Innovation through Mental Invention

You always start with a fantasy. Part of the fantasy technique is to visualize something as perfect. Then with experiments you work back from the fantasy to reality, hacking away at the components.




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Poor Vision is worst off than No Vision, since one will be charging towards a undesirable outcome.

33,000 is hell of a lot of unsold flats

PROPERTY - the word alone sets the Singaporean heart racing. Those capital gains, the own-your-own-home dream all make for a potent elixir.

Every now and then, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan has to raise a red flag when real estate gets over- heated and prices threaten to enter the realm of the ridiculous.

He can never please everybody: owners and developers love soaring prices - it means cash in their pockets; but buyers want affordable homes - until they buy one of course.

The hot-button issues don't stop there. What about the huge number of shoebox flats hitting the market, foreigners buying up property, stamp duty increases? Wherever you look, there is a mine waiting to go off.

So how to balance it all out? 'As the Government, we need to make sure that we look at the overall interest of the economy and everybody concerned, including the developers, real estate agents, buyers and then take it not just now but... down the road as well,' he said.

'What we can do is to keep a close eye... We are not trying to micro-manage the market by any means, we're just trying to make sure that the broad directions of the market are in line with how the economy is performing.'

The balancing act has become more difficult of late with a perfect storm of low interest rates, ample liquidity and record-breaking economic growth fuelling the property boom.

Trying to keep a lid on all this has preoccupied Mr Mah, 62, for much of the past 12 months.

A range of cooling measures has been adopted to take the heat out of the market, while large tracts of state land have been released to ensure developers can keep up the supply of homes.

But as the minister told The Straits Times last week, buyers should perhaps curb their enthusiasm as there are already plenty of homes around.

There are about 33,000 uncompleted units that remain unsold, and that is 'a hell of a lot of flats', said Mr Mah, enough to tide over the private market for three years and casting a shadow of a potential oversupply over the housing landscape.

'There is a risk, there's no doubt about it. That's why we have to be careful and the market must take this into account, as we will... We don't want to solve a problem but create another,' he said.

Buyers and developers must take into account this huge supply before making any big-ticket purchase decisions, he added.

Throw in the fact that interest rates will certainly rise at some point and the risk of external shocks to Singapore's economy, and the equation for a potential home-buyer becomes that much trickier.

'So when you buy and you hope to sell after your four-year period is over... don't forget that by that time there may be a lot more people trying to do the same. If your interest rates start to go up, then what do you do?' he said.

'Who would have predicted there would be an earthquake and tsunami and now possibly a nuclear meltdown (in Japan)? So many things are unknown, but at least what you do know you better open your eyes to.'

Huge global uncertainties such as the turmoil in the Arab world could also have a knock-on effect on Singapore, throwing a spanner in the works of rising prices.

But he acknowledges that the supply overhanging the market may not depress prices. If the global economy gets back on track and confidence returns, then demand will keep prices firm.

'Those are judgment calls the market has to make. So developers have to make those calls; if they get it right they will be rewarded, if they get it wrong they will get punished. We will have to watch this carefully,' he added.

The Government has a similar judgment call to make as well as it tries to cope with different scenarios.

If it misjudges and stops land sales due to an anticipated oversupply, then office and residential prices will jump sharply. But the confirmed and reserve lists of the Government's land sales programme help to mitigate these risks, he said.

Confirmed list sites go on sale regardless of interest and are often an indication of the Government's strategic development plans. Land on the reserve list is put up for tender only if developers make an acceptable initial offer.

Some home-buyers believe the authorities got it wrong last year when they failed to stem rising private home prices, which soared 17.6 per cent to reach record levels despite a series of cooling measures.

He concedes that the Government could have tapped on the brakes 'a little bit more earlier', but that finding the sweet spot remains the challenge.

'But if you ask me what I would have done in September 2009 in order to make sure that prices don't rise, I think that that would have been a pretty tough call,' he added.

He said the four rounds of cooling measures have managed to bring the market down to a reasonable level.

'Unfortunately, sometimes people don't realise it. They get caught up in the excitement of the market. They hear friends making a lot of money and they also want to jump in and I think that's the problem with the property market,' he said.

