COEs up in car categories
By Hetty Musfirah | Posted: 20 July 2011 1632 hrs
SINGAPORE: COE premiums continued its general uptrend for cars in the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday.
For small cars, although the increase was a marginal $13 this time round, it also breeched the $56,000-mark to hit a 10-year high of $56,002. In 1997, it was around $62,000.
COE price for big cars (above 1600cc) rose S$4,000 to S$72,501. The highest price hit for this category was in 1994, when it was in the $100,000 range.
The biggest jump came from the Open Category, where the certificates are usually used to buy cars. Premiums were up S$5,679 to S$74,490.
In the Goods Vehicles and Bus Category, the COE price jumped S$1,912 to S$34,502.
The only category to see a dip is the COEs for motorcycles - down $348 to $2,012.
Industry players said COE premiums particularly for cars, will continue to see pressure when the new quota kicks in next month.
Dealers said the rise in COE premiums this time was due to aggressive bidding, before the new quota kicks in next month.
The new quota will see fewer COEs allocated for big cars. And dealers said that would translate to higher premiums.
The last time COE prices reached the $72,000-mark was in December last year, while rates hit the $100,000 range back in 1994.
"The last time it hit $72,000, the average COE per tender is about 500 pieces. Come August, this number will be reduced to 350 pieces, which is almost a 30 per cent cut. So hypothetically, there's a lot of reason for COE to break the last high," said Ron Lim, GM of Tan Chong Motor Sales.
More COEs though, will be allocated for small cars, from next month.
But dealers said the higher quota will make little difference to market sentiments, due to tougher competition among industry players.
Dealers that Channel NewsAsia spoke to said that Japanese cars used to dominate the small cars market, but because of the higher COE prices, the prices of small Japanese cars have crossed the $100,000-mark.
Due to this, they said such cars no longer appeal to the average Singaporean. And with more continental brands also joining the market, the COE prices for small cars are likely to go up even higher in the next few months.
Luxury car brands are not as badly affected by the higher COEs.
"As the prices of COE go up, people start to move more to premium brands, where the COE component is a smaller component to the overall price of the car," said Marc Singleton, CEO of Premium Automobiles.
As competition heats up along with high COE prices, some dealers said they are offering better after sales and servicing packages to woo buyers.
- CNA /ls
- wong chee tat :)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Three applicants for every BTO flat on offer for July launch
Three applicants for every BTO flat on offer for July launch
By Ng Puay Leng | Posted: 20 July 2011 2117 hrs
SINGAPORE : The latest Build-to-Order (BTO) project saw three applicants for every new flat on offer.
There were 3,556 flats for the picking in the combined BTO exercise.
All in, there were 11,548 bids for seven projects across the island. This includes areas like Sengkang, Tampines, Jurong West and Yishun.
The combined launch is a new initiative aimed at providing home buyers more choice and greater chances of getting a flat.
Analysts that Channel NewsAsia spoke to said despite the increased supply, the high subscription rates remain unchanged from previous months.
They attribute this to lower BTO prices, combined with high prices of resale flats.
Buyers echoed the sentiments.
"Resale flats are just too expensive, I can't afford it. A BTO flat is my only hope," said one Singapore resident.
"BTO prices are very attractive this time round. If I sold my old flat and bought a new one, I could even make a profit of S$20,000 to S$30,000, or even S$50,000 to S$60,000 and more," said another.
- CNA /ls
- wong chee tat :)
By Ng Puay Leng | Posted: 20 July 2011 2117 hrs
SINGAPORE : The latest Build-to-Order (BTO) project saw three applicants for every new flat on offer.
There were 3,556 flats for the picking in the combined BTO exercise.
All in, there were 11,548 bids for seven projects across the island. This includes areas like Sengkang, Tampines, Jurong West and Yishun.
The combined launch is a new initiative aimed at providing home buyers more choice and greater chances of getting a flat.
Analysts that Channel NewsAsia spoke to said despite the increased supply, the high subscription rates remain unchanged from previous months.
