Proof that Singapore is tops!

[Leongsam]

There has been far too much negativity in this section in recent times and many opposition supporters with agendas have been constantly trying portray Singapore in bad light.

While I fully understand that the being in opposition means having a go at the govt at every opportunity, we should be mindful of the fact that this forum can be read around the world and it does Singapore absolutely no favours to be constantly depicted as a decaying city where nothing works properly anymore.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Singapore is admired around the world and I'll be using this thread to do daily updates with news, reports and articles that shows Singapore for what it really is... a fantastic place to live, work and bring up a family.

Anyone else who wants to contribute positive news is welcome to do so. Those who are trying to destroy the country please keep your sorry asses away. You have more than enough threads where you can wallow in your self pity and exchange your hard luck stories that were your own fault in the first place.

Majullah Singapura!!!!... the best city in Asia and possibly the world.

 

[Leongsam]

World class water management!

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/usa/weekly/2012-03/09/content_14793868.htm

Learning from Singapore's success

Updated: 2012-03-09 08:36

By Tan Cheon Kheong (China Daily)

Chinese cities need to adopt holistic approach toward water resource protection

Last October, chromium residue, a toxic by-product from a chemical factory in Lianggou village of Yima city in Henan province, leaked into the soil and polluted groundwater. Villagers had no clean water to drink, and the local government had to transport water to them.

In February, water supply to about 50,000 residents in Foshan, in Guangdong province was disrupted when wastewater discharged by an aquatic farm polluted a stream, the water source for the local water plant.

Water pollution is becoming a major challenge in China. The government has put resolving water issues, including water resource protection, high on its agenda. It may be useful for Chinese cities to look at practices of others for possible adaptation.

Singapore is a country that has overcome the challenges of water scarcity and pollution, which it faced when it obtained independence in 1965. Today, its population of more than 5 million enjoys access to high-quality piped water, which can be drunk straight from the tap, and modern sanitation.

As a city-state of only 714 square kilometers, Singapore has limited land for water catchments and other needs. Prudent land use was adopted to minimize any negative impact of economic development on the environment. Polluting industries were also prohibited within water catchments. The Public Utilities Board (PUB), which is the national water agency, worked closely with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the nation's land use planning authority.
The government resettled squatters, relocated street hawkers and farms, and subsequently phased out pig farms in 1984. A 10-year project to clean up the Kallang Basin and Singapore River, which used to be highly polluted, was completed in 1987. The cleanup made it possible for the Marina Reservoir, the country's largest reservoir, to be created in the city center in 2008.

PUB manages water catchments, water supply, wastewater, and flood prevention in an integrated and holistic manner.

In 1965, only 45 percent of Singapore's population had access to proper sanitation. By 1997, Singapore was fully served by modern sanitation.
Wastewater is collected through underground sewers that lead to sewage treatment plants. This network is separate from the storm water collection system of drains that channel storm water to rivers and reservoirs. The separation prevents wastewater from polluting waterways and reservoirs, and stops storm water from entering the wastewater network and causing overflows.

All wastewater is secondary-treated to international discharge standards. Since 2003, much of the treated used water is further purified to produce high-grade reclaimed water known as NEWater. The quality of NEWater is even better than most international drinking water standards.
Comprehensive regulations and strict enforcement ensure that wastewater is properly managed. All premises in Singapore are required to be connected to the public sewers.

Besides, Singapore imposes stringent limits on the physical and chemical characteristics of effluents that industries discharge into public sewers. On-site monitoring systems at factories, sewer networks and sewage treatment plants provide early detection of illegal discharge and adequate time for remedies.
Penalties are also imposed on polluters. The PUB regularly rehabilitates aged public sewers to minimize leaks from the sewer network contaminating waterways and reservoirs. Moreover, gross pollutant traps are installed in drains and canals to trap debris.

Since 2006, PUB has been integrating reservoirs and waterways into the urban landscape in a nationwide project called the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters Program, creating green and blue spaces for residents to enjoy recreational activities. This also instills a sense of ownership and educates residents on the importance of keeping waterways clean and conserving water.

Singapore's experience shows that cities need to adopt a holistic approach in water resource protection. This encompasses water supply management, wastewater management, and storm water management. Moreover, public education is essential.

The author is a research associate at the Institute of Water Policy, a research center under the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

(China Daily 03/09/2012 page7)​

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[Leongsam]

"Fabulously Successful" - PM John Key's view of Singapore...

NZ PM heads home after Asia trade trip

Laura McQuillan

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AAP

After popping in to say hi to his Singaporean counterparts during a rushed visit, Prime Minister John Key is heading back to New Zealand with new Indonesian trade deals and tighter bilateral ties with both Asian countries.

