Monday, August 18, 2008
Singapore PM urges youth to marry, have babies
SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called Sunday on the youth of Singapore to marry at an early age and have more babies to boost the city-state's population.Singapore's fertility rate is currently 1.29 children per woman, well below the 2.1 needed to maintain the country's 4.6 million population, Lee said in a televised speech.
He voiced particular concern about the Chinese community, whose fertility rate is the lowest of all Singapore's ethnic groups at 1.14. "They fail," Lee said.
Lee, 56, said men and women need to adjust their attitudes toward marriage to achieve his goals. Many of Singapore's men are too traditional while their wives care too much about their careers, he said.
"There must be a balance between career and marriage," Lee said, urging women to "consider getting married and having children while you're still young."
"If you wait for a career to be successful, you may miss the best ideal age for child bearing," he warned.
On the other hand, Singapore's husbands need to "change their mind-set," said Lee, who has been married to his wife, Ho Ching, for 23 years. They have four children.
"In the old days, the man was the master of the household. That era has gone." Lee said, suggesting men should assist their wives with child-rearing duties and household chores. "The modern-day woman expects equality."
Parents of young people in Singapore also have a role to play, Lee said, urging them to match their children with possible spouses.
"Not everyone knows how to woo the opposite sex," Lee said. "They may have smaller social circles, and a busy work schedule."
Article taken from: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080817/tap-as-singapore-babies-832f4ab.html
Labels: FYI
Posted by Kenneth at
Monday, August 11, 2008
BRAIN TEASERS! (:
After attending 5months of bible school, it's almost time to graduate already. It's sad to say that time flies by very quickly, but it has been a great experience and you really do learn alot of things in bible school. To some it may seem that everything the teachers taught has been taught before already, but it's really much more than the reminder of the stuff itself. This was an opportunity to catch the spirit and a time to refine one's character(loud amen to that!) as it goes through the whole fire-ing process.
And if you're wondering what was taught, it's more than juz bible studies. The pastors do share revelations with you as well. Come to bible school yourself! (:
Cut the crap,
Some brain teasers to ponder upon...
Will God be able to create a stone too big for Him to carry?
If Jesus was not crucified and was able to live like all of us, would he eventually die?
Free-will and predestination, how do they work?
Haha tickle your brain!
*ponder!*
I'll try to think of more of such question to share! (:
Posted by -nat- at
Saturday, August 9, 2008
With such hot weather...
Hi guys, I was reflecting on a verse during my quiet time and decided to post this. Hope it encourages you.
Lately, the weather has become rather hot and unbearable. As part of my vocation as a RP, it is inevitable that I come under the mercy of the weather. When it is very sunny, I get heat strain. When it pours heavily, I get drenched. Nevertheless, I am always reminded of Isaiah 25:4.
Isa 25:4A
You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
In a spiritual sense, when the “weather” gets very hot, the following things happen:
- We sweat so much that our backs become very sticky with heavy burdens. To make things worse, sometimes sweat gets into our eyes and our vision/dream becomes blurred
- Our hair [prayer life] becomes very coarse and dry
- We become dehydrated and our mouths dry up with our tongues sticking to the roof of our mouths. When this happens, we find it much easier to give a one-syllable sigh than a four-syllable hallelujah.
- We get sun-burnt-we become so sensitive, easily offended and don’t really want to come into contact with other people
But, in our dry and low experiences, we can always look to the times of refreshing from God [Acts 3:19]. Even when our spiritual walk seems very dry, we need to persevere on, knowing that like what Jesus said in John 10:38, streams of living water will flow from within us :)
Posted by Beloved Child at