Singapore Consumer Interest Group

The world was saddened by the news of Mandela’s death on December 5, 2013. He retired at the age of 95. He may be gone but what he did will never be forgotten. Mandela embodied courage, leadership, compassion and astute understanding which made him a winner of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. Many world leaders and famous personalities extended their condolences to the family.

Nelson Mandela was born in July 18, 1918 at Umtata, South Africa. He was the son of a Xhosa Thembu chief. He was educated at the University of Fort Hare in Alice where he was introduced and eventually became involved in the political efforts against racial discrimination. He was expelled for his participation in student demonstration. He then moved to Johannesburg and that was where completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of South Africa in 1942.

If you want to know more, let us take a closer look at his life.

Lawyer

Mandela pursued law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He did his best to help people. When he was practicing law, he got arrested many times for treason. In fact, he was tried for treason from 1956-1961. He was acquitted. But in 1962, he was arrested for conspiracy, treason and sabotage. He was sentenced a lifetime imprisonment. After 27 years in prison, he was released in 1990.

Social Activist

Mandela is famous as a social activist. From his early years in school, he knows what to do with his life. Back when he was in college, he was involved in demonstrations and other activities. He does not participate in violent activities though. From his early years, he was a member of the ANC (African National Congress).

Politician

After his life in prison, he continued helping the people. He is known for his anti-apartheid (the segregation of races) advocacies. He used his knowledge and his wisdom to organize ANC who could reach into the grassroots and encourage them to participate in anti-apartheid struggles. He was very serious in ending apartheid. He was then voted president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 making him the first black president of the country.

Philanthropist

He retired in June 1999. Mandela was determined to stay with his family for the remainder of his days. During his retirement, he wrote the sequel to his first autobiography but it was later abandoned. He was used to being busy so he slipped back with his public life. Every day, there was something to do for Mandela. He had meetings with famous people, world leaders and he established his foundation which seeks to fight HIV/AIDS. His foundation also focused on school constructions and rural development.

If you love motorcycling, you should know basic road safety measures so you can avoid accidents and other unnecessary things. Motorcycling for others is fun, thrilling, convenient and the quickest way to get to your destination. Regardless of your reasons for motorcycling, it is imperative that you practice road safety.

There are many motorcycle accidents lately. Some survived, some died. If you do not want to suffer the worse, you should be reminded of the following things to reduce your risks when motorcycling:

1. Follow traffic rules

This is the basic rule- always follow traffic regulations. You need to be guided with traffic lights. When you are driving, avoid the car’s blind spot. To be safe, do not veer in and out of the traffic. If you noticed a convoy of cars, do not attempt to overtake it.

2. Concentrate

Do not underestimate motorcycling. People died while driving motors. You have to concentrate when you are driving. Anything that impairs your judgment should be avoided like drinking. If you are drunk, do not drive your motorcycle at all.

3. Control your bike

It should be you who will control your bike not the other way around. When you ride during the night, make sure to be visible. You have to practice road courtesy even if others cannot or will not. To control your bike, make sure that you always maintain a safe distance from the front vehicle.

4. Slow down

Whether you are in a rush or not, you should always slow it down. Even if it is go and the traffic is light, do not speed up. Remember that the faster you go, when you hit something (or someone), the more impact it will cause.
Every year, statistics illustrate that motorcycles stay as the most susceptible group amongst road users. With this, it is important that you practice the things mentioned above. Do not wait to harm yourself or others.

The sight of pests in food establishments is not acceptable. If you own a food establishment and you are having troubles with pests like rats and cockroaches, you should be alarmed. This is not a good sign. You need to tackle the issue as soon as possible before health inspectors come and close your establishment.

Pests transmit many pathogens that can contaminate foods. Contaminated foods can bring upon food poisoning.  As a business owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that your customers eat nothing but clean and safe foods. NEA (National Environment Agency) released guidelines on the prevention of pest infestations in food establishments. You need to consider the following things:

Signs of Infestations

You have to look out for signs of the infestations. Do not wait for your customers to sight rats and cockroaches. You will know when rats are present if you notice rat droppings, rat burrows and gnaw marks. For the cockroaches, you will notice cockroach droppings, stinking smell and cockroach eggs.

Food Sources and Shelters

Rats and cockroaches love the kitchen because it provides shelter, food and water. Business owners need to remove food sources and shelters of pests to curb their population. The best thing to do is to maintain the cleanliness of the kitchen.

Getting Pest Control

Establishments can perform chemical or physical pest control. Chemical pest control refers to pesticides. But this should be handled by experts because the possibility of contamination is big. Physical pest control refers to pest traps.

Pest Control Management

You should execute pest control management system. The NEA has a list of licensed companies that can deal with your infestations professionally. The pest control management company will give the right solution based on the establishment’s needs and extent of the problem.