Mr Key met with President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the presidential residence in the Singaporean capital on Thursday for friendly talks on how to further enhance a relationship forged on the battlefields of WWII.

He was welcomed by a military band performing God Defend New Zealand, before signing guest books for both leaders and shaking hands Commonwealth heads of mission.

​

Singapore is now New Zealand's 11th-largest export market - surpassing the United Kingdom - although with a population of only 5.5 million, compared to more than one billion in China, there is only so much room for trade to grow.

Mr Key spent only a day in Singapore following three days of intense trade and bilateral meetings in Indonesia, where he led a delegation of New Zealand business representatives.

He says the whirlwind Singapore visit - a chance to do little more than catch up - was important to ensure the "extremely well-established" relationship isn't taken for granted.

"There's still more potential - the Singaporeans are wealthy, so they want high-quality food, and they increasingly consuming a lot more wine, they want to buy protein and they have no domestic production, so the possibilities are great here," Mr Key told media. "Singapore are like us - they're keen to expand global trade, they're not protectionists, they know they have to make their way in the world and bluntly, they've been fabulously successful.

"The challenge is, can we use, sometimes, Singaporean capital and New Zealand skill to tackle fast-growing Asian markets? I think there's real opportunities there."

Singapore is also a strategic location that can open doors to the wider Asian region for both the government and businesses.
Mr Lee may also pay a visit to New Zealand this year, Mr Key says.

He's described the Southeast Asian trade trip as highly successful, with four memoranda of understanding signed with Indonesia on geothermal energy, agriculture, labour and environmental issues, along with opportunities for the business delegation to build local ties.

© 2012 AAP

 

[eatshitndie]

excellent! can you make this into a sticky? thank you.

 

[Leongsam]

What Australia can learn from Singapore

Gina Rinehart

<cite style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 0.92em; line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; ">March 10, 2011</cite>OPINION

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Mining queen Gina Rinehart says Australia must follow Singapore's lead and import guest workers to plug staffing holes. Photo: Erin Jonasson

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Australia could learn plenty from Singapore's success. Not least its lack of red tape and use of guest workers.

Given the recent news that Singapore has the second highest economic growth rate in the world, second only to Abu Dhabi with its very extensive oil and gas wealth, now is a great time to revisit Singapore.

Singapore welcomes investment, makes real effort to minimise red tape (even asking its people and businesses to point out time- or money-wasting red tape if they find it), has low taxes, low crime, enables guest labour, and has no debt. Singapore imports 80 per cent of its food, but still manages to invest hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide on behalf of its citizens.

Despite the country's small size, low population, and lack of resources and local water supply, Singaporeans benefit significantly from the country's policies. Its neighbour Australia is the complete opposite despite wealth generated from vast resources. Why this striking difference?

• We make ourselves less attractive to investment. Think of those 300-plus Australian companies investing in West Africa, together with multinational companies that have been the largest investors in Australia over decades (for example BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto), that are now making major investments and commitments offshore.

• Australia drowns in red and green tape. Fifteen hundred or more permits, approvals and licences are required to start major projects in Queensland, for instance. We have both state and federal environmental department duplication. Small companies, which were once the backbone of Australia, are increasingly finding the load too onerous.

• Taxes make us less competitive. After the introduction of the GST, which was meant to reduce other taxes, we now face a messy MRRT and carbon tax, making Australia even less competitive on world markets. This will greatly affect our own citizens, particularly those on lower incomes. Why so? If you add tax to thermal coal, which accounts for 80-85 per cent of Australia's power generation, electricity prices will rise to cater for the cost increase, hurting those on low incomes the most. And the problem does not stop with our electricity bills going up. Every item that requires electricity, be it for production, distribution or storage, which encompasses most items we use, will rise in price under MRRT and/or carbon tax imposed on thermal coal. This again not only hurts our export competitiveness, but Australians on low and medium incomes, which includes a very large number of people.

• Our crime record is unacceptable: we should all be able to live safely in our homes and suburbs. Taxation monies that should be spent on more, better paid, better resourced and better trained police are wasted – think of the recent federal government wastage on over-priced school kitchens (that don't even cater for pie warmers in winter), expensive insulation bungles, and dare I repeat, duplication of environmental departments.

• Australia needs guest labour. Just think where Australia could be if we welcomed guest labour, even if limited to hot or remote areas or to unskilled and semi-skilled positions. This should be considered on humanitarian grounds alone. Please consider the terrible plight of very poor people in our neighbouring countries in Asia. We should, on humanitarian grounds, give more of these people the opportunity of guest labour work in Australia, so that they can feed and clothe their families and pay for medical and other pressing needs. Singapore, Dubai and even Europe have had guest workers for decades. Also, think about the lack of adequate services for our own war veterans, the elderly and the disabled, and how much better their lives and their carers' lives would be if we gave guest workers temporary visas to assist.

