Licence for selling poisonous substances

A 45-year-old fishmonger was charged with selling poisonous substances without a licence. I would like to ask: What is the meaning of this?! Does that mean that if one has a licence, one can sell poisonous substances everywhere in Singapore? NO! Unless one is a doctor, one should not sell poisonous substances. Though both of the substances have medicinal use, prolonged usage would cause the user grievous harm.
"One of the poisons is dexamethasone, a potent steroid that requires a doctor's prescription.
Usually used for anti-inflammatory purposes, it can cause high blood pressure, muscle damage and mental disorders. Sudden withdrawal after prolonged use can lead to serious outcomes including muscle weakness and kidney failure.
The other poison, chlorpheniramine, can be used to relieve runny noses. However, it can also cause drowsiness, confusion and urine retention."
I believe that the fishmonger thought that his costumers might keep on visiting his store after they discovered that not eating his fish would lead to them feeling unwell. One could argue that the fishmonger was only trying to make a living. However, he should consider that by earning money this way, he has made the lives of others worse by making them go to the doctor for treatment. If found guilty, the fishmonger could be jailed up to 2 years and fined $10,000 for each charge.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1136733/1/.html

Charity Begins At Home. However...

Two months ago, Thai teenager Nitcharee Peneakchanasak lost both of her legs after falling onto the MRT tracks in Ang Mo Kio. Now, a group of anonymous Singaporeans have donated S$250,000 for Nitcharee Peneakchanasak's medical rehabilitation expenses. The amount of money is enough to pay for not her medical rehabilitation expenses but a pair of prosthetic legs as well.
I would like to laud the kindhearted Singaporeans who have made all the difference for this young girl. However, I would like to point out a strange question I have about this incident. It is: How did the girl fall onto the MRT tracks?
As we all know now, the MRT station at Ang Mo Kio does not have the half-height platform screen doors. Therefore, is it SMRT's fault for not installing the screen doors quickly, or is it the girl's fault for not being careful enough? The girl's father has viewed the CCTV footage of the incident, yet decided to keep the details confidential. This feels a little strange to me. If it is not the girl's fault that she fell onto the MRT tracks, why keep it a secret? From this, we can assume that the CCTV footage showed that it was, at least, partially the girl's fault that she fell onto the MRT tracks. Moreover, Mr Peneakchanasak, the girl's 56-year-old father, rejected SMRT's compensation offer of S$5,000, saying that he would seek 'fairer' compensation. I would like to ask this: ON what grounds does he have the right to seek fairer compensation? I have been on the MRT several times and I do not seehow it is possible to all onto the tracks unless one is not paying much attention to one's surroundings (texting, reading, etc.) or one is pushed. I seriously doubt that Nitcharee Peneakchanasak was pushed since I do not believe that anyone in Singapore would have no other better thing to do. IN conclusion, I do not believe that it is entirely SMRT's fault for not installing the platform screen doors. It is also partially, if not entirely, Nitcharee Peneakchanasak's fault for not paying enough attention to her surroundings. I would like to point out that the Singaporean donors' compassion is commendable yet perhaphs a little misplaced. I believe that if one makes a mistake, one should be able to bear the consequences of that mistake. I can only hope that Nitcharee Peneakchanasak will be more careful around MRT stations sfter getting her pair of prosthetic legs and not repeat her mistake.

"Costly" Flood Solutions

With the recent flooding in Singapore, we are all concerned about what the government is going to do about it. One of the less expensive solutions was to raise the level of Wilby Road. This would prevent the risk of flood waters entering Tessarina Condominium's basement car park whenever Bukit Timah Road is flooded. However, the raising of roads only treats the symptoms of the floods. Built-up areas like Bukit Timah and Orchard will require better solutions than raising the level of the area. Nanyang Technological University School of Civil & Environmental Engineering associate professor Tan Soon Keat says that the built-up areas would require much more expensive solutions as they would need to physically divert the flow to a storage pond somewhere else. However, where to locate these ponds is a very difficult question to answer.

I feel that the government should do everything they can, no matter how expensive it is, to prevent or minimize the effects of the frequent floods which were supposed to be a 'once in fifty years' thing. It would really benefit the the citizens of Singapore and let them feel that the government actually cares about them and their welfare. In conclusion, though the solutions for preventing future floods may be costly, if would be really beneficial in both the short and long run as the pros outweigh the cons by a large margin.

E. coli Outbreak

On 30th May 2011, an Escherichia coli (E. coli) outbreak was reported in Germany. The outbreak killed 14 and left more than 300 seriously ill. Most of the deaths were from northern Germany. The German government has identified the pathogen as hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of a type of E. coli. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has confirmed that this HUS outbreak is the largest in the world of its kind. E coli. affects the blood, kidneys, and in severe cases, the nervous system. On 31st May 2011, the number of deaths rose to 16 and reached 18 on 8th June 2011. One can be infected by E. coli if one consumes:

• undercooked ground beef (the inside is pink)
• contaminated/impure water
• unpasteurised/raw milk
• contaminated food

To prevent infection, it is advised for one to cook all food properly and make sure that the temperature of the food is high enough to kill the bacteria. It is also advisable to practice proper hygiene so as to not infect other people with E. coli in the event that one is inected with E. coli.

Symptoms of E. coli infection start 7 days after infection. Sudden severe abdominal cramps are the first signs of infection. After a few hours, watery diarrhea starts. The diarrhea lasts for 1 day, then changes to bright red bloody stools. The bloody stools lasts 2 to 5 days. If you have any of these symptoms, you should visit a doctor straight away.