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pharoah88
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05-Dec-2010 16:11
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中国粮食连续第七年增产 (2010-12-05) 在粮食价格和国内通货膨胀居高不下的背景下,中国国家统计局周五公布,2010年全国粮食连续第七年增产,粮食总产量为5亿4641万吨,较上年增产2.9%。 这个根据全国31个省区市进行抽样调查和全面统计的数据反映,粮食播种面积和单位面积产量双双增加的情况下,今年的粮食总产量尽管经历部分地区因气候因素而减产的挑战,仍然得以实现全年丰收。 《新京报》引述国家粮食局科学研究院研究员丁声俊说,“今年可以说是大灾之年的丰收年。” 统计局指出,全国粮食总产量为夏粮、早稻和秋粮产量的总和。夏粮总产量为1万2310万吨,比上年减少39万吨;早稻总产量为3132万吨,比上年减少204万吨,但是秋粮总产量初步统计为3亿9199万吨,比上年增加1801万吨 ,从而扩大了今年粮食的总产量。 数据显示,从播种面积来看,2010年全年粮食播种面积达到1亿987万2000公顷,比2009年增加88万6000公顷,特别是高产作物玉米播种面积扩大了超过130万公顷,因面积扩大增产粮食441万吨。 此外,2010年粮食的单位面积产量达到每公顷4973公斤,比上年提高了每公顷103公斤,因单产提高,粮食产量增产1118万吨。 统计局新闻稿说:“今年全国大部分秋粮主产区降水量比较丰沛,特别是素有中国粮仓之称的东北及内蒙古地区,水、光、热配合是历史上最好的,非常有利于农作物产量的形成。” 从地区来看,东北及内蒙古地区增产较多,其他主产区生产保持稳定。据统计局分析,由于去年东北及内蒙古地区遭遇伏旱,造成吉林、辽宁和内蒙古减产约800万吨,因此今年东北及内蒙古地区大幅度增产带有较大的恢复性增产因素。此外,江西、湖南因灾有一定幅度减产。 政府打出控价“组合拳” 受食品价格高涨推动,中国10月份CPI(消费物价指数)达4.4%,创下两年多来的新高。进入11月,国内粮食价格仍处于上涨过程。尽管从11月中旬开始,政府持续出台物价调控措施,但不少经济机构仍然预测,11月CPI 或将再创年内新高。 粮食丰收但物价持续走高,凸显这个现象背后市场炒作和通胀预期因素不容忽视。继上个月20日,国务院发布《关于稳定消费价格总水平保障群众基本生活的通知》,即“稳定物价16条”后,国家发改委也从上个月22日至26日五天内连发九个通知,打出调控物价“组合拳”。 这九个通知中,其中有五篇评论,分别指向稳定通胀预期、实施价格监管、打击价格违法行为、完善补贴降低影响、建立救助与物价联动等长效机制;两份价格查处通知,均指向成品油流通环节;一份通知对各地物价管控部门进行工作部署,宣布实施包括蔬菜农产品价格通报等六项制度;此外,还有一份大宗商品期价下跌的通报,意在进一步稳定市场预期。 经济分析师认为,目前食品价格是推动CPI上涨的重要原因,粮食尤其是秋粮的增收在一定程度上有助于缓解食品价格的日益增长,但CPI上涨的根本原因可能在于过剩的流动性。 中共中央政治局前日召开会议,宣布将实施“稳健的货币政策”,暗示宽松的流动性环境将会改变,被市场视为应对国内高通胀环境的最新举措。 金融力量推动商品价格上涨 (北京讯)金融力量推动商品价格上涨,有中国学者建议重新构建价格管理和价格机制。 新华网报道,在昨天举行的“第十一届中国宏观经济运行与政策论坛”上,中国社会科学院副院长李扬表示,一段时间以来,实体经济中进入了一定的金融因素,“类金融化”现象造成部分商品价格的快速上涨,物价问题目前已经成为影响中国宏观经济的重要因素。 他说,中国没有现成的经验来处理这个“类金融化”的问题。“从这个意义上来讲,中国经济进入了一个新的特殊时期”。 李扬列举了最近一些大宗商品中的“类金融化”现象,以及农产品中绿豆、大蒜等商品价格暴涨的现象,他认为,这些都是金融因素力量推动和助涨的结果。 学者: 应重建价格管理和价格机制 他指出,经济运行中需要中介机构的存在,但中介机构或代表生产者的利益,或代表消费者的利益,而不能只代表中介机构本身的利益,否则只顾自己挣钱,势必造成对物价的推波助澜。 中国社会科学院财政与贸易经济研究所所长高培勇认为,当前的经济形势已到了重新构建价格管理和价格机制的时候。他说:“人们曾认为,只有计划经济体制下才会特别关注价格问题,而在市场经济条件下价格的波动更多地依赖于市场机制的调节。现在看来不仅仅是计划经济,市场经济同样需要价格管理和价格机制,但这种价格管理和价格机制,一定要和市场经济体制相适应。” |
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pharoah88
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19-Nov-2010 13:15
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6,450 needy to get public transport vouchers Leong Wee Keat weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg SINGAPORE Of the 14 MPs surveyed, five have already given out the vouchers, while two others will be doing so shortly. The rest have no plans to issue vouchers and will provide other forms of assistance instead. Most of those who have benefited are senior citizens above 60, residing in four-room HDB flats or smaller, or whose monthly household incomes are less than $1,500. More could likely benefit as one minor kink — the vouchers’ administration and printing costs — has been absorbed by the two public transport operators, SBS Transit and SMRT. It costs $1.10 to print each voucher for a batch below 1,000, which “can come up to a lot of money