They attribute this to lower BTO prices, combined with high prices of resale flats.
Buyers echoed the sentiments.
"Resale flats are just too expensive, I can't afford it. A BTO flat is my only hope," said one Singapore resident.
"BTO prices are very attractive this time round. If I sold my old flat and bought a new one, I could even make a profit of S$20,000 to S$30,000, or even S$50,000 to S$60,000 and more," said another.
- CNA /ls
- wong chee tat :)
New Thai inflation-linked bonds could spark copycats
New Thai inflation-linked bonds could spark copycats
By Ryan Huang | Posted: 15 July 2011 2225 hrs
SINGAPORE: The successful sale of Thailand's and Southeast Asia's first inflation-linked bonds could prompt more Asian countries to launch similar deals.
That's according to market watchers who believe investor appetite for such investments will start to grow, amid inflation concerns.
Inflation-linked bonds are investments where the principal sum is protected against inflation.
Rahul Bajoria, analyst at Barclays Capital, said: "Given the fact that it's a new instrument and there are not a lot of other countries in the emerging Asian region who have this product, so for portfolio managers and for investors who do have investment-linked bonds in their portfolio, Thailand would be an attractive pick for them."
The issue size of the bonds was about US$1.3 billion.
The 10-year bonds, with a coupon rate of 1.2 per cent, were launched in the first week of July and closed on July 13.
Thailand's inflation rate in May was around 4 per cent. This means bond investors get a return of 1.2 per cent, on top of their principal sum, subject to the standing rate of inflation at maturity.
According to HSBC, Thai conventional bonds gained only 0.7 per cent this year.
The inflation-linked bonds were especially popular among institutional investors, who oversubscribed by more than one and a half times.
The bonds were open to both retail and institutional investors in Thailand, and only institutional ones overseas. HSBC was the sole bookrunner and global coordinator for the transaction.
With the successful sale, more copycat deals could soon emerge.
James Fielder, HSBC's director and head of local currency syndicate in Asia, said: "Singapore obviously is well funded but we do hope to see keen interest from other key issuers across Asia, particularly Southeast Asia where inflation has been ticking up and where investors will no doubt look for this type of product."
The inflation-linked bonds are mostly for long-term investors. So for those looking to trade them, it might not be so easy at first as the products are new.
But the liquidity will improve because Thailand is expected to re-issue similar bonds for the next few years.
Secondary markets for the bonds are set to open next week.
-CNA/ck
- wong chee tat :)
By Ryan Huang | Posted: 15 July 2011 2225 hrs
SINGAPORE: The successful sale of Thailand's and Southeast Asia's first inflation-linked bonds could prompt more Asian countries to launch similar deals.
That's according to market watchers who believe investor appetite for such investments will start to grow, amid inflation concerns.
Inflation-linked bonds are investments where the principal sum is protected against inflation.
Rahul Bajoria, analyst at Barclays Capital, said: "Given the fact that it's a new instrument and there are not a lot of other countries in the emerging Asian region who have this product, so for portfolio managers and for investors who do have investment-linked bonds in their portfolio, Thailand would be an attractive pick for them."
The issue size of the bonds was about US$1.3 billion.
The 10-year bonds, with a coupon rate of 1.2 per cent, were launched in the first week of July and closed on July 13.
Thailand's inflation rate in May was around 4 per cent. This means bond investors get a return of 1.2 per cent, on top of their principal sum, subject to the standing rate of inflation at maturity.
According to HSBC, Thai conventional bonds gained only 0.7 per cent this year.
The inflation-linked bonds were especially popular among institutional investors, who oversubscribed by more than one and a half times.
The bonds were open to both retail and institutional investors in Thailand, and only institutional ones overseas. HSBC was the sole bookrunner and global coordinator for the transaction.
With the successful sale, more copycat deals could soon emerge.
James Fielder, HSBC's director and head of local currency syndicate in Asia, said: "Singapore obviously is well funded but we do hope to see keen interest from other key issuers across Asia, particularly Southeast Asia where inflation has been ticking up and where investors will no doubt look for this type of product."
