TR EMERITUS

By Regina Leung from South China Morning Post Over a hundred protesters outside the Legislative Council called for a minimum wage law on Wednesday as lawmakers debated the controversial issue that has divided the city's business sector and labour groups. The protesters, many of whom were low-paid workers, said the government and business sector had sacrificed them in the name of competitiveness and preserving the city’s free economy. Among the various groups protesting outside Legco were a group of Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers who chanted “We are workers! We are not slaves!: “Ironically, Hong Kong is now discussing the road to democracy. But how can there be democracy if workers’ interests continue to be attacked by the big businesses?” said Eni Lestari, of the Asian Migrants’ Co-ordinating Body. Legislators intend to propose at least 11 amendments to the bill, and the debate is expected to last for at least two days. Before the debate started, some pan-democratic lawmakers waved placards and football shirts bearing the number 33. This was to emphasise that they want the minimum wage set at HK$33 an hour. However, lawmakers will not set an exact wage. The will be done by the 12 members of Provisional Minimum Wage Commission who are advising the chief executive on the issue. Lawmaker and general secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions Lee Cheuk-yan said the wage should be set at HK$33 an hour to give workers “dignity”. “So, when they return home after work, they have sufficient money to raise their families,” he said. Lee also said salary levels should be reviewed every year – instead of the government’s plan to review them every two years. “Even civil servants’ pay is reviewed every year. There is inflation every year,” Lee told local radio. But Albert Lai, chairman of the pressure group Professional Commons, proposed setting the minimum wage at about HK$30 an hour. He said setting it at this level would not affect the economic competitiveness of Hong Kong. “Only two trades – the security services and cleaning services – would have their profit margins affected [by a minimum wage]. And they are in a good position to raise their prices,” he added. The proposed minimum wage legislation faces strong opposition from some of Hong Kong’s largest employers. Michael Chan, chairman of giant fast-food chain Café de Coral – who was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 35th richest man in Hong Kong in 2009 – has said his group may issue a profit warning if the minimum-wage level is set at HK$33 an hour. Chan’s comments have angered unions, which have demanded he no longer serve on the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission. A survey released this week showed that supermarket giants ParknShop and Wellcome, and convenience stores Circle K and 7-Eleven, pay their workers an average rate of less than HK$23 an hour.  Read More →

We would like to thank Mr James Kang for sharing his views with regards to Boon Lay and in particular Jurong West Street 52 covering Blk 515 to 536. We would like to share that Boon Lay has a weekly outreach programme with residents. This list is as listed below: - Monday – 6.15pm to 7.30pm – weekly house visit alternating between different zones and blocks. - Monday – 6.00pm to 11pm – Weekly Meet-the-People Session at Blk 207, Zone A, Boon Lay Place. Registration for MPS starts at 6.00pm.Petition writers and two key interviewers commence MPS at 7pm sharp. - Wednesday – 7.30pm to 9.30pm – Block/floor party and dialogue session with residents. - Wednesday – * CCMC Meeting on 3rd week of the month.- - Wednesday – ** Neighbourhood Standing Committee Meeting – 2nd week of alternate month. - Thursday – CCC Meeting on 2nd week of the month. - Weekends – grassroots organizations will organize their weekend activities in which the MP attends as GOH. * Where time permits after block/floor party and dialogue session, the MP may join in. **On the 2nd week of alternate month, we replace the neighbourhood Standing Committee Meeting with block/floor party and dialogue session with residents. - Over and above the routine programme, our grassroots leaders also organize mega projects throughout the year: 1. Mega block party once every 3 months 2. Brisk walking monthly 3. National Day Dinner and Celebration annually 4. Scholarship Awards annually 5. IRCC programmes quarterly 6. The biggest Countdown in the heartland 7. Various alternating RC/NC meetings 8. Town Hall meetings with residents and GRLs twice a year In addition, the MP organizes special focus group discussions and outreach with key activists and GRLs in small groups over tea over the weekend afternoons between 3.45pm and 5pm. We are pleased to inform that in the last 3 months, we have done no less than 5 house visits at Jurong West Street 52 and organised 3 block/floor parties and dialogue sessions. These are over and above the GRO activities during weekends. We would also like to advise that if you come across residents with grievances including yourself, there is a proper avenue for you to feedback so as to enable us to address the issues. Our weekly MPS is one such example. Alternatively, they are free to drop the MP or myself, the Branch Secretary, an email as this has been the way that we have been engaging the residents. In fact, as the Branch Secretary, I am in Boon Lay every day and I am accessible to all residents at our branch at Blk 207. Our MP herself is at Boon Lay no less than 4 times a week. We would be very happy to meet up with you face-to-face to clarify and address any misunderstanding or misperception that you may have so that you will have an accurate perspective of what is going on in Boon Lay.   Kuek Chiew Peng - Branch Secretary In reply to:  https://www.tremeritus.net/2010/07/13/residents-of-west-coast-grc-utterly-disappointed-with-mp-ho-geok-choo/   Editor's Note: We are unable to verify and confirm if the above reply is indeed from the Branch Secretary of Boon Lay CC or West Coast Town Council as no phone number and official email address were provided.  Read More →

