Summary
The number of people above 50 years old diagnosed with AIDS has doubled in five years to 142 last year. In 2004, about 25 per cent of those infected with HIV/AIDS were in that age group. Last year, the figure rose to 31 per cent.

They may think that because they are older, they have less risk to STD.More older persons are seeking companionship and sexual fulfilment outside of marriage due to various reasons such as financially more relaxed, children growing up, wives going through menopause, maybe sexually less active, loneliness due to children growing up having their own lives.

In June 2010, treatment for AIDS was made more affordable with a drop in the price of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for AIDS sufferers. The cost of first line ARV drugs dropped three-fold to S$200 compared to S$1000 last year. This enabled more patients to use their Medisave to pay for their drug regimen.

Opinion
Sex is a need for man of all ages, be it the working who faces stress and the elderly who are overcome by lonliness. Sex is an effective tool able to relieve human with social problems, since it is proven that it is a healthy activity which is encouraged.

The low prices of drugs however does not help in countering the rising problem of elderly infected with AIDS, instead it makes them think that medicine are readily affordable, encouraging them to engage in more high risk sexual activity. Personally, it is better to educate these elderly to practice safer sex without depriving them of their need.

by dingkiat

Title: Elderly man hit by van robbed as he lies bleeding on the road
Article by: By Bryna Sim
Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/The%2BNew%2BPaper/Story/A1Story20101119-248148.html


HE PRETENDED to be concerned about the elderly pedestrian who had just been hit by a van.
The man rushed over, knelt and appeared to be interested in helping the pedestrian.
He suddenly darted off, past about 50 people waiting under a bus shelter as heavy rain pelted down.
Said a witness, Ms Faith Ong: "The driver of the van shouted, "Robbery, Robbery" in Mandarin, and then gave chase."
But the man outran the van driver, who returned to help the elderly man, said Ms Ong, who is self-employed and in her late 30s.
It turns out the man was helping himself to the injured pedestrian's wallet.
The accident and theft happened at about 1pm yesterday near Block 846, along Yishun Street 61. The van driver, Mr Liaw, who is in his 20s, had just bought a McDonald's meal for his pregnant wife from Khatib Central, near Block 846.
"She was having a craving, and I wanted to be sweet to her," he said.
The couple have been living in the area for the last few years, and they have a young daughter. Meal in hand, Mr Liaw got into his father-in-law's van. He was about to make a right turn when an elderly pedestrian appeared "suddenly" on his left.
"The moment I saw the old man, I panicked but managed to veer my van to the right to avoid hitting him," he said.
Mr Liaw's van then slammed into the central divider, mounting it.
But he could not avoid hitting the elderly pedestrian, Mr Lee Ling Peck, 71.
The accident left a dent on the van's bonnet and broke its licence plate.
Said Mr Liaw: "I immediately got out of my van and went to his side."
He said that his only concern was for Mr Lee's safety, so he didn't care that he was getting drenched in the rain.
He saw that Mr Lee was bleeding from the head, and told him not to move.
He also asked for the old man's mobile phone, as he wanted to inform the latter's family members.
Witnesses told The New Paper that about 50people waiting under the bus shelters on either side of the road saw the accident.
As Mr Liaw dialled Mr Lee's son's number, about three people rushed over to check on the elderly man.
Ms Ong said: "I think they were trying to shelter him and the driver from the rain, as they held umbrellas over the old man."
Someone in the crowd also called the police and an ambulance.
Then a mystery man showed up.
Mr Liaw said he was on the phone with Mr Lee's son at the time and thought that the man, too, was a concerned passer-by.
The man was dressed in a black T-shirt and wore grey track pants. He was carrying a haversack and had a cap on, said Ms Ong. He did not have an umbrella.
Mr Liaw said that he knew something was wrong a few minutes later, when Mr Lee tilted his head upwards with much effort and gestured to him.
"He pointed to his pants and said in Hokkien, 'Thief, thief, someone took my wallet'," said Mr Liaw.
But before he could do anything, the mystery man ran away. Mr Liaw chased him past the bus stop and to Khatib Central, but lost him.


My opinions:
After reading the article, i feel disgusted and angry. How can anyone in the world be so HEARTLESS? I mean, not showing ANY bit of concern, or rather, showing a false face of concern to an injured old man, just to steal his wallet? What is the world becoming? I feel sorry for him. Where is his pride? How can anyone ever thought of that? Although he managed to get away this time, i'm sure he'd live with guilt for the rest of his life.


