Going on your first cruise? Here’s what passengers should know to ensure smooth sailing
2. BRING A CARRY-ON
After you check your bag at the terminal, it may take several hours before it’s delivered to your stateroom. “Be sure to pack a carry-on with all of the essentials you might need during that window of time,” said Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief of cruise news site Cruise Critic, who suggested including “medication, sunscreen, a bathing suit, a phone charger and other essentials that you’ll need as soon as you board.”
3. SIGN UP FOR ACTIVITIES IN ADVANCE
Popular onboard restaurants, shore excursions and spa treatments can fill up quickly so book ahead. Many companies will let you book in advance through their website or app, but if not, head to excursion and activity desks soon after you’ve boarded.
“The theatre productions are incredible and produced at a very high quality,” said Chris Thompson, an avid cruiser of 35 years based in London. “You can usually reserve a seat in advance for free, but if it’s booked up, try showing up 15 minutes before the start of the show when seats often become available.”
Thompson also suggested going to a specialty restaurant on the first night when there is likely to be more availability. “Most people eat in the main dining room while they settle in, so chances are you’ll find a nice table at one of the special restaurants,” he said.
How the Indonesian siblings behind Animasinopal found YouTube success through animation and ‘pure chaos’
Naufal said his new house is also more conducive for creating content. “Now we have air conditioning but back then, huddling together to record lines was like recording in a furnace,” he said.
The walls in the new house also isolate noise much better. “Sometimes when we screamed for help when recording lines, people actually come to our (old) house. Like once, when we had a fire scene,” said Naufal.
Elements of their new place have also found their way into their videos – like the fish pond which Naufal’s father specially asked for. It makes regular appearances in Nadiah’s own YouTube channel – where Naufal is seen parodying The Little Mermaid. In another their father dips his feet in as though he was at a fish spa.
SEEKING FRESH IDEAS (FROM THE TOILET)
To keep the channel’s content exciting, Animasinopal has since ventured beyond the Cuty-verse. While the cast of characters were limited to Nopal’s family members, Cuty and her friends in the early days, “now, I want new and different concepts, like talking animals and body parts,” said Naufal.
“I get most of my ideas while going to the loo and when I look at the environment around me to look for ideas, I thought ‘oh yes, the materials are just here,’” said Naufal. “Turns out there are many stories that you can make from the toilet world.”
This has given birth to a series of videos featuring the adventures of anthropomorphised waste matter in the human gastrointestinal system. Yes, you read that right. Animasinopal also animates body parts such as the brain, pimples and body cells.
7 football clubs in Singapore that faded into history
GOMBAK UNITED Initially known as Redhill Rangers, the club was renamed Gombak United when it joined the S.League in 1998. The Bulls pulled out of the S.League after the 2002 season due to financial difficulties but returned in 2006 having moved from the Bukit Gombak Stadium to the Jurong West Stadium. They hadContinue Reading
CNA Explains: 2023 is the hottest year ever. How will tropical Singapore cope with record temperatures?
What does the heat do to our minds and bodies?
Studies show a correlation between hot days and an increase in hospital visits for mood and anxiety disorders.
On a physical level, heat extremes have an impact on the human body, which has an average temperature of about 36.5 degrees Celsius. Anything beyond that, and we start sweating to help the body stay cool.
If that water loss is not replenished, we get dehydrated and our organs start to struggle with their essential tasks.
The heart is forced to pump harder as it tries to regulate the body’s temperature.
Blood vessels thin as more blood is brought to the skin to aid in the sweating process, but this lowers blood pressure, leading to the risk of a heart attack.
Dehydration also decreases oxygen supply to the kidney, responsible for removing extra waste and extra fluid from the body. This can lead to chronic kidney disease.
Prolonged exposure to intense heat can also escalate to heat stroke, which is marked by an elevated body temperature, a rapid strong pulse and the loss of consciousness.
This can be fatal if the victim is not taken to a medical facility quickly.
118 turtle eggs found on Phangnga beach
PUBLISHED : 9 Dec 2023 at 05:18
PHANGNGA: A total of 118 leatherback turtle eggs were found on a beach in Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Muang National Park in Thai Muang district yesterday, the first of the current nesting season, according to park officials.
Prarop Plaengngan, the national park chief, said officials were patrolling the beach for signs of a leatherback turtle, or Tao Mafueng, breeding site when they spotted turtle tracks on Hat Pang Friday morning.
They followed the tracks of the mother turtle, which was 160-170 centimetres in length, to the nesting site where they found 118 eggs. Of them, 34 were infertile.
Mr Prarop said the eggs were moved to a safe place where they would not be disturbed by other animals or human activity so they can be hatched safely, adding the nest is expected to hatch in early February.