Locksmiths in Singapore offer different services apart from installing locks in your home. So before you start looking for one, know first what kind of service you want to be accomplished and whether the expert you’re eyeing can do what you’re looking for. There are those who cater window lock set up, digital and/or manual locks installation, and modern security system installations for homes and offices.

There are also services that may require more than one locksmith Singapore and you need to know the cost as well as details for these. Although almost every locksmith can perform different sorts of security lock jobs, you might still need one that specializes in a certain task. It’s important to hire someone who is an expert at doing the service you need, or else you might end up spending more on getting things done again.

Residential

This is the most common locksmith Singapore service available. Most commonly,  a residential service staff is on duty 24/7 and mainly works with lockout problems, meaning the locked door cannot be opened because it’s either  the keys are lost or the house is locked with the keys still inside. A residential locksmith in Singapore can do several duties to solve this problem, like uninstalling and reinstalling the locks or cut a new set of keys. However, be sure to hire the right specialist like Prosmith in Singapore as their ability to solve the problem also vary depending on kind of lock they have to deal with – standard household door locks or more complex digital high-security locks.

Automobile

Sometimes, car owners in Singapore forget about their keys as they close their car doors. Unfortunately, many of today’s car keys cannot be copied by key cutter or key duplicating machines. Aside from that, the automated mechanism of smart keys is complicated to fabricate, making this kind of locked out problem almost impossible to solve without the help of a locksmith Singapore. Losing a car key could put the owner in very big trouble. Thus, when trapped in such incident, make sure to hire an auto-locksmith. Auto-locksmiths have the right skills and equipment to solve a car locked out problem.

Key Cutter

From the name itself, this type of locksmith service is what you need when you want an exact copy of your keys. They are the ones in Singapore who can provide you an exact copy of your keys, be it just for duplication purposes or to replace a lost one. There are even some highly-skilled professionals who can copy more complex key that comes with an electronic system lock. So call and ask first whether they have someone who can do a specific job before you ask them to come over to your place.

Installation

There are some key and lock systems, like digital locks, that can be difficult to install, so it would be very beneficial to hire the services of a professional locksmith Singapore who is capable of doing all the all aspects of security lock installation. A locksmith in Singapore who specializes in this service can effectively accomplish all tasks related to lock installation, including the configuration of security setup and fixing the lock to the door.

The IMH (Institute of Mental Health) is now offering acupuncture treatment for drug addicts. IMH believes that acupuncture can help reduce and manage addiction cravings, anxiety and more importantly, withdrawal symptoms. Acupuncture treatment in IMH is also agreed by MOH (Ministry of Health). But patients and their families need not worry because acupuncture is recommended on top of Western treatments. The patient will need at least ten sessions of acupuncture and each session will last for about thirty minutes.

Acupuncture is part of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) which involves the introduction and manipulation of needles at particular points in the body to ease pain and restore health. Acupuncture is utilized to treat a wide variety of disorders from infertility, arthritis, hypertension and asthma. Acupressure (or shiatsu) is a variant of acupuncture but the difference is it uses pressure rather than needles.

The theory of acupuncture is that the body is comprised of two opposing but complementary sides – yin and yang. Health and harmony are attained when yin and yang are balanced. It is also believed that the emotional and mental conditions can manipulate the balance which can result to health or disease. It is good if you balance it but if imbalance happens, there will be an obstruction in the flow of qi (life energy). Obstructions in the life energy will result to disease and pain.

WHO (World Health Organization) has a list of medical conditions that can be improved by acupuncture. WHO said that cataract, Parkinson, stroke, insomnia, bronchitis, diarrhea and sciatica can benefit from acupuncture treatment. In addition to that, acupuncture is also an effective treatment for conditions like alcohol addiction, back pain, nausea and migraines.

The MSF (Ministry of Social and Family Development) and the Education Ministry will launch two programmes – Signposts and Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme). These programmes will help improve the behaviour of children and ease the anxieties of parenting. In these programmes, parents are expected to attend many seminars, sessions and consultations so they will learn some tools that can promote their children’s positive behaviour.

Parenting is not easy but if you are stern about it, you will surely succeed. Effective parenting means changing your style so you can improve the behaviour of your children. It is not too late to consider effective parenting. Better start now. Here are some tips that you can consider:

1. Decide where you want to start

It is important that you know where to start. Some parents may not know where to start the change but actually, it is simple. You have to start where your child is at risk. Do not start by thinking that you can change all of him/her because you will be unsuccessful.

2. Clarify the changes

As a parent, you only want a positive behaviour from your child but sometimes, things turn out differently. If your child’s response is not good, you have to change the response but you have to clarify the change that you want. You need to explain it.

