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Former school sites could become retirement villages https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/former-school-sites-could-become-retirement-villages Govt studying suggestion by MP, who cited cost savings and ageing in place as benefits of ideaSchools which once echoed with the voices of children playing may one day be hubs of community living for the elderly in Singapore. A suggestion in Parliament this week by Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai to turn vacant school sites into retirement villages is being studied by the authorities. National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said of such projects in a written reply: "Their location within established housing estates will enable residents to age in residential surroundings. "Their relatively large site area can accommodate a significant number of housing units and common spaces, allowing residents to interact with one another and develop a sense of community. "However, there are also costs involved to rejuvenate the ageing vacant school properties and reconfigure them for housing purposes." Mr Murali told The Straits Times that cost savings are the main reason behind the idea, saying that when developers build retirement homes, the higher capital expenditure is passed on to seniors. "This option of ageing graciously in-situ with fellow seniors would be an attractive option," he added. MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling said the idea allows facilities and services to be located together, bringing convenience to the elderly and using resources effectively. But she added: "The design also has to consider: How do we ensure the elderly are not living in an isolated sub-community and are integrated into the wider community?" Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat, a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for National Development, said the proposal could help to maximise space, but added that there are other needs of residents and the dynamics of the area for constituencies to be considered too. Veteran real estate consultant and academic Steven Choo agreed that savings would be passed on to buyers if the means of sale or lease are arranged by the Government. "I am excited about this idea," said Dr Choo, who studied retirement housing solutions in Hong Kong and Japan as a developer. "Retrofitting of a school compound for residential use is very doable." He said he has not seen such a project in Singapore, and it would be great to have a successful demonstration project. Dr Choo's office in Kim Yam Road is located in commercial building The Herencia, which used to be Nan Chiau High School. He enjoys its high ceilings. Some residents were also receptive to having such retirement villages in their backyards. Retired accountant Agnes Mak, 67, who lives next to the empty Bishan Park Secondary School vacated earlier this year, said: "I wouldn't object to it because the elderly can mingle with residents in the neighbourhood, which is good." Financial planner Tan Wen Man, 28, who lives next to the empty Bedok North Secondary, also vacated earlier this year, said: "I won't mind because the elderly are not noisy and quite friendly. If it is a primary school, it will be noisier." According to a Straits Times report in February last year, due to falling enrolment and mergers, there were 11 schools vacated in 2016 and last year, with four more to be vacated this year. At least nine other former school sites managed by the Singapore Land Authority are vacant state properties. The Academy of Singapore Teachers, the Singapore Red Cross and the Enabling Village are located in former school compounds. The Government is looking for ways to house the elderly as the population ages. The first Housing Board "retirement kampung", Kampung Admiralty, which has healthcare and wellness facilities for seniors, was opened officially in May.

How easy to hunt down this joker? Should not be too difficult right? I think these packages are like ponzi scams....get cheaper haircut treatment when you buy expensive package. Women's money is most easy to earn.

Was keen of being a part-time driving/riding instructor. Gotten class 3 and 2 license. Anyone knows what are the steps, details, pay and job hazard in being one? Just curious, but not quitting my current job of coz. Any inputs appreciated.

AS above, with all the questions and 1 liner threads we are getting, has MCF really become the next google? All sorts of threads have been coming on board with NO REFERENCE SPECIFIC that GOOGLE cannot find. Have people beome too lazy or have they gotten used to being spoonfed? I see threads coming on board like: 1. Holidays 2. Directions 3. LIFE and DEATH issues that govt has all the answers and mind you EVEN when these THREADS are HERE, PEOPLE STILL NEVER SEARCH! That said, I REALLY appreciate the hundred other MCFers who DO SEARCH and do their diligence and I thank you for that! For the rest...nevermind.... Your comments please!

Anyone noticed today island wide like alot of men in black camp on bridge at major expressways? cte from sle towards city, 4 men stationed with tripod stand camera Just now along nicole highway, bridge before suntec city at beach road.. Also 3 mib on bridge.. Today they desperate for $$$$ issit

Singapore is racing to become the most expensive city in the world. Everything must be no 1, i think brain damage. We only have 4 million population (singaporean only) but why we have 500 billion in reserve. Every citizen work like mad, then skin u like a cat. iF population going to 6.9 million , i think as a singaporean we better migrate.

