Craftwork for the Holiday

For those of you who are wondering how to spend your holiday, perhaps you would like to consider doing some paper craftwork. This website is one of my favourite websites that allows you to download free paper automata and models to make. You can purchase paper automata at the Singapore Science Centre but now here is a website that allow you to download free samples. Check out the physics behind the working of automata. It's got to do with gear. I personally have tried doing one or two and enjoyed the activity. You need to be patient and careful while making the automata/models. Immense satisfaction when you see the final product. Be resilient and not give up until you see your work out. Check out the profile of the creater. Indeed a very intelligent man!

UN agency issues SOS for food aid

17 Oct 2008

Global financial crisis threatens aid to the world's hungry, warns World Food Programme official.

Pakistani people receive donated food at a distribution centre in Lahore on the eve of World Food Day. The UN's food-aid arm is US$2 billion short of the funds it needs to feed over 90 million hungry people worldwide. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS

THE global financial crisis has put the world's hungry at risk of not getting the food they need.
Given this year's skyrocketing food prices and more natural disasters, the World Food Programme (WFP) needs to raise US$6 billion (S$8.9 billion) - twice as much as last year - to feed 90 to 95 million people in more than 80 countries.

Its spokesman for Asia, Mr Paul Risley, told The Straits Times that if funds are not forthcoming, it may have to cut back on programmes or the number of people it helps.
'We are concerned that donor countries will reduce their commitments in view of the financial crisis,' he said. 'That's really the last thing we need.'
The food-aid arm of the United Nations is the world's largest humanitarian agency, providing rations to people from the poorest communities, conflict zones and areas decimated by natural disasters.

A Tribute to Mr Loke

I think by now all of you should know that Mr Loke is retiring at the end of this year. Yesterday, the school had a farewell ceremony for him. A PowerPoint presentation was run tracing the development of CCSS under his leadership. In the mid of the PowerPoint, I just became very emotional and began tearing. Suddenly I felt that I would miss his presence.  

I respect Mr Loke very much. Despite his age, he is still dynamic and works very hard for the school.  Though at times, I get rather irritated with his long-winded speech, I find it difficult to get angry with him because I know that he always has the students' welfare at heart. He always tells me that,  "Whatever we plan, think of the children. Give them as many opportunities as possible and believe in every child." Just like our school mission "We provide opportunities and guidance for every child to learn and achieve personal excellence", Mr Loke is a firm believer.

Personally, I want to thank Mr Loke for giving me so many opportunities in CCSS to grow and believing in me that I can do a good job. I'll always remember him as a kind and nurturing leader. A man with a good heart.

I don't know how you feel about Mr Loke but it would be nice if you can give him a farewell card if you feel Mr Loke has made a difference in your life. I don't mean "your life" but if you feel that over the years, you can see the changes he has made in CCSS and his resilience in wanting to improve the school for you. That would very sweet.

Four in 10 S'poreans marry foreigners

Globalisation creating more chances for locals to meet, tie the knot with non-citizens
By Mavis Toh

Ms A.L. Koh is 36, has a master's degree in business administration and works as a marketing manager in a multinational company.
When her Singaporean boyfriend of six years broke off their engagement in 2005 due to objections from his mother, she dropped the idea of marriage totally.

