Monday, June 30, 2008
Something for the day
Interesting Choice of Headline...
Opposition member may have called the police to arrest his wife
By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 29 June 2008 2054 hrs
SINGAPORE:
Opposition party member Tan Lead Shake is reported to have called the police to arrest his wife in the murder case at their Paya Lebar Crescent home on Saturday. Police later arrested his 26-year-old China-born wife for the murder of Tan's brother and slashing his sister-in-law who is said to be in a stable condition at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The murder and slashing took place at a Paya Lebar Crescent bungalow after an early morning quarrel. Channel NewsAsia understands opposition party member Tan Lead Shake called the police after he was asked by his China-born wife to meet her at Victoria Street.
This request came after she had stabbed Tan's brother and slashed his wife, also from China. The day after the murder, Tan and his sister-in-law's mother were seen entering the house to collect some items. The woman was crying and shouting in dialect that "all hope is gone". There were still blood stains from the front of the house to the back gate. Over at the mortuary, police were seen helping to calm down other relatives. Tan's wife will be charged in court on Monday and faces the death penalty if found guilty. The murder case is of interest as the husband of the accused is opposition party member Tan, who was dubbed 'The Slipper Man' for his preference for wearing flip flops when he contested previous general elections. - CNA/vm
I wonder if the other side will make use of this instance to win votes.. I mean how trustworthy is a candidate whose wife is a suspected murderer? If they can have a field day with a form, imagine what kind of fodder this will provide to the political propaganda machine...Labels: current affairs
An actual critique?
Analysis: Will ERP mean 'every road pay'?By Conrad Raj, TODAY Posted: 30 June 2008 0649 hrs
SINGAPORE:
Some six years ago, former Speaker of Parliament Tan Soo Khoon took a peek into the future when he spoke on the hot topic of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) during a budget debate. He said then: "Sir, the Government's policy has been that the cost of ownership of cars would be reduced over the long run, but the cost of usage will increase. Hence, we have increases in ERP charges. We have ERP almost everywhere, or soon-to-be everywhere, (and) we are going to have ERP day and night. I think very soon, ERP will mean 'every road pay'. "Sir, the day will be quite soon when the only safe place to leave your vehicle is at home, if you are lucky enough to own a landed property. You can well imagine that, one day, if I drive out of my house, the first thing I hear would be this 'beep' sound coming from the little device on my dashboard, and everywhere you go, you will be hearing 'beep, beep, beep', instead of car horns."
Mr Tan's sagacity is well-known. While Mr Tan's worst-case scenario has yet to emerge, from July 7, motorists will have to face higher ERP charges and even more gantries in operation as the traffic authorities respond to growing congestion on our roads. Their argument: If ERP charges do not go up, the growing traffic congestion will have an adverse impact on the economy. From July 7, family life in Singapore should improve, at least for those who pass through traffic gantries. Businesses, too, will become more competitive as the cost of crossing these gantries goes up, leading to faster travel times, which should then lead to lower transport costs overall.
So said Land Transport Authority chief executive Yam Ah Mee in a recent media interview: "Faster travel times lead to overall lower transport costs and ultimately, help businesses to remain competitive. Congestion also adversely impacts family life, as people spend more time on the roads." The LTA claims that traffic speed along major routes like North Bridge Road, South Bridge Road, Stamford Road and Bras Basah Road have fallen by 22 per cent in the evenings, compared to two years ago. Few would deny that the ERP system has helped in smoothening traffic flow, especially in the Central Business District. The main quarrel with the timing of the new round of increases is that it comes in the wake of higher petrol prices and insurance costs. Many would argue that traffic congestion here is still tolerable compared with the traffic jams in Bangkok, Jakarta and even Kuala Lumpur. In fact, some contend that traffic in Singapore could be even smoother but for the ubiquitous road works, tree pruning and numerous traffic lights.
The LTA itself has admitted that in calculating traffic speed, it included the waiting time at traffic lights, and as everyone knows, Singapore probably has more traffic lights per kilometre of road than anywhere else in the world. And, as for business benefiting from a lower volume of traffic, why, then, is it that businesses were the first to voice their opposition to the increases? Just ask the merchants on Orchard Road and elsewhere in the CBD whether they prefer to have the car parks in their malls full, or empty. It was only when the authorities decided to introduce a "window period" in the mornings between 9.30am and noon that business at the malls in the Orchard Road area improved. Perhaps a survey on whether motorists prefer to pay more for a smoother ride or put up with crawling traffic would have helped. In any case, why raise costs when inflation is already raging at record levels? And if the authorities want you to switch to public transport, why do buses and taxis also have to pay ERP charges?