• Skilled guest labourers are also badly needed in Australia. Media reports mention almost daily that major projects are being delayed due to lack of skilled labour and long delays in processing guest labour visas.

• Australia has too much debt. We live beyond our means and continue to discourage and delay business development that could provide more revenue. We'll continue to grow debt for our children to be burdened with until our attitude changes.

​

With good, responsible government, less tax, policies to welcome investment, and less red and green tape, Australia could be in Singapore's position over time. We could even hold hundreds of billions of investment funds for our citizens like Singapore's Temasek and GIC funds. Attitudes need to change before we can achieve Singapore's fortunate and compelling position.

It would be helpful if media reporting in Australia also considered the reasons for the stark contrasts between Australia and Singapore. Those media members who visited Singapore three or four decades ago and saw how poor the country was back then, should analyse why Singapore is now in such an envious position just decades later.

In recent weeks, for instance, brief media reports mentioned Rio Tinto and China entering a joint venture together to explore and develop mineral areas in China. There has been no thoughtful analysis of the likely consequences of more and more mineral projects being developed in China. For a start, should such projects proceed, they would take up a considerable portion of Rio's investment capacity, leaving less available funding for Australia.

Similarly, Rio's $3.5 billion initial investment in metallurgical coal in Africa received little media consideration. Given that this is just the purchase cost, more funding will be needed to improve and expand such a large coal opportunity, which supports more Rio involvement in Africa in competition with Australia. Why aren't there more headlines and articles asking why Australia isn't as popular for investment among multinationals and even our own companies? What will this mean for Australia's future?

What can we do as members of the public? Consider becoming a member of ANDEV (Australians for Northern Development & Economic Vision), at least as a first step.
Gina Rinehart is the chairwoman of mining company Hancock Prospecting. A version of this article appeared inAustralian Resources and Investment magazine.





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[Leongsam]

http://www.taguig.com/globalnews/singapore.html Singapore’s model for success was Philippines

By Dante “Klink” Ang 2nd Executive Editor Singapore’s birthday on Saturday may go unnoticed given that the world’s collective attention is focused on China’s coming-out party the day before. But perhaps no one—certainly not the Philippines or the other Southeast Asian countries—will fail to notice Singapore’s place on the world economic map. This tiny island state, which is smaller than the land area of Subic Bay Freeport, is one of the most affluent nations in the world, one of the most desirable places to work and live in.<o:p “We never envisioned this would happen,” Singapore President S.R. Nathan told The Manila Times in a chance interview during an event of the Rotary Club of Raffles City at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel there over the weekend.<o:p “We had our backs to the wall,” he added, referring to his country’s difficult birth.<o:p On August 9, 1965, Singapore was separated from the Malaysian federation. Singapore had merged with Malaysia in 1965, after gaining independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1963.<o:p The newly independent government in Kuala Lumpur was not comfortable or trusting of the Chinese Singaporeans, whose industrious and aggressive attitude was perceived as a political threat by the Malays. Racial riots between Malays and Chinese in Malaysia had erupted in the past, and tensions exist even to this day.<o:p Despite that, Singaporeans believed 43 years ago that their survival depended on being part of Malaysia. Even former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, a leader known for his stern rule and for suggesting discipline is needed in the Philippines, cried on public television when Singapore and Malaysia separated.<o:p Singapore’s success today was inconceivable, because the country does not have natural resources, Nathan explained. “We had nothing except people.”<o:p What happened later was “fortuitous,” he added.<o:pSingapore has to cope with scarce resources even today. Tension is rising with Malaysia, the main source of drinking water for Singaporeans who believe the Malaysians are exploiting the island’s shortage. As an alternative, Singapore is turning to conservation and technology, like recycling and desalination, for solutions.<o:p The city-state also has a problem with a shortage of sand and granite, which have caused problems with its other neighbor, Indonesia. There are simply not enough of those materials for the massive development that is continuing in the Singapore.<o:p “We were lucky to have leaders with a sense of mission,” Nathan told The Times.<o:p He credits the education policy put in place by those leaders, particularly the decision to use English.<o:p“Sticking to English was the right decision,” he said, adding that this has helped Singapore make advances in science and technology. And because English is the language of business, “it’s one of the attractions of Singapore.”<o:pWhile sticking to English, Singapore has also managed to retain proficiency in other languages. Many residents there speak Chinese, Malay and Tamil.<o:p Singapore is a multicultural country, which one Singaporean said was by design of its leaders. People of different origins were deliberately housed with other ethnic groups, resulting in the absence of ethnic communities, he explained.<o:p Singapore is also one of the most progressive countries in the region, rivaled only by Hong Kong. Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow at about 5 percent annually until 2012, driven by strong growth in domestic demand, according to Economist.com. GDP is the total cost of all goods and services produced in a country in a year.<o:p The country’s 4.59 million population enjoy First World standards of living, equal to North America and Western Europe. Unemployment was 2.8 percent in June, the latest available. Per capita GDP is nearly $40,000. <o:p In contrast, the Philippine per capital GDP is about $1,350, with the economy forecast to grow about 5 percent this year, after posting a record growth of 7 percent in 2007. And unemployment was 8 percent in April, the latest available.<o:p Like all countries, Singapore is not without its problems. Critics point out that progress was achieved by sacrificing certain liberties, including press freedom. An old joke even refers to Singapore as a “fine country,” referring to the rigidity of local rules that fine people for all sorts of infractions, including chewing gum.<o:p The Manila Times asked Nathan, who was formerly chairman of Singapore Straits Times, if there were things that his country could have been done better or differently. “You have to ask the political leaders that,” he said.<o:pAs president, Nathan is the head of state. The prime minister runs government.<o:p Nathan, now 85, started his government career in the Singapore Civil Service in 1955, and in 1966, transferred to the Foreign Ministry, according to Internet sources. He later became High Commissioner to Malaysia in 1988 and ambassador to the United States in 1990.<o:p He was elected Singapore’s sixth president in 1999, with strong support from Lee Kuan Yew, and succeeded Ong Teng Cheong. Nathan was reelected for a second term in 2005.<o:p One Singaporean said Nathan is known as the “people’s president.”<o:p Asked what other countries can learn from Singapore success story, Nathan said, “When we started, you [the Philippines] were the model.”<o:p> In 1965, the Philippines was one of the most promising countries in Asia. Today, Singapore leads the pack.</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o</o

