Alex Tan continues to demonstrate his unparalleled ignorance and selective reading of facts

By Shut Down TRS (Facebook Page)

Alex Tan spreading half truths fueling hatred for the Govt!

Instead of reporting the full article where Alex Tan stole from, he left out the part where it was mentioned most bond breaking cases were from earlier graduating batches. 

MOE had enhanced measures taken and the default rates have already come down significantly. Since the enforcement, 95% of these recipients are meeting their bond applications!

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/lapses-in-enforcing-scholarship-bonds

MOE Facebook Post 

Stupid RFP requirement put up by someone equally stupid

Seriously.. the person who approved the RFP for release is either a dumbass who has never dealt with publishing/creatives, and/or is a totally Kiasi/Kaisu person who has an equally dumbass boss who keeps on changing their minds.

Personally, I think the dumbass boss scenario is more likely. Unfortunately, like any organization, the Civil Service has its fair share of morons who somehow manage to get into managerial positions.

In any case, apparently this little teh-oh storm has caught the attention of the Min. of Finance 'cos someone has made a complaint to them.

Which ultimately means... "Somebody's gonna get hurt real bad"...

So, while the responsible person puckers up their ass for a whooping, its good to know that our Civil Service does respond to such idiotic actions from within its ranks.


Read more below:

Mothership: GeBIZ Invitation-to-Quote/ Tender doc: This is why modern slavery exists in S’pore

Mothership: Ministry of Finance says it is looking into ‘Unlimited Changes’ requirement on Invitation-to-Quote/ Tender doc



Update:
So MrBrown came up with a few memes to show how GeBIZ would be like if it was in a Star Wars movie... heheee

See more here.

Pic: MrBrown

Ensuring there's enough water - always

The Linggiu Reservoir in Johor is FIVE TIMES LARGER than all of the 17 reservoirs put together. It was constructed by the PUB following a 1990 treaty supplementary to Singapore's 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia.

Image: Singapore Matters 

By Ng Joo Hee, 27 Nov 2015

Not many people know that there are 17 freshwater reservoirs in Singapore, or that we have a large reservoir across the Causeway in Johor.

Constructed by the PUB following a 1990 treaty supplementary to Singapore's 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia, the Linggiu Reservoir dwarfs them all. In fact, with an 18km girth and 55 sq km in area, Linggiu is five times larger than all of Singapore's other reservoirs combined.

RESERVOIR STOCK RUNNING LOW

Two weeks ago, my boss, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, made the bumpy trek to Linggiu. He did so with one aim: to tell the Singaporean public that - because of persistent dry weather - Linggiu Reservoir is more than half empty and that, while water supply in Singapore remains steady and resilient, the dry weather may eventually also affect us.

As I write, several parts of Johor Baru are well into the fourth month of water rationing. Many of Johor's own reservoirs are at critically low levels and a "one-day-on- two-days-off" scheduled water supply has been in operation since early August. The water authority there has asked PUB to augment its supply during this period with an additional five million gallons a day (mgd) of potable water from our treatment plant in Johor, which we readily agreed to do.

Imported water - which can meet half of Singapore's daily demand for drinking water - is under threat and steadily depleting, but the taps continue to flow for consumers here. This is an unappreciated blessing. For sure, this outcome is not in any way due to good fortune. It stems from long and careful planning, and conscientious implementation by PUB and other parts of the Government.

Singapore's continued ability to ensure water security and sustainability guarantees our national survival and economic prosperity. This was the case at Independence and it remains so now, when Singapore has turned 50.

Singapore's current demand for water is approximately 400 mgd, roughly 730 Olympic-size pools full of the life-giving stuff, with each person using an average of 150 litres a day.

As industry and commerce grow and our population increases, the demand for water can only rise. We expect total demand to double by 2061, to 800 mgd. This is also around the time our 99-year water agreement with Malaysia will end.

By 2030, 15 years from now, total demand would have reached 560 mgd, or a third more than today's.

This is water that we do not have now - water that we will need to find and treat.

Image: Fabrications about the PAP

There is just not enough space in Singapore to collect and store all the water that we need. 

Although right on the Equator and in the tropics, Singapore is actually a severely water-challenged country. We spend a lot of time and devote a lot of resources in planning for the future. PUB always builds ahead of demand. Construction of Singapore's third desalination plant will soon commence. Plans for a fourth have just been announced. And you can be sure that we are busy working on the one after that.

