#letteroftheweek — Public Fediverse posts

#LetterOfTheWeek
Provide more guidance for #seniors to age safely at home
🇸🇬"Beyond awareness, more #hands-on #support wld help.. agencies cld organise #roadshows to demo practical home modifications & provide access to pre-qualified contractors, along w clear & transparent sample quotations. Safe #ageing at home shldn't depend on renovation know-how. W clearer guidance & trusted support, >seniors can take practical steps to live safely & independently in their own homes"👍
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum-provide-more-guidance-for-seniors-to-age-safely-at-home

#LetterOfTheWeek
Provide more guidance for #seniors to age safely at home
🇸🇬"Beyond awareness, more #hands-on #support wld help.. agencies cld organise #roadshows to demo practical home modifications & provide access to pre-qualified contractors, along w clear & transparent sample quotations. Safe #ageing at home shldn't depend on renovation know-how. W clearer guidance & trusted support, >seniors can take practical steps to live safely & independently in their own homes"👍
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum-provide-more-guidance-for-seniors-to-age-safely-at-home

#LetterOfTheWeek
Provide more guidance for #seniors to age safely at home
🇸🇬"Beyond awareness, more #hands-on #support wld help.. agencies cld organise #roadshows to demo practical home modifications & provide access to pre-qualified contractors, along w clear & transparent sample quotations. Safe #ageing at home shldn't depend on renovation know-how. W clearer guidance & trusted support, >seniors can take practical steps to live safely & independently in their own homes"👍
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum-provide-more-guidance-for-seniors-to-age-safely-at-home

#LetterOfTheWeek
Provide more guidance for #seniors to age safely at home
🇸🇬"Beyond awareness, more #hands-on #support wld help.. agencies cld organise #roadshows to demo practical home modifications & provide access to pre-qualified contractors, along w clear & transparent sample quotations. Safe #ageing at home shldn't depend on renovation know-how. W clearer guidance & trusted support, >seniors can take practical steps to live safely & independently in their own homes"👍
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum-provide-more-guidance-for-seniors-to-age-safely-at-home

#LetterOfTheWeek
Provide more guidance for #seniors to age safely at home
🇸🇬"Beyond awareness, more #hands-on #support wld help.. agencies cld organise #roadshows to demo practical home modifications & provide access to pre-qualified contractors, along w clear & transparent sample quotations. Safe #ageing at home shldn't depend on renovation know-how. W clearer guidance & trusted support, >seniors can take practical steps to live safely & independently in their own homes"👍
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum-provide-more-guidance-for-seniors-to-age-safely-at-home

#LetterOfTheWeek
Impatient customers make #delivery #riders take risks
"Pref'ce for faster deliv & low tolerance for delay contribute incrementally to sys where time saved by 1 party may translate into risk borne by another.. raises broader qn abt te kind of #socialcompact we wish to uphold. #Singapore has long emphasised shared #responsibility - whether in public cleanliness, #graciousness or safety. Yet in te realm of digital convenience tis ethos appears less visible"🧐
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-impatient-customers-make-delivery-riders-take-risks

#LetterOfTheWeek
Yes, we🇸🇬 need campaigns to remind us how to behave
"Campaigns . aren't abt stating te obvious, but abt reinforcing social norms. A simple, repeated message can act as a gentle nudge.. True graciousness must be supported by #social #culture. When commuters model considerate behaviour, it encourages others.. shapes a self-sustaining #norm where #courtesy becomes natural iso instructed. In tis sense, campaigns remind the mind, while culture shapes the heart"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-yes-we-do-need-campaigns-to-remind-us-how-to-behave

#LetterOfTheWeek
Yes, we🇸🇬 need campaigns to remind us how to behave
"Campaigns . aren't abt stating te obvious, but abt reinforcing social norms. A simple, repeated message can act as a gentle nudge.. True graciousness must be supported by #social #culture. When commuters model considerate behaviour, it encourages others.. shapes a self-sustaining #norm where #courtesy becomes natural iso instructed. In tis sense, campaigns remind the mind, while culture shapes the heart"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-yes-we-do-need-campaigns-to-remind-us-how-to-behave

