Dear A.S.S. Editor

I read with alarm at the news that between the three charity dialysis organisations that are currently running dialysis centres for kidney patients, there are only 100 places left available. Question is, are there more patients who needs dialysis nowadays, or the dialysis centres did not cater for the increasing demands for such centres?

The Ministry of Health has said that the 100 places is enough for now to last till June or July. That is just three months away! Isn't anybody raising a red flag at this sooner? While more dialysis centres will be opened by the end of the year, was this poor planning that have led to this low number of places left in the next few months?

Better these places are really enough to cater for the patients till end of the year. If not, some heads should roll.

Syed A

A.S.S. Contributor

Dear A.S.S. Editor

I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief that AVA has announced that Singapore is not affected by the Brazilian rotten meat saga. None of the 21 meat-processing establishments placed by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply under a special surveillance regime are approved to export to Singapore, the authority said in a statement.

This is a huge relief. When NTUC announced earlier today that they are checking with the meat supplier, Singaporeans collectively held their breath. What if we really had been eating rotten meat? Thankfully, it has been confirmed Singapore was not affected. Finally AVA brought some good news to Singaporeans, after all their culling nonsense.

Guess now we can enjoy our meat again without fear of it being rotten.

Chen M T

A.S.S. Contributor

Facebook complaint by Lydia Eliya

Ladies, pls b aware of this motherf****R.. frm yishun to sembawang this guy took advantage of me.. he get in at yishun mrt n straight away stand behind my back while talking to his frend ,that i could even feel his breath juz right at my left ears, till 1 moment i felt his groin touches my bum thats when i shouted loud at him n he move, while many other passengers were looking.

The drama nvr ends there, he followed me all the way n i hv to just stand and stare at him while he purposely using n talking on his phone. Thats when i took out my hp n start to record.

He followed me again to the opposite bus stop thats when he realised that am taking his pic,he turn n run away. Am not afraid of these motherfucker coz am think i can handle these shit with my own hands but i juz want to make viral so that ladies out there

BE AWARE of these fucking INDIAN NATIONAL whenever ur in the bz train, make sure to raised yr voice n make other people know, b aware of yr surroundings.

DUN KEEP YR MOUTH SHUT COZ UR AFRAID.

<Facebook post by Andrew Loh>

Children affected by "gay scene" in Beauty & The Beast?

We brought our two boys, 11 & 15, to watch the movie on Saturday, without telling them anything about the "gay scene".

Later, we asked them if they found anything peculiar about the movie. They said not really.

We asked if they knew there was a "gay scene" in it.

They were both surprised.

"There was a gay scene in the movie? Where? Which part?" they asked.

We told them to guess.

One asked if it was the scene where the wardrobe dressed up the "3 musketeers" in women's clothes. (This is not the "gay scene".)
That was about the only thing which came to their minds.

When we revealed that it was the part where Lefou sang about his admiration for Gaston, the boys were like, "Huh? That part gay meh?"

Ok, that part is not actually the so-called "gay scene" or "gay moment". You go watch it and see if you can spot the scene in question. (You will have a hard time doing so, promise!)

Sometimes, adults who should know better and and who should be fostering better understandings of such things are themselves ignorant but act as if they are wise just because they sit on some official or grand-sounding "council" issuing statements propagating ignorance and false fears.

Dont take my word for it. Bring your kids to watch the movie and decide for yourself.

The NCCS is really creating a hullaballoo over nothing.

Dear Editors,

A fight broke out yesterday at around 7.30pm. It is not new to me though in Kallang Trivista, ever since i have moved in, I had witnessed at least 4 times .
Yesterday one involved the most people about 20 to 30.

Some of them armed with sticks running into Kallang Trivista playground area where there were a few children playing. Imagine if you were there playing with your children. The PCN route was also blocked by them too .

And this really makes me Mad. Can the Police make the Sunday evening patrol in their Weekly Routine? Cause they drink, get drunk and this is usually the result. Police should make their Presence felt and these people will then think twice before action.

Things look like getting out of hand.

Jason Foo
A.S.S. Contributor

Dear All Singapore Stuff,

It troubles me to inform you that the upcoming Power Rangers movie features the evil gay agenda.

The character of Trini, played by actress Becky G, has been reported to be a lesbian who is struggling with acceptance in society (Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/power-rangers-gay-character...)