Thamanat warns local rice farmers
Alarm sounded on smuggled strains
PUBLISHED : 9 Dec 2023 at 05:15
The government has warned farmers not to smuggle or grow rice sourced from Vietnam that Thai authorities have not yet certified.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow on Friday issued the warning to Thai farmers saying they could be in trouble if Vietnam files complaints against them.
Capt Thamanat said this could also affect the country’s reputation and bilateral ties.
The minister admitted that rice strains from Vietnam produce more yield per rai than Thai rice strains, which can generate more income for farmers.
But he said it is impossible for the Department of Rice to certify rice strains smuggled in from neighbouring countries.
Capt Thamanat said he instructed the Department of Rice to research and develop new domestic rice strains that will yield more crops per rai with better quality so farmers can use them for growing in the next planting season.
On Tuesday, The Rice Trader (TRT) announced that Vietnam’s Ong Cua ST25 rice won the first prize in the World’s Best Rice 2023 contest at the World Rice Conference in Cebu, Philippines, held on Nov 28-30, beating about 30 other rice varieties submitted from various countries.
The second and third prizes were won by rice from Cambodia and India, respectively.
The president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, Chookiat Ophaswongse, said that Thailand did not join this year’s contest even though Thai rice is widely recognised for its high quality and standards.
Thailand’s Hom Mali 105 rice won the world’s best rice title for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021.
However, Cambodia’s Phka Rumduol rice surpassed Thailand’s Hom Mali rice, winning the title of “Best Rice in the World” in 2022.
The failure of Thai rice to join the competition caused a stir among the Thai public, given that Thai rice has long been a world champion and has always been among the top three best rice types worldwide.
Capt Thamanat offered assurances about local rice despite its lower yield per rai.
“When it comes to quality, Thai rice is not inferior to any other rice variety,” Capt Thamanat said.
Are BPA-free plastic bottles really safe? Hereâs what you need to know
Tritan shares similar characteristics with polycarbonate, such as clarity, durability and resistance to impact, said Liew. But it is BPA-free; and it costs more.
While some Tritan bottles are labelled as such, Nalgene bottles carry only the “BPA-free” label, Liew added. “Consumers should be aware of what they’re buying and also do their own due diligence.”
In a consumer advisory shared with Talking Point, the SFA said consumers should use reusable bottles or food containers according to instructions. For example, only containers labelled microwave-safe should be used for reheating food in the microwave.
A product should be replaced when its integrity has been compromised, such as when it is cloudy, discoloured or cracked.
When choosing reusable products, consumers can also opt for other materials, such as glass, porcelain or stainless steel, especially for hot foods and liquids.
Watch this episode of Talking Point here. The programme airs on Channel 5 every Thursday at 9.30pm.
Commentary: Amid ever-rising premiums, letâs make it easier for no-claim individuals to switch private health insurers
PORTABILITY FOR NO-CLAIM INDIVIDUALS
What can be done?
Part of the answer, as always, is government supervision and action.
In fact, the insurance business is regulated and there are rules governing what they can do and to make sure they are financially sustainable.
Recently, the authorities named the four largest insurers here – AIA Singapore, Income Insurance, Prudential Assurance and Great Eastern Life – as companies that are too big to fail and would hence be subjected to more rigorous standards of supervision.
Like large banks, these insurers present a systemic risk to the economy if any of them were to collapse.
This is a good move that should help ensure these companies are sound and financially secure, now that big brother is watching them more closely.
The safeguards are mainly to protect the health of these companies, but who is there to look after the interests of customers?
Caveat emptor or let the buyer beware?
This cannot be applied to health insurance for one important reason: MediSave funds are allowed to be used to pay for premiums of MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans.
As these are Government-mandated funds, the authorities have a responsibility to make sure they are used in a way that protects the public interest.
It means closer oversight of the premiums charged and what they cover.
The inability of customers to switch their plans to another company is a major issue. It penalises those stuck in companies that are not efficient or competitive leaving them with no recourse even if they are fit and healthy and have never made any claims.
What would happen if switching is allowed without losing coverage of pre-existing conditions?
This would be a godsend for customers but might be too much of a bitter pill for companies to swallow if they are suddenly deluged with high-risk cases.
It would be unfair to expect these companies to accept them without raising their premiums.
A better solution would be to allow portability for those who have not made any claims for a certain number of years.
This will lessen the risk for companies and encourage more people to stay healthy.
It is a more realistic and workable approach than the suggestion that has often been made to charge lower premiums for people who have not made any claims, as in the case of motor vehicle insurance.
The problem with this idea is that it will result in much higher premiums for those with medical problems.
