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Source: https://www.todayonline.com/news/national-day-rally-2024-what-you-need-know-key-topics-pm-lawrence-wong-speeches-2478636 SINGAPORE — In his first National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 18) night, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced plans for a “major reset” of several policies. Speaking in Malay, Mandarin and English at the Institute of Technical Education's headquarters in Ang Mo Kio, Mr Wong focused on his plans for the economy, families, housing and education. The following are some key announcements from his speech. MORE STUDENTS WILL GET TO STUDY HIGHER MOTHER TONGUE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS Workers who lose their jobs may get a maximum of S$6,000 over a period of up to six months as a form of temporary financial support. This is part of a new SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme, which Mr Wong said would be introduced to “lessen the strain” on those who are affected by job loss. Separately, Singaporeans who attend part-time courses will soon be entitled to some training allowance, in an update to the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. Read more here. FOUR WEEKS OF COMPULSORY PATERNITY LEAVE From April 1 next year, four weeks of government-paid paternity leave will be made compulsory. A new Shared Parental Leave Scheme will also be introduced, allowing fathers or mothers of newborns to take 10 more weeks of shared leave. The moves seek to encourage fathers to play a bigger role in sharing caregiving and housework responsibilities. Read more here. BTO FLAT PRIORITY FOR SINGLES AND THEIR PARENTS From mid-2025, singles and their parents who are buying new flats to live with or near each other will get priority access to Build-to-Order (BTO) public housing units. At present, only married children and their parents enjoy this priority access. Singles looking for BTO flats can only buy two-room flexi units and only after they have turned 35. Mr Wong also announced plans to help lower-income households get their first homes. As of now, all first-time applicants of new flats can get an enhanced Central Provident Fund (CPF) housing grant of up to S$80,000. The Government will increase this grant amount. Read more here. REFRESHED GIFTED EDUCATION PROGRAMME In a bid to identify and help more pupils with higher abilities, the Gifted Education Programme will be revamped and replaced with a new approach that will cut across all primary schools. This revision will allow schools to have their own programmes to help pupils "grow in their areas of strengths and interests", Mr Wong said. Read more here.

Saw some ordinary folks who become fighters at night. Wonder how would they fare in street fights.

Dear all MCFers Today someone hacked my credit card This is a 20 years aged card So many incurring monthly payee Actually the moment I received a OTP for online transaction I smelled a rat liao Immediately I reported to card centre Then CSO immediately blocked the card She go through all unbilled transactions with me Checking from when the card was compromised After verification she confirmed it is hacked more than a week But I don’t have sms alert for my 20 years old card So I don’t know what is happening Only OTP came...siao liao Ok this hacker got balls of steel I can say (He) used my card for all iTunes payments, Apple items, online automobile accessories and even dare to use my card to pay his mobile phone bill Do you think this hacker really no horse run? Card centre CSO also surprised that those transactions can track the hacker down Clever to hack but stupid to spend huh BTW sorry for so long winded I hope to share this so that bro and sis here can be more careful Best if some people can share more information about card security etc Thank you for reading my post PS. The troublesome part is I have to inform all payee about this and update all my new card details

