Residents of Azalea Park Condominium are concerned about a man in his early twenties sits on the edge of his window ledge to smoke.Mrs Jennifer Sim, 32, a resident of the condominium who regularly sees the man smoking by the window ledge, explains how he does so...
Did you know that getting the most out of your ice cream might be as simple as paying more for it? Ever wondered why a scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream costs so much more a scoop of Magnolia ice cream? Some might argue that this is a case of brand superiority, but studies show otherwise...
It is 2am and you are still tossing and turning in bed, reading a novel or listening to your favourite radio DJ who can take you through the night. You have tried various means to fall asleep but simply cannot; and even if by any chance you do, you will probably find...
A £60,000 remote-controlled dinosaur robot has gone missing from a Walking with Dinosaurs show in Mexico. It was the first time an exhibit has been stolen from the show, which has toured worldwide and been seen by more than four million people....
African Champions Egypt have climbed into the top ten in Fifa's latest world ranking released on Wednesday.
The Pharaohs moved up 14 places to number 10 and are now Africa's number one team.
Captain Ahmed Hassan holds aloft Egypt's third consecutive Nations Cup
Not only is this Egypt's highest placing ever, it's also the second highest ever by an African team after Nigeria placed fifth in 1994.
Nigeria moved seven places to 15th and are now Africa's second best placed team in the ranking.
Egypt beat Ghana's Black Stars 1-0 in Sunday's final to win the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
It's their third consecutive victory in the competition and their seventh in total.
Other big movers in the Fifa ranking are Ghana who moved seven places to 27th and are now fifth on the African table.
However it's not such good news for Africa's other World Cup bound teams. Cameroon lost nine places and are now 20th in the world, while Ivory Coast and Algeria fell six and five places respectively.
Further down the ranking, Zambia (73rd, up 11) and Malawi (82nd, up 17) also made good progress.
Spain continue to occupy the top spot in the world ranking ahead of Brazil and the Netherlands.
Fernando Alonso got his Ferrari career off to a flying start by setting the fastest time of the major Formula 1 test at Valencia on Wednesday.
The double world champion took over from Felipe Massa and set a best time of one minute 11.470 seconds - more than half a second clear of the field.
Alonso was on top throughout the final day's testing
Pedro de la Rosa's Sauber was second, ahead of Michael Schumacher's Mercedes, which was 0.968secs off the pace.
McLaren's Jenson Button ended the day 1.481secs slower than Alonso.
The Englishman said he had spent a lot of time in the garage during the morning sorting out a problem with his seating position in the car.
He added that he was happy with the McLaren's reliability but that it was "too early" to judge the relative pace of the front-running cars.
Button said it had been a "tough day", adding: "It would have been nice to get more testing done.
"I've been doing a lot of work making sure I'm comfortable in the car. I wasn't quite where I wanted to be. I was quite high in the car and uncomfortable.
"I had to change a lot within the car. I fit well now and feel comfortable with my head in the car now."
Button added: "This is not the best circuit to get a feeling of how the cars going to be during the season - it's very different to any other circuit to race on, the balance is very different.
"We can say that Ferrari are fast but we don't know how fast. You can't do those times if you're not competitive.
"We don't know what fuel they're running when they do those times but their slower runs with high fuel were still reasonably good. But it's wrong to talk about who is quick and who isn't."
Winter testing times are notoriously unreliable indicators of form because fuel loads, tyres and track conditions can make a significant difference to performance.
Alonso, whose appearance at the test brought a crowd of 30,000 spectators, said he was "very, very cautious" about judging the pace of the car from his first day's running.
"It was a very good day," the Spaniard said, "because I found the car very easy to drive because Felipe was running two days and I've been taking this information from him and it was a help. Let's wait."
But Mercedes boss Ross Brawn admitted that Ferrari appeared to have the quickest car in Valencia and added that his team were struggling a little.
Brawn told BBC Sport: "On full tanks yesterday (on Tuesday) we didn't look too bad but we're a little bit off on pace and (there are problems with) the handling and balance of the car which we can fix for Jerez (testing next week). We know what the problem is.
"Of course the other teams will be progressing as well. We are not as quick as Ferrari and Lewis (Hamilton) looked quick yesterday so it looks like we've got a bit of work to do.
"We are cracking exhausts and are having to change those every 150-200km. It's a problem we can fix but here it's difficult.
"We've got a handling imbalance because we are all learning about these tyres here and we've seen straight away some things we want done on the tyres which we'll have done by Jerez."
Schumacher was third fastest on both his days' running - Monday and Wednesday - with Nico Rosberg fourth quickest on Tuesday.
The seven-time world champion said: "I'm thinking we will be competitive, but whether this is a winning car straight away or not, that's another story.
"For me that's not so important - it's a long season. We need to be there and taking points from the beginning.
"I wouldn't expect to be winning right from the beginning. It wasn't something that I was aiming for and expecting to be the case. But we need to be strong enough on development."
De la Rosa and Sauber were close to the top of the times throughout
Ferrari were fastest on all three days - with Massa setting the pace on Monday and Tuesday before handing over to Alonso for the final day.
The Brazilian's fastest lap was 0.3secs slower than Alonso's.
Sauber have been the surprise package, with veteran De la Rosa second fastest on the first and third days and his Japanese team-mate Kamui Kobayashi occupying the same position on day two.
Sauber are back under the ownership of founder Peter Sauber after BMW, which had owned the team for the previous four years, decided to quit F1 following an uncompetitive season in 2009.
Button did not match the pace of team-mate Lewis Hamilton on Tuesday - but as they ran on different days no conclusions can be drawn about their relative performances.
Further down the order in terms of headline times were Renault, Williams and Toro Rosso.
For them, Wednesday was a case of giving their more inexperienced drivers some miles.
At Williams, German novice Nico Hulkenberg took over from veteran Rubens Barrichello and set a best time of 1:13.699.
New Renault signing Russian Vitaly Petrov replaced number one driver Robert Kubica for his first experience of an F1 car.
He set a best time of 1:13.097, but that was at a stage when no other drivers were improving, so it suggests the team sent him out with low fuel.
And Jaime Alguersuari drove the new Toro Rosso, taking over from Sebastien Buemi and managing a 1:12.576.
John Terry will not be making any public statements on his future as England captain until after a meeting with Fabio Capello.
The Three Lions and Chelsea skipper has been thrown into the centre of a media storm following a series of revelations over his private life.
Details of the centre-back's alleged affair with the former girlfriend of international colleague Wayne Bridge were disclosed last week, after a court injunction he had obtained was overturned.
This has led to frenzied reporting in the media and calls for his resignation as captain of his country from some quarters over his off-field antics.
Sky Sports News has learned Terry has no intention of relinquishing the armband, but the Football Association has already made it clear that any decision on his future as captain would be left to head coach Capello.
