– Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, author and motivational speaker
There are many issues that the community is facing. And only when we take the effort to find out more and keep ourselves up-to-date, can we be part of the solution and change can happen, to truly build a community that cares.
More funds for students with severe disabilities
Students with severe hearing, physical and visual disabilities will now get more help as they pursue their studies at polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). They can now each receive up to $70,000 over the course of their studies, to buy...
Mayflower Primary to take in deaf pupils
From next year, pupils at a mainstream primary school will have deaf classmates learning alongside them in sign language as a further step is taken towards greater inclusiveness. Currently, children with hearing loss who need more support go to Lighthouse School or...
Japan restaurant only hires waiters with dementia
Diners have no complaints about the service at a pop-up restaurant in central Tokyo, where the 17 waiters and waitresses all suffer from dementia. “The Restaurant of Order Mistakes” is the brainchild of NHK television director Shiro Oguni, 38. The goal of his project,...
Beijing plans nationwide use of ethanol fuel by 2020
China plans to roll out the use of ethanol fuel nationally by 2020, as Beijing intensifies its push to boost industrial demand for corn and clean up choking smog. It is the first time the government has set a targeted timeline for pushing the biofuel, known as E10 and...
UK green energy is cheaper now
The persistent myth that green energy is expensive has been shredded by the revelation that windfarms will be built around Britain’s coast far cheaper than new nuclear reactors. New power stations in the United Kingdom (UK) today are usually only built with the...
Singapore faces more weather extremes as world warms
As with the rest of the world, Singapore, too, will face more extreme conditions as the world warms, experts told The Sunday Times as recent weather events continue to wreak havoc in the northern hemisphere. The devastating Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest storms...
Initiative launched to get more seniors to serve the community
The non-profit organisation, RSVP Singapore - The Organisation of Senior Volunteers launched an initiative called Retire with a Purpose on 9 September, to encourage more employees from this age group to serve the community. The idea is for older employees to partner...
Helping those with mental health issues find work
Peer support specialists will be able to apply for an apprenticeship scheme to ease them back into the workforce. This scheme provides them with a training allowance during a six-month work trial and is a collaboration between the National Council of Social Services...
Woman, 77, lauded for tireless work as foster mum
For years, it was a bit of a squeeze in a four-room flat in Lorong Ah Soo for Madam Indranee Elizabeth Nadisen, her husband and six children. But even then, she always found the space and time to foster children. Over her 35 years as a foster mother, 43 children...
Telling stories to forge greater inclusiveness
Gareth Ho, 17, looks like any normal teenager, but gets around in a motorized wheelchair. Some people find this unacceptable. Strangers have told him that, at his age, he should be walking around instead of being in a wheelchair. They do not realize that he has...
HDB, SUTD tie up to create ‘new urban kampung’
In some Housing Board blocks, common spaces such as void decks are fitted with motion sensors that switch lights on and off when residents pass by. Soon, they could have another purpose: letting HDB planners know which spaces are underutilized. Armed with such data,...
Charities reaching out to public
The Art Faculty pop-up store, a OCBC Centre near Boat Quay, was set up by Pathlight School to sell products such as pouches and mugs made by their autistic students. The Autism Resource Centre, which runs the school, is among charities that have become more...
Online tuition catches on in China
When Wu Wenhua was growing up in the 1980s, hardly anyone bothered to learn English. Now that she has a son, she believes that knowing the language is key to opening doors. Ms Wu, 38, signed Ryan, 11, up for an online service, called VIPKid, that connects Chinese...
Sea salt around the world is contaminated by plastic
Sea salt around the world has been contaminated by plastic pollution, adding to experts’ fears that microplastics are becoming ubiquitous in the environment and entering our food chain via the salt in our diets. New studies have shown that tiny particles have been...
One of the world’s largest marine parks created
One of the world’s largest marine protection areas has been created off the coast of Easter Island. The Rapa Nui marine park will protect at least 142 endemic marine species, including 27 threatened with extinction. Apex predators found in the conservation zone...
More pre-school kids chip in to do good
Even as greater government efforts to improve pre-school education are under way, more pre-schoolers have been doing their bit to improve the lives of others. A record 34,000 children from more than 550 pre-schools are helping out in community service projects this...
Higher quality of life for seniors who participate in events
Participating in the arts or simply attending arts-related events can significantly increase mental and physical health and quality of life for Singaporeans aged 50 and above, according to a new survey. The Arts for Ageing Well Study, funded by the National Arts...
Next-gen farming concepts on show at exhibition
The floating fish farm, being developed by the world's largest oil rig builder, Keppel Offshore and Marine, features extensive automation in the feeding, health-monitoring and cleaning of fish in both underwater and above-water facilities. It is one of the...
Para-athlete delivers food in a wheelchair
Like any other food delivery man, Mr Kamas Mohd carries an insulated bag and constantly checks his mobile phone for orders. Mr Kamas, 46, suffered a spinal cord injury from a workplace accident in 1996 and is paralysed from the waist down, goes about his daily...
Sats to boost operations with smart glasses
Ground-handling firm Sats aims to cut loading time for baggage and cargo from an hour to about 45 minutes with the use of smart glasses. The improvement will cut waiting times for passengers and shorten the transit period for airfreight shippers, Sats said yesterday....