The inflation-linked bonds are mostly for long-term investors. So for those looking to trade them, it might not be so easy at first as the products are new.
But the liquidity will improve because Thailand is expected to re-issue similar bonds for the next few years.
Secondary markets for the bonds are set to open next week.
-CNA/ck
- wong chee tat :)
Over 700 job vacancies at Resorts World Sentosa
Over 700 job vacancies at Resorts World Sentosa
Posted: 14 July 2011 1150 hrs
SINGAPORE: The National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) are going into the heartlands to fill more than 700 vacancies at the integrated resort.
This will be done through three job fairs in Bukit Batok, Bedok and Kallang over the next two months.
The jobs are required for the resort's Phase Two attractions and hotels, which have been scheduled to open progressively from the second half of this year.
Job seekers who are interested to find out more about the positions can call the e2i hotline at 6474-3777 from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays.
They can also register online via the e2i website at www.e2i.com.sg/RWS.
The first job fair will be held at HomeTeamNS@Bukit Batok this Friday and Saturday.
- CNA/al
- wong chee tat :)
Posted: 14 July 2011 1150 hrs
SINGAPORE: The National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) are going into the heartlands to fill more than 700 vacancies at the integrated resort.
This will be done through three job fairs in Bukit Batok, Bedok and Kallang over the next two months.
The jobs are required for the resort's Phase Two attractions and hotels, which have been scheduled to open progressively from the second half of this year.
Job seekers who are interested to find out more about the positions can call the e2i hotline at 6474-3777 from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays.
They can also register online via the e2i website at www.e2i.com.sg/RWS.
The first job fair will be held at HomeTeamNS@Bukit Batok this Friday and Saturday.
- CNA/al
- wong chee tat :)
S'poreans want more and better sex: survey
S'poreans want more and better sex: survey
By Mustafa Shafawi | Posted: 13 July 2011 1229 hrs
SINGAPORE: Men and women in Singapore want to have more and better sex, according to a survey by drug company Pfizer.
The Ideal Sex in Asia Survey showed that men want an average of 3.5 times more sex over a four-week period, while women want 1.8 times more sex in the same period.
On average, the men surveyed said that the ideal frequency for sex is 8.7 times per month while responses from the women indicated an average of 7.3 times per month.
This is compared with achieved averages of about 5.2 and 5.5 times each month.
In addition to wanting more sex, the survey also found that people in Singapore have a strong interest in improving their level of sexual satisfaction.
About half of the men and women interviewed were very or extremely interested in having better sex.
Senior urologist at Gleneagles Hospital, Professor Peter Lim, said sex is no longer a taboo topic in Asia; rather it has an impact on the overall health for both men and women.
Professor Lim, who is also president of the Society for Men's Health (Singapore) said the survey showed that the ideal sexual experience is one that has a good level of intimacy.
The survey findings showed that the two most common factors for an ideal sexual experience for men and women are foreplay and emotional connection.
Erection-related factors also have a strong association with ideal sex.
More than eight out of 10 men and women ranked erection hardness, or the ability to maintain an erection, as either the most or second most important element necessary for achieving an ideal sexual experience.
- CNA/cc
- wong chee tat :)
By Mustafa Shafawi | Posted: 13 July 2011 1229 hrs
SINGAPORE: Men and women in Singapore want to have more and better sex, according to a survey by drug company Pfizer.
The Ideal Sex in Asia Survey showed that men want an average of 3.5 times more sex over a four-week period, while women want 1.8 times more sex in the same period.
On average, the men surveyed said that the ideal frequency for sex is 8.7 times per month while responses from the women indicated an average of 7.3 times per month.
This is compared with achieved averages of about 5.2 and 5.5 times each month.
In addition to wanting more sex, the survey also found that people in Singapore have a strong interest in improving their level of sexual satisfaction.
About half of the men and women interviewed were very or extremely interested in having better sex.
Senior urologist at Gleneagles Hospital, Professor Peter Lim, said sex is no longer a taboo topic in Asia; rather it has an impact on the overall health for both men and women.
