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41-60 of 133
Sep 11, 2010
Offer 'same doc' option to all
I APPLAUD the polyclinics for introducing the Family Physician (FP) scheme.
Under the scheme, a patient pays between two and 2.5 times more than general queue patients to enjoy the following benefits:
- Being treated by a senior doctor
- Being treated by the same doctor by appointment only
- Longer consultation time
- Nurse consultation before seeing the doctor
- Access to a physiotherapist or dietitian when the need arises
- Subsidised rates for medication and lab test
- Shorter waiting time
Doctors also benefit from the scheme. They have less stress due to the longer consultation time allotted. They have an increased sense of responsibility and better patient-doctor rapport. They also project a more positive professional image to patients.
I would like to appeal to polyclinics to look into the possibility of extending the idea of "consultation by the same doctor" for general queue patients as well.
Follow-up consultation by the same doctor would be by appointment only. This way, both patients and doctors will benefit.
Tan Teck Kwong
Sep 11, 2010
Will telcos neglect exIstIng customers on older networks?
I REFER to the report ('Faster, cheaper high-end broadband'; Sept 1) regarding Singapore's next-generation broadband network.
With the arrival of the new network, using fibre-optic technology, will customers who are still on older networks be neglected in view of the telcos' desire to focus on customers signing up for the high-tech network?
The two biggest Internet service providers - SingTel and StarHub - are channelling resources into marketing and supporting the fibre-optic network and they could very well end up neglecting customers who are still on the older networks based on ADSL and cable technology.
A case in point is my ongoing broadband connection problems with SingTel, which is one of the joint venture partners building the new network, OpenNet. I am currently on an older ADSL contract and my home will not be wired up for the fibre-optic network until late next year. Despite having had the connection issue for more than two weeks, SingTel has yet to fix my problems.
Could this be a sign that service providers like SingTel are treating customers on older networks as less important than those who sign up for the fibre-optic network?
Chan Kah Fatt
FAIR dIstance-based + travel tIme-based gamIng LEVIES
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 prIvIleged]
nOte: Private TranspOrt prIces mUst be 1.5 tImes Of pUblIc transpOrt prIces
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.”
SINGAPORE
But in a bouyant economy, the foreign workers could also be getting more options now, including jobs in frontline services.
Singaporeans have raised their expectations and are holding out for plum positions in view of the strong economic growth this year, some recruiters told MediaCorp.
SpringField Consulting senior recruitment manager Esther Ho told MediaCorp: “Singaporeans believe we’re doing very well, and it’s an employees’ market. So they’r willing to wait.”
The firm has many positions available but locals are not inclined to take up entry-level jobs, she said.
This includes frontline positions such as receptionists or customer service officers. The firm sees many foreigners applying instead.
However, she pointed out, foreigners may not get the job as many companies “are not willing to consider hiring them due to quota and employment pass issues”.
Last month, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said during his National Day Rally speech that 80,000 foreign workers would enter Singapore’s workforce this year, a downward revision of the 100,000 he estimated in July.
Most recruiters who spoke to MediaCorp said that foreign workers will continue to work predominantly in the manufacturing and construction industry, where the quotas are more relaxed.
1S staffing services manger Frankie Ng noted there are more construction projects now, while Manpower Staffing Services Singapore country manager Peter Haglund said the hospitality, service and construction industries continue to face a shortage of Singaporean workers.
There is also demand for skilled foreign talent in the IT, telecommunications and logistics industries, said Adecco Southeast Asia’s regional director Lynne Ng.
Said Mr Haglund: “Generally, the gaps or positions that are needed to be filled by foreign workers are jobs that require manual labour such as in the services and construction industries.”
Still, Mr Ng wonderd if the 80,000 expected inflow had accounted for foreign workers leaving Singapore.
“When the IR projects are completed you’ll have a very big group of workers stranded,” he said. “So many will be sent back unless they can find alternatives in Singapore.”
When asked where the 80,000 workers were needed, a Ministry of Manpower spokesperson said it “takes into consideration the global and regional economic outlook, as well as Singapore’s 2010 economic growth projection and labour market conditions, to give a broad estimate of the possible growth of the foreign workforce this year”.