Last year, SBS Transit had to pay $2.9 million (same as the previous year) in ERP charges, $5.8 million in road taxes ($5.4 million previously) and absorbed almost $37 million in output GST (up from $28.5 million). Figures for ERP charges paid by taxis were unavailable. After all, the LTA claims that the ERP system is not a revenue-raising exercise. The present solution to smoother traffic flow also smacks of elitism, and will only serve to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. And why is the preferential additional registration fee (Parf) on cars, for which the owner claims the benefit when the vehicle is de-registered, still paid with a voucher to be redeemed with the purchase of another car? If the authorities want to see fewer cars on the road, surely a cash rebate, which may not end up with another car purchase, makes more sense.
An actual critique of government policies from the mainstream media? FYI, Yam Ah Mee is ex Airforce. And we all know what SAF is good for...Labels: current affairs, inflation, transportation
Hmmm....
And yet the low income portion of the country hasn't had a pay increase in ages thanks to the outsourcing of jobs like toilet cleaners.
Labels: current affairs
There are no girls in Engineering (Or Information Technology for that matter...)
Also some interesting tidbits which I managed to gleam from the statistics:
1) Gender ratios are quite even at most academic levels with the exception of Normal Academic and Normal Technical (where there are much less females than males).
2) These GRCs might be the best places to stay (in terms of education). Ang Mo Kio, Bishan-Toa Payoh, Tanjong Pagar, Marine Parade and West Coast. These GRCs have at least 1 school for every academic level. Primary, Secondary, JC/Poly/ITE.
Labels: education
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Overheard a joke...
A nuclear bomb is the reactor that didn't work so well...
Anyway, came across an insightful article on the debate between fossil fuels and nuclear power. Basically the article was quite biased towards America (naturally).. but some points were valid. People were afraid of nuclear power in the 80s because of containment and fear of breaches. But it's almost 30 years.. I'm sure technology has improved... Japan for example has nuclear reactor(s?) And given the current price of petrol, maybe countries that can maintain it should try the nuclear option. That would cut down the dependence on fossil fuels and also buy us more time for the fuel alternatives... The article also mentioned how other countries have improved upon their nuclear power (didn't quote any examples, but I'm guessing Japan is one of them), whereas America hasn't.
Labels: current affairs, food for thought
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Ah.. the eternal question.. how hot is too hot?
Friday, June 27, 2008
That familiar song again..
Labels: bewildered, Politics, rant
Another cool upcoming movie!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Somebody to Love
Labels: music video
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
NSFW pic ahead...
Labels: gruesome pic
The Tao of Moustaches!
My barber said he always tells the guy to go somewhere else because he doesn't have the equipment to groom a moustache. He only cuts them. He recommended this guy to go to arab street where the barbers are more well versed in taking care of moustaches but this guy is unwilling to pay (my barber charges $2 for a shave). He also wanted my barber to buy special moustache grooming equipment for him and pluck the white hair out of his moustache using a pair of tweezers. What an unusual guy...
Labels: quirky
Monday, June 23, 2008
He's just like you and me...
Labels: stupid policies
New Conspiracy Theory
Labels: conspiracy theories, stupid policies, traffic
Who watches the watchmen?
A GROUP of off-duty Gurkhas got into a scuffle late last Friday night after some unhappiness over their pay.Eight Gurkhas were injured in the fight that took place in the compound of their camp off Mount Vernon Road, where they also make their home. They were treated in the camp. No one was seriously hurt.A police statement released yesterday called it 'an incident of disorderly and boisterous behaviour'.
It is being investigated as an internal matter by the police and the Gurkha Contingent command.According to the statement, before the scuffle, a larger group of officers was discussing issues related to their salary. The statement added: 'Apart from the group which misconducted themselves, the rest were not involved in any acts of indiscipline. Discipline and order were restored the same night.'No other details were provided.