Not a question just for Grace Fu, but for you and me...... Kekeke 1. Stop digging my nose while waiting at red light 2. Ditto but scratching balls 3. Don't block or rush thru mrt train door ways, lift doors until alighting people get out first 4. Own self put back dirty trays after makan in food places 5. Don't complain 6. Don't every time red eyes when next person pay cash 7. Delete words like these from our mouth, keyboard --- COE, ERP, MIW, KFC, MBT..... 8. Always do opposite of NPNT 9. HELP sweep things under the carpet 10. These are more serious ones 10a Aim before we pee 10b Flush after we bomb 10c Keep leftover on side of our plate, not on food centre table 10d Avoid splashing water on road when driving pass pedestrians 10e Relak more when we drive, give n take. 10f Move off quickly, don't hog when traffic light turns green 10g 10h 10i

From Wanbao When the incident take place 3 yrs ago: Guy: 25 Step daughter: 14 Wife: 30 The girl even hinted to her young stepfather that she want sex and they piak piak 45 times at the storeroom when the rest of the family is sleeping between 31 July 2011 till May 2013. She eventually got pregnant and gave birth to a son. Current age: Guy: 28 Step daughter: 17 Wife:33 The whole family are still happily living together, no break up in family relationship. The guy now has 4 children, a son with his ex-wife, 2 daughters with his current wife, and a son with his step-daughter. http://news.omy.sg/News/Local-News/story20141107-304227 Really envy this guy....

http://online.wsj.com/articles/zf-trw-aim-to-provide-bundles-of-high-tech-parts-to-make-cars-smart-1411009052 http://online.wsj.com/articles/trw-agrees-to-11-7-billion-sale-1410790179 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-15/zf-to-buy-trw-in-11-7-billion-deal-to-create-no-2-in-car-parts.html This is the most talk about issue of 2014 in the automotive industry. The rivalry of these 2 automotive parts giant have come to a happy conclusion with ZF acquiring TRW to form the world's #2 automotive parts supplier trailing only behind Bosch. The acquisition would have been unexpected years ago will help to churn out more automotive parts with more competitive prices. For many who are not aware, ZF is the one who designed and produced the 8 speed transmissions for BMW and Landrovers. The 9 speed transmission for the L/R Evoque. The shock absorbers and clutches and transmission makers for Porsche PASM and PDK. Porsche and BMW merely buy their transmission and shock absorbers and suspension parts etc from ZF and rebrand it as their own. I wonder how this is going to affect us as consumers. hmm.. sounds promising.

Hosay liao............ciggy going to increase price in MY........smoking at R&R tio orh gong RM250-RM500.........worse than speeding...... http://transport.asiaone.com/news/general/story/all-malaysian-highway-rest-stops-become-smoke-free-zones IPOH - Smokers will have even fewer places to light up soon. All rest and recreation (R&R) stops along highways are to be designated as "no-smoking" zones by year-end, with the coverage expanding to a radius of 3m around the covered areas of the facility. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, who announced this yesterday, said it would mean that eateries and even toilets at R&Rs would be smoke-free. He added that the ministry had set a target to lower the number of smokers in the country by 16 per cent because the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2011 showed that 23.1 per cent or 4.7 million Malaysians were smokers. Vowing to expand "no-smoking" zones in the country, Dr Subramani­am said discussions had been held with the relevant agencies and all had agreed to gazetting R&Rs as "no-smoking" zones. "We want to implement this as soon as possible. "The smoke-free zones will cover a 3m radius within the area," he told reporters after launching the national-level "International No Tobacco Day" event at a hypermarket in Meru Raya here. Dr Subramaniam said that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) would also gazette its sheltered walkways spanning 23km in the city centre as smoke-free zones. "The authorities will also be stepping up enforcement and monitoring these areas to deter people from smoking. "I know that enforcement will be a challenge as it covers a large area but it will be done. "It is only through strict enforcement that we can drive our message across," he said, adding that offenders could be fined between RM250 and RM500. The minister warned that those who failed to pay their compounds could be brought to court and fined a maximum of RM10,000 or face up to two years in prison if found guilty. Dr Subramaniam said the ministry had also beefed up enforcement against sales and procurement of illegal cigarettes. He added that the ministry wanted a 70 per cent tax imposed on cigarettes to deter the young from picking up the habit. - See more at: http://transport.asiaone.com/news/general/story/all-malaysian-highway-rest-stops-become-smoke-free-zones#sthash.eGTvQhAS.dpuf

..a playground for the sammyboy migrants Sadly, the amount of filth here is no different from EDMW, and Sammyboy per se. As long as the mods keep quiet, it will definitely degrade further into another place of sex, lust, filth and what have you. Sigh....if only the MODS will wake up and do a good spring clean once and for all....else, too late