— The 80,000 foreign workers expected to enter Singapore’s workforce this year will continue to take on jobs locals shun, such as in construction and shipping, according to employment agencies.Alicia WongRaise levy, nOt stOp FREE buses
Why deprive non-gambling patrons? Letter from Quek Soo Beng ONE of the Government’s rationales for granting licences to the two gaming operators was that they would build integrated resorts where the majority of amenities and services would be non-gaming in nature.
For example, Resorts World Sentosa has the Universal Studios theme park, numerous shops and food outlets.
Aren’t the IRs multiple-service destinations?
So why the hang-up about Singaporeans enjoying the free shuttle bus services?
It was reported that the majority of bus passengers surveyed were heading not to the casinos but the other amenities within, and even without, the IRs.
The shuttle bus is an excellent customer service.
It seems illogical to contend that the prospect of saving a couple of dollars in bus fare would induce a significant number of people to patronise the casinos considering that a hefty $100 entry fee is still payable. If more gamblers do use the bus service, the pertinent question then is whether the entry levy is high enough.
Gamblers intent on getting to the casino will do so, free shuttle bus or not.
Why then deprive the non-gambling majority of the transport privileges just because some think it is politically correct to “appease” public opinion?
But who exactly is the prohibition of shuttle bus services appeasing?
Surely not the IR customers or people enjoying the free rides to and from the city.
The authorities should not interfere with FREE enterprise efforts to enhance customer service. It is good news if more shopping malls, cinemas, clubs and restaurants start to provide similar complimentary services.
This wOn’t stOp gamblers Letter from Raymund Koh Joo Guan I REFER to “RWS withdraws heartland shuttle buses” (Sept 10). There are those who claim the free shuttle service will lure gamblers to the gaming tables. How naive.
The fact that Singaporeans are already paying $100 for a return trip to Genting Highlands is an example of how far gamblers will go.
Do the authorities think that gamblers will not go to the casinos without the shuttle service?
If I were one, I would just take a taxi there. There would be no need to wait for the bus or to look for parking space.
The free shuttle not only brings business to the integrated resorts, it also caters to poorer families [SMRT bus fare UNaffOrdable] and reduces congestion at the Sentosa Gateway.
Aussie churches ban Sinatra’s My Way — Sports anthems and popular songs such as Frank Sinatra’s My Way have been banned from funerals at more than 200 Australian churches after new orders from Melbourne’s archbishop.
MELBOURNE
The edict follows a study that found the signature song for Australian Rules Football team Collingwood was one of the top requests at Melbourne funerals, along with My Way and the Bette Midler version of
The Wind Beneath My Wings .
Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart said sports songs were not appropriate for a service which emphasises the solemn nature of death and is not designed as a celebration of the deceased’s life.
“Secular items are never to be sung or played at a Catholic funeral, such as romantic ballads, pop or rock music, political songs, football club songs,” Archbishop Hart wrote in the new guidelines.
“At the funerals of children ... nursery rhymes and sentimental secular songs are inappropriate because these may intensify grief.”
The move in Melbourne has received a mixed reaction, a spokesman for the church said.
One parish priest, Father Bob Maguire from South Melbourne, said the move would make it harder to balance the needs of mourners with those of the church.
He told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper he preferred to see funerals as “family affairs attended by clergy, not a clergymen’s affair attended by family”. AFP
SYDNEY
Country lawmaker Rob Oakeshott, one of the three independents dubbed “kingmakers” after polls gave neither Ms Gillard or the opposition enough seats to govern, said he had turned down an offer to become Regional Affairs Minister.
Mr Oakeshott said his decision to back Ms Gillard had angered some parliamentary colleagues and he knew this would make it difficult to deliver the US$9 billion ($12 billion) package for rural Australia the independents had negotiated with her.
— An independent Australian politician whose support was crucial to keeping Prime Minister Julia Gillard in power on Friday knocked back an offer to become a minister in her minority government.AFPStalker Ads Unsettle Online Shoppers
By MIGUEL HELFT and TANZINA VEGA
Julie Matlin liked the shoes she saw on Zappos.com. She wasn’t ready to buy them, but the shoes started to follow her.
“For days or weeks, every site I went to seemed to be showing me ads for those shoes,” said Ms. Matlin, a mother of two from Montreal. “It is a pretty clever marketing tool. But it’s a little creepy, especially if you don’t know what’s going on.”
Online shoppers have grown accustomed to being tracked by digital advertisements for products that interest them.
While the technique, called personalized retargeting, is not new, it is more pervasive with companies like Google and Microsoft having entered the field. And it has reached a precision that is leaving consumers with the feeling they are being watched as they roam online stores.
