GP blog: May 2006

Saturday, May 27, 2006

171 dengue cases in May, NEA steps up public education

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/210286/1/.html
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-eek mosquito!!-

The number of dengue cases in the first few weeks of May was 171. Although this figure is still below the 449 reported in the same period last year, the NEA is stepping up its public education programme to stem the tide.

17 sites out of every 10,000 HDB homes visited in April were found to be breeding mosquitoes compared to just four in March. For apartment homes, 33 mosquito-breeding sites were found - 24 more than in March. Even more were found in landed homes, with the number doubling from 50 in March to nearly 120 in April.

These statistics are frightening, and with the warmer months coming up, breeding places for mosquitoes will become ever more numerous, and if we do not take up the responsibility for ourselves when these statistics go up we only have ourselves.

I applaud the efforts of the NEA to step up public education, because they are teaching the public how to help themselves, and to protect themselves from dengue. It is of utmost importance that the public understand why it is essential to keep their homes free of stagnant water and other such breeding places for the Aedes mosquito. Especially with the climate starting to warm up, there will be more places for the Aedes mosquito to breed and hence spread the disease. Teaching the public prevention measures will help to stall the spread of dengue and protect many people from getting it.

Hence I think that the public should take this public education seriously because this is no joke; if they learn how to protect themselves it is for their own good, and if they do not take this seriously then they will lose out. -- DE

Great Singapore Sale a Big Money Spinner

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/210284/1/.html
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- SHOPPING TIME! -

The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) has become a big money spinner, accounting for a fifth of the $3 billion spent on shopping by tourists last year, says the Singapore Tourism Board.

The increasing trend in money earned from the GSS shows that tourists are favouring Singapore more and more. This may be due to the many incentives from various companies such as Mastercard giving out year-round airline passes, and competitions to find the best bargains in Singapore.

One consideration is WHY these tourists come to Singapore in the first place. The factors are as follows in no particular order:
-weather
-economical stability
-social stability
-political stability
-relatively low prices of goods (incl GST)
-rich culture

WEATHER:

For many foreigners who come to Singapore... the hot sticky weather to us, is a balmy topical paradise to them. The summer all year round weather attracts many tourists from the UK, Australia and the USA, especially during the seasons with extreme weather conditions.

ECONOMICAL STABILITY:

Singapore has enjoyed many years of economical stability, prices of goods do not fluctuate to the extreme, hence tourists would like this in countries they visit.

SOCIAL STABILITY:

Like economical stability, Singapore has been a mostly peaceful place since many can remember. The many different races coexist in harmony, and there are no outbreaks of violence, making this an ideal tourist magnet, especially when there are so many outbreaks of violence in the world today. Terrorism is held at bay in Singapore because of the many security measures put into place; and thus Singapore is a really safe place. Finally, Singapore enjoys a low crime rate, making the country safe for all.

POLITICAL STABILITY:

Singapore has been politically stable for many years, unlike other countries which face political instablity. Thus Singapore would be able to attract many tourists because it is so safe.

RELATIVELY LOW PRICES:

A result of economical stability, prices of goods can be kept relatively low; not only attracting tourists from more affluent regions but also from those moderately well off countries. Furthermore a sale on the scale as large as GSS would attract even more tourists with prices plunging to as low as 20 to 30% of the original seling prices. Also, by looking at countries like the UK where the GST is ridiculously high, the relatively low GST of Singapore at 5% is rather attractive.

RICH CULTURE:

In Singapore one can find the essence of many a country, such as China, India and Malaysia and so on. If one were spoilt for choice as to where they should go for a holiday, Singapore would be a good choice because of the rich mix of culture, and it would be just like visiting all the countries at one go. Also, Singapore is a cosmopolitan city with traditional values and this makes for a huge tourist attraction as well.

By considering the abovementioned factors, it can be seen that the GSS is not the only thing that makes Singapore attractive to foreigners, and if Singapore can be maintained as such in a state of stability, then the trend of monetary earnings from tourists' expenditure can only continue increasing. -- DE

Monday, May 22, 2006

Grandparents More Involved in Child's Upbringing Than Fathers

www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/209485/1/.html \ 22 May 2006
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-granddaddies and daddies-

The survey of 300 mothers showed that grandparents play a bigger role in decisions for childcare than fathers. Only 9% of mothers consult their spouse on their child's nutrition, education and other requirements, while more than 40% of them turn to their parents or in-laws about their child's upbringing needs.