Extracted from another forum... Hi everyone, I’m a 20-year-old Atheist and former Muslim from Singapore. I’ll be withholding my real name to protect my identity. Like many other Muslims, I was raised while being taught Islamic values and attended Madrasah/Sunday school until I was 16. I didn’t wear a hijab/tudung or pray daily but I claimed I was proud to be a Muslim. I defended Islam online whenever it was under attack and ignored all the supposed evils of Islam brought up by people I debated. I looked down on people who left Islam and judged them for it. Now that I think about it, I was blinded by my love for the religion and I did not realise it. I first started questioning Islam and religion not long after I stopped attending Madrasah. I did not want to be a Muslim simply because Mummy told me so and because it just so happened I was born into Islam. I was at the age where most teens think about their place in life. I thought about my purpose. I read books on Philosophy which had chapters on God and the logical impossibility of his existence. The road to my apostasy was a slow process. I was a self-professed Agnostic for several years. I questioned Islam and religion in general, but I never outright denied the existence of the Muslim God. Looking back, I now see that I was too afraid to leave the religion. I believed in God just in case, as in Pascal’s wager. I didn’t realise back then that I had a 1 in 3000 chance of believing in the right God. After all, who’s to say Zeus doesn’t exist? Or Yahweh? How can Muslims know for sure that Allah is the one true God? murtad2 I had an irrational fear that something horrible would happen to me once I apostatised. I blame Islam for this – from a very young age, Muslims are ingrained with the fear of Hell, the fear of a vengeful God and the idea that apostasy is unthinkable (God forbid!). That’s Islam for you, using fear as a tool to ensure submission. I eventually realised the concept of God is logically flawed. I read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, whom I now look up to. I questioned further when I read the following Epicurus quote: “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” I also love using this argument as believers cannot answer it: If God is as great and merciful, then why does he condemn thinking men and women who question his existence to Hell for eternity (according to the Bible, Quran and Torah, etc)? Why are they condemned just for not bowing down to him, even those who were morally upright in their lifetimes? Is he that petty and narcissistic? 6d545-budak-melayu-murtad The way I see it, if a God really does exist and if he’s everything people claim him to be, I have nothing to worry about. He would recognise that I am not a bad person despite the many mistakes I have committed. Today, I consider myself an Atheist and a Humanist. For those who are unaware, I quote: “Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.” I also started to have issues with Islam. One of the things I don’t like about Islam is its treatment of women. Justify it all you want (just as I did back when I believed) but it degrades women. For example, I don’t agree with women having to cover themselves up and take the blame for inciting lust in men. When I was 19, I finally declared my Atheism and apostasy. I’m happier now that I no longer have a fear of God and Hell and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I don’t live to please God anymore. Basically, to me that’s all there is to it – we live then we die, so we might as well make the most of it. As of today, I strive to be a good person. You don’t have to believe in God to be morally upright. I knew I no longer had a reason to be afraid. Unfortunately, I remain in the closet. It’s especially difficult being an ex-Muslim Atheist. I doubt my family would be very happy to hear the news when I tell them in the future. To those of you who believe, do take a moment to question all you have been told. Do not have blind faith. I wish you all the best. Source: http://bit.ly/1fBtpFe

Sorry for my language in this post but I'm exasperated ... I went for a run with a buddy, carrying only my iphone and my housekeys. my buddy had nothing. halfway through the run, a stranger comes up to us - his nose is broken, his tshirt is full of blood. he asks for help as he has no money but needs to get to a hospital. he is still bleeding around his face. we are near a bus stop ... my buddy flags down a cab and it goes something like this: me: "uncle, this guy is injured badly ... his whole face is bleeding and he need help .. please take him to hospital" taxi: "no way ... he will bleed all over my taxi" me: "uncle ... im out for a jog, if i have $, i will give you right now. take my mobile no and "test". you come collect the money from me later. to and fro also can. just take him" taxi: "no way... he will dirty my cab. why should i?" me: "uncle how can you like that. i will pay for the cleaning ok? just take him" stranger: "FORGET IT LAH this guy wont help me..." (a bus comes along and the stranger, full of blood on his tshirt, just hops on. bus driver and passengers are shocked.) me to bus uncle: "uncle .. i call for ambulance ... can you wait?" bus driver doesnt understand ... shrugs ... closes the door and drives off. the passengers are looking at me, im looking at them, and i've called the ambulance. ambulance hotline says as he got on the bus ... nothing the emergency service can do ... i even gave them the bus license plate no ... but they cant do anything liao ... i really wish i took down the cab driver's license plate. this stranger had a broken nose and was still bleeding and he is somewhere out there on bus 14 to orchard road ... seriously ... there were other people nearby but they didnt even bother to help, or try to assist us since neither of us had cash handy argH!!! this is just f--king b-------t ...