Source: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/explainer-why-are-singapores-fuel-pump-prices-record-highs-and-what-does-it-mean-economy-1813266 Petrol and diesel prices in Singapore have hit record highs. Pump prices of petroleum and diesel in Singapore are now higher than ever in dollar terms, not adjusted for inflation On Feb 8, taxi operator ComfortDelGro announced that it is raising its fares due to inflation and rising fuel costs Crude oil prices are rising, but they have not reached the same record highs in 2008 or 2014 The disparity between crude oil and petroleum prices is because petrol costs depend on more than just the cost of crude oil Economists said higher energy costs could lead to sustained inflation that could affect economic growth SINGAPORE — Fuel prices at the pump have risen to their highest level on record in recent weeks, in the midst of an unabated hike in global crude oil prices due to a supply crunch and geopolitical turmoil in Europe. As of Monday (Feb 7), 92-octane petrol cost up to S$2.70 a litre, 95-octane petrol went for up to S$2.76 a litre, while 98-octane petrol surged past the S$3 barrier to reach up to S$3.25 a litre, based on figures by online price tracker Fuel Kaki, a project by the Consumers Association of Singapore. Diesel prices, too, have reached a new high. Each litre of diesel cost between S$2.26 at SPC and S$2.33 at Shell stations as of Feb 7. This means that fuel in Singapore now costs more than it ever did in terms of the quantum, not adjusted for inflation. The previous peak was in November last year when diesel was S$1.96 a litre, 92-octane was S$2.42, 95-octane was S$2.46 and 98-octane was S$2.97, official monthly data showed. On Tuesday (Feb 8), ComfortDelGro announced that it will raise its taxi flagdown fares across its entire fleet of taxis by 20 cents from March, due to rising fuel costs and inflation. The news comes as oil prices have climbed to the highest point last month since 2014, with the Brent benchmark for crude oil reaching as high as US$93 a barrel on Feb 7, before tapering down to US$92 a barrel the next day. Crude oil had hit US$110 a barrel in 2014. The oil rally came as part of a perfect storm of factors, including a prolonged underinvestment in the oil industry and lagging production that is slow to meet current demand, as well as geopolitical factors. There has also been a structural shift towards green energy investments at the expense of oil, gas and coal. Newsweek magazine reported last year, for instance, that regulators in Europe have aggressively shut coal plants. Some banned fracking (short for hydraulic fracturing, a method of getting oil or gas), while others have refused to invest in nuclear energy, putting Britain and the European Union at the mercy of renewable energy and natural gas, most of which comes from Russia. Should armed conflict break out between Ukraine and oil-producing Russia, which also supplies oil to Europe, the price of crude oil and its refined products such as petrol will undoubtedly rise, experts said. Mr Ravi Krishnaswamy, senior vice-president of energy and environment for the Asia Pacific at market research firm Frost and Sullivan, said: “Clearly, that scenario will rattle markets and could push the prices above US$100 per barrel, and perhaps even US$120.” WHY PETROL PUMPS DON’T MATCH OIL PRICES In any case, oil prices have yet to reach historic highs, such as during the oil price bubble in 2008 when each barrel of crude oil cost US$147. So what explains the record-high pump prices in Singapore? For one thing, the price of petroleum is affected not only by the per-barrel cost of crude oil, but other factors as well. The Covid-19 pandemic, shipping woes and supply chain issues, as well as the rising cost of non-oil raw materials has led to global inflationary pressures that affect costs across the board, including the cost to refine oil into petrol. Last October, the surging price of natural gas threatened to swallow the profits of oil refiners and force them to reduce fuel production, news agency Bloomberg reported. Oil refineries rely on the hydrogen from natural gas — methane, in particular — to eliminate sulphur during the diesel production process. Among other things, crude oil is also refined into jet fuel, which suffered from a drastic loss in demand when aviation was decimated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Producers then cut back on pumping oil, which also has an impact on raising the costs of petrol production. Distribution and marketing costs, which were affected by a diminishing workforce of fuel truck drivers in many parts of the world during Covid-19 shutdowns, also contributed to keeping pump prices high, experts said. And then, there are petrol taxes. In February, Singapore hiked petrol duties by 15 cents a litre for premium petrol and 10 cents a litre for intermediate petrol, as part of the Budget 2021 measures. This followed a petrol tax hike in 2015, when rates were raised by 20 cents for for premium petrol and 15 cents a litre for intermediate petrol. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said last year that the increase in petrol taxes based on usage is meant to shape consumer behaviour towards a more efficient use of fuel or environmentally friendly alternatives. Altogether, crude oil costs make up around half of the retail cost of petrol, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers estimated last year. Another reason why pump prices may not track closely with crude oil benchmarks is because petrol retailers base their prices decisions on the Mean of Platts Singapore (Mops) price, which is the price at which petrol retailers buy refined wholesale petrol from the refineries. In 2015, the Competition Commission of Singapore sought to find out the decision-making of petrol retailers following public feedback that listed petrol prices did not rise and fall with crude oil prices. Its report in 2017 concluded that “listed petrol prices do not reflect wholesale price movements completely and immediately”, often adjusting their prices in tandem with the Mops price for an average of eight days for price increases, and six days for price decreases. Mr Krishnaswamy said that some petrol retailers also have long-term contracts with refiners, and likewise between refiners and oil importers, which has an effect on this lag time as well. Integrated companies such as Shell, however, control the entire chain and thus have a different calculus. “There will be a lag effect, because the pump prices are not directly linked to crude prices, and they are determined independently by the companies, some of which are refiners and some are retailers,” he added. WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR The rise in petrol cost will impact vehicle users directly. Private transport prices, which are affected by petrol costs and vehicle prices, grew by 15.5 per cent last December, continuing a double-digit percentage point inflation that began in April 2021. But oil prices are also closely linked to business input costs, since much of the world’s commerce and trade depends on transportation and travel. This could also be passed on to consumers, experts said. Mr Song Seng Wun, an economist with CIMB bank, said that rising energy prices is one key reason why the prices of most things, across all categories of goods and services, are going up. “We’ve seen food prices go up recently, because it costs more to put food and drinks on your table. And all manner of other things, too, including construction, travel, manufacturing of products — they are all affected by higher energy prices,” Mr Song added Mr Krishnaswamy said that this is why Monetary Authority of Singapore is looking to counter rising inflation. Last month, the central bank unexpectedly calibrated its monetary policy to cater for inflation in an off-cycle move. The worry will be that a sustained rise in input costs, and thus prices, could ultimately dampen demand and affect economic growth, Mr Song said. This could set back the already fragile nature of post-pandemic economic recovery. If this is combined with rising unemployment, it could lead to an undesirable outcome known as stagflation, which is a dangerous combination of high inflation and unemployment, and a weak economy. Thankfully, given the tight labour market here and around the world, this does not appear to be the case today, Mr Krishnaswamy said. “I don’t see stagflation panning out in Singapore or globally, perhaps only in some markets where that can happen. That said, it is worth watching out for that in the medium term.”