On the night of the fight, several red trucks of the police Special Operations Command were spotted lining the road leading to the camp. They remained there into the early hours of Saturday morning.Several senior police officers were also seen outside the camp and public traffic through Mount Vernon Road was restricted for a while.News of the incident has made its rounds among members of the Nepalese community here, some of whom told The Straits Times that the families of some Gurkhas here were concerned, just like many Singaporeans, about the rising cost of living.About 2,000 of them serve in the Gurkha contingent here, which was formed in 1949.
Their duties here include guarding key installations and VIPs' homes. They live within the camp compound in dormitories and flats.Singapore has the smallest of three Gurkha contingents who continue a 200-year tradition of serving in the ranks of foreign forces. Some 40,000 Gurkhas serve in the Indian Army and another 3,400 are in the British army.It has been said that the servicemen, famous for their combat skills, loyalty and courage, earn far more than if they had stayed at home.
Commenting on the incident, Dr Teo Ho Pin, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs, said it was important to ascertain the 'root of unhappiness' among the Gurkhas and resolve any issues quickly in order to keep their morale high.Morale was key to a good security system, said Dr Teo. He added that the Gurkhas were 'talent' which Singapore needs to complement its existing security force.'They have been here for many years and are usually very well-disciplined, no-nonsense officers.'
Given that they are probably some of the best trained soldiers in Singapore, what happens if they go rogue? I seriously doubt that any of our NSFs will be able to stop them. Will it be like Rambo: First Blood? But at the root of the whole issue is the fact that it was probably about money.
And the whole "earn far more than if they stayed at home"... ya duh, but they are working here and staying here. Meaning they are also hit by the inflation like everyone with the same paycheck that is shrinking. Silly Straits Times...
Labels: current affairs, food for thought
Sunday, June 22, 2008
If her people will not protest, the island itself will?
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/06/rise-erp-collapse-the-singapore-dream/
Labels: stupid policies
Saturday, June 21, 2008
A tougher law enforcement
By Sudhir Venkatesh
Photo: Rhett Redelings
After writing my last Freakonomics post, I received a phone call from a police officer who began his career in Chicago.
Carl, the 54-year-old cop, started working in Chicago’s inner cities at the height of the crack epidemic. He transferred to the suburbs of Seattle for a lifestyle change — “I was tired of getting shot at,” he said matter-of-factly.
I had promised readers of this blog that I would ask about the creative, informal ways police respond to crime — sometimes even tolerating certain anti-social or criminal behavior for (presumed) larger gains. Carl was eager to respond.
I will post Carl’s comment below, as well as the responses of two other law enforcement officials.1. “Judge on-site.”
Carl wanted to make a single point: he felt cops should have the freedom to act as “judge on-site.” (See Chance’s comment, #6.) Carl preferred working in poor communities because, in his opinion, they had a healthy distrust of the court system.
“You want to really lower crime?” Carl began. “Let cops enforce the rules. The whole way. You ask any cop on the street and he’ll tell you that he would love to dish out the punishment, on the spot.”
“You want to be the cop and the jury?” I asked, incredulously.
You laugh, but the good cops never let problems get to judges. They are judge on-site, I like to say. And, I don’t mean just for stupid things like kids shoplifting — you might get the kid by the neck, make him to apologize and work for the store owner for free. I mean for serious things.
In Chicago, back in the 1980’s, we had all these problems with drug dealers selling their dope on the street. We used to catch them and bring them in front of the older folks. We used to take their drug money and give it to all the neighbors on the block! They loved it, and the f–ing gangbangers hated it, of course. But, the people on the block always said to us, “We know you can’t get these guys off the streets, so keep doing what you are doing.”
“Isn’t that just a convenient excuse?” I pressed on. “Would you tolerate that kind of behavior in the suburbs where you work now? I can’t imagine any God-fearing middle class person would allow drug dealers to stand on their corner. I certainly wouldn’t.”
He continued:
No, but around here [in Seattle’s suburbs] it’s all inside. But we actually still try to do the same thing. If we catch teenagers selling drugs, we take their money and give it to the school principal or to a block association — sometimes they take it, most of the time they shy away. The problem here is that people trust the prosecutor, the judges. Inner-city people know that these people are really useless. Around here, where you’ve got a lot of domestic violence, a lot of drunk driving, I would love to do other things to stop crime, but …
“Like what? What would you do for a drunk driver?” I asked.
Well, I hate taking that son-of-a-bitch to the station because those tests always fail and they get off (with little penalty). But these guys are a terror around here.
