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I saw this. Wonder anyone does this here? The new Vezel 2016 model has a similar camera mounted on the side view mirror.

Yahoo News 18 Chinese nationals jailed over fake degrees For their involvement in a fake degree scam, at least 18 foreign workers from China were sentenced earlier this week to jail in Singapore for four weeks each. The workers had been found by a local court to have provided forged certificates to obtain work passes to work for T Y Enterprise and Sun Blues Cleaning Maintenance. A spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that while another 10 workers from China will be charged with similar offences on Thursday, another nine are being repatriated after being served with warning letters

By Susan Long, Enterprise Editor THE upcoming General Election is possibly one of the most consequential in Singapore's history. Not only because Singaporeans will choose their fourth generation of leaders - as People's Action Party ministers have framed the event - but because it may usher in a transition to greater political contestation and pluralism. But cynics see PAP's allowing more competition as a tactical calculation, even a necessary concession, because some parts of the ground - especially the online community - are turning out to be quite sour. A scroll through local online socio-political blogs these days throws up not just the perennial grouses over rising costs, foreign worker policies and congestion, but a disconcertingly malevolent streak that has caught many political watchers off-guard. Sure, in past elections, the issue of high ministerial salaries has predictably surfaced. But most people bought - at least to some extent - the ruling party's justification that high ministerial pay was the price for good government. But increasingly, a phenomenon has been observed here called 'Six degrees of ministerial pay' - whereby all political arguments made in Singapore invariably originate from or lead back to the issue of public sector pay. A quick scan of blogs or netizens' remarks on any given day will reveal this peculiar trait. Be it good news such as Singapore achieving another world first or business-friendly accolade, or say, the floods on Orchard Road, the escape of Mas Selamat, or the candidateship of Tin Pei Ling, all and sundry issues today seem to be viewed through the monochromatic lens of pay. When Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Boon Heng cited the parable of Jesus and the lepers as an example of how little appreciation MPs receive from constituents, the immediate retort on Mr Brown.com was: 'Mr Lim, you got salary + pay rise, Jesus where got?' Similarly, when Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong contrasted Singaporeans' complaints of sporadic floods here with the stoical Japanese response to last month's earthquake and tsunami, local blogs chimed in that PAP ministers, being more highly paid than Japanese ministers, should be subject to higher levels of performance standards. Every perceived misstep - whether real or imagined - by the government has been subject to a similar critical refrain: That well-paid ministers should have anticipated and pre-empted the mistakes well in advance. It's not clear how widespread this cynicism is and whether what we're reading online is the work of just a small group of highly vexatious and critical people. To be sure, there are some who are willing to take them on, including one reader of The Straits Times whose letter was published last week. He had argued that what was important was not how much ministers were paid but what it cost taxpayers to run the government, and on this score, he concluded that Singaporeans had a very good deal, compared to many developed countries. But for many value-conscious tax-payers, high pay is commensurable with high expectations. This entrenched mindset is further reinforced by the ruling party itself. Over the past few days, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has advanced the analogy used by opposition MP Low Thia Khiang on how voting in the opposition is a form of 'insurance' against potential failure of the PAP, adding that Singaporeans may end up paying a 'high premium' but find that when they try to 'cash in' the policy, the opposition 'can't deliver'. It is regrettable because this dollar-sign focus has become the primary lens through which many Singaporeans view office holders. Political watchers fear this lens has a distortive effect in that it creates the widely-held expectation that ministers should be infallible. And of course, no one can hope to live up to that. Besides being an impossible yardstick, bureaucrats lament that such an expectation is also unconducive for governance. It reduces the public's tolerance of errors and limits the amount of manoeuvrability that governments needs to govern effectively. In the long run, political watchers fear this "Six degrees of ministerial pay" cynicism will canker the political discourse in Singapore as people begin to question the motivations and moral authority of office-holders. As has often been said, the best use of money as a motivator is to pay people enough to take the issue of money off the table, so that people can focus on the work rather than on the cash. But instead of taking the issue of money off the table, as raising ministerial pay was intended to do, it has unfortunately become THE issue foremost on the minds of many. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your critical thinking cap is sought.

