New smoking laws takes force in Spain

MADRID (AFP) - – Smokers took a last legal puff and stubbed out their cigarettes in tapas bars and restaurants across Spain on Sunday as one of Europe's strictest anti-tobacco laws came into force.

After a one-day amnesty granted for New Year's Day, the new law banning smoking in all bars, restaurants and public places -- including even some outdoor areas -- took effect at the stroke of midnight Saturday.

It was a shock for many Spaniards for whom the cafe culture -- lighting up with a few friends while enjoying a drink and tapas -- has been an essential part of daily life.

"It is over already. We have taken away all the ashtrays. When you look at the health question I agree but I also think there should be a minimum zone where you are allowed to smoke," said Elena de Lucia, a 22-year-old waitress, and smoker, at the Variety Tavern, a pub in central Madrid.

Her fellow weekend bar worker, Cristina Madrid, 22, a non-smoker, welcomed the new law. "Really, I used to end up smoking a lot as a passive smoker and the next day it affects you," she said.

Spain had an anti-smoking law since January 2006 but the impact was barely noticeable.

It banned smoking in the workplace, on public transport and in shops. But it allowed owners of bars, restaurants and cafes to decide whether to ban smoking or not. Most, faced with a drop in business, naturally chose to permit their customers to light up.

The new law bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces, including bars, restaurants and nightclubs and makes it illegal to smoke in children's parks or anywhere on school or hospital grounds.

The catering industry worries it will take a hit.

Jose Luis Guerra, vice president of the Spanish Hotel and Catering Association, said bars and restaurants had taken a beating for the past 31 months because of the economic crisis.

He estimated the ban could lead to a further 5.0-percent drop in sales in restaurants, about 10 percent in bars and 15 percent in night clubs.

Working at the door of central Madrid's Capucho cocktail bar, 60-year-old Juan Manuel Casado, a former smoker, predicted a slight drop in business at the start of the ban.

"But then people will get used to it as they have done in Italy, Greece, Ireland, every country. When you want to go out with friends to have a few drinks you will have to go to a bar, and when you want to smoke you will have to go out to the street."

None of the cocktail bar's staff smoked, Casado said. "It is going to be great."

Further down the road at street corner beer bar El Diaro, customers were still puffing away after the midnight deadline had passed.

Marta Teruel Romero, 26, a student and social worker, shared drinks and tapas with friends, enjoying her last night of freedom to smoke indoors in public.

"They are discriminating too much," Teruel Romero said. "The law the way it is is fine. There was space where you could smoke and space where it was smoke free."

But the new law would not be enough to persuade her to stay at home. "I will have to get used to it."

Anti-smoking campaigners in Spain, where there are an estimated 50,000 smoking related deaths each year, were overjoyed.

"This year, 2011, I can say the Three Wise Men have brought a great gift for Spain: the publication of this new law," said Jose Luis Diaz-Maroto Munoz, a family doctor and expert on the effects of smoking.

He said it would discourage children taking up the habit, encourage smokers to quit and "allow us all to breathe air that is not polluted by smoke".

Comments: 

What a sigh of relief, the authorities are finally stepping out to monitor the health issues of their citizens. Fortunately, Singapore started their law of No-Smoking in prohibited areas long ago, and such places include Playgrounds, entrance of Shopping Centers etc. 

I hope the new stricter law would have an impact on the citizens, and that the law will always remain as a law, not being forgotten or taken low notice of in future.

It is good to know that more anti-smoking campaigns have been going around encouraging people to stop smoking, although they're being warned of the added dangers they would face whenever each puff is taken.

I also hope that this applies to NYP students, as the teachers would be more on guard to catch students smoking in the campus, polluting the air of the students who wants to study in a conducive and clean environment with no distractions of cigarette smell.

Kelly Lim

102642J

Falling blackbirds baffle Arkansas officials

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – A flock of more than 1,000 blackbirds rained on the small town of Beebe, Arkansas, baffling wildlife officials who said on Sunday the birds would be tested.

The blackbirds began dropping from the sky on New Year's Eve, officials said, alarming residents as they mysteriously piled up on homes and gardens, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a Facebook posting.

Game authorities said they had no immediate answer as to why the birds fell from the sky, and that they would be tested on Monday.

Some scientists said they could have been hit by high-altitude hail, or startled by fireworks, the Arkansas Times reported.

People from most of Latin America, including neighboring Mexico and Central America, traditionally mark New Year's Eve by setting off fireworks for as long as possible -- a noisy celebration that might well have blasted the single flock of birds straight out of their roost.

Of the almost 310 million Americans, about 40 million are of Hispanic culture, and millions more Latin Americans live in the United States illegally.

Comments:

Wow, what an amazing sight i'd like to catch, seeing more than 1000 blackbirds raining on a small town. Inevitably, i'd shun away and be afraid but nonetheless, it's still a rare amusing sight. 

