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cIgarette
kills more people than DRUGS
causes more TEENS more DAMAGES than Virus
litters more than CHEWING GUMS
cIgarette butt literers should be CANNED
Smokers, smugglers, sellers should be HANGED
CiGARETTE should be legislated as a PRESCRIPTION DRUG
SIMPLE WIN WIN WIN SOLUTION
PRODUCTIVE EFFECTIVE EFFICIENT ECONOMICAL
SAVE the TEENS
DON'T GIVE the TEENS the OPPORTUNITY to SMOKE
cIgarette
is a medIocre Isuue which
MERiTOCRAY
had mIssed Out tOtally
Smoking out the ‘oxymoron’
Ng Jing Yn g
jingyng@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE
Singapore’s Subutex experience — when heroin-users became addicted to the replacement substance — is a reminder for him about the efficacy of harm reduction strategies.
And the negative results from the introduction of “low tar”, “light” or “mild” cigarettes as well as Snus, a smokeless tobacco product, suggests that “a less harmful tobacco product is an oxymoron”, said Mr Khaw.
So, despite Dr Lam Pin Min’s and Dr Fatimah Lateef’s suggestions, the minister is sticking with the new tobacco control measures in the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) (Amendment) Bill that Parliament approved yesterday.
Mr Khaw had called for the amendments to ban emerging products that may even be packaged to resemble candy.
According to statistics from Singapore Customs, 484 travellers made duty and GST payments on smokeless tobacco last year.
The debate on the Bill was an opportunity for some Members of Parliament — out of the 11 who spoke — to also voice strong opposition to smoking, especially in relation to young smokers. Mr Khaw said policing on tobacco retail outlets will be stepped up.
MP Alvin Yeo (Hong Kah) asked if the legislative changes, which would impose changes on cigarette package labelling, would contravene certain intellectual property obligations, as “Lights” and “Mild” are registered trademarks here.
Mr Khaw said that international obligations have been taken into consideration.
Less easy to tackle is the issue of tobacco companies using platforms such as movies and the Internet to entice consumers, he said in reply to MP Sin Boon Ann (Tampines).
“How do we censor out scenes of modern-day James Deans ... smoking a particular brand of cigarettes?” asked Mr Khaw.
Besides addressing issues on the proposed amendments, Mr Khaw responded to calls to extend the smoking ban to void decks and corridors.
He will suggest this to the National Environment Agency.
— While two Members of Parliament, both doctors, think that some tobacco products can help smokers kick the habit, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan is not only a sceptic, he thinks it would be disastrous.pharoah88 ( Date: 20-Jul-2010 10:52) Posted:
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niuyear ( Date: 20-Jul-2010 10:44) Posted:
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Debris ‘worsened’ flood, but didn’t cause it: PUB
After blaming a blocked culvert along Stamford Canal for the flood at Orchard Road on June 16, national water agency PUB now says, after completing investigations, that the debris only “worsened” the flood but did not cause it.
Two bursts of rain 30 minutes apart had poured the equivalent of 1.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools of rainfall each minute into the middle section of the canal, between Delfi Orchard and Handy Road, which could only carry 1-1/3 Olympic-sized swimming pools each minute.
On Saturday, the canal overflowed again and “an urgent review” is underway.
But Member of Parliament Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) wondered if rapid urban development had reduced the island’s ability to handle run-off from strong rainfall.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said PUB would have to check that there is adequate drainage before any development can be approved: “We’ve not come across any incident that, because of an existing development, flooding is a result of that.”
When Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim asked about the Marina Barrage’s role in alleviating floods, Dr Yaacob said it had operated effectively to avert further flooding in downtown areas such as Chinatown during the three recent floods.
“In the case of Orchard Road, the canals are way upstream, and we may not have enough capacity to drain all the water as quickly as possible ... This has to be studied as a system and not just as a barrage, together with all the drains,” he said.
Saying the authorities cannot “conclusively link these events to climate change”, he told the House the Government will continue to study this “complex and evolving subject”.
For now, a National Environment Agency study projects that by 2100, the average daily temperature could increase by between 2.7°C to 4.2°C; the mean sea level around Singapore could rise by 24 to 65 centimetres.
LEONG WEE KEAT
After the opening of the 2 casino, then we have flood. It is good sign . Water comes in , means money come come.
It seems that reservoir areas never flood. We should turn orchard road into a reservoir .
pharoah88 ( Date: 20-Jul-2010 10:28) Posted:
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parents are wondering if it is legal for parents to use handcuffs on their UNsafe children to ensure SAFETY ? ? ? ?
some parents like this SAFETY IDEA for their UNsafe children . . . .
Generally, children are more PRONE to be UNsafe than ADULTS.
Can parents be ENPOWERED with SAFETY HANDCUFFS ? ? ? ?
probably, some teachers like this IDEA too ? ? ? ?
