[MyAppleMenu] Dec 15, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple And Google In Bare-knuckled Competition? Not So Much <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=831b9c5c54e547b98db5e23b00bc6237>
Jeff Porten, Macworld

The Wall Street Journal sees competitive moves in recent acquisitions by Apple and Google, but it also fits their existing strategies.

**** Mac Mini Will Serve You Well <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=96cf5e294f303707b339918699419c44>
John C. Welch, Macworld

Apple’s smallest server is a great fit for a large range of needs.

**** App Store Redesign Meets With Mixed Reviews <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=109a7c004125e70b98372e8422be2069>
Dan Moren, Macworld

Some have suggested that the reduced emphasis on descriptions may be Apple’s way of dealing with the oft-abused field, which some vendors pump full of search terms and extraneous information.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Morphine <http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=9f20e254e35f70f51bccd8ffde34f28d>
Mira Rosenthal, Slate Magazine



SingaporeSurf
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**** What Has Really Gone Wrong, Doctor? <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/perspective/vantage/3184-what-has-really-gone-wrong-doctor>
Jufrie Mahmood, Singapore Democrats

They dare not ……. they dare not ….. they dare not …….. that is what is ailing society!

**** Commuters Play A Part <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC091215-0000059/Commuters-play-a-part>
Bernadette Low, SMRT Corporation Ltd

The seat located directly behind the Service Leader (SL) on our new Euro 5 buses is meant for two passengers. However, it is designed slightly smaller than the normal two-seaters due to space constraints and is recommended for use either by two children, or an adult and a child.

**** Flat Prices Will Always Rise <http://todayinsingapore.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/flat-prices-will-always-rise/>
Today In Singapore

Somewhere along the way, many were seduced in turning their basic tenement into a poker chip.

**** Paying More For Less <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC091215-0000096/Paying-more-for-less>
Today

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has discovered that two brands have raised the prices of their products by reducing the quantity of their contents while keeping the same - or having just slightly different - packaging.

**** Expats Like Life Here; Mixing With Locals, Less So <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC091215-0000086/Expats-like-life-here-mixing-with-locals,-less-so>
Today

When it comes to giving expatriates a feel-good experience, Singapore has all the crisp processes and hardware - from the ease of setting up a utilities account and commuting to work, to organising their healthcare, finances and kids' school enrolment. But getting these foreigners to mingle with the locals? Not so easy.

**** Cremation Not Possible <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_466761.html>
Carolyn Quek & Linus Lin, Straits Times

Over the past five years, at least 10 families have had to bury their dead - because they could not cremate them.

**** In A Scramble For Space, The Dead Are Moved To Make Room For The Living <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/world/asia/15graves.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>
Seth Mydans, New York Times

Singapore is nearing a landmark in a long-running campaign to close down its cemeteries as it seeks ways to accommodate an expanding population. Soon, Choa Chu Kang — actually a complex of cemeteries representing different faiths — will be the only working burial place in Singapore.

**** Sistic Probed For Abuse <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_466785.html>
Straits Times

Singapore's largest ticketing service provider Sistic.com Pte Ltd is being probed for anti-competitive practices by abusing its dominant position in the ticketing service market through various exclusive agreements.

On Tuesday, it was slapped with a Proposed Infringement Decision (PID) by the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS), for likely infringement under Section of the Competition Act, which bars a dominant firm from engaging in anti-competitive business practices that result in harmful effects.

**** HDB Flats And The Illusion Of Wealth <http://aaron-ng.info/blog/hdbflats-and-the-illusion-of-wealth.html>
Aaron Ng, Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

**** Take The Coming Elections Seriously.... <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2009/12/take-coming-elections-seriously.html>
Diary of A Singaporean Mind

Think about the issues clearly and rationally. Do not allow your emotions to be manipulated by propaganda.

**** MediaCorp To Discontinue TV Mobile From Next Year <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1024864/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

**** New Rules Cap Telco Contract Duration At 24 Months <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1024917/1/.html>
Yasmine Yahya/Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia


>From March next year, consumers who apply for or renew contract for fixed line, mobile or broadband service cannot be locked into the contract for more than 24 months. 


Also from next March, consumers who sign on to contracts longer than three months and who terminate their contracts before the end of their contract period will no longer have to pay fixed early termination charges. Instead, they will see these charges decrease over time on a month-by-month basis as they serve out their contract.

**** Environmentalism In Singapore: Dead Or Alive? <http://www.asiaisgreen.com/2009/12/15/environmentalism-in-singapore-dead-or-alive/>
AsiaIsGreen.com

There are two factors that could cause the death of environmentalism in Singapore. Most of the local environmental NGOs and groups 1) adopt the issue-approach and 2) lack an open voice.

**** Grown-in-Singapore Food Debuts On Luxury Hotel Menus <http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BE1F020091215>
Miral Fahmy, Reuters

In the heart of heavily urbanized Singapore, amid the high-rise towers and traffic, banana trees are blooming, chillis and bell peppers are ripening and parsley, basil and coriander are turning hotels green.

**** No World Cup For Singapore? <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_466900.html>
Straits Times

A joint SingTel-Starhub bid has failed to secure them the rights to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, a joint press statement from them said.

This new saga is far from the end yet, but this latest development should serve as a warning for those proposing different 'interesting' schemes -- forcing pay TV operators to cooperate, or reduce competition by banning exclusivity or sharing broadcast rights: we are not big enough a market to force foreign content owners to play by our rules.