ASK! about Singapore

[ASK! Editor: To chew or not to chew, that is the question! Here is a response to this sticky issue, hopefully it will clear up your understanding of regulations regarding chewing gum. This post has been updated as of 12th Dec 2006.]

Importation may be allowed for licensed chewing gums (medicinal and oral dental chewing gums that are registered with HSA) hand-carried into Singapore either by visitors/tourists or citizens returning from overseas trips provided the import quantity is reasonable, for not more than 3 months’ supply for personal consumption. As a general guide, not more than 3 months’ supply would be about 300 sticks or pellets in total. For more information on licensed chewing gums, please contact HSA at
hsa_info@hsa.gov.sg.

Except for chewing gum with therapeutic value, the importation into Singapore of any chewing gum is prohibited under the Regulation of Imports and Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations. The prohibition on the import of chewing gum except for those of therapeutic value is absolute. Therefore, no allowance is given for any person to import them for personal consumption.

References:
www.customs.gov.sg under Prohibited Items
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/prism/common/enquirepublic
/SearchCCUProduct.do?action=load
http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en
/home/about_singapore/faq/customs.html#0007

All websites last accessed 12th Dec, 2006.

Answered by Roy Won, Librarian

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Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

[ASK! Editor: To find out why a whale is classified as a mammal, we would first need to find out what are some of the characteristics of mammals and then compare them with the characteristics of whales.]

Whales by Dan Greenberg
New York : Benchmark Books, 2003
Call No.: J 599.5 GRE
Click here for item availability.

You might want to check out this book available in our libraries, titled Whales by Dan Greenberg. These pages might provide you with the information you need.

Pgs 6 - 9
“First, like all mammals, whales are warm-blooded. Fish are cold-blooded.”
“Second, like other mammals, whales breathe air through lungs, while fish take in water through gills to breathe.”
“Finally, whales give birth to live babies that drink their mother’s milk. Fish give birth to live young or lay eggs…Their mother does not feed them.”

Marine mammals by Heather C. Hudak
New York : Weigl Publishers, c2005
Call No.: J 599.5 HUD
Click here for item availability.

You might also want to read this book titled, Marine Mammals by Heather C. Hudak.

Pg 5
“Mammals are warm-blooded animals. They have hair or fur and breathe through lungs. Mammals give birth to live babies. These animals nurse their babies with milk that their bodies produce.”

Pg 6
“There are three main groups of marine mammals - pinnipeds, cetaceans and sirenians - where whales, dolphins and porpoises are cetaceans.”

Pg 13
“Marine mammals do not hatch from eggs. Like land mammals, marine mammals are born live. Female mammals produce milk to feed their young. Over time, they wean their young.”
“Female whales grow their unborn young inside their bodies…”
“Usually, they give birth to a single calf..”

[ASK! Editor: In general, books about whales can be found under the Call No.: 599.5. Look for this number in the Pets and Animals Section if you are looking for adult reading material. Or simply search our catalogue]

Related Links:
The Ocean Channel: What makes whales mammals?
Madsci Network: If a whale is a mammal, where is its hair or fur?

All websites last accessed 28th July, 2006.

Answered by Erlin Amir, Librarian

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ASK! about Singapore

Left image taken from Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
Right image from http://ir.asia1.com.sg/sph/news/20051019_002.html

Here is a quick timeline of Mr Lim Kim San’s career:

• 1951 : Director, United Chinese Bank Ltd; Chairman, Batu Pahat Bank Ltd; Chairman, Pacific Bank Ltd
• 1959-1963 : Deputy Chairman, Public Service Commission, Singapore
• 1960 - 1963 : Chairman, Housing and Development Board
• 1961 - 1963 : Deputy Chairman, Economic and Development Board
• 1963 - 1968 : Member of Parliament for Cairnhill
• 1963 - 1980 : Member of the Central Executive Committee
• 19 Oct 1963 - 8 Aug 1965 : Minister for National Development
• 9 Aug 1965 - 16 Aug 1967 : Minister for Finance
• 17 Aug 1967 - 15 Apr 1968 : Minister for Interior and Defence
• 6 Sep 1970 - 15 Sep 1972 : Minister for Education
• 1971 - 1978 : Chairman, Public Utilities Board
• 16 Sep 1972 - 1 Jun 1975 : Minister for Environment
• 1973 : Chairman, Board of Trustees, NTUC Welcome Consumers’ Cooperative Ltd
• 1 Aug 1975 - 30 Jun 1978 : Minister for Communications and Information Technology
• 2 June 1975 - 31 Jan 1979 : Minister for National Development
• 1 Feb 1979 - 5 Jan 1981 : Minister for Environment
• 1979 - 1994 : Chairman, Port of Singapore Authority
• 1981 - 1982 : Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore
• 1988 - 1 Dec 2002 : Executive Chairman, Singapore Press Holdings
• 1989 : Chairman, Times Publishing
• 1992 - 2003: Chairman, Council of Presidential Advisors
• 2000 : Chancellor, Singapore Management University.