Water security is a matter of life and death for us in Singapore. Our existence as a sovereign nation is directly contingent on enduring water security. The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, recognised this fact from day one, and worked tirelessly throughout his life to secure our water future. He once said: "Water dominated every other policy. Every other policy had to bend at the knees for water survival."

Singapore's water strategy comes in three parts. First of all, we have to maximise our own yield. So we strive to collect every drop of rain that falls here. This means turning as much of Singapore as possible into a water catchment, and keeping our drains, canals and waterways pristine.

Second, we have to think of water as an endlessly reusable resource. In our minds, the H2O molecule is never lost. Water can always be reclaimed and re-treated so that it can be drunk again.

PUB is a world leader in this. Today, we are able to turn wastewater into sweet water for very little money. We reclaim every drop of sewage and turn much of it into drinking water again.

And third, because Singapore is surrounded by sea, we turn seawater into drinking water. When membrane separation technology made desalination economically viable, PUB adopted it with great zeal. And we continue to research better desalination technology to find less expensive ways of desalting water.

Our plan, in the long run, is for fully 80 per cent of Singapore's water needs to be met by desalinated and recycled water.

TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, INGENUITY

The future of water security in Singapore may lie with desalination and reuse, but we also know that if we just do more of the same, the next drop of water will always be more expensive to collect, to treat and to deliver. So, PUB is always looking for new ways of doing things, new innovations that will let us produce water cheaper, and in an easier way.

Because the heavens do not give us enough water or the space to keep it, we have looked to clever science and high technology, and to human ingenuity, for improvements... It will be technology and innovation that will allow us to collect and clean our wastewater, and continue to keep our soil, rivers, lakes and seas clean and hospitable.

We are crystal clear about achieving three outcomes for research and innovation in the water sector: to increase water resources; lower the cost of production; and improve security and system resilience.

In order to achieve and sustain these outcomes, PUB has invested and continues to invest a lot of money in water-related scientific research, in nurturing human talent in water technology and engineering, and in actively developing a thriving and globally competitive water industry.

Water R&D is an exciting and fast-moving area. The cutting-edge science that PUB is supporting in research laboratories all over Singapore suggests that we are on the cusp of realising some truly game-changing technologies. Let me provide a few examples.

• Desalination may be weather- resistant, but it is energy- intensive and a costly means of making seawater drinkable. Working with collaborators, PUB is ready to demonstrate electro-deionisation - the use of a new separation technology - as a far more energy-efficient way of taking salt out of seawater. But why stop there? Mother Nature, as always, does it best. Mangrove and fish in the sea need fresh water too, and they are able to remove excess salt with minimal effort. Biomimicry offers great promise and is another area of research that we have devoted considerable resources to.

• PUB engineers who have made wastewater treatment their life work will tell you that there is "gold" in sewage. Sludge, an inevitable by-product of sewage treatment, is concentrated organic material. Energy can be readily recovered from sewage sludge in the form of methane gas. Because sludge management technology is advancing by the day, modern sewage treatment facilities are fast becoming waste-to-energy plants. PUB's planned Tuas Water Reclamation Plant will be just that. To be developed jointly with the National Environment Agency's Integrated Waste Management Facility, this combined unit will be a world first, bringing unprecedented synergies in terms of land use, energy savings and operational efficiency.

• Leaky pipes are enemy No. 1 for water network engineers. It is quite senseless to expend effort and energy in making water potable only to lose it through leaks in the water transmission network. Losses because of leaks are a perennial challenge for water utilities the world over, and the water systems in some countries can lose as much as half of their production due to leaks. Despite fastidious attention to finding and plugging pipe leaks here, keeping our losses at the current 5 per cent is a daily challenge for our engineers and technicians. Again, technology offers a solution. PUB is busy fitting out our extensive water conveyance network, most of which is underground, with sophisticated pressure and acoustic sensors. These not only detect pipeline ruptures, but careful study of sensor data will even help us predict imminent leaks before they happen, allowing us to do pre-emptive repairs.

Despite severely limiting geographic constraints, today's Singapore is not short of water.

As long as we at PUB continue to be smart and clear-eyed about our nation's water situation, and do our work well, there should always be enough water. This is possible only because we have used our imagination, researching and testing continuously, and have exploited technology to overcome our water challenges.