In the digital advertising business, this form of marketing is hailed as a breakthrough, showing consumers the right ad at the right time. “The overwhelming response has been positive,” said Aaron Magness, senior director for brand marketing at Zappos, a unit of Amazon.com.
But with more consumers queasy about intrusions into their privacy, the technique is bringing threats of industry regulation.
“Retargeting has helped turn on a light bulb for consumers,” said Jeff Chester, a privacy advocate and executive director of the Washington-based Center for Digital Democracy.
“It illustrates that there is a commercial surveillance system in place online that is sweeping in scope, and raises privacy and civil liberties issues.”
But retargeting relies on a form of online tracking that has been around for years and is not particularly intrusive. Programs use small text files called cookies that are exchanged when a Web browser visits a site. Cookies are used by virtually all commercial Web sites for various purposes, including advertising, keeping users signed in and customizing content.
In remarketing, when a person visits an e-commerce site and looks at a product, a cookie is placed into that person’s browser, linking it with the product. When that person, or someone using the same computer, visits another site, the advertising system creates an ad for that same product.
Mr. Magness, of Zappos, said that consumers may be unnerved because they may feel that they are being tracked as they browse the Web. To reassure consumers, Zappos, which is using the ads, displays a message inside the banner ads that reads “Why am I seeing these ads?”
When users click on it, they are taken to the Web site of Criteo, the advertising technology company behind the Zappos ads, where the ads are explained.
But some advertising and media experts said that explaining the technology behind the ads might not allay the fears of many consumers who worry about being tracked or who simply fear that someone they share a computer with will see what items they have browsed.
“When you begin to give people a sense of how this is happening, they really don’t like it,” said Joseph Turow, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, who has conducted consumer surveys about online advertising.
While start-ups like Criteo and TellApart are among the most active remarketers, the technique has also been embraced by online advertising giants. Google began testing this technique in 2009, calling it remarketing to connote the idea of customized messages like special offers or discounts being sent to users.
For Google, remarketing is a more specific form of behavioral targeting, the practice under which a person who has visited NBA.com, for instance, may be tagged as a basketball fan and later shown ads for related merchandise.
Behavioral targeting has been debated in Washington, and lawmakers are considering various proposals to regulate it.
When Advertising Age, the advertising industry publication, tackled the subject of remarketing recently, Michael Learmonth described being stalked by a pair of pants he had considered buying on Zappos.
“As tracking gets more and more crass and obvious, consumers will rightfully become more concerned about it,” he wrote. “If the industry is truly worried about a federally mandated ‘do not track’ list akin to ‘do not call’ for the Internet, they’re not really showing it.”
Even some advertising executives have reservations about highly personalized remarketing.
“I don’t think that exposing all this detailed information you have about the customer is necessary,” said Alan Pearlstein, chief executive of Cross Pixel Media, a digital marketing agency.
He supports more subtle ads that, for instance, could offer consumers a discount coupon if they return to an online store.
“What is the benefit of freaking customers out?”
Bad as it was to be stalked by shoes, Ms. Matlin said that she felt even worse when she was hounded recently by ads for a dieting service she had used online.
“They are still following me around, and it makes me feel fat,” she said.
Companies push ads that some shoppers find creepy.
Sustainable transport options
howard shaw
As our community grows, and our personal needs grow in a society that is still dominated by material goods and getting more out of every hour of every day, we are learning even more about our effects on the environment, and it is disturbing to all of us.
The writer is the executive director of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC).
The Singapore G1 green event is supported by
Members of the public can head down to the Float @ Marina Bay on Sept 19, between 2pm and 8pm to watch Asia’s first Soap Box Derby.
For more information, please visit www. singaporeg1.sg or call SEC on 6337 6062.
When thinking about alternative modes of transportation, various options need to be taken into consideration.
Do we really need a personal car?
In a small island state like Singapore, the answer is no.
Yet most people who own a car would claim that their main motive is for convenience.
This raises a different question:
What can be done to improve convenience and encourage the population to rely more on public and alternative modes of transportation?
There are several improvements which could be made in Singapore to have people adopt more sustainable modes of transportation.
First of all, the public transport system is fast reaching saturation point. As the population increases, the public transport network must keep up at the same rate.
