x 0

SENTOSA is OFFSHORE - gamIng LEVY S$100

MBS is ONSHORE - gamIng LEVEY shOUld be DOUBLED at S$200 [tOO accessIble]

PRIVATE JACKPOT CLUBS RIGHT IN CITY CENTRE - tOO cOnvenIent ? ? ? ? tOO temptIng ? ? ? ?

PRIVATE JACKPOT CLUBS - gamIng LEVY shOUld be hIgher than pUblIc

at S$200 x 1.5 times = S$300 [tOO prIvIlege]

nOte: Private TranspOrt prIces mUst be 1.5 tImes Of pUblIc transpOrt prIces

x 0

SENTOSA is OFFSHORE - gamIng LEVY S$100

MBS is ONSHORE - gamIng LEVEY shOUld be DOUBLED at S$200 [tOO accessIble]

PRIVATE JACKPOT CLUBS RIGHT IN CITY CENTRE - tOO cOnvenIent ? ? ? ? tOO temptIng ? ? ? ?

PRIVATE JACKPOT CLUBS - gamIng LEVEL shOUld be hIgher than pUblIc

at S$200 x 1.5 times = S$300 [tOO prIvIlege]

nOte: Private TranspOrt prIces mUst be 1.5 tImes Of pUblIc transpOrt prIces

AK_Francis ( Date: 12-Sep-2010 11:20) Posted:

All good ideas. AK adds one more, dun torture the horses at the race course. Yah, pse also write to SPCA! Wat else, yah, any gaming machines at club houses n recreational centres, must be removed as well. Just can't imagine, cleaning aunties r d participants. God bless.

BullishTempo ( Date: 12-Sep-2010 10:40) Posted:

LO

x 0

SAGE ENLIGHTENMENT

AK_Francis ( Date: 12-Sep-2010 11:20) Posted:

All good ideas. AK adds one more, dun torture the horses at the race course. Yah, pse also write to SPCA! Wat else, yah, any gaming machines at club houses n recreational centres, must be removed as well. Just can't imagine, cleaning aunties r d participants. God bless.

BullishTempo ( Date: 12-Sep-2010 10:40) Posted:

LO

x 0

Sep 12, 2010

Queues form despite stoppage

Many say they take free rides to Sentosa, not to visit the casino

By Elizabeth Soh

Mr Joseph Yap being informed by a Resorts World Sentosa staff member in Bishan yesterday that the shuttle services to the integrated resort had ceased. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN

DESPITE widespread media coverage that the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) shuttle services had stopped running, Singaporeans still turned up at pick-up points yesterday in the hope of getting a free ride to the integrated resort.

Queues were seen in Ang Mo Kio and Bedok, despite signs that said the service had been terminated. Up to 20 people were waiting at a bus stop in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 yesterday at 3pm. When told the shuttle bus was no longer in operation, they reacted with surprise.

Said mechanic T.M. Tan, 47, in Mandarin: 'How are we supposed to get there now? So troublesome.'

He just wanted to go SENTOSA ?

The shuttle service had been in operation since June, serving 19 locations across the island 15 to 33 times a day.

It had been ferrying an average of 2,500 passengers daily and was expected to take a crowd of up to 4,000 over the Hari Raya weekend.

The shuttle service ceased operations immediately on Friday afternoon after a directive from the Casino Regulatory Authority.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times.

x 0

Sep 12, 2010

Queues form despite stoppage

Many say they take free rides to Sentosa, not to visit the casino

By Elizabeth Soh

Mr Joseph Yap being informed by a Resorts World Sentosa staff member in Bishan yesterday that the shuttle services to the integrated resort had ceased. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN

DESPITE widespread media coverage that the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) shuttle services had stopped running, Singaporeans still turned up at pick-up points yesterday in the hope of getting a free ride to the integrated resort.