There are others who believe the Government should stay out of the private sector and let market forces reign, but he rejects the free-for-all approach.

'That argument that we should do nothing because it is a private market is quite a flawed one because there's no such thing as a totally free market.'

He cited examples of the United States and Ireland painfully picking up the pieces after their housing bubble burst, causing their economies to tank.

The challenge is in deciding where to draw the line.

One recent measure - levying stamp duty of up to 16 per cent on homes sold within certain periods - has been attacked as being too harsh.

But he pointed out that 1,101 buyers did not find it too onerous, choosing to purchase new private homes last month.

This represented a 'reasonably healthy level of activity in the market' from buyers who were mostly owner-occupiers or looking at the purchase as a long-term investment.

In a booming market with prices heading north, frustrated buyers can get angry and foreigners have been the target of some of this resentment.

But he says Singaporeans are 'over-blaming' them. Foreigners cannot buy public flats - which comprises about 80 per cent of the market - and are restricted in buying landed homes. This limits them to only a narrow sector of the non-landed private market.

The proportion of foreigners buying such homes has not increased over the years, hovering at around 20 to 30 per cent, he added.

Singapore is a small economy and people have argued that because land is limited, the Government should restrict foreign purchases.

'I would argue the opposite. Because we are a small country and a small economy, it's even more important that we keep ourselves open... (and) welcome foreigners to come here to contribute. And if we accept that, then we must allow them to invest and own homes here.'

To build a fence around the entire property market would send a very strong signal that foreigners are not welcome - which will result in even more serious implications for the economy.

Another hot issue centres on calls for more regulations over the sale of homes of less than 500 sq ft - so-called shoebox flats - but this is one the Government has decided to sit out.

'If people want to buy shoebox units and are prepared to pay those prices, why should we stop them? Some have called us to intervene, to prevent people from building and selling such units but how can we do that?... There are many other things to worry about.'

These tiny homes, which can have psf prices of up to 20 per cent more than standard flats, make up only about 5 to 6 per cent of all transactions, he said.

But if sales soar and begin to distort the Urban Redevelopment Authority's private property price index - which is based on the psf prices - the Government may consider a sub-index for shoebox homes.

'That was a valid concern that was raised to us... You don't want to distort the whole index (with) too many of these shoebox units. But I wouldn't be too concerned at this stage,' he said.

The minister is content to let market forces have their way in other areas as well, noting that builders have plenty of incentives to make the same judgment calls as the Government and buyers.

'Developers themselves of course have their own mechanisms. They can delay construction or take longer to put their properties to market or shorten it if the market is hot,' he added.

There have been some big bets made recently. CapitaLand's bid of $550 million - or $869 psf per plot ratio (ppr) - for a Bishan residential site last month is one. Analysts predict an eventual selling price of more than $1,500 psf, which would be a record for the area.

But he noted that high bid prices do not necessarily translate to high selling prices or successful projects.

'You may start launching it at a time when the market is down and if you don't lower your price then you can't sell and if you lower your price then your margins will be affected.

'You cannot assume that it is straightforward... (Developers) take a risk, if they overbid and they can't sell, they will be punished,' he said.

[ Straits Times: Wed, Mar 23 ]

CityDev sets record price for Choa Chu Kang EC land

CITY Developments Ltd (CDL) yesterday set a record price - albeit just by a whisker - for executive condominium (EC) land.

The seasoned developer's bid for the 99-year leasehold plot at Choa Chu Kang Drive has been seen as defending the pricing for an upcoming EC project that it will launch in a few months on a plot that it had clinched last December.

At yesterday's tender, a joint venture between CDL and TID placed the top bid of $170.1 million or $320.86 per square foot per plot ratio.

This was marginally higher than the previous high of $320.58 psf ppr that a United Engineers-led partnership paid for an EC plot in Sengkang East Avenue and Buangkok Drive last May. This is being developed into the Austville Residences project.

The CDL-TID bid for the Choa Chu Kang plot is higher than the estimates given by property consultants when the site was launched in January - $220-280 psf ppr. Nonetheless, some analysts were not altogether surprised by CDL's bullish bid.