which we would rather give to the needy”, MP Irene Ng said. With the issue resolved, her grassroots volunteers have purchased 500 vouchers valued at $20 each for her constituency’s needy residents. The distance-based fare system launched on July 3 drew howls of protest from commuters who now have to pay more for public transport. Transport Minister Raymond Lim defended the scheme in Parliament in August and urged MPs to use their welfare fund or ComCare Fund to help senior citizens. Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong, the first MP to launch a scheme to help affected seniors at his Chua Chu Kang ward, has issued about 150 vouchers out of 240 applications. “The rest are being evaluated,” he told MediaCorp. “Needy and older residents can still apply but we do not think it is necessary to repeat the scheme, as we do have other financial support programmes.” Other MPs who issued transport vouchers added it is meant to help commuters affected during this “transitional phase”. At Aljunied GRC, MPs had to raise more than $100,000 — over the originally budgeted $70,000 — to help residents, said Mdm Cynthia Phua. She added: “While the applications for this specific once off assistance is closed, residents who have financial difficulties can continue to seek help at our meet-the-people sessions.” MPs who have not given out public transport vouchers say they prefer providing “holistic” help. Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob, for example, felt distance-based fares was “a long-term issue”. “One-off vouchers may not be sufficient for them. For those in need, I have other funds and methods of helping,” she said. West Coast GRC MP Ho Geok Choo said she has addressed her needy residents’ more urgent needs with food rations and vouchers. While senior citizens have been the main beneficiaries, MPs have pondered if other groups should also be helped. About three in 10 senior citizens are paying more, with 5 per cent seeing an increase of more than 77 cents each week. Some MPs acknowledged that gripes over distance fares could become an issue during the next General Election. — At least 6,450 residents will receive public transport vouchers to help them cope with the implementation of distancebased fares, a MediaCorp check with Members of Parliament has found. |
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pharoah88
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17-Nov-2010 12:07
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Public hospitals,
Letter from Harshini Siriwardane
I AM an American expatriate living in Singapore. In the countries I have previously lived in, private healthcare providers were the best. Based on that experience, when my mother had problems with trembling hands, I went to a leading private hospital in Singapore.
Although we had booked an appointment, we waited for over an hour before the doctor could see us. After a few questions, he ordered a full body scan, costing almost $1,000.