#LetterOfTheWeek
Yes, we🇸🇬 need campaigns to remind us how to behave
"Campaigns . aren't abt stating te obvious, but abt reinforcing social norms. A simple, repeated message can act as a gentle nudge.. True graciousness must be supported by #social #culture. When commuters model considerate behaviour, it encourages others.. shapes a self-sustaining #norm where #courtesy becomes natural iso instructed. In tis sense, campaigns remind the mind, while culture shapes the heart"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-yes-we-do-need-campaigns-to-remind-us-how-to-behave

#LetterOfTheWeek
Yes, we🇸🇬 need campaigns to remind us how to behave
"Campaigns . aren't abt stating te obvious, but abt reinforcing social norms. A simple, repeated message can act as a gentle nudge.. True graciousness must be supported by #social #culture. When commuters model considerate behaviour, it encourages others.. shapes a self-sustaining #norm where #courtesy becomes natural iso instructed. In tis sense, campaigns remind the mind, while culture shapes the heart"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-yes-we-do-need-campaigns-to-remind-us-how-to-behave

#LetterOfTheWeek
Make it much easier to speak to a person on a #hotline
🧐"Te wider issue is .. whether #service #architecture is judged by what exists on paper than what's accessible in practice. #fairdealing .. shld extend to te design of #customer #contact channels.. Institut'ns shld review their c'r channels based on discoverability, not just existence. #Regulators shld consider whether hidden contact pathways r consistent w fair dealing.. shldn't req insider guidance"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-make-it-much-easier-to-speak-to-a-person-on-a-hotline

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Introducing #AI at Primary 4 carries a real developmental #risk #StraitsTimes
"When #socialmedia spread rapidly through our #children’s lives, the #guardrails came years too late.🤦‍♂️ We're still living with those ripples on #youth #mentalhealth, sleep, attention & #family life.. In 2023, #UNESCO called for #regulation of #generativeAI in #schools, #data #protection & #privacy standards, teacher training, & an age limit of 13 for classroom AI tools"👈🧐
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-introducing-ai-at-primary-4-carries-a-real-developmental-risk

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Introducing #AI at Primary 4 carries a real developmental #risk #StraitsTimes
"When #socialmedia spread rapidly through our #children’s lives, the #guardrails came years too late.🤦‍♂️ We're still living with those ripples on #youth #mentalhealth, sleep, attention & #family life.. In 2023, #UNESCO called for #regulation of #generativeAI in #schools, #data #protection & #privacy standards, teacher training, & an age limit of 13 for classroom AI tools"👈🧐
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-introducing-ai-at-primary-4-carries-a-real-developmental-risk

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Introducing #AI at Primary 4 carries a real developmental #risk #StraitsTimes
"When #socialmedia spread rapidly through our #children’s lives, the #guardrails came years too late.🤦‍♂️ We're still living with those ripples on #youth #mentalhealth, sleep, attention & #family life.. In 2023, #UNESCO called for #regulation of #generativeAI in #schools, #data #protection & #privacy standards, teacher training, & an age limit of 13 for classroom AI tools"👈🧐
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-introducing-ai-at-primary-4-carries-a-real-developmental-risk

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Introducing #AI at Primary 4 carries a real developmental #risk #StraitsTimes
"When #socialmedia spread rapidly through our #children’s lives, the #guardrails came years too late.🤦‍♂️ We're still living with those ripples on #youth #mentalhealth, sleep, attention & #family life.. In 2023, #UNESCO called for #regulation of #generativeAI in #schools, #data #protection & #privacy standards, teacher training, & an age limit of 13 for classroom AI tools"👈🧐
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-introducing-ai-at-primary-4-carries-a-real-developmental-risk

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Introducing #AI at Primary 4 carries a real developmental #risk #StraitsTimes
"When #socialmedia spread rapidly through our #children’s lives, the #guardrails came years too late.🤦‍♂️ We're still living with those ripples on #youth #mentalhealth, sleep, attention & #family life.. In 2023, #UNESCO called for #regulation of #generativeAI in #schools, #data #protection & #privacy standards, teacher training, & an age limit of 13 for classroom AI tools"👈🧐
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-introducing-ai-at-primary-4-carries-a-real-developmental-risk