In December, CDL clinched an EC site at Segar Road, near Segar LRT Station and facing Kranji Expressway, at $270.51 psf ppr. The land parcel tendered yesterday is about 2.2 km away, in a more choice location closer to Choa Chu Kang MRT Station and Lot 1 mall.

'Basically, they could not afford to have someone bid lower for a better site than what they had paid for their Segar Road site. It makes sense for them to try and defend prices in the area,' said a developer.

CDL is planning to develop a 602-unit project on the Segar Road plot which it expects to launch around the middle of this year.

Yesterday evening, a CDL spokeswoman said that the scheme for the latest Choa Chu Kang plot involves a project of up to 20 storeys with about 460-470 units. She also highlighted the group's familiarity with the location, having developed Lot 1 and Guilin View condo.

'CDL . . . is well placed to maximise the potential of the site . . . We are confident that there will be strong demand from young families and upgraders for this well-positioned EC site.'

This will be the CDL group's fifth EC project.

ECs are a hybrid of public and private housing with initial buyer eligibility and resale restrictions, which are completely lifted 10 years after an EC project has been completed.

The CDL-TID bid was nearly 7 per cent higher than the next highest bid of about $300 psf ppr, from a tie-up between Frasers Centrepoint and Keong Hong Construction.

The other bidders were Qingdao Construction (Singapore), $289.92 psf ppr; Mequity (Hillview), whose shareholders include Roxy-Pacific and Macly Capital, $261.82 psf ppr; Wee Hur Development, $225.60 psf ppr; and Mezzo Development, $221 psf ppr.

CBRE Research executive director Li Hiaw Ho estimates CDL-TID's break-even cost at about $650 psf. 'In January-February 2011, units in Mi Casa (a 99-year leasehold private condo next door) were sold at around $800 psf. It is likely that the new EC project can fetch around $700 psf on average, a differential from the price of private condominiums to take into consideration the eligibility conditions attached to EC.'

Cushman & Wakefield senior manager for Asia-Pacific research Ong Kah Seng said: 'The optimistic price received for the Choa Chu Kang EC site is largely due to encouraging take-up of new EC projects launched in recent months. Buying interest for resale ECs is also encouraging as they're more attractively priced than private condominiums, reflecting the attractiveness of ECs for an owner who eventually re-sells the home after fulfilling the required occupation period.'

Credo Real Estate executive director Ong Teck Hui said: 'Since EC prices take reference from private residential prices, bidders must be optimistic that the private residential market would hold or even strengthen going forward. If that continues, there will be that sandwich class of buyers to cater to.'


[ Business Times: Wed, Mar 23 ]
[ Source: Business Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd ]

 

 

Mapletree Delays Singapore IPO Launch

SINGAPORE — Mapletree Commercial Trust delayed its planned one billion Singapore dollar (US$789 million) initial public offering in the city-state due to uncertain market conditions, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday.

Mapletree Commercial Trust — a unit of Mapletree Investments, which is held by state investment firm Temasek Holdings — was looking to raise the money via a real estate investment trust and had planned to file the IPO prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore Monday, the person said.

"They felt that it is prudent to wait and see. They will launch when market conditions are more favorable," the person said.

According to an indicative timetable seen this month, a one-week management roadshow was expected to commence Tuesday with the listing expected April 8.

Mapletree Investments wasn't immediately available for comment.

However, another person familiar with the transaction Tuesday said the trust hadn't yet finalized a new timetable for the management roadshows.

"They are not in a hurry to launch the IPO, because of the volatility in the market. They have good assets so for them the timing is important."

Mapletree is the latest company to fall victim to the uncertain market conditions caused by the destructive earthquake and tsunami in Japan and worsening geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

In the week after the Japanese earthquake, more than US$4.2 billion of IPOs were put on hold in Hong Kong and Singapore. Among them were a $190 million Hong Kong listing by Chinese oilfield equipment provider Hilong Holding Ltd.; the $3 billion offering of Australia's Resourcehouse Ltd.: the $260 million share sale by Perth-based lithium concentrate miner Galaxy Resources Ltd.; and, in Singapore, the $782.6 million IPO of U.S. private equity group Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.'s engineering group, MMI Holdings.