Everyone drinks and drives — especially those guys who drive home after work. I’d love to give them a tattoo, right on their forehead — like one of those scarlet letters. I’d like to get them all out on a Saturday and have them stand on a corner with a sign: “I’m a drunk driver and I’d like to wash your car for free.” I wouldn’t mind taking them around to do errands for others on their block for free on weekends. Or maybe they have to wear a bright orange suit for a month everywhere they go! You know what I mean? The courts don’t do sh-t.
2. “I hate wife beaters.”
Jordan is a 51-year-old police officer who works in New York. I met Jordan when I was studying prostitution. He was based in Manhattan, in Hell’s Kitchen, around the time when the police sought to rid the area of the sex economy — e.g., strip clubs, street-based prostitution, and video parlors. He also felt that the courts are largely impotent, but his pet-peeve was domestic violence. He says that he developed a set of skills that he now uses in “DV” incidents in the middle-class communities outside of Manhattan:
The one thing I hate is a wife beater. Or, anyone who beats women. I never arrest those idiots because they always get out of jail and go back and beat up their wives. It’s really frustrating. I have a daughter, and it just makes me sick … When I was in Hell’s Kitchen, I used to make those guys pay their women [prostitutes] extra, for maybe two months at a time, if they bruised them. You know, to make up for what they did. I’d just get their number at work and I’d call them and say, “Hey, you need to bring Shirley $500 because her kid needs school clothes. If they didn’t do it, I’d call their boss or show up at their job.
And, you know what? I do this now where I work [in wealthier areas of New York City]. These guys get arrested way fewer times [than the poor]. They think they are totally invincible because they make so much money. So, I do the same thing. Traders on Wall Street, lawyers — I don’t care. I tell them they have to pay up. I usually make them donate to a battered women’s shelter … See the one thing to know about these guys with money is that they HATE to give even a penny away! So it hurts. And, I take their money for months. A bunch of cops do this with me.
3. Bill’s Top Five List
Bill is a retired police officer who worked in many Chicago neighborhoods. He made a list of, in his words, “the things that cops do to keep the peace that no one wants to know about.”
1. If a drug addict robbed somebody, we used to take his drugs away and give them to someone else. Then we used to make him watch his buddy smoke all his stuff. THAT was real pain!
2. Let people decide what to do with the gangbangers. The funny thing is that the gangbangers don’t mind going to jail, but they can’t stand it when people in their community get back at them. And, let me tell you something, parents who have children can get really pissed. They make gangbangers clean their streets, pick up trash, and stand outside and look stupid. The key is letting folks decide what’s best [in terms of] dealing with criminals.
3. Always deal with domestic violence on the spot. Make sure that when you catch a perp, all the folks on the block see you drag his sorry a– to court. Shaming somebody can sometimes be your greatest weapon. Hell, sometimes we will cuff the perp to the car, turn on the lights, and just keep him there until all the people get a chance to see him.
4. We like to play gladiator. You know what I mean? Let two gangs beat each other up without weapons, and the winner gets to deal on the corner. Or, we grab a bunch of muggers, or maybe two crews who steal cars, and tell them, “Okay, you all fight each other — the one still standing gets to avoid jail.” I know: it sounds awful, but believe me, this really works.
5. You have to let people get revenge. One time, I caught a guy who was running around stealing jewelry. So I asked the women — the ones who got their rings stolen — if they’d like to come over to his place and take something. Two of them said, “Hell yeah!”
I brought them to this guy’s house, and they took a bunch of his things — a TV, a painting! It was hilarious. This doesn’t happen often, but I think it would be a great way to stop people from doing the little things — you know, robbing, shoplifting, beating up people.
I was struck at the extent to which the drive for autonomy — the ability to act outside the formal system — was invoked by the police. The running theme in my conversations was their lack of trust in the courts. This is not entirely surprising since most cops believe there is a never-ending cycle of criminality in place whereby the punishment doesn’t deter the crime.
To some degree, the wave of urban “community policing” initiatives — whereby residents and police communicate more effectively with each other around — was supposed to rectify the situation. Community policing was developed by public officials in order to incorporate the informal social control mechanisms that exist in any community.
Here, one thinks of the “eyes on the street” approach of social critic Jane Jacobs, in which people police one another’s behavior, with law enforcement playing a mostly supportive role. But, it sounds to me like some police would like greater discretion to enforce the law.