The Italian, known for his strict approach to team discipline, is due in England later this week before he travels to Poland at the weekend ahead of the draw for Euro 2012 qualifying.
Capello is set to meet with Terry at some point before next week, when he is set to decide on whether to appoint a new captain or not.
And Terry has made it clear that any communication over his role as skipper of England will come from Capello, the only man who will decide his fate.
Phil Hall, Terry's spokesman, said: "John Terry asked me to make it clear that he has made absolutely no statement about his future as England captain.
"He is keeping his own counsel until he speaks to England manager Fabio Capello and then Mr Capello will decide what announcement will be made."
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has pleaded not guilty at the start of his long-delayed sodomy trial.
Prosecutors say he sodomised a male aide, and they claim that traces of Mr Anwar's DNA were found in medical tests on the man making the allegations.
Many of Mr Anwar's supporters turned up at court to cheer him on
Mr Anwar has consistently denied the charges, calling them a conspiracy aimed at breaking his increasingly strong political movement.
Homosexual acts are illegal in Malaysia and he faces up to 20 years in prison.
This is not the first time the charismatic opposition leader - who was once the deputy prime minister until his sudden sacking in 1998 - has faced a sodomy claim.
He served six years after an earlier conviction, which was subsequently overturned on appeal. After his release he led the opposition to election gains in 2008.
Mr Anwar represents a major challenge to Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose coalition has held power for more than 50 years.
'Malicious and frivolous'
Mr Anwar's much anticipated trial has already been delayed many times, and could easily have been put back yet again.
His lawyers tried a last-ditch effort to ask for advanced access to medical evidence, DNA and CCTV tapes, which they say are key in providing a proper defence.
But a judge decided there was no reason to delay proceedings any further, and Mr Anwar finally faced his 24-year old male accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, in the High Court.
Mr Saiful said Mr Anwar had demanded sex in a Kuala Lumpur apartment.
"I was angry and afraid," Mr Saiful told the court, according to Reuters news agency. "I rejected his offer. I said I didn't want to do it."
The prosecution say that Mr Anwar's semen was found in medical tests on Mr Saiful, and say they plan to bring evidence of this to the trial.
But Mr Anwar maintains his innocence, and has called the sodomy allegation "malicious" and "frivolous".
"It is trumped up by political masters using the prosecution for that purpose," Mr Anwar told the High Court.
He believes he is only on trial for political reasons, and in an interview with the BBC before the trial, he referred to the claims against him as a "nasty conspiracy".
"We are committed to democratic ideals and some of us may have to pay the price," he said.
Rights groups have also criticised the trial. Amnesty International accused the government of using "the same old dirty tricks in an attempt to remove the opposition leader from politics".
There were huge protests after Mr Anwar's first conviction for sodomy a decade ago. He was freed on appeal in 2004.
Judges at the International Criminal Court ruled Wednesday that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir may be charged with genocide for his role in a five-year campaign of violence in western Sudan's Darfur region.
Al-Bashir, who remains in office, has already been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had the genocide charge on his original arrest warrant for al-Bashir, but the pre-trial judges left off the charge when they approved the warrant last March.
Genocide could be added to the Sudanese President's list of charges which already includes war crimes
Moreno-Ocampo appealed in July, saying that the judges' standard for adding the genocide charge was too high. The appellate court agreed with Moreno-Ocampo and ruled in his favor Wednesday.
The appeals judges said the pre-trial chamber had applied an "erroneous standard of proof" to the genocide charge.
The judges said they were not ruling on whether al-Bashir should be charged with genocide -- only whether the charge could be added to the arrest warrant. They said it will be up to the pre-trial chamber to determine whether to add the charge to the warrant, which could take several weeks.
The International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, is a permanent, treaty-based tribunal dealing with the most serious crimes against humanity.
It is an independent court that is not part of the United Nations. It is funded primarily by nations, but also receives contributions from governments, corporations and individuals.
Even if genocide is added to the arrest warrant, Moreno-Ocampo still faces a challenge in proving the charges at trial, said Mark Ellis, the executive director of the International Bar Association.
"Genocide is a much more complicated legal position to meet (than war crimes and crimes against humanity), because you have to show in proving genocide that there was a specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a group based on -- in this case -- ethnicity or race," Ellis told CNN in July. "Obviously, the prosecutor believes he would be able to prove this intent and so he wants the opportunity to prove that in trial."
The warrant for al-Bashir was the first ever issued by the ICC for a sitting head of state. It currently includes five counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape. It also includes two charges of war crimes for intentionally directing attacks against civilians and for pillaging.
Al-Bashir has traveled to several countries since the warrant was issued, even though any country that is party to the ICC has an obligation to hand him over to The Hague, the court says.
He openly attended the African Union conference in Ethiopia, which ended this week. Ethiopia is not party to the ICC.
Al-Bashir is the front-runner in an election scheduled to take place in April, and a genocide charge is unlikely to harm his prospects.
A genocide charge could further isolate Sudan, but it could also mobilize African nations around Sudan. Leaders from several African countries have said the ICC has been unfair to Africa, and they have threatened to pull out of the court.
The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Darfur, and 2.5 million have been forced from their homes. Sudan denies that the death toll is that high.
The violence in Darfur erupted in 2003 after rebels began an uprising against the Sudanese government. To counter the rebels, Sudanese authorities armed and cooperated with Arab militias that went from village to village in Darfur, killing, torturing and raping residents, according to the United Nations, Western governments and human rights organizations.
The militias targeted civilian members of tribes from which the rebels drew strength.
The French government has refused to grant citizenship to a foreign national on the grounds that he forced his wife to wear the full Islamic veil.
The man, whose current nationality was not given, needed citizenship to settle in the country with his French wife.
The full-face covering has inflamed passions in France
But Immigration Minister Eric Besson said this was being refused because he was depriving his wife of the liberty to come and go with her face uncovered.
Last week, a parliamentary committee proposed a partial ban on full veils.
It also recommended that anyone showing visible signs of "radical religious practice" be refused residence permits and citizenship.
'Integration'
In a statement, Mr Besson said he had signed a decree on Tuesday rejecting a man's citizenship application after it emerged that he had ordered his wife to cover herself with a head-to-toe veil.
"It became apparent during the regulation investigation and the prior interview that this person was compelling his wife to wear the all-covering veil, depriving her of the freedom to come and go with her face uncovered, and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women," he said.
Later, the minister stressed that French law required anyone seeking naturalisation to demonstrate their desire for integration.
Mr Besson's decree has now been sent to Prime Minister Francois Fillon for approval.
The interior ministry says only 1,900 women wear full veils in France, home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority.
In 2008, a French court denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman on the grounds that her "radical" practice of Islam was incompatible with French values.
Greece will face the most stringent monitoring of any European Union country as it attempts to balance its finances over the next few years.
