http://business.smh.com.au/passengers-stranded-...

Passengers stranded by A380 glitch
Scott Rochfort
February 19, 2008 – 1:25PM

Singapore Airlines has encountered its first major technical glitch with its four-month-old A380 super jumbo, which forced it to cancel a flight from Singapore to Sydney last night leaving 70 passengers stranded without a hotel room.

The airline has confirmed it was forced to ground the jet overnight due to a problem with a fuel pump.

“It was a difficult delay. A problem presented with a fuel pump, and this is the sort of problem that doesn’t show till engine start-up,’’ said the airline’s head of corporate affairs Stephen Forshaw.

Were you affected by the flight delay? Message 0424 SMS SMH (+61 424 767 764) or email us with information.

But Mr Forshaw said the problem which does “occur from time to time with aircraft generally’’ was exacerbated when a replacement pump did not solve the glitch.

Given the Singapore Air’s second A380 was undergoing maintance, Mr Forshaw said the flight had to be replaced with a Boeing 747-400.

“Obviously, a 747-400 can’t carry as many passengers as an A380, so we’ve had to transfer around 70 passengers to alternative flights today,’’ he confirmed via an email.

According to Changi Airport’s web site the 747 replacement flight left 9 hours late.

“We’re very sorry for the inconvenience caused to customers by the long delay, and especially the nature of it, with a lack of certain departure time,’’ said Mr Forshaw.

“Given the time of night, we explored transferring all customers to hotels till the defect was repaired, to allow them to get some rest.

“Unfortunately, with the Singapore Airshow on this week, there were not sufficient hotel rooms to be able to accommodate those affected,’’ he said.

Mr Forshaw was the delay was ``most unfortunate’’ given the high reliability of the world’s largest passenger jet since its entry into service last October.

Last month, Airbus boast the A380 delivered to Singapore Air last October had been operating between Sydney and Singapore ``around 15 hours per day with a 100 per cent technical reliability’’.

Singapore Air introduced its second A380 on the route in mid-January. Singapore Air’s morning departure from Sydney only left 20 minutes late this morning, given the replacement 747 had enough seats to carry the ``booked load’’.

The jet encountered its first mishap last month when it rolled off the tarmac onto a glass verge at Singapore’s Changi Airport after coming lose from a tow truck.

ODEX wins appeal against PACNet liao.  Now PACNet will have to release all info of it's subcribers to them. 

ZDNet Asia
29th Jan 2008
By Victoria Ho

The Singapore-based anime distributor had last year carried out a series of suits against local ISPs (Internet service provider) in a bid to extract the identities of illegal downloaders--a move it said was necessary to protect the Japanese animation industry.

Although it won its court cases against StarHub and SingTel, Odex's suit against Pacnet was overturned in a surprise verdict.

However, Justice Woo Bih Li of the Singapore High Court ruled Tuesday in favor of Odex's subsequent contest against the previous verdict, ordering Pacific Internet to disclose its records to the company.

In a statement, Odex noted that the court ruling also prevents Odex from acting on its own against the illegal downloaders. The respective owners of the copyright to the anime titles will instead have to seek direct action against the downloaders.

So far, the Japanese anime distributors that have announced their backing for Odex are Sunrise, Kadokawa Pictures, GDH, TV Tokyo MediaNet, Yomiuri Telecasting and Showgate. Odex said it expects other copyright owners to make "similar applications to the court soon".

Odex had in August last year assembled representatives from the copyright-holding anime firms for a press conference to display the latters' support for Odex's action against piracy.

Said Odex, of the recent court ruling: "This...is a significant boost for us and our principals, as we have always acted for and on behalf of the copyright owners.

"...this decision will now pave the way forward for further enforcement actions by the copyright owners. This decision also shows that those who persist in engaging in illegal downloading of anime programs can no longer use a breach of privacy as a reason to hide behind their ISP."

Pacific Internet recently merged with Asia Netcom to become Pacnet.

http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62037118,00.htm

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/odex-wins-appeal-against-pacnet.html

 

They are barred from holding public performance, so we can only now watch their private performance on youtube.  Lyrics are also provided if you want to sing along.

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/complaints-choir-of-singapore-live.html

 

 

Interesting eco solution using tapping heat from aircon condensers for water heaters.

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/cnn-eco-solutions-hot-cold-in-singapore.html

http://onelesscar.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/well-spotted/

By zm the studious bloke:

from the annual report, passenger trips have increased 11% from 2002 - 389.7m to 434.9m. However, car kilometres operated dropped from 81.4m to 77.1m. SMRTC has been aggressively cutting costs by cramming as much as people into each train and reducing frequencies since 2004, to maximise shareholder value.