Queues were seen in Ang Mo Kio and Bedok, despite signs that said the service had been terminated. Up to 20 people were waiting at a bus stop in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 yesterday at 3pm. When told the shuttle bus was no longer in operation, they reacted with surprise.

Said mechanic T.M. Tan, 47, in Mandarin: 'How are we supposed to get there now? So troublesome.'

He just wanted to go SENTOSA ?

The shuttle service had been in operation since June, serving 19 locations across the island 15 to 33 times a day.

It had been ferrying an average of 2,500 passengers daily and was expected to take a crowd of up to 4,000 over the Hari Raya weekend.

The shuttle service ceased operations immediately on Friday afternoon after a directive from the Casino Regulatory Authority.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times.

x 0

Sep 12, 2010

Queues form despite stoppage

Many say they take free rides to Sentosa, not to visit the casino

By Elizabeth Soh

Mr Joseph Yap being informed by a Resorts World Sentosa staff member in Bishan yesterday that the shuttle services to the integrated resort had ceased. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN

DESPITE widespread media coverage that the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) shuttle services had stopped running, Singaporeans still turned up at pick-up points yesterday in the hope of getting a free ride to the integrated resort.

Queues were seen in Ang Mo Kio and Bedok, despite signs that said the service had been terminated. Up to 20 people were waiting at a bus stop in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 yesterday at 3pm. When told the shuttle bus was no longer in operation, they reacted with surprise.

Said mechanic T.M. Tan, 47, in Mandarin: 'How are we supposed to get there now? So troublesome.'

He just wanted to go SENTOSA ?

The shuttle service had been in operation since June, serving 19 locations across the island 15 to 33 times a day.

It had been ferrying an average of 2,500 passengers daily and was expected to take a crowd of up to 4,000 over the Hari Raya weekend.

The shuttle service ceased operations immediately on Friday afternoon after a directive from the Casino Regulatory Authority.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times.

x 0

Sep 12, 2010

Queues form despite stoppage

Many say they take free rides to Sentosa, not to visit the casino

By Elizabeth Soh

Mr Joseph Yap being informed by a Resorts World Sentosa staff member in Bishan yesterday that the shuttle services to the integrated resort had ceased. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN

DESPITE widespread media coverage that the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) shuttle services had stopped running, Singaporeans still turned up at pick-up points yesterday in the hope of getting a free ride to the integrated resort.

Queues were seen in Ang Mo Kio and Bedok, despite signs that said the service had been terminated. Up to 20 people were waiting at a bus stop in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 yesterday at 3pm. When told the shuttle bus was no longer in operation, they reacted with surprise.

Said mechanic T.M. Tan, 47, in Mandarin: 'How are we supposed to get there now? So troublesome.'

He just wanted to go SENTOSA ?

The shuttle service had been in operation since June, serving 19 locations across the island 15 to 33 times a day.

It had been ferrying an average of 2,500 passengers daily and was expected to take a crowd of up to 4,000 over the Hari Raya weekend.

The shuttle service ceased operations immediately on Friday afternoon after a directive from the Casino Regulatory Authority.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times.

x 0

The light that you seek is within you . . . .

you just have to peel the onion, layers and layers of ignorance are there.

The diamond is hidden in the mud.

The diamond is not to be created.

The diamond is already there - only the layers of mind have to be removed.

OSHO

x 0

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I had the pleasure and honour of meeting Ms Teresa Hsu. Does her name ring a bell?

Teresa Hsu Chih, or commonly known as Teresa Hsu, is known affectionately as "Singapore's Mother Teresa", in recognition for her active life-long devotion in helping the aged sick and destitutes locally. The retired nurse is the founder of the non-profit charities—Heart to Heart Service and the Home for the Aged Sick, one of the first homes for the aged sick in Singapore. She has been a social worker in China and Paraguay and a nurse in England, before coming to Singapore to start similar non-profit charities since 1961.