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum🇸🇬 Don’t let medical progress become a loophole for #insurers
"Life #Insurance Assoc'n recently updated its #Critical #Illness Framework to incl modern “keyhole” & endovascular treatments.. a clear admission tt old, highly invasive definitions r medically obsolete. However these updates are not retrospective. Tis creates a 2-tier sys where those who've dutifully paid #premiums for decades r penalised for te v #medical progress tt makes #surgery safer"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-dont-let-medical-progress-become-a-loophole-for-insurers

#LetterOfTheWeek
#STForum: #Jailterm necessary as #deterrence matters in #careless #driving cases @straits_times
🧐"The consequences of an honest mistake can range fr financial loss to lives being upended.. When #death occurs, we need to just think of those left behind: someone losing a son, a father, a sibling, a close friend or a #breadwinner.. People r often guided by te severity of consequences attached to their actions. A #jail term can serve as a powerful #deterrent"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-jail-term-as-deterrence-matters-in-careless-driving-cases

#LetterOfTheWeek
Is #FaceID on #banking #apps too convenient to be secure?
"Shld banking systems rely so heavily on frictionless #biometric #approval when friction itself may be a #safety feature? #Desktop banking, which reqs deliberate steps & device-based authentication, arguably offers clearer intent & better #protection.. As #banks accelerate twds #convenience & speed, r we adequately acct'g for – #seniors – or we assume #digital #awareness tt not all users possess?"🤔
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-is-face-id-in-banking-apps-too-convenient-for-security

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Review rule on overseas property ownership & #publichousing
🧐"HDB rules disqualify #Singaporeans who own any #overseas #residential #property fr purchasing even a non-subsidised resale flat, unless te ppty is 1st disposed of.. Tis #rule contradicts another #HDB #policy: Once flat owners complete their MOP, they may freely buy local or overseas ppty w/o restriction. If o'seas ppty ownership's acceptable aft MOP, why shld it be an absolute barrier before?"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-review-rule-on-overseas-property-ownership-and-public-housing

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Review rule on overseas property ownership & #publichousing
🧐"HDB rules disqualify #Singaporeans who own any #overseas #residential #property fr purchasing even a non-subsidised resale flat, unless te ppty is 1st disposed of.. Tis #rule contradicts another #HDB #policy: Once flat owners complete their MOP, they may freely buy local or overseas ppty w/o restriction. If o'seas ppty ownership's acceptable aft MOP, why shld it be an absolute barrier before?"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-review-rule-on-overseas-property-ownership-and-public-housing

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Review rule on overseas property ownership & #publichousing
🧐"HDB rules disqualify #Singaporeans who own any #overseas #residential #property fr purchasing even a non-subsidised resale flat, unless te ppty is 1st disposed of.. Tis #rule contradicts another #HDB #policy: Once flat owners complete their MOP, they may freely buy local or overseas ppty w/o restriction. If o'seas ppty ownership's acceptable aft MOP, why shld it be an absolute barrier before?"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-review-rule-on-overseas-property-ownership-and-public-housing

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Review rule on overseas property ownership & #publichousing
🧐"HDB rules disqualify #Singaporeans who own any #overseas #residential #property fr purchasing even a non-subsidised resale flat, unless te ppty is 1st disposed of.. Tis #rule contradicts another #HDB #policy: Once flat owners complete their MOP, they may freely buy local or overseas ppty w/o restriction. If o'seas ppty ownership's acceptable aft MOP, why shld it be an absolute barrier before?"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-review-rule-on-overseas-property-ownership-and-public-housing

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: #Bullying reflects deeper issues in #families & #society
"in 1993, #Denmark made #empathy a required #school #subject. It has helped children aged six to 16 develop #compassion & #social #awareness.. “Why should we expect perfectly harmonious relations among #children, when #adults themselves struggle with #conflict & #officepolitics in the workplace?” Indeed, children often mirror the unresolved conflicts & #emotional pain of adults around them"🧐🇸🇬
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-bullying-reflects-deeper-issues-in-families-and-society