Thankfully there were still people who care to give the old man a helping hand. Thankfully the driver did not hit-and-run. Its nice heartwarming to see that compassionate people still exist and bothered to called the ambulance and in the mean time, help the old man.

Maybe the man who stole the wallet had some serious reasons of stealing an old, injured man's wallet but i don't think any reason'd be good enough. I think the goverment should do something (Eg: campaign) to educate people (adults) who need some help in their values. It would make this world a much better place to live in.

BY: KAHMIN :)

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20101125-249239.html

Summary :
An Indonesian maid has been officially arrested for the murder of 12-year-old Linda Li Yi Ling.

The 24-year-old maid who had been working for the girl's family will be charged with murder tomorrow. If convicted, she faces the death sentence.

According to the Lianhe Wanbao, investigations are still ongoing as to which floor the deceased was thrown down from.
Neighbours had told the Chinese evening daily that the maid had not worked very long for the family. She had been sent back to the maid agency before for unsatisfactory work performance. However, the family took her back after deciding to give her another chance.

Linda, who only recently learned how to walk, was found dead at the foot of a HDB flat in Hougang yesterday morning.

She lived with her parents on the fourth floor and studied at the Asian Women's Welfare Association's Special Needs School in Yio Chu Kang. Neighbours said that the girl was friendly, and liked to greet people, although her vocabulary was limited. She could say words like "papa", "mama", "hello" and "bye-bye". They would often see the maid bringing her to buy ice-cream from the neighbourhood's provision shop, and dinner from the nearby food centre.

The family is understood to have two maids who worked for them previously, with the last one working for the past three years. They have since left.

My view :
I strongly believe that every child is unique in its own way. Linda is a special child who needs special care and love. Firstly, parents should be very careful in selecting the person to look after for this kind of special need child. Now days, parents prefer hiring indonesian maid, which is not wrong. They must make sure that they had good talk with the maids, and inform them in advance that they will be handling this kind of special need child. They must make sure that the maid is mentally prepared to avoid this kind of situation
Secondly, maid agencies should train the maid mentally to take care child with special needs. Yes, they will feel very stressed up at times, but they must understand the child's situation.
what the maid did was extremely wrong and yes she must be punished severely. No one as in no one, has the rights to end some other people's life.

done by: Veshallini

2 other couples were recently "stomped" by stompers for displaying Public Display of Affection(PDA). Both pictures (as shown above) were photos taken on 26 and 27 Nov respectively and were taken on public transport. These 2 couples were not the unfortunate or should i say unlucky ones, there were also many other couples that were caught on the camera with PDA.

Here is the thing: Are Singaporeans (the stompers) too conservative about couples being passionate about one another or are singaporeans (the people being "stomped") way too open minded about love?

From the first picture, we can see that a Caucasian was kissing a asian girl openly and passionately on the tube. Together with the article, a video was also posted. The video lasted for around 29 seconds. While the second picture was actually a photo of a guy repeatedly sticking his tongue out in an attempt to kiss his girlfriend. When she refused, he planted loud kisses on her, which echoed loudly through the near-empty bus. Both couples were described as disgusted and nuisance by the stompers.

My response:
I personally feel that Singaporeans nowadays are slightly way too passionate about love. When they are on train, they are happy lovey dovey away, neglecting stares and comments from onlookers. I personally saw couples on trains showing PDA before, and these couples can range from young secondary school kids to adults. I might be conservative about it but i feel that PDA shouldn't be done overboard and PDA should be done behind closed doors or during personal time. Tucking of waists and hugging are fairly acceptable but interlocking of tongues and french kissing are definitely a big NO.

To add on, Under the Rapid Transit Systems Act (Chapter 263A, Section 42): "Section 17 – Passenger not to cause nuisance – No one shall conduct himself on any train or in any part of the railway premises so as to cause nuisance or annoyance to other passengers. (Maximum fine of $500)". Maybe someday everybody will come to realise that PDA is not only dangerous in public, but they also come with a price to it ($500).

