[MyAppleMenu] Feb 18, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple's Fifth China Store To Open In Shanghai <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7292694.html>
Liang Jun, People's Daily

Apple will open its fifth retail store in Shanghai this summer, said Ron Johnson, senior vice president of retail operations at Apple Inc. on Thursday.

Apple now has 323 retail stores worldwide and 87 out of them are outside the United States. The four stores in China have both the largest flow of customers and the highest revenue in the world.

**** 3 Ways This RSS Reader Is Easier To Use On A Mac <http://mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/3-ways-this-rss-reader-is-easier-to-use-on-a-mac>
Alexis Kayhill, Mac360

**** WallStreet Was Great, But Pismo Is The King Of Expandable 'Books <http://lowendmac.com/ed/moore/11cwm/pismo-powerbook-king.html>
Charles Moore, Low End Mac

**** New Shanghai Apple Store Will Be Biggest In China <http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/02/18/new-shanghai-apple-store-will-be-biggest-in-china/>
Loretta Chao, Wall Street Journal

The company is planning to open a new store–it’s biggest in China–on Shanghai’s famous Nanjing Road, an Apple spokeswoman has confirmed to China Real Time after news of the plan appeared in Thursday’s Beijing Youth Daily.

Apple has previously said it plans to open 25 stores in China this year, but  Ron Johnson, the company’s senior vice-president of retail, said the plan to open bigger stores may set this schedule back.

**** An iPhone Makes Disneyland An Even Happier Place <http://www.macworld.com/article/157869/2011/02/disneyland_with_an_iphone.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld


>From planning your trip to finding your way from Adventureland to Tomorrowland, a number of iOS apps can help you squeeze every last minute of enjoyment out of a trip to the Magic Kingdom. I discovered as much the other week when my family—which includes two young children this time around—visited Disneyland armed with an iPhone and a few relevant apps.


**** Mac App Tip: Pane Splitters Often Look Better <http://inessential.com/2011/02/18/mac_app_tip_pane_splitters_often_look_b>
Brent Simmons, Inessential

**** Using A Mac: My MacBook’s Battery Life Is Horrible! What Do I Do? <http://www.applegazette.com/mac/using-a-mac-my-macbooks-battery-life-is-horrible-what-do-i-do/>
Apple Gazette

Apple focuses heavily on battery life on every mobile product it sells so much so the company took a new approach to the age-old design of batteries. But what if your MacBook isn’t hitting the 8+ hours of use touted by Apple? Here’s a fix.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Britain's Fried-chicken Boom <http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/18/britains-fried-chicken-boom>
Tom Meltzer, The Guardian

Whether it's from KFC, Tennessee, Dixie, Perfect or Golden, fried chicken is Britain's fastest growing fast food. Can anything stem our appetite for it?

**** Use Value <http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/Use-value-6943>
Barton Swaim, The New Criterion

A review of A Dictionary of Modern English Usage: The Classic First Edition (Oxford World's Classics) by H. W. Fowler.

**** My Puny Human Brain <http://www.slate.com/id/2284721/>
Ken Jennings, Slate

When I was selected as one of the two human players to be pitted against IBM's "Watson" supercomputer in a special man-vs.-machine Jeopardy! exhibition match, I felt honored, even heroic. I envisioned myself as the Great Carbon-Based Hope against a new generation of thinking machines—which, if Hollywood is to be believed, will inevitably run amok, build unstoppable robot shells, and destroy us all. But at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Lab, an Eero Saarinen-designed fortress in the snowy wilds of New York's Westchester County, where the shows taped last month, I wasn't the hero at all. I was the villain.

**** This Ain’t Weird Al <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/magazine/20Lonely-t.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Mark Oppenheimer, New York Times

The Lonely Island, consisting of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who are familiar from their “Digital Shorts” on “Saturday Night Live,” has not only revived the novelty song, but they’ve done the unthinkable: they’ve made it cool. And catchy. They make novelty songs you can laugh at and also bob your head to.

**** In His Own Words, A Singular Man’s Double Life <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/books/18book.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Dwight Garner, New York Times

One of the pleasures of a good book of letters is watching a voice develop and ripen over time, and Chatwin’s does. It grows lovelier, grainier, more confident, more wicked.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Our Brand New MRT Stations <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2011/02/our-brand-new-mrt-stations.html>
Gilbert Koh, Mr Wang Says So

And just ask yourself. Did Singapore, as a nation, see any improvement on these issues, over the past five or ten years?

