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Category: Singapuraku

  • No Booking Function In LTA’s New App

    No Booking Function In LTA’s New App

    The Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) launched an application on Wednesday (Dec 17) that allows commuters to check for available taxis in their vicinity, or broadcast their location to taxi drivers.

    But the app’s lack of a booking service drew criticism from some netizens, with one comparing it to “having a Playstation 4 but no games to play”.

    Mr Calvin Cheng wrote in a Facebook post: “This is genius. Creating an app that tells you where the nearest taxis are, but doesn’t allow you to book. So what are people meant to do? Hunt down available taxis on foot?”

     

    On Wednesday afternoon, local blogger Mr Brown started the #RenameTaxiAppByLTA hashtag on Twitter, which swiftly gained traction. By 5.37pm, it had become a local trending topic, according to Twitter trends tracker Trendsmap Singapore, with many tweeting alternative names for the app such as Right Here Waiting.

    However, some commuters did like the app. Mr ZY Chong commented on LTA’s Facebook page that detractors were off the mark, and even described the app as a game-changer: “You guys are missing the point. This app gives access to location data of ALL taxis. It’s a game changer feature that is not available in any third party app.”

    Another netizen said on Twitter that the app would be good for those who do not want to pay booking fees.

  • Rat Infestation At Bukit Batok

    Rat Infestation At Bukit Batok

    SINGAPORE: A rat infestation has been spotted in the vicinity of Bukit Batok MRT station. Simulation system operator Ryan Keith, 33, is a longtime Bukit Batok resident, and recorded a video of the rat infestation on Tuesday evening (Dec 16), at the hill just beside the train station.

    “I was there for about 10 minutes and I think I saw more than 50 rats,” he told Channel NewsAsia. “This spot is near to many eateries, and rats can breed very quickly and bite through wires, so I am quite concerned.”

    He said he has approached the National Environment Agency (NEA) about the problem, and they told him that “they will look into it”.

    Channel NewsAsia understands that this is a plot of state land under the management of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), as an agent of the Singapore Land Authority. Channel NewsAsia has approached the HDB for comment.

    When Channel NewsAsia visited the area on Wednesday evening, more than 30 rats were seen scurrying about, although residents say that the number may sometimes be higher.

    The MRT station is adjacent to several food establishments, including McDonald’s and a hawker centre.

    Some McDonald’s staff Channel NewsAsia spoke to said they are worried that the rats might eventually enter the restaurant.

    A pack of stray dogs were also spotted near the rats’ nest. Cleaners working at the MRT station said they have seen people feeding the dogs in the evening, despite a large sign that forbids them from doing so. Residents also said that the remnants of the food given to the dogs are eventually eaten by the rats. The rats appear aggressive, and the dogs seem afraid of them.

    Some residents are worried about the diseases that these rats and stray dogs may carry, and are calling for the authorities to take action.

    “One day, if they run out of food, they will just go to the eateries around here. They might even run to the station and people might get bitten,” said a resident Channel NewsAsia spoke to.

    Another concerned resident said: “Before, there were just a lot of stray dogs. Recently you can see a lot of mice running all over the place. I think the authorities should do something about this because there are a lot of food stalls here. It is dangerous.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Pusat Pendidikan Temasek Ditubuh Di Turkey Bagi Kanak-Kanak Pelarian Syria

    Pusat Pendidikan Temasek Ditubuh Di Turkey Bagi Kanak-Kanak Pelarian Syria

    SECEBIS sumbangan Singapura dalam bentuk sebuah sekolah kini wujud di Turkey untuk kanak-kanak pelarian Syria.

    Diberi nama Pusat Pendidikan Temasek, sekolah yang ditubuhkan hasil sumbangan warga Singapura itu telah dirasmikan minggu lalu di bandar Kilis di tenggara Turkey dekat sempadan Syria.

    Pembinaan sekolah itu merupakan sebahagian daripada Projek Bantuan bagi Pelarian Syria di Turkey (Asrit), yang diterajui pusat pendidikan setempat SimplyIslam dan Rangkaian Ekspatriat Muslim (MEX), sebuah divisyen Angkatan Karyawan Islam (AMP), dan disokong pelbagai badan Islam di Singapura, termasuk Yayasan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLAF).