Even before the Japanese quake, investors were already wary of new issues because of the worsening tensions in the Middle East and growing inflation in Asia.

"They [Mapletree Commercial Trust] are still watching how the situation in Japan is unfolding. If they feel that the market sentiment has improved, they could even launch it next month," the second person said.

The group has appointed Citigroup, DBS and Goldman Sachs global co-ordinators on the offer. CIMB and Deutsche Bank are joint global co-ordinators and bookrunners.

Mapletree Commercial trust's portfolio of Singapore properties is valued at about S$2.5 billion.

Last year, parent Mapletree Investments, which owns and manages about S$13 billion in real estate assets around the world, said it was keen to list its commercial-property unit, whose portfolio includes assets such as Singapore's Vivocity, HarbourFront and the Port of Singapore Authority building.

The plan to list Mapletree Commercial Trust came after the parent listed its industrial property unit, known as Mapletree Industrial Trust Ltd., raising S$1.2 billion in 2010.

[ extracted from The Wall Street Journal ]

[ By SAM HOLMES And P.R. VENKAT ]

Service On Demand (SOD) system; SOD - SS1000

SOD - SS1000
(Sky Stare 1000m)


Gimbal Pan Tilt module


To fill in soon...

SMART Investment and International Property Expo 2011

If you haven't heard by now, there's a property expo coming up this weekend (26-27 March) and it is something property hunters should not miss. The SMART Investment & International Property Expo 2011 will feature international property developers and guest speakers dishing out investment and buying advice. Best of all, it is free to attend.

There will be seminars ranging from buying Singapore property, financing and even some Fengshui forecasting. Interesting eh?

We think it's a good opportunity for both seasoned investors and those who are just starting out to gain valuable insights on making the right property investment. So if you have some time on the weekend, head down to SUNTEC Singapore and become the next property millionaire billionaire!

The SMART Expo press release:

SMART Investment & International Property Expo 2011

The SMART Investment & International Property Expos is Asia’s longest running series of overseas property exhibitions catering for the region’s growing consumer appetite for international real estate. The forthcoming exhibition held on 26-27 March 2011, at SUNTEC Singapore marks the 21st expo since 2004. It retains the theme of offering free educational seminars and an educational platform for investors to acquire residential real estate from around the world.

The 21st expo in Asia, the expo will feature various fabulous lucky draw prizes including the newly released Apple iPad 2, all registered visitors at the expo will be automatically entered in to this draw. Other prizes include a 1 night stay at a luxury lakefront villa in Malaysia, premium wines from Australia, discount and cash coupons from MPH Bookstores (Sinapore), best-selling novels written by various local property experts and many more fantastic items.

The special event will feature property developers coming from Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, UK, USA, and many other countries promoting their luxury property projects and really will be a showcase of the best and most attractive real estate globally. With local property prices soaring to record levels, this has resulted in a huge demand for property bargains overseas and an ever-growing demand by Asia’s wealthiest investors has meant they are able to source and buy international real estate directly at the SMART Expo. According to a recent survey by the Boston Consulting Group, Singapore has the world’s most millionaires per capita. This year, the expo will be led by the Silver sponsors, Leisure Farm and other exhibitors include Logans and Benyapha from Thailand, New York Residence from USA, Walton International from Canada, Rak Investment Authority from UAE, Harvest Time Properties from Australia and many more.

Keynote seminar presenters include President of New York Residence, Thomas Guss; RBS Morgan’s Equity & Derivatives Director, Wai Yee Chen and CEO of Propnex Realty, Mohamed Ismail Gafoor. In total over 25 experts will be giving free investment and international property purchasing advice at SMART.

Lastly, the show will be well supported by various local and regional media outlets. This year, support has come from Singapore’s largest property portal and 2009 winner of CNBC’s “World Best Property Portal”, PropertyGuru; and a host of regional investment and property media, from print to online portals. There are over 20 media partners supporting each SMART exhibition.

All SMART expos are free to attend. Register for free tickets online at www.smartexpos.com/sg

Register now at Asia’s premier international property and investment expo!

Singapore, 26-27 March 2011, SUNTEC Singapore

For more information on exhibiting or visiting, please go to www.smartexpos.com or call +65 6408 9676.