Source: Singapore Infopedia
[ASK! Editor: Do a keyword search (”lim kim san”) at the above link to access the full article]

In addition, Mr Lim stayed on as Senior Advisor of Singapore Press Holdings till 2005. Dr Richard Hu, former Minister of Finance, took over from Mr Lim as Chancellor of Singapore Management University in 2002.

Web resources:
Channel News Asia: Former Cabinet Minister Lim Kim San dies at age 89
Asiaweek interview with Mr Lim Kim San
Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership: Biography of Mr Lim Kim San
Singapore Press Holdings: Mr Lim recounts early days at HDB
Singapore Press Holdings: Interview with Mr Lim Page 1 Page 2

All websites last accessed on 21 July, 2006.

For more references on Mr Lim Kim San, read on!

(more…)

ASK! about Anything & Everything

You could be referring to these resources listed at The Speak Good English Movement, Singapore website:

• Teens in Action - Any Time is Book Time (non-fiction titles that teenagers might enjoy)
• Tale Time for Teens (suggested fiction titles)

Here’s a sample (from the website):
Dealing With The Stuff That Makes Life Tough: The 10 Things That Stress Girls Out And How To Cope With Them
Jill Zimmerman Rutledge
Chicago: Contemporary Books, c2004
Call No.: Y 305.235 RUT

Think you are fat? Not able to cope with schoolwork? Having difficulties sleeping at night? Targeting at common problems faced by teenage girls, this book allows you to snap out of your misery once and for all!

The Highest Hit
Nancy Willard
New York : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, [1993], c1978
Call No.: Y WIL

Kate Carpenter Schmidt is determined to get herself into the Guinness Book of World Records. Meanwhile, she busy teaching her mother to play baseball, collecting news for her neighbourhood paper and getting in and out of trouble with the irrepressible Ursula Quinn. Kate has a lot of ambition ?but life has a funny way of throwing curveballs just when everything seems under control.

My librarian colleagues at the Adult & Young People’s Services would be happy to suggest more titles. Just ASK!

Posted by Ivan Chew, Manager, Adult & Young People’s Services

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ASK! about Health & Fitness

Hi Jian,

The following source directly answers the question that you are looking for:
http://www.hhmi.org/cgi-bin/askascientist/highlight.pl?kw=&file=answers%2Fgeneral%2Fans_037.html
http://www.askascientist.org/askascientist/answers/why_do_we_feel_cold_when_we_have_a_fever.html
(Website last accessed on 3 August 2008)

It is answered by Jonathan Blum, former postdoctoral physician.

In simple terms, it means that a part of the brain senses the temperature of the blood in the body and compares it to the body’s desired temperature. If the blood temperature is different from the desired temperature, it will try to adjust the body temperature.

It does this by sending signals that will cause the body to sweat if it is too hot or shiver when it is too cold (sweating cools the body as the sweat evaporates; shivering warms the body because the energy used by shivering muscles is converted to heat). This will make us feel uncomfortable and make us seek out a source of heat or cold, depending on how we feel. If your body temperature is low, you will look for blankets or a warm place and if it is high, you will look for a cooler spot.

So when you have a fever, the body will send signals to your brain that tells it to raise the body’s desired temperature to a higher one. This is usually a response to an infection. Your body immune system will respond to this infection by releasing molecules called ‘endogenous pyrogens’. These travel through the blood and reach your brain where it causes the body’s desired temperature to increase. So now, the body will think that it is too cold. Remember that the temperature may be normal, but it is lower than the body’s desired temperature which has been increased.

I have recommended some books so that you can read further on this subject:

The reproductive system: injury, illness and health / Steve Parker
Oxford : Heinemann Library,. 2002
Call No.: Y q612.6 PAR
Click here for item availability.

The brain and the nervous system / Steve Parker, Alan Mayron-Davis.
London, New York : F. Watts, 1990.
Call No.: Y 612.8 PAR
Click here for item availability.

The family medical reference book / edited by Philip Evans.
London : Little, Brown, 2001
Call No.: R 613 FAM
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Yasmin Muhammad Asslan, Librarian, Public Library Services

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ASK! about Computers & IT

[ASK! Editor: In view of the recent scams targetted at Citibank and OCBC customers, here are some methods to identify “phishy” emails]

Some of the recommended tips to note when determining the authenticity of emails and avoiding phishing scams are:

1) Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information.