Big Box opened today! Yes, today, 27 Dec 2014. Big Box is a warehouse retail mall, located very near to Jurong East MRT station. We decided to go check it out. It was crowded! True to its name, it felt like a huge warehouse. The most interesting was the hypermarket on the ground floor, selling goods in a warehouse concept. Were the stuff sold at the hypermarket cheap? Not really. Some things seem a bit cheaper than say NTUC, but overall the prices were comparable. But I could be wrong. We didn't spend a lot of time in the hypermarket. There was also huge space devoted to the sale of furniture on the 2nd the 3rd floor. It felt like Big Box wanted to compete directly with the likes of Ikea in this respect. This was the first day of opening and things were still a bit messy. Still, this place is an interesting addition to the retail scene. Check out the video. http://youtu.be/cdulBMKBLlE

Today (15 March 2009) around 3.10-3.20pm, I was driving along Jurong East Central under a heavy thunderstorm when suddenly, the raindrop sound become different and i see small balls of ice dropping from the sky onto my windscreen.. The rain got so big that eventually, my gf n I decided to stop at nearby Jurong East MSCP to shelter my car from the ice. Within 10 min of stopping the car inside the MSCP, the MSCP start to flood. Luckily, the rain got smaller and we decided to move off towards Suntec City for IT show. The destruction of the storm is catastrophic. I see numerous malfunction traffic lights, many trees kanna blown off it root at jurong east area, traffic jam + accident at Jurong Town Hall Road, Trees hit a car on the road and falling branches all over the road... All in 10min.. Strong Wind was also experience when i was fetching my girlfriend from Bukit Gombak. I can feel my car shaking buy the strong wind.. Weather in singapore nowadays is