For more, visit the SMART Expo website. To register for free, click here. The SMART Investment & International Property Expo 2011 is at SUNTEC Singapore, Hall 404. Opens from 26-27 March 2011. 11am to 7pm.

Image: SMART Expo

[ extracted fro H88.com ]

Down Syndrome test for All

Turning Managers into Leaders

Service On Demand (SOD) system; SOD - FB100

SOD - FB100
 (Fire Base 100m)

• Universal mount
• Small Arms
• Man Portable (Compact; Light Weight)
• Pan Tilt
• Remote Operation
• Window

The Fastest Helicopter

PDF to JPG Converters for The Desktop

PDF-Xchange Viewer (Windows)

PDF-Xchange Viewer is a light feature-rich PDF document reader. The free version of the software is a capable document handler with most of the standard features expected. Add comments and annotations, mark-up pages with texts and objects, type within the PDF document along with plug-ins for both IE and Firefox are also included.

But the feature which interests us is the ability of the software to export a file or a page to the supported image formats like JPEG, BMP, TIFF, PNG and more.

Open the PDF file in the viewer, click on File – Export to Image and the dialog opens up where you can set the pages to convert, the image type to convert to and the destination folder. More importantly, the ‘Export Mode’ setting allows you to designate the number of image files for the subject PDF file. The ‘Page Zoom’, ‘Resolution’ and ‘Page Background’ also allow added finishing touches.

Seminar - PV System

Pasir Ris DBSS site could see some strong bids

Finally, a DBSS in the east that’s not in Tampines! (But near enough, we suppose.) HDB has launched a tender for a site in Pasir Ris Central/Pasir Ris Drive 1 under the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS).

So those of you who've been yearning for a place in the east, you better cross those fingers and hope some developer puts in a good (and cheap) bid for this plot!

Spanning approximately 176,400 sqft, this site can yield around 460 apartment units. We think this site will be super hot with both developers and homebuyers alike. The Pasir Ris MRT station, bus interchange and nearby mall White Sands is just across the road. Plus, the TPE and PIE are just mere minutes away. What’s not to like about this site? (Unless you are working in Jurong.)

Anyway, we’ll just wait for the developers to bid for this site and perhaps we’ll get to see the design and layout soon enough.



via HDB. Image: Onemap.sg
[ extraced from H88.com ]

Questa@Dunman in the heart of Katong

Hoi Hup Realty’s latest baby, Questa@Dunman is set to launch very soon. This condo looks to be popular among foodies who want to buy a (shoebox) apartment unit near Singapore's food paradise, also known as East Coast. Located at Dunman Road in District 15, This boutique condo looks contemporary chic, complete with lots of lush greenery.

Before we begin our scrutiny, let’s take a look at some of the details of Questa@Dunman...

Developer: Hoi Hup Realty 
District: 15
Tenure: Freehold
Expected TOP: 31 Dec 2014
Site area: ~34,661 sqft
Blocks: 2
Storeys: 14 and 19
Units: 122

Unit sizes (approximate)
1BR (~431 sqft) x 20 units
1BR + study (~527 sqft) x 9 units
2BR (~753 - 936 sqft) x 87 units
3BR PH (~1,346 sqft, 1,572 sqft; 1,593 sqft; 1,647 sqft) x 6 units

Notable facilities
Water Jet Corner
Wading Pool
Lap Pool
Pool Deck
Gym
Male and female steam room

Location

Do you see it? It's right next to the overhead bridge.

Questa@Dunman has been marketed as “minutes away from Dakota MRT Station,”. We used an online measuring tape and it worked out to be at least 900 metres away. So we’re not sure how long it will take to walk that distance, in either the sweltering heat or heavy rain. (They did not say minutes away by what - bus, car, taxi?)

Questa@Dunman boasts a pretty good mix of school in the vicinity such as Tanjong Katong Primary and Secondary School, Tanjong Katong Girls’ School, Chung Cheng High School (Main) among others.

And looking at the units available, we doubt very much it's a family friendly condo as it's mostly small 1 and 2 bedrooms. So we think the whole 'close to good schools' won't really apply here.