Teresa is all of 112 yrs old this year and has been actively involved in charity work for the most part of her life. She has spent almost all her savings on feeding and housing the poor and the elderly, all of whom are younger than she is, but she herself leads a simple and humble lifestyle.

Before we met, Teresa’s friend and care-giver, Brother Sharana, had told me Teresa wanted to eat ice cream at Swensens – it was her favourite place and vanilla was her favourite flavour, and so we took her to Swensens for her favourite vanilla ice cream. When she found out that it was my friend’s birthday, Teresa clapped and burst into song, singing Happy Birthday to my friend in Spanish! Boy, was I amazed!

Spending the afternoon with Teresa was enlightening, heartwarming, and entertaining. She is an alert, witty and intelligent lady. Her wit and sense of humour would put many people half her age to shame. Throughout our tea, she laughed frequently and I found myself laughing too, at her unexpected jokes and sense of humour. She is well-read and extremely knowledgeable.

Despite her age, Teresa still has perfect eyesight, although she has lost her hearing in her right ear; “lost it to the devil”, she says, happily starting on her second scoop of vanilla ice cream. When asked how she feels about death, she says she can't tell you because she hasn’t experienced it yet. That’s wit from someone almost three times my age!

Teresa’s memory of her early life was very clear, being able to tell stories of her childhood with clarity and ease, although she seems to have lost some of her short term memory; but this was to be expected, given her age. Her philosophy is, life is simple –

love and laughter [LAL].

After I sent her home, I found myself smiling when I thought about her quick witted replies during tea. She is truly and inspiration and perhaps it really is not so difficult to just give love and laugh.

http://zeuscommunications.blogspot.com/2010/06/teresa-hsu-singapores-mother-teresa.html

Teresa Hsu - Singapore's Mother Teresa

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The world remembers Mother Teresa on her 100th birthday

05:55 AM Aug 27, 2010

A mass was held at Singapore's Church of the Holy Spirit last night in Upper Thomson Road to mark Mother Teresa's centennial birth. President S R Nathan was among the guests. The mass was part of a global event to mark what would have been the nun's 100th birthday. She died 13 years ago, at the age of 87.

Mother Teresa was known for her extraordinary love for poor and homeless people. The ethnic Albanian nun set up Missionaries of Charity, which now runs more than 500 charity homes in over 100 countries.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner, she was born on Aug 26, 1910, to Albanian parents in what is now Skopje in Macedonia.

Mother Teresa arrived in India in 1929 and two years later took her vows as a nun.

She began her missionary work with the poor in Calcutta in 1948 and the teeming east Indian metropolis remained her base until she died in September 1997.

Her grave in the order's headquarters has since become a site for pilgrams. Milton Sau/AFP

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"I Made Many Friends"

Rapid Fire with FM Tin Jingyao

by SCN Editors

The 10-year-old chess whiz of Nanyang Primary brought a lot of excitement in the local tournament halls lately. Due to his remarkable chess results this year he was featured in a series of sports websites and blogs. Following his play in the Karpov and Kasparov recent chess exhibitions, Jingyao stirred the interest of a few national newspapers and we believe we'll hear more about the kid soon. SCN sat down with Jingyao for a rapid fire interview.

SCN: Jingyao, describe to our readers exactly how did you discover the game of chess at your auntie house?

Tin Jingyao: I was bored at my aunt's house, so they let me play some computer games. I saw this program named "Chess Titans". I clicked on it. In the program when I clicked on a piece, it would show me where I could move the piece to. I found the game interesting and easy.

Why did you like the game?

I like to enjoy good positions. Chess is also brain thrilling which is what I like.

How did you continue to practice/learn at home considering your father doesn't play chess much?

I play chess on computer and read chess books.

How did you feel when at your beginning in chess tournaments you lost some games?

I did not feel much about it because I just started and it was just an experience for me.

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CHINA SHARES: Now what? 10 market sages weigh in...