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[zhihau]

Majulah Singapura!!!!... the best city in Asia and possibly the world.

Majulah! Singapura, Majulah!

 

[eatshitndie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/education/01math.html

Singapore Math - Making Math Lessons as Easy as 1, Pause, 2, Pause ...

By WINNIE HU
Published: September 30, 2010

"FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. — By the time they get to kindergarten, children in this well-to-do suburb already know their numbers, so their teachers worried that a new math program was too easy when it covered just 1 and 2 — for a whole week.

“Talk about the number 1 for 45 minutes?” said Chris Covello, who teaches 16 students ages 5 and 6. “I was like, I don’t know. But then I found you really could. Before, we had a lot of ground to cover, and now it’s more open-ended and gets kids thinking.”

The slower pace is a cornerstone of the district’s new approach to teaching math, which is based on the national math system of Singapore and aims to emulate that country’s success by promoting a deeper understanding of numbers and math concepts. Students in Singapore have repeatedly ranked at or near the top on international math exams since the mid-1990s.

Franklin Lakes, about 30 miles northwest of Manhattan, is one of dozens of districts, from Scarsdale, N.Y., to Lexington, Ky., that in recent years have adopted Singapore math, as it is called, amid growing concerns that too many American students lack the higher-order math skills called for in a global economy.

...........

Singapore math may well be a fad, too, but supporters say it seems to address one of the difficulties in teaching math: all children learn differently. In contrast to the most common math programs in the United States, Singapore math devotes more time to fewer topics, to ensure that children master the material through detailed instruction, questions, problem solving, and visual and hands-on aids like blocks, cards and bar charts. Ideally, they do not move on until they have thoroughly learned a topic.

Principals and teachers say that slowing down the learning process gives students a solid math foundation upon which to build increasingly complex skills, and makes it less likely that they will forget and have to be retaught the same thing in later years.

And with Singapore math, the pace can accelerate by fourth and fifth grades, putting children as much as a year ahead of students in other math programs as they grasp complex problems more quickly.

“Our old program, Everyday Math, did not do that,” said Danielle Santoro, assistant principal of Public School 132 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which introduced Singapore math last year for all 700 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. “One day it could be money, the next day it could be time, and you would not get back to those concepts until a week later.”

Singapore math’s added appeal is that it has largely skirted the math wars of recent decades over whether to teach traditional math or reform math. Indeed, Singapore math has often been described by educators and parents as a more balanced approach between the two, melding old-fashioned algorithms with visual representations and critical thinking.