The test did not reveal any abnormalities. Then, he ordered a $100 blood test, which revealed that the trembling was due to a high thyroid level.
Why not do the inexpensive blood test first and then the scan, if needed? I felt cheated.
I then took my mother to the National University Hospital.
I was pleasantly surprised by the facility and the courtesy of the staff. The appointment was on time.
The doctor explained what tests were needed, why, and outlined our options. We were in and out in less than 45 minutes and received a good medical opinion, at a fraction of the cost.
I went through the same process when my son had an eyelid infection. A specialist at the same private hospital made us wait, gave no options, and said a $3,000 operation was needed.
The next day, I called the Singapore National Eye Institute.
The doctor was professional, kind and passionate.
She gave three options and we agreed on a non-invasive process. We believe her medical opinion was not biased by profits. Within two days, the infection went away.
Hats off to the Government healthcare system, where world-class healthcare is available at reasonable prices. |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
07-Nov-2010 15:06
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News for li ka shing is a devil
Li Ka Shing is a 'devil'3 Nov 2010 ... HONG KONG - A HONG Kong Catholic priest has called the city's richest man Li Ka Shing a 'devil', weeks after the tycoon made headlines by ...
straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_598761.html ... tète-à-tète in the tent: strategies devise in a tent get ...2 Nov 2010 ... A row between tycoon Li Ka-shing and the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese over a priest comparing him to the devil took a new turn yesterday. ...
kbkee.blogspot.com/2010/.../brastpriest-in-li-ka-shing-devil-jibe.html - Cached Channel NewsAsia :: View topic - Priest called Li Ka Shing a devil1 post - 1 author Post Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:58 am Post subject: Priest called Li Ka Shing a devil, Reply with quote ...forum.channelnewsasia.com/viewtopic.php?t=382175&sid... - Cached Get more discussion resultsLi Ka-shing - News, Articles, Biography, Photos - WSJ.comProfile & bio for Li Ka-shing - All WSJ coverage on Li Ka-shing, including the latest news, articles, quotes, ... Li Ka Shing is a 'devil'. -Straits Times ...
topics.wsj.com/person/L/ka-shing-li/676 - Cached Is Li ka Shng the devil? - soc.culture.singapore | Google GroupsLocal: Wed, Nov 3 2010 10:07 pm. Subject: Re: Is Li ka Shng the devil? .... such as Li Ka Shing and his family members are growing richer, ordinary Hong ...
groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.../f627ebf0bdd271bb?lnk... - Cached Li Ka-shing News, Pictures & Buzz - November 4, 5:01 amForbes - Li Ka-shing[He] is the true devil that kills people. THOMAS LAW, a Hong Kong Catholic priest, on Li Ka-shing, the third richest man in Asia according to Forbes; ...
www.forbes.com/profile/ka-shing-li - Cached li-ka-shing : HK tycoon a 'devil', priest says | Catnews Asia TagsHK tycoon a 'devil', priest says thumbnail. A Hong Kong priest has described tycoon Li Ka-shing and other property developers as “devils”. Stay in Touch ...
www.cathnewsasia.com/tag/li-ka-shing/ - Cached Bangkok Post : Hong Kong priest calls city's richest man the 'devil'3 Nov 2010 ... A Hong Kong Catholic priest has called the city's richest man Li Ka-shing a " devil", weeks after the tycoon made headlines by pledging to ...
www.bangkokpost.com/.../hong-kong-priest-calls-city-richest-man-the-devil - Cached Priest calls Hong Kong's richest man 'devil' - Taipei Times4 Nov 2010 ... A Hong Kong Catholic priest has called the territory's richest man, Li Ka-shing (李嘉誠), a “devil,” weeks after the tycoon made headlines ...