In this way, we have turned disadvantage into strength, and seemingly insurmountable vulnerability into endless opportunity.

Mr Ng Joo Hee, 49, leads PUB, Singapore's national water agency. In this role, he is responsible for the supply of potable water, the reclamation and treatment of used water, and the management of storm water in Singapore. He also holds a concurrent appointment as the Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

Source: 

Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ensuring-theres-enough-water-always?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#xtor=CS1-10

Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink?

On 16 Nov 2015, our neighbours in JB experienced a storm due to the annual northeast monsoon. The two-hour long heavy rains resulted in severe flash floods right in the heart of JB town.

Severe flash floods in the heart of JB (FiveStarsAndAMoon)

Severe flash floods in the heart of JB (Fabrications About The PAP)

Ironically, in the previous months JB had been experiencing a dry spell which has resulted in the water level of Johor's Linggiu Reservoir dropping down to a historic low.

According to the Straits Times report, the reservoir is at about 43% capacity. And many parts of Johore are already being subjected to water rationing.

Picture from Masagos Zulkifli Minister, Environment and Water Resources

So what has all this got to do with Singapore?

Well, first of all, the Linggiu Reservoir regulates the flow of Johor River, from which Singapore and Johor draw water for treatment. So if the Reservoir runs out of water, Singapore would lose a part of its water supply.

But wait, wasn't there a flood in JB? Should the storm have at least filled up the reservoir a little?

Well, the answer is no, it didn't. The heavy rains that caused the JB floods had little impact on the reservoir's water levels.

"The heavy rain and subsequent floods in JB are in a different catchment area from the Linggiu Reservoir, which is further upstream," a PUB spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday. "While there has been some rain in the Linggiu Reservoir catchment, the water levels remain largely the same, at around 43 per cent."

In other words, all that rainfall in JB was "lost" to the sea instead of being diverted and captured in their reservoirs.

But how come Singapore hasn't been subjected to water rationing like JB? Don't we get most of our water from Malaysia?

Well, this article will shed some light on the mystery.

Tech Insider: Singapore has come up with an ingenious way to save water

In a nutshell, we have been described as a "giant sponge" that soaks up all the rain water we get and channel them into our own reservoirs. This together with an almost obsessive building up of reservoirs and catchment areas, and reclaiming sewage water with the NEWater technology, is providing Singapore with a substantial hedge against drought.

And all this wouldn't have been possible if Singapore hadn't taken a long term approach to invest and build up her self-sufficiency in water.

NEWater plant. Photo: PUB

As to why Singapore could do this, and Malaysia couldn't, well, I leave it to the readers to discern for themselves.

Read more here:

ST: Water level in Linggiu Reservoir hits record low, continued dry spell could affect Singapore

ST: JB downpour fails to raise reservoir level

ST: Singapore's water supply: Where does it come from?

PUB - The Singapore Water Story

PUB - NEWater - The 3rd National Tap

What Singapore’s plan for an aging population can teach the United States

By Tara Bahrampour, 2 November 2015

Singapore, one of the world’s fastest-aging countries, has announced a massive, multipronged plan to help its citizens age successfully — one that advocates say leaves the United States in the dust.

The $2.1 billion plan announced by the Ministry of Health, “A Nation for All Ages,” comprises initiatives on topics such as health and wellness, education, volunteerism, housing, transportation, and social inclusion.

A new “National Silver Academy” will offer post-secondary education to older people, and up to $142 million will go toward innovations in research to transform the experience of aging. The initiative also includes housing elder-care and child-care centers in the same facilities to promote intergenerational bonding and piloting therapeutic gardens for dementia and stroke patients.

Singapore, an island city-state of 5.5 million, is one of the fastest aging populations in the world, with the number of residents aged 65 and over projected to hit 19 percent in 2030, up from 9.3 percent in 2011. Its plan is striking in that it focuses heavily on empowerment rather than just tending to the frail.

To be fair, it is easier to implement a nationwide plan in a tiny country where executive decisions are more streamlined. The government there enjoys high approval ratings and its large-scale plans are not subject to U.S.-style partisan battles.

On top of that, Singapore is culturally just a better place to be an old person. Deeply rooted Confucian beliefs include respect for one’s elders. In the workplace, increased deference is shown toward older employees; and in the family, oldest members are introduced first and given the choicest food. Children are legally required to assume financial responsibility for their elderly parents should the need arise. The country even has a minister in charge of aging.