Personally I think that this is both good and bad. Good in the sense that it shows that the elderly are not as useless as many think, but bad in the sense that the fathers of these children may be too busy working to be there for their children when they grow up.

Nowadays in this modern world, many people think that old people are useless and are a burden to families, yet these statistics show that the elderly are in fact essential for certain families as sources of information and experience. These elderly have vast stores of experience which families can utilise to improve family life and the like. This involvement of the elderly in their families would give them a sense of belonging to their families, and prevent them from feeling lonely, unwanted and obsolete.

The elderly are far from being obsolete. Though it is true that not many grandparents these days know how to use an iPod or type an email, their experiences of days of hardship for example, of days when life was not so convenient as today would teach us how to appreciate what we have now.

So the grandparents are more involved in family care? What of the fathers? Many are the breadwinners of the family and end up working long hours so they are unable to spend enough quality time with their families. I find that this is sad because a child only goes through each stage in life once, and if the fathers miss their own child's growing up, then that is not very good. This also distances the children from their fathers because they just do not spend enough time together, and this is especially not good for sons because they might lack a male role model in their life.

Though it is important that grandparents get to spend time with their families and to feel loved, it is also of equal importance that the fathers are there to support the mothers (other than financially) and to be there for his children as well, to be more involved in family life. After all, if he is the head of the family yet only brings home the bacon, what kind of head of the family is that? --DE

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Inside Bush's Secret Spy Net

Pg 14 \ United States \ Time \ 22 May 2006
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-hello Washington listening in to your conversation, I can hear you-

Along with many other Americans and non-Americans, I had the assumption that when the newspapers and other news sources said that the National Security Agency (NSA) was listening in to citizens' conversations to check if they were communicating with terrorists or not. It turns out that our assumptions are all wrong.

According to President Bush, "We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans" and White house official pushes forward this point by insisting that, "It's just digits. Just a bunch of data, a bunch of numbers," referring to the records of what number called what number, when and for how long. This should reassure many that the NSA is not really literally listening into people's conversations all the time.

By logical thinking, this would be impossible because if there was somebody listening in all the time, the NSA would need many people to listen in to millions of Americans, which would be a waste of resources and time. Even if the phone calls were taken down in the form of transcripts, I doubt that anyone would have the time, or even bother to look through millions of sheets of paper if a few people from the US called a few people from Pakistan or something like that.

At first, I thought that revealing that the NSA was listening in to phone calls would be a bad thing; not just because it was an invasion of privacy, but also would alert terrorists to the fact that USA is on the alert, and hence be more careful, and it would be more difficult to find these terrorists. Then I saw that if the USA had not revealed that they were taking people's phone records, then people would spread rumours and it would create trouble for the Bush administration and perhaps even the President's political standing. Also, American citizens would feel more secure upon hearing what the NSA is doing for the security of the country. And seeing that there have been no terrorist attacks recently, this phone records business may not be a bad thing after all. No news is good news. -- DE

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Hello, library? I've got a question

Pg 5 \ Home \ The Straits Times \ 9 May 2006
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-ringringring-

This is a great idea because it means that people can study anywhere else besides the library and make as much noise as they want without being scolded by the librarian, and still get their research done.

Also it saves people the hassle of travelling all the way to the library especially when the library is either too far or neither here nor there from one's house. This hotline service is very good for people who cannot travel to the library, who have no time to travel to the library, and for those who are perhaps even just that little bit lazy to walk the distance.

It gets better, because since this service is user friendly, even young children or the elderly can make use of it and everyone can benefit from this new hotline. However, as with all good things there may be the disadvantage of prank calls made in order to waste the library's time. Hopefully nobody has thought of prank calling and asking stupid questions yet. --DE

Broken Metatarsals: Are Modern Boots to Blame?

Pg 19 \ Sports \ The Straits Times \ 3 May 2006
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-ouch, that's gotta hurt-

I read this with some amusement, where soccer boots back then are compared to soccer boots now, as hard army boots where you cannot feel the ball, compared to softer shoes with better flexibility. In this case, safety has been compromised for flexibility, and the soft boots which offer little protection against injuries may be the cause of the numerous broken metatarsals we are hearing about this season.

