Almost daily, we would see accounts of road accidents on the papers. What are the various reasons for these accidents to happen?
Just this morning, I had a quite a close shave on the road.
I was in a car which has just made a left turn. Upon turning, I saw a young man rushing across the road and nearly knocked onto my car. Note that I was not at a traffic junction. Apparently, he was running diagonally from the opposite lane.
It takes two hands to clap. If all the road users can exercise some caution, I am pretty sure that the number of road accidents can be reduced.
One common sight is the illegal parking along the road with lots of eat-houses. Some people simply parked their big cars along the roadside and went into the eat house to enjoy their meal, ignoring the fact that they have caused obstructions to other road users. Other vehicles have to change their lane and thus increase the chance of an accident.
Our selfishness has led to a higher rate of road accidents. Can we each do something about it to improve this situation?
Friday, April 11, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Recognizing a Stroke (STRT)
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call for help immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue... If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.
(source: unknown)
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call for help immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue... If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.
(source: unknown)
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
A Good Deed
When was your last time you offered a helping hand to a stranger?
Early this morning around 6 plus, a pick-up over-turned along Chua Chu Kang Road (near Home Team Academy or Qian Hu Fish Farm). Both roads from Chua Chu Kang and Boon Lay were affected. Vehicles from both directions were stalled just before the area where the pick-up laid.
Passengers have to get off the buses because they have reached a "dead end". A father and a son took a bus numbered 172 from Boon Lay to Chua Chu Kang since the son was studying at a primary school there. It was already close to 6.50am. They walked frantically along the long stretch of Chua Chu Kang, hoping that at the end of this road, they would be able to catch a cab to rush to the school.
A man was driving to Boon Lay, seeing this jam, tried to do a U turn before being caught in the jam. He saw the father and son almost running on the road. He winded down his windows and asked if any help was needed. The father explained the situation. The man offered to drive his son to the school. Although we have been taught not to take a ride from strangers, at this desperate situation, his son hopped onto the car.
Some time later, the son called his father to tell him that he has reached the school just in time. The family was extremely grateful to this stranger.
That father was my colleague.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Time To Exercise
It has been raining almost every afternoon. I usually go for a swim on Saturday afternoon. However, I have not been able to do so for the past two Saturdays due to the heavy showers and thunderstorms.
Today, I managed to have a good swim in the pool. I felt so great to exercise my muscles in the pool. After my swim, I felt very hungry and had a good dinner.
When is your last exercise session?
Handphones
The invention of handphones has certainly changed our lives. Having a handphone is just as common as wearing a watch on your hand or a ring on your finger. Who does not wear a watch or a ring. Somebody even have more than one handphone. But remember we have only a mouth, we can't possibly pick up two handphoness and talk to them at the same time.
Modern handphones allow you to be contactable almost at all times. With the auto-roaming feature, even if you are far from home in a different time zone, you can still reach your loved ones or vice versa.
Most of the handphones have features which allow you to take pictures, listen to music, surf the internet, read news and reply emails, book tickets, enter some contests, check bank balances etc. There are simply too many to mention here.
I am a rather simple person. My handphone does not have the photo-taking feature. I can't surf internet, read or answer emails. My handphone has only a purpose ie remain contactable most of the time to my clients, friends and loved ones.
There is an option in my handphone which I make full use of. It is the "screening" feature. If no phone number is shown on my handphone display, most likely I will ignore this particular call. There has been cases reported in the papers that some unknown calls came from overseas and in the end, the receivers have to pay for these overseas charges. There are also scam calls which waste our time and money. The worst is we have a chance being cheated by these calls.
While handphones certainly offer us lots of conveniences, there are some cons and we have to exercise some caution in using this invention.
Modern handphones allow you to be contactable almost at all times. With the auto-roaming feature, even if you are far from home in a different time zone, you can still reach your loved ones or vice versa.
Most of the handphones have features which allow you to take pictures, listen to music, surf the internet, read news and reply emails, book tickets, enter some contests, check bank balances etc. There are simply too many to mention here.
I am a rather simple person. My handphone does not have the photo-taking feature. I can't surf internet, read or answer emails. My handphone has only a purpose ie remain contactable most of the time to my clients, friends and loved ones.
There is an option in my handphone which I make full use of. It is the "screening" feature. If no phone number is shown on my handphone display, most likely I will ignore this particular call. There has been cases reported in the papers that some unknown calls came from overseas and in the end, the receivers have to pay for these overseas charges. There are also scam calls which waste our time and money. The worst is we have a chance being cheated by these calls.