My sprog is in Primary 5, for the first time so far - last night I was truly disappointed in the school system. By and large, I find the schools are doing a pretty decent job - so far the education has been going pretty well, I haven't always agreed with what they teach. But hey, I don't need to - they have been doing it rather well. Last night, chatting with the kid - it is the first time I have been seriously upset at what they are doing. Just had the "Chinese Composition" exam for first semester, and we were chit chatting about what she wrote. Apparently they were given picture prompts - about a boy bullying his grandma, running into the road and almost getting run over. Well ok, putting aside the rather ham fisted and heavy handed moralising - we talked about what she said next... I suggested a story line of... Seeing the boy in danger, Superman came flying out of the sky, and stopped the car just in time, lifting it up to protect the boy. But then, when he found out what had happened, he said "Nah - you don't deserve to be rescued" where upon he dropped the car onto the boy, turning him into ketchup. Crotch spawn informed me that if she wrote that, she would be marked down for "going out of context" - WTF????? Out of context? No wonder the kids are so boring - they have to tell a predictable and "moral" story - In my day, we were encouraged to try and shock / surprise the teacher. Not write stories to some freaking boring formula!!! Blardy hell - how to move forward like that?

Piew........... all the morning and evening peak traffic jams will ease for the next 6 weeks............... Also down from Monday is the ERP charges....... Very stressful when driving along PIE turning left to Steven Road every morning........

here we go.. handed a CASE letter to VW MD today for non - rectification of my steering issue. lets see how it goes..

after 6pm, says Amazon's India chief. Personally, I try not to work after office hours unless it's absolutely necessary. That's why bosses are important. I know of some managers who ask their subordinates to do PowerPoint slides for them even during CNY Day 2. Such bosses don't understand work is never ending. It's hard to strike a balance, but we must try. ********** https://www.todayonline.com/world/log-get-life-and-stop-responding-work-emails-or-calls-after-6pm-amazons-india-chief-tells BANGALORE — The head of Amazon.com’s India business has a radical idea for his troops: Log off, get a life. In an memo to his team this month, Mr Amit Agarwal counselled colleagues to stop responding to emails or work calls between 6 pm and 8 am in the interest of “work-life harmony". He also talked about the importance of work discipline and how to draw the line. The leaked note has broken through the sleep-deprived haze in the technology hub of Bangalore to set off heated discussions on social networks and WhatsApp chat groups. Mr Agarwal is a senior vice president at the Seattle-based retail behemoth, which has a reputation of fostering a cutthroat work culture and driving employees to burnout. Many in India wondered if this represented a softer turn for the company. Mr Agarwal has previously served as an executive assistant to Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, who is often painted as a demanding boss. An Amazon representative in India declined to comment on the email. India, with its more than 1.3 billion people, has become a fierce battleground for Amazon.com, and the company has committed some US$5.5 billion to building up its network there. Recently Amazon lost out to Walmart in a bid to buy Flipkart Online Services, India’s leading e-commerce operator. While the demands of technology on workers has become a topic of debate around the world, work-life balance is severely off kilter in Bangalore, India’s third-largest city, where a significant portion of the one million workers employed in the outsourcing business cater to global customers and often work late into the night. It’s even more lopsided in the up-and-coming startup industry, where late-night meetings and weekend calls are the norm. Psychologists, sleep laboratories and fertility clinics have raised concerns about the mental and physical toll wrought by the frenetic work schedule. Insomnia, depression and suicidal tendencies are rampant symptoms, said Dr S Kalyanasundaram, a well-known psychiatrist who sees many technology workers in his thriving south Bangalore practice. “These days I see many 25- and 28-year-olds suffering heart attacks, something I haven’t seen in my four decades in this field,” he said. The doctor said all of his Saturday appointments are reserved for tech workers and often booked months in advance. “For many, there’s only one life and that’s the work life,” Dr Kalyanasundaram said. “It’s a disaster; it’s a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.” In startups from Bangalore to Delhi, founders and top executives lead the gruelling pace by example. Mr Ritesh Agarwal, the founder of the travel unicorn OYO Rooms and unrelated to the Amazon executive, said he gets minimal sleep during the work week. To catch up, he goes to sleep early on Saturday night and wakes up at midday on Sunday. In Bangalore, Mr Byju Raveendran, founder and chief executive officer of the education tech startup BYJU’s said he and his teammates leave recreation to late night hours, sometimes starting football games at midnight and ending as late at 2 am. Businesses from food delivery startups to late-night sports arenas cater to the insomniac workers. Mr Dilip Vamanan, founder of an e-commerce data analytics startup called SellerApp, that helps merchants sell on Amazon, said he clocks 14 hours a day in the office. After that, he takes calls and responds to emails at home. His colleagues complain of back aches, insomnia and stress. Amazon’s Mr Agarwal, may have an inspired idea, but it may be harder to implement than it would seem. “Indian startups have a lot to prove,” said Mr Vamanan. “They are nowhere near a scale where founders can step back and turn on the auto mode.” BLOOMBERG