Sheridin:)

Credits: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/caught_in_the_act/501178/another_caucasian_kissing_asian_girl_on_mrt_he_faces_500_fine.html
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/what_bugs_me/502738/couple_engage_in_tongueofwar_as_guy_tries.html

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101124-248814.html
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101122-248574.html
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101122-248548.html

When the leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network's Singapore cell, Mas Selamat Kastari was finally nabbed on 11 April 2009 after the prison escape, the whole of Singapore returned back to the happy and peaceful state without fearing running into the most wanted criminal of Singapore. However, this peace of news didn't lasted for very long till news on details of Mas Selamat's escape was made known.

The main culprits for assisting Mas Selamat to escape the search of the local cops were none other than his grown-up niece, Nur Aini bte Asmom and his brother Asmom. Nur Aini was apparently the one who let Mas Selamat into the flat. Despite her mother Aisah had reservations about allowing Mas Selamat into the flat. Nur Aini, however, persuaded her mother to allow Mas Selamat to enter the flat. She then allowed him to use her bedroom, provide him food and water, and also assist him by destroying material evidence, namely the clothing he wore to the flat, which included his WRDC-issued attire. Whereas his brother Asmom gave him S$100 and RM100 to facilitate his escape from Singapore to Malaysia. He also gave Mas Selamat some traditional medicine which the latter kept in his backpack.

For harbouring and aiding Mas Selamat Kastari after his escape from Whitley Road Detention Centre, Nur Aini and her parents were given jail sentences between three to 18 months. The breaking news of this entire news was that Mas Selamat's niece Nur Aini bte Asmon was actually a local Malay language teacher. For aiding Mas Selamat to escape, Miss Nur Aini bte Asmon might have to face with disciplinary action, "including dismissal, against teachers who have been charged and convicted in court for a criminal offence."

My response:
Was it right that Nur Aini and her family was punished for aiding the escape? I personally feel that it is utmost right because without enforcing law and order in a country, the country will never prosper. When the country never prosper, the country will suffer in the long run. Therefore, having peace and order in a country is always essential and important to the different aspects of developing a country.

Linking back to the article, i feel that to prevent external threats from posing a threat to Singapore, Singaporeans and the economy, i feel that the government should increase the minimum education level for all citizens. Because only with sufficient education level and a broadened perspective, then making of wise and correct decisions will come into the picture. With misinterpretation of words and perception, it will definitely be tricky to tackle threats.

I personally feel that Singapore is currently facing too many problems of social unrest after many injured incidents in the recent month. Stricter control and regular patrols of crowds might be required to put all these mishaps to an end.

Sheridin :)

Title: 2 youths arrested for brandishing weapon on MRT train

Article by: AsiaOne
Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101118-247959.html


POLICE have arrested two male youths, aged 16 and 17, for brandishing a knife whilst onboard an MRT train on Dec 31, 2009.

Investigations revealed that the two suspects and two of their friends were onboard an MRT train on 31 December 2009 where one of the suspects took out a knife from his bag and posed for a photo which was taken by one of his friends.

A photo of the two suspects committing the act was also subsequently uploaded onto citizen journalism website Stomp. The two suspects have since been released on bail, and are being investigated for Unlawful Possession of Offensive Weapons and Consorting with Persons with Offensive Weapons under Sec 6(1) and Sec 8(1) of the Corrosive & Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act, Cap 65 respectively.

Both suspects are also being investigated for gang-related offences.

Investigations are ongoing to locate their two friends who were involved in the incident.

Any person who in any public road or place carries or has in his possession any offensive weapon, or found in the company of the such person, may be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years and shall be liable for caning of not less than 6 strokes.

Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Ng Boon Gay said, 'Carrying dangerous weapons in a public place is a very serious offence.

'We will not allow this kind of behaviour to be left unchecked and will come down hard on such offenders, regardless of their age.'

My opinions:
I think its really silly for people to bring WEAPONS everywhere. And in this case, on the Mass Rapid Trasit in Singapore (which most of the time is full of people) and worst still, posing for a photograph. What's with some teenagers these days? Going around hurting people. Do they even have feelings? Sometimes, it disgusts me to think how heartless and inconsiderate some people are. When they hurt someone, it isnt just that someone being hurt. Its his/her parents. Friends. Relatives. People who love them. Do they even consider the consequences?