Professor Lim, who is also president of the Society for Men's Health (Singapore) said the survey showed that the ideal sexual experience is one that has a good level of intimacy.
The survey findings showed that the two most common factors for an ideal sexual experience for men and women are foreplay and emotional connection.
Erection-related factors also have a strong association with ideal sex.
More than eight out of 10 men and women ranked erection hardness, or the ability to maintain an erection, as either the most or second most important element necessary for achieving an ideal sexual experience.
- CNA/cc
- wong chee tat :)
Consumers tweak golden taste
Consumers tweak golden taste
By Joanne Chan, Zhao Quan Yin | Posted: 19 July 2011 2231 hrs
SINGAPORE: With gold prices racing to record highs, consumers are tweaking their jewellery preferences to get the most bang for their buck.
To compensate for higher gold prices, young couples are turning to pieces that are hammered thinner but appear bigger from the front.
Jewellers said most wedding couples have a budget of between S$1,000 and S$2,000, and this hasn't changed much over the years.
With prices on the rise, couples are making do with less - a previous budget for 30 grammes of gold will now only fetch 20 grammes.
However, some buyers still see value in investing in gold.
"Some customers have confidence in gold prices. For them, they will like to keep gold as a kind of security. But some of them may not want to buy gold bars, so they tend to turn to more traditional gold ornaments, like bracelets or necklaces. Some buy up to 200 to 300 grammes (of gold) for keeping," said Mr Yeo Hiang Meng, managing director at Orient Goldsmiths & Jewellers.
Gold prices have been rising steadily for the last 10 days, soaring above US$1,600 per ounce on Monday.
The precious metal is seen by investors as a safe haven during times of global economic turmoil.
- CNA/cc
- wong chee tat :)
By Joanne Chan, Zhao Quan Yin | Posted: 19 July 2011 2231 hrs
SINGAPORE: With gold prices racing to record highs, consumers are tweaking their jewellery preferences to get the most bang for their buck.
To compensate for higher gold prices, young couples are turning to pieces that are hammered thinner but appear bigger from the front.
Jewellers said most wedding couples have a budget of between S$1,000 and S$2,000, and this hasn't changed much over the years.
With prices on the rise, couples are making do with less - a previous budget for 30 grammes of gold will now only fetch 20 grammes.
However, some buyers still see value in investing in gold.
"Some customers have confidence in gold prices. For them, they will like to keep gold as a kind of security. But some of them may not want to buy gold bars, so they tend to turn to more traditional gold ornaments, like bracelets or necklaces. Some buy up to 200 to 300 grammes (of gold) for keeping," said Mr Yeo Hiang Meng, managing director at Orient Goldsmiths & Jewellers.
Gold prices have been rising steadily for the last 10 days, soaring above US$1,600 per ounce on Monday.
The precious metal is seen by investors as a safe haven during times of global economic turmoil.
- CNA/cc
- wong chee tat :)
Better to release more BTO flats per launch: Khaw Boon Wan
Better to release more BTO flats per launch: Khaw Boon Wan
By Joanne Chan | Posted: 18 July 2011 1339 hrs
SINGAPORE : The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is unlikely to release new flats next month - planning instead for a bigger launch in September.
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday said the key is to push out more flats per launch and a wider range of units, so that buyers are less likely to face the disappointment of being unable to select a flat.
Making his first official visit to the HDB Hub in his capacity as National Development Minister, Mr Khaw spoke with flat applicants to understand their concerns.
Affordability and availability of flats were some issues that came up.
One applicant said: "We heard from a lot of friends who said that maybe you would be rejected by HDB a few times."
Writing in his blog on Sunday, Mr Khaw said that based on earlier Build-To-Order (BTO) project launches, almost all applicants get a chance to select a flat, if a project has about two applicants per unit offered. This, as almost one in two successful applicants drops out during the selection process.
However, the chance of selection drops when the subscription rate rises.
The solution is bigger launches.
