Japanese women's lifespan remains world No. 1

Statistics released by the Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on Thursday showed that the average life expectancy of Japanese women stood at 85.81 years in 2006, remaining the longest in the world for the 22nd year in a row.

Japanese men's average lifespan was 79.00 years in the year, returning to the second spot in the world. It dropped to the fourth in 2005.

As a whole, Japanese people's lifespans improved in 2006 following a dip in 2005, with that of women's and men's rising 0.29 and 0.44 year respectively.

According to the health ministry, cancer, heart disease and stroke are the top three killers in Japan. If the three diseases were overcome, the lifespan of male Japanese would increase by 8.31 to 87.31 years, while that of female would rise by 7.20 to 93.01 years, the ministry said.

Japanese people's average life expectancy is expected to further rise for years to come, Kyodo News quoted ministry official as telling.
Source: Xinhua

Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life, 8-CD set: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

Japanese women longest-lived

Japanese girls born last year can expect to live to an average age of 85.8 years, making them the longest-lived in the world, according to figures released by the Japanese government yesterday.

Their male compatriots fare less well, with a life expectancy of 79 years, second to Icelandic men at 79.4 years, the Health Ministry said.

Japan's women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 22 years, something researchers have attributed to their healthy diet and tight social ties, among other factors.

After the Japanese, women in Taiwan region are the world's second longest-lived at 84.6 years, then Spanish and Swiss women at 83.9 years, the report said.
Source: China Daily

Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life, 8-CD set: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

Like Father, Like Son ?

For parent whose children have caused them great pain through rebellion and misbehaviour, recent years would have been a nightmare of conflict and disappointment for them.

Parents in that situation today have been much too quick to blame themselves for everything their sons and daughters have done wrong and that's only been true in this century.

A hundred years ago, if a child went bad, he was a bad child. Now, it's the fault of his parents. Admittedly, some mothers and fathers do warp and twist their offsping, and I'm not pleading their cases.

But there are others who did the best job they could, to raise their sons and daughters properly. Neverhteless, you know who will get the blame for the stupid blunders and bad choices in the next generation.

Genetic studies have been conducted at the University of Minnesota and the bottom line from decades of work with identical twins is that the basic temperament of a child is largely inherited.

This includes a tendency to test and challenge convention and authority. Some kids come into the world just looking for a fight and they usually find it.

For those paremts out there with rebellious teenagers. I suggest you take aother look at the guilt you've been carrying.

By Dr James Dobson

Bring your own BAG !

About the Campaign

Why waste plastic bags? Choose reusable bags!

This is the message that National Environment Agency (NEA), together with its Working Group partners, i.e. major supermarkets and chain retailers, the Singapore Environment Council and the Singapore Retailers Association would like to bring across when we embark on the campaign.

The objective of the campaign is to educate shoppers to use reusable bags instead of single-use plastic carrier bags whenever possible.

The campaign aims to reach out to two main groups of people – the shoppers and the cashiers at retail outlets. Educational materials such as standees, wobblers, posters and pamphlets are displayed at 686 participating retail outlets to raise awareness among shoppers. Cashiers are trained to ask shoppers in a polite manner if they need a plastic bag for small purchases.

Facts about Plastic Bags
* About 2.5 billion plastic shopping bags are used every year. That’s about 2,500 bags used per family per year.
* Plastic bags thrown away as litter, dirty our public places, rivers and canals, and may even clog up drains, and this would lead to stagnant water and mosquito breeding.
* Plastic bags litter despoils nature trails, beaches and even chokes up mangroves and poses a threat to marine lives.
* If each family uses one less plastic bag a week, Singapore could save more than 50 million bags each year.
* Plastic bags are made from oil, a finite resource. By using reusable bags during our shopping trips, we will use fewer plastic bags and help to conserve earth’s resources.
* Plastic bags are not disposed of at Semakau Landfill. They are incinerated, along with other domestic wastes, at our four incineration plants.
* Hence, unlike countries that landfill their waste, the non-biodegradability of plastic bags is not a problem in Singapore.
* That does not mean that we should use plastic bag excessively! It is a waste of resources.