Or did we just slowly and steadily get worse and worse? Just like the floor tiles and ceilings at our MRT stations.

**** Improving Singaporeans’ Standard Of Living <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/improving-singaporeans-standard-of-living/>
Tan Jee Say, The Online Citizen

**** MDA: Abnormalizing The Normal? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/mda-abnormalizing-the-normal/>
Joshua Chiang, The Online Citizen

So what exactly is MDA trying to prevent from being ‘normalized’? Was ‘The Kids Are Alright’ glamorizing homosexuality or was it merely showing the protagonists, a lesbian couple as being no different from ordinary folks like you and I?

**** ‘Housewives On Gambling Escapades Worrisome’ <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/18/nation/8083245&sec=nation>
The Star

There is a worrying development among housewives in Chinese households frequently going on “gambling escapades” in Singapore, said MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

Thousands travelled south daily by bus to the island republic to try their luck in winning big in casinos, he added.

**** Doing The Small Things Well <http://groundnotes.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/sorry-for-the-inconvenience/>
Groundnotes

Today, one gets the sense that we can’t do the small things well anymore. Our famed efficiency and decisiveness is more evident in clamping down on political blogs, illegalising public assemblies, catching opposition members giving out pamphlets, and much less so in the lives of ordinary Singaporeans. One gets the sense that we are losing our priorities. One gets the sense that we’re seeing more “Sorry for the inconvenience” signs in our daily lives.

**** Double Standards <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/02/double-standards.html>
Singapore Notes

Although then PM Goh Chok Tong told Time magazine in 2003 that his government was openly employing gays, even in sensitive jobs, the official line has always been that it recognizes homosexuals as part of the city-state's society, but that they are not accepted by most citizens. However, that doesn't stop MM Lee Kuan Yew from accepting them as PAP MPs, "As far as I'm concerned, if she does her work as an MP, she looks after her constituents, she makes sensible speeches, she's making a contribution, her private life is her life, that's that." He goes on, "You know, there are two standards. It's one thing the people at large, it's another thing, your minister or your prime minister being such a person."

**** Budget 2011 - Back To Basics <http://singaporealternatives.blogspot.com/2011/02/budget-2011-back-to-basics.html>
Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives

By now, Singaporeans should realize that it is actually quite easy to push for high GDP growth. Just introduce vice like casino gambling, just increase enormous amount of foreign workers in a short time and just give huge preferential packages to foreign MNCs to set up shops here. Never mind if the MNCs are providing more quality jobs for Singaporeans or not or whether casino gambling will erode work ethics and cause irreversible damage to our social fabrics or not.

**** Las Vegas Sands Says Singapore Hasn’t Delivered Promised Subway <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-17/las-vegas-sands-says-singapore-hasn-t-delivered-promised-subway.html?cmpid=msnmoney>
Katrina Nicholas, Bloomberg

Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson said Singapore’s government hasn’t delivered a subway under the retail mall at its downtown casino resort as promised by 2010.

**** Singapore Named Among Worst Stock Exchanges <http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/201102/s3142338.htm>
Karon Snowdon, Radio Australia

**** SGX Delays Start Of All-day Trading To Second Quarter <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/18/sgx-alldaytrading-idUSL3E7DI07C20110218>
Eveline Danubrata, Reuters

**** How About ‘Richer, Kinder, Slower’? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/how-about-richer-kinder-slower/>
Stephanie Chok, The Online Citizen

What is the point of being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, when we are so callous towards the weak and marginalized?

**** Shadow Budget 2011 At A Glance <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4600-shadow-budget-2011-at-a-glance>
Singapore Democratic Party

Unlike the PAP's there are no 'goodies' in our budget because goodies are given only to sweeten the poison. We make specific proposals in the Shadow Budget with this singular objective: To provide ordinary Singaporeans the wherewithal and genuine assistance to live in security and dignity, and to develop themselves to compete with other peoples of the world.

**** Too Early To Review Fertility Schemes: DPM Wong <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111547/1/.html>
Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia

Deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng, who is also the minister in charge of population issues, said it is too early to assess the effectiveness of the current schemes, as they have only been in place for two-and-a half years.

**** Budget 2011: Govt To Put Back S$4b Into Past Reserves <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111550/1/.html>
May Wong, Channel NewsAsia

The government will put back into past reserves the S$4 billion that it had drawn earlier for the Resilience Package.