I think the law as a whole is ineffectual most of the time. People who can afford good lawyers normally get away. Or get a slap on the wrist. The law favors the wealthy. And it's bad because it also discourages the law enforcement people and the average joe on the street. I mean take what's happening in Singapore. The law enforcers are getting slack. Not sure if it's because of the same reason, probably complacency because they always advertise low crime blah blah blah.. but criminals are constantly evolving in their techniques. They may be a cowardly superstitious lot, but they are innovative. Look at the toilet break incident.
Policies normally lag behind the crime by quite a bit. I believe that sometimes, the enforcers should have more autonomy.
Labels: current affairs, law enforcement
Friday, June 20, 2008
Back in the 50s, parking didn't exist...
So you heard it here first: In the 50s, parking didn't exist. People just left their cars anywhere and took out the car keys...
Labels: a piece of history, law enforcement, traffic
The mythical 9-5 job...
Labels: jobs
Thursday, June 19, 2008
National Service- What They Can Do About It
Contrary to what many may think, I am actually in favor of National Service. The problem is not with NS but with how its implemented. If they actually were to make some revolutionary changes to it, it may actually make NS something that is worth doing.
I have to be fair. My 2.5 years spent in commandos made me a better person. It certainly made me a stronger person- so I have to give them some credit. The memories, the old war stories we continue to trade with each other during every reservist training- I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
If I had the power to change NS, this is what I would do-
Start paying the fulltime NSmen some real money.
If I am a NS platoon sergeant performing the same duties as a regular platoon sergeant, I don’t see how I should be paid less just because I am a conscript. If our ministers can peg their pay to the private sector, than I don’t see why the fulltime NSmen’s pay cannot be pegged to the SAF regular’s pay. If anything the prospect of making some money might prompt people to start taking their NS more seriously. Instead of aiming to be a lowly paid desk clerk or a storeman during your NS, people might start to work harder to become an officer or an NCO.
Raise the training standard of the SAF.
Why do so many people feel NS is a waste of time. Here’s why- its because it really is a waste of time. Ever heard of the phrase- Rush to wait, wait to rush. I believe the concept is invented by the SAF. Every servicemen out there has spent more time waiting than actually training- from their NS days to their reservist training. Despite almost 4 decades spent training soldiers, the SAF still seems to be clueless almost all of the time. People wouldn’t think NS is such a waste of time If we didn’t spent some much time lying around waiting for instructions.
Shorten fulltime NS to 1 year and reservist training cycle to 5.
IMO, 1 year is more than enough time to adequately an operationally soldier and an ORDed personnel shouldn’t need to serve more than 5 reservist cycles. This way a singaporean can finish his NS commitment by age 25 and still have enough time to fully devote his time and energy to building a career for himself. Remember in point 1 I said to increase the pay of the NSmen to professional levels. By simultaneously reducing fulltime NS and the reservist training cycle, what money is spent improving the pay of the NSmen is more than adequately offset by the savings in resulting from a shorter training cycle. Remember the older the reservist, the more he is apt to make. If you stop recalling all the professionals and managers in the middle to late 30s, the SAF might even stand to gain from it.
Cut all bullshit from the training syllabus.
Here’s how you can shorten the NS training cycle to 1 year. CUT.THE.BULLSHIT. And by bullshit, I mean every fucking activity that has got nothing to do with national defence. If SAF were to take out all the waiting, the footdrill lessons and meaningless parades, 1 year is more than enough time. Back in the day, I even have to serve mess boy duties for fucking officers dinner and dance. Imagine asking a fully trained commando- someone who is suppose to be this “elite” soldier to serve as nothing more than a waiter- serving food and drinks to fat useless lazy officers stuffing their fat useless lazy faces with free food and drinks. How’s that for respecting the SAF. If the SAF can’t even show their soldiers some respect, don’t expect the soldiers to respect the concept of NS. If the officers want to organize some dinner and dance, let them pay out of their own pocket and get some decent catering that comes with their own fucking waiters.
Restrict reservist training to no more than 6 days a year.
Like most reservists going back camp, the majority of my time is actually spent lying around in bunk waiting for instructions to be passed down. If the SAF were more efficient, we frankly would never need 14-21 days of “training”. The SAF expects a lot from us reservists- from discipline all the way down to physical fitness. I think its about time the SAF lives up to their side of the bargain. Raise your training efficiency and we reservists wouldn’t need to waste our precious time. Here’s how you know reservists training is a huge waste of time- people are actually happy to go back to camp because they find life inside camp to be much more leisurely than their actually working life.