Broken metatarsals have prevented many soccer players from playing as they have to take long breaks away from practice and the game itself. Also, even when the injuries heal, chances are that the players will no longer be in top condition to play, which is a rather sad thing. Though I am not a soccer fan, I do feel that seeing good players unable to play is rather disappointing. Also, the issue of modern soccer boots being the cause of many a metatarsal injury is sad because it means that players have to become inactive, and one can only imagine their frustration. The intruiging question is, just where is the balance between safety and flexibility such that optimum performance can be enjoyed? -- DE

Bird Flu Virus Now Hardier and Survives Longer

Pg 15 \ Home \ The Straits Times \ 3 May 2006
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-ahchoo-

Authorities are already having so much trouble trying to find a way of preventing or curing bird flu, especially the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus. Knowing that the virus as become hardier just reminds us that we have to be more vigilant in keeping hygiene practices such as keeping places dry and so on. Especially with the warmer, damper summer months coming up soon, the bird flu virus might be more likely to survive in the conditions as it has become more heat resistant. This is really scary and that the threat of bird flu is so real and close to home should be enough to give everyone a shake and wake up to watch out for themselves.

So what we have to do is to maintain practices of washing our hands and keeping clean, as well as staying away from sick birds which may be potential carriers of the virus. These small practices may seem like they will do nothing, but they might help lower the possibility of us getting the virus. Also, getting a flu jab might help. -- DE

Teaching Children Good Money Habits Will Help In The Long Run

Pg 33 \ Straits Times \ 8 May 2006
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-money isn't everything you know-

Good money habits are important; they teach a child to be thrifty in terms of using money. Yet many parents these days do not seem to know how important it is. Many parents dish out large allowances to their children, especially those who do not see their children often. They think that more allowance will make up for the quality family time their children are missing out on (which of course, is not true)

Children who do not learn good money habits think that they can spend as much as they like, and treat their parents as ATM machines, which will increase the stress on the parents. When they grow up they will not be able to fully understand the value of money and why they should save up. This has a large impact on the country as these children will be our future leaders, and it would not be good for the country or the country's pockets if these future leaders spend the country's resources unwisely.

Thus it is of the utmost importance that parents teach their children good money habits, for their sake as well as for the future's sake. -- DE

Saturday, May 06, 2006

The War on HPV

Pg 42 \ Health for Life \ Newsweek \ 8 May 2006
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-a new vaccine that prevents cervical cancer could be available soon-

Cervical cancer (caused by the Human Papillomavirus or HPV) is yet another health problem that affects many women around the world, especially those in developing countries where it is difficult to obtain medical help because of traditional mindsets, poverty or just plain distance away from available help.

I am happy to see that doctors are even targeting the poorer countries and taking their needs into consideration by developing an inexpensive vaccine in a powder form and then shipping it to the countries where it is needed. There is hope still for those who might potentially suffer from it.

The idea that there could be a new vaccine to prevent this cancer is indeed good news for all, espcially if they have lost a loved one because of this cancer. The vaccine works in the same way as all vaccines do, with a harmless portion of the virus injected into the bloodstream where antibodies are manufactured to combat the foreign object. The only different thing is that scientists have managed to isolate the empty shell of the virus, a protein called L1 which is what is inside the vaccine, instead of dead cell material as in the case of anti-bacterial vaccines.

Statistics of the lives claimed by cervical cancer are shocking; 500,000 women are diagnosed by it worldwide, and every year almost 250,000 will die. Knowing that there is a prevention is the first step towards obtaining a cure for this health problem, many more women will be able to sleep better at night. --DE

The Quest for Rest

Pg 39\ Health for Life \ Newsweek \ 8 May 2006
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-sleeplessness may lead to heart disease and obesity-

Women suffer from sleep disorders more so than men, and many are turning to their doctors to provide them with solutions to their problems. After being diagnosed with their problem, they can then continue to get help. Sleeping pills are not the best solution to everything, because they are merely the solution for short term sleep disorders.

I feel that this new breakthrough in medical treatment and reasearch as to why women suffer from sleep disorders and how to help them is a very good thing because it will improve the health of millions of women who suffer from it.

Research has shown that sleep disorders are not merely confined to one age group; young girls and elderly women can suffer from it too, and this would be a problem especially for today's youth who need to get all the rest they can to cope with having to study and keeping their grades up in order to secure a better future.

So, ladies, next time you head to the medicine cabinet for that bottle of sleeping pills, ask yourself if you have a sleeping disorder or not, go see a doctor and get help because sleeplessness can lead to heart disease or obesity, which is something i'm sure we can all live without. --DE

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