While handphones certainly offer us lots of conveniences, there are some cons and we have to exercise some caution in using this invention.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
MOE to shortlist travel agencies to organise study tours
SINGAPORE: When the teachers of Gan Eng Seng School decide to organise an overseas study trip for their students, it means up to six months of planning ahead from selecting the right travel agent to making travel arrangements.
After calling for quotations and tenders from travel agents through Government Electronic Business or GeBiz , the school then forms a panel to evaluate each proposal and decide which one meets their educational objectives and safety and price requirements.
"It’s a long process, and sometimes, the proposals are not up to expectation," said vice—principal Au Yong Po Lung.
Hence, the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) new framework for selecting travel agents which will replace the current quotation system comes as welcome news. Come May, the ministry will shortlist a number of tour operators based on prescribed criteria that schools can select from when planning trips.
"It will save schools some time, and since these agencies have been screened by MOE, we are also better able to assure parents of their child’s safety when we plan trips for them," said Mr Au Yong.
The number of overseas school trips has increased by about 38 per cent over the past two years, and the number is expected to continue to rise. As such, the current arrangement was "no longer efficient", said MOE in a statement to TODAY.
With the new framework, MOE which has briefed about 80 tour operators on the matter will also be able to better monitor and ascertain the service level of the various tour operators. A combined demand for overseas school tours would also hopefully help schools obtain better rates through economies of scale.
Parents TODAY spoke to, welcomed the new arrangement, saying it gave them a greater peace of mind. Said Madam Laura Ho, a homemaker: "Sometimes, even leisure tours can go wrong, so it’s good to know more is being done to make sure the trip goes smoothly." Some tour operators also approved of the move. "Organising a student group is not the same as handling a leisure group," said Ms Joey Cai, an account manager with Chan Brothers Mice Travel’s Educational Travel Centre. "For a school trip, you have to make sure the itinerary is educational and that the students learn something."
CTC Holidays’ business development manager for channel distribution Jason Kuwe agreed. "This will help to make sure schools don’t end up with an agency that has the lowest prices, but might have made promises that they cannot keep."
Beyond handling flights, accommodation and transport arrangements, operators also help schools plan their itinerary according to their educational objectives.
"I will look through the textbooks and talk to the teachers and discuss what they want the students to learn is it a cultural exchange, geography, history, science and math?" said Ms Cai.
Smaller operators, on the other hand, are concerned they could lose out if they are left out of MOE’s list. Travel Star manager Catherine Khoo, who had not heard about the agreement, said such school trips make up about 30 per cent of her agency’s business.
"I am very concerned," she said. "I think our agency has the capability and resources to handle such tours for schools. It will not be fair if only a few agencies get to work with the schools."
NEW FRAMEWORKTour operators to be appointed and organised into five panels by geographical destination Assessment and selection will be based on criteria such as having a valid travel agent licence from the Singapore Tourism Board; financial stability, relevant experience in the country of destination, tender price and accreditation.
The framework will be introduced in two phases one by May and the second next yearThe MOE expects to appoint about 40 operators for the first phase
(source: sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080402/tap-338795-231650b.html)
My Comments:
I seriously question the real purpose of a study tour especially young students in the Primary Schools are involved. It is well-known that the locals like to flock overseas whenever there is a long weekend or during festive periods. Does this fever has been passed down to our younger generations?
After calling for quotations and tenders from travel agents through Government Electronic Business or GeBiz , the school then forms a panel to evaluate each proposal and decide which one meets their educational objectives and safety and price requirements.
"It’s a long process, and sometimes, the proposals are not up to expectation," said vice—principal Au Yong Po Lung.
Hence, the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) new framework for selecting travel agents which will replace the current quotation system comes as welcome news. Come May, the ministry will shortlist a number of tour operators based on prescribed criteria that schools can select from when planning trips.
"It will save schools some time, and since these agencies have been screened by MOE, we are also better able to assure parents of their child’s safety when we plan trips for them," said Mr Au Yong.
The number of overseas school trips has increased by about 38 per cent over the past two years, and the number is expected to continue to rise. As such, the current arrangement was "no longer efficient", said MOE in a statement to TODAY.
With the new framework, MOE which has briefed about 80 tour operators on the matter will also be able to better monitor and ascertain the service level of the various tour operators. A combined demand for overseas school tours would also hopefully help schools obtain better rates through economies of scale.