Worst of all, taking a picture in a publice transport,looking proud and happy, in full view of random passer-bys, WITH A WEAPON. Its funny why they don't feel ashame of themselves. Linking back to the article, they are suspects of the slashing incident. If they didnt pose a picture with their weapon in public, they wouldn't have been suspected. This is a warning to all slashers out there: If you have a weapon, keep it! It'd be better for both sides - themselves and the public. Stop scaring innocent people on the train who are just living their mundane lives, trying to get to their destinatons .

BY: KAHMIN.

Link : http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Story/A1Story20101119-248138.html
The accident happened on Hari Raya Haji. When Wiah (  Nurul Nabilah Mohamed Zubri, 12)  was thrown out over the vehicle when it crashed. Poor girl was thrown over the Pan - Island expressway. Her other sibling we safe and her parents were alright too.
Wiah, was known to be a polite and well mannered girl. People around her were shocked that she left them.  She's a girl whom every parents want to have her as their daughters
done by veshallini. 


My view : A lot of accidents are happening as we all know, especially during the festive season times. We have to bear in mind our loved ones, while driving. Thats why we are thought several things when we apply for license. Some accidents are inevitable, but it still depends on the driver.   

Sumamry
SHANGHAI: Chinese police detained four people on Tuesday identified as unlicensed welders for allegedly sparking a fire in a Shanghai high-rise that killed 53 people, with 70 were being treated for injuries and more than 50 people remained unknown as anxious relatives searched desperately for news of missing loved ones.

The blaze raged for several hours on monday, which was the worst fire in Shanghai's recent history,causing panicked residents to jump from the inferno or seek refuge on rickety construction scaffolding surrounding the building.

The building was surrounded by scaffolding covered in a lot of flammable sheeting and plywood boards that caused the fire to spread to a large area in a very short time. The wind was strong and intensified the situation

Deadly fires are common in China due to lax observation and enforcement of fire safety measures.


Opinion
Its saddening when a disaster that killed many isn't natural, because people are able to start pointing fingers. All this time i have always doubt China's ability to produce something of quality.However part of it is contributed by their vast population which makes situations complicated to control.

But it defitinely would be beneficial to China if people were to divert resources toward better quality control in terms of its economy and social welfare.

done by: dingkiat

So what apple products are like the biggest and more trendy 'must-have' on earth? seriously so what?
But have you the thought of apple products might be capable of disappointing you in some way or another? Let's consider the latest iphone 4.
This is definitely one of the hottest products on earth right now!! Every human being can't resist the temptation of touching the phone and trying out every functions such as the camera quality. However, in a recent news article that i found in http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/what_bugs_me/495008/iphone_4_glitch_allows_you_to_bypass.html showed that a glitch with both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 models, which allows others to bypass your pass code, make any call from your phone and even view your photo album. Check out these photos that i have adapted from the website.You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. :D


Apparently, the steps to unlock the glitch are:
"Select the emergency call. Dial any number, and while it's dialling, quickly press the power button, and it will take you to the contact list."
I tried these steps personally and i realised that they worked on both iphone 4 and iphone 3GS. Hereby, i conclude that this glitch is true. Let's pray that Apple will start taking actions to stop such acts from continuing and put the consumers' interests in risks.

Sheridin :)

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_601958.html

SUMMARY:

The attack on Darren Ng, a Republic Polytechnic student, was found to be gang-related. The deceased was attacked by a group of youths with choppers and hacked to death from 5.30 pm to 5.37 pm on October 30th at the main foyer of Downtown East entertainment hub. It all started from a 'staring incident'. The police warned that gang behaviours will be dealt harshly.

MY OPINION ON THE ARTICLE:

I remember it clearly that this incident, a youth attacked to death at Downtown East, came out in the news and it was during the Halloween period. I am concerned that gang fights are more common nowadays and gangs are braver now to attack their victims in public. I am sorry for Darren Ng who was the victim attacked at Downtown East but this brings me to the point that sometimes, it is just noble enough to swallow your ego and walk away because it can save your life. And with Darren Ng's death it would be a lesson for  youths out there that showing pride and ego is not always a good thing after all. I felt sad that a life is wasted to a group of people who follows the heart desires than the mind and caused other people at jeopardy.

done by: Nurhidayah Naaim

http://www.divaasia.com/article/11443

SUMMARY:

Parents in China now prefer daughters to sons. In China, it is a tradition to have the only offspring they can have a male due to the one-child policy in that country. But it is also a tradition for parents to buy an apartment for their son when he gets married and to pay for the wedding.