www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2010/11/.../2003487694 - Cached |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
02-Nov-2010 13:52
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CPF Board shOUld recrUIt peOple lIke *BT and the BULLS* Take ALL CPF Funds back frOm TEMASEK TRANSFORM CPF Board IntO C P F BANK Earn 28% annUal retUrns Pay 18% p.a. Interest On CPF Balances CPF Bank HAPPY CPF Members HAPPY retIrees HAPPY cItIzens HAPPY SINGAPORE HAPPY MONEY ENOUGH fOr ALL cItIzens |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
29-Oct-2010 12:09
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Any BANK withOUT nOrmalised Interest Rate wIll nOt recOver. When Interest Rate is NEAR-ZERO, ecOnOmy is sIck and eXtremely FRAGILE, bank is at hIghest rIsk Of DEFAULT. STAY CLEAR OF NEAR-ZERO INTEREST RATE BANKS |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
11-Oct-2010 15:53
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Medical scheme to cover 5 more diseases Hetty Musfirah hetty@mediacorp.com.sg SINGAPORE Her husband, Mr Hong Kai Siong, 68, became immobile after a stroke. Said Mdm Tan: “It takes about half an hour ... to save money, I don’t take a taxi.” From April 1, the trio would no longer have to make that journey — thanks to the extension of a national medical subsidy scheme to cover five more chronic diseases: Stroke, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, schizophrenia and major depression. Under the Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS), these patients can receive outpatient care with their neighbourhood general practitioners (GPs) at rates comparable to those at polyclinics. The extension is expected to benefit 8,000 senior citizens, aged 65 and above. With four GP clinics around her neighbourhood, Mdm Tan said she could save an hour on each visit — not only due to the time saved on walking but also shorter waiting times. Dr Adidah Hassan, a GP, noted that the initiative would result in greater convenience for the patients, who would not have to put up with long waiting times at the polyclinics. Welcoming the move, other doctors told MediaCorp that such patients require constant medication, supervision and family support. Receiving treatment at clinics nearby would help the patients and their family members greatly, they pointed out. Mental health activist Raymond Fernando, whose wife is recovering from schizophrenia, felt the greater convenience would spur more people to seek treatment for the mental illness. However, he was concerned that GPs might not be knowledgeable about the condition. Currently, PCPS covers those suffering from diabetes, hypertension and lipid disorders. There are about 28,500 PCPS card holders. Last year, GPs saw almost 60,000 visits from these patients. The Ministry of Health said GPs received about $1.2 million in subsidies funded by the Government, reducing patients’ medical expenses. Meanwhile, the ministry said the three-year-old Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), which aims to prevent complications that could lead to costly hospitalisation, was “making progress”. Almost 82 per cent of the programme’s participants were above 50 years old. It said: “Our review shows that patients get better health outcomes if they work closely with their family physicians to actively manage their diseases through regular monitoring, appropriate medical treatment and lifestyle changes.” — Once every three months, Madam Mabel Tan, 63, and her maid push her husband in a wheelchair from their Bishan home to Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic for his routine check-up. On rainy days, they take the bus. |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
05-Oct-2010 15:50
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The problems that ‘voluntourism’ bring Leong Wee Keat SINGAPORE Increasingly, for-profit organisations are paid by clients to arrange a trip which includes a small component of volunteerism. This can range between a few hours and a few days or weeks. But “many problems” have emerged from such a trend, including the blurring of lines between money making and volunteerism, said a research paper. The paper was authored by Assistant Professor Caroline Brassard, Professor Margaret Sherraden and Mr Benjamin Lough, who shared their findings yesterday at the International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations conference here. The authors, who interviewed nine volunteer organisations here, including the Singapore International Foundation and Mercy Relief [SIFMR], noted that the travel agents report that their clients would sometimes request a specific project that may not be meaningful to the host community and may even create a negative impact. The study added that some non-profit organisations are targeting “elite students” from top junior colleges, with one group quoted as saying that this is to allow the pupils “to see poverty”. Habitat for Humanity national director Yong Teck Meng said his experiences with for profit groups have not been satisfactory. Recently, his group was approached by an eco-tourism agency which misrepresented the costs of a project in Thailand by half. In some cases, the research paper said, travel agencies create their own non-government organisation abroad and combine moneymaking with volunteerism. — The desire to help the less fortunate in the region has resulted in a tussle between two groups of do-gooders — the non-profit organisations and their for profit counterparts such as travel agents. |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