What we can do
Here are some of the things we can do to help reduce wastage of plastic bags and conserve resources:
* Always take or ask for just enough plastic bags to carry purchases and no more.
* Better still, buy reusable (available at major supermarkets at low prices) and use them during shopping trips.
* Remember to bring your reusable bags when you go shopping.
* Say ‘No’ to plastic bags when buying only a few small items.
* Say ‘No’ to plastic bags when the items are packaged with handles (e.g. toilet rolls, rice packet, etc).
* When you need to have the plastic bag, save it for the next trip or use them as waste bin liners.
* When using a plastic bag as waste liner, fully fill the bag before throwing it away wherever possible.
* Do not throw away excess plastic bags as a trash/waste item. Reuse or recycle them.
* Encourage your family members, relatives, friends and colleagues to do the same.


Benefits of using reusable bags
In addition to helping the environment, reusable bags are also:
* kinder to hands and fingers than plastic carrier bags when filled up and carried as they are better designed for the purpose,
* can hold twice as many items as conventional plastic carrier bags,
* have handle straps that can go over the shoulder, leaving both our hands free for other purposes and making it easier for us to carry more,
* will not burst under the weight of heavy items, and
* are inexpensive, can be washed and last for years.

Let’s do our part!
* As consumers, we have the power to change things by consciously making the switch to reusable bags.
* Let’s do our part to support a worthy cause and help the environment!

History of relics

'
THE oldest Buddhist text, the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, gave an account of Buddha's cremation some 2,500 years ago. His ashes were distributed equally among eight kings to avoid conflict. The kings took the holy ashes back to be enshrined in eight stupas in northern India. Since then, varying accounts of Buddha's tooth relics have surfaced. The most widely accepted legend is that there were four, of which only two are in the human world. Historical texts have documented how these two teeth have survived countless epic wars, journeys and sagas before finding their way to present-day Sri Lanka and China.

Official denies astronaut was drunk

Russia's space agency denied on Saturday that an astronaut could have flown drunk aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from its Baikonur cosmodrome, reacting to allegations reported by the chairman of an independent US panel on astronaut health.

The panel chairman, Air Force Colonel Richard Bachmann Jr, said Friday it was told about multiple instances involving alcohol. One of the two most detailed cases involved an astronaut drinking heavily before flying on a Soyuz spacecraft headed to the International Space Station, he said. He cited unverified interviews, saying it was not the panel's mission to investigate the allegations.

"We categorically deny the possibility that this could have happened at Baikonur," said Igor Panarin, spokesman for the Russian Space Agency, Roskosmos. "In the days at Baikonur before the launch, this is absolutely impossible. They are constantly watched by medics and psychiatrists."

The US panel was created to assess NASA's health screening in response to the high-profile arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak in February after she drove across the country to confront a romantic rival.

Despite official denials of drinking before Russian flights to the space station, cosmonauts aboard the Mir space station, which has since been abandoned, were permitted to imbibe moderately. Cosmonaut Alexander Poleshchuk, who flew aboard the Mir space station in 1993, told newspapers of removing panels to hunt for bottles of cognac squirreled away by previous tenants.

Alcohol consumption is forbidden aboard the International Space Station, which has caused some mild grumbling. Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov returned from an ISS mission in April 2005, and caused a stir when he said the crew should be allowed a shot of wine or brandy daily.
Source: Chjina Daily/agencies

Suntec City - Fountain of Wealth

Fountain Of Wealth

Supported by four 13.8 metres high bronze legs and spreading over an area of 1683.07 metres, the Fountain of Wealth has been accorded the status of "World's Largest Fountain" in the 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of Records. It is symbolically the ring in the palm of the hand, guaranteeing the retention of wealth. It is destined to be Singapore's most visited tourist destination.

The plaza would provide a large outdoor space for people to gather. But on its own, it would not achieve sufficient visual impact. A dramatic fountain was proposed as a visual focus.

The Fountain Plaza, now the focal point of Suntec City, is also at the heart of the Marina Centre area. Not only is it the hub of circulation within the development, it also draws life from the surrounding buildings. This is why it sits off centre within Suntec City -so that it can be directly connected to its neighbours.

The flowing water from the Fountain is also a potent symbol as water is the essence of life in almost every culture. Located round this symbolic centre of life are the buildings which make up Suntec City. These buildings attract human activity - life - to the area. At ground level, vehicles flow around the fountain plaza while pedestrians flow into the buildings around it. Below ground, at the Fountain Terrace, all the buildings are interconnected by shops and restaurants. The complex is also connected to its neighbours by both underground and street-level pedestrian linkways.