There is no policy as far as Mewr or PUB is concerned on taking pictures.
From what we understand, the photographer was warned because of safety issues, not because of privacy issues.
There’s nothing private about a flood, and I think based upon the (newspaper) report, that’s what we understood to have happened that morning.
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, in response to a query from MP Penny Low who asked if there was a no-picture policy on taking photos during a flood
can also CAPITALISE on this WATER SITUATION to START the WORLD FIRST FLOOD FESTIVAL . . . . the One and Only . . . .
Ooh, ooh, oh, now i remember something . . . .
Vietnam's WATER PUPPETS SHOW was invited to perform in SINGAPORE during JUNE 2010 ? ? ? ?
may be these WATER PUPPETS LIKE to have a BiG FLOOD PUPPETS SHOW in SINGAPORE TOO ? ? ? ?
Dr Yaacob said quarterly checks prior to the June 16 floods were “adequate”, and the authorities decided to increase checks due to the amount of debris that blocked Stamford Canal. “It’s not an acknowledgement that something has gone wrong but which was something we learned as we go along and maybe these are the ways we could improve the work we do,” he said.
The minister also told MPs (Holland- Bukit Timah GRC) Christopher De Souza and Liang Eng Hwa that PUB would expedite works in their wards, where possible.
Improvements to Geylang River, Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal and Rochor Canal will begin soon.
Meanwhile, more rain is expected this week. Short-duration showers with thunder can be expected mostly in the late morning and afternoon, while showers with thunder and gusty winds can be expected between the pre-dawn hours and morning toward the end of the week.
ORCHARD FLOODS were UNbelievable . . . . but are ABSOLUTELY REAL NOW
May be GOD wants Singapore to be VENICE of the EAST ? ? ? ?
TiME will TELL . . . .
Let's SEE
pharoah88 ( Date: 20-Jul-2010 09:52) Posted:
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Since the WATER has arrived, why not KEEP it ? ? ? ?
PUB has been made to be seen as MEDIOCRE ? ? ? ?
Minister needs to SPELL OUT a TO-DO LIST for the PUB ? ? ? ?
MERITOCRACY seems like passing the BUCKET to Building Management as well ? ? ? ?
It is now the Building Managment who are responsible for Drainage System Backflowing ? ? ? ?
pharoah88, thank you very much for all your news reporting.
Some of the news are already published in the media.
Why do the duplicating.
Whole Parliament did not recognise an Opportunity in a Crisis ? ? ? ?
Singapore can be VENICE of the EAST ? ? ? ?
How Come ? ? ? ?
Deviating from past behaviour ? ? ? ?
In the past, Singapore always liked to follow/copy the WEST ? ? ? ?
NOTED EMERGING TRENDS:
- Marina Bay is compared to SHANGHAI BUND ? ? ? ?
- Human Organ Sale legislation is a copy from PHILIPPINES ? ? ? ?
A to-do list for PUB
Leong Wee Keat
weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE
This is one of the key measures that will come in the wake of three floods that occurred within a month — including, in the words of Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio GRC), the “infamous Orchard Road flood”.
There will also be a review of all major drainage systems — in particular, “an urgent review” of the Stamford Canal — in the citystate’s main shopping belt.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim spelt out this to-do list for national water agency PUB yesterday.
But, even as he fielded questions from 11 MPs on the flooding issue in a 30-minute debate in Parliament, he also stressed it is not just the PUB’s job alone to be prepared.
PUB stands ready to work with any building and residential management and, where needed, the Land Transport Authority, to implement flood barriers and road humps or to raise road levels.
For instance, it is in contact with some Bukit Timah condominiums and will work with managing agents of affected premises along Orchard Road.
Businesses are also invited to participate in an SMS alert system, so they can be forewarned of high water levels detected by sensors in Stamford Canal.
And around the island, data from water level sensors — which will be increased from 32 to 90 by the end of this year — will be made available to the public on PUB’s website.
The message: Flood control measures should not be looked at “purely” from improvements to the drainage system.
Said Dr Yaacob: “The idea of protecting yourself, warning yourself early that flood may occur and what you can do, is an important part of the challenge.”
But lessons have been learnt on PUB’s part. Asked by Ms Lee about the Orchard Road flooding,
Dr Yaacob said: “We must be more prompt in the way we remove the debris, and we’ve installed the gates to catch debris upstream.”
Mdm Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC) asked if any action had been taken against private contractors in charge of maintenance and if existing fines were a sufficient deterrent.
To this, Dr Yaacob said PUB has not seen “any evidence to suggest that fines are inadequate or contractors cutting corners”.
Maintenance checks have been stepped up, though, which led Non- Constituency MP Sylvia Lim to ask if that meant “checks were not done frequently up to now”.
— The flash floods may come again, but before they hit, warnings should reach the public first once a public alert system is implemented.