SINGAPORE: A waterspout has been spotted from the eastern parts of Singapore.
Most callers to the MediaCorp News Hotline reported seeing what looked like a tornado or a twister over the sea.
Most said they saw the phenomenon at about 2.30pm and that the phenomenon lasted about 15 minutes.
Witnesses said it was moving in a circular motion.
The waterspout could be seen in several areas including Chai Chee, East Coast Park, Suntec City and Potong Pasir.
Last August, a waterspout was also spotted off the coast of Sentosa Island.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said intense thunderstorms were the cause of the phenomenon.
The waterspout is a narrow column of water that is sucked to the base of a cloud, making it look like a funnel.
An average diameter of a waterspout is 50 metres and it has average wind speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour.
The NEA added that waterspouts will dissipate rapidly near the coast.
It also clarified that waterspouts are not rare as there are actually several sightings each year.
- CNA/yy
posted - Friday, May 25, 2007; 8:21 AM
Early admissions to JC and Polytechnics to start from June
SINGAPORE: Students who are taking their GCE 'O'Levels this year can start planning for the next stage of their education with June and July set aside for admissions to Polytechnic and Junior College.
The first Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA) Exercise starts on 11 July for admission into polytechnics in 2008 for students who want to confirm places in polytechnic courses before taking their GCE ‘O’ level examinations.
Students who are interested in certain polytechnic programmes and who have the aptitude for applied learning can apply under the DPA which also gives the polytechnics greater flexibility to select students based on their talent and not just exam results.
Students admitted through the DPA route will have to meet the admission criteria of not more than 26 points for their GCE ‘O’ level examinations in English Language, two subjects relevant to the polytechnic course applied for and two other subjects which could be elective subjects.
They must also meet the Minimum Entry Requirements (MER) for their respective polytechnic courses.
The five polytechnics – Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic – will each admit some 100 students each, with a course-specific cap of 30% for each polytechnic course under the DPA.
This will allow other students applying through the GCE ‘O’ level route to also have access to popular polytechnic courses.
As for those seeking admission to Junior College at the pre-university level, the Direct School Admission Exercise for admission to JC1 and its equivalent level (DSA-JC) will be held on 25 June.
Similar to last year’s exercise, government and government-aided junior colleges (JCs) will admit up to 10% of their intake using school-based criteria.
The three independent institutions offering pre-university programmes will admit up to 20% of their intake using school-based criteria.
Each institution will admit students according to its own merit-based academic and/or non-academic criteria such as leadership, science, music, sports.
As the DSA-JC Exercise will be conducted before the annual Provisional Admission Exercise (PAE), students who gain admission to JC during the initial round will not be able to take part in the later Provisional Admission Exercise (PAE) and Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE).
posted - Friday, May 18, 2007; 8:50 AM
What is true in the bible is true for the world
New Law in Columbia: Three Years in Prison For Gossiping
From The Australian: "BOGOTA: A Colombian town has taken a hard line against gossip, with fines of up to $7950 and three years in jail.
Only gossips who cannot resist talking about their neighbours will be punished to the maximum. Recidivists could get the full three-year, $7950 punishment. The Iconozo gossip ordinance is not the first in Colombia.
Two years ago, the mayor of Ibague, also in Tolima province, imposed a fine on gossip. "Residents come out with things that they have no reason to say, that are mere gossip and that have even gotten people killed," Margoth Morales, city manager of Iconozo, 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Bogota, told RCN televsion." [Mark Godsey]
posted - Monday, May 14, 2007; 2:02 PM
TV actor Christopher Lee jailed for drink-driving
SINGAPORE: MediaCorp actor Christopher Lee has been sentenced to four weeks in jail on charges relating to drink-driving.
He has also been fined S$4,500 and is disqualified from driving for three years.
Lee, 35, had been slapped with five charges relating to drink driving, including failing to stop after the collision, causing injury to a motorcyclist and his pillion rider, not rendering help to the injured, and moving his vehicle without a police officer's permission.
Breathalyser tests showed Lee's body contained twice the legal alcohol limit.
Lee had given over S$70,000 in compensation to the victims for their injuries, which the judge noted as "evidence of his remorse".
Lee will be appealing against the jail term, and is currently out on S$20,000 bail.
posted - Thursday, May 10, 2007; 12:48 AM
Singapore: Fastest walkers in the world
LONDON, England -- Pedestrians all over the world are moving faster than a decade ago, according to scientists who have conducted a study into the pace at which people walk.
Landing the title of the world's fastest walkers, Singaporeans clocked the shortest time of just over 10 seconds (10.55 seconds) to walk a distance of over 18 metres (60 feet or about 4.5 car lengths). This was followed by Copenhagen (10.82 seconds) and Madrid (10.89 seconds).
Researchers in each city found a busy street with a wide pavement that was flat, free from obstacles and sufficiently uncrowded to allow people to walk at their maximum speed.
The speed of each city's walkers was then timed by a team researchers, armed with stopwatches.
They timed how long it took 35 men and women to walk along a 60-foot (18-meter) stretch of pavement, monitoring only adults who were on their own and ignoring those conducting mobile phone conversations or struggling with shopping bags.
Wiseman said walking speeds provided a reliable measure of the pace of life in a city.
"This simple measurement provides a significant insight into the physical and social health of a city. The pace of life in our major cities is now much quicker than before. This increase in speed will affect more people than ever, because for the first time in history the majority of the world's population are now living in urban center," Wiseman said.
Surprisingly, some of the world's biggest cities did not even make the top five. New York came in at eight, London was placed 12th on the list and Tokyo was ranked 19th.
The findings also explode the myth of the laid back Irish. Dublin topped Levine's table in 1997 and takes fifth place on the new list.
The study was carried out with the help of the British Council, which promotes cultural links in 109 countries.
Comparing the results with those compiled by Levine in the 1990s, the study showed that people were, on average, now walking 10 percent faster. Men were generally 25 percent quicker on their feet than women.
The biggest changes were found in the Far East. In Singapore, walking pace had increased by 30 percent and in Guangzhou, China, the pace was more than 20 percent quicker.
Here is a list, in order, of the cities ranked by the speeds at which people walk:
1) Singapore (Singapore) 2) Copenhagen (Denmark) 3) Madrid (Spain) 4) Guangzhou (China) 5) Dublin (Ireland) 6) Curitiba (Brazil) 7) Berlin (Germany) 8) New York (U.S.) 9) Utrecht (Netherlands) 10) Vienna (Austria) 11) Warsaw (Poland) 12) London (United Kingdom) 13) Zagreb (Croatia) 14) Prague (Czech Republic) 15) Wellington (New Zealand) 16) Paris (France) 17) Stockholm (Sweden) 18) Ljubljana (Slovenia) 19) Tokyo (Japan) 20) Ottawa (Canada) 21) Harare (Zimbabwe) 22) Sofia (Bulgaria) 23) Taipei (Taiwan) 24) Cairo (Egypt) 25) Sana (Yemen) 26) Bucharest (Romania) 27) Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 28) Damascus (Syria) 29) Amman (Jordan) 30) Bern (Switzerland) 31) Manama (Bahrain) 32) Blantyre (Malawi)