Review the entire medical screening process within the SAF.
In the short span of a few days, we had 2 separate training incidents where young men in the prime of their lives died during training. In normal circumstances a doctor works in the interest of his patients, but in the army where the medical staff works under the jurisdiction of the CO or someone higher up the chain of the command, whose interests does he work for?
Anyone besides me sees a conflict of interest here?
Imagine this hypothetical scenario: due to freak circumstances, a lot of conscripts were found to have some kind of health problems which in their best interest would rule them out for military training. But the higher chain of command decides to impose a fixed quota on the number of people who qualifies for downgrading because the it reflects badly on the commanding officer. So what does the MO do? Does he obey the orders of the CO or work in the interest of his patients?
Leave the SAF out of the national day parade.
If the SAF were left out of the national parade festivities, than NSmen wouldn’t feel NS is such a waste time because of all the time and energy spent on rehearsals and organizing the NDP. All the time spent packing goodies bag, rehearsing footdrills, marching round and round like an idiots and erecting grandstands would now be better spent learning how to be a better soldier. The only guy that ever gains from being part of the NDP is the parade commander. The rest of us are just wasting time serving the ambitions of a few tiny men. FUCK THAT.
Get the women involved.
This will probably not make me very popular with the ladies (not that i was ever popular with the ladies anyway). When NS was implemented, social norms and society was much different, its time SAF catch up to the new millenium. Time for women of singapore to start serving NS. SAF already has women officers, commanders and trainers. If women are good enough to be commanders, they are good enough to do NS. Why should the burden of national defence be forever resting on the shoulders of men, if women share in that responsibility, than the load is lighter. Now we can server shorter reservist training cycles without compromising on the strength of the SAF. Israel already has their women serving in the army, singapore should do likewise.
I’ll tell you what, if we had women training in camps with us, guys would start training harder and complain less. Hell, we might even solve our population problem. Who needs the SDU when you have young men and women in their prime living in the same camp under one roof.
Labels: national service
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Is National Service still relevant in today's context?
National Service- Who Fights For the NSMan?
In 1967, the government passed the NS (Amendment) act that forever changed the lives of all young men in Singapore. Since then it has been a rite of passage for all young men to go through 2 years of military service upon reaching the age of 18 and thereafter fulfill another 10 years or so of reservist duties.
Singapore was still in the infancy of its nationhood when the NS act was passed. We were a small country surrounded on all sides by less than friendly neighbors and we needed an army to protect ourselves. Conscription became a necessity not a choice.
When national service was implemented, Singapore and the world was a much different place. Words like globalisation and foreign talent weren’t even coined yet. Since then much has changed, but NS still remains a rite of passage carved in stone. The last 2 major changes in recent years were the reduction of NS from 2.5 years to 2 years and the reduction of reservist duty cycle from 13 to 10 years.
From the 60s all the way to the late 90s, it was pretty much accepted among employers and managers, that certain members of their male staff would periodically be called up for reservist training. Then government decided to open its doors to foreigners from all across the globe. All who can and are able to contribute to the economy was welcomed. With our declining birthrate (thanks in no small part to the government’s wildly successful birth control programmes in the 70s), the small size of our workforce, it was once again a necessity not a choice.
Now one out of every 4 person you see on the street is a foreigner. Globalisation has arrived on our doorstep with a bang. There is fierce competition for everything from bus seats to jobs. And when the competition is fierce, you need all the edge you can get.
Like it or not, NS has become a liability in every sense of the word for the Singaporean male. Not only do we start our working life 2 years later than just about everybody else, but we are also saddled with a 10 year debt (through no fault of our own other than to be born male) to the nation that no amount of money, time or effort can clear.
There are already anecdotal evidences of Singaporean males being discriminated against because of their NS liabilities. And this is something that will only get worse over time. Unfortunately being a singaporean these days can be more of a hindrance than a benefit. It has becomed an uneven playing field out there. If this was a 100m race, singapore guys would be the one starting 20m back wearing their nos.4, boots and a fullpack while competing against everybody else in their latest space-age athletic gear.
Being patriotic, defending your country with your life if need be is great and all that, but while we fight for our country, who in the country is fighting for us? And if you have a job that barely supports your family and you, than what is there left to fight for?
