Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2023

The celebration, also known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, is a time for eating, exchanging gifts, visiting mosques to pray, and giving thanks to loved ones for their forgiveness during the previous month.

Muslims around the world are gearing up to celebrate Eid ulFitr, marking the conclusion of Ramadan. In nations like Singapore and Malaysia, the Eid holiday is known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

The celebration, also known as Hari Raya Puasa, is a time to thank loved ones for their forgiveness during the previous month, enjoy food, exchange gifts, and go to mosques to pray.

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Earth Day 2023

On Earth Day, a look at how temperatures have changed since 1970

Happy Earth Day! April 22 is the day we stop and celebrate the Earth and all the progress that we have made over the past 52 years to raise awareness of issues surrounding our planet's health and wellbeing.

We have come a long way, but there is still so much more we can and need to do to protect our home, species and us!

We need to further realize that we have a huge impact on our home and we have the power to change it if we continue to change policy and awareness.

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A Journey Through Mongolia

Adventure Calls

Poverty in the USA

Homeless and addicted in America

Being Poor in the World's Richest Country

In 2019, 43 million people in the United States lived below the poverty line, twice as many as it was fifty years before. 1.5 million children were homeless, three times more than during the Great Depression the 1930s.

Entire families are tossed from one place to another to work unstable jobs that barely allow them to survive. In the historically poor Appalachian mining region, people rely on food stamps for food.

In Los Angeles, the number of homeless people has increased dramatically. In the poorest neighbourhoods, associations offer small wooden huts to those who no longer have a roof.

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Poor people in the USA

How poor people survive in the USA

Homelessness, hunger and shame: poverty is rampant in the richest country in the world. Over 40 million people in the United States live below the poverty line, twice as many as it was fifty years ago. It can happen very quickly.

Many people in the United States fall through the social safety net. In the structurally weak mining region of the Appalachians, it has become almost normal for people to go shopping with food stamps. And those who lose their home often have no choice but to live in a car.

There are so many homeless people in Los Angeles that relief organizations have started to build small wooden huts to provide them with a roof over their heads. The number of homeless children has also risen dramatically, reaching 1.5 million, three times more than during the Great Depression the 1930s. A documentary about the fate of the poor in the United States today.

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Homeless in the City

Sunday Spotlight: 'Homeless' in Singapore

According to a study from last year, there are around 1,000 people living in the streets of Singapore. Homeless people have always been vulnerable, and during the time of a pandemic, when each person is expected to shelter-at-home, there are individuals who still prefer to sleep rough, despite available spaces from the government and volunteer groups.

A recent story from TODAY Online featured several such individuals who are sleeping in the streets during this circuit breaker period. The article quotes Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee as saying recently that there are still 400 available beds in various shelters that answered the call to help house the homeless at this time. One of the people TODAY talked to had difficulty in finding shelter due to his dependency on alcohol, another was an 80-year-old who actually has employment as a dishwasher but who has gotten used to sleeping rough as he has done this for more than two decades. Yet another homeless man, a cleaner who had been estranged from his wife for over a year, had actually been offered shelter at a church. He turned down the offer out of fear he would be brainwashed.

But perhaps the situation of homeless people in Singapore is still relatively better than in other parts of the world. As community transmissions of the coronavirus have been going down steadily—with the Ministry of Health saying this week it’s down to two per day—the homeless in Singapore have a smaller chance of getting infected.

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How to Spot Tired Tires in Need of Replacement

Not all cars were made the same. Some have cupholders, some don’t, some have seat warmers, some don’t, some run on gas, and some run on ultra-futuristic, ethically sourced, gluten-free biofuel.

But you know what they all have in common? Wheels. 

So anyone with a car, no matter how fancy or beat up, should know their tires and when it is time to replace them:

• How do they look? - Are your tires cracked or lumpy? Do they still look like that after filling them with air? They might have to go. Sidewall cracks may indicate an air leak in your tires. Any tire blisters or bulgers could be weak spots, which can ultimately blow the tire up.
• How is the tread? - Tire tread depth is very important. It affects a vehicle’s ability to break and stop on a wet surface. If the weather is wet and your ties have a shallow tread, you’re risking hydroplaning. Tires that are 4/32″ or less, are to be replaced.
• Is the wear pattern even? - Look at your tires. Do they have an even wear pattern? If one side or one area seems to be more worn out than the others, it might need replacement. To avoid such problems in the future, rotate your tires once every 6,000 miles so they wear unevenly.
• How old are they? - A tire’s lifespan is about  6 years, but they usually wear out sooner than that, depending on how often and how far you drive. Factor your tires’ actual age with any signs of your visible aging to determine if they should be replaced.
• Do they vibrate - Do your tires vibrate for a reason that isn’t a bumpy road? Does the vibration become more violent when you speed up? This might indicate that your tire is unbalanced or misaligned. Either that or you need to replace your shock absorbers.

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