Hi all, I just came across this article on AsiaOne.com... At least 218 here have off-the-shelf degrees By Sandra Davie AT LEAST 218 people, mostly Singaporeans, are proudly flaunting degrees, MBAs and doctorates from a dozen degree mills, including Preston University, Wisconsin International University, Paramount University of Technology, Kennedy-Western University and Rochville University. This was uncovered by Straits Times checks on the Internet and trade publications, to find out how widespread the use of bogus qualifications is here. Most of them are males and predominantly businessmen, professional trainers, private school lecturers and financial consultants. The majority have basic diplomas and in some cases, degrees from bona fide universities, but quote masters or PhDs from bogus institutions to bolster their credentials. A few such as Expressions International founder Theresa Chew, who has a honorary doctorate from Kennedy-Western University, and Mr George Quek, who has an honorary business doctorate from the Wisconsin International University, add the words Honoris Causa (Latin for a token of respect or honour) on their namecards, to indicate that it is an honorary degree. But worryingly, an increasingly long list of private school lecturers and financial consultants openly cite their bought doctorates and masters' degrees, in their curriculum vitae and client pitches. A typical example is Be-Mad, a company at Scotts Road, that trains human resource professionals. Its chief executive officer 'Dr' David Ong Kah Seng and two of his associates, 'Dr' Ng Sin Keh and Mr Yeo Thiang Swee, have degrees from Rochville University, Preston University and Atlantic International University, which are all commonly referred to as diploma mills in the United States. On its website, Be-Mad consultancy boasts that its long list of clients includes ministries, banks and educational institutions. Yet another two successful businessmen with questionable qualifications are options trading expert 'Dr' Clemen Chiang, a Nanyang Technological University graduate, who runs courses through Freely Business School at North Bridge Road and 'Dr' T. Chandroo who runs a chain of 60 Montessori kindergartens here and abroad. Both of them have doctorates from Preston University, classified as a degree mill in the US. Why do these successful businessmen who have demonstrated expertise in an area resort to using degrees from unaccredited institutions? After all, resume detectives say such bogus degrees are a 'ticking time bomb', which may burnish your CV for now, but sooner or later blow up in your face. The Straits Times put the question to 'Drs' Ong, Chiang and Chandroo. Mr Ong claimed that his alma mater Rochville University was a reputed one and claimed to have worked on a thesis for 18 months on behavioural sciences. Mr Chandroo's secretary said he was 'too busy' to answer e-mails or calls from The Straits Times over the past month. Mr Chiang, known to be an astute entrepreneur who set up Freely Business School and is widely quoted in the local press on options trading, admits that he was 'not so smart' when he signed up for an online doctorate programme from Preston University a few years ago. The NTU engineering graduate said he wanted to complete a PhD in extra quick time and found out about Preston University through the Internet. And because it was listed as a partner of a private school here licensed by the Education Ministry, he thought it was an accredited institution. He suggested a thesis topic on options trading which was accepted by the university faculty in Wyoming, US. He researched the topic and submitted his thesis within 16 months and was granted a PhD. It cost him all of S$18,000 in fees. It was only later that he realised that Preston was not accredited in the US. Mr Chiang sheepishly admits that he continues to use his doctorate as it helps to pave the way in business. Besides, he reasons: 'I did write a thesis for it.' But he added: 'But I am thinking of dropping my doctorate title altogether until I complete the current PhD I am working on with the University of South Australia.' This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 29, 2008. http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Stor...0829-84946.html What are your thoughts on this? I have previously attended 'Dr' Chiang's options course. I was wondering if his students are thinking of sueing him due to his fake credentials, & what are the possibilities of winning against him if they quote false representation. Comments?

OVER 400 foreigners were caught last year for lying to the Manpower Ministry in their work pass applications, a fourfold increase from the 97 cases in 2005. MOM did not give a breakdown but the majority are believed to have used fake or forged qualifications in applying for employment passes which are for highly qualified people, or S-Passes for semi-skilled workers. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority figures also point to a rising trend of workers using qualifications from degree mills, which are bogus universities that sell degrees for little or no study. In the last two years, ICA caught 660 people, both foreigners and locals, lying in applications for immigration passes. It could not give a breakdown but said many lied about their qualifications while trying to secure a dependent's pass, student visa or permanent resident pass. Some of the locals caught had lied in the applications to be sponsors for foreigners seeking various immigration passes. Both MOM and ICA said making false statements in the applications for work or immigration passes is a serious offence which carries heavy penalties, including fines and jail. Foreigners caught are also likely to be repatriated. The ICA and MOM figures are just the tip of the iceberg, say job recruiters like People Worldwide Consulting and resume-screening companies such as IntegraScreen and First Advantage. While most of those found out so far are foreigners, experts warn that more Singaporeans are also beefing up their resumes with fake or forged degrees. One indication: The names of 36 people from Singapore showed up on a list of 9,612 people exposed in the United States recently for having bought fake diplomas and degrees. First Advantage, a US-based company which checks claims made by job applicants, estimates that 12 per cent to 16 per cent of job seekers here are not entirely truthful in their CVs. Often, they inflate their academic achievements, current pay or responsibilities. IntegraScreen, which does screening work for the immigration authorities in several countries in Asia and the Middle East, said about 5 per cent of the resumes they screen are found to be fake. Its managing director, Mr John Baxter, said: 'The use of diploma mills is exploding as the Internet makes buying bogus degrees easier than ever before. More workers are buying these degrees because they're looking for an edge in the competitive job market in Singapore.' Almost any degree, from aviation to zoology, can be purchased. All it takes is a credit card number and computer access. Most degree mills charge between US$50 and US$5,000 (S$69 to S$6,900) for degrees at all levels. Often, buyers only have to fill up a form stating their work and life experiences and pay up. Within a week, they are sent a professional-looking degree scroll and transcripts of fictional grades to show potential employers. For an additional US$60, some degree mills offer laminated student identity cards, even though they have no physical campus. Some even provide an after-sales service, with phone operators who will verify graduations and send transcripts to prospective employers who check. Some go to the extent of offering fake degrees that look similar to those from such established universities as Harvard, Arizona State University or the University of Minnesota. Using high-tech equipment, the diplomas include watermarks and holographs. The number of degree mills is not known, but Integra has compiled a list of over 500, with 90 per cent based in the US. Mr John Bear, co-author of a book on degree mills, estimates that annual sales in fake degrees exceed US$500 million. In Singapore, job recruiters say there are three groups of people who resort to using bogus degrees. The first includes those who pay up to US$500 for undergraduate degrees and transcripts. These are non-graduates who use the fake qualifications to score a job, promotion or pay rise. The second are consultants, trainers and private school lecturers who may have a first degree and some expertise in a particular area, but feel having a master's or PhD bolsters their credentials. They are willing to pay between US$1,599 and US$10,000 for their bogus degrees. The third group is made up of successful businessmen who fork out up to S$20,000 for honorary PhDs. They take care to indicate that these are honorary degrees, but like to be called 'Doctor'. Mr David Leong, who heads PeopleWorldwide Consulting, said most people who buy their degrees are not victims, but intend to hoodwink employers or business clients. 'People who go online and order themselves a master's degree or PhD within a week know full well what they are doing,' he said.

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