Parents TODAY spoke to, welcomed the new arrangement, saying it gave them a greater peace of mind. Said Madam Laura Ho, a homemaker: "Sometimes, even leisure tours can go wrong, so it’s good to know more is being done to make sure the trip goes smoothly." Some tour operators also approved of the move. "Organising a student group is not the same as handling a leisure group," said Ms Joey Cai, an account manager with Chan Brothers Mice Travel’s Educational Travel Centre. "For a school trip, you have to make sure the itinerary is educational and that the students learn something."
CTC Holidays’ business development manager for channel distribution Jason Kuwe agreed. "This will help to make sure schools don’t end up with an agency that has the lowest prices, but might have made promises that they cannot keep."
Beyond handling flights, accommodation and transport arrangements, operators also help schools plan their itinerary according to their educational objectives.
"I will look through the textbooks and talk to the teachers and discuss what they want the students to learn is it a cultural exchange, geography, history, science and math?" said Ms Cai.
Smaller operators, on the other hand, are concerned they could lose out if they are left out of MOE’s list. Travel Star manager Catherine Khoo, who had not heard about the agreement, said such school trips make up about 30 per cent of her agency’s business.
"I am very concerned," she said. "I think our agency has the capability and resources to handle such tours for schools. It will not be fair if only a few agencies get to work with the schools."
NEW FRAMEWORKTour operators to be appointed and organised into five panels by geographical destination Assessment and selection will be based on criteria such as having a valid travel agent licence from the Singapore Tourism Board; financial stability, relevant experience in the country of destination, tender price and accreditation.
The framework will be introduced in two phases one by May and the second next yearThe MOE expects to appoint about 40 operators for the first phase
(source: sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080402/tap-338795-231650b.html)
My Comments:
I seriously question the real purpose of a study tour especially young students in the Primary Schools are involved. It is well-known that the locals like to flock overseas whenever there is a long weekend or during festive periods. Does this fever has been passed down to our younger generations?
Archaeologists Start Stonehenge Dig
LONDON - Some of England's most sacred soil was disturbed Monday for the first time in more than four decades as archaeologists worked to solve the enduring riddle of Stonehenge: When and why was the prehistoric monument built?
The excavation project, set to last until April 11, is designed to unearth materials that can be used to establish a firm date for when the first mysterious set of bluestones was put in place at Stonehenge, one of Britain's best known and least understood landmarks.
The World Heritage site, a favorite with visitors the world over, has become popular with Druids, neo-Pagans and New Agers who attach mystical significance to the strangely shaped circle of stones, but there remains great debate about the actual purpose of the structure.
The dig will be led by Timothy Darvill, a leading Stonehenge scholar from Bournemouth University, and Geoffrey Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries. Both experts have worked to pinpoint the site in the Preseli Mountains in south Wales where the bluestones _ the earliest of the large rocks erected at the site _ came from. They will be able to compare the samples found in Wales to those at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain.
"The excavation will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 153-mile journey from Preseli to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project," Wainright said. "We will be able to say not only why, but when the first stone monument was built."
Scientists believe the bluestones were first put in place about 2600 B.C., but they concede the date is only an approximation at best. The original bluestones were removed about 200 years later and scientists hope to find bits of them embedded in the earth.
Darvill said the excavation marks the first opportunity to bring the power of modern scientific archaeology to bear on a problem that has taxed the minds of so many experts since medieval times: Why were the bluestones so important to have warranted bringing them from so far away?
The excavation goal is to find remnants of the original bluestones, or related materials, that can be subjected to modern radiocarbon dating techniques to establish a more precise timeline for the construction of Stonehenge, said Dave Batchelor, an archaeologist with English Heritage, which oversees the Stonehenge site.
"We have to find the material that will give us a good date," he said. "That's where the luck comes in. We could get an absolute blank or we could get something magnificent or we could get something in between."
He said bluestones have an "inky, bluey, black" appearance and come from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales. About 6 feet tall, they are the smaller stones that make up part of the monument, alongside the larger sarsen stones, which are about twice as tall and were added later.
It is hoped that fixing the date of the start of construction with more precision will allow scientists to finally grasp how and why the monument was built. They also may learn more about how the stones were transported. Research shows the bluestones, weighing an estimated five tons apiece, may have been dragged from the mountains in south Wales to the sea, put on huge rafts and floated up the River Avon.