Many possible reasons were laid out to determine the cause of these falling of black birds all of a sudden from no where. For me, i'd like to imagine that God sent this lovely blackbirds to add a little spice to the nature! :)

Side note joke: There's a saying," Birds of the same feather, flock together." These black birds sure do know how to flock together.

Kelly Lim
102642J

Six choke to death on New Year rice cakes in Tokyo

TOKYO (AFP) - – Six people choked to death and five others were in a serious condition after eating traditional glutinous "mochi" rice cakes to celebrate the New Year in Tokyo, fire department officials said Monday.

The victims, in their 70s or older, died of suffocation over the weekend after eating the New Year delicacy, the fire department said.

During the New Year period, one of Japan's biggest holidays, families traditionally cook "ozouni" soup and put the sticky rice cakes in the vegetable broth.

"Please be aware that mochi, which is so sticky, may cause suffocation if you swallow mochi without chewing it well," the fire department said in a statement.

The fire department is advising people, especially the elderly and infants, to cut mochi into small pieces before eating it.

Every year, several Japanese, mostly older people or infants, die after choking on rice cakes.

Comments:

Rice cakes, mochi, has always been my all-time favorite snack on-the-go. It's sticky inside but smooth outside texture is a delicious snack to munch on whenever your mouth itches.

However, it is sad to hear that 6 people were choked to death during New Year as it was meant to be a new beginning, not an end. 

It is so sticky that it may cause suffocation if you swallow mochi without chewing it well, and that is a lesson learnt- not to be greedy and enjoy every single bit of the delicacy. 

Kelly Lim

102642J

Three dead after Russian plane bursts into flames

MOSCOW (AFP) - – Three people were killed on Saturday and more than 30 injured when an aircraft burst into flames before take-off on a runway at an airport in Russia's Far North, the Russian prosecutor's office said.

The office's panel investigating the accident said it launched a probe "for violation of security and operational regulations of a Tu-154 aircraft that caused the death of three people" who were being identified.

"More than 30 are in hospitals of the town of Surgut," it said in a statement. Interfax news agency quoted local prosecutors as saying that a child was among the three dead.

A spokesman for the emergencies ministry said at least 46 people were injured.

The Tupolev-154 with 116 passengers and eight crew on board had been due to fly from Surgut in the Far North of Russia's Urals region to Moscow.

Reports said the plane was completely burned in the accident, the latest deadly incident to hit the Russian aviation industry.

The plane had started burning while taxiing on the runway at Surgut ahead of take-off, the investigative committee said in a statement.

"The emergency services were unable to put out the fire and there was an explosion. The passengers and members of the crew were evacuated before the explosion."

Russian news agencies named the airline as regional carrier Kogalymavia, also known as Kolavia.

The first images from the scene showed the wreckage of the plane broken in two and slumped on the runway with a huge cloud of white smoke billowing from an engine.

Initial reports said that one of the plane's engines caught fire in the air and it made an emergency landing but subsequently officials said that the incident had taken place before take-off on the runway.

"There was a thick, black smoke and people started to panic. They were literally stepping on each other's heads," said Sergei Grigoriyev, a singer with popular Russian rock group Na-Na who were on the plane.

"I saw my life flash before me," he said according to ITAR-TASS. People "managed to get out through an emergency exit over a wing".

Transport Minister Igor Levitin said it was not clear what had caused the accident.

"The plane was taxiing on the runway and preparing for take-off," he said according to the Interfax news agency. "The specialists do not understand what sparked the fire."

Earlier this month, a plane with 169 people on board rolled off the runway at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on landing and broke into three pieces, killing two and injuring more than 80.

In September, a Russian Tupolev plane carrying 81 people made a "miracle" crash landing at a deserted air strip deep in the Siberian taiga after a complete mid-flight power failure.

Comments: 


Recent cases of airplane bursting into flames have been reported quite often now. The latest case, before this Russian Plane, was the Qantas Airbus 360. It was the very same plane i took just last few months back, and i'm glad that God's hand of protection was on me and i was back safe and sound.

I think stricter rules should be set so as to prevent such further cases of plane bursting into flames from happening once again as it puts passengers on board an unsound peace of mind whenever they travel overseas. Double-checks are never enough, it should be check umpteen times, when the pilot is confident of flying it without any casualties involved.

My greatest condolences to these three dead passengers, and i pray that this such incident, where the plane bursts into flames, would never have its history repeat itself.

Kelly Lim

102642J

Rare 'panda cow' born in northern Colorado

CAMPION (Colorado) - A RARE miniature cow with markings similar to a panda bear was born on a farm in northern Colorado.

The so-called 'panda cow' born in Larimer County is thought to be one of only about 24 in the world.

The (Loveland) Reporter-Herald reports the male calf named Ben was born on Friday morning. His mother is a Lowline Angus cow.

Farmer Chris Jessen raises miniature cattle and also owns a miniature kangaroo on his hobby farm.

The miniature panda cow is the result of genetic manipulation. A white belt encircles the animal's midsection, and the cow has a white face with black ovals around the eyes, giving it a panda-like appearance.

The mini-cattle are bred solely as pets. Jessen says panda calves can sell for $30,000 (S$38,505). -- AP 

Comments:

At first, looking at the title i thought they had made an animal with the DNA of a panda and a cow.

What a  bummer, its just a disfigured cow or some sort.

Anyways , THERES ONLY 24 IN THE WORLD!>!>!?!?! SO COOL!

iPhone users ticked off over alarm clock glitch

IF YOUR employee showed up late for work yesterday, do not be too quick to blame it on a night of countdown revelry.

A bug in iPhone's operating system has affected its alarm clock function, causing users here and around the world to be late for work and appointments, and even miss flights.

One of them, Mr Alex Lam, 31, was 30 minutes late for work because his iPhone's alarm clock failed to go off.

'When I reached the office, I realised I wasn't the only one who was late. Many others were affected too.

'We joked that it was because of the late-night partying,' said the civil servant.

Mr Lam and his colleagues then tested the alarm clock on their iPhones, some of which were the latest iPhone 4 model and others the older ones. All failed to go off.

Malvin's Comment

I was also affected by the alarm clock glitch today morning.

I didnt realized that so many others were also affected but atleast i wasnt late for anything.
How many of you out there also had this happened to you??






MALVIN TAN(102142C)

Is it the start of a worrying trend or are Singaporeans finally breaking the shackles of conformity and daring to be “different’?
This after Singapore police arrested a woman in her 50s for boarding a bus stark naked near Ubi Avenue on Wednesday evening, the third such case of a “nude” arrest this month.
Last Sunday, a naked man in his 20s or 30s was arrested after trying to order coffee in the buff from a 24-hour McDonald’s outlet along Queensway.
Earlier this month, a heavily tattooed man in his 40s sat naked for hours near an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio. He was later arrested after several warnings.
Psychologist, Mr Daniel Koh, 39, who owns Insights Mind Centre, told Yahoo! SEA, “Some of them might be attention seekers or would like to be the focal point of news while others might actually be crying out for help.”
“In the case of the latter, authorities should step in and such people should be reviewed, ” he said.
Mr Koh added that there are also those who do it out of sexual gratification or to arouse themselves.
In the latest case, the elderly woman who boarded the bus naked was initially dressed in a black blouse and pants. According to eyewitnesses, she later started to strip down by the roadside in full view of passers-by.
Oblivious to the stares by members of the public, the woman folded her clothes into a neat pile and put them in a plastic bag which she later placed on the pavement.
She then walked towards a bus stop in front of Block 302, Ubi Avenue 1, and stood a few metres away from the shelter, even though it was drizzling slightly.
Madam Huay who witnessed the incident said in Mandarin to The New Paper, “When she continued stripping, I felt more and more nervous. She was stark naked in front of peak-hour traffic. There were about 100 people staring at her.”
One of them, Mr Lim Fam Meng, a barber in his 50s said in Mandarin, “I was scared silly, but it was also an interesting sight. All of us who were in the shops came out. Passers-by also stopped to gawk.”
When bus service 22 arrived, she boarded the bus and sat in the back row. However, the bus did not move off and when she refused to budge or even accept a jacket to cover her modesty, passengers were told to sit at the front of the bus and women to the back, where they could help shield her.
Passengers were eventually transferred to a second bus service 22 that arrived later.
It was only when two police officers arrived and made her wear a yellow raincoat that she complied and left with them in a police car. She was later found to be of unsound mind.
The incident is the latest in a string of recent cases involving people appearing nude in public. In the first six months of the year, there have already been 105 such incidents — one about every other day.
It is understood that those arrested and who are believed to be mentally unsound are usually referred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric review.
Dr Koh has also advised members of public to be cautious when confronted with such people.
While it is important for males not to go near them for fear of being accused of molest, he said whoever is around should determine whether the naked man or woman is in a rational mood.
“They should just monitor the situation because such people might act defensive and be aggressive towards whoever approaches them. In this case it is best to leave them alone and leave it to the authorities,” he added.
Those found guilty of being nude in public, or in a private location, but visible to those outside, faces a fine of up to $2,000 and up to three months in jail.

Own Opinion: We should not be too quick to pass judgements on anybody, even though their behaviour or actions can be eccentric. What happened might not be what it seems to be. We should be more interested in finding out the reasons for these people to appear in public naked. Surely, they did not do this to just gain attention or just to satify their pervertic desires. They could be affected by the stress of the modern society, where results mean everything. I certainly do not agree with many Netizens who poke fun at these people, sayinh some really crude things. But i really wonder whether those mindless people would actually say those hurtful and insensitive things if the person caught naked in public is one of their loved ones. Have they ever wondered how the family members of those people would feel when they see those comments made by Netizens. I feel that as human beings, we should learn to put ourselves in each other's shoes before doing something. We are not bigger than others, neither are they bigger than us. As long as a human is compared to another, we are of equal standing and value. Therefore, those who actually laugh at these people, pass sarcastic comments on them, shame on you.
Ernest lee, 102369D

A woman ended up in the Accident and Emergency department after literally glueing her eyes shut.
This after she was given a dental paste instead of an eye medicine due to a mix-up by the pharmacy at Singapore’s National University Hospital (NUH).
The Straits Times reports that Madam Pang Har Tin first saw a doctor at NUH last Friday for a routine follow-up to several pre-existing eye conditions, including glaucoma. Procedures performed during the appointment left a corneal abrasion on her eye, causing irritation.
On Monday, she went to see another eye specialist at NUH and was prescribed a gel called Solcoseryl 20% Eye Gel, which would help her eyes heal.
However, instead of taking home the prescribed medication, she was given a dental adhesive tube paste called Solcoseryl Dental Adhesive Paste, an ointment used to treat inflammation and wounds in the mouth.
As the 63-year-old housewife could not read English, she failed to spot the mix-up by reading the label on the medicine. She later went home and applied the wrong paste on her eyes, causing her eyelids to stick together.
She was eventually rushed to NUH’s A & E department to have her right eye flushed out. It is understood that she has since made a full recovery.
In a statement released on Tuesday, NUH apologised for the incident.
“We are deeply sorry for Madam Pang’s experience which resulted from our error. Her well-being is our priority, and we have arranged for our eye specialist to review her on Wednesday. We will do our best to see through Madam Pang’s recovery.”
An NUH spokesman added that “the pharmacy staff involved have been counselled, and we have tightened our processes to minimise the risk of a similar error.”
Madam Pang’ son, Austin Liow, 35, told paper, “This is a very severe mistake, especially for the elderly who might not be well educated or read English. They will not know that they have received the wrong medication.”
“We were lucky that the box indicated it was a dental paste. If it had just the substance name, we would not even have realised there was a mistake,” he added.

Own Opinion: The woman has existing eye problems, such as glaucoma. She went to NUH for her routine medical check-up to see the doctor. After the check-up, she was prescribed the Solcoseryl 20% Eye Gel, which would help her eyes heal. Instead, she was not given the prescription, as she was given the Solcoseryl Dental Adhesive Paste, a dental adhesive tube paste, an ointment to treat wounds and inflammation in the mouth. As Mdm Pang is not able to read English, she still used the wrong prescription on her eyes, not realising the mix-up made by NUH. As a result of applying it on her eyes, her eyelids were glued together. She had to be rushed to the hospital to have her eye flushed out, and ever since, she has been making a steady recovery. NUH's response was to counsell the pharmacy staff and tighten up their procedures so as to prevent a repeat of such events. In my opinion, such a mix-up is extremely severe. Had the pharmacy prescribed a medication which the patient was allergic to, by consuming the medication, the patient could suffer from a allergic reaction, and who knows the severity of the reaction, it might cost a life. NUH must investigate and find out the reason behind the mix-up. Whether it was negligiance, fatigue or others. Better staff training should be enforced. The attitude of staff must also be monitored, especially for staff whom people have placed their health and welfare on. If it is fatigue, better staff rotation must be set in place, and perhaps a staff lounge where staff could take a short nap when off duty. All in all, staff in healthcare sectors should be more meticulous in their work, as one mistake, could harm another's welfare.
Ernest Lee, 102369D

STOMPer bow-WOW wouldn't mind sleeping in these lavish doghouses that would be the envy of humans. Some of them even cost just more than a 'humanhouse'.

Said the STOMPer:

"'It's a dog's life' -- people used to say, to illustrate a troubled life.

"But if I were the dog that got to live in these amazing doghouses, I wouldn't mind a dog's life at all.

"Aside from being cute and creative, these doghouses even boast running water, lighting, air conditioning, heat, and a swimming pool!

"But of course, all these creature comforts come at a price -- like the Brick Manor that costs US$25,000.

"Which is nothing compared to Paris' Hilton's Dog Mansion that costs US$325,000!

"And even that can't beat the pooch palace that some lady surgeon built for her Great Danes -- that place cost US$407,000.

"What can you expect? That place comes equipped with retina scan entry for dogs, webcams, a temperature controlled dog-spa with purification system, self-cleaning food and water bowls AND a 52-inch plasma TV!

"I wanna be one of those dogs!"

Own Opinion:
Frankly speaking, i feel that it is disgusting to spend such amount of money on your pet, no matter how rich you are. a pet is a pet, how can it measure up to the lives of human beings. i am not saying that pets do not deserve better treatment from us, but seriously, need one go to such an extent like having a dog-spa, a plasma TV etc? yes, Paris Hilton is extremely wealthy, but would that US$325,000 been put to better use in donations for the less fortunate. she is a celebrity, which means she has the star power and attraction. she could simply have organized a charity event for those in the 3rd world countries, say those in Africa. it would really make far more sense than the amount splashed on her dog's "mansion". just imagine how much the people on the receiving end on such a kind gesture would benefit. their lives would be improved. they can seek medical treatment, have better living environment and daily neccesaties to pass the day. a donation would help, organizing a charity event would help, but paris hilton decides to spend money on her dog's "mansion" instead.

Ernest Lee, 102369D

YET ANOTHER SLASHING CASE.

7 youths attack man in Teck Whye: "Jail and cane them as an example to others"

A 26-year-old auxiliary policeman bumped into a youth on the way to the supermarket. For this, he was beaten up by 7 youngsters. STOMPer Toomuch feels severe punishment is needed to make an example of them.
This is the latest in a series of violent attacks involving gangs of youths that have occurred all over Singapore, in places as diverse as Bukit Panjang and Ang Mo Kio.
A group of youths was also found with a pair of concealed choppers at a Pasir Ris chalet, while two teenagers have been placed in a Reformative Training Centre for knifing fellow students.
Although these incidents are believed to be unrelated, they were all caused by trivial events such as staring and arguments.
STOMPer Toomuch wrote:
"These violent incidents involving youths are seriously getting out of hand.
"Time and again we hear of incidents where members of the public are getting targeted by youngsters spoiling for a fight.
"This time, an innocent auxiliary policeman just passing by was attacked, because he was walking in the opposite direction of a group of youngsters. He tried to squeeze past them, and was beaten bloody for it.
"These youths have no respect for the law and are just out to pick fights with people in public.
"We need to arrest these people and really make an example of those caught by caning or jailing them. That's the only way they will learn that the law is not to be messed around with."
STOMPer Gao Luck also commented:
"Yet again I heard of another case of a gang fight at Teck Whye over the radio.
"Come on, when will all these attacks stop?"

What have gangsters nowdays become?animals?Gangsters are territorial and usually fight over pride,territory and business.Nowdays,They fight over the slightest of things like accidentally bumping into them or look at them.there insane!recently,these silly actions have caused the life of a republic student.I feel that the gangsters these days do not think about about the consequences  of their actions and later then they regret their actions when its too late.like they say,You have to face the consequences of your actions no matter what.

RAHMAN

WW3

BEIJING - CHINA, after being snubbed in its call for six-way talks on North Korea, has warned the United States, Japan and South Korea not to 'intensify confrontation' at a meeting next week in Washington.

North Korea's nuclear-armed regime last week launched a deadly artillery attack on South Korea and boasted about a new uranium reprocessing plant, deepening international concern about its intentions.

China, under pressure to bring its ally to heel, proposed to hold multilateral talks in Beijing in early December. But that was rejected by the United States, South Korea and Japan, which will meet themselves in Washington on Monday.

'We'll keep a close watch on this meeting,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Jiang Yu said in a statement issued late Thursday.

'As the situation on the Korean peninsula is highly complicated and sensitive, we expect the meeting to ease tensions and promote dialogue, rather than heighten tensions and intensify confrontation,' Ms Jiang said.

'We expect the three countries to take into account regional peace and stability and Korean peninsula denuclearisation and give a positive consideration to China's proposal' for emergency six-way talks, she added. -- AFP

COMMENTS-

I fear WW3 is upon us, what would you do if that really happens?
leave your comments at the comment section.

Done by:MALVIN 102142C

Road Rage!!!:0

Road rage: Aggressive man with tattoos threatens driver with wooden bat

This man grabbed a wooden bat from the boot of his car and used it to threaten a driver he had got into an argument with. When a female passenger in his car tried to stop the fight, he nearly lashed out at her instead.
Rather than get involved in a fight with an armed man, the other driver apologised, backed off and returned to his car where a young boy was sitting in the front seat.:
"A road bully threatens to bash up another road user with a baseball bat.
"This is video footage taken by a bus passenger along Upper Changi Road on Nov 28."

OH MY GOD.this guy shouldn’t have done as such even though he might be some gangster because he is threatening a man over some road mistakes.I feel that he might have deal with the situation more appropriately if the guy has done a mistake by reporting him to the police.if he had actually hit the man,he would have been in trouble with the law instead.These days the cases of road bullies are rising and why do u have to deal with the matter yourself when you have the police?!:)

rahman

S'pore to urge action on haze

By Elgin Toh

The view of the haze from the Singapore Flyer in October 2010. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

SINGAPORE will continue to use all available channels to urge the Indonesian government to tackle the haze problem, Foreign Minister George Yeo and Environment Minister Yaacob Ibrahim assured Parliament on Monday.
Mr Yeo said Indonesia stood to gain the most from eradicating the haze. When the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hits the unhealthy level of 100 here, parts of Indonesia would be experiencing far more hazardous levels of between 200 and 300. 'The most interested party in solving the haze problem is Indonesia itself, because millions of its own people are affected,' he said.
Last month, fires in Indonesia caused hazy conditions over Singapore, with the PSI climbing above 100 for the first time since 2006.
Dr Yaacob said the haze onset was short this year and its impact 'minimal'. But Singapore continued to engage Indonesia on the issue. Singapore offers firefighting assistance to Indonesia. It also works with regional countries through a Ministerial Steering Committee to monitor hot spots.
Mr Yeo said Singapore would raise the issue with international groups like the United Nations and the World Health Organisation when it is 'necessary and helpful' to do so.
Bilaterally, Singapore is in close collaboration with the central and provincial authorities in Indonesia. For example, programmes in Jambi province initiated by Singapore to fight fire and promote sustainable land-farming practices have kept the number of hot spots there low.

Own Opinion: Since Indonesia is responsible for the haze created by their forest fires, they should do more to ensure that this does not occur again. Besides, it is not only the neighbouring countries who are affected by the haze. Their own locals are also affected, and more heavily as compared to the neighbouring countries like Singapore, as certain parts of Indonesia experienced PSI level of between 200-300, whereas for SIngapore it is in the region of 100. Though 100 is still not considered overly hazardous, it can still cause problems like eye/nose/throat irritation, and perhaps breathing problems, even more so for those with asthma. For safety and health for their own people and those around them, Indonesia should try to do more, like paying greater attention to hot spots and investing on more effective and efficient fire-fighting methods. Unless Indonesia is situated as a lone country far away from others, they should play their part as a country in Asia to ensure the continued safety of the region.

Ernest Lee, 102369D

Man jailed for demanding sex

By Khushwant Singh

Eddie Quek Yu Meng, 26, was sentenced to two years jail term for corruption and forgery in total. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

HE TRIED to blackmail a 15-year-old to give him money or have sex with him in return of not taking action against her for underage smoking and littering but all Eddie Quek Yu Meng, 26, got was a 10-month jail term for corruption.
A district court heard on Monday that the former officer with security firm Aetos was attached to the National Environment Authority (NEA) as an enforcement officer in 2008.
While on duty at Woodlands Civic Centre in October, Quek took down the particulars of three teenagers for smoking and littering.
Instead of reporting them to the authorities, he let them go. Four months later, although no longer with Aetos, Quek Yu Meng called the 15-year-old girl and said she should meet him to discuss her offences.
When they met, Tan told her how a different girl had sex with him while a boy gave him money for not taking action against them for offences.
She confided in her boyfriend later and together they went to see the wife of the chairman of the residents' committee of that area, who advised the girl to go to the police. Investigations then revealed that Quek had accepted a $50 bribe to let off a man for littering in September 2008.
In total, Quek will serve two years in jail for corruption and forgery.
Own opinion : What Eddie Quek did was dispicable, but how the 15-year old girl handled the situation was commendable. Instead of panicking and succumbing to his advances for money or sex, she confided in her boyfriend and the wife of the chairman of the resident's committee of that area, and eventually made the right decision of reporting the case to the police. I feel the 10-month sentence he received for trying to blackmail the girl was too light, as he posed as a law-enforcer to try and get what he desired, and this action is a threat as anyone could do the same and extort money and other favors. I think that when faced with such a scenario, one should keep a clear mind and ask for official references, like IDs or identification tags, so as to show that they are really from the authorities that they claim to be.

Ernest Lee, 102369D

A Boy With 8 Limbs

When Rishabh Ghimire was born in January 2009, his parents did not know what to think.

Rishabh was born with eight limbs, instead of four, due to a half-formed parasitic twin which had two arms and two legs, but no head.

"We were confused as we had never heard or seen anything like it before," said his mother Januka Ghimire in a documentary aired on Discovery Channel.

Rishabh is one of the estimated 200,000 babies born each year with this rare condition. A parasitic twin occurs when a twin embryo begins to develop in the mother but fails to separate. This results in a semi-formed twin that is joined to the body of the developed twin.

Some in Rishabh's native Nepal believed that the baby was a reincarnation of a multi-limbed Hindu diety, and came to revere him. Others regarded the child with fear.

"Superstitious locals call me a witch and mother to a living ghost," said Januka. "When people say nasty things it feels horrible. As a mother I cry on the inside. I put on a brave face, but it troubles me."

Rishabh's parasitic twin had fully formed arms and legs, and protruded from his abdomen like a giant, headless frog. It was literally killing Rishabh, as it was feeding off his blood supply, putting additional strain on his heart, and slowly draining him of life. Without an operation to remove the parasitic twin, Rishabh's chances of survival were slim.

However, Rishabh comes from a poor family living in the mountains of Nepal. His parents Rishi and Januka Ghimire farm livestock and crops for a living. There was no way they could afford the ground-breaking operation on their own.


Comments:

It warms the inner soul of my heart to hear what great extent a mother can do for a child, even sacrificing all the humiliation she faces and suffering from inside, all the nasty things others said about her. She had to put on a brave front, even though others call her a witch and mother to a living ghost. I can fully understand what it feels like to be putting up with something that you don't wish for it to happen either.

As for the unfortunate child, i give him my blessings. All of us are so fortunate to be born healthy that sometimes we tend to take it for granted. With his parasitic twin feeding off his body supply, i wonder how he is going to live further on without an operation, but there's no way they could afford it on their own. Praying for their family is the best thing we, as outsiders, can do now. For God's favor and mercy to be upon them, Amen :)

Kelly Lim
102642J

survival of teenagers

Teenagers' incredible tale of survival

SUVA, Fiji – Three teenaged boys who spent 50 days adrift in the South Pacific Ocean in a tiny boat walked ashore on shaky legs Friday, as the people of their village celebrated what they called the miracle of bringing them back from the dead.
The trio _ Samuel Pelesa and Filo Filo, both 15, and Edward Nasau, 14 _ told rescuers they survived on rainwater they collected, a handful of coconuts, raw fish and a seagull that landed on their 12-foot (3.5-meter) -long aluminum boat.
The boys set off Oct. 5 from their home island to one nearby. It's not known how they went missing, but the outboard motor may have broken down at sea.
Worried family members reported them missing and the New Zealand air force launched a sea search. No sign of the tiny boat was found, and the village of 500 people held memorial services, expecting never to see the boys again.
They were picked up Wednesday by a fishing trawler, undernourished, severely dehydrated and badly sunburned, but otherwise well. The ship's first mate said the area they were in is way off any normal commercial shipping routes.
They drifted 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from where they set out _ Tokelau, a bucolic collection of coral atolls north of Samoa that is New Zealand's territory.
A Fiji navy patrol boat met the trawler Friday and escorted it into the harbor of its capital, Suva. The teens were met by New Zealand consular officials and taken directly to a hospital for medical checks. Looking thin, the three walked off the boat without speaking to reporters.
Tai Fredricsen, first mate aboard the tuna boat San Nikuna, said a crew member spotted a small vessel bobbing in the open sea northeast of Fiji on Wednesday. "We knew it was a little weird," he said.
As it edged closer to investigate, the crew saw three people aboard waving frantically and asked them if they needed help.

personal view:
my point of view was not about the incident as being a miracle. when i am reading this article, all i was thinking about was how the boys are feeling of the days that they are out at sea in sure a small boat without any food nor water. sea water cannot be drank, the can fish in the open sea. its close to the end of the year, its the monsoon season, rough seas at nights. in the article, they drifted 800 miles, haven't they given up on the chance of survival.they must be thinking about all the things that they have yet to do. i think these boys are Strong boys who have faith in what was going to happen. when they was found, they were mentally high yet physically weak. this shows that they must have been telling each other to hold on, help will the there. they will definitely treasure their lives now.

Written by: jason tan jun jie

Bunny-crushers

http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/11/25/bunny-crushing-videos-stir-outrage-online/
This article is about China woman cruelly squashing baby rabbits, at some instances laying glass panels on the rabbits, wqho were lying on the table, before sitting on the glass panels. At another instance, they stepped on the rabbits while donning heels. What made all this torture worse is that they actually videoed the whole process down, even stopping to smile and pose with the tortured rabbit.
In my opinion, these China women are worse than beasts. However, unlike what i have read online, i disagree about what some netizens say about the incident. Many say that ALL China women are evil, sadistic, crazy etc, but i beg to differ, as not ALL China women do this, and people should not class every China women under the same category, as that would be unfair. Those guilty of such cruel abuse should be handed harsh punishments, like long-term imprisonment. The authorities should not neglect such offences just because they were committed on animals; which some people might consider to be unimportant.
Therefore, despite these offences being committed on animals, authorities should not neglect them as well, as it is still a life that we are talking about.

Ernest Lee, 102369D

Those disgusting file names

British undergrads describe how shared iTunes folder led them to expose S'pore scholar's perversion.

"9Yo - Real incest" read one. Another was titled: "Defloration". Anyone with access to the Goodricke College's intranet could see the files bearing children's porn.

And two students who did became so outraged that they raised the alarm with the University of York authorities in the United Kingdom.

British students Aidan Pilgrim and Casey Woodward, both 19, were living in the same hall as Singaporean scholar Jonathan Wong.

The pair's revelation and subsequent police investigation led to the downfall of Wong, 23, a teaching scholar at the University of York.

The third-year history undergraduate is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to 17 charges of possessing child porn.

Mr Pilgrim, a second-year chemistry student, told The New Paper on Sunday in an exclusive interview that a friend had alerted him about "someone with the username Perseus Argadeus (who) had really sick files in his sharing folder".

He and Mr Woodward came across the files on March3.

Found in an iTunes shared folder, the unsecured files were open to registered users staying in the University of York's Goodricke College.

Comments:

When I first read the article, I was worried about the safety of the victims as they were mostly under 16 years of age. I wondered if they were the willing party or has it been forced? Many thoughts came to my mind that sent shivers down my spine as I could never comprehend the reasons behind his doings.

Most importantly, the image of Singapore must have been ruined in the eyes of the British. What would they think of Singaporeans now, especially when they have planned to travel here for a holiday after hearing umpteen times about Singapore being a clean and green city?

I was glad he was caught through the sharing folder in iTunes and his actions have been charged accordingly.

Kelly Lim
102642J

230kg woman couldn't fit into ambulance, so SCDF uses lorry.

WHEN she slipped and fell on the living room floor after coming out of the toilet, she knew she was in trouble.

"I thought to myself right away, gone case this time," said the 41-year-old woman, who wanted to be known only as Miss Chin Y F. She had reason to be worried - Miss Chin weighs about 230kg.

Speaking to The New Paper on Sunday from her hospital bed last night, a weary Miss Chin added: "If I can't even pick myself up, how can anyone else be able to help me?"

It turned out that she was right.

It took eight men about 50 minutes before they could finally get her from the 10th storey to the ground floor of the HDB block in Sembawang Drive.

Miss Chin, who was conscious throughout, said: "Of course, I felt terrible but what could I do? It was the first time that something like this had happened."

The incident happened on Friday at around midnight. After her fall, she felt a sharp pain in her legs and was worried that she might have broken some bones.

When she first called out for help, her family members had attempted to lift her, but were unsuccessful.
Miss Chin, who is a Malaysian and single, shares the flat with her mother, younger brother and a younger sister.

Desperate, her family called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
WHEN she slipped and fell on the living room floor after coming out of the toilet, she knew she was in trouble."I thought to myself right away, gone case this time," said the 41-year-old woman, who wanted to be known only as Miss Chin Y F.

She had reason to be worried - Miss Chin weighs about 230kg.
Speaking to The New Paper on Sunday from her hospital bed last night, a weary Miss Chin added: "If I can't even pick myself up, how can anyone else be able to help me?"It turned out that she was right.

It took eight men about 50 minutes before they could finally get her from the 10th storey to the ground floor of the HDB block in Sembawang Drive. Miss Chin, who was conscious throughout, said: "Of course, I felt terrible but what could I do?

It was the first time that something like this had happened."The incident happened on Friday at around midnight.

After her fall, she felt a sharp pain in her legs and was worried that she might have broken some bones.
When she first called out for help, her family members had attempted to lift her, but were unsuccessful.

Miss Chin, who is a Malaysian and single, shares the flat with her mother, younger brother and a younger sister. Desperate, her family called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Miss Chin's family members also informed SCDF that her size was "larger than average".

Comments:

I was appalled when I saw a lady weighing 230kg and thought to myself how is that even possible? My heart goes to her when she exclaimed that she felt terrible and there's nothing she could do because of her obesity, not even possible lifting herself up.

Health concerns should be raised at such circumstances, where the lady should go through intense diet programme that would aid her concerning her health issues. Specialist should be called over to assist her in her exercise and eating habits. With regard to her case, I feel that we, as healthy normal human beings, should mind what we eat as the saying goes, "You are what you eat.", having no doubt in that sentence. Also, exercise regularly bearing in mind that health comes before anything else.

Kelly Lim
102642J

The supposedly "happiest" person in korea, suicide.

From The Straits Time

'Happiness preacher' suicide

A SOUTH Korean TV personality known as the 'happiness preacher' was found dead with her husband in a motel room in an apparent joint suicide, police said on Friday.

A motel employee found 63-year-old Choi Yoon-hee lying on the bed 

and her 72-year-old husband hanging in the bathroom late Thursday.

Choi wrote over 50 books about her experiences in finding happiness and hope. 

She earned her nickname after becoming popular through TV talk shows.

Choi's neck showed signs of having been choked

, but police do not suspect foul play because of a suicide note at the scene.

South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the 30 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and other prominent people have killed themselves in recent years.

How ironic this is, here is a person who is supposed to be the happiness preacher, telling people to enjoy life, seek happiness and all sorts of inner spiritual stuff and she goes and do the exact opposite, suicide.

Recently Korea has just over took Japan being the country with the highest number of suicide rate, several well-known persons, including the former President Roh Moo-hyun.

I do not know why they are doing this, it might be that the stress level in that country or they just have weaker will power. 

Whatever it is, i'm definitely not going go there to stay for long periods. 




DONE BY: MALVIN TAN 102142C