Monday, October 20, 2014

The Air Still Stinks

The three hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading hit 113 at 3pm on Sunday. A better index of the deteriorating situation is the number of people suddenly developing dry coughs, no thanks to breathing in ash content of the free smoke from down south. Maybe it's time for the expensive messenger boy to hand carry another large white envelope to Indonesia. Preferably filled with cash incentive to do something about the forest fires. If the gutter politician can blow hundreds of millions on a kiddie version of the Olympics, he can surely cough up the money for our health's sake.

Whether he gets an invite to join the world leaders who are attending president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's   inauguration party on October 20th is another matter. Blowing $387 million is rather hard to forget, especially when the initial YOG budget was $104 million. And there's that miscellaneous charge of $79.8 million for "Other Costs" that has yet to be explained to the public.

If smoke continues to get into our eyes, year after year, it would be an utter waste of public funds for Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong to splurge more millions on his plans for developing the Jurong Lake District. Latter starts with physically combining existing Jurong Lake Park, Japanese and Chinese Gardens which, on their own,  are already three areas already too polluted for outdoor activities. Joining them as one big arena for sucking in bad air is definitely no improvement for our health. Better to build a large dome and aircondition it, like they did at Marina Bay Gardens. Just make sure there's sufficient natural light let in for the grass to grow. Even Kai Kai and Jia Jia, the pandas from PRC, have an airconditioned outdoor frolicking area of their own. Of course it's not going to happen, only foreigners get special deals.
just the thing for prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity

12 comments:

  1. I woke up at 5am and saw many health conscious folks walking, jogging and running in the thick haze morning
    Sinkies enjoy free smoke much more than the Mainland Chinese; maybe tobaccos are too exoensive in Sin

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  2. /// If smoke continues to get into our eyes, year after year...///

    Yes I love "Smoke Gets In Your eyes" by The Platters - an oldie and a classic.

    I also like "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple. I only hope that it will not be the water on Jurong Lake District.

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    Replies
    1. How did Deep Purple know about the casinos?

      "They burned down the gambling house
      It died with an awful sound
      Funky Claude was running in and out
      Pulling kids out the ground
      When it all was over
      We had to find another place
      Swiss time was running out
      It seemed that we would lose the race

      Smoke on the water
      A fire in the sky
      Smoke on the water.. "

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  3. Great piece. The stink won't go away any time soon. We are so rich we can afford to splurge on these wishy-washy stuff. Your health is your business, not theirs. The 35% President is not going to suffer the bad air. He's off to London to see the Queen. Who says we do not take care of our own?

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  4. The plans for developing the Jurong Lake District is one of their plan to accommodate the 6.9 million population. Next on their plan is to develop Pulau Ubin, also planned to accommodate the 6.9 million population. All the green lands near my flat are all gone to construction of flats, more flats. In tiny red dot why do we did to have 6.9 million population, imported trashes?

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  5. Please no...the idea of getting overpaid expensive messenger boy to buy off people...will cost too much further in blood, sweat and tears from the people of singapore...

    Bad enuf have to overpay messenger boy...but to buy off others....zzz....remove the messenger boy (middle man) in this case and may we can actually save real money for the future of singapore and also the buying off is less expensive as nego definitely better than messenger boy...haiz.

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  6. A subsidiary will be set up and offer wide range of "approved by MoH" air filtering equipment. Discounts given for PGP and NTUC members.

    Suckered again.

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  7. We already have so much free sunlight throughout the year and yet we have to spend millions of our taxpayer monies to manufacture artificial sunlight just for the grass to grow so that some footballers can kick the ball on them without getting injured ?

    What has happened to this country when that's how they are prefer spending our money rather than paying for that extra meal in the hawker centre for those underprivileged groups !!! WTF, PAP.

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    Replies
    1. What about splurging hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars for a consultant to come up with the Marina Bay name?

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  8. Worry not, Singapore Notes, when smoke gets in your eyes, our messenger boy can fix them. After all he's an ophthalmologist.

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  9. "........ residents joke that to get a free smoke all they have to do is open their windows!" Wonder what he is smoking.

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  10. Smokey Mountain is the euphemistic name given to a large rubbish dump in the Philippines where thousands of adults and children make a living daily by scavenging for whatever they can recover to sell. This time we we have our very own Smokey Island. Smoking is also a traditional method for preserving and curing meat for future consumption. Also inhaling particulate laden air is worst than smoking real cigarettes. So much for your anti-smoking campaign. Think about it.

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