Mr Khaw said: "Previously, when HDB released a small launch, in fact it is worse. Each time you release a few hundred units, everybody would rush for those few hundred units, and many will get disappointed for sure. That is why I move away from monthly launch, and do a combined launch.
"I do not think we would do any in August. I am trying to combine with September to have a bigger launch, so 4,000 units, or even bigger units...I think that will do a lot to calm the market and reduce disappointment."
Mr Khaw also dismissed talk that BTO flat prices have dropped significantly since he took office.
Prices for units launched this month started from S$137,000 for a three-room flat, S$217,000 for a four-room flat and S$274,000 for a five-room flat.
The starting prices were S$166,000, S$264,000 and S$335,000 for the same flat types in May's launch of 4,000 new flats.
Mr Khaw said many factors are at play, including location.
Mr Khaw said prices for BTO flats have stabilised over the last two launches and expects prices to continue holding. He said the HDB is on track to releasing 25,000 BTO flats this year, and more units will be offered per launch.
His advice to home buyers is: do not panic or rush into buying.
Mr Khaw said: "Prices are not increasing, but (they are) also not dropping sharply because there is no reason (for them) to drop sharply unless our cost actually drops or the market begins to drop. Hopefully, that would be reassuring to Singaporean buyers, young couples."
Mr Khaw expressed confidence that those who have been unsuccessful a few times will soon be able to select a flat. And the situation of undersupply, while not quite solved, has become more manageable.
Also addressing concerns that his online musings blur the line between personal opinion and official policy, Mr Khaw said he relies on a range of channels to communicate his messages.
For example, he said his recent blog post which analyses the profile of successful BTO flat applicants would have been "too dry" for a press conference.
Putting the information online allows readers who are interested to have a deeper look at the figures.
However, he said that when the information is market-sensitive, he would be very mindful of the timing and the channels used to relay the information.
- CNA/cc/ms
- wong chee tat :)
By Joanne Chan | Posted: 18 July 2011 1339 hrs
SINGAPORE : The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is unlikely to release new flats next month - planning instead for a bigger launch in September.
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday said the key is to push out more flats per launch and a wider range of units, so that buyers are less likely to face the disappointment of being unable to select a flat.
Making his first official visit to the HDB Hub in his capacity as National Development Minister, Mr Khaw spoke with flat applicants to understand their concerns.
Affordability and availability of flats were some issues that came up.
One applicant said: "We heard from a lot of friends who said that maybe you would be rejected by HDB a few times."
Writing in his blog on Sunday, Mr Khaw said that based on earlier Build-To-Order (BTO) project launches, almost all applicants get a chance to select a flat, if a project has about two applicants per unit offered. This, as almost one in two successful applicants drops out during the selection process.
However, the chance of selection drops when the subscription rate rises.
The solution is bigger launches.
Mr Khaw said: "Previously, when HDB released a small launch, in fact it is worse. Each time you release a few hundred units, everybody would rush for those few hundred units, and many will get disappointed for sure. That is why I move away from monthly launch, and do a combined launch.
"I do not think we would do any in August. I am trying to combine with September to have a bigger launch, so 4,000 units, or even bigger units...I think that will do a lot to calm the market and reduce disappointment."
Mr Khaw also dismissed talk that BTO flat prices have dropped significantly since he took office.
Prices for units launched this month started from S$137,000 for a three-room flat, S$217,000 for a four-room flat and S$274,000 for a five-room flat.
The starting prices were S$166,000, S$264,000 and S$335,000 for the same flat types in May's launch of 4,000 new flats.
Mr Khaw said many factors are at play, including location.
Mr Khaw said prices for BTO flats have stabilised over the last two launches and expects prices to continue holding. He said the HDB is on track to releasing 25,000 BTO flats this year, and more units will be offered per launch.
His advice to home buyers is: do not panic or rush into buying.
Mr Khaw said: "Prices are not increasing, but (they are) also not dropping sharply because there is no reason (for them) to drop sharply unless our cost actually drops or the market begins to drop. Hopefully, that would be reassuring to Singaporean buyers, young couples."