But last December, she walked down the aisle of a church in France and said 'I do' to a Frenchman.
The two had met at work - the 40-year-old man is a project manager in the same firm - and they have now set up home here.
Like Ms Koh, nearly 40 per cent of Singaporeans who tied the knot last year married either a permanent resident or a foreigner.
Of the 20,775 marriages involving at least one citizen, 8,086 Singaporeans were hitched to non-citizen spouses. Of the 8,086 people, 6,200 were men and 1,886 were women.
There were 8,406 and 8,161 such marriages in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Close to 90 per cent of these non-citizen spouses last year were from Asia.
These figures were released recently by the National Population Secretariat but the real figure may be even higher as some Singaporeans marry their partners and register their marriages overseas.
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) attributed the trend to globalisation.
It noted that Singaporeans routinely travel overseas for work, study and leisure, and as the country becomes more vibrant and cosmopolitan, many foreigners also choose to live and work here.
'This provides more opportunities for interaction between Singaporeans and foreigners, and it is not surprising for some to fall in love and marry,' said a MCYS spokesman.
Sociologist Paulin Straughan attributes the high figures in recent years to Singapore's open-door policy towards foreign talent.
She added that the largest group of Singaporean male singles are usually lower educated while the female singles are usually higher educated.
'The educated women are more likely to travel overseas or meet Caucasian spouses at work here. The men turn to foreign brides through matchmaking agencies,' she said.
While figures on the nationalities of foreign spouses are unavailable, The Sunday Times understands that Malaysians form the bulk. But the mushrooming of matchmaking agencies has brought an influx of brides from Vietnam and China.
There are about 200 dating and matchmaking agencies here.
One of them is Blissful Marriage Consultants whose owner Han Lin Zhuo matchmakes about 10 couples yearly, charging $5,888 for each case.
His agency, set up in 2004, deals specifically with Hainanese brides because they are 'more virtuous and family-oriented' than Singaporean women.
'If Singaporean men do not want to date career-minded Singaporean women, I give them an alternative to date virtuous Hainanese women,' he said. He has contacts and an office in Hainan which generate a constant pool of Hainanese women looking to pair up with Singaporean men.
He added that most of his clients, aged between 28 and 50, had tried dating Singaporean women before turning to him.
'They date for three to five years and the girls are unwilling to settle down. The men want to start a family and don't want to risk going through the dating process again,' he said.
At another agency, Life Partner Matchmaker, owner Janson Ong said many men had joined dating agencies before seeking help from a matchmaker.
'They join these agencies and waste a number of years without getting a life partner. So they come to us - it's faster and the stigma of going to matchmakers has also gone down,' he said.
But his business - the women come from Vietnam - has been affected by the economic downturn since August last year. Now, he gets only one case every few months. Previously, he could get up to six cases monthly, charging $10,000 for each virgin bride.
He added that 40 per cent of his clients are degree holders with good jobs.
'They do well in their careers but when it comes to women, they're shy and have no courage to ask them out,' he noted.
Ms Annie Chan, co-founder of Club2040, a matchmaking agency and social dating club, said most of its clients still prefer to date local women because of their 'similar upbringing'.
She said men may turn to foreign women because they find local ones too 'career-minded' and 'driven'.
But Ms Chan said: 'Local women feel that men here don't understand that our education system has pushed them to pursue such high-powered careers. After a while, they feel that perhaps foreign men will appreciate this part of them.'
Ms Koh agrees. Her former boyfriend had often complained about her long working hours and felt insecure that she made more money than him.
'At work, we are conditioned to fight like a man but at home, they still expect us to go soft and take care of their every need,' she said.
'Foreign men are different; they know how to take care of their women.'
With trans-national marriages taking off, one issue has surfaced - citizenship for the children of these couples.
Dr Straughan said: 'These kids have one foot in each culture and country but Singapore may end up losing talents if the other parent is from a First World country.'
For businessman Jerome Phua, 43, it does not bother him which citizenship his son Ethan, three, takes up.
His wife is Indonesian and they met while he was on business in that country.
'Such marriages and 'mixed kids' will just add to the cosmopolitan flavour of Singapore. After all, we're already a rojak society,' he said.

mavistoh@sph.com.sg
What are your views on the trend of Singaporeans marrying foreigners? Send them to suntimes@sph.com.sg

With globalisation and Singapore's policy of attracting foreign talent, it's natural to see more Singaporeans marrying foreigners. While the Singapore women marry the Caucasians from the developed countries, the Singapore men marry women from the less deveoped countries such as China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Would you marry a foreigner? 

Graying World

Sec 3 Combined Humanities Results

For those Sec 3s who come to the blog, a preview to your class results. A marked improvement compared to mid-year. MSG for 3EA is 3.69 and 3EB is 5.45.

All The Best 4N Students

Tomorrow is your Geo Elective papers. Be calm and don't panic. Remember my advice, make sure you write. You'll only fail if you hand in an empty paper.

My last reminders:
1. Read question carefully. Underline the instructional words.
2. Know the difference between 'describe' and 'explain'.
3. Use the figure information or data as part of your answer.
4.Don't overwrite. E.g, don't give a summary of factors, go strait to the point.
5. Question like "How far/To what extent/How effective etc, make sure you show both sides, pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages.
6. Link back to the question.
7. Use geographical keywords.
8. Label diagrams if you need to draw.