Due to the rising prices of apartment in places like Beijing, parents choose to have a daughter because they cannot afford an apartment for their son. This is a total opposite in the United States where the females are the ones who pay for the wedding.

Besides that, it was believed that sons are the ones who will take over the farms and care for the parents but this is not always true. Girls are scoring better than boys in school, and this brings the parents of China to the question if the girls are after all capable to take care of the parents and take over the family business? Eventhough men earn higher than the women in China and in most countries, but it is often seen that the women are the ones taking care of the house and parents.

MY OPINION ON THE ARTICLE:

I just cannot help it to say GIRL POWER!!! I am glad that in China, couples are starting to realise that daughters do have the same potential and capabilities as sons. Frankly, I do not support the tradition in China that says to have a son is better than to have a daughter. Because now girls are getting more clever in school, and gender equality says it all. And the capability of one to take over the family business and care for the parents is not determine by the gender. Everyone is born with one head and two brains, so it does not make any logic to say that boys are better  or more special in any way than girls in terms of taking care of the welfare of the family.

Eventhough men do earn more than women now, it does not mean that men are more capable to care for the family because money does not measure capability. But, of course, tradition and culture will always stay and not fade by time but trend can.

I hope that people worldwide will have a change of mind about having girls, as in daughters, because sons and daughters have the same will and capability to run the family business and care for the older parents. On top of that, I hope that parents in China will have daughters, not because raising sons are more expensive, but because girls can still make a difference.

done by: Nurhidayah Naaim

A 26-year-old woman was enjoying happy hour with two male friends at Ginza Pub in Yishun along Sembawang Road on November 10 when the unexpected happened.


She was approached by a group of five women and one man in their late 20s, who asked if she belonged to a gang.

Adapted from: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101109-246378.html and http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_601003.html

This photo actually showed a Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) train derails along a track. Believe it or not, this is actually a news coming from SINGAPORE!!! It happened on last Tuesday morning at about 8.15am. "Local reports say only the first three carriages derailed, with the first more badly damaged than the other two." and thankfully, "no casualties have been reported." Affected passengers are already ferried back to Tanjong Pagar. At that time of time, there were only "60 passengers" on board and the cause of the accident wasn't reported. Compensation of the train tickets were also made to the affected passengers

My personal response:
To start off first, here are a couple of questions that i have thought about. Was it still safe for singaporeans to take KTM trains? And should these trains be taken away to make way for infrastructure?  What are some precautions KTM should take in order to prevent such mishap from happening?

Let's see. These trains definitely have a long history and were probably serving their functions seven before i was borne. And to be frank, they have actually served generations of Singaporeans. Despite the scarce land that Singapore is faced with for years, i feel that we should never abolish such a tradition. To be fair, there are no longer that many passengers nowadays taking the KTM trains but still,  till today, the train is still serving the purpose of ferrying citizens and tourists to and from Singapore and Malaysia. Though the derailed train might have led to a drop in consumer's confidence, KTM should take precautions of conducting regular checks of the railways, the train engines itself and definitely, the weather condition. Take for example, the heavy rainpour might caused the nearby landill to slip and lead to accidents. It is always good to be safe than to be sorry. :)

With this, i end my post!

Sheridin:)

Summary
On Nov 2, three cars with clear signs of a bomb were parked at nine locations, including Orchard Road, Shenton Way and Marina Bay from 8am to 7pm.
Of the 7,200 people who passed by within 10 metres of the vehicles, only 260 noticed the vehicle.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said that Singaporeans need a change of mindset, because over time, people become less vigilant about security matters.

He was speaking at the Civil Service College where the National Security Seminar was held.

Opinion
People are definitely complacent about terrorism happening in Singapore though the government has put in efforts to build citizen's awareness of the increasing possibilty of a terror attack such as through the media in the MRT stations.

Reason being, most citizens are too reliant on our own national security forces due to maybe high expectations from them to perform since Singapore has been successful so far in preventing any terror attacks thus we are still secured without feeling the need to be alert.

Personally, i feel it's best if a real terror situation were to happen here so people can learn to be more vigilent in times where we feel most vulnerable.

done by dingkiat