ASK! about Singapore

Basically, before 1 Jan 1982, Singapore’s standard time was 7 hrs 30 mins in advance of GMT, but after that it was recognised as being 8 hrs in advance of GMT. The last time change before this was during the Japanese Occupation, and it reverted to +7 hrs 30 mins GMT after the occupation. Hence, if you were born in 1963, your birth time should be still +7 hrs 30 mins in advance of the GMT.
Source: Article by Mok Ly Yng, hosted on the website of Associate Prof. Helmer Aslaksen (NUS, Dept of Mathematics)

[ASK! Editor: The article was found with a Google search using the search terms: Singapore time zone 1982. As it was supported by AP Aslaksen and contained substantial references to verifiable sources like the Singapore Government Gazette and the statutes, the article was evaluated to be a accurate source.]

With regards to Ba Zi analysis, there seems to be some dispute about what time exactly to follow (ie should time be converted to China time due to the manuals etc being from China?). You may want to check out forums like the Feng Shui Research Network Forum and do a search on “time zone Singapore” for some opinions, or consult a feng shui master. Do note that opinions on web forums may not be verified.

Related Links:
Geomancy.net information on Ba Zi analysis
Singapore Feng Shui Centre: Offers accredited courses in Feng Shui

All websites last accessed 11th July, 2006.

Read on for some recommended feng shui books!

(more…)

ASK! about Performing Arts

“Simply put, poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they’re saying and how they’re saying it.
A poetry slam is a competitive event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. Typically, the host or another organizer selects the judges, who are instructed to give numerical scores (on a zero to 10 or one to 10 scale) based on the poets’ content and performance.”

Source: Poetry Slam, Inc. FAQ

The idea of poetry slam (also known as slam poetry) originated in Chicago in the 1980s. More details can be found in this article at Historylink.org, the online encyclopedia of Washington State History.

Word Forward (a non-profit arts company) launched Asia’s first officially registered poetry slam venue in Singapore. In July 2006, they started a monthly poetry writing competition, in addition to holding monthly slams.

All websites last accessed 13th July, 2006.

For more resources on poetry slam and writing poetry, read on!

(more…)

ASK! about Anything & Everything

The Japanese Prime Minister is a divorcee, he was married in 1978, and divorced in 1982. He has since never remarried.
Source: Times Online: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1763663,00.html (Last accessed on 9th July 2006)

Other bits of information about his past marriage:

He is also known for impulsive action: He proposed to his former wife the day after their second date, then divorced her while she was pregnant with their third son because of disputes over her role as a politician’s wife.

He has legal custody of his two elder sons and, following the custom here, has refused to let them visit their mother. He has also refused to see his youngest son, who lives with his ex-wife, avoiding the pair even at the 2001 funeral of Koizumi’s mother.

Source:
washingtonpost.com: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901895.html
(Last accessed on 10th July 2006)

Answered by Nur Hakim, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

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Kids ASK! about Family & Parenting

The following terms need to be understood:

Cousin (or “first cousin”)
Your first cousins are the people in your family who have two of the same grandparents as you. In other words, they are the children of your aunts and uncles.

Second Cousin
Your second cousins are the people in your family who have the same great-grandparents as you, but not the same grandparents. If Ali and Siti are first cousins, then Ali’s children and Siti’s children are second cousins.

Removed
When the word “removed” is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. You and your first cousins are in the same generation (two generations younger than your grandparents), so the word “removed” is not used to describe your relationship.

The words “once removed” mean that there is a difference of one generation. For example, your mother’s first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. This is because your mother’s first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This one-generation difference equals “once removed.”

Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference. You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, so you and your grandmother’s first cousin are first cousins, twice removed.

For example, Mr and Mrs Smith’s family:

Mr and Mrs Smith are husband and wife. They have two children, Peter and Mary. Peter gets married and has a son, Simon. Mary also gets married and has a daughter, Sarah. Sarah and Simon are cousins (first cousins).

Simon then gets married and has a son, Bob. Sarah gets married and has a daughter, Tina. Tina and Bob are then second cousins (as Tina’s mum and Bob’s dad are first cousins).

Tina then gets married and has a son David. Later, David grows up and has a daughter, Rosie.

Rosie is Bob’s second cousin twice removed. This is because Rosie comes two generations later after Bob. Rosie is most immediately related to Bob through Tina, and Tina is Bob’s second cousin. So , that’s how Rosie is Bob’s second cousin twice removed.

Source:What’s a Second Cousin Twice Removed? - Granduncle Mark’s Genealogy Parlor

All websites last accessed 15th July, 2006.

Some recommended books relating to the subject:

The kids’ family tree book / Caroline Leavitt
New York : Sterling Pub. Co., c2005.
Call No.: J English 929 LEA
Click here for item availability.

What’s my family tree? / Mick Manning
London : Franklin Watts, 2001.
Call No.: JP English 306.85 MAN
Click here for item availability.

Me and my family tree / by Joan Sweeney
New York : Crown Publishers, c1999.
Call No.: JP English 929 SWE
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Ms Siti Nadiah Sahul Hameed, Librarian, Children’s Services

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