Apple chief Steve Jobs took to the stage early in June in San Francisco to introduce the iPhone 4, the successor to the iPhone 3GS, at the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference. The new model is sleeker, thinner, faster, more compact and has a battery that lasts longer than any of the previous generations. It has a front-facing camera in addition to the one at the back of the phone. It also comes with a new operating system called iOS 4 which features FaceTime video calling, optical zoom, task switching as well as a way to group applications in folders. Powered by Apple’s own A4 chip and carrying double the amount of memory, the iPhone 4 is significantly faster than the 3GS and more responsive when performing tasks such as taking photos and recording videos. It also renders games and plays animation much more smoothly. The A4 chip also allows for much more efficient power management, giving users a highly improved battery life. The iPhone 4 is encased in flat, reinforced glass panels at the front and back with stainless steel antennas around the sides holding the two glass plates together. Previously the iPhone 3G and 3GS used a rounded plastic backing that is more comfortable to hold, but the new design gives it a much thinner and sturdier form. Having the antennas on the outside of the phone is an interesting decision. It seems to be an attempt to address the reception issue brought about mostly by iPhone users in the United States having suffered AT&T’s terrible coverage quality in major cities. Unfortunately this also means exposing the antenna to more interference, i.e. your hand. This design change sparked a wave of complaints and even a lawsuit within days of the iPhone 4’s launch. Apple has since issued a statement, saying that its software miscalculated the translation of signal strength to bars. A software update to fix it is expected in a few weeks. The most stunning improvement on the iPhone 4, though, is its 3.5-inch high resolution screen which Apple calls the Retina Display. Packing 326 dots per inch at 960 x 640 pixels, the screen is sharper than what the human eye can process. It feels as if you’re looking at a printed glossy magazine and it doesn’t tire your eyes as with displays on other devices. It is four times denser than previous iPhone screens. With IPS technology, colors come out superbly and even under direct sunlight you’ll have no problems operating the phone. At the moment there are no other screens with as much clarity as iPhone 4’s Retina Display. Reading books and Web pages on the iPhone 4 feels very different from reading on other devices, it’s a very enjoyable experience. Having a high resolution screen unfortunately means apps not yet optimized for the new phone will show up rather blurry though still perfectly usable. As for the rest of the design, Apple seems to have done away with plastic completely. Both volume buttons as well as the mute slider and the power button are now made of stainless steel just like the antennas. To say the phone is sleek is an understatement. It’s amazing how it can be so thin yet pack so many features. The camera on the back of the iPhone now sports a five megapixel sensor and supports autofocus and tap to focus not only for still images but also for video recording. The resulting images from the new camera are far better than many pocket cameras housing eight or even 10 megapixel sensors. The images are very sharp, detailed, and the camera works very well in low light conditions. It also has an LED flash to help out when shooting in the dark. iPhone 4 now does high definition 720p video recording, which puts it on par with many other dedicated video cameras. Along with the $4.99 iMovie for iPhone app which is available from the App Store, you can shoot, edit and share videos directly from the phone. There is also a front-facing camera which takes a decent enough image for video calls as well as for recording. It also takes standard quality photos. And did I mention video calling? Many 3G smartphones have had video calling ability for years but the iPhone 4’s FaceTime takes it to another level. To make a FaceTime call, you can do it either during a regular phone call or right from the Contacts app. During a call, you can tap the FaceTime button and, provided the person on the other end of the line also uses a FaceTime capable device, your phone chat will cease and automatically switch to video. From the Contacts app, you can select the person you want to call and instead of choosing their phone number, you tap the FaceTime button. FaceTime does not use your cellular connection and therefore does not incur charges. No other device in the market currently works with FaceTime, not even older iPhones, but Apple has gone on to state that it is proposing FaceTime as an open standard and will allow any device maker to implement it on their products. Apple itself seems to be planning to expand FaceTime beyond iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 was initially released in the United States, Britain, Japan, France and Germany in late June, and Apple plans to roll out the iPhone 4 to 88 countries, including Indonesia, by the end of September.   by Aulia * Photo courtesy of Apple Web site  Read More →