My 2 cents: I think that the 2 years in NS by guys is a serious handicap indeed. In a few ways. Firstly, there's the loss of 2 years potential earning which translates to (using the oh so recent figures of average monthly income in singapore) 2 x 12 x 3k = 72k. Which the army only gives you back (in allowance) assuming $500 a mth x 12 x 2 = 12k. 60k loss. Well, let's factor in the GST offset packages and all the other misc goodies.. don't think it even comes near to the 60k loss. Ok, how about the fact that men who serve NS get paid $200 - $250 more than their female contemporaries.. ok.. 60k/250 = 240 months.. which mean 20 years.. wow.. takes us 20 years to break even.. that's really sucky maths.
There's also the intangible aspect like how the brain goes into the toilet for 2 years while in NS. NS doesn't really make you think. In fact, thinking is strongly discouraged in the army. You think I'm joking? Try saying the words " I think" or " I thought".. what follows will be a long and loud stream of expletives (that is part and parcel of the armed forces).
So 2 years of abuse (physical and mental), 20 years to catch up with the women to fight off an invisble threat.. a phantom menance.. And people wonder why I'm not patriotic...
Labels: current affairs, food for thought, national service
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Own your own Wii... at much lower costs
http://www.camspace.com/
From what I've read, it's quite cool. Then in today's Digital Life supplement in the papers, they mentioned that Singapore has just come up with one. Seems like they are claiming to be the first.. not sure how accurate it is. Well.., whatever the case may be... looks like a new way of computing may be coming to the desk top soon.. imagine controlling the cursor just by pointing.. no need to use a mouse. Combine that with the touch screen interface that is supposed to be in the next generation of Windows, looks like the future is here.. provided we don't run out of fossil fuels..
Labels: tech
An end to the fuel crisis?
Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol
Silicon Valley is experimenting with bacteria that have been genetically altered to provide 'renewable petroleum'
Labels: tech
Unusual Human Traffic
Labels: current affairs, transportation
Monday, June 16, 2008
Vengeance is Sweet...
Labels: humour
Yet another MM causing trouble...
Dr M says it again: Don't question Malay rights
Posted by Super Admin
Monday, 16 June 2008
(The Malaysian Insider) - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has told non-Malays that they should stop questioning the special rights of the Malays and count themselves privileged, having been given citizenship and other rights in this country.
He urged them to understand history and realise that an agreement was reached before independence in 1957 when the Malays were willing to accept other races as people who could "share the wealth of this land". Part of the formula saw Umno allow MCA and MIC to administer the country.
"Finally, with the agreement of all parties, immigrants were accepted as citizens of Tanah Melayu and people of other races accepted the reality that Malays had special rights as indigenous people of this land. Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra willingly gave one million citizenships to Chinese and Indians. Which country in the world has given immigrants equal rights?
"If the Malays were willing to accept the immigrants we should not let other people now question our rights," he said, drawing applause from a Malay majority audience, at a resthouse in Teluk Intan on Saturday. The speaking engagement was organised by a non-governmental organisation.
Defending Malay rights and painting a doom's day scenario for Malay political power have been recurring themes in Dr Mahathir's speeches across the country since election 2008. He was criticised heavily for playing the race card in a speech several weeks ago in Johor, with Malaysians accusing him of trying to drive a wedge between different races in the country.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali even wondered whether Dr Mahathir was laying the foundation for racial strife with his incendiary comments.
But in Teluk Intan on Saturday Dr Mahathir hit back.
He noted that every time Malays discuss matters related to their own race, they were accused of being racist or chauvinistic. "There appears to be an attempt to stop Malays from speaking about our rights. If we speak about our rights, we are called racists. If they speak about their rights, then it's alright," said Dr Mahathir.
The former prime minister has come one full circle in his political rhetoric. In the early days of his political career, he was part of a group of young Umno politicians known as the "Ultras".
This group believed that Umno should not share political power and blamed Tunku Abdul Rahman for pandering to other races. Dr Mahathir moderated his views after becoming the prime minister in 1981, realising that anyone who wants to govern Malaysia needs the support of non-Malays.
In 1995 he promoted the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. Today he has adopted his old rhetoric, perhaps acknowledging that his goal of pushing Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi out of office will only be realised if the Malay ground, particularly Umno members are galvanised into action by fear of losing power.