Director Dean Israelite called it a 'pivotal moment' in the film. So we can safely conclude that the new Power Rangers movie revolves around the gay agenda.

This makes Power Rangers the first superhero movie to feature a gay lead character.

In the original 1990s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, the character of Trini was not a lesbian and there were no LGBTs in the show.

This shows that Hollywood is once again showing a middle finger to Christians all over the world as it tries to promote the gay lifestyle to our children. I feel that it is very offensive and insensitive to religious people to promote the gay agenda in every children's movie these days. Children should not be encouraged to be gay; they should be encouraged to uphold moral values. It is irresponsible and crazy to destroy the fundamental unit of our society which is the family just to teach children about sexual fetishes like homosexuality. The biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah should be remembered and not dismissed so callously.

It worries me that movies these days are being given the parental guidance rating despite featuring the evil gay agenda. In my opinion, movies such as these should not be mixed together with family friendly movies. I would like to warn Christians to avoid this upcoming movie. It was already enough that Beauty and the Beast featured a gay character.

Now once again, we have another movie that seeks to teach our children to accept homosexuals as rolemodels. It is frustrating to see good children's movies being turned into promotional material for the gay agenda. It seems like Hollywood's goal these days is to promote diversity at all costs. They should stop it already. We already get it that LGBTs exist. It is sickening to see gays featured everywhere, be it movies, TV shows, cartoons, children's storybooks, video games, etc.

LGBTs are a tiny minority in any society and should not be pandered to all the time. There is no need to have gay representation in everything. A majority of us do not care about the 'struggles' gays face. Everyone has difficulties in life, so there are certainly other important social issues that movies can feature. Religious people are also important and our views ought to be respected too.

Charissa
A.S.S. Contributor

Dear Editors,

Yesterday I was at Vivocity Thai Express and ordered a plate of basil leaves chicken. Eating halfway, I saw a bright green object in my rice and realised it was a big caterpiller in my meal.

I called for the staff and asked to see the manager who confirmed it was a worm and offered to replace the meal. By then I already ate half of the dish and wasn't not happy with the poor hygiene standards. I wrote in to NEA to complain.

Hazel

Dear A.S.S. Editor

Patients at Tan Tock Seng Hospital now are given the option to buy their own cups, fork and spoon for their own use when they are warded in the hospital. This move comes after a few patients voiced out complaints that the current utensils they are using are not that clean after having to share the use with others, even though they will be thoroughly cleaned after every usage.

Called the Personal Utensil Pack, the utensils consists of a cup, a small plate, a tea spoon and a jug, and it costs $6 per pack. The hospital spokesperson said they came to this decision after a few patients voiced their displeasure when they saw some other patients spitting into their cups after use. Some patients even use the cups they are given to store their false teeth.

While this move is good, begs the question why still need to pay $6. Is the hospitalization fee not high enough? Surely the hospitalization fee can also cover for the inclusion of this Pack. Seems like this is purely a business opportunity, so get the patients to pay another $6 just to get their own personal utensils, if they so desire.

Salim M

A.S.S. Contributor

Dear A.S.S. Editor

The police and family of a young 14 year old girl are appealing for those with information to call them in the case of a missing person. The 14 year old girl, Noreen Jastina Abdullah, was last seen at Alexandra Road on 20 March (Monday) around 2 pm.

She was then wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts. Those with any information on the whereabouts of the girl are urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

All information will be kept confidential. Let's help keep a lookout for this young girl.

Les Fam

A.S.S. Contributor

Dear A.S.S. Editor

Was the safety of road users compromised when a pipe burst at the construction site of the extension of the Raffles Hospital wing, and threw wet cement and pieces of concrete onto the road? News report indicated that at least one driver, with his family inside the car was driving when his car was hit.

Thankfully, no one was injured inside that car, which had stopped at a traffic junction of Victoria Street and Ophir Road. His car was badly scratched and covered with patches of cement. Other cars were not so lucky. Some had their rear windscreen completely smashed. It was lucky that no one got hurt in this incident.

How could something as dangerous as this happen? Hope the authorities will conduct investigation and punish the relevant parties, if indeed, this was negligence on their part.