The news came as the European Commission confirmed its support of Greece's plans to reduce its deficit.
EU economic commissioner Joaquín Almunia also launched an infringement procedure to ensure Greek authorities report reliable budgetary statistics.
Prime Minister George Papandreou is seeking support for austerity measures
Greece's deficit is more than four times higher than eurozone rules allow.
Progress reviews
Mr Almunia welcomed the additional fiscal measures taken by Greece.
He said: "We consider that the programme is ambitious, and that the programme in terms of targets is achievable.
"We are endorsing the Greek programme. But at the same time we know that the implementation of the programme is not easy. It is difficult. This deserves support."
However, Mr Almunia acknowledged that tackling the debt was difficult politically and complex technically.
He said that EU officials would monitor carefully the efforts of the Greek programme and would demand extra action if it was not on track to meet the deficit goals.
EU economic ministers will next meet on 16 February. Provided they accept the commission's recommendations, new deadlines will be set for Greece to review progress with officials.
It will have to submit a first report on 16 March, with a second deadline on 16 May.
Nigel Cassidy, the BBC's Europe business reporter, said the reliability of Greece's budgetary statistics was a long-standing issue.
"This was the problem before. Everybody here in Brussels knew Greece was not being very honest with its economic figures but nobody did anything about it," he said.
Fear of contagion
Greece is struggling with its worst economic crisis since joining the euro in 2001.
It has one of the smaller economies in the European Union, but it is being watched closely because of the doubts financial markets have in it.
Its long-term deficit cutting plan aims to reduce the budget shortfall, currently 12.7%, to less than 3% by 2012, but many people in Brussels and beyond remain sceptical.
There are other bigger economies in the eurozone that face the same deficit problems and the fear of contagion is high.
Prime Minister George Papandreou has urged the public to support his programme of tough austerity measures, which includes increases on fuel duty and a public sector pay freeze.
However, public sector workers are planning a strike next week.
'No way out'
Mario Levis, Professor of Finance at Cass Business School, said it was going to be very challenging for the government to achieve its targets.
"To bring the deficit down in the next three years is extremely difficult. Increasing taxes is not enough. They have to increase productivity," he said.
And he added that more may need to be done to get the public on board.
"I think Greeks will appreciate, if it's fully explained to them, the severity of the situation. There's no way out.
"But the prime minister has said there's widespread tax evasion in the public sector... [and] there are not enough measures being announced yet to cut down on tax evasion."
A controversial plan to build an immense dam in Brazil's rainforest endorsed this week has attracted a formidable bloc of opponents: ecologists, indigenous Indians and Sting.
The facility, in Belo Monte in the northern state of Para, will be the third-biggest hydroelectric dam in the world once built, after the Three Gorges dam in China and Brazil's existing Itaipu dam.
A deforested area -- seen here in 2005 -- along the border of the Xingu river, 140 km from Anapu city in the Amazon rainforest, northern Brazil, in the region where the construction of a new hydroelectric dam has been approved.
It will produce 11,000 Megawatts of energy for Brazil's rapidly growing economy, with the project's total cost estimated at 11 billion dollars.
Critics have lashed out at the move, warning it will leave vast environmental devastation in its wake.
Some 500 square kilometers (190 square miles) of land will be inundated, and indigenous communities living along 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the Xingu River feeding it will be displaced from their traditional territories.
The British singer Sting brought the issue to international attention last year when he invited a high-profile Brazilian Indian, Raoni, on stage to denounce the dam during a concert in Sao Paulo.
"It's a project that only benefits companies. Despite all they say, it's not 'clean energy:' it generates methane gas, which provokes climate change, and it will displace 30,000 residents," Antonia Melo of the Xingo Vivo Movement that groups 150 indigenous and social groups opposed to the dam told AFP.
The region's bishop, Erwin Krautler, counts among the fiercest opponents.
"The project completely underestimates the consequences that will be irreversible. (President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva) promised to speak with the population, but there was no dialogue," he said.
The state prosecutor's office has also raised questions over the project, which would see the local population double with the arrival of 85,000 job seekers, who would contribute to deforestation.
But the federal government, which has already had two other dams built on the Madeira river in the Amazon, insists the new dam meets environmental criteria.
"This is without any doubt the strictest environmental license in history. The company (that clinches the tender) will have to spend 800 million dollars in compensation," notably over the loss of native lands, Environment Minister Carlos Minc said.
Energy specialist Adriano Pires said "Belo Monte will ensure clean energy production" at a time when Brazil is facing a five percent increase in energy consumption due to its economic expansion.
"In Germany, which is always cited as an example, 10 percent of the energy comes from renewable sources, whereas in Brazil, hydroelectric plants produce 90 percent of the electricity. We can't give up on this because Belo Monte is important."
It was constructed in 1961 and for the 28 years that it stood strong, the 140 km concrete wall split an entire nation into two, separating thousands of Germans.
The Berlin wall separated the communist East Germany from the Democratic West and represented the mutual fear and distrust between two opposing ideologies during the cold war period after World War 2.
On November 9th 1989 when a West German television channel announced that East Germany has opened it boarders to everyone, hordes of ecstatic East Germans passed through border checkpoints into West Germany. On June 13th 1990, the East German Military officially started dismantling the wall unifying the country once more.
The fall of the wall was a significant moment for many because it wasn’t only concrete blocks that we torn down. Symbolically it represented the fall of Soviet Russia and the triumph of Democracy.
The other side of the wall which East Germans saw for 28 years
Now a section of the wall consisting of 4 concrete panels has arrived in Singapore to remind all Singaporeans of its important role in history and its impact on human culture. However the wall isn’t kept in a museum hidden from those without an admission ticket. The Berlin Wall is closer than you might think.
Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mr Robert Hefner managed to secure 4 panels of the wall. 7 years ago Mr Hefner married MeiLi, a Singaporean, and started to visit Singapore regularly. Soon Mr and Mrs Hefner were thinking of a home for the wall instead of keeping it inside a warehouse. Their good friend Mr George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, then suggested exhibiting it at Bedok Reservoir. Being near Temasek Polytechnic it can inspire young Singaporeans who study there as well as mesmerize the many runners and joggers at the reservoir.
After visiting the site twice, Mr Hefner and MeiLi decided to loan the Wall to Singapore on a long-term basis and this is how the new attraction came to be at its current location.
The wall "is such an important part of history and culture and we want to share it with all the Singaporeans... we want to promote friendship and freedom”, said Mrs Hefner when asked why she decided to exhibited the wall in Singapore.
For Singaporeans who are not old enough to understand the significance of the Berlin Wall, they can still appreciate the wall for its artistic value.
The 4 concrete panels showcase 2 graffiti paintings done by a German artist called Dennis Kaun who, weeks before weeks before the fall of the wall, painted 2 kings called “the Kings of Freedom”.