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Forum: #InternationalBaccalaureate #exam different for each student
"designed as #holistic framework w #student oppor choose what he's interested in study'g at standard/higher levels. IB exam is diff for each indiv based on #subject #combination, thus making tot scores out of 45 a poor point of reference.. It's not wrong to report facts, but present'g #statistics w/o proper context can be #misleading. Let’s not make #education abt numbers but abt people"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-ib-exam-different-for-each-student-so-scores-a-poor-indicator-of-performance

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Forum: Biggest challenge #hawkers face is #economics, not #consumer #culture
"Coffee shops changing hands for #millions of dollars shows tt many #investors see #coffeeshops as #speculative #assets to be flipped, rather than #businesses to be operated. Stall operators have suffered fr large #arbitrary #rent increases in such #kopi tiams.. #hawkercentres “play a role in moderating increases in #food #prices, thereby performing an important #socialservice”"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-biggest-challenge-hawkers-face-is-economics-not-consumer-culture

#LetterOfTheWeek
#Deterrent signal needed to ensure trust in #healthcare
" #doctors possess significantly more #medical knowledge than their #patients. This #imbalance creates opportunities for potential #dishonesty.. Revoking a doctor’s ability to make #insurance & #MediSave claims for six months may be insufficient to deter such #offences.. In contrast, #fraudulent claims made against SkillsFuture were met with more severe consequences" #Singapore #governance #ethics
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/letter-of-the-week-deterrent-signal-needed-to-ensure-trust-in-healthcare

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Uncooperative HDB flat owners
"HDB seems to be accommodating an uncooperative owner, indirectly penalising a cooperative owner who's been working patiently w #HDB to resolve e issue.. #Recalcitrant flat #owners seem to be treated leniently, as reported in e media, over issues like #noisenuisance & excessive cluttering, sometimes for years. This soft #attitude reinforces the idea tt it pays to be wayward, & culprits can act with little repercussion"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-don-t-let-uncooperative-hdb-flat-owners-inconvenience-neighbours

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: HDB lease
"Fr time to time, concerns regarding #decayinglease of #HDB #flats surface in #Singapore. There needs to be a fundamental understanding tt when a property’s #lease expires, whether it's HDB or private #property, the land reverts to e state.. Prospective #buyers shld make #sounddecisions based on their age vis-a-vis the remaining lease on their property, & not expect any assistance when e value of their property drops w the decaying lease"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-buyers-are-aware-of-hdb-lease-length-when-purchase-is-made

#LetterOfTheWeek
Raise awareness of the ills of #polypharmacy
"recent 🇸🇬study showed tt hospital patients rcv an average of 7 chronic meds; up to 1/3 of them cld be inappropriate.. over 80% of patients were willing to stop meds if their Drs said it was possible.. When offered new #prescription meds, people shld find out how long they will need them, if interactions occur w certain types of supplements or meds tt they might already be taking & if there is a withdrawal plan"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-work-with-doctor-or-pharmacist-when-offered-prescription-medications

#LetterOfTheWeek #Singapore
Forum: Carry out nicotine detection tests on second-hand smoke victims
"for #screening of high-risk non-smokers exposed to chain #secondhandsmoke. I have encountered #doctors who downplayed e risks of my exposure to 2nd-hand smoke, leading to a delay in diagnosing my #emphysema .. New #legislation shld be introduced to #curb e actions of #chainsmokers & prevent more situations where 2nd-hand smoke can do harm to those around them" #SmokingKills
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-carry-out-nicotine-detection-tests-on-second-hand-smoke-victims

#LetterOfTheWeek #Singapore
#STForum: Parents prefer not to burden children financially
#HDB "Lease Buyback Scheme has been enhanced to allow households flexibility to choose the length of #lease to be retained .. i.e., retained lease to last the youngest owner till at least 95 yrs old .. Parents wld prefer to be #financiallyindependent than rely on their children for monthly maintenance as they do not wish to burden them since they have a family of their own to support"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-parents-prefer-not-to-burden-children-financially