Interesting fact: Mahathir isn't a Malay by definition. He's an indian muslim (supposedly)
Labels: current affairs, Politics
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Guinness Book of Records for Sms
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The future is here...
Singapore wants to be an Escape Hub (TM)
Labels: current affairs, mas selamat
Friday, June 13, 2008
M Night Shyamalan Ripped off my idea! (Spoilers for "The Happening")
Labels: Movies
Stop investing our money in dodgy countries...
Let's see, we had the Shincorp fiasco for Thailand. We also have a telco incident involving Indonesia. Which they have played up the angle of us actually going to make money out of this deal even though it went south... And China.. ah.. China.. a country that is so corrupt that the President even says so. In the news today, there's a report of bank workers using the donation to the earthquake victims to buy shoes for themselves. Why are we even bothering? Sure it's a large up and coming economy, but they won't be playing by the rules that we are used to. China tends to make it's own rules and change the rules to it's liking. Suzhou industrial park incident comes to mind. Something which Chee Soon Juan keeps bringing up, but it's true. Where's the accountability?
Instead, a small part of that money could be used for better use. Like this for example: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080606/3/3kgmm.html
But nah... good ol' vivian says what you want to eat ? I dunno man vivian... guess depends on what the temple is serving.
I know, let's invest in countries like war torn parts of africa next. Since we are already producing cluster bombs and mines which probably end up being used by them to spill blood. Let's now give them the money to buy more of such things that we make. That's good for our economy right?
Labels: current affairs, food for thought
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Yet another law that will be tough to enforce...
I'm not saying that I'm not sympathetic towards him (if he does have OCD), but please, let's have a more practical sentence?
Labels: current affairs
A lesson in critical thinking...
Labels: food for thought, mas selamat
Dumbest person in the news
Labels: current affairs
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Education as a means to break the cycle of poverty
I wanted to waiver the fines for the 2 cases, but unfortunately that isn't in my jurisdiction. Thankfully, my superior approved the waiver for both cases and both candidates only had to pay half the amount. Hopefully they will do well in their respective exams and be able to break out of the cycle of poverty.
Labels: education
Monday, June 09, 2008
All that is Tech is not gold...
Honestly, is there currently a good justification to replace pen and paper with a tablet pc other than the cool factor?
Labels: education
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Funny incident
The following letters are taken from an actual incident between a London hotel and one of its guests. The Hotel ended up submitting the letters to the London Sunday Times!
Dear Maid,
Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.
Thank you,S. Berman
Dear Room 635,
I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.
Kathy,Relief Maid
Dear Maid - I hope you are my regular maid.
Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camays which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please remove them.
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn't remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can of further assistance.
Your regular maid,Dotty
Dear Mr. Berman,
The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM. Thank you.
Elaine CarmenHousekeeper
Dear Miss Carmen,
It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45 AM and don't get back before 5:30 or 6PM. That's the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.Thank you,
Elaine Carmen,Housekeeper
Dear Mr. Kensedder,
My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.
Martin L. KensedderAssistant Manager
Dear Mrs. Carmen,
Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don't want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Dial. Do you realize I have 54 bars of soap in here. All I want is my bath size Dial. Please give me back my bath-size Dial.
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed. Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily. I don't know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays. I don't know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Dial. I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory which I left in your room.
Elaine CarmenHousekeeper
Dear Mrs. Carmen,
Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory. As of today I possess:
On the shelf under medicine cabinet - 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.
On the Kleenex dispenser - 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.
On the bedroom dresser - 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet, - 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4.
Inside the medicine cabinet - 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.
In the shower soap dish - 6 Camay, very moist.
On the northeast corner of tub - 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.
On the northwest corner of tub - 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.
Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries. One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further misunderstandings.
S. Berman
Labels: humour
It's your fault! No, it's your fault! Ad nauseum...
And it's quite normal. Because this is the kind of crap that used to go on at my previous job. Departments will not be trying to solve the problem, rather they'll be trying to prove that it is not their problem so that they can wash their hands and walk away from the problem. Except this one is bigger and more public. The public is watching now. They have to be more tactical in how they shift the blame, hence the setting up of the LTA-NETs service centre. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/349420/1/.html
And while both parties carry on their investigation to resolve the issue, motorist continue to suffer due to no fault of theirs. Once again the average man suffers... I wonder if the responