http://news.insing.com/tabloid/navy-serv...d-aa673f00

Chee, who wears the rank of Military Expert 2 (ME2), lost both his legs and left arm after an accident on board Landing Ship Tank RSS Endeavour.

http://mitsueki.wordpress.com/2012/12/21.../#comments

1. Cash Donations

Go down to the RC personally
313 Shunfu Road, Thomson Shunfu RC, #01-273, Singapore 570313
**NOTE: Try not to send cash via mail as it is very unsafe**

2. Cheque Donations

Send a cheque through mail, and write the following accordingly:

Address: 313 Shunfu Road, Thomson Shunfu RC, #01-273, Singapore 570313
Attention to: Jason Chee Weng Fai

The Facabook Hype
No Hard Landing
"GREXIT"
Gold Rush
US Bond Bubble
.......................
.......................
End of the World

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100282664

The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
Published on Dec 25, 2012
Car buyers want COE system reviewed
Some suggest priority for first-timers, doing away with engine capacity tiers

By Hoe Pei Shan

WITH certificates of entitlement (COEs) for small cars breaching the $80,000 mark, some are renewing the call for the current quota system to be reviewed.

Suggestions include using measures other than engine capacity to distinguish the COE categories for car ownership and a bidding system that gives preferential treatment to first-time owners.

COE premiums for Category A cars up to 1,600cc - which comprise the most affordable cars in the market - rose to an all-time high of $81,889 late last week.

That has put most new cars just beyond the reach of many car buyers interviewed by The Straits Times at car showrooms last weekend. "With COE premiums this high, I haven't seen any within my budget," said SAF regular Thomas Tan, 32, after emerging from the Hyundai showroom on Alexandra Road on Sunday.

Mr Tan added that he needs a car to shuttle between work and the home of his 15-month-old son's babysitter and has spent the last few weeks looking for a car to replace his second-hand Peugeot 308, which has developed gearbox and suspension problems.

Mrs Zuby Smith, 47, who was shopping for a new car to replace her eight-year-old Hyundai Santa Fe, also could not find a new car that would fit within her budget of "about $100,000". "The small car COE price is too high," she said, adding that she has been left with a choice of servicing a hefty car loan or waiting a long time for the COE premiums to fall.

"We're just average people who need only one car. The Government has to do something to change this," added the mother of three who runs a beauty business.

Mr Tan said that while he supports the Government's overall goals in managing the car population, the COE system could be tweaked to integrate a needs-based assessment similar to that of HDB flat applications.

He suggested that car buyers with children that need one family car should be given priority. Owners of two or more cars could be moved to the bottom of the COE eligibility list or made to pay additional fees, he added.

Another suggestion that has surfaced over the years is to replace the COE engine capacity tiers with an indicator that more accurately distinguishes luxury cars from more affordable ones.

NUS civil engineering associate professor and transport systems specialist Lee Der Horng said engine capacity used to be a decent indicator until recently.

He noted that top brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi have rolled out models with engine capacities that fall into Category A rules, pushing up premiums there as a result.

Distributors of cheaper Korean and Japanese cars do not have the profit margins to vie against continental brands. They therefore lose out when attracting customers with rebates and overtrades.

"Transportation management is a social issue so public desire and reactions are things the policymaker has to consider," said Dr Lee, adding that the amount of horsepower in a car could be a more reliable guide.

In the meantime, dealers said there is no short-term respite on the horizon for COE prices.

Singapore Vehicle Traders Association secretary Raymond Tang said last week that prices for small cars will hover around the current mark for a while. They are likely to continue moving north until about 2015, when more vehicles are due to be scrapped.

COEs, which give buyers the right to purchase a car, enable the Government to control the growth of the vehicle population and road congestion. Their supply is calibrated by the rate the Government sets for annual vehicle growth, and is largely tied to the number of vehicles taken off the road each month.

Category A has borne the sharpest decline of close to 40 per cent for the period of August this year to next January, as far fewer cars were scrapped in the preceding six months.

This has caused prices to spike, despite other government moves to reduce competitive bidding for COEs. These include removing taxis from the bidding process.

The Government has, in recent years, announced plans to boost public transport infrastructure to reduce the nation's reliance on cars. These include building several new train lines as well as financing the addition of bus services nationwide.

hpeishan@sph.com.sg

Hi guys, i am so sorry to ask this question here because i just do not know how to start a new thread.

My question is, is there a difference between an AGM vs EGM? are they the same? thanks

any idea what are the criteria before a foreign worker can be admitted to stay in a foreign worke's dormitory?


By Sara Grosse/Hetty Musfirah | Posted: 17 December 2012 1926 hrs

SINGAPORE: Foreign workers' dormitories in Singapore could be accredited from next year, as the industry rolls out plans to raise dormitory standards and living conditions.

The newly formed Dormitory Association of Singapore is putting the scheme in place after releasing a set of benchmarks for dormitory housing on Monday.

The association represents 11 owners and operators of foreign workers' dormitories, which collectively provide more than 100,000 bed spaces or 70 per cent of dormitory spaces in Singapore.

There are 39 approved commercial dormitories for foreign workers as of November 2012.

The benchmarks aim to improve the living conditions in dormitory housing. They cover general living facilities, sanitation, storage and cooking facilities.

The benchmarks were drawn up by the association, the Migrant Workers' Centre and authorities.

Within the next three to six months, the Dormitory Association of Singapore plans to accredit accommodations which adhere to these standards, with the support of the Manpower Ministry and the Migrant Workers' Centre.

The association's secretary-general Simon Lee said he hopes authorities will consider using the accreditation scheme as a licensing condition for all operators.

"Hotel operators need a hotel licence to operate. Dormitory operators currently don't. They do need to meet all the authorities' regulations, but the management of it is actually up to individuals. So we hope that in time to come, we would have some scheme in place to actually let the industry know that this is the standard," he said.

The association added that those accredited would be able to reap benefits such as the pooling of resources.

Other than the regular monitoring of dormitories, chairman of the Migrant Workers' Centre Yeo Guat Kwang said that it is important the association targets smaller operators as well.

The group also plans to work with the authorities to get more land for housing.

"At the moment, roughly, we are able to meet the needs for accommodation for work permit holders. The plan for the future will depend very much on whether the number of foreign workers increases substantially," said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi.

Meanwhile the National Development Ministry said it will launch new dormitories, depending on the immediate and longer-term demand for foreign worker housing.

The new dormitories will also be more self-contained and have a more conducive living environment.

The ministry said this in response to queries from Channel NewsAsia on the Dormitory Association of Singapore's goal to work with authorities to get more land to build more dorms for workers.

The ministry said there is still strong demand for dormitories. But the speed at which new dormitories can be launched and completed depends on a number of factors.

These include land availability and the time required to prepare the site and infrastructure.

It said that since 2007, the government has been launching new sites for purpose-built dormitories to meet the demand for foreign worker housing.

There are now over 150,000 foreign workers living in such dormitories.

Besides purpose-built dormitories, the ministry said, employers also have other options to house their workers. These include converted industrial properties and workers' quarters in construction sites.

Such premises must comply with requirements to safeguard the well-being of workers, before they can be used as foreign worker housing.

13 December 2012 Last updated at 01:33 GMT

Hong Kong seeks 'criminal liability' for IPO sponsors

A Hong Kong watchdog has proposed that sponsors of initial share sales be held criminally liable for false information presented by firms they help to list on the stock exchange.

The Securities and Futures Commission said this would improve due diligence by sponsors, which prepare listing documents, and cut investor risk.

The move comes as accounting scandals at some firms have hurt investors.

The new rules still need to be approved by the Hong Kong legislature.

Ashley Alder, chief executive of the Securities and Futures Commission, said the new rules "will incentivise sponsors to raise standards, pick the right deals and manage them well, which should in turn reduce risks for investors and all those involved in the initial public offerings".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20707367

http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/11...f=obinsite

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/508...ith-light/

http://www.property-report.com/copycat-26214

Singapore ideal home in Asia for mobile rich

http://www.scmp.com/property/internation...obile-rich