In Franklin Lakes, teachers are learning the new math system as they pass the knowledge on to their students. One morning last week, Ms. Covello and six other kindergarten teachers worked with a consultant on how to reinforce the number 8 for students. First came a catchy tune about eight oranges; then they counted off one by one while throwing up their arms in a wave.

Singapore math was developed by the country’s Ministry of Education nearly 30 years ago, and the textbooks have been imported for more than a decade. The earliest adopters in the United States were home-school parents and a small number of schools that had heard about it through word of mouth.

Today it can be found in neighborhood schools like P.S. 132, which serves mostly poor students, as well as elite schools, including Hunter College Elementary School, a public school for gifted children in Manhattan, and the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, a private school attended by President Obama’s daughters." [snip]

it has been 2 years since the ny times report came out. sg math has now taken the u.s. by storm after producing fantastic scholastic results since its early official inception in 2008, although unofficially it has been in the u.s. for over a decade, mostly for home schooling. it is now adopted in most of the top ranking schools on both coasts. the heartland and middle america has started to embrace it.

 

[eatshitndie]

http://www.thebanker.com/World/Sing...TS-hub-goes-from-strength-to-strength?ct=true

Singapore's standing as GTS hub goes from strength to strength

By Jane Cooper | Published: 01 March, 2012 on the Banker

Singapore’s strategic location in Asia is proving a boon to the city state’s transaction bankers, particularly as they seek to capture banking business from the world’s changing trade flows.

While commodities have been shipped through Singapore for centuries, the city state's banking industry is carving itself out a reputation as a hub for transaction services that support global trade.

The strategic importance of the port was recognised as far back as the 19th century when Singapore became a trading outpost of the UK's East India Company. These days, however, banking services to support this trade are increasingly being done out of Singapore and the financial transactions match the trading that has long been done in the physical world. Singapore’s transaction banking industry is also witnessing a shift in trade patterns: Chinese companies are now coming to Singapore to use it as an outpost to export to the West, and intra-Asian trade flows are on the rise.

Andy Dyer, Australian bank ANZ’s head of transaction banking for Asia-Pacific, Europe and America, says: “Singapore has always been an important hub for transaction banking, whether it is cash management, trade or securities.”

“The shift from West to East has accelerated in the past two years and Asia has become more important to corporates and banks. That elevates the position of Singapore – along with Hong Kong – which is a natural regional hub for Asia as the region becomes more important in the global context.”

Changing roles

Trade patterns are also become more diverse than the traditional West-East divide, and ‘South-South’ trading routes are also emerging that connect Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. HSBC research notes that “in the same way that trade between the developed nations exploded in the 1950s and 1960s, we expect the 21st century to see turbo-charged trade growth between the emerging nations”.

The role of China and India in the global economy is increasing, and Singapore is well-positioned between the two countries to capture these emerging trade flows.

“Singapore is at the crossroads of international trade,” says Krista Baetens, the country manager for Singapore of the Netherlands-based ING Bank. “You can see it,” she adds, gesturing to the view of the port from her office window. As one of the busiest shipping ports in the world, these container ships creeping across the horizon are global trade in action, underpinned by a network of transaction banking products and services.

With a regional office in Singapore, ING Bank is able to capture the trade flows between Europe and Asia and vice versa. Ms Baetens says that Singapore’s role in international trade is increasing, particularly because intra-Asia trade is on the rise.

This trade has meant that Singapore has become a leading hub for cash management. Suman Chaki, Deutsche Bank’s head of global transaction banking for Singapore, describes the city state as a “true blue” trading economy, and despite the global slowdown it still experienced a significant growth in trade volume. According to Singapore government statistics, on a year-on-year basis, total trade rose by 5.9% in December 2011. This was also a 12% increase on the previous month.

Thinking big

The proportion of trade going through Singapore is also significant, considering it only has a population of 5 million. Figures from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) show that Singapore’s trade-to-gross domestic product ratio between 2008 and 2010 was very high, at 404.9%. And in terms of world trade rankings, Singapore was 14th for exports and 15th for imports in 2010, according to the WTO.

There is not just optimism about the physical trade passing through Singapore, but also in the transaction banking business that supports it.

Alan Goodyear, RBS’s head of transaction services for Asia-Pacific, says: “Our transaction services business in Singapore achieved strong year-on-year growth despite tough market conditions. Our cash management services, including liquidity management, advanced significantly in spite of the low interest rate environment. We also expanded our trade finance business last year, especially in the areas of traditional trade and commodities financing.”

Ashutosh Kumar, Standard Chartered’s global product head of corporate cash and trade, adds that commodity trade finance is an area that has seen growth in Singapore in recent months, and what has been traditionally done out of Europe is now increasingly being done from Asia. “More commodity companies are talking about moving to this part of the world,” says Mr Kumar. He adds that the shift had already begun before the financial crisis of 2008, but now that many European banks are no longer as active “there is much more demand from a trade finance perspective”.