A lot of effort can be put into improving the network by expanding the number of routes and increasing the frequency of buses and MRT trains. Many people own a car for the simple reason that the area they live in or want to access is not serviced or easily accessible by public transport.
The bicycle and pedestrian tracks remain undeveloped in Singapore. It remains difficult to go from point A to B without having to ride along the busy roads. A lot of effort could therefore be invested into developing a proper network of safe tracks for bicycles and pedestrians.
The cost of buying a hybrid vehicle remains much higher than that of a normal car. In order to have people purchase this type of vehicle which have lesser emissions, the government would need to provide a range of incentives.
Electric vehicles have recently been introduced to Singapore, and they have the advantage of having zero emissions during their usage. However, we must keep in mind that almost all of the energy in Singapore is derived from the burning of fossil fuel from natural gas. Therefore, in order for such cars to have a positive impact on reducing emissions, the energy grid powering these cars would need to be from a sustainable source (for example, solar or wind).
From the angle of transport for our daily activities, we could look at the necessity of most people needing to move twice a day in order to get to and from work. As society is changing, so should our daily behaviours. An increasing number of companies in Europe and North America adopt a work from home concept. Employees are no longer required to physically be at the office for work but are assessed on work output and deliverables which can all be done from home. Such a model applied on a large scale can have very significant impacts on reducing unnecessary transportation.
The end message is this:
In order to make significant changes in mitigating emissions from the transportation sector, we would need to rethink our daily behaviour and activities.
Last but not least, a lot of effort can be done to raise awareness on the need to shift to sustainable modes of transportation and highlight the issue of global warming.
The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) believes in education and outreach to the public on such issues and is organising the Singapore G1 for this reason. The Singapore G1 is an event featuring races like the Soap Box Derby, Eco Car Race, Buggy Race, Trishaw Race and other activities like walking and cycling.
SEC aims to raise awareness and encourage the development and use of green technologies in transportation, and more cost-effective modes of transportation like public transport. At the same time, Singapore G1 promotes simple lifestyle changes like walking and cycling.
We need commitment for long run
From Singapore society’s point of view, I
think it is only fair that PRs, after a certain
period of time, should become Singapore
citizens or lose their PR status.
For a PR to spend 20 to 30 years earning
money in Singapore, and then go back
to their hometown to retire (and spend
the money earned in Singapore), it does
no justice to Singapore’s economy in the
future.
For every 1 million PRs that retire elsewhere, assuming their savings range between $10,000 and $100,000 per person, we are looking at a potential opportunity cost of at least $10 billion to $100 billion that could have helped stimulate the domestic economy.
Singapore can only count on committed citizens to face the future. PRs who don’t want to commit to Singapore, in my opinion, are no loss anyway in the long run.
Current benefits PRs enjoy should only go to those prepared to be committed to Singapore’s economic future (it’s called bang for the buck).
Posted on Todayonline .com
Not the bIg stIck again
Letter from Soh Gim Chuan
I REFER to the report “A good idea, or maybe not...” (Sept 8). Forcing a person to take up citizenship under threat of withdrawalvery bad idea. of permanent residency is a
It reinforces the perception that the Government tries to solve problems with a big stick.
Taking up citizenship involves more than just economic cost-benefit analysis.
Would, say, a Georgian sever ties with his country and take up Singapore citizenship when he cannot find a Georgian community here?
Difficult ties that bind
Loyal to Singapore, but will never be Singaporean
Letter from Peter Wadeley
I WAS very surprised to hear that some permanent residents may be asked in the future to become citizens or else their PR status may not be renewed.
I live in Singapore because I have a Singaporean wife and two Singaporean children.
But for my wife, I would never have come to Singapore.
We are not a burden to society, and my wife and I have produced two intelligent children.
Our children are encouraged to have as much understanding of the Chinese language and culture as of the English language and Western culture. I am already preparing my son to do National Service (which is many years away).
Singapore is my home and I feel loyalty to Singapore.
But I am not Singaporean and never will be.
Although I feel more immediate connection to Singapore than the country of my birth and citizenship, I simply do not feel Singaporean.
Nothing will ever change that.
I sincerely hope that such a policy is not implemented.
"Asian Values" and Democracy in Asia
Dr. MO views Democracy as One and the Same fOr ALL.
tO hIm, there is no such thIng as
- American Demo-cracy ?
- Asian Demo-cracy ?
- African Demo-cracy ?