    Bangunan sekolah empat tingkat itu telah dibeli pada harga $350,000 hasil sumbangan masyarakat Islam Singapura – antaranya melalui kutipan yang diadakan RLAF.

    Sekolah yang mempunyai lima bilik darjah dan sebuah makmal komputer itu boleh menampung 400 pelajar, iaitu di peringkat menengah dan prasekolah.

    Sejak beroperasi September lalu, sekolah itu mempunyai sekitar 150 pelajar sejauh ini.

    Sekolah itu diiktiraf lembaga pendidikan di Syria, yang bermakna pelajar boleh meneruskan pengajian mereka di institusi di Syria sekembalinya mereka ke sana.

    Majlis perasmian sekolah itu pada 9 Disember lalu turut dihadiri Ketua Projek Asrit, Encik Mohamed Nassir Abdul Sukkur; anggota lembaga pengamanah Yayasan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLAF), Encik Zainul Abidin Ibrahim; dan Pengarah (Masjid) Muis, Encik Mohamad Helmy Md Isa.

    “Pusat itu juga menyediakan tempat selamat bagi kanak-kanak itu berinteraksi, jauh daripada trauma dan pengeboman yang mereka alami, dan yang telah menyebabkan mereka lari dari Syria,” ujar Encik Nassir, yang juga pengarah urusan SimplyIslam.

    Encik Zainul pula berkata usaha Asrit dan RLAF tidak akan berhenti dengan perasmian sekolah itu.

    “Kami akan membawa belia daripada masjid, madrasah dan institusi pengajian tinggi di Singapura ke sekolah ini untuk pelbagai program, seperti pembinaan perpustakaan yang lebih baik dan program seperti terapi muzik dan terapi seni untuk memberi kekuatan kepada kanak-kanak di sini,” ujar Encik Zainul, yang juga Pengarah Pendekatan Strategik di Muis.

    Perpustakaan di sekolah itu sekarang mempunyai buku yang didermakan oleh Madrasah Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiah dan Sekolah Menengah Tampines di Singapura.

    Asrit dan RLAF bergabung tenaga dengan Kimse Yok Mu, badan kemanusiaan antarabangsa berpangkalan di Turkey yang berpengalaman mengendalikan sistem persekolahan, bagi penubuhan sekolah tersebut.

    Selain itu, Asrit dan RLAF turut memanfaatkan sumbangan warga Singapura bagi membeli barang keperluan untuk pelarian Syria di Kilis dan di Sanliurfa – satu lagi bandar dekat sempadan Syria – serta makanan panas yang disiapkan setiap hari untuk pelarian.

    Remaja dari Aleppo, Syria, Hajar Sheikh Muhammad, 17 tahun, meluahkan penghargaannya atas sumbangan rakyat Singapura.

    “Kami akan sentiasa terhutang budi kepada anda. Terima kasih Singapura,” ujarnya.

     

    Source:http://beritaharian.sg/

  • Starting Pay Of Graduates Dropped 60% In 15 Years?

    Starting Pay Of Graduates Dropped 60% In 15 Years?

    Some jobs in hot demand

    According to the Straits Times news report “Hard skills in hot demand next year” (Dec 16) – “Restrictions on foreign labour, as well as the slowing supply of skilled graduates in engineering, are contributing to the rising demand for those with the right skills for the job.

    Engineers, for example, are particularly difficult to recruit, as not enough students are choosing to study engineering in university.”

    Starting pay only $2,500

    The table in the news article says that the lowest starting salaries for various jobs range from $2,500 to $3,300.

    You can see that all these jobs normally require a degree.

    In hot demand, but pay so low?

    If engineers are in such hot demand and short supply – why is it that their lowest starting salary is only $3,300?

    Similarly, why is it only $2,800 for accountants and project finance managers, and just  $2,500 for digital marketing specialists?

    As much as 60% real pay decrease in 15 years?

