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Competition heats up as EZ-Link faces offering from Nets |
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By johnloh on
10 Apr 2008 - 06:07 PM
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PUBLIC transport users will have a choice of more than one card to pay for bus and train fares and road toll charges next year.
Nets CashCard vice-president Yvonne Fong told The Straits Times that the Nets transit card would be different from what is already on the market.
'For example, we can develop and offer more ways of using CashCard as a payment mode, as an ATM card and for payments through mobile phones,' she said.
EZ-Link will launch a new multi-use card by the end of this year. For starters, motorists will be able to use the new ez-link card instead of the CashCard for ERP payments.
It could also have basic banking features - ATM withdrawals, for instance - as well as the capability to be a credit card.
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Really good service standard? |
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By johnloh on
09 Apr 2008 - 06:02 PM
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MANY Singaporeans are surprised that the country has scored nearly seven out of 10 in the first national customer-satisfaction survey, which is being taken as an indicator of service standards here.
Those who took part in a Straits Times straw poll generally conceded that service standards have risen, but said they would give it only a passing grade.
In the poll of 50 locals aged 15 to 69 from all walks of life, 34 said they would award 50 points or below, out of 100.
Among the 50 polled, 42 said nearly seven out of 10 was clearly too high.
Most griped about sales assistants' lack of product knowledge, even though some had nice things to say about those who went the extra mile.
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Singapore braces itself for worst dengue epidemic; $200k spent a day! |
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By johnloh on
08 Apr 2008 - 05:58 PM
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SINGAPORE is spending $200,000 a day in an effort to stave off what might be its worst dengue fever epidemic.Unless the trend of infections is halted, the number of sick people could hit record levels in three years' time.The bulk of the money is going into seeking out and destroying mosquito breeding sites, and mounting a targeted war against mosquitoes in areas where two or more people fall ill.
The bad news: The mosquito seems to be winning so far.
The number of infections from January to last Saturday is already 60 per cent higher than in the same period last year.
The severe, flu-like illness is also manifesting in a more deadly form called dengue haemorrhagic fever, for which no vaccine or cure is available. Victims are treated only for the symptoms - high fever, body aches and nausea.
Twenty people died from it last year.
Dr Ng Lee Ching, who heads the Environmental Health Institute (EHI) of the National Environment Agency (NEA), said: 'If nothing is done to stop the spread, the number o
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S'pore scores 'better than average' for customer satisfaction |
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By johnloh on
07 Apr 2008 - 06:02 PM
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Developed by the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU, the CSISG takes into account satisfaction levels across eight key economic sectors.
It also looks at how elements such as customer expectations and the quality of products or services, influence customer satisfaction.
In Singapore's case, the tourism industry had the highest customer satisfaction scores, followed by education and transport sectors.
The study also found that tourists taking part in the surveys rated Singapore's service standards higher than Singapore citizens and permanent residents.
The CSISG also dispelled another belief that Singaporeans are the worst when it comes to complaining - the country only scored a national average of 6.3 per cent for complaints, compared to 14 per cent in the US.
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Who to blame for high rice prices? |
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By johnloh on
04 Apr 2008 - 05:32 PM
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MUCH of the responsibility for the current spike in the price of rice lies with governments in the region, with agriculture suffering from misdirected policies and neglect, food experts say.
And this has been compounded by the fact that the 'green revolution' has run out of steam.
That revolution in the 1960s boosted crop yields through selective breeding and intensive water and fertiliser-dependent farming, making food-deficit countries such as India self-sufficient for the first time. But yields have since hit a plateau.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), paddy production last year rose only 1 per cent, making it the second consecutive year that production growth had lagged population growth.
This means that less rice is being produced per capita.
'We do need to grow more food. The fact is that governments had become complacent. This neglect has to end,' FAO policy officer Sumiter Broca said during a panel discussion at the Foreign Correspondents Club here on Wednesday
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Coolest March in nearly two decades... but weather still getting hotter |
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By johnloh on
03 Apr 2008 - 06:04 PM
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THE weather last month may have called for sweaters, but make no mistake about it: Singapore is still sweltering in the heat of global warming, say experts.
Average temperatures dipped to a cool 26.5 deg C last month, making it the coldest March since 1990.
At its chilliest, the mercury dropped to 21.8 deg C due to the 'wetter than average' weather, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).
But despite the dip, a close tracking of temperatures over the last few years shows that the weather is getting hotter.
'I worry that people may forget the bigger picture,' said Associate Professor Matthias Roth of the National University of Singapore's department of geography.
'Even though we may have had a cool bout, it's important to realise that climate change is still happening.'
Since the 1970s, Singapore's average annual temperature has creptup from about 26 deg C to 28 deg C.
'This is in line with a global trend,' said the NEA.
Last month's lower temperatures were driven by freakishly wet
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Wow, that baby infant could float on the water with ease |
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By johnloh on
02 Apr 2008 - 06:01 PM
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I think they should introduce Infant Swimming Resource(ISR). ISR is the most comprehensive drowning prevention program. The ISR mission is to get to the next child before that child gets to the water. The reality of infant and child drowning is that, in most cases, it is a preventable tragedy.
The program teach the participants to remain calm in the face of the threat of drowning and to learn to float on the water without much effort. I'm sure if this program is available in Singapore, many people would participate in it, be it a child or a adult.
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'Earth Hour' to plunge millions into darkness |
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By johnloh on
28 Mar 2008 - 03:27 PM
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Earth hour is at 5pm Singapore time on 29 March, lasting for 60-minutes shutdown. The initiative begins last year from Sydney and the number of participating cities are expected to increase over the years. Organisers hope the initiative will encourage people to be more aware of their energy usage, knowing that producing electricity pollutes the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels which are contributing to global warming. At last year's "Earth Hour" in Sydney, more than 10 percent of the central business district's energy usage is cut. Although it's not a significant amount, I think its a very effective way to create awareness among the masses, that Global Warming is happening.
Cities officially involved in 'Earth Hour' include Aalborg, Aarhus, Adelaide, Atlanta, Bangkok, Brisbane, Canberra, Chicago, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Darwin, Dublin, Hobart, Manila, Melbourne, Montreal, Odense, Ottawa, Perth, Phoenix, San Francisco, Suva, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto and Vancouver. Which makes me wonder wher
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