3. Grab the opportunity

If you are worried that your children might do something destructive or cruel, you have to grab the opportunity and learn to manage it. What does this mean? For example, if your son continuously acquires speeding tickets, you have to grab the opportunity and take away the car.

4. Do not expect empathy

Unfortunately, appealing to the empathy of your teen or child will not work. The empathy of children and teens are not yet fully developed. If you appeal to their empathy, you will not expect any changes because children and teens operate on their self interest. They will not care about others.

Looking for an ideal spot to spend your vacation? Well, you don’t have to go out of the country. Singapore is situated in Southeast Asia and being located just above the equator makes it an ideal destination for vacationers who love the tropical climate. Since the weather is warm here most time of the year, it would be such a waste not to take advantage of this warm weather and indulge yourself in some enjoyable activities outdoors.

Going Outdoors

One cool vacation activity is to go strolling along our breathtaking gardens and at the same time go sightseeing. Also, you could go cycling in our many parks, or if you’re looking for more fun and thrills, then you could go visit the more famous adventure parks, such as MegaZip Adventure Park, located where else but in the island resort of Sentosa.

Frolicking in the Sun

Of course, as any vacationers in tropical countries are looking for, you could simply count away the time in our lovely beaches. With a destination as beautiful and as warm as Singapore, who wouldn’t be tempted to bask in the sun and just sip that cool drink while you’re relaxing along the shore? Aah, what a delight indeed. Relaxing in Singapore, oh it’s definitely unavoidable. But if you’re more into being active while in the beach then you would surely enjoy waterskiing and sailing.

Poolside Fun

If you prefer pools over beaches, then there’s no need to worry because Singapore also has plenty of that for you. Pretty sure by now, many people have already heard of Marina Bay Sands and its finely-designed infinity pool. But it’s not only the pool that’s going to satisfy you, it’s the entire hotel itself. With all these attractions waiting for you, Singapore is surely a destination vacation you wouldn’t want to miss.

What is it about Singapore that keeps on attracting many tourists? Well, if you’ve already been to Singapore, you’d pretty much know the answer to this. There are countless reasons that make this country such a desired place for many travelers. But for now, why don’t we just focus on one aspect that many tourists, especially women, engage in whenever their travelling: shopping.

Top Retailers

First off, for many shopaholics out there who just die for luxury brands, don’t fret because Singapore houses several of the leading names when it comes to fashion. Along the streets of Orchard Road, your eyes will surely feast on shopping boutiques, such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, Rolex and Cartier. But if you’re a little tight on budget, that’s no big deal because in this famous shopping district, there are other shops that offer much more affordable goods. Of these, you have Forever 21, Uniqlo, H&M, Topshop, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Traditional is In

If you happen to be among those who would rather shop for goods that are traditionally Singaporean, then get yourself familiar with the Tanglin Shopping Centre. This shopping center is filled with great finds from antique oriental jewelry to local artifacts and artwork. Delve a little deeper into this shopping haven and you’ll definitely find more treasures here for it also houses storefronts which would truly satisfy shoppers with a fondness for anything retro.

Chinatown

The last one on the list needs not much introduction. Almost anywhere in the world, you would find this Asian shopping district – none other than Chinatown. Here, you could find genuine Chinese products like fine silk, pieces of jewelry made from jade, and perishable goods such as tea and medicinal herbs.

So, while you’re in Singapore, why not indulge yourself into some little shopping?

Before the outbreak of millennium year, people’s primary sources of information were predominantly lies on traditional media, such as TV, radio, and newspaper. As the world changed and became more complex, the inception of Internet as medium of entertainment and information has been culturally accepted practically everywhere. The city-state of Singapore offers widest coverage of news in most areas like health, economy.

Securing Individual Licenses

According to the Media Development Authority, online news sites with wide-reader coverage that regularly delve on Singapore news is required to secure individual licenses. With this, news offered by certain sites shall remain consistent as compared to traditional news platforms.

The newly-implementing rules commenced on June 2013. This is intended for new sites with significant reach among readers and such report is regularly circulated online. In a press briefing with local reporters, Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information once said that online news offers wide readership, and is directly balance news reported from traditional mass media forms such as TV, radio or newspapers.

Criteria for Getting a License

Rapid growth of news production from these traditional forms shall be strengthened. Initially, present sites were automatically mandated by Broadcasting Act. The minister explicated that under this new ruling, the sites will require individual licenses provided by two criteria.

The first is that if the sites have at least 50,000 visitors from Singapore per month or in a period of two consecutive months. And secondly, if news portals report, at least one article in a week related to Singapore in a cycle of two months. The news content highlights topic of interests in various fields in Singapore from sports, economic, social, and cultural among others, he added.