03-Oct-2010 16:28
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In TAIWAN and SHANGHAI DIAL-A-CAB frOm anywhere is FREE
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pharoah88
Supreme |
03-Oct-2010 16:25
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TAXI STANDS and QUEUES DEFEATED by CHARGEABLE DIAL-A-CAB POLICY |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
03-Oct-2010 16:23
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Oct 2, 2010Queues caused by dial-a-cab serviceTHE culprit behind the interminable queues for a cab is the dial-a-cab service ('Waiting woes at Orchard taxi stands'; Thursday). Abolish the booking service and raise the flag-down fare to give taxi drivers an incentive to pick up passengers at the stands. Many cabbies prefer the more lucrative and convenient booking system. They know that long queues work in their favour because it forces frustrated commuters to book a cab and pay more. Recently, I was stuck in a queue at the Wisma Atria stand on a Friday night. Cabs were streaming in with 'On call' signs and dropping off fares. When I tried to board one, the cabby refused my fare. He drove to a spot opposite the taxi stand and waited. A few minutes later, the booking call on his cab sign came on, and he drove off. Sally Phua (Ms) |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
02-Oct-2010 15:25
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Oct 2, 2010Unwarranted rise in premium as one agesIN DETERMINING car insurance premiums, insurance companies here may be relying on a flawed actuarial table that unfairly penalises baby boomers like me, notwithstanding their sound health status and driving record. This came to light recently in my search for the best and cheapest comprehensive insurance coverage for a two-year-old used car. My agent's inquiries turned up a rude shock: My premium would be rather high because my age puts me in a high-risk group. I am told that each insurance company has its own age-based actuarial table from which to determine the premiums. However, in the absence of data-backed relative risks across age, the presumption that driving risk increases linearly with age is probably without validity. In fact, there is evidence to the contrary and statistics have shown that younger drivers tend to be at higher risk of fatal crashes compared with older ones. Similar data for Singapore, if available, should be taken into account by insurance companies in developing actuarial tables that are more realistic and fair. Lee Seck Kay |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
02-Oct-2010 14:43
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America’s deepening moral crisis For 40 years, compassion in politics receded. Ronald Reagan gained popularity by cutting social benefits for the poor (claiming that the poor cheated to receive extra payments). Bill Clinton continued those cuts in the ’90s. Today, no politician even dares to mention help for poor people.
America’s political and economic crisis is set to worsen following next month’s elections.
Project Syndicate The writer is Professor of Economics and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He is also Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals. President Barack Obama will lose any hope for passing progressive legislation aimed at helping the poor or the environment.
Indeed, all major legislation and reforms are likely to be stalemated until 2013, following a new presidential election. An already bad situation marked by deadlock and vitriol is likely to worsen and the world should not expect much leadership from a bitterly-divided United States.
Much of America is in a nasty mood and the language of compassion has more or less been abandoned. Both political parties serve their rich campaign contributors, while proclaiming that they defend the middle class.
Neither party even mentions the poor, who now officially make up 15 per cent of the population but in fact are even more numerous, when we count all those households struggling with health care, housing, jobs and other needs.
The Republican Party recently issued a “Pledge to America” to explain its beliefs and campaign promises. The document is filled with nonsense, such as the fatuous claim that high taxes and over-regulation explain America’s high unemployment. It is also filled with propaganda.
A quote by President John F Kennedy states that high tax rates can strangle the economy but Kennedy was speaking a half century ago, when the top marginal tax rates were twice what they are today. Most of all, the Republican platform is devoid of compassion.
America today presents the paradox of a rich country falling apart because of the collapse of its core values. American productivity is among the highest in the world. Average national income per person is about US$46,000 ($60,500) — enough not only to live on but to prosper. Yet the country is in the throes of an ugly moral crisis.
Income inequality is at historic highs but the rich claim that they have no responsibility to the rest of society. They refuse to come to the aid of the destitute and defend tax cuts at every opportunity.