Mr Pannirselvam Muthusamy has had hot noodles thrown in his face and he has been punched in the ribs. He gets sworn at almost every day. This is the life of the enforcement officer for parking and traffic offences, because his job is to issue summonses to motorists who flout parking and other traffic rules. Though only six months in the job, Mr Pannirselvam is already involved in three ongoing police cases of abuse by motorists. His plight is shared by many others doing the same job. Certis Cisco, Mr Pannirselvam's employer, told The Sunday Times that the number of cases where members of the public have abused traffic wardens physically or verbally has been creeping up. This is aside from almost routine encounters, when motorists get angry when issued a summons. Traffic wardens said that some drivers would crush the summons, or turn on their vehicles' windscreen wipers to get rid of it, or hurl it back at the officers. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...e-rise-20120923 ---------------------------------------------------- MYTHS ABOUT TRAFFIC WARDENS... AND SUMMONSES 1.Traffic wardens receive a commission for summonses issued Certis Cisco said this is not true. Traffic wardens are not required to meet a quota and are not paid according to the number of summonses they issue while on duty. 2.They can void summonses after they have been issued The traffic or parking offence is recorded once the offence and vehicle details are keyed into the electronic hand-held device. That is why traffic wardens are unable to void the summons. 3.You can escape summonses if you throw away the notice or refuse to accept it The Sunday Times was told by traffic wardens that some drivers would crush the summonses, try to use their vehicles' windscreen wipers to get rid of them or hurl it back at the traffic wardens. But that does not mean the motorist will not be taken to task for the offence. An official letter detailing the offence and penalty will still be mailed to the vehicle owner.

From ST Forum: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/...ory_801783.html VETERAN CUSTOMER'S REACTION TO CEO'S SPEECH SIA has become complacent Published on May 23, 2012 AS A longstanding customer and top-tier frequent flier member of Singapore Airlines' loyalty programme, I think SIA's problems stem from its senior management's disconnect with its customers' needs ('SIA still great but can be better, says CEO'; last Friday). Because SIA was voted the world's best airline for many years, its senior managers have become complacent. In reducing costs (and therefore service levels) to improve margins, SIA was caught off guard by other carriers which improved their service. Some areas where there has been a clear deterioration in SIA's standards:

Most of the time, investors focus on how to

http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/artic...umentid=5938017 Teo Chee Hean nothing much to say...

Was there for the final day of the airshow. While queing up to enter the premises, it was a snaking queue with barriers forming up the queue line the queue is not short, probably 20-30mins due to security screening behind me is a pinoy family follow by this order 1.me 2.pinoy family 3. 3 indians nationals 4. caucasian family 5. PRC couple as the queue started moving forward, the pinoy family start to inch closer to me, it even came to the extend the wife came into body contact with mine, i have the thought to go all the way to squeeze in but then i realise after all the hassle i am probably just 20sec later, i feel as a self-respecting human for myself and for a another deserving human being i just let it pass. so this pinoy family manage to squeeze infront of me, husband cut through the left, wife cut through the right with 2 kids in tow. 10mins later, the 3 indians national start to pull the same stunt, as usual 1 of them pretend to stand beside you and another cut through on the other side, the squeezing game then become a reality as i realise enough is enough. 10mins into the game, my sinus acted on me, i started sneezing non-stop due to some reasons... ok, so its the caucasian family behind me now, the PRC couple then tried the same stunt on the ang moh and was inching close to me, i was already boiling but i guess ang mohs being ang mohs told them off loudly. the PRC couple backed off so we went in, sun came up and the temperature started to swell. was queing up for ice cream, as usual most of the good old sgporeans started queuing, next came another group of indian nationals again and pretended to "queue" beside the main queue and started to push their way in, one of them step on my toe ( i was wearing flops) instead of backing off, he continue to step in his bid to squeeze in, my blood pressure hit the roof, raise my leg and kick his and body push him away, he was taken aback n was quite pissed off, guess he saw my face was becoming ghost rider and he backed off, in his last bid, he ignore the main queue and cheong all the way to the front, it then became an amusing sight when he keep trying to catch the attention of the ice cream man but the ice cream seller jus totally ignored him. at one juncture he raised his voice to say wad he want but the ice cream jus point to the queue coolly, in the end the whole group gave up and went off. i dont usually rant about such things and some of you might think this is another bo liao thread. it jus shudders me suddenly that i knoow i am gonna share my country with this kind of pple, it dosent jus reflect the a uneventful morning at the airshow but the magnitude of the problem that the society is becoming. years of progress our grandparents and parent built and of course the education that we receive in school, i believe you guys still remember the courtesy campaign, the courtesy bear, "hao gong ming" and racial harmony celebrations when we are still in schools. i guess all these jus went down the drain. i hope someone better wake up their idea soon n c what kinda trash are they importing