Written by Andrew Vanburen (China Correspondent)

Friday, 10 September 2010 09:00

At least one market watcher is very impressed with Agricultural Bank of China's post-IPO performance. Photo: Company

CHINA’S BENCHMARK Shanghai Composite, which tracks both A and B shares, lost 1.4% yesterday to close at 2,656.35 ahead of key financial data.

Although Confucius was born in China, markets are open on Friday -- the day the sage’s birthday is sometimes recognized and the same day trade data is released and one day prior to CPI numbers due out Saturday.

Ten seasoned market watchers provide guidance in the PRC media on where stocks are headed.

They offered their near-term forecasts on a day when steelmakers dragged the market lower on a flurry of profit taking in the recently red hot sector.

Shareholders across the board are also skittish on expectations that the August CPI figures due out Saturday could be the highest year-to-date jump which might lead to follow-up Central Bank reaction, and banking and real estate shares behaved accordingly yesterday.

Today's trade figures are also likely to show China returning in earnest to its old growth patterns of export-led expansion.

And with upcoming mid-term elections and a grim employment scenario in its largest single country market, Chinese exporters are likely to face significantly stronger resistance from the US going forward.

Most analysts cited in the PRC press yesterday expect today's trading to keep the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index between 2,650 and 2,750 as investors await more cues from the trade and inflation figures.

SinaFinance’s online discussion forum gathered the following 10 short-term strategies from regular contributors:

Although Wednesday failed to hold at 2,700 points, the continued strength of individual counters – especially mid-caps – gave cause for cheer and exemplified a possible growing immunity from recent volatility on Wall Street. The current market level is undoubtedly on a solid foundation.

Agricultural Bank of China, the largest IPO in history, is still alive and kicking and is outperforming recent expectations. This is what I think of the current market: I said at the end of July that the second half A-share recovery had only a month of gas left in the tank. However, I have since been proven wrong as things have held relatively steady in September so far. This is in no small part due to ABC’s relatively successful greenshoe option and continued strong interest from institutional investors. Therefore, I will not be surprised if the effects of ABC’s listing continue to work overtime on contributing to a sustained rally, with at least three months of upside pull from the aftereffects.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite has been on a sustained climb since early July

Smaller boards and mid-caps should be given a wide berth for now as downside risks are not insignificant at this point by any means. So when things perk up on the macroeconomic or policy fronts, these counters will react soonest and most drastically. The trick is reading the market before official pronouncements are made. Any indication that downside risk is evaporating is the perfect time to jump in on mid-cap and small board bandwagon. Watch closely.

Things have been rather steady recently with no big swings. SME board stocks have the most potential for the next upward surge. However, I expect things to be dead quiet tomorrow on the pending economic and trade news.

Blue chips have been somewhat flat recently but mid-caps, especially small board and ChiNext-listed A shares have been the tail of the fish keeping the overall Index swimming along. But as soon as the Shanghai Composite shows a breakout session, this will likely mean that mid-caps have run their course for now.

Despite recent declines in banking and developer shares, the Shanghai Composite Index has been relatively stable with daily rising counters usually outnumbering decliners. This suggests we are in a “stable to strong” overall market trend with only relatively weak daily trading turnover to give bourse watchers pause. First-time or relatively new retail investors are holding current positions or staying away in droves looking for more visibility. Therefore, any significant encouraging news will act as positive reinforcement and daily turnover will likely spike significantly with pent-up anticipation.

China's property market is always on investors' minds. NextInsight file photo

Short-term movement in either direction will be constrained, but two positive phenomena have emerged. The Index should stay in the neighborhood of 2,680 to 2,700 points in coming sessions. This suggests that the risk level is quite moderate at present. Therefore, without long-term visibility, individual performers should be the current investment strategy rather than sector, policy or theme plays.

Individual stocks and not sector plays are the best way forward at this point.

Keep an eye out for hotspots, as we should be entering a gradual upward crawl overall. Identifying who is leading the crawl early on is critical.

