violent insurgency continues to rage in oil-rich Iraq. Iraq is a source of more than a fifth of the world's output . Hikes of oil prices will be a huge impact on countries all over the world. This will cause discontentment to the people as transport cost will increase as well. The world's market will have to make adjustments to the rising oil prices.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/218952/1/.html

Singapore Human Resources Institute does survey on employee engagement.

In my opinion, it is a good idea for the Singapore Human Resources Institute to conduct such a survery. The aim of the survey is to find out the most important motivating factor for the employees to be committed to their job. It is evident from the survey results that money is not the most important motivating factor among most of the employees. This way, HR will be able to know what exactly are the different factors that motivates the employees to stay committed to their job and realise money is not one of them. HR will then be able to understand the employees better and provide several more opportunites for the employees. employers will also be informed of this and change their perspectives, this will help the company to change their plans and ways of doing things so that the they can work together to thrive for the best.HR can also look at the various factors and see how the findings and perceptions can be aligned for what they are planning for the organisation.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/218938/1/.html
Singaporeans donate less money but volunteer more time: survey

with references to the survey conducted, more people are sacrificing their time and effort on volunteery work instead of donating money. The number of hours of volunteer work provided by the public has imcreased, excluding the compulsory community involvement programme conducting in schools. However, donations has decreased. Perhaps due to the recent NKF incident, people has lost trust. In fact, I think this phenomenon is a good way to prove that singaporeans are not donating to charity only when asked to. They have learnt how to manage their money well and think before actions, how and where they would like to give their money. Furthermore, this shows that they truely wants to help the less fortunate. It can be seen from the actual actions and effort they have put in to do volunteer work instead of just donating money which is mor effortless.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4457091.stm

Singapore approves casino plan

I disagree with the approval of the casino plan as well. Althougth the aim of the opening of casino is to attract more tourist to come to singapore, to provide the x-factor other countries like europe has, I think there are definitely more ways to improve tourism. For example, tourists have commented that singapore lack the cultural aspects and cultural ambience that other south east asian countries provide even though singapore is a multi-racial country. singapore can build on this idea and attract tourist by improving on the idea. casino is just a extra 'treat'. Moreover, the opening of casino can cause other side effects like the cost of human, family and social well-being. crime rates will increase: increase in cases of loaning of money from 'loansharks'. gambling is also against certain religious beliefs for example the catholics. This will create unhappiness and insecurity among the people. Therefore casino is not necessary although it does provide more revenue to the country.