The smiling king in red is the Jester King who represents happiness and joy.
The Jester King
The other king in blue is the Blindfold King which portrays the communist East German government who was blind to the people’s needs.
The architecture that houses and surrounds the 4 panels was the winning design submitted by three undergraduate architecture students from NUS back in 2008.
Mr Hefner, who saw the entire structure for the first time since its arrival in Singapore, had this to say, "I like it very much, I think it’s terrific!"
There are already plans to open up a Bistro near the wall to serve as an extension to the installation. Therefore residents, students and joggers can enjoy a meal while admiring the grandeur of the wall.
“The symbolism of that Wall is profound and we hope that the visitors will come here, will see it as an icon for reflection about history, about the human condition, about how we treat fellow human beings." Said Mr George Yeo during the unveiling ceremony of the Wall at Bedok Reservoir park.
“Roads are meant for vehicles. Cyclists should keep to designated areas” said 27 year old motorist, Mr Win Lee when asked by the Straits Times about his close shave with cyclists on the road where he had to skid to a halt to avoid hitting a cyclist.
Cycling as a form of daily commute has been on a steep rise over recent years, be it as an economical solution amidst the economic downturn, a healthier and faster way to get to work or a more environmentally friendly form of transport. More people are ditching their cars or public transport for the convenience and sensibilities of a 2 wheeled metal frame.
Mr Mohan Mirwani, director of Treknology, a chain of bicycle shops in Singapore, says that sales of hybrid bicycles have increased about 5 to 10 percent year on year over the past 2 to 3 years. A sales person from L&T bicycles, a famous bicycle shop in Bedok, who did not want to be named, noted an increase in Mountain bike sales over the past year.
Unfortunately with the increase in the number of cyclists on the road, it inevitably leads to the increase of cycling related accidents.
Between January and September 2009, 15 cyclists died from road accidents. For the whole of 2008 the number of cycling related accidents on the road was 22, just 1 less than the number of motoring accidents.
However whose fault is it? Drivers like Mr Win Lee are quick to point their fingers at reckless cyclists while many other cyclists complain of inconsiderate drivers who furiously honk at them or speed right past them.
2 weeks ago in parliament, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Mesagoes Zulkifli said cyclists were found to be at fault in more than half of the accidents involving bicycles.
“I was cycling to school one afternoon somewhere in the Khaki Bukit area. When I was cycling across a junction (that had no traffic light), a van that did not bother to stop and look just turned into the junction. If I had not stop in time I’m confident that I would have been killed”, recalls Mr Alfred Lau. Not only did the van driver not stop for Mr Lau, he also winded down his window to shout at him.
Therefore it seems like both car drivers and cyclists are both at fault for cycling related accidents on the road and without proper statistics it is hard to tell where the fault lies more with.
One thing everyone can agree upon is that pointing fingers will not decrease the accident rate of cyclists. What are some possible solutions to this problem?
With the threat of big motor vehicles, many cyclists choose the safety of pavements. However cyclists by law are not allowed to cycle on pavements as they are considered vehicles and would be a danger to pedestrians. Therefore the true designated area for all cyclists is on the tarmac along with their 4 wheeled motorised counterparts.
Tampines GRC members ushering in the first cycling town in Singapore
Currently Tampines is set to be the only town in Singapore to be ‘cyclist friendly’. From the 1st of March onwards, cyclists in Tampines would be allowed to share pavements and walkways with pedestrians. This comes after a 2 year trail to see if both cyclists and pedestrians can coexist peacefully on the pavements.
Therefore should more districts around Singapore follow Tampines’s example?
26 year old Miss Karin Tijin, a Public Relations Officer, seems to think so, “If the cyclists are careful and not speed, I think it’s a good idea to allow them to cycle on the pavements. It will save them from the horrors of the road because I’ve had so many friends complain about stupid drivers who almost knock into them”.
But now everyone is as accommodating as Miss Tijin. Many pedestrians on forums such as this: http://comment.straitstimes.com/showthread.php?t=27948 are strongly against the idea of allowing cyclist to share pavement space with pedestrians. Many feel that inconsiderate cyclists pose a threat to the elderly and the young.
Cycle lanes were another possible solution proposed by many cyclists on forums. The idea was inspired from London, a car congested city like Singapore with lanes at the left side of the road designated specially for cyclists. This is both law abiding and adds to the safety of cyclists.
However, the LTA tells the Straits Times that it needs to “ensure our roads are optimally utilised to meet the diverse needs of all road users and pedestrians”. This basically means that with the introduction of cycling lanes, it will cut down the space for drivers therefore it is not feasible.
It seems like there are still no clear cut answers as to where cyclists should be allowed. By law they would have to stay on the roads but many fear for their safety as they are no match for inconsiderate drivers who don’t want them there.
If they are on the pavements pedestrians complain about the dangers cyclists pose.
Where or not there will be a proper place for cyclists in the future will be of continuous debate. The only safety measure that can be put in place now is for everyone to be considerate be it on the road or on the pavements.
It is 2am and you are still tossing and turning in bed, reading a novel or listening to your favourite radio DJ who can take you through the night. You have tried various means to fall asleep but simply cannot; and even if by any chance you do, you will probably find yourself awake 20 minutes later thinking of what to do next to get just that little bit of sleep, yet again.
Not being able to fall asleep, waking up repeatedly during the night, having difficulties going back to sleep or even waking up too early in the morning – these are symptoms of insomnia, the most common form of sleeping disorder.
While almost anyone can suffer from insomnia – both the young and old, research shows that it is a persistent condition for many people.
About 75 per cent of those with insomnia experience the condition for at least a year, and almost half experience it for three years.
Causes of insomnia revolve mainly around poor stress management, smoking, lack of regular exercise, fear, medication, excessive caffeine consumption and anxiety. Evident from a recent study conducted in the United States, almost one third of the American population suffers from insomnia because of financial and health related worries. This resulted in them having inadequate amount of sleep for days, weeks and even months.
Overall, about 10 to 15 per cent of the world’s adult population suffers from chronic insomnia while another 25 to 35 per cent suffers from occasional insomnia.
Studies also reveal that insomnia is more common among females, especially menopausal women, due to hormonal changes. Moreover, those with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis and depression are more prone to insomnia.
46 year-old Ajwinder Singh who suffers from high blood pressure is just one of those who fight the night just to get some sleep after a long day at work. The operations manager and a father of two teenagers, shares with SPRING that he has been having difficulties sleeping ever since he was retrenched early this year.
“I had many tensions. I didn’t know how I was going to manage my family and the household expenses – whether I would get another job and things like that. My worries lasted through the night, barely allowing me even two hours of sleep. My doctor did not prescribe any medication as he said it may lead to addiction.”
Meanwhile, general practitioner Dr Wilson Sim explains that “the treatment for insomnia often begins with changing one’s lifestyle, behaviour and sleeping habits”.