But even though the United States is a larger, more diverse country with different challenges, it would do well to emulate Singapore’s approach, American experts say.

“They get it,” said Paul Irving, chairman of the Center for the Future of Aging at the Milken Institute and distinguished scholar-in-residence at the University of Southern California’s Davis School of Gerontology. “They get that older people represent a human capital asset that can improve the country. . . . They’re not just a burden on society, they’re not just a silver tsunami, but also a wonderful opportunity to capitalize on the human resource that older adults represent and to take advantage of their wisdom and judgment. We need leaders at all levels understanding this, taking it on, and getting involved.”

Instead of focusing on building more nursing homes, for example, countries should be looking for ways to improve the experience of aging at different points of the life cycle, said Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity.

“They’re really focusing on aging as a longevity issue and not just an issue of the elderly, and it’s brilliant,” she said of the Singapore plan. Too often, she said, “people just focus on ‘We’ve got to build a society that supports very old, frail people.’ We’ve got to build a society that supports people all the way through these long lives. . . . Any country that looks at longevity and not just old age stands to do well in the future.”

While Singapore’s approach is unusually comprehensive, governments in other countries with aging populations have also begun to embrace more proactive initiatives. For example, the United Kingdom this year announced it would put $77 million in National Lottery funds toward programs to support better aging.

In recent years, American cities and counties have increasingly embraced “age friendly” initiatives.

But overall the United States is faltering when it comes to its aging population, said Marc Freedman, founder and chief executive of Encore.org and author of “The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife.” This is true despite the fact that the nation’s population of those aged 65 and over is projected to almost double by 2050, to 83.7 million.

“To my knowledge, there’s nothing here even under discussion that resembles the thoughtful, forward-looking, and comprehensive approach embodied in the new plan from Singapore —a gulf reflected in the recent White House Conference on Aging, which for example barely touched on the continued contribution of older people to the economy or to society,” he said. “By stark contrast, Singapore’s plan offers a framework for how we might go about transforming the purported zero-sum prospect of the aging society into a potential human capital windfall and a source of cross-generational harmony.

“We should see this effort as a challenge,” he said. “It’s time to develop a comparable blueprint for the U.S.”


Tara Bahrampour, a staff writer based in Washington, D.C., writes about aging and generations.


Source: 
The Washington Post - What Singapore’s plan for an aging population can teach the United States
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/what-singapores-plan-for-an-aging-population-can-teach-the-us/2015/11/01/f86e9596-7f42-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html?postshare=2231446516071830

[Defending the Lion City] RSN's Unmanned Naval vessels

Technology today is rapidly advancing in robotics, maneuvering, autonomous navigation, communications and data links. Our Navy will be integrating more and more unmanned technology as part of the Navy of the future. Embracing such technological advancements make our Navy Smarter, Sharper and Stronger.

The Venus 16 Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) is one of the unmanned systems currently being tested to support our maritime security operations. Designed and built locally by Singapore Technologies Electronics, the Venus 16 USV can be configured into various roles such as the conduct of patrols as part of our Navy’s layered coastal defence, or to support mine countermeasure in conducting underwater scans of the seabed, while significantly improving manpower efficiency and reducing the exposure to risk for our sailors.

Source: 
RSN Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/singaporenavy/photos/a.511009102296613.1073741826.501718186559038/1017241115006740/?type=3

The MediShield Life Scheme

On 1 Nov 2015, the MediShield Life Scheme took effect in Singapore. MediShield Life is a national health insurance scheme that provides lifelong protection for all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents against large medical bills.

"At my 2013 National Day Rally, I said we would revamp MediShield to give Singaporeans more peace of mind and help manage their healthcare costs. 

After much hard work, planning and preparation by many Government agencies, we have just rolled out MediShield Life. Now every Singaporean will be covered for life (including those who have dropped out of the old scheme, and those with pre-existing illnesses). 

But the best way is still to keep fit and stay healthy for as long as we can. Find out more at www.medishieldlife.sg " 

- LHL

Sources:

Lee Hsien Long Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/leehsienloong/photos/a.344710778924968.83425.125845680811480/994871383908901/?type=3&fref=nf

Graphics: https://www.medishieldlife.sg/ (Infographics courtesy of Ministry of Health)