**** Budget 2011: S'pore To Raise Defence Budget By 5.4% <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111553/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

The government plans to spend S$12.08 billion (US$9.5 billion) on defence in the 2011 fiscal year, up from S$11.46 billion the year before.

Singapore's navy, army and air force will get S$11.53 billion to buy and maintain military equipment, for the upkeep of camps and for payment of salaries.

**** Budget 2011: Incomes To Be Raised By 30% Over 10 Years <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111554/1/.html>
May Wong, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore plans to raise incomes by 30 per cent in real terms over this decade. The government plans to give more support to the lower- and middle-income citizens. This will be through enhanced grants and providing top quality long-term care for the elderly.

**** Budget 2011: Govt To Raise Employer CPF Contributions <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111565/1/.html>
Saiful Bahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia

In his budget speech on Friday, finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the employer contribution rate will go up by another 0.5 percentage points to 16 per cent, which will restore the total contribution rate to 36 per cent. The additional 0.5 per cent will go into the Special Account.

Mr Tharman said the CPF salary ceiling will also be revised from S$4,500 to S$5,000 per month to keep pace with income growth in recent years.

**** Budget 2011: Foreign Workers To Cost Employers More <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111569/1/.html>
Saiful Bahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia

For the manufacturing sector, the foreign levy will go up by another S$60. For the services sector, the average levy will increase by a further S$180 and for the construction sector, S$200 more.

To manage the continued increase in demand for S Pass holders, the govenment will also increase the levy rates for this category to S$450.

**** Budget 2011: Lower-, Middle-income Households To Get S$3.2b In Aid <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111570/1/.html>
Rachel Kelly, Channel Newsasia

A "Grow and Share" package of S$3.2 billion will be provided to households this year, with more going to lower- and middle-income families.

**** Budget 2011: Radio & TV Licence Fees To Be Removed <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111579/1/.html>
Dylan Loh, Channel Newsasia

Radio and television licence fees will be permanently removed with immediate effect. In his Budget Statement, finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the fees are losing their relevance.

He added that with increasing media convergence, Singaporeans can now receive broadcast content over the Internet and mobile devices. These means of receiving the content do not attract licence fees.

**** Budget 2011: Businesses To Get 20% Corporate Tax Rebate <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1111564/1/.html>
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia

Companies will receive a 20 per cent corporate income tax rebate for the Year of Assessment 2011.

Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said this may not fully benefit small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs), as many of them pay very little taxes. So for these companies, there will be the option of a one-off SME Cash Grant, amounting to five per cent of the company's revenues in YA 2011.

**** What’s More Terrifying Than Sex? Family <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/whats-more-terrifying-than-sex-family/>
Yawning Bread

**** Budget 2011: Special Bonus For Workers On WIS, Progressive Income Tax Cut <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111574/1/.html>
Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia

Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has announced a one-off Special Bonus payment for those on the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme.

The special bonus will be given to this group for work done in 2010. The money, to be paid out fully in cash, will amount to 50 per cent more WIS for work done last year and 25 per cent more each year, for work done in 2011 and 2012.

**** Budget 2011: More Financial Help For First-time Flat Buyers <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111580/1/.html>
Jo-ann Huang, Channel NewsAsia

The government will introduce a Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) to help low-income families purchase a Build-to-Order (BTO) flat for the first time. The SHG will be provided to families who earn up to S$2,250 per month.

**** Written Answer To Parliamentary Question On Rules And Regulations For Thaipusam, 18 February 2011 <http://app4.mha.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=MTk2MQ%3d%3d-pQ7T3qA7Un0%3d>
Ministry Of Home Affairs, Singapore Government

HEB is a statutory board. It does not report to the Ministry of Home Affairs. We understand that HEB decided to compile the conditions imposed pursuant to the Rules, as well as some guidance by HEB on religious practices, and issue these guidelines to participants in the Thaipusam procession. This was done to assist the participants.

Note: Hindu Endowments Board reports to Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports.

**** Singapore Plans $5.2 Billion Benefits Package For Citizens <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704900004576151694094290716.html>
P.r. Venkat, Wall Street Journal

The Singapore government Friday announced a 6.6 billion Singapore dollar (US$5.2 billion) package to enable its citizens to overcome inflationary pressures caused by rising commodity prices and wages.