He said: “You got to ensure that you treat your bedroom as a room for sleeping – not a place where you study, eat or watch television.”
In addition to that, Dr Sim shared the importance of doing light exercises in the day, not having a heavy meal just before bedtime and not taking long naps in the day.
So, while most doctors suggest that finding the underlying cause of insomnia is essential to be able to cure the disorder, it is also essential for one to fall asleep ‘the natural way’ than to pop a pill every now and then.
On the afternoon of the 30th of January, Saturday, a fire alarm went off in Bugis Junction. Shoppers looked warily around them, but the sales personnel in all shops continued about their business. Life went on.
Then the fire alarm went off again. This time round, it rang shrilly for a long period, and the automatic shutters of some shops came slamming down. Shoppers looked around in panic. A Watsons salesgirl ran down the corridor to look for her colleagues. But outside of the shops a mother let her son play on the stairs. People stood around wait for instructions and when there were none, continued shopping...
Not too long before, shoppers at the Golden Mile Complex reacted to the fire alarm with nochalance and continued shopping as well.
Fire alarms have lost their impact on Singaporeans. With schools and offices constantly enforcing fire alarm drills, the sense of emergency so important to every crisis and evacuation has become lost. People no longer take fire alarms seriously because it could just be another drill.
But with this attitude, what will happen when there really is a fire? People are still going to stand around and wait for instructions, or worse, continue to shop.
Frequent Bugis Junction visitor Jonathan Woo thinks “people will leave if you tell them to, maybe you can do it via the PA system.” However, that might not be the most effective way to inform people of a fire; given the hubbub of malls nowadays, especially with the Chinese New Year songs blaring from shops, people are not going to hear much.
So what can be done to help Singaporeans break free of this nonchalant mindset? One way would be to do away with regular fire drills. Instead, informing tenants and visitors of exit routes out of the building, and displaying signs in prominent areas, would better facilitate evacuation.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic student Shereene Lim agrees: “ The fire drills are not only a waste of time but we go through it so often that we feel that every time the fire alarm goes off, it is 'staged'.”
Another way would be to check fire exits regularly. Most of the time, people are the focus of a fire drill. There is never, if ever, someone going around checking that all the doors and exits are accessible, that the sprinklers are working, and et cetera.
Finally, offices and malls could also eliminate fire hazards completely. While we cannot do away with wiring, we can make sure none of it is exposed, and that everything is insulated. There should also be a harsher punishment for people who insist on smoking indoors. Even Temasek Polytechnic, an institute of education, fails to enforce this: student Mary-Anne Lee says she often gets a whiff of stale cigarette smoke when using enclosed staircases. “ It's been like this for three years so evidently these rule breakers don't feel the need to stop because they get away with it so easily,”
However it is hard to tell whether these measures will work unless they are actually implemented. It is up to the individual to take his or her own initiative in the meantime. Though Singapore is a safe place where real fire alarms rarely occur, such peace should never be taken for granted.
Did you know that getting the most out of your ice cream might be as simple as paying more for it?
Ever wondered why a scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream costs so much more a scoop of Magnolia ice cream? Some might argue that this is a case of brand superiority, but studies show otherwise.
Contrary to popular belief, quantity is in proportion to quality when it comes to this tasty treat. Research has shown that 20-50% of ice cream is literally made up of nothing, or rather, air.
During the early stages of freezing, air is whipped into the ice cream mix, more so in the case of cheaper ice cream. As a result, costs are slashed and volumes multiplied. This enables manufacturers to market these ice creams at attractive prices. Doubling the air content results in soft ice cream, which is commonly served in fast food chains at highly affordable prices.
A quick survey of 20 people revealed that not a single person was aware that cheaper ice cream contained more air than premium ice cream. Melissa Tan, 21, was clearly puzzled, asking: “Isn’t ice cream, regardless of quality, supposed to be made out of cream and not air?”
By weight, ice cream is mainly comprised of water (from milk and cream), sweeteners and flavouring. Milk fat is responsible for giving ice cream its distinctive richness and characteristic texture.
However, manufacturers of cheaper ice cream have discovered a way to deceive the palate. Additives such as guar gum or locust gum enable watery and bumpy “concoctions” to freeze with the consistency of real ice cream, thus fooling consumers.
While premium ice cream brands contain up to 20% milk fats, their cheaper counterparts contain a minimum of ten percent milk fat. Thus, more sweeteners and flavourings are used to compensate for the difference in taste.
Nonetheless, you can take comfort in the fact that the honest goodness of traditional homemade ice cream is not lost in this era. Chronos Chan, co-owner of Tom’s Palette (pictured above) that specialises in homemade ice cream, strongly feels that consumers have the right to know what they are putting into their mouths.
In fact, so insistent is Chronos on delivering fresh and natural ice cream that he is even willing to suffer a few losses along the way. “We do not add stabilizers into our ice cream as it gives a gum-like texture. But without this preservative, the lifespan of our ice cream is greatly reduced,” he explained.
One method of identifying the quality of any ice cream is simply to melt it. Premium ice cream melts into a rich, smooth liquid with little or no foam. On the other hand, cheap ice cream often melts into a sickly liquid topped off with a layer of foam.
The layer of foam is caused by air that escapes as the ice cream melts.
Another telltale sign of cheap ice cream is their density. A quick experiment showed that a cup of premium, homemade ice cream weighed 102g while the exact same amount of commercial ice cream weighed a mere 23g.
So the next time a friend insists that snacking on this sinful dessert is “nothing”, there might actually be some truth in that statement.
When it comes to superior sound quality, a decent set of headphones will usually make the cut. However, headphones are best appreciated alone and not in a social setting.
Technology has come to the rescue with portable speakers, the solution for the sharing of tunes at a picnic, gathering or even during presentations. These useful devices plug into MP3 players, cell phones and laptops, with sound that can effortlessly fill a small to medium sized room.
In today’s day and age, a new breed of tiny portable speakers has been unleashed. Obvious convenience and aesthetics aside, these small wonders manage to hold their own against their larger counterparts, which are quite a chore to lug around.
Best of all, a good set of tiny portable speakers usually cost well below $100, which means that life can be injected to a party…without breaking the bank.
After reviewing numerous speakers, this is the one worth considering investing in – The X-mini II Capsule Speaker.
Winner of the prestigious Red Dot Design Awards and the Infocomm Singapore Awards, the X-mini II Capsule Speaker promises an audio revolution. True enough, these speakers live up to their tagline – “Sound Beyond Size”.
Recently released, the X-mini II Capsule Speaker retains all the best features from the groundbreaking first generation unit and further combines new innovations for an improved audio experience.
Still present is the X-mini patented extendable vacuum that mimics and produces the resonance of an actual sub-woofer. By simply unlocking a tiny switch at the side of these speakers, the bass vacuum can be expanded upwards.