Someone has to pay for the shortfall if premiums are lowered for the healthy and the burden will fall increasingly on the sick.
It is not right to inflict this penalty on people requiring medical treatment and those who suggest this should be careful what they wish for – you never know when you might require costly treatment.
BPA-free, food-grade or Tritan: How safe are your plastic bottles?
Tritan shares similar characteristics with polycarbonate, such as clarity, durability and resistance to impact, said Liew. But it is BPA-free; and it costs more.
While some Tritan bottles are labelled as such, Nalgene bottles carry only the “BPA-free” label, Liew added. “Consumers should be aware of what they’re buying and also do their own due diligence.”
In a consumer advisory shared with Talking Point, the SFA said consumers should use reusable bottles or food containers according to instructions. For example, only containers labelled microwave-safe should be used for reheating food in the microwave.
A product should be replaced when its integrity has been compromised, such as when it is cloudy, discoloured or cracked.
When choosing reusable products, consumers can also opt for other materials, such as glass, porcelain or stainless steel, especially for hot foods and liquids.
Watch this episode of Talking Point here. The programme airs on Channel 5 every Thursday at 9.30pm.
Daily minimum wage to rise by 2.4%
Figure falls short of Pheu Thai’s promises
The daily minimum wage for Thai workers nationwide is set to rise from Jan 1, 2024 — and the new rates will vary from province to province, ranging from 330 to 370 baht, according to the labour ministry.
The tripartite committee on minimum daily wages, comprised of representatives from the business sector, labour and the government, approved the new rates on Friday.
The current rates are between 328 to 354 baht. The increases in the daily minimum wage will range from 2 to 16 baht, or an average of 2.4%.
Workers in Phuket will obtain the highest daily wage of 370 baht, up from 354 baht now, while workers in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala will receive the lowest wage of 330 baht, up from 328 baht.
Workers in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon will receive the new daily wage rate of 363 baht, up by 10 baht from the current 353 baht per day.
Speaking after chairing the committee’s meeting, which lasted five hours on Friday, Pairoj Chotikasathien, permanent secretary for the Labour Ministry, said that the wage hikes will be presented to the cabinet for acknowledgement before it is announced in the Royal Gazette.
The new wage rates will then take effect on Jan 1.
“This adjustment will allow workers to achieve a standard of living that is based on economic conditions and is suitable for businesses,” Mr Pairoj said.
He also explained that 370 baht has been approved for workers in Phuket because the island province is unique in that there is little farming in the province and most labourers work in the tourism sector there. Furthermore, the cost of living in Phuket is higher than that of other provinces.
“Therefore, the new daily wage of 370 baht for Phuket is appropriate,” Mr Pairoj said.
However, the new daily wage falls short of the level promised by the Pheu Thai Party during its election campaign earlier this year.
This wage adjustment has attracted more public attention than usual after the ruling Pheu Thai Party had previously announced a policy to raise the minimum wage to 400 baht per day, a promise the party made during the last general election.
However, Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn last month poured cold water on that idea, saying wages would probably rise by only 2% — in line with the current low inflation.
The last wage increase approved by the tripartite committee was 5%, in October last year.
Pheu Thai’s plan for a big wage hike had rattled businesses that feared it would push up operating costs and make the country less competitive for investors at a time when the economy is underperforming.
Mr Pairoj said there would be another wage increase in 2024, when the committee would seek to raise the level to 400 baht.
Mr Phiphat said after the meeting on Nov 27, a sub-committee under this main wage committee submitted wage hike figures proposed for each province before a screening panel. He said that five provinces, including Phuket, did not request wage hikes.
“This was unacceptable and unfair to workers. The daily wage should be raised in every province and vary from province to province depending on their respective economic conditions.
“Provinces where the government is trying to stimulate the economy should receive high wage hikes. I believe the daily wage of 400 baht is expected to be approved for provinces which enjoy healthy economies in line with the government’s policy,” he said.
“If things get off to a good start next year, the daily wage is expected to rise further to 600 baht in 2027,” the minister said.
Atthayuth Leeyawanich, president and chairman of the Employers Confederation of Consumer Goods and Services, said that the new wage rates are appropriate and acceptable to employers as they were screened by a panel of academics before being submitted to the tripartite committee.
He also noted that the increase of 2 baht is only for three provinces while most provinces will still receive an increase of 8-10 baht.
Veerasu Kaewboonpun, an employee’s representative on the committee, said he was satisfied with the new rates.
The new rates are high in some provinces and low in other provinces, depending on local economic conditions, he said, adding that the new rates are intended to maintain employment given that some employers may replace workers with machinery which will lead to lay-offs.