#LetterOfTheWeek #Singapore #StraitsTimes
#STForum: Are #seniors at risk of losing independence amid #digitalisation push?
"if more activities moved to the digital platform, would this lead in the future to seniors being misdiagnosed as having early onset #dementia when it could be that they are just not digitally competent? .. How can #policymakers make things simple for seniors instead of adding more layers to hinder them from being #independent?" #technology #society
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-are-seniors-at-risk-of-losing-independence-amid-digitalisation-push

#LetterOfTheWeek #Singapore #StraitsTimes
#STForum: Try thanking the sweeper in the park
"When I say “good morning” or “thank you” to them, they sometimes look puzzled as they do not know I am addressing them. But after eye contact is made and they realise I am talking to them, they give me a radiant #smile. And that makes me really #happy." 😊
#WakeUpCall #Singaporeans #ChuaMuiHoong #HonestLiving #TruthVsSpin #equality #empathy
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/letter-of-the-week-try-thanking-the-sweeper-in-the-park

#LetterOfTheWeek #StraitsTimes #Singapore
#STForum: Harm from alcohol consumption outweighs any health benefit
"To the long list of the known deleterious effects of #alcohol, add lung #cancer, fractures, bowel/rectal cancers and #cataracts. The latest #WHO advisory is that the antioxidants polyphenols and resveratrols in red wine notwithstanding, there is no safe amount of alcohol imbibing that does not affect health. Earlier risks of alcohol are well documented"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-harm-from-alcohol-consumption-outweighs-any-health-benefit

#LetterOfTheWeek #StraitsTimes
#STForum: Squid Game-inspired event underscores inequality in society
"Migrant workers earn much less than most people in #Singapore. This event’s references to #SquidGame inadvertently underscored the #inequality in our own society. Perhaps instead of designing a Squid Game-style event, Pollisum could have distributed that $100,000 sum more equally among its workers." #empathy #hubrisOfMeritocracy
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-squid-game-inspired-event-underscores-inequality-in-society

#LetterOfTheWeek #StraitsTimes
#STForum: Squid Game-inspired event underscores inequality in society
"Migrant workers earn much less than most people in #Singapore. This event’s references to #SquidGame inadvertently underscored the #inequality in our own society. Perhaps instead of designing a Squid Game-style event, Pollisum could have distributed that $100,000 sum more equally among its workers." #empathy #hubrisOfMeritocracy
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-squid-game-inspired-event-underscores-inequality-in-society

#LetterOfTheWeek #StraitsTimes
#STForum: Squid Game-inspired event underscores inequality in society
"Migrant workers earn much less than most people in #Singapore. This event’s references to #SquidGame inadvertently underscored the #inequality in our own society. Perhaps instead of designing a Squid Game-style event, Pollisum could have distributed that $100,000 sum more equally among its workers." #empathy #hubrisOfMeritocracy
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-squid-game-inspired-event-underscores-inequality-in-society

#LetterOfTheWeek #StraitsTimes
#STForum: Squid Game-inspired event underscores inequality in society
"Migrant workers earn much less than most people in #Singapore. This event’s references to #SquidGame inadvertently underscored the #inequality in our own society. Perhaps instead of designing a Squid Game-style event, Pollisum could have distributed that $100,000 sum more equally among its workers." #empathy #hubrisOfMeritocracy
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-squid-game-inspired-event-underscores-inequality-in-society

#LetterOfTheWeek #StraitsTimes
#STForum: Time to end ‘no free water’ policy of #restaurants
"tap water in #Singapore is perfectly drinkable. We spend billions to ensure that this is so. In Japan & England, we were served tap water without even asking .. quest to squeeze the last drop of profit fr customers .. this irresponsible, short-sighted profit-at-all-costs attitude must stop. While I wld prefer tt they do so voluntarily, regulations shld be put in place if needed"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-time-to-end-no-free-water-policy-of-restaurants