Almost everybody complains, almost everybody aggressively defends their own narrow and short-term interests and almost everybody abandons any pretence of looking ahead or addressing the needs of others.
What passes for American political debate is a contest between the parties to give bigger promises to the middle class, mainly in the form of Budget-busting tax cuts at a time when the fiscal deficit is already more than 10 per cent of GDP. Americans seem to believe that they have a natural right to government services without paying taxes.
In the American political lexicon, taxes are defined as a denial of liberty.
There was a time, not long ago, when Americans talked of ending poverty at home and abroad.
Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty in the mid-’60s reflected an era of national optimism and the belief that society should make collective efforts to solve common problems, such as poverty, pollution and health care. America in the ’60s enacted programmes to rebuild poor communities, to fight air and water pollution and to ensure health care for the elderly. Then the deep divisions over Vietnam and civil rights, combined with a surge of consumerism and advertising, seemed to end an era of shared sacrifice for the common good.
For 40 years, compassion in politics receded. Ronald Reagan gained popularity by cutting social benefits for the poor (claiming that the poor cheated to receive extra payments). Bill Clinton continued those cuts in the ’90s.
Today, no politician even dares to mention help for poor people.
The big campaign contributors to both parties pay to ensure that their vested interests dominate political debates.
That means that both parties increasingly defend the interests of the rich, though Republicans do so slightly more than Democrats.
Even a modest tax increase on the rich is unlikely to find support in American politics.
The result of all of this is likely to be a long-term decline of US power and prosperity because Americans no longer invest collectively in their common future. America will remain a rich society for a long time to come but one that is increasingly divided and unstable. Fear and propaganda may lead to more US-led international wars, as in the past decade.
And what is happening in America is likely to be repeated elsewhere. America is vulnerable to social breakdown because it is a highly diverse society. Racism and antiimmigrant sentiments are an important part of the attack on the poor or at least the reason why so many are willing to heed the propaganda against helping the poor.
As other societies grapple with their own increasing diversity, they may follow the US into crisis.
Swedes recently gave enough votes to a right-wing, anti-immigrant party to give it representation in Parliament, reflecting a growing backlash against the rising number of immigrants in Swedish society.
In France, Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has tried to regain popularity with the working class by deporting Roma migrants, a target of widespread hatred and ethnic attacks.
Both examples show that Europe, like the US, is vulnerable to the politics of division, as our societies become more ethnically diverse.
The lesson from America is that economic growth is no guarantee of wellbeing or political stability. American society has become increasingly harsh, where the richest Americans buy their way to political power and the poor are abandoned to their fate.
In their private lives, Americans have become addicted to consumerism, which drains their time, savings, attention and inclination to engage in acts of collective compassion.
The world should beware. Unless we break the ugly trends of big money in politics and rampant consumerism, we risk winning economic productivity at the price of our humanity. |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
02-Oct-2010 13:37
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Green utopia rises From arabian Sands
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pharoah88
Supreme |
02-Oct-2010 13:30
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Low Fare, Leg Room Optional
joe sharkey
LONG BEACH, California —
Long rumored and joked about, the so-called stand-up airplane seat was unveiled at the Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas trade show in mid-September. The SkyRider was the most talked about event of the show.
“Like riding a horse,” said Dominique Menoud, the director general of Aviointeriors, the Italian aircraft seat manufacturer, after I had slid into the company’s new contraption. “It is very comfortable, no?”
“No,” I replied, though Mr. Menoud seemed to take that as an assent.
It was definitely not comfortable, although the seat is being promoted as resembling a horse saddle. I have ridden many a horse, and the SkyRider is nothing like being in the saddle. Sitting in one was more like being wedged, legs braced, on a stationary bicycle.
The seat is being marketed mostly for shorter haul flights of two hours or so. But Mr. Menoud said that the seats could also be used on flights up to four hours.
Aviointeriors said the seat allowed for a new basic class of seating with a “much reduced seat pitch.” Most coach seats have about 75 or 82 centimeters of pitch, the industry definition of the distance between one point in a seat and the same point in the seat ahead. A few discount airlines have seats with 71 centimeters of pitch, but the SkyRider is intended to have 58 or less.