Close proximity to schools also means that there will be road congestion as parents pick their kids up after school. Also, be prepared to contend with school bells ringing and the singing of the national anthem every school morning if you don’t get up so early for work.

Site layout

If small apartments are your cup of tea, then this is the one for you!

View at night

Hey, at least you get a pool.

Prices

According to URA caveats, a single unit at nearby condo Dunman View (99-yr, 2004) transacted for $944 psf, or $1.26 million just last month. In January, two units at the same condo were sold at an average of $870 psf. Down the road, a shoebox unit at Haig 162 (FH) sold for a whopping $1,530 psf in January. This translates to around $560,000.

Sources tell us that prices of Questa@Dunman will sell for “$6xxk up.” So by very rough estimates, a single bedder could go for around $1,620 psf. Don't worry about the high psf around the area. This spot is full of shoebox Mickey Mouse apartments.

Images: brochure, Onemap.sg

[ extracted from H88.com ]

February saw 1,101 new private units sold

The figures have spoken! In what has been touted the “effect of cooling measures,” private residential transactions for new units hit a low of 1,101 sold in February 2011. If we include Executive Condos (ECs), then only 1,228 units were sold altogether.

That figure might be low, but don't forget February only has 28 days and there's also Chinese New Year which effectively took out 3 days of property hunting. We've done some calculations and the results are pretty interesting.

But before we go into that, here are the most popular and most expensive units sold:

Most popular:
Waterfront Isle - 282 units sold (median $997 psf)
My Manhattan - 69 units sold (median $1,219 psf)

Canberra Residences - 59 units sold (median $819 psf)
Suites@East Coast - 56 units sold (median $1,438 psf)
Austville Residences (EC) - 63 units sold (median $721 psf)

Most expensive units sold:
Tomlinson heights (Tomlinson Road)- $3,277 psf
Robinson Suites (Robinson Road)- $2,918 psf
Belle Vue Residences (Oxley Walk)-$2,730 psf

Crunching numbers
Some news sources proclaim that the numbers indicate a 'four month low'. While technically correct, it is rather misleading to the layman. The figure for February is still above the 1,000 unit mark, and if you put in the EC figures, it gets even higher. That means demand is still strong.

Last month, it was 1,189 new units sold, though it might seem there is a month on month decrease, if you divide that figure by the number of days in a month, we see something different.

January has 31 days with 1,189 sold, that makes 38.35 units sold per day. February works out to 39.92 sold per day. If you take out 3 days of Chinese New Year, that figure rises to 44.04 sold per day!

So sales volume might be lower, but the rate is actually higher. So let's not come to the conclusion too quickly that the cooling measures have worked.

What will the number be in March? Well, the developers have been holding back on new launches (as they have launched too many in Feb) and on the property front it seems rather quiet. Is it a ploy by the developers to cool the market down themselves? Or are the cooling measures finally 'taking effect'? If you ask us, we have no idea, all we all can do is speculate...

via URA

[ extracted from H88.com ]

Prices of Units Sold in Private Residential Properties - Singapore URA

http://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateWeb/realEstate/pageflow/price/PriceController.jpf





.

$1,000 psf Sengkang condo on the way

This condo site at Sengkang Square/Compassvale Road has proved to be pretty hot among developers. HDB has received a total of 9 bids for this site. 

The price? Yes, you could see a $1,000 psf condo in Sengkang in the coming months.Location wise, it’s really as good as it gets. A couple of minutes’ walk will get you to the MRT and LRT stations, bus interchange, Compass Point shopping mall, Kopitiam Square and wet market…need we say more?

Anyway, this 99-year leasehold site can yield roughly 530 units. Developers probably fought tooth and nail to put in the winning bid for this site. Keppel Land put in the top bid of $286.8 million. Hot on their heels is a joint bid by Sunmaster Holdings Pte. Ltd., Garden Estates (Pte) Limited And TID Residential Pte. Ltd ($274.35 million), and Qingdao Construction (Singapore) Pte Ltd ($271.7 million).

So what will the price be? Taking the whole potential gross floor area of 571,564 sqft, the cost price of the condo comes up to $504 psf. Meaning that we could very well see a $1,000 psf condo in Sengkang. We already saw H2O Residences selling for an average of $910 psf. So this comes as no surprise.