Mr Kumar says that Singapore’s trade has grown both in terms of exports as well as imports. In December 2011, for example, total exports increased by 7.5% in December 2011, year on year, after an 8.2% increase the month before. Total imports increased year on year by 4% in December 2011, after a 17% increase in November, according to government statistics.

Treasury centre

Singapore is the largest trans-shipment port in the world whereby goods are imported, value is added, and then they are re-exported from the hub. George Nast, Standard Chartered’s global head of product management for transaction banking, says that it is not just trade finance that has been an area of growth for Singapore’s transaction banking business, but the city state has world-class treasury management too. “Singapore has the ideal platform to build a treasury centre,” says Mr Nast, who highlights the benefits of its talent pool and regulatory framework.

[snip]

there are so much more kudos in the article i can't replicate all of them here....too long. you have to read it for yourself the whole enchilada.

 

[Fook Seng]

Majullah Singapura!!!!... the best city in Asia and possibly the world.

Don't admire it from a distance. Move right back and experience it at close range. Put words into action, not just cyper-warring as you always say. Take up the $1,800 pm cleaner's job and live on $1,000 pm, enough to buy a 2-rm flat. The rest donate to charity.

 

[Leongsam]

http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/none/worlds-greatest-city-50-reasons-why-singapore-no-1-399897

 

[Leongsam]

Don't admire it from a distance. Move right back and experience it at close range. Put words into action, not just cyper-warring as you always say. Take up the $1,800 pm cleaner's job and live on $1,000 pm, enough to buy a 2-rm flat. The rest donate to charity.

You're judging a nation based on the quality of life of the losers of society.... those who have run the race and can't handle the pace. While it may come across as noble and compassionate, it isn't an accurate gauge of how well a country is being managed.

My yardstick is to look at the opportunities a country provides for everyone and using this measure, Singapore is up there with the best.

Had I grown up in any other country, there would have been no way in hell I could have retired after only 20 years of work. I'm not brilliant. My parents were poor. There was no electricity in my home during my primary school days. However, thanks to the PAP, I overcame the odds by making use of the opportunities that the PAP created.

 

[rusty]

You're judging a nation based on the quality of life of the losers of society.... those who have run the race and can't handle the pace. While it may come across as noble and compassionate, it isn't an accurate gauge of how well a country is being managed.

My yardstick is to look at the opportunities a country provides for everyone and using this measure, Singapore is up there with the best.

Had I grown up in any other country, there would have been no way in hell I could have retired after only 20 years of work. I'm not brilliant. My parents were poor. There was no electricity in my home during my primary school days. However, thanks to the PAP, I overcame the odds by making use of the opportunities that the PAP created.

You are a lucky man indeed with your successful porn site generating constant income and without interference from the gahmen.
Nobody, in his right frame of mind would bite the hands that provide the opportunities. Your action is understandable but not everyone is born like you.

In any given race, there will be winners and losers. There is no need for the winners to despise the losers.
How well a country is managed, in Singapore context, does not translate to how well an average person lives.

The best managed and well run place would be the prison where obedient is the order of the day:*::*::*:

 

[Fook Seng]

You're judging a nation based on the quality of life of the losers of society....

There was no electricity in my home during my primary school days. However, thanks to the PAP, I overcame the odds by making use of the opportunities that the PAP created.

Losers? You were the one who praise the situation of these "losers".

If you go back that many years, many parts of the world had no electricity. Even the USA had no television. It is a sorry state of affair for the PAP, in need of real contribution to show, to try to claim credit for what is essential a global technological trend.

There is no need to "pondify" achievements if there is real achievement. No need to demote Singapore to a "fishing village" when in the same breath you call it the "New York" of Malaysia. There is no need to keep comparing it to third world countries if you are already in first world category. No need to compare against the distant past if you can compare and compete with what is in the present.

With due respect, NZ was a wrong choice of emigration destination, NZ being the laggard of the Western world, it was certainly not making the best use of the opportunities offered.

 

[Leongsam]

Losers? You were the one who praise the situation of these "losers".

I have never bothered about the situation of losers. They are of no significance whatsoever in any country.

This thread is about the winners and victories. If you want to discuss the scum of society, go to one of the other threats where the lefties congregate.

 

[erection2015]

beg pardon old chap...did you mean something else?:p

If you want to discuss the scum of society, go to one of the other threats where the lefties congregate.