Because of this clever bass vacuum technology, all X-mini speakers are capable of producing an impressive volume and bass over ten times their physical size.
The X-Mini II Capsule Speaker now boasts a larger 40 mm driver that allows the delivery of an even richer and fuller sound for users. Battery life stands at approximately 11 hours, following which a recharge can be easily accomplished within two and a half hours via a 2.0 USB cable.
To eliminate cumbersome audio cables dangling from the X-mini II Capsule Speaker, a built-in retractable 3.5 mm audio cable has been designed. When not in use, the cable can be tucked neatly into the base for a cleaner and sleeker look.
This enhances convenience and portability, as it reduces the need to lug around loose cables.
One note-worthy new feature of the X-Mini II Capsule Speaker is a "Buddy Jack" system (pictured above). The retractable audio jack usually used for connecting to the audio output now allows users to connect one X-Mini II to another, forming an endless daisy chain with formidable volume capabilities.
Even with all these in-built features, the X-mini II Capsule Speaker is small, measuring a mere 60 mm x 60 mm x 44 mm with a closed resonator and weighs in at just 83 grams.
One downside to the X-mini II Capsule speakers is that it is only capable of producing a mono sound, as the sound will only be resonated through one speaker. However, it more than compensates for this flaw with a crisp, crystal clear sound quality.
All in all, the X-mini II manages to strike the perfect balance of palm-sized portability and uncompromising sound quality, making it perfect for people on the go. Indeed... size does not always matter.
The X-Mini II retails for $49.90 at all good electronic stores.
Over the years, the media has been bombarding us with an oversupply of negative perceptions on the whole idea of online dating or rather, looking for love online.
Although the stigma associated with online dating still exists, an increasing number of youths these days have altered their opinions and no longer think “it’s unsafe” or that “only desperate people look for companions online”.
While Singaporeans are found to be frequenting online dating sites more than Australians and Americans, in China, the rate has been increasing at 60 per cent per year. Overall, a great number of singles around the world have embraced online dating as a legitimate means to meet both new and interesting people in their lives.
Significantly, the privacy and security offered in the process of online dating seems to attract many young Singaporean singles who have been increasingly enrolling themselves at websites of dating agencies such as GoMovieDate.com, Clique Wise and Singles Mingle.
A 21 year-old student of Singapore Polytechnic who only wants to be known as Stella, was previously “one of those people who thought looking for a partner online was unsafe.” Today, she feels it is ironic how she has enrolled herself on one of the popular dating sites in Singapore.
However, signing up for such services does not necessarily need to be for the purpose of finding “that special someone”. For some, it serves as a useful ground to meet people who share similar interests or simply, to make new friends.
“I think an online dating site serves as a good platform for young people to widen their social circles and get to know people from different walks of life,” she added.
Meanwhile, Raymond Tang, 22, an undergraduate from the National University of Singapore, shared that he has developed some strong friendships via online dating sites.
“I always thought that people on such sites are looking for love only, but I am glad that I have been making more friends instead. As long as you view the whole thing as a healthy activity, you will benefit from it in various aspects.”
He also explained that some of his friends who turned to online dating have ended up in stable relationships and even marriages with interesting personalities, which is contradictory to the long-lived misconception that the range of personality types who date online is limited only to internet geeks or loners.
Besides, online dating serves as a helpful tool for those who are shy of the conventional methods of meeting people face-to-face.
“I find it easier to meet new people on the internet rather than face-to-face because I feel more nervous that way. If you are the sort of person who is shy and reserved and find it difficult communicating with people in real life, then this would be a better choice,” said Samantha Siew, 23, a fresh graduate from Nanyang Technological University.
Fruitful stories of online dating are becoming increasingly common today, where the traditional family pressure to get married is colliding with both the difficulty of meeting a parent-approved mate and the modern desire for true love, resulting in the continuous popularity of online dating sites.
The Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga and The Wonder Girls have all been the subjects of celebration and praise in the media, many times over. Top 40 radio, pop music television channels and teenage magazines enforce and reinforce the presence of pop superstars as these acts continue to churn out ample revenue for major recording labels.
Fans from all over the world rejoice every time an artist makes a tour stop, and album sales continue to rocket even as the Recording Industry Association of America tries to stop piracy around the world. Despite commercial success and worldwide recognition from mainstream audiences, many regard mainstream popular music to be bland and unsophisticated.
Daniel Sassoon, former lead guitarist of local band Electrico and entertainment lawyer said: “Pop music is predictable. It’s very obviously “manufactured” by staff songwriters at these major (recording) labels that have a template that the mainstream market responds to.”
“If one limits him or herself to mainstream stuff, it’s doing a disservice to yourself because there are always great artists that try not to conform and do a great job at it,” said Saiful Idris, frontman of local band The Great Spy Experiment and secondary school teacher.
This article takes a look at these boundary-defying, genre-bending artists that you should not expect to see grace the cover of Teenage magazine any time soon. Flying Lotus
Flying Lotus, as his name suggests, is a producer with a unique take on various genres of electronic music. The nephew of jazz legends John and Alice Coltrane has been called “the future of electronic music” in the August 2009 issue of The Wire, an American music magazine focused on critically acclaimed musicians.
Despite the backbone of his approach fitting into the instrumental hip hop vein (once helmed in the mainstream by the likes of the late J Dilla and the prolific Madlib), Flying Lotus dabbles with experiments in crossing genre boundaries. His debut album on Warp Records (also home to electronic legend Aphex Twin) featured songs that dabbled with electronica, techno, jazz and even dubstep.
Pitchfork, an acclaimed online music magazine, has praised his ability to blend these different approaches on singular track.
Check him out at www.myspace.com/flyinglotus
Monsters of Folk:
Among celebrity “supergroups” that are popping up all over Hollywood (Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters recently formed a band with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme.), this proves to be the most interesting. Interesting and unlikely, that is.
There are two reasons for this: most would expect a “supergroup” to be something closer to a Motley Crue reunion, but Monsters of Folk do indeed play folk music, and they are made up of extremely reclusive musicians. What is the unifying theme in the band? They are all critically acclaimed in their own bands. Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and M. Ward (She & Him) have all released albums that might not have done well commercially, but have all been praised by the likes of Rolling Stone magazine.
Listen to Monsters of Folk at www.myspace.com/monstersoffolk.
Battles:
From the cultural melting pot of experimental music that is New York city (home to Sonic Youth, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Velvet Underground) Battles is an instrumental rock band that deals in the avant-garde. This is only fitting as Tyondai Braxton, keyboardist and band leader, is the son of prolific avant-garde composer Anthony Braxton. Ian Williams, Dave Konopa and John Stanier complete the lineup. They are label mates with Flying Lotus, and are similarly quirky and boundary-pushing. Their debut album, Mirrored, is a rhythmically complex, guitar-based opus teetering between progressive rock (like Yes) and math rock (like Dillinger Escape Plan). Characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), angular melodies, and dissonant chords, these heroes of the avant-garde will not be gracing mainstream airwaves on Top 40 radio any time soon. It would be safe to guess that they like it that way.