You can download SMRT’s annual report here.

I have excerpted the relevant table from the 2007 annual report:
SMRT’s cost-cutting

This shows that the more crowded trains aren’t just an illusion of grumpy commuters. Average operating car occupancy rose by more than 10% between 2002 and 2007.

Now look at their financial statistics:
SMRT’s 2007 profits

Railway EBITDA per car kilometre, a measure of profit, rose by more than 10% as well between 2002 and 2007. Total car kilometres had dropped, but by only about 5%, so overall their profits rose.

All this makes their following self-praise rather nauseating:
patting yourself on the back

You know that someone is lying through his teeth when he uses the phrase ‘quantum leap’.

http://blublur.blogspot.com/2008/01/ugly-side-of-smrt.html

business objective criticisms
- safe, reliable and friendly. Where is the timeliness? It is a known fact that everyone had a problem of boarding trains during peak hours. Some might even have to wait for 1-2 trains at interchange stations, such as Jurong East on the way to City.

the frequency is an issue, yet officials attempt to cover it up with statistics and figures. However, there is an issue.

from the annual report, passenger trips have increased 11% from 2002 - 389.7m to 434.9m. However, car kilometres operated dropped from 81.4m to 77.1m. SMRTC has been aggressively cutting costs by cramming as much as people into each train and reducing frequencies since 2004, to maximise shareholder value. Thus, what is observed is simply increasing ridership, yet the supply of trains remained the same, and even dropped.

on the buses side, this what SMRT had to say:

service schedules were refined to optimise operating costs. This included school holiday
schedules to match changes in student travel patterns, split-shift duties for services with distinctively high demand during peak hours, and parking of split-shift buses at interchanges to reduce off-service mileage.

this is not innovative. It is only innovative if the group had taken care of the operating fundamentals of the bus subsidiary. In the past 3-4 years, SMRT Buses has only introduced a handful of services for the transport hubs under its charge. In contrast, SBS Transit has overwhelming introduced too many services and initiatives that SMRTB is unable to match. While ridership has increased with additional services and demands on existing routes, SMRTB has not purchased any new buses so far.

the latest service failure showed its vulnerability. SMRTB came up with 40 buses, probably handpicked from a variety of services. It had to call for help from SBST to provide another 30 buses. This is unexpected from a multi-modal operator. It should have additional vehicles to cope with reasonable scaled emergencies. As only 4 stations were affected, this is considered to be reasonable for SMRT to handle by itself.

Wanto play can still buy from oversea right? ... Dunno what the point of banning it here



Mass Effect is the first Microsoft video game to be banned in Singapore by the Media Development Authority.

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/singapore-bans-microsft-game-mass.html

SINGAPORE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - A subsidiary of Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group said on Sunday that it has offered to buy all shares in Singapore-listed Robinson & Co Ltd (RBSS.SI: Quote, Profile, Research), valuing the retailer at about S$537.1 million ($374 million).

ALF Global, wholly-owned by Al-Futtaim, in a declaration to the Singapore Exchange (www.sgx.com) said it would buy all shares in Robinson, which operates the Robinsons, John Little and Marks & Spencer stores in Singapore and Malaysia, at S$6.25 a share.

Standard Chartered Bank is advising ALF Global. (Reporting by Ovais Subhani, editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSSIN10223420080120

Singapore Airlines Nets PETA Litterbox Award for Ad That Exploits Elephants

Peta Media Center
19th Jan 2008

Los Angeles - For attempting to increase its business by exploiting an elephant in an advertising campaign, Singapore Airlines has been awarded the "Bronze Scoop" in PETA's annual Litterbox Awards.

Singapore Airlines' print ad features a man holding a bullhook in his hand while sitting on top of an elephant and forcing her to bow. The ad's intent is to urge people to "Visit Colorful India." Elephant handlers use bullhooks—heavy rods with a sharp metal hook at the end—to force elephants to perform tricks by jabbing the bullhooks into the sensitive skin behind elephants' ears and knees, often drawing blood. Ironically, the Indian city of Mumbai recently banned elephant handlers because of the beatings that captive elephants endure at the hands of their keepers and the safety hazards associated with forcing elephants to negotiate crowded city streets.

"There's nothing 'colorful' about tearing elephants away from their families and habitats and forcing them to perform for tourists under the threat of beatings," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk, who grew up in India. "Tourists help perpetuate this abuse, and Singapore Airlines is glorifying it with its thoughtless ad."

PETA gives Litterbox Awards to companies that advertise in ways that show a lack of compassion toward animals or that handle animals irresponsibly. Joining Singapore Airlines are two other companies that have attempted to boost revenues by using ads that stink for animals: computer-supply company CDW and Exit Urban Shoes.