Archaeologists believe that before the bluestones were put in place, Stonehenge consisted of a circle of wooden posts and timbers built in approximately 3100 B.C.
The research that began Monday with the digging of a trench marks the first time ground inside the inner stone circle has been excavated since 1964. The area, revered as a powerful link to England's pagan past, is so sensitive that Cabinet approval was needed before the work could begin.
Renee Fok, a spokeswoman with English Heritage, said the project was okayed only after experts were convinced of its potential value. She said the project represents "the logical next step" after the two professors located the source of the bluestones in Wales.
"It's the culmination of their work, it makes sense to go back to the stone circle and get a date," she said.
"We want to strike a balance. We want the best research, but we can't just say go ahead and dig as you like, it's a very fragile area. Even the Druids are happy with this project, we've spoken to them and they don't object."
She said tourists will be able to visit Stonehenge as usual and will also be able to watch live video coverage of the excavation in special tents at the site.
(source : sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080401/twl-britain-stonehenge-dig-bd342e9.html )
My Comments:
I went to Stonehenge in year 1992. I was not able to full appreciate the mystery of these odd big stones lying somewhere in the middle of a vast land.
The excavation project, set to last until April 11, is designed to unearth materials that can be used to establish a firm date for when the first mysterious set of bluestones was put in place at Stonehenge, one of Britain's best known and least understood landmarks.
The World Heritage site, a favorite with visitors the world over, has become popular with Druids, neo-Pagans and New Agers who attach mystical significance to the strangely shaped circle of stones, but there remains great debate about the actual purpose of the structure.
The dig will be led by Timothy Darvill, a leading Stonehenge scholar from Bournemouth University, and Geoffrey Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries. Both experts have worked to pinpoint the site in the Preseli Mountains in south Wales where the bluestones _ the earliest of the large rocks erected at the site _ came from. They will be able to compare the samples found in Wales to those at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain.
"The excavation will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 153-mile journey from Preseli to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project," Wainright said. "We will be able to say not only why, but when the first stone monument was built."
Scientists believe the bluestones were first put in place about 2600 B.C., but they concede the date is only an approximation at best. The original bluestones were removed about 200 years later and scientists hope to find bits of them embedded in the earth.
Darvill said the excavation marks the first opportunity to bring the power of modern scientific archaeology to bear on a problem that has taxed the minds of so many experts since medieval times: Why were the bluestones so important to have warranted bringing them from so far away?
The excavation goal is to find remnants of the original bluestones, or related materials, that can be subjected to modern radiocarbon dating techniques to establish a more precise timeline for the construction of Stonehenge, said Dave Batchelor, an archaeologist with English Heritage, which oversees the Stonehenge site.
"We have to find the material that will give us a good date," he said. "That's where the luck comes in. We could get an absolute blank or we could get something magnificent or we could get something in between."
He said bluestones have an "inky, bluey, black" appearance and come from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales. About 6 feet tall, they are the smaller stones that make up part of the monument, alongside the larger sarsen stones, which are about twice as tall and were added later.
It is hoped that fixing the date of the start of construction with more precision will allow scientists to finally grasp how and why the monument was built. They also may learn more about how the stones were transported. Research shows the bluestones, weighing an estimated five tons apiece, may have been dragged from the mountains in south Wales to the sea, put on huge rafts and floated up the River Avon.
Archaeologists believe that before the bluestones were put in place, Stonehenge consisted of a circle of wooden posts and timbers built in approximately 3100 B.C.
The research that began Monday with the digging of a trench marks the first time ground inside the inner stone circle has been excavated since 1964. The area, revered as a powerful link to England's pagan past, is so sensitive that Cabinet approval was needed before the work could begin.
Renee Fok, a spokeswoman with English Heritage, said the project was okayed only after experts were convinced of its potential value. She said the project represents "the logical next step" after the two professors located the source of the bluestones in Wales.
"It's the culmination of their work, it makes sense to go back to the stone circle and get a date," she said.
"We want to strike a balance. We want the best research, but we can't just say go ahead and dig as you like, it's a very fragile area. Even the Druids are happy with this project, we've spoken to them and they don't object."
She said tourists will be able to visit Stonehenge as usual and will also be able to watch live video coverage of the excavation in special tents at the site.
(source : sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080401/twl-britain-stonehenge-dig-bd342e9.html )
My Comments:
I went to Stonehenge in year 1992. I was not able to full appreciate the mystery of these odd big stones lying somewhere in the middle of a vast land.
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