We think this one is really interesting one to watch.

[ from H88.com ]

[ via HDB. Image: Onemap.sg ]

Effects of Radiation

IPad 2

What Is a Nuclear Meltdown?

A partial meltdown of nuclear fuel rods has occurred in two, or perhaps three, nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan. What does that mean exactly?

"A meltdown is when the uranium dioxide fuel melts. The melting temperature of uranium dioxide is 5,189 degrees Fahrenheit (2,865 degrees Celsius)," said Martin Bertadono, a nuclear engineer at Purdue University.

Under normal circumstances, the uranium dioxide fuel rods are maintained at a temperature below their melting point. Heat emitted by the rods gets carried away by the water that surrounds it, which is constantly being pumped through the nuclear core housing the rods. But if the water doesn't get pumped through quickly enough, it heats up too much and starts boiling and evaporates.

"As the water boils, the level of water in the reactor decreases. If the level decreases below the top of the fuel, [the fuel] starts heating up. If this goes on long enough, about an hour, the uranium begins to melt," Bertadono told LiveScience.

"If the water is allowed to boil off completely the whole reactor could melt down," he said.

By flooding the failed nuclear reactors with seawater, technicians at the Fukushima plant seem to be averting a full meltdown, but a partial meltdown has already occurred.

What happens when there's a partial meltdown? "When the fuel melts, the [nuclear] fission products can be released from the fuel into the reactor pressure vessel, and then into the containment if the coolant leaks from the reactor vessel," said Taiwo Temipote, a nuclear scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. The containment is designed to hold in the radioactive material. 

 

 

[ By Jeanna Bryer, LiveScience Managing Editor, and Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer,
LiveScience.com | LiveScience.com – Tue, Mar 15, 2011 9:24 AM SGT ] 

Singapore faces minimal exposure from nuclear radiation

It was reported that the recent explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant had caused the radiation level to rise, sparking fears of it spreading to other Asian countries. (Photo: AFP).

Should there be a nuclear meltdown in Japan, the radiation will take years to reach Singapore and the impact should be minimal, said an expert on energy studies.

Dr Hooman Peimani told The New Paper that if the release of radiation is phenomenal and if the natural means of transportation of radiation, such as wind and water, are strong enough to carry the radiation, then it is possible that radiation could reach Singapore in the future.

But he added that “the radiation strength would be insignificant to cause any damage by the time it reaches us.”

Dr Peimani heads the Energy Security Division at the National University of Singapore’s Energy Studies Institute. Last August, he presented a paper on the viability of underground nuclear reactors in Singapore at the Nuclear Power conference.

Will the food imported from Japan be safe for consumption?

“Yes. Today, there is no indication of exposure of any food in Japan to any volume of radiation beyond the acceptable level,” said Dr Peimani.

“However, if there is any food produced in the proximity of the nuclear reactor and if indeed there is a significant amount of radiation released and food is exposed, it is possible that food produced in that region be contaminated.

“And in this case, the food should not be consumed.”

For example, if there is a chance that fish reared in a farm near a leaking nuclear power plant will be contaminated, the contamination will be passed on to the person who eats it, causing health problems like cancer or complications in pregnancy.

But Dr Peimani said Japan’s health authorities would examine any food from the region which could be exposed to determine if it is safe for consumption.

“The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore would also be stopping such products from reaching us. Food should not be much of a concern and I will not hesitate to eat it,” he said.

An AVA spokesman said products from Japan are being tested for radiation and the it would also monitor Japanese produce –- including fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood -– based on its source and potential risk of contamination.

“Samples will be taken for radiation testing and fresh produce will have priority,” said the spokesman.

On April 26, 1986, the No.4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine exploded, causing the worst nuclear disaster in history.

The explosion killed 30 people on the spot, released more than eight tons of highly radioactive material, contaminated 60,000 square km of land, and caused more than 3.2 million people to be affected by radiation.