    According to a Straits Times news report (April 27, 2013) – “In 2007, the median monthly gross starting pay for a local university graduate was $2,750, meaning that half of them earned at least that. Last year, it was $3,050, up almost 11 per cent.

    Yet cumulative inflation over the same period was 21 per cent – meaning that in real terms, starting pay actually fell 10 per cent (over the five years).”

    I have been told that the starting pay around 1998 was about $3,000. If this is correct, then after adjusting for inflation – it has not increased in the last 15 years or so.

    Since inflation was 33 per cent from 1998 to 2013 – in real terms – pay has decreased by 33 per cent. And if you take the lowest starting salary of $2,500 cited in the news report – pay has decreased by 60 per cent.

    Win battles lose war

    TRS Contributor

     

    Source: www.therealsingapore.com

  • Price Of Baby Formula Milk Has Doubled Over The Last Decade

    Price Of Baby Formula Milk Has Doubled Over The Last Decade

    It costs twice as much to feed your baby today

    The average price of baby milk has more than doubled in the past decade and parents say they are feeling the pinch.

    In 2004, the average price of formula, including that for infants and for babies six months and older, was $22.66 for a 900g tin. It has climbed steadily to hit $50.01 in October this year from an average of $44.30 last year, according to figures obtained recently by The Straits Times from the Department of Statistics.

    Baby milk showed the steepest price rise among dairy products.

    According to Department of Statistics figures, prices went up by 11 per cent for eggs and 68 per cent for condensed milk over the last decade. A one-litre pack of fresh milk increased by 14 per cent from $2.53 in 2004 to $2.89 this October.

    Echoing the sentiments of many mothers, housewife Sharon Tan, 30, said: “The price increase of baby milk is ridiculous. It is not cheap and is considered a staple for many babies.”

    Parents globally spent an estimated US$11.5 billion (S$15.1 billion) on baby milk in 2010.

    Milk powder companies Abbott, Nestle, Wyeth Nutrition, FrieslandCampina and Mead Johnson attributed high prices to factors such as product innovation, nutrition research – which makers of simpler dairy products might not do as much – and rising business costs. Dumex did not respond to queries.

    Nestle, which manufactures the popular Nan brand, said it made price adjustments over the years “due to price increases of raw materials and other business costs such as labour, production, distribution and even packaging”.

    “In addition to milk price increases, the cost of raw materials like vitamins and minerals has also been on a steady climb,” it told The Straits Times.

    The rising prices of baby milk here have made some mothers more inclined to breastfeed.

    Ms Suriana Rabu, 29, a merchandiser, fed her first child formula from when she was a month old, but said she would be breastfeeding her second child for as long as possible to save costs.

    An infant can consume about four tins of milk a month costing about $200, while breastfeeding equipment, including a breastpump and milk bottles, means a one-off cost of between $300 and $700.

    In any case, paediatric experts from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), Mount Alvernia Hospital and the National University Hospital said though infant and follow-on milk may be heavily fortified with nutrients, a mother’s breast milk is best for the baby.

    “Despite recent advances in formula research, breast milk still contains more than 100 ingredients which the infant formula industry has not been able to replicate,” said Dr Chua Mei Chien, a senior consultant in KKH’s neonatology department.

    But some mothers say they find it hard to breastfeed. “For us, milk formula is essential,” said housewife Shirley Loo, 29.

    Many also turn to milk formula when they return to work a few months following childbirth.

    Earlier this year, at least 31 mothers reportedly fell prey to an online scam in which customers were offered milk powder that was often never delivered.

    “All we wanted to do was to save money on milk as it was expensive,” said Ms Jasmine Ling, 32, a stay-at-home mum.

    Parents with babies born from Aug 26, 2012 have received a larger baby bonus to cope with rising costs. They have also learnt to save a few bucks on formula – such as by buying it at Chinese medical halls, which offer slightly lower prices. Some go to Johor Baru where baby milk can be 30 to 40 per cent cheaper.

    Said Ms Angie Ng, 36, an IT consultant, who goes to JB once every two months to buy milk powder: “It is cheaper. My nieces and nephews in Malaysia drink the same milk formula and they grow up as healthy as kids here.”

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

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