M Ross

A.S.S. Contributor

Credits: Shahirah Shaik

Hi Guys...i need help... U guys know those bangla who drove their rubbish cart around in HDB flats to collect rubbish..

this morning i was in a carpark turning in when this bangla cart just scratch over my taxi... who do i claim? he claimed he stopped for me to make a turn..but if he do stopped how did scratched my car...

damages is quite bad n im clueless how to claim..he refused to give me any particulars and keep saying i will put him in trouble....any good advice?

<Facebook complaint by Tan Kin Lian>

My staff made a small mistake when she wrote a cheque of $200 to HDB for rental of their room. She wrote the payee as "The Housing and Develoment Board: with a "p" missing.

Guess what? The HDB staff refuse to accept the cheque. She returned the cheque and asked for another cheque to be issued and sent to them before the deadline for payment. They don't realize how costly it is to prepare a new cheque and hand it over personally.

Do you want to know why Singapore is so costly, so wasteful and so inefficient? It is this kind of unnecessary hassle. What's wrong with accepting a cheque with a small error. The SOP said that the cheque cannot be accepted, if it is not "properly written", right?

Okay, we continue our wasteful practices.

Dear Editors,

I am seriously peeved by the number of grab and uber cars pumping petrol at JB. The authorities should put a ban and check their fuel tanks to ensure that they have the required or in fact, full tank before exiting Singapore, there are just too many of these private hire cars using the customs daily just to pump petrol and this causes massive delay! Businessman like me always have to endure hours of jam just because of all these people.

Since private hire drivers are known to earn $6k monthly, that's good income, so why are they still going in to JB to pump petrol? So much of them calling passengers cheapos or cheapskates, but aren't they one of them?

If they find private hire cars is not doing well or earning a good living, they should just quit rather than using this as an opportunity to have a "free" car! The authorities should tackle this problem before it's too late!

The car population in Singapore is increasing and accost ya and breakdowns are happening everyday, this is a very serious problem! We do not want our roads to be over congested!'

Ally
A.S.S. Contributor

I refer to the article “The biggest losers” (The Economist, Mar 18).

S’poreans are the 2nd biggest gambling losers in the world?

It states that “This is no anomaly. Australia fritters away more money per person gambling than any other country. According to H2 Gambling Capital, a consultancy, the average adult lost $990 in 2016; 49% more than Singaporeans, the next-biggest losers.”

Average adult Singaporean lost $930?

Does this mean that the average adult Singaporean lost about S$930 (US$990 divided by 1.49 x 1.4)?

Lost $2.7b in a year?

Since the adult population was about 2.9 million in 2016 – does it mean that we lost about $2.7 billion ($930 x 2.9 million) in a year?

Leong Sze Hian

Facebook complaint by Eunice Ong

THIS IS GROSS!!! PLEASE BEWARE!!!! Do not buy HILL'S Science Diet kibbles for your precious doggies! So I've 4 dogs at home & ive been giving them kibbles for the longest time.

This is a newly open pack of kibbles from SCIENCE DIET & there's maggots/worms in there?! All 4 of my dogs are currently having diarrhea & passing out BLOOD. I need to understand why there's worms in a new pack of kibbles thats not expired yet.

Veterinarian recommended indeed. Please please share and spread the word!! Do check before you feed your babies worm infested kibbles

Dear Editors,

Grassroot volunteers have long been blessed with benefits such as free parking and priority to Primary schools within the estate. All these unfair benefits should be removed so that the volunteers we attract for the community are helping out for the right reasons.

Remember the case of Yang Yin who was doing grassroots work for nefarious purposes? This is the kind of people our Grassroots attract when such benefits are dangled as carrots.

It is high time to remove all these perks and accept only those who have the community at heart and wish to serve. This way it also helps the Peoples Association improve their image and shut those critics who accuse volunteers of helping out for ulterior motives.

Time to do the right thing and get the right people to serve, not those fair weathered people who do it for their own benefits. Remove these weeds before the whole system is corrupted by these self-serving individuals.

Kumar
A.S.S. Contributor

<Credits: Alan Poh>

Dear CPF Board,

You are the appointed agency to manage my retirement fund, which comes from my monthly contribution from the day I started working. I had no options to self manage my fund, or to appoint better fund manager. In short, I was forced to work with you. Nonetheless, I thank you for the hard work all these years to provide me an impressive 2.5% interest on my contribution. I ought to be grateful that my money is still there. If not, don't tell me about it. Don't drop hints either. That is a bad habit you have acquired over the years and I am highlighting it today as feedback.

