CNA938 Rewind - Could the tick trouble at Tengah's Animal Lodge spread?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Independent Singapore
10 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
‘He does not think twice to destroy his health' — Daughter breaks down over father's junk food obsession
SINGAPORE: Deeply concerned that her father's eating habits may one day cost him his life, a daughter turned to social media to seek advice, asking fellow netizens, 'How do I get my elderly parent from eating junk food?' Posting on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Sunday (Aug 3), the daughter explained that she has done everything she possibly could to keep her father healthy. She reminds him regularly to eat more balanced meals, pays S$1,200 annually for his health check-ups, gives him enough allowance to afford fresh, nutritious food, and offers emotional support whenever he needs it. Yet, despite all this, she feels nothing is changing. In fact, she said it seems to be getting worse. 'Lately, he has been eating instant noodles, lucheon meat, processed fishballs, and the list goes on. He buys lots of junk food, never-ending crackers, chocolate-coated waffles, junk food after junk food,' she wrote. 'I came home from a long trip, and he surprised me with another deep fryer, more junk food, and he seems so proud of it. I'm breaking down in tears now. Why do some people eat themselves to death? At this rate, he's not gonna live a good old age. My best friend's father died from a diet-related sickness. I do not wish this on any parent,' she added. In her desperation, she has even considered paying someone to prepare home-cooked meals for him every day, but she admitted she already knows he would likely turn them down or quietly throw them out. 'I'm angry and desperate. I do my best to give him allowance, comfort, support him, but he does not think twice to destroy his health and break my heart. Does he want to die so he won't stop eating these junk food? How do I stop him? I'm wondering if anyone is dealing with this?' she asked at the end of her post. 'It's hard to stop elderly. They won't listen.' In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor shared that his own parents behave similarly and said it's unlikely the father would completely give up junk food. He also mentioned that older people can be quite set in their ways, so instead of trying to change everything at once, it might be better to start small and slowly help them build better habits. He added, 'You can help to strike a balance, introduce healthier options and food to his diet, not by telling him, but by just cooking/buying and then eating together with him. Slowly, he won't realise that he's been eating more healthy food. When you keep nagging at them, they won't really listen.' Another Redditor suggested taking over the grocery shopping completely, writing, 'Can you make sure no junk food in the house? Maybe take over the shopping and buy fresh veg, and so on. He might be buying junk because it's cheaper, but it's hard to stop elderly. They won't listen.' A third added, 'I had the same problem with my uncle… Consider ordering food delivery. Elderly folks eat junk because it is convenient, not because they love it… it is a good middle ground for taste and their laziness. If they had better choices on their lap, they wouldn't be eating junk food. Do try food delivery or get a maid to cook.' See also China summons US ambassador over Hong Kong rights bill In other news, one woman, who recently met up with a close friend she had feelings for over 15 years, confessed on social media that she deeply regretted never admitting her feelings back then. Sharing her story on Reddit's 'SGexams' forum on Sunday (Aug 3), the woman revealed that she was about 13 years old when she first realised she liked her friend. Read more: Woman reunites with old friend and confesses online that she regrets never revealing her feelings during their 15-year friendship
CNA
11 hours ago
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Could the tick trouble at Tengah's Animal Lodge spread?
A spike in tick sightings at The Animal Lodge in Tengah has raised concern among shelter tenants. NParks says Singapore's warm, wet weather could have contributed to the surge. Are only animals at risk — or should humans worry too? Lance Alexander speaks with Dr Mackenzie Kwak, parasitologist at Hokkaido University.
CNA
15 hours ago
- CNA
More safeguards needed to protect gondola workers amid increasingly extreme weather, say experts
SINGAPORE: As Singapore experiences increasingly unpredictable weather conditions, workplace safety consultants are calling for more safeguards to reduce the risks of working on gondolas. These possible safeguards include the implementation of emergency drills and weather forecasting systems to warn workers of any unexpected weather changes ahead of time. The call for action follows an incident on Jul 21, when two workers had to be rescued while carrying out routine facade resealant work on the 28th storey of Raffles City Tower. The gondola they were on began tilting dangerously after the weather 'suddenly changed', said a Raffles City spokesperson. The workers were subsequently taken to hospital and did not suffer any injuries. MOM REGULATIONS According to Ministry of Manpower (MOM) regulations, gondolas must be equipped with a system to prevent them from detaching or being blown away from building facades during heavy rains or strong winds, said workplace safety and health executive Lucas Tay from Scatech Engineering. 'During our onsite training, regardless of how strong the wind is or how strong the rain is, we train them to … calmly just lower the gondola or raise the gondola, depending on the approved safe escape,' he added. If deteriorating weather conditions are expected, workers are trained to make timely decisions to descend safely, said Mr Tay. More than 70 per cent of Housing and Development Board flats comprise 10 storeys or more, which Mr Tay said is the typical height or more for its workers to perform their job on gondolas. MOM also requires workers to undergo relevant courses. Workers are trained to operate each specific model of gondola that they use, while every gondola installed comes with its own set of checks. "The professional engineer has to come and design and then calculate according to the user requirements. Then once it's designed, they approve it,' said Mr Tay. 'We actually have the authorised examiner to come down to check on the gondola itself, certifying that it is safe for use (and) registering this in the MOM website. After that, then users are able to use the gondola.' Mr David Ng, chairman of the civil and structural engineering technical committee at the Institute of Engineers, Singapore, noted that while Singapore is experiencing heavier storms, there are multiple safety measures in place to ensure the safety of gondola workers. For example, there is both a cable system and a rope system in place, so that one can hold the gondola in place if the other system fails. MOM also requires gondolas to be tested once every six months, Mr Ng pointed out. 'But of course, moving forward, I think we also still need to review whether there's any additional safety measures that we need to enhance … to cater for the upcoming climate change challenges that we are facing,' he added. EMERGENCY DRILLS, FORECASTING Consultant Shawal Mohamed stressed the importance of regular emergency drills for gondola workers. The managing director of Fusion Safety Management's Asia Hub noted that gondola users would have gone for training and been certified, but more can be done. He added: 'The developers or the principals may want to implement another layer of verification of competency to see, in real time, can the workers adapt to the equipment comfortably, confidently? 'And most importantly, how are they responding to the emergency protocols confidently?' Weather forecasting can help as well, he noted. In April, the authorities issued a set of guidelines to help employers better prepare for adverse weather patterns such as strong winds, heavy rain, lightning, heatwaves and haze. Under the guidelines, employers are encouraged to assess the risks posed by such weather conditions, considering the specific nature of their business operations, and prepare a response plan. COMMUNICATION IS KEY The authorities said employers should maintain communication with contractors to ensure readiness – something Mr Shawal stressed as well. 'Sometimes, workers feel they are subdued. They say, they are afraid to even speak up for just a bit of a sound, or maybe there's a bit of lightning and potential thunder. Now, are they free enough to have the mechanism to inform their supervisors or other stakeholders?' he questioned. 'I think this is where we need to improve, because the workers may have seen similar traits the day before, two days before, but they take it as they will just punch through.' This information will come in handy in figuring out if work can continue for that week, said Mr Shawal. Another consultant said contractors should conduct regular third-party inspections on gondolas to protect workers, while workers should be trained in emergency rescue operations. 'Any contractors who want to do any high-risk activities, especially using gondolas – I do think that thorough inspection is very important, especially for façade work,' said Mr Ng Yao Ming, a workplace safety and health manager at Assure Safety. MOM said that in 2024, it conducted more than 17,000 inspections, with a focus on higher-risk industries such as construction, manufacturing and marine.