Went ti the canteen when i was replacing my ride's ac compressor. Saw this familiar face in the distance. Anyone remembers who is he?

Not an ang mo or ang mo pai so not bothered. [cool]

So I just got back from the gym and go to get into the lift AND it's not working, no power. So I try the other lift lobby. No power. No mobile phone because I've gone to the gym. So I find the 'Command Post'. That's a joke of a name. Inside there are 3 people. None of them doing anything. But when I ask if they can do anything about the lift, 'it's not their problem go to HDB'. Can they phone HDB and inform them the lifts aren't working? 'Not our problem go to HDB'. Marvelous. So I walk up to my floor, it's above 30. On the way up there are a few people coming down. One woman well over 70, ok it's her decision to walk down. But what a state of affairs and it's the same for all as far as I can see, all official bodies in Singapore, today. Not our problem contact so and so.

Sharing. Today I met this driver, in front of my car, upon exit gantry at one of the shopping mall, that he held up so many people as he has insufficient cash card. He was so unreasonable as he wanted to reverse and i have to reverse and the cars behind me all have to reverse. He said that he has the right to do so , so that he can top up the card. Hence i make it a point to have a spare cash card so that in such a situation I can use it. Such inconsiderate driver he was .

SPH to divest stakes in Mediacorp TV and Press while Today newspaper will go fully digital Singapore Press Holdings plans to divest its 20 per cent stake in Mediacorp TV and 40 per cent stake in Mediacorp Press, the publisher of the Today newspaper, for $18 million, the firm said on Friday (Aug 25). The proposed divestment follows Mediacorp’s decision to cease the print edition of Today. http://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/sph-to-divest-stakes-in-mediacorp-tv-and-press-while-today-newspaper-will http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/today-newspaper-to-cease-print-edition-go-fully-digital-9157872 Hopefully, SGCM and MCF aren't next on the block.

Just a little reminder those who follow this series, today's broadcast is scheduled for 8pm - 10pm instead of the usual 9pm -10pm slot.

My colleague who is also a prominent "star" in this forum received FLOWERS today! I wonder who gave her de!!!! Anyway she told me her friend gave her to celebrate friendship day. SAF day, national day, children day i got heard before. But i didn't know there is friendship day. NPNT. . . What do u think arh @babyblade ???? Hmmmm. . . . Must we continue CSI further????

been trying to call in since 11am, still haven't get in.

COE prices have made a lot of people unhappy. We all want a car and think that COE does not work and controlling usage works better than ownership. I think we can have a simple poll to see how many people will buy multiple cars and whether they see problem finding parking for their cars. Remember that the OMV of a Jap car is only around $20k.

RIP

Ok part 2 continue: Last thread was here. http://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2697351-what-did-you-makan-today/

My wallet that is. And before I actually realised I'd lost it I had a phone call to say it had been found. Unfortunately I couldn't thank the person who found it because the phone number she left wasn't working. But just to say thank you to the cleaner on the fifth floor of Ng Teng Fong hospital for your staightforward honesty. Have a happy life.

Since MRT keropok?

Haven't seen it mentioned anywhere but maybe it's no longer important. 75 years ago today was the fall of Singapore. Also heard that last July Temasek lost 9% in the value of it's assets. Didn't see that reported but could well have missed that although it is a massive amount.

Post a food picture! Must be one that is good enough for you to recommend. Black Pepper Chicken Chop from Chargrill Bar.