The group also gives Glitterbox Awards to companies that depict animals in a positive manner and promote respect for animals in their advertisements. This year's Glitterbox winners include General Motors for a Chevy commercial that raises awareness about vegetarian diets and protecting the environment and Georgia-Pacific Corporation for a Brawny paper towels ad that shows a "man's man" as he humanely removes a spider from his house. All winners in both categories are featured in PETA's quarterly magazine, Animal Times.

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/singapore-airlines-nets-peta-litterbox.html

What makes FIFA think their name is that marketable ?

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/first-fifa-official-store-opens-in.html

Singapore’s Only Professional Female Magician Launches New Kids’ Entertainment Company

WEBWIRE – Friday, January 11, 2008

Singapore, 12 Jan 2008 - Singapore’s only professional female magician “Magic Babe” Ning launches Mighty Magic Factory, a creative production house specializing in producing multi-dimensional and innovative live children’s shows and birthday parties.

Based in Singapore, Mighty Magic Factory has an in-house stable of children’s entertainers, performers and edutainers that comprises of magicians, ventriloquists, jugglers and mascots. In fact, the company has the largest professional team of puppets and ventriloquists in the country.

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/singapores-only-professional-female.html

The West Australian

14th Jan 2008

BEATRICE THOMAS

Up to 200 passengers were left stranded at Perth International Airport at the weekend after budget carrier Tiger Airways cancelled a flight to Singapore because it was unable to staff the plane.

Angry passengers said yesterday they were told three hours after its scheduled departure at 10.35pm on Saturday that flight 717 would not be leaving because crew had exceeded permitted work hours and could not fly again until the next day.....

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/low-cost-tiger-leaves-hundreds-stranded.html

JAKARTA (AP): Former Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew went to the hospital Sunday to visit his old friend, the ailing former Indonesian dictator Suharto, who was showing slight signs of improvement after being placed on life-support for organ failure.

A seemingly healthy Lee, who wore a dark blue suit and tie, did not comment to reporters as he headed to Suharto's room, where family members and friends gathered in recent days to pray for his recovery.
http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/singapores-lee-kuan-yew-visits-ailing.html

http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Security/2008/01/11/comparing_three_ethnic_chinese_militaries/9698/
HONG KONG, China, China, Taiwan and Singapore all share the Chinese language and culture. Yet due to their different positions in the international sphere and the capabilities of their respective military industries, the three have chosen very different military strategies and weapons systems. It is interesting to compare the three approaches.

First, in terms of military strategy, China is now gradually transforming itself from the passive defense of the Cold War years to today's active defense, with balanced offensive and defensive capabilities. China's navy is also turning from coastal defense to offshore defense.

The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are now under abnormal adversarial conditions. Taiwan's strategic goal has changed from staging large-scale counterattacks on mainland China to engaging in a decisive battle away from Taiwan Island and establishing balanced offensive and defensive capabilities.

Singapore's approach is proactive defense, typical of a small country. Since Singapore is much better off than other countries in the region, and it has a sensitive historical relationship with Malaysia, Singapore's national defense policy has followed the dual-track principle of diplomacy and deterrence.

While building up formidable military strengths to dissuade potential enemies from reckless action, Singapore also tries to reinforce its national defense through diplomatic ties, hoping it will receive support from the outside world should the regional situation deteriorate. Singapore learned from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that wealth does not equal peace.

The military strategies and doctrines of Singapore and Taiwan are becoming increasingly close. Both are attempting to establish effective deterrence against potential adversaries through building up their military machines. Both also rely on the diplomatic or even military involvement of world powers should they face a protracted conflict.

By procuring large batches of arms and establishing special military ties with the United States, both Singapore and Taiwan hope to guarantee their own security, expecting that the United States would come to their rescue should a major conflict arise.

Singapore's practice of purchasing AIM-120C air-to-air missiles and storing these weapon systems in the United States is clearly an attempt to establish a tangible military alliance with the United States and to integrate diplomatic deterrence with military deterrence. If a conflict broke out, Singapore would inevitably ask the United States to deliver the weapon systems stored on U.S. territory, which would make it impossible for the United States to remain neutral.

Taiwan's approach in recent years has been more or less similar. For the same purpose, Singapore may also deposit the 66 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks it procured from Germany in Australia, as a tactic to contain the latest move of the Malaysian army to import PT91M main battle tanks from Poland.

Secondly, Singapore hopes to win additional layers of protection through its "diplomatic deterrence" strategy. Through reinforcing its ties with Australia, Canada and the joint defense cooperation among the five ASEAN countries, Singapore intends to implement the strategy of multi-layered diplomatic deterrence; that is, using different diplomatic deterrence strategies to deal with different adversaries.

In recent years, Taiwan has also sought to weaken the dominance of the United States in the dynamics of the Taiwan Strait and actively expand its military exchanges with Japan, Australia and India, with the same strategic objectives as Singapore.

Although China, Taiwan and Singapore all seek to balance their offensive and defensive capabilities, Singapore's navy and air force have the most advanced Western military technologies and the most formidable attack power in comparison with Taiwan and China. In other words, in implementing the strategy of balanced offensive and defensive deterrence, the Singaporean military forces place much greater emphasis on offensive operations than the Taiwanese and Chinese forces.

Singapore's "active defense" strategy is probably influenced by traditional British military ideology. Similar traces can be found in the military strategies of fellow former British colonies India and Pakistan. With the import of 12 plus 8 F-15ST fighters from the United States, Singapore has become the first of the three militaries to acquire joint direct attack munition bombs.

In addition, Singapore has acquired APG-63V3 active electronically scanned array radar systems ahead of Japan and Korea. The Singaporean air force is also equipped with 20 of the most powerful AN-64D attack helicopters in the region.

Due to the differences in the combat capabilities of their prospective adversaries, Taiwan and Singapore also have different deterrence strengths. The powerful offensive weapon systems mentioned above are already sufficient to give Singapore the capability to paralyze the enemy through preemptive standoff operations, which could be followed by diplomatic measures to resolve the conflict.

Singapore's latest replacements of military equipment, particularly in the navy and air force, show that the deterrence capability it aspires to is not directed solely at Malaysia. Thanks to the procurement of F-16 Block52 fighters and the KC-135R tanker, plus the fact that four E-2C aerial early warning aircraft are already in service, the Singaporean air force can now project its power over almost all of Southeast Asia.

Singapore is already armed with 70 F-16 fighters, among which 62 are F-16 Block52s. These fighters are equipped with the Israeli Python-4 and AIM120C AAM. The Taiwanese air force also dreams of acquiring the F-16 Block52. Both the Singaporean and the Taiwanese air forces are equipped with AGM-65G infrared-guided anti-ship missiles.

Singapore is favored by the West and Russia and has experienced no restrictions in the import of arms. Unlike Taiwan, Singapore has access to diversified weapons sources. The Singaporean army is equipped with Russian Igla (SA-1 ground-to-air missiles, for example.

As for military cooperation between Singapore and Taiwan, there has been constant speculation and many unconfirmed reports about this. Sources say that Singapore's batch of SA-18 missiles was actually ordered by Taiwan. Both Taiwan and Singapore are now employing the French-made La Fayette guided missile frigates (FFGs). The Singaporean variant of the La Fayette and the same model of FFG assembled indigenously are called the Delta Project, which has undergone major upgrading, but the price is said to be less than two-thirds the price Taiwan paid for its La Fayettes. Obviously the two received far different treatment in their purchase deals.

As a matter of fact, Israel has close ties with all three of the militaries under discussion. Singapore's ground forces, air force and navy use a lot of Israel-made equipment. The Singaporean navy's "Victory" class missile patrol boats are equipped with the Barak I vertical launch surface-to-air systems made by Israel Aerospace Industries/Rafael, while the F-16 Block52 fighters of the Singaporean air force are equipped with Israeli-designed electronic warfare systems.

As is widely known, both Taiwan and Singapore have acquired Gabriel I surface-to-surface missiles from Israel's IAI. In addition, Singapore has also purchased submarines from Sweden. In 1990, Singapore received the first batch of two A17 submarines, and four Sjoormen-class submarines were delivered to Singapore in 2004. The Sjoormen submarine has a standard displacement of 1,130 tons. As a result, Singapore has become the first country in Southeast Asia with genuine underwater combat capability.

Since international attitudes toward Singapore have been the most open and favorable, it has had the broadest training opportunities for its military personnel. The pilots of the Singaporean air force not only receive training in the United States, they also actively participate in joint military exercises with India, Australia and other countries, including joint naval and air force operations. The Singaporean air force has even carried out confrontational exercises in which the Su-30MKI fighter planes faced Singapore's F-16 Block52s.

Singapore - Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew said that he hopes the city-state will aim for a cultural renaissance like Italy.

'If you go to Florence or you go to Venice or you go to Rome and you see their churches, their museums, and you see the number of sculptors, painters sitting outside trying to copy Leonardo da Vinci, you know that was the beginning of the renaissance,' the first prime minister said at a dialogue Friday.

http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com/2008/01/lee-kuan-yew-hopes-for-cultural.html