Mr Khaw expressed confidence that those who have been unsuccessful a few times will soon be able to select a flat. And the situation of undersupply, while not quite solved, has become more manageable.
Also addressing concerns that his online musings blur the line between personal opinion and official policy, Mr Khaw said he relies on a range of channels to communicate his messages.
For example, he said his recent blog post which analyses the profile of successful BTO flat applicants would have been "too dry" for a press conference.
Putting the information online allows readers who are interested to have a deeper look at the figures.
However, he said that when the information is market-sensitive, he would be very mindful of the timing and the channels used to relay the information.
- CNA/cc/ms
- wong chee tat :)
Lotus Notes/Domino 8.5.2 Fix Pack 3 Release Notice
Notes/Domino Fix List |  |
 |  | ||
Lotus Notes/Domino 8.5.2 Fix Pack 3 Release Notice July 18, 2011 Lotus announces the release of Notes/Domino 8.5.2 Fix Pack 3, a scheduled Fix Pack of low-risk, high-impact fixes to help customers safely avoid known issues. IBM strongly recommends that customers running Notes/Domino 8.5.2 upgrade to this latest Fix Pack since it addresses a small percentage of defects that impact the broadest set of customers. Fix Packs are released periodically between Maintenance Releases to provide a greater level of stability for customer environments. They go through the same level of fix, regression and interoperability testing that occurs with Maintenance Releases. Fix Packs are always cumulative and contain all of the fixes from previous ones. Notes/Domino 8.5.2 Fix Pack 3 addresses defects in both the Client and Server. All Fix Packs are language independent and may be applied on any language version of Notes/Domino 8.5.2. (Note: Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packs for Notes 8.5.2 and above no longer need to be installed before fixes. See technote #1404436 for more details.) Firefox 5 & Internet Explorer 9.0 will be supported starting with iNotes versions 8.5.2 Fix Pack 3 (ETA July 2011) and 8.5.3 (ETA Q3 2011). Download options See Technote #4028680 - Download options for Notes/Domino 8.5.2 Fix Packs. Fix Packs will not be distributed on physical media (DVD/CD).
Decision to upgrade Customers unable to upgrade to later Releases should install Fix Packs to benefit from later fixes made to the product. By providing a small number of fixes, customers are able to accept fewer code changes with lower risk, allowing them to "patch" an older Maintenance Release until a more extensive upgrade to the current Release is possible. However, while Fix Packs provide important fixes and IBM strongly recommends applying the latest Fix Pack available for a Maintenance Release, IBM still recommends that customers upgrade to the latest Release + Fix Pack combination to receive the broadest set of fixes available. You will receive more overall fixes with a later Release + Fix Pack than with a set of Fix Packs on top of an earlier Maintenance Release. For more information, see technote #1368141 - "Differences between Notes/Domino Maintenance Releases, Fix Packs and Cumulative Client Hotfixes." Fixes contained in this Fix Pack Note: A plus symbol (+) before the SPR number indicates a fix for a regression bug. A regression bug is an issue that was introduced in a Maintenance Release but did not exist in previous releases of that code stream. For example, a bug that appears in 8.5.2 but did not exist in 8.5.1 is a regression. Notes: If an APAR # exists for the corresponding SPR #, it will appear in parentheses next to the SPR # (LO12345) The Fix List database on developerWorks contains the description of each fix in this Fix Pack, and indicates which platform(s) have been fixed. 8.5.2 FP3 Preliminary Fix List Client These fixes apply to the Basic Client only:
These fixes apply to both the Basic and Standard Notes Client:
Server.
iNotes Web Access
XPages / Domino Designer
Instant Messaging
- wong chee tat :) | |||
'Friends with benefits' lets couples get close but not too close
'Friends with benefits' lets couples get close but not too close
July 20, 2011 By David Maley
An expert on sexuality among young people says a “friends with benefits” situation can provide some healthy outlets for sexual needs and desires, but can also be a very difficult relationship to navigate. Rebecca Plante, an associate professor of sociology at Ithaca College, has conducted extensive research on issues surrounding intimacy, dating and “hooking up” among college-age Americans.
