I REFER to last Tuesday's letter, 'Make it fairer, more transparent' by Mr Wong Weng Fai, and the editorial, 'Power shock: Bring retail competition sooner', on the increase in the electricity tariff.

THE Singapore Seminar is organised by the Public Service Commission for Singapore scholarship holders studying overseas. On Oct 4, it was held in Boston, Massachusetts, for scholarship holders studying in the United States. One discussion touched on Singapore's obsession with all things new - new infrastructure, new buildings, new layout, new packaging. Unlike other countries which have a culture of stretching the value of their assets to the maximum, Singapore prefers to depreciate the value of its assets quickly, so they can be replaced with some other new thing. Aircraft were cited as an example: The planes in the Singapore Airlines fleet are normally replaced after six years of use, way before the end of their expected lifespan.

ONE North, an area of 200ha in Buona Vista, is designed to create a vibrant mix of commercial, residential and recreational environments, built on a grand vision for the future of the biomedical science, infocomm technology and digital media industries in Singapore. An environment where one can work, live and be inspired by leading scientists, researchers and technopreneurs from around the world. A small piece of Singapore with a big part to play in shaping our country's future.