**** Singapore Budget Filled With Handouts Ahead Of Elections <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/9507340>
Kevin Lim, Reuters

Singapore unveiled a budget on Friday filled with handouts for poorer citizens, with an eye on elections that may be called as early as the second quarter.

Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong must hold general elections by February 2012, but the government has indicated it will call a poll in the second quarter.

**** Budget 2011: Growth Dividends For All Adult S'poreans <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111582/1/.html>
Jo-ann Huang, Channel NewsAsia

As in the past, the amount each Singaporean will receive will depend on his income and value of his home.

**** Budget 2011: Deficit Of S$2.2b Expected For FY2011 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111585/1/.html>
Chris Howells, Channel NewsAsia

The Singapore government said it expects a budget deficit of S$2.2 billion for FY2011, or 0.7 per cent of GDP. Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in his budget speech the overall budget balance for FY2011 is projected to be a slight surplus of S$100 million.

**** SGX Mulls Merger Backup Plans <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1111587/1/.html>
Stella Lee, Channel NewsAsia

The Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) will consider other targets for a merger if plans to takeover the Australian bourse ASX fails. CEO Magnus Bocker however did not give specific names of any target bourses.

**** Singapore Budget 2011: Initiatives Relating To CPF <http://mycpf.cpf.gov.sg/Members/Gen-Info/CPFChanges/Budget2011_CPF.htm>
Central Provident Fund Board, Singapore Government

**** Budget Speech <http://www.singaporebudget.gov.sg/budget_2011/budget_speech.html>
Singapore Government

**** Remind Me Not To Read A Certain Newspaper <http://faerieimps.blogspot.com/2011/02/remind-me-not-to-read-certain-newspaper.html>
Faerie Land

Apportioning S$365 million from our Budget 2011 to be spent on arts and culture over the next 5 years will fulfill the objectives of reaching out to more Singaporeans, and increase the vibrancy of the arts scene. The one objective of adding depth to it remains to be seen. I'm skeptical. From all these actions, I'm inclined to think that we've immature decision-makers running these sort of committees.

**** Singapore Malay Families Seeking Economic Refuge In JB <http://hantulautan.blogspot.com/2011/02/singapore-malay-families-seeking.html>
Hantulautan

I have been coming across several Malay families who are renting out their HDB flats or even selling their HDB flats and living in Johor Bahru and commuting to Singapore. Each family had the same reason to give. They are unable to afford the cost of living in Singapore.

No where in first world do you see the poor in one country running to the next to commute to work to save costs.

**** Jackpot Revenues Drive A Budget Of Nice Gestures <http://newnation.sg/2011/02/jackpot-revenues-drive-a-budget-of-nice-gestures/>
Fang Shihan, New Nation

As most observers predicted, this budget was about slapping on some cold cream to ease inflationary pains. Cautioning that the measures cannot and should not reduce the infamous government-inculcated work ethic, Tharman opted for a one-time shot of morphine.

**** The Epitome Of Cool <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/02/epitome-of-cool.html>
Singapore Notes

Gambling, specifically the sound of revenue ringing up the cash register, seems to justify the means. It gives new meaning to the saying "Fiddling while Rome burns".

**** Singapore May Give Police More Power To Tackle Youth Violence <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111618/1/.html>
Tanya Fong, Channel NewsAsia

This may include power short of detention to prevent youth offenders from associating with each other and from frequenting certain places.

**** Singapore Puts Budget's Focus On Narrowing Wealth Gap <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12502167>
Mariko Oi, BBC

Wealth has been created so quickly that it is easy for people to get left behind.

Singapore's economy almost doubled in size in the 10 years to the end of 2008, Department of Statistics figures show. Thanks to this growth, the average monthly income increased by 40% over the same period. However, the average monthly income for the bottom 20% of Singaporean households fell by 2.7% over the same decade.

**** Budget 2011: Analysis Snippets <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/budget-2011-analysis-snippets/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen

**** Rules For Thaipusam Apply To All Religious Processions: Shanmugam <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111644/1/.html>
Tanya Fong, Channel NewsAsia

**** ST Poll: S'poreans Wanted More From Budget 2011 <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_636332.html#pd_a_4554938>
Ng Tze Yong, Straits Times

Readers were asked immediately after the conclusion of the Budget announcement at 5.30pm on Friday: All things considered, did Budget 2011 meet your expectations? 1,740 readers responded in the five hours that followed. 47 per cent indicated "Definitely not", 23 per cent "Not really", 17 per cent "Somewhat" and 14 per cent "Definitely".