Democracy Is Democracy
whether in America, Asia Or Africa.
He illustrated vIvIdly with Mercedes Benz.
The German likes Merc
The American likes Merc
The Asian likes Merc
The African likes Merc
It is the SAME Mercedes Benz
There is no such thIng as:
- German Merc ?
- American Merc ?
- Asian Merc ?
- African Merc ?
Dr Mo emphasised that:
DEMO-CRACY Is
EQUAL RIGHT fOr
Every HUMAN BEING.
nO One Is mOre EQUAL Or less EQUAL regardless Of every thIng.
wInners and lOsers are ALL EQUAL
pharoah88 ( Date: 09-Sep-2010 15:09) Posted:
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pharoah88 ( Date: 09-Sep-2010 15:09) Posted:
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Gordon Pitts
From Monday's Globe and Mail Published on Monday, May. 10, 2010 1:00AM EDT Last updated on Monday, May. 10, 2010 6:16AM EDT
Ask Mo Ibrahim how he rose to become the billionaire superstar of African business, and he will talk about luck.
Born in strife-riven Sudan, he insists he was lucky to get an education, and to be an expert in mobile communication just as the cellphone revolution was about to sweep the world. And lucky to sell his African mobile phone company, Celtel International, in 2005 to a Kuwaiti firm for $3.4-billion (U.S.), making him one of the great success stories of today’s Africa.
For Mr. Ibrahim, 64, moving a continent from episodic luck to permanent opportunity is the role of governments, whose performance on behalf of citizens is wildly mixed in Africa. He has made the pursuit of good governance the mission of his London-based Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and the driving purpose of his post-business life.
By governance, he means government’s ability to deliver a basket of public goods to its people, things like education, health services, rule of law and gender rights. Some countries, like Mauritius, do it quite well; others like Somalia and Zimbabwe are appallingly bad.
Mr. Ibrahim’s four-year-old foundation (The Mo Ibrahim foundation) posts a score card of all 53 countries in Africa (called the Ibrahim Index), from top to bottom. But his greater purpose is to spark a conversation. “We are trying to have a debate about what exactly our governments are doing,” Mr. Ibrahim says.
Are you a role model for young Africans?
Many African people are smarter than me – kids who could have been better. I have no claim for genius.
You have to work hard and make the right decisions, but if you don’t have the opportunity, you don’t make it. So I owe something to my friends, family, my people. If I can go back and help, I must do that. That is a duty.
With celebrity-like support from the likes of Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Amartya Sen, Luis Michel (EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Development), Jeremy Hobbs (CEO, Oxfam), as well as political backing from Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Paul Wolfowitz and Alpha Oumar Konare (Chairperson, African Union), the Mo Ibrahim Foundation launched last Thursday in London a prize for Africa’s most effective head of state:
The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership recognises former executive Heads of State or Government in sub-Saharan Africa who have dedicated their constitutional tenure of office to surmounting the development challenges of their country, improving the welfare of their people and consolidating the foundations for sustainable development.
The prize will consist of US$5 million dollars over 10 years and US$200,000 annually for life thereafter. There will be a further $200,000 a year made available for good causes espoused by the leader. The selection criteria will be objective and measurable, covering the following areas of governance:
- Sustainable economic development;
- Human development: health and education;
- Transparency and empowerment of civil society;
- Democracy and human rights;
- Rule of law and security.
While many believe this will offer a real incentive to governance improvements in the continent, others, such as Patrick Smith, of specialist publication Africa Confidential, beg to differ:
“The people who know what to do and have done well are already doing it. And the people who are doing badly and are killing their own people or stealing state resources are going to carry on doing that.”
A colossal waste of money or a key turning point in African governance? You tell me…
Mo Ibrahim's search for good governance
Dr. Mo Ibrahim, founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation ImageForum
The African billionaire has made improving the countries’ leadership his foundation’s mission
dIrectOr must be capable Of dIrectIng
presIdent must be capable Of presIdIng
chaIrpersOn must be capable Of chaIrIng
mInIster must be capable Of mInIterIng
lawyer must be capable Of lawyerIng
accountant must be capable Of accOUntIng
dOctOr must be capable Of dOctOrIng
teacher must be capable Of teachIng
wOrker must be capable Of wOrkIng
husband must be capable Of husbanding
wIfe must be capable Of wIvIng
pharoah88 ( Date: 09-Sep-2010 14:40) Posted:
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