Daily trading turnover has been relatively modest. Keep an eye on morning and afternoon trading volume differentials as that is the best way to get an early bead on counters targeted by profit takers. Tomorrow will be a good day for such observations because trading should be light prior to the economic data coming out, and heavily-traded stocks will stand out clearly.

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Currencies play an important role in the economic health of a country -- impacting the flow of trade and capital.

For instance, a weak currency can be quite good for an economy in times of recession. It stimulates demand for a country's exports, which can drive growth in manufacturing, boost employment and give overall economic performance a nice jolt. And for foreign investors, a cheap currency makes a country's investments more attractive.

On the other hand, a strong currency can be a benefit too. It can give consumers access to cheaper production and higher growth assets in foreign markets, which can improve their standard of living.

Moreover, a country's currency plays a huge role in the perception of its global economic stability and safety. Indeed important.

But there becomes a problem when a currency is too weak or too strong ...

A currency that's too weak, or one that could weaken materially in the future, can drag down an economy. It can scare foreign investors away and can cause existing foreign investments to flee.

Conversely, a currency that's too strong can depress a country's exports and ultimately cause deflation.

And That's Precisely What We're Seeing in Switzerland and Japan

Because Switzerland and Japan maintained relatively low interest rates when the global economy was booming -- before the financial crisis started -- the Swiss franc and the yen were popular funding currencies for the massive carry trade.

The Swiss franc has surged against the euro and pound.

The unwinding of this trade, along with the fall in competitive global interest rates over recent years, has kept these currencies persistently strong, even in the face of deep recessions.

Historically, countries dealing with recession tend to rely heavily on exports as a tool to return to sustainable growth -- a needed bridge in order to rebuild domestic demand.

But with currencies that have strengthened more than 30 percent relative to their major trading competitors, Switzerland and Japan have been at a distinct disadvantage.

Consider this ...

Since the middle of 2007, when the subprime problem began to rear its head, the Swiss franc has appreciated 23 percent against the euro and nearly 40 percent against the British pound. That's made exporting to these two important markets considerably less competitive.

This is why Switzerland has intervened numerous times in an attempt to stem the tide of currency appreciation against the falling euro and pound. But it hasn't worked. The sovereign debt risk in the euro zone and UK has been too overwhelmingly negative on their currencies.

The strong yen has put Japan's exporters at a clear disadvantage in Asia.

As for Japan: Japan is a heavily export-dependent economy. And its main trade competitor in Asia is China. Given that China has kept its currency very closely aligned with the value of the U.S. dollar through the economic crisis, the yen has soared in value relative to the yuan -- to the tune of 24 percent.

This exchange rate disadvantage is a key reason why Japanese officials have been "on watch" for intervention to weaken the yen.

But What Is a Fair Value for the Franc and the Yen?

For our guide, let's take a look at the market's estimate of the current "fair value" of currencies.

We'll use an economic theory known as purchasing price parity (PPP), which adjusts the exchange rate so that an identical product in two different countries has the same price when expressed in the same currency.

In the chart below, you can see some of the most overvalued currencies according to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development's (OECD). The axis on the left shows how overvalued these currencies are based on PPP.

OVER VALUED CURRENCIES AGAINST USD

2010 SEPTEMBER 12th

SWISS FRANC                        34%

NORWEGIAN KRONE           31%

DANISH KRONE                    28%

JAPANESE YEN                     27%

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR        21%

SWEDISH KRONE                 17%

CANADIAN DOLLAR            13%

NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR      8%

According to this measure, the Swiss franc is the most overvalued currency in the world, relative to the U.S. dollar. Also sitting well in overvalued territory is the Japanese yen.

Given the likelihood of another round of crisis in the euro zone, the Swiss aren't likely to see the tide of the Swiss franc change against the euro. But, if risks continue to elevate, the Swiss franc should weaken against the dollar, as it did during the first half of 2010 -- giving the Swiss some relief.

As for the yen, it appears that nothing short of actual intervention will change the tide of the yen, to release the pressure valve on its exporters. And I expect that will happen, which represents an opportunity for currency investors.

Regards,

Bryan Rich
Money and Markets

This investment news is brought to you by Money and Markets. Money and Markets is a free daily investment newsletter from Martin D. Weiss and Weiss Research analysts offering the latest investing news and financial insights for the stock market, including tips and advice on investing in gold, energy and oil. Dr. Weiss is a leader in the fields of investing, interest rates, financial safety and economic forecasting. To view archives or subscribe, visit http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/.

Can Switzerland and Japan Solve Their Currency Problem?

By Brian Rich

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OVER VALUED CURRENCIES AGAINST USD

2010 SEPTEMBER 12th

SWISS FRANC                        34%

NORWEGIAN KRONE           31%

DANISH KRONE                    28%

JAPANESE YEN                     27%

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR        21%

SWEDISH KRONE                 17%

CANADIAN DOLLAR            13%

NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR      8%

x 0

A bomb-ravaged car that illustrates life in Iraq is going on display

at London’s Imperial War Museum.

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Citizenship criteria: How much to disclose? — The assurance is that those given the red passport will be assessed on their allegiance to Singapore. Some are wondering, though, as the Government plans to approach a number of permanent residents to sink roots here, if the citizenship criteria can be clearer.

Esther Ng

estherng@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE

PRs know only that they are eligible to apply, if they are at least 21 and have been a PR for at least “two to six years prior to the date of application”, through two citizenship routes: Economic merits and family ties, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) website.

Last year, the criteria was tightened, with the only detail given that the ability to integrate was an important consideration.

Some countries such as Australia have a clear points system and Institute of Policy Studies research fellow Leong Chan Hoong is one for a more transparent criteria and process, so that applicants know what they are “getting into rather than just filling in forms”.

Said Dr Leong: “The system has to be one that Singaporeans feel is legitimate and assures them about who is being admitted to Singapore and the skills they bring.”

While the ICA has said before that it does not disclose publicly the exact criteria to prevent abuse of information, the National Population Secretariat has said previously that language, culture and contributions to society are broad citizenship considerations.

Those whom MediaCorp spoke to suggested clear indicators in the areas such as education, number of years as a PR, special skills or contribution to Singapore, a salary not less than the median wage and children who have served National Service or have become Singaporeans.

Said Sembawang GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak: “We want to attract bright talent, so the criteria could be a diploma or degree without going into which class or where it’s from.”

But limiting citizenship to diploma and degree holders could mean missing out on talented people without academic qualifications, for instance, hairdresser David Gan or a three-star Michelin chef, said Marine Parade GRC MP Lim Biow Chuan.

More than just defining the criteria, the challenge is to disclose criteria that is both broad and informative for the public, said observers.

Listing such details could subject the Government to “litigation through a judiciary review”, said Singapore Management University law lecturer Eugene Tan.

“If you give A citizenship but not B, and B finds out, B could challenge the Government in court, demand an explanation,” Assistant Professor Tan said.

While ICA may have a set of indicators, “the authorities would want to have the discretion on who they give citizenship and this is the same with other countries”, he added.

IT consultant Manikandan Renganathan, 38, who has lived here for 14 years before becoming a citizen this year, agreed.

“Once you reveal it, more people will try to meet what’s required of them. Do you take all these people in?” he said.

The flipside is that “those who are rejected won’t know how to improve their chances in a couple of years’ time and they could relocate to other countries pre-emptively”, said Asst Prof Tan.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak told MediaCorp, though, that from his experience in dealing with rejected applicants who turn up during his Meet-the-People sessions, the ICA does give “hints”.

“If the written reply says the applicant is advised to re-apply in six months’ time, it means the applicant is not ready yet, or if further upgrading is advised, the applicant needs to improve his skill or education level.”