Three US soldiers have become the first known American military fatalities in Pakistan as they died in a bomb near a school in the north-west.
Three schoolgirls were among the dead while 70 people, including another 63 schoolgirls and two US soldiers, were injured in the explosion in Lower Dir.
The US embassy said the military personnel had been training Pakistan's Frontier Corps in counter-insurgency.
Both governments deny large numbers of US troops are in Pakistan.
The US embassy in Islamabad confirmed in a statement three American military personnel were killed and two wounded in what it branded a "vicious terrorist bombing".
The statement also said the Americans had been due to attend the inauguration of a girls' school recently renovated with US humanitarian assistance.
Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement to AFP news agency.
Military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told the BBC that the US personnel were attached to the Frontier Corps as military trainers.
Pakistan's Frontier Corps is a paramilitary force responsible for operations against militants in the volatile north-west, near the Afghan border.
The US soldiers were said to have been travelling in a convoy, along with Pakistani troops, that was heading to the inauguration of a newly built girls' school in Maidan, an area of Lower Dir district in the North West Frontier Province.
The bomb - which police said was activated by remote control - occurred near a different school in Koto, a heavily populated village along the route.
The impact flattened much of the Koto Girls' High School, leaving pupils crying for help under the rubble. 'Highly embarrassing' At least three of the dead were schoolgirls, police said, adding that security guards and three local journalists were also among the wounded.
The Taliban has often targeted girls' schools in recent years
News that three US soldiers were killed will be highly embarrassing for the Pakistani government, which is acutely aware of the unpopularity of its close ties to Washington, says the BBC's Ilyas Khan in Islamabad.
Critics accuse Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari of turning a blind eye to repeated American drone attacks in the north-west, which have killed more than 600 people during the past year, our correspondent says.
The US has argued in the past that its soldiers are in Pakistan to provide security for US citizens, he adds.
Last year, the Pakistani army carried out a major offensive to drive Taliban insurgents out of Lower Dir and the neighbouring districts of Swat and Buner.
But the Taliban are still present in remote areas and the latest attack shows that the militants remain a powerful force in the region, says the BBC's Mark Dummett in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also condemned the attack and ordered an investigation, the AFP news agency reports.
The Taliban has frequently targeted girls' schools in recent years, burning several to the ground. Many are now being rebuilt.
She blows hundreds of dollars on clothes, dines at expensive restaurants and heads to clubs twice a week. In Noelle Tan's world, recession ceases to exist. The 18 year old Meridian Junior College student receives a monthly allowance of five hundred dollars each month from her parents.
Despite the 2008 recession, she was given the same monthly allowance and insists the global downturn has not affected her spending habits. “My parents have not cut my allowance and I still spend whenever I want. I don't think twice just because of the recession.”
Anthony Chia, a 22 year old student, expresses the same minset. “My parents still give me money when I ask for it so I have no reason to cut down on my spending.”
Interestingly, despite the recession, Noelle and Anthony are not the only youths who receive spending money from their parents. Studies show that 75% of youths are receiving the same or more spending money this year than they were last year.
Perhaps the reason behind their nonchalance is the fact that they do not have to worry about their source of income. Mrs Laura Choi, a mother of two teenage girls, gives her take: ' Most youths who receive a steady allowance from their parents tend to spend without limiting themselves because they can always go back to ask for more money.'
On the other hand, studies show that students who are earning their own money and supporting themselves are deeply concerned about saving as much as they can. Said 22 year old Derrick Koh: “I give tuition everyday after school and I know how difficult money is to earn but easy to spend. I don't splurge anymore and try to refrain from buying unecessary things.”
Though most youths do not deny that they are affected by the recession to a certain extent, they are still unwilling to give up shopping and leisure activities until they absolutely have to.
Majority of youths expressed that life still goes on with recession and only if they have a tighter budget would they sacrifice certain things.
It is evident that the current economic circumstances are causing youths to prioritize their spending in specific areas. When asked what would be the first thing they would spend less on, most answered 'food and leisure activities' like clubbing.
Why?
“That’s because they are not so important” explains Jason Chuah, a 20 year old student who absolutely refuses to cut down spending on clothes.
Mr Henry Chia, a financial advisor, believes that spending less is not important, but shopping smarter is. Studies show that most youths feel the same way too.
4 out of 5 youths say they are waiting for items to go on sale, half are making fewer “impulse purchases” and 2 of 5 are more likely to "comparison shop for the best price. “With recession, so many stores are having sales to attract more customers. Shoppers should target such stores and then it will be a win-win situation” Mr Chia advises.
Residents of Azalea Park Condominium are concerned about a man in his early twenties sits on the edge of his window ledge to smoke.
Mrs Jennifer Sim, 32, a resident of the condominium who regularly sees the man smoking by the window ledge, explains how he does so.
“From what I have seen over the last few months, he would place a cushion on the edge of the window ledge before sitting on it. Sometimes he would have both of his legs sticking out of the edge and other times he would just lean against the wall.” Mrs Sim said.
The primary school teacher also admitted that she wanted to call the police when she first saw the man smoking by the window ledge.
The rectangular box shows window ledge where the man allegedly smokes
“I thought he was about to jump and I shouted for him not to but I better understood what he was doing when he showed me his cigarette,” Mrs Sim explained.
Mr Terrence Leong, 55, another resident of the estate, said that this is the first time he has seen a resident doing such a thing.
“It is so dangerous. What if he slips and fall?” Mr Leong said.
“I really have no idea why does he put his life at such a risk for a smoke? I’m sure there are other places for him to smoke in the house or he could just come down to the ground level to smoke,” he added.
Mr Leong also claimed that the man is also responsible for throwing down cigarette butts down from his window ledge which in turn litters the area below.
Four cigarette butts were found littered on the floor when The Populace Observer did a quick check of the area and a fifth cigarette butt was even found on boot of a car.
The four cigarette butts found on the floor
The fifth cigarette found on the boot on a resident's car
However when asked about the cigarette butts found below his block, the man, who only wanted to be known as Chris, quickly denied that he was responsible for such an act.
“My parents are fully aware that I smoke on my window ledge and their car is always parked below my window. Why would I want to throw my cigarette butts down when they will probably end up on my parent’s car?” Chris explained.
“Besides, my parents would surely scold me should they see my cigarette butts being littered all over on the floor.”
Chris further showed a portable astray which he uses to dispose his cigarettes.
The astray Chris showed
According to Chris, the person responsible for smoking lives above his unit and he was even hit by a cigarette from the top while he was smoking by his window ledge.