Before a seat like the SkyRider would actually turn up on airplanes, there remain various hurdles — chief among them safety concerns about emergency evacuations from planes with passengers crammed into such tight spaces. But experts in cabin interior engineering from the major aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, discussed the stand-up seat at the show and, while both were skeptical, neither dismissed the idea.
Have any airlines signed up?
“No, but we are in discussions right now, and there is a lot of interest from carriers around the world,” Mr. Menoud said. He would not identify which airlines his company has been talking to, but said two are in the United States.
Before the trade show, Ryanair, the European discount carrier, had said it hoped to win regulatory approval to put rows of stand-up seats, with the cheapest fares, in rear sections of its planes. Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, recently said on British television said the airline was thinking of taking out some existing seats to install “the equivalent of 10 rows of standing area.”
In the United States, the somewhat brash discount carrier Spirit Airlines would seem another likely suspect, but Spirit declined to comment when I asked.
What is the SkyRider like?
Well, it’s a tight fit. You sidle in and perch on a little pitched seat.
The “passenger’s body,” as Aviointeriors describes it, assumes “a comfortable, dynamic, upright and healthy position.” My impression was like being strapped into an amusement park thrill ride.
Even in a semistanding position, belted in against a tall seat back, you have scant room to maneuver. And because the seats are high, you would have a tough job in a crash vaulting over the SkyRider in front.
Aviointeriors says the SkyRider has undergone extensive testing and will meet all regulatory safety standards. The seat is being promoted as an option for airlines that might want to more profitably use space in any given airplane. A Boeing 737, for example, could be configured with 16 business-class seats, 66 standard coach seats and 98 SkyRiders, Aviointeriors says.
“The concept is to allow for an extra class of seating” with very low fares, Mr. Menoud said. Of course, there are things some of us won’t do, even for a cheap fare.
But the market potential is there.
“Clearly, there are a lot of potential barriers even before they could get to the point of installing this type of seat, but there’s something to be said about carriers being able to put more customers into smaller spaces and being able to offer rock-bottom prices,” said Bryan Saltzburg, the general manager of Trip Advisor flight search. “There is a segment of the market that this seat will cater to.” |
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pharoah88
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02-Oct-2010 12:46
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As Tuition Soars Globally, Schools Face a Need for Frugality
By CONRAD DE AENLLE College tuition and other fees have risen for years in many countries, and the economic and financial crisis almost ensures that the trend will persist or worsen.
Students and their families will have to get used to bearing a greater share of the burden, the experts say.
But universities may be forced to operate more efficiently and frugally, they say, as those who pay the bills become smarter, more cost conscious shoppers.
Margaret Spellings, senior adviser at the Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, and secretary of education under President George W. Bush, blames government’s failure to demand more value for the money spent, and an elitism that she says is entrenched in academia.
“Affordability is an issue worldwide,” said Ms. Spellings, “People are up in arms. Tuition is going up, but an interest in reform is going up for the first time ever.”
Well before the crisis, the cost of a university education almost invariably advanced at a faster pace than the general level of inflation.
“There is no policy set up in any of our systems anywhere in the world to drive universities toward productivity and efficiency,” she said.
“We don’t collect any data. We don’t know what we’re getting for our money, and neither do students or taxpayers.”
Soaring demand for university places is also driving up costs, as is a desire by governments to accommodate the demand.
“Part of the problem in much of the world is exploding enrollments,” said D. Bruce Johnstone, emeritus professor of education at the State University of New York in Buffalo.
He said conditions were especially acute in developing nations.
And he cited a Western penchant for academic egalitarianism, in which higher university enrollments are sought as a matter of public policy.
“An expectation of an entitlement to participation in a research university is part of the problem,” Mr. Johnstone said. He noted that all secondary school graduates in France and Germany who pass a national examination are guaranteed university admission.