The catastrophe also left a legacy of contamination in the western part of Belarus and Russia and swathes of forest remain affected even two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

 

[extracted from Yahoo news By Faris – March 15th, 2011]

A Leader's role

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Imitation is the most flattering compliment to people. Imitation = mimic body language; or speaking the same sentence with similar intonation

The Fed's goal, if it starts buying bonds again, would be to drive interest rates down further from their already low levels and spark borrowing and spending. Lower rates could also eventually drive investors into riskier assets like stocks or into currencies in countries with more attractive interest rates.

Last village standing evokes Singapore's rural past

 

Landlady Sng Mui Hong, 57, poses for a photograph outside her Kampong Lorong Buangkok …
 

A typical house at a village known as Kampong Lorong Buangkok in Singapore is pictured … 

Quietly tucked away in a corner surrounded by high-rise apartments and rows of bungalows is a rustic village where the old Singapore still survives.

Dogs and cats run freely and chickens cluck noisily as children play around colourful, zinc-roofed houses made of wood and cement, undisturbed by the din of cars zipping by on an expressway just a few metres away.

Welcome to Kampong Lorong Buangkok, the last surviving village on the Singapore mainland.

Its days are numbered but until development forces residents to move, the village gives visitors a glimpse of what life was like in the 1950s before Singapore became one of Asia's most modern and wealthiest cities.

Occupying a land area the size of three football fields in the northeastern suburbs, the kampong ("village" in the Malay language) has 28 houses scattered haphazardly with a total of about 50 residents.

With unpaved streets, large backyard gardens, grassy patches and occasional banana plants, the cluster is an anachronism in a city-state crammed with office towers, high-rise apartment blocks and shopping malls.

For residents, the village provides relief at the end of each working day, a quiet oasis where neighbours still know each other intimately, quite unlike the anonymity of city living.

"I have a deep attachment to my neighbours," said Sng Mui Hong, a 57-year-old spinster who rents out houses in the village for Sg$6.50 to Sg$30 ($5 to $23) a month.

Most of Singapore's five million residents live in government-built apartment buildings and private condominiums.

"After all they grew up with me, and some of the grandmothers and grandfathers here have watched me grow up," said Sng, who currently lives with a nephew and niece, three dogs and several pet birds.

Her family moved into the plot of land in 1956, when Singapore was still under British colonial rule. Electricity and running water came into the village in 1962, a period when the country was in political transition.

Singapore, a largely ethnic Chinese island, became part of the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but was expelled two years later as Kuala Lumpur pursued policies favourable to the Malay majority.

In modern-day Kampong Lorong Buangkok, racial harmony comes naturally for the Chinese and Malay families whose houses are about five metres (16.5 feet) apart.

"They are like my own parents because we are from the same village. So I don't care if they are Malay or Chinese," Sng said of her older neighbours.

And while the village is by Singapore standards far from supermarkets, schools and bus and train stops, residents rarely mind as there are perks to village life that cannot be found elsewhere.

Some even own cars, a luxury in Singapore.

Makeup artist Jamil Kamsah, who has lived in Kampong Lorong Buangkok since 1967, enjoys the amicable nature of the village folk.

"People here are very friendly, motherly and polite, and it is easy for me to make friends with them," the 55-year-old said. "I don't scold animals and I talk to plants."

In his free time, Jamil tends to his garden and touches up the exterior of his house, welcoming visitors with a ready smile.

In land-scarce Singapore, where many older buildings and residential areas have been converted to more modern housing or commercial use, Kampong Lorong Buangkok faces an uncertain future.

Sng hopes the village can be preserved to educate future generations about the past and show them how their forefathers lived.

"Not everybody started off wealthy, many grandfathers built their lives from scratch," she said

Some city schools take their young students on excursion trips to Kampong Lorong Buangkok to learn about village life.

"Some children mistook the chickens for birds," Kamsah recalled.

The village's days are numbered, and the residents know it.

Singapore's land-use planning agency, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), said there are plans to redevelop Kampong Lorong Buangkok, but gave no time frame.

"The kampong at Lorong Buangkok and its surrounding land is planned to be comprehensively developed to provide future housing and other neighbourhood facilities supported by a road network," said a URA spokesperson.

Sng, however, does not feel sad even if her village has to go one day.

"Nothing lasts forever," she shrugged. 

[ By Simin Wang | AFP News – Wed, Mar 9, 2011 1:07 AM SGT ]