“I was really angry when I got hit on my head. Luckily the cigarette was not lighted if not I could’ve been badly burnt,” Chris said.
Chris's window ledge
In regards to his habit of sitting by the window ledge, Chris stated that he simply does not want his room to smell of smoke and he realised that his window ledge is a “very nice and cosy” place to smoke when he first tried smoking there despite knowing the dangers he is putting himself into.
Chris demonstrating how he smokes from his window ledge
“You can feel the breeze when you sit by the window ledge and view is really nice and peaceful especially when it is late into the night,” Chris said.
“It is the perfect place for me to smoke especially since I am able to listen to the songs that fit my mood being played from my computer.”
A £60,000 remote-controlled dinosaur robot has gone missing from a Walking with Dinosaurs show in Mexico.
It was the first time an exhibit has been stolen from the show, which has toured worldwide and been seen by more than four million people.
"Only in Mexico! How it happened, we don't know. We don't even know if whoever stole it knows its value," said Karla Arroyo, a spokesman for the show.
Walking with Dinosaurs opened in Guadalajara last Friday, and staff discovered that one of the smaller robots was missing after the show closed that same day.
At around £60,000, the missing 5ft dinosaur is the least expensive robot at the show, which measure up to 42 feet and cost up to £600,000.
Despite the robbery, she said the show did not stop: "Everything went on as usual," she added.
A US vicar's romantic proposal to his girlfriend in a hot air balloon fell flat when he dropped the engagement ring.
The ring fell 500ft into woodland below after James Ng's embarrassing gaffe, reports the Daily Telegraph. Mr Ng, 27, had hidden the £2,000 diamond ring in his camera case. As the pair floated above Ohio in late October, the case slipped from his hand.
"My first thought was don't tell her, and buy another ring - but it took me forever to afford the one I had," he said.
His girlfriend, Sonya Bostic, a 27-year-old teacher, caught on, so Mr Ng dropped to one knee and proposed using a plastic tie twist. She said yes.
Unable to believe the ring was lost for good, the vicar started mapping the co-ordinates of the balloon's journey from the sky.
Over the following week, as his fiancée proudly wore a £5 Wal-Mart ring on her engagement finger, Mr Ng and a friend cut through brambles with machetes, searching for the camera bag.
"We had maps and a very clear plan of all the ground we needed to cover," said Mr Ng.
After seven arduous days of searching the three-mile-square area, they found the camera bag. The only thing still inside it was the ring.
"I think the first thing I said was holy cow," said Mr Ng. "Then I called Sonya right away."
Pranksters made dummies of an entire police SWAT team when they dialled 999 to report a panther prowling in a back garden.
The elite armed unit spent nearly an hour watching and stalking the deadly beast - only to discover it was just a life sized cuddly toy.
"When officers arrived they saw the creature and identified it as a black panther," said police spokesman Zbigniew Paszkiewicz of Wielkopolska, Poland.
Officers only began to suspect they were the victims of a cat and mouse game when the panther didn't so much as twitch a whisker as they started to approach it.
"From a distance it really looked like a live animal," claimed the spokesman.
Fans of blockbuster movie Avatar are being promised a 'blue' alien sex scene when the film comes out on DVD.
The sex scene was cut from the cinema version of the 3D sci-fi adventure, director James Cameron told a press conference.
It features the giant blue avatar of paraplegic US Marine Jake Sully locking hair with his love interest, Neytiri.
Cameron said: "We had it in and we cut it out so that will be something for the special edition DVD - if you want to see how they have sex."
Actress Zoe Saldana, who plays Neytiri, said the sex involves the same process the alien race uses to communicate on its fictional home planet.
In the film, communication takes place by locking hair with flora and fauna, in a process known as "synching".
Saldana said: "If you sync to your banshee and you're syncing to a tree, why not sync into a person?
"It was a very funny scene to shoot because there were so many technical things that sometimes you have to keep in mind that paying attention to all those might disrupt the fluidity of how a scene is supposed to take place."
The actress said the scene was left out originally because the film was aimed at a family audience.
Leeds University is advertising for a £31,000-a-year researcher - to study lap dancing.
The post, in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, is for:
"Research Officer - The rise and regulation of lap dancing and the place of sexual labour and consumption in the night time economy".
The Government-funded position will see the successful applicant interview 300 lap dancers in in two northern English towns.
The study, which comes with a salary of £31,513, is aimed at finding out who becomes lap dancers and what their working conditions are like, as well as how the number of bars have multiplied.
The ad stipulates the successful applicant will need to have "prior experience of conducting research in the female sex industry".
But Susie Squire, political director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, complained: "This is the ultimate non-job and will both anger and bemuse taxpayers.
"It may be a dream job for some men, but it's just another nightmare of public sector waste for the ordinary people who pay for it."
A newly trained hypnotist accidentally put himself into a trance for five hours while practising in front of a mirror.
Helmut Kichmeier, 27, was found by wife, Joanna, staring into thin air in their north London home, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Kichmeier, whose stage name is Hannibal Helmurto, had learned to put himself into a trance to help him swallow swords on stage.
He had been taught the skill by hypnotherapist Dr Ray Roberts to assist in a new act for the Circus of Horrors show.
But as he practiced the skill in front of the mirror at 10am he set himself into a deep sleep until 3pm, when he was found by his wife.
It was only after she phoned Dr Roberts and put the receiver to Mr Kichmeier's head that he was able to be talked out of the trance.
Mrs Kichmeier said her husband had looked just like a zombie when she came into the room to find him.
She said: "I tried to ask him what was wrong but he didn't answer and it was then I looked at the sofa behind him and saw a book named Hypnosis Medicine of the Mind.
"It was opened on page 45 and a chapter named hypnotic anaesthesia and I realised there was something wrong.
"It was only then I noticed a letter next to the book a letter from his mentor, Dr Roberts, and I knew what I had to do."
Residents of Azalea Park Condominium are concerned about a man in his early twenties sits on the edge of his window ledge to smoke.Mrs Jennifer Sim, 32, a resident of the condominium who regularly sees the man smoking by the window ledge, explains how he does so...
Did you know that getting the most out of your ice cream might be as simple as paying more for it? Ever wondered why a scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream costs so much more a scoop of Magnolia ice cream? Some might argue that this is a case of brand superiority, but studies show otherwise...
It is 2am and you are still tossing and turning in bed, reading a novel or listening to your favourite radio DJ who can take you through the night. You have tried various means to fall asleep but simply cannot; and even if by any chance you do, you will probably find...
A £60,000 remote-controlled dinosaur robot has gone missing from a Walking with Dinosaurs show in Mexico. It was the first time an exhibit has been stolen from the show, which has toured worldwide and been seen by more than four million people....
Captain Ahmed Hassan holds aloft Egypt's third consecutive Nations Cup