why join pap in the 1st place?....

being cash rich for 1st time wars e feeling like? say 100-200k cash,wats feeling like, worth e trouble?

Ever wonder why when someone posted something in a thread...it will somehow become political? Maybe it's because we read too much Yahoo! news that we cannot map the relation to the topics we posted But on a serious note, anyone noticed that Yahoo! news tend to be abit extreme at the other side of the coin? I find the Yahoo! news crew trend to be may a bit on anti-asian undertones...They're news usually put asian countries (including Singapore at time) in bad light.

8,800 PRs served NS over the last five years http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews...122-312037.html THis piece of news is damn misleading and very clever in hiding the number. SINGAPORE - A total of 8,800 males who had become permanent residents (PRs) under the sponsorship of their parents were enlisted and served their National Service (NS) over the last five years. About 6,100 have taken up citizenship. During the same period, about 4,200 males who had become PRs through their parents' sponsorship renounced their PR status prior to serving their NS. These figures were provided by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, in response to a question posed by Nee Soon GRC MP, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, in Parliament today. In a written reply, Dr Ng said that the failure to serve NS will be taken into account when these former PRs apply to study or work in Singapore, and they had been warned about the consequences at the point of renunciation. The total male PR population is: 13000 eligible for NS But of which that became citizen is: 6100 meaning..............................Less than 1 out of 2 male PR is willing to become a citizen!

Jakarta foils terrorist plot against Singapore Embassy A terror cell was targeting Singaporeans leaving the embassy in Jakarta. The terror suspects also had their sights on Singapore. Sun, Nov 13, 2011 AsiaOne, AFP Three men have been arrested for being part of a terror cell which planned an attack on the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta. National police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said the arrests took place in Tangerang city on the outskirts of Jakarta. One of the suspects was shot in the leg by anti-terror police as he attempted to escape. "An investigation is still ongoing and we cannot reveal for the time being their involvement in terror," he said, adding that during the morning raid police seized two firearms and more than a dozen bullets. An unnamed anti-terror police officer told AFP the three were linked to 11 terror suspects arrested in July, including ringleader Abu Umar who planned the embassy attack. They also said that ringleader Abu Umar alias Zulfikar, 41, was targeting Singaporeans leaving the embassy in Jakarta. Abu Umar and 10 of his followers were arrested in various parts of Java in July. The terror cell had also intended to attack several police stations. Umar had close links with Ahmad Sayid Maulana, killed in a police raid last year at his house, where police found a map of Singapore's train network. The underground train station on Orchard Road shopping belt had been circled on the map. A map of an airport in the city of General Santos in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao was also among the items found in the house. Following the July arrest, national anti-terror deputy chief Petrus Golose said Abu Umar led the group planning the attack, but there was no mention of when they intended to carry it out. The group was also believed to be involved in smuggling weapons into Indonesia from the Philippines through Malaysia. Indonesia has been rocked by a series of attacks staged by the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah in recent years, including the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people. Brigadier-General Petrus Golose, a deputy at the National Anti-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), told The Straits Times that more members of Abu Umar's cell may still be at large. He said: "We are developing the case. Interrogations will reveal whether there are more of them from that cell and how many."

lots of singaporeans can be a lot richer than they are now. not because they dun earn a lot, but because they spend too much. nowadays young couples with a combined salary of 8k is not unusual. if they can stay in HDB and service their loans with CPF, live a simple life, take public transport, saving half their salary is quite possible. save 4kpm means 50kpa. in 20years, will become millionaires. (but then money will become smaller due to inflation) >>>but salary will likely rise with age and seniority, and with proper investment of money, they may well become millionaires in perhaps 10years instead of 20years. so my humble opinion is that, it is truly possible, if one plan his finances well ahead. any opinions???

Arnd 3:30