 

[eatshitndie]

Don't admire it from a distance. Move right back and experience it at close range. Put words into action, not just cyper-warring as you always say. Take up the $1,800 pm cleaner's job and live on $1,000 pm, enough to buy a 2-rm flat. The rest donate to charity.

i would encourage all detractors and those posting from overseas with serious doubt about sg's condition to make frequent visits to sg. the best way to confirm all negative allegations in this forum is to take action and spend more time in sg.

well, i did that, and i'm travelling more frequently to sg these days to check it out for myself. i was posting shit about the pappies after believing the negative stories and claims here for several years. i was wrong. spending time with the average jane and joe in sg will give you a better light of real conditions. even the ah pek and ah mah in food courts will tell you a different story. so do the minorities.

the fact is that many of the loud blabbling forummers here are cyber refugees from the oppo camps. "s" emphasized. for they are fractured and fighting amongst themselves. they have no where to go, and they find this site their last stronghold, creating factions like the thugs of early new york, thus very protective of their turf. but these jokers are not officially sanctioned by real leaders of the oppo camps to speak on their behalf in cyberspace. that's the irony. they are speculators, disenfranchized, rogues, backstabbers, snitchers, rumor mongers, liars and frauds.

they latch on the lowest scum stories of sg and extrapolate, exaggerate and embellish them as though they are the sacred norm. obviously, they are not dealing with and getting feedback from the average sinkie. they are tuned to only want to listen to sob stories of the lowest of the low, losers of losers and totally marginalized lunatic fringe of sg society. and this is what we have here. 5% or less of the scummy scavenging voice of sg is amplified here.

sam and i and a few others are gonna change that, and prove beyond a doubt that we're dealing with the lunatic fringe here. but beyond that, we will provide facts and evidence to prove that sg is indeed an excellent place to live, work, make money and conduct business.

 

[Leongsam]

More positive news from the little red dot....

The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
Published on Apr 26, 2012


Singapore 'has lowest youth death rate' among rich nations

Experts attribute journal's ranking to outreach to the young, absence of ghettos


By Goh Chin Lian
The death rate of male adolescents in Singapore is the lowest among rich countries, better than in the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan, The Lancet has said.

Singapore experts attribute this low rate to factors such as youth outreach, and public housing policies that preventghettos, which reduce deaths that can arise from suicide, drug abuse, violence, and other reasons.

The Lancet, a medical journal, published four papers online on Thursday supporting a move to put the world's 1.1 billion adolescents in the centre of health policies, arguing that this wouldimpact adult health and economic development.

One paper, in particular, analysed the social factors that influence the health of young people aged 10 to 24 years, and concluded that structural factors such as national wealth, income inequality, and access to education were the 'strongest determinants of adolescent health'.

Copyright © 2011 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.


On the other side of the coin, countries such as NZ reveal rather unflattering statistics...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10801472

Suicide and crashes drive NZ's youth death figures

By Martin Johnston
5:30 AM Thursday Apr 26, 2012
Photo / Thinkstock
New Zealand has the second highest death rate for teenagers and young adults among 27 of the world's comparatively high-income countries.

Only the United States has a higher all-causes mortality rate for people aged between 10 and 24.

New Zealand's unfavourable placing at 26th is because of the country's high rates for youth suicide and youth traffic-crash deaths.

The international comparisons are made in a major series of articles on global adolescent health in Britain's Lancet medical journal.

The journal takes a broad definition of adolescence, from age 10 to 24 - some 1.8 billion people, more than a quarter of the world's population - because of scientific evidence that humans' brains aren't fully mature until at least 24.

New Zealand has around 500,000 people aged between 12 and 19.

On the latest Health Ministry statistics available, for 2009, New Zealand still had the highest male youth (15-24) suicide rate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, at 29 deaths per 100,000.

However this was markedly lower than in 1995, when the rate hit a high of 44.1 per 100,000.

In 2009, 114 people aged 15 to 24, of whom 93 were male, took their own lives.

This month, the Government launched a wide-ranging series of schemes designed to improve youth mental health.

Costing $62 million for four years, the schemes will expand services in schools, online, for families and communities, and in the health system for those with mild to moderate mental illness.

"Although the package is not specifically designed to address youth suicide, it is expected to help," Prime Minister John Key's advisers said.

"The causes of suicide are complex, but depressive disorder is the leading risk factor."

It is estimated that around one in five young people experiences mental health problems.

Currently around 80 per cent of young New Zealanders with symptoms of depression that would benefit from intervention receive no treatment.

In fatal traffic crashes, New Zealand's statistics for 2010 show clearly the disproportionately high number of teens and young adults who die in vehicle accidents: 61 people aged 20 to 24 died, and 52 aged 15 to 19.