Reduce climate change? Eat less meat: Report

Consume less milk as well, says four-year study of impact of food on climate change

LONDON: People will have to be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week if the world is to avoid runaway climate change, a new report has warned.
The report, by the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN), based at the University of Surrey, said total food consumption should be reduced, especially 'low nutritional value' treats such as alcohol, sweets and chocolates.
It urged people to return to habits their mothers or grandmothers would have been familiar with - buying locally in-season products, cooking in bulk and in pots with lids or pressure cookers, avoiding waste and walking to the shops, The Guardian said.
The report is a product of a four-year study of the impact of food on climate change, and goes much further than any previous advice after mounting concern about the impact of the livestock industry on greenhouse gases and rising food prices.
Its author Tara Garnett warned that campaigns encouraging people to change their habits voluntarily were doomed to fail and urged the government to use caps on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pricing to ensure that changes were made.
These findings are in line with an investigation by the October edition of the Ecologist magazine, which found that arguments for people to go vegetarian to stop climate change and reduce pressure on rising food prices were exaggerated and would damage the developing world in particular, where many people depend on animals for essential food and other products.
Instead, it recommended cutting meat consumption by at least half and making sure animals were fed as much as possible on grass and food waste which could not be eaten by humans.
The head of the United Nations (UN) intergovernmental panel on climate change, Mr Rajendra Pachauri, also sparked global debate this month when he urged people to have at least one meat-free day a week.
The FCRN found that measured by production, the British food sector produces greenhouse gases equivalent to 33 million tonnes of carbon. Measured by consumption, the total rises to 43.3 million tonnes. Both figures work out at under one fifth of British emissions, but they exclude the indirect impact of actions such as clearing rainforest for cattle and crops, which other studies estimate would add up to 5 to 20 per cent of global emissions.
The report found that the meat and dairy sectors together accounted for just over half of those emissions.
It called for meat and dairy consumption to be cut in developed countries so that global production remains stable as the population grows to an estimated nine billion by 2050. At the same time, emissions from farms, transport, manufacturing and retail could be cut, it said.
The UN and other bodies recommend that developed countries should reduce total emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. However, the National Farmers' Union warned that its own study, with other industry players, published last year, found net emissions from agriculture could be cut by only up to 50 per cent.

For those of you who always eat burgers for lunch. This article is food for thought. Cut down on your meat, and ask for more vegetables.

Population hits 4.84m

THE sense of a growing squeeze in shopping malls, MRT trains and hawker centres has been borne out by figures released by the Government on Friday.

Singapore's population grew by a record 5.5 per cent last year, the highest annual spike since Census figures were collected in 1871.

This means that as of June, there are 4.84 million people living in this country, up from 4.59 million last year.

Of these, the number of foreigners - fuelled by a fast-trotting economy last year - expanded the most rapidly, by a whopping 19 per cent, swelling their numbers to 1.2 million.

In contrast, the number of citizens grew by 1 per cent, while the number of permanent residents climbed 6.5 per cent. Together, they add up to 3.64 million residents.

The figures were released by the National Population Secretariat (NPS), under the Prime Minister's Office, which is tasked with overseeing Singapore's population policies.

The nation's total fertility rate (TFR) is still low but more births were registered.

The resident TFR rose slightly from 1.28 in 2006 to 1.29 in 2007. There were 18,032 resident births registered in the first six months this year, compared with 17,325 births a year ago. The increase is primarily due to more first-order births.

With the recent enhancement of the Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) Package, the Government hopes to support more Singaporeans in getting married and having children.

Singapore also welcomed more new permanent residents and new citizens. There were more foreigners becoming PRs and citizens, with 34,800 granted PRs and 9,600 granted citizenship in the first six months, compared to 28,500 and 7,300 in the same period in 2007.

More Singaporeans are also going overseas for work and study.

As of June, there were about 153,500 overseas Singaporeans (OS) compared with 147,500 a year ago.

The countries with a high concentration of overseas Singaporeans are Australia, the UK, the US and China.

Mr Roy Quek, Director of the NPS, who also heads the OSU, noted that 'having more Singaporeans go overseas is not a problem per se, so long as they stay engaged and connected with Singapore'.

'The fact that many Overseas Singaporeans have done well in other countries attests to the success of the Singaporean system in producing top students, professionals and entrepreneurs who can succeed outside of Singapore,' he added.

'We should celebrate their successes and help them stay connected to home, so that they remain Singaporeans in their hearts and minds even when they are physically away from the rest of us'.