“Because the sexual context of ‘friends with benefits’ is largely undefined — as opposed to the boyfriend/girlfriend model, which in our culture has many norms, scripts and expectations — it can make it very difficult to deal with when or if feelings change, such as when one of the pair wants to end the sex but remain friends or wants to become more than friends,” said Plante.
The new romantic comedy film “Friends with Benefits,” starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, depicts a couple whose professional relationship turns into a friendship, which they turn into a sexual relationship with no strings or expectations attached. Just as in the real world, complications arise.
“My research shows that perhaps the most frequent consequence is awkwardness, accompanied by strained or ceased contact and eventually either future hook ups or the resumption of a non-sexual friendship,” said Plante.
But why make it about being “just friends”? Why not call it dating or call themselves boyfriend/girlfriend?
Plante was the local coordinator for a multi-campus study that involved interviews with some 14,000 college students on sexuality issues. She said respondents talked about being too busy, that relationships take too much work, that they aren’t sure about the depth and extent of their feelings, or that they already have long-term relationships in other places.
“Friends with benefits is a way to explore some sexuality within a friendship, an existing framework of some care and knowledge of one another,” she noted.
“Despite the assumption — furthered by films like this — that the U.S. is a very sexually open culture, sexual intimacy is not well-discussed. Multiple media depict sex, but that doesn’t mean that individuals get any schooling in how to understand what they want sexually, romantically and intimately.”
Plante is the author of the books “Sexualities in Context: A Social Perspective” and coeditor of the books “Doing Gender Diversity” and “Sexualities: Identities, Behaviors, and Society.” Her courses include Tutorial in Intimacies, The Sociology of Sexualities, Beauty and the Body: Exploring Culture and Hooking Up: The Sociology of Intimacy.
Provided by Ithaca College (news : web)
- wong chee tat :)
July 20, 2011 By David Maley
An expert on sexuality among young people says a “friends with benefits” situation can provide some healthy outlets for sexual needs and desires, but can also be a very difficult relationship to navigate. Rebecca Plante, an associate professor of sociology at Ithaca College, has conducted extensive research on issues surrounding intimacy, dating and “hooking up” among college-age Americans.
“Because the sexual context of ‘friends with benefits’ is largely undefined — as opposed to the boyfriend/girlfriend model, which in our culture has many norms, scripts and expectations — it can make it very difficult to deal with when or if feelings change, such as when one of the pair wants to end the sex but remain friends or wants to become more than friends,” said Plante.
The new romantic comedy film “Friends with Benefits,” starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, depicts a couple whose professional relationship turns into a friendship, which they turn into a sexual relationship with no strings or expectations attached. Just as in the real world, complications arise.
“My research shows that perhaps the most frequent consequence is awkwardness, accompanied by strained or ceased contact and eventually either future hook ups or the resumption of a non-sexual friendship,” said Plante.
But why make it about being “just friends”? Why not call it dating or call themselves boyfriend/girlfriend?
Plante was the local coordinator for a multi-campus study that involved interviews with some 14,000 college students on sexuality issues. She said respondents talked about being too busy, that relationships take too much work, that they aren’t sure about the depth and extent of their feelings, or that they already have long-term relationships in other places.
“Friends with benefits is a way to explore some sexuality within a friendship, an existing framework of some care and knowledge of one another,” she noted.
“Despite the assumption — furthered by films like this — that the U.S. is a very sexually open culture, sexual intimacy is not well-discussed. Multiple media depict sex, but that doesn’t mean that individuals get any schooling in how to understand what they want sexually, romantically and intimately.”
Plante is the author of the books “Sexualities in Context: A Social Perspective” and coeditor of the books “Doing Gender Diversity” and “Sexualities: Identities, Behaviors, and Society.” Her courses include Tutorial in Intimacies, The Sociology of Sexualities, Beauty and the Body: Exploring Culture and Hooking Up: The Sociology of Intimacy.
Provided by Ithaca College (news : web)
- wong chee tat :)
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