When we first began, we agreed for a complete withdrawal when I get to 55 years old. That would be more than 3 decades from my first contribution. It was an absolute peach to you. Even the worst local bank would offer me more than 2.5% for a crappy structural deposit on a 10 year term, capital guaranteed. If I use them, I would be able to do an early withdrawal my funds before maturity, albeit with a penalty charge. You could certainly do better than 2.5% for a complete lock in for no withdrawal option for 3 decades. Never mind about the yield. We are friends and it hurts our relationship if we get too calculative. That is why it is unacceptable for you to charge me an interest for any loan I take from my own money. We should give and take but unfortunately, you are the only one enjoy the taking till now.

Things turned a nasty corner when you begin to think it is rightful for you to dictate my retirement age and how to live my life. We agreed on a complete withdrawal at 55 years old at the beginning of our contract. You revised it, because you told me you cared for me. So you suggested 60, then 63 and now you are urging me to stretch my non-withdrawal to 65 years old, by giving me a bonus of $1,200 for a 2 year extension. that would amount to a total of more than 40 years of keeping my money with you. Oh, is that how things work around here? I would have offered you $12,000, to withdraw my money 20 years earlier. I would if I could, if you have the money to return me in the first place.

I must apologise for my lack of faith in you but that has been lost ever since you told me I would not be withdrawing my retirement fund at whatever age you decided, and the goal post is still shifting as we speak. Instead you told me I will receive only payouts like an unemployed working receiving handouts from Centrelink in Australia. The key difference is, the Australian Government pays the unemployed from tax receivables and the money I left with you, come from my pocket. Despite that, you think you have the right to hold a bulk of my money in which you called Minimum Sum, and even tell me I will receive no payouts if I fail to accumulate enough money beyond your Minimum Sum. Thus, I cannot help but wonder if the Minimum Sum is created to keep me alive or to keep you afloat.

Over the last 15 years, you have dropped too many hints to suggest things are not exactly in a pink of health within. I do not want to interfere with your affairs but do not make me pay for your mistakes. I entrusted my money in you because I was not given a choice. It is more than a privilege for you, an entitlement in fact. Do not abuse it. This is not a warning, just a simple advice from a friend.

Sincerely,
Your friend

<Credits: Kah Seng>

The lower secondary history syllabus is a pretty daunting introduction to the history of Singapore for a freshly minted Sec 1 student, I must say. As a historian and teacher, I can see much thought has gone into the syllabus, with interesting and innovative ideas such as how historians work with varied sources and historical concepts such as evidence and causation.

But it's a little too much too quickly. Take a look at the page below which is cramped with 2 sources, background information, and suggestions for further reading. It's not until page 72 of the textbook that we get something akin to a narrative of Singapore history between the 15th and 18th centuries. It does get better from this point on however.

But where are the stories? It's always been the compelling stories that turn people to history, as it was for me many years ago. It's as if the curriculum writers had thrown out the story in favour of showing how the story was constructed. Would you rather watch Hacksaw Ridge or how Mel Gibson made it? I don't think even historians would have gone into the discipline if they had to learn all the skills first? Arguably source based studies and historical investigation have become two of the most teacher-centered ways to teach history.

So perhaps time to bring back at least some of the stories and excite our students and teachers again?

<Credits: The Alternative View>

Do you know that Singapore has only 2.1 hospital beds per 1,000 people? This lags far behind many developed peers including Japan (12.3 per 1000) and South Korea (9.2/1000).

Now you know why the PAP keeps asking you to stay fit - it doesn't want you to see what the sad state of our hospitals.

Source of data:
http://trade.gov/topmarkets/pdf/Health_IT_Singapore.PDF

Walt Disney announced on Tuesday that Beauty and the Beast will finally be released in Malaysia without any censorship cuts after the Censorship board backed down and gave it a PG13 rating instead.

The Censor Board had earlier demanded Walt Disney to cut out a gay scene or risk barring the movie from screening in Malaysia. When Disney refused to censor the movie, local film distributors pressured the censor board to change their decision to ban.

"We are pleased to announce that Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' has now been approved to be released in Malaysia with no cuts, with a PG13 rating."