Tuition rose 106 percent between 1997 and 2007 at American public universities and 76 percent at private universities, to $7,171 and $30,260, respectively, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
It is lower everywhere else, although it can be quite high relative to incomes, especially in the developing world. The 23 million students attending Chinese universities pay about $3,000 a year, Mr. Johnstone said; the government has warned that fees will go up.
Tuition in India varies, he said, but it works out to about $600 a year for average universities and much more for the elite technology institutes.
Chinese and Indian schools have no shortage of applicants, but in Japan, enrollments are shrinking.
The government in the middle of the decade began cutting revenue to universities by a percentage point or two every year. In return it gave universities greater autonomy in setting faculty salaries and tuition rates. The average tuition there is about $4,500.
Tuitions are assessed at much lower rates in Continental Europe, Mr. Johnstone noted.
“European countries introduce tuition fees amid enormous political controversy,” he remarked. Eventually conditions deteriorate and the authorities are forced to increase fees, he said, “and then everyone really screams.”
Official Europe has begun to accept the idea of tuition, with an important caveat. Dennis Abbott, the European Commission spokesman on education, pointed to “a distinct trend to increased cost sharing” between students and state sources, although he stressed that fees “should be supported by grants and/or loans to ensure that financing does not represent an undue barrier to participation in higher education.”
Higher tuition is not the only suggestion for closing the funding gap.
A 2006 report by the Center for European Reform, a London-based, centrist research organization, encouraged European universities to become more competitive and more entrepreneurial and, although it did not say so explicitly, more American.
The authors also recommended paying faculty on the basis of merit; lobbying aggressively with state and private funding sources, like alumni; and wooing corporate benefactors.
One way to improve affordability and productivity, Mr. Abbott said, is to make sure first that students at universities want and need to be there.
“Too many young people are embarking upon university careers but dropping out before completing their courses,” he said.
“This represents a missed opportunity, both in terms of the human potential of the individual student and in terms of the best value for money. Better advice and guidance, combined with improved support, including financial support, should be made available.”
For those who do attend college, there should be more flexibility, Ms. Spellings said. She said she expected an increase in “a la carte, hybrid, technology-based education,” in which students take courses in person, online and at times of their own choosing. “Consumers are demanding it,” she said.
“Things are starting to change, as prices have gotten so ridiculous,” Ms. Spellings continued. “People are starting to ask the right questions that would have been heretical five years ago. Universities have enjoyed their ivory tower status of being above it all, but they’re beginning to change and it’s happening worldwide.” |
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pharoah88
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27-Sep-2010 10:43
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误人子弟 ? | ||
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pharoah88
Supreme |
27-Sep-2010 10:38
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无恶不做 ? 为老不尊 ? 狼心狗肺 ? 光明磊落 ? |
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pharoah88
Supreme |
27-Sep-2010 10:03
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fOr ARTS ? fOr FREEDOM ? fOr EMPOWERMENT ? fOr GLOBALISATION ? fOr ECONOMIC GROWTH ? fOr TAX REVENUE ? brIng back : - TROPICANA ? - NUPTUNE THEATRE ? brIng In: - The BOSS clUb frOm hOng kOng ? - Raffles 21 shOw at PROMENADE ? - tIger shOws at Marina Bay Sands ? - nUde news readIng at MediacOrp ? - nUdIst beach at CHANGI ? - sex camp at mOUnt Faber ? - mUltI_gamy at RegIstrar Of MarrIage? - qUIcky lUnches In the OffIce ? - nUde dIstrIcts at GEYLANG ? - qUIcky cUbIcle beds In SMRT traIns ? |
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pharoah88
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27-Sep-2010 09:48
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#QUOTE# Professor Ang pointed to little demand for parental lock systems for the Internet and TV: "I don't think we should try what has failed elsewhere unless we have good reason to believe our situation is different." To empower parents, the committee suggested replacing the 100-website ban with a filtering service, offered by Internet Service Providers and, hopefully, subsidised by the Government. Mr Goh said people wrongly assumed the ban was adequate protection against unsavoury websites. ##UNQUOTE## |
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