The next highest number of deaths by five-year age group was much smaller, at 27, for those aged 25 to 29.

The Government has made changes which are expected to help reduce New Zealand's high adolescent road toll.

Last year, the minimum driving age was increased by one year to 16 and the blood-alcohol limit was reduced to zero for drivers under 20.

Then in February a tougher driving test was introduced for those wanting to progress from learner to restricted driving licences.

The Automobile Association's general manager of motoring affairs, Mike Noon, said yesterday, "We are losing too many young people on our roads."

The AA strongly supported the Government's licensing and youth drink-driving changes, he said.

The tougher test for a restricted licence was expected - based on other countries' experiences - to greatly reduce the risks of these drivers having a crash because candidates would have gained much more pre-test experience behind the wheel than they used to.

Big safety gains could also be made if young people bought - or had bought for them by their parents - cars with higher safety ratings than at present.

"We have this bad habit in New Zealand of thinking, 'They might have a crash, we'll put them in this old dunga'," Mr Noon said.

DEATHS AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Worst rates among 27 comparatively wealthy countries All-causes mortality, ages 10-24

1: United States
2: New Zealand
3: Portugal

Suicide, ages 15-24Female (of 24 countries)

1: Japan
2: South Korea
3: New Zealand


Male

1: New Zealand
2: Finland
3: Ireland


Traffic-related deaths, ages 15-24

Female

1: United States
2: New Zealand
3: Luxembourg


Male

1: Greece
2: Portugal
3: United States
4: New Zealand


Deaths from violence, ages 15-24

Male (of 23 countries)


1: United States
2: Israel
3: Canada
16: New Zealand


Source: The Lancet medical journal

WHERE TO GET HELP

* If it's an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. Or call Youthline 0800 376 633, Lifeline 0800 543 354, Depression Helpline 0800 111 757, What's Up 0800 942 8787 (noon-midnight).

* Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand has more information. Visit: www.spinz.org.nz.

*The Ministry of Health also offers information at www.depression.org.nz, and a teen specific website at www.thelowdown.co.nz


By Martin Johnston

 

[Fook Seng]

I have never bothered about the situation of losers. They are of no significance whatsoever in any country.

This thread is about the winners and victories. If you want to discuss the scum of society, go to one of the other threats where the lefties congregate.

If being left means changing the present and being right means staying at the status quo, then, yes, I am a leftist.

Before you label all leftists as extremists, first get rid of your binary tinted glasses. Both Sam and Eatshit. This welfare state vs non-welfare state, capitalism vs socialism, these are old issues. Nobody debates these anymore. If there is anybody still arguing about these in Singapore, it is because Singaporeans have never been given the chance to look at any alternative. Even Parliament does not have the chance to consider alternatives. The domination of the ruling party, in particularly, those on the inner circle, is so thorough and complete, no matter what level of popular support there is, that there is only one effective voice, the voice of the ruling party and one plan to move ahead. Until that is changed, and I don't necessarily mean changing the govt, because under this system, whoever takes control carries the same weakness of system, we do not have an alternative.. You may argue it makes decision making easier. Yes it is very convenient for the ruling party and even weak policies can easily be passed.

In the USA, the House and the Senate can debate on big govt and small govt. They can debate on taxing the rich or providing more accessible healthcare. Ultimately it is the people who will decide who gets into law making organisations. Which individual to represent them as their President, their representative, their senator and their local governor. The party can be important but individuals can and will vote across party lines for what they think is right. There is a lot of transparency there. In Europe, the more successful nations are those which are able to change from the past, leftist you might say. Germany and Sweden, both being successful, have surprisingly different ways of doing things but both have the gumption to change the status quo to tackle the issues of the day.

What is so disturbing in Singapore is the confusion of public governance and party politics and the lack of transparency of what is presented to the public. You do not know whether a new policy passed is one among many that is the best for Singapore or just the best one to cover for past mistake or something to buy time before disaster strikes. This is because there are no alternatives for you to consider.

 

[Leongsam]

The domination of the ruling party, in particularly, those on the inner circle, is so thorough and complete, no matter what level of popular support there is, that there is only one effective voice, the voice of the ruling party and one plan to move ahead. Until that is changed, and I don't necessarily mean changing the govt, because under this system, whoever takes control carries the same weakness of system, we do not have an alternative.. You may argue it makes decision making easier. Yes it is very convenient for the ruling party and even weak policies can easily be passed.

I'm not a defender of the system or the lack of transparency which you rightfully point out. I am a defender of the net RESULTS which are plain for all to see but which many choose to ignore.

Each society needs its own form of governance and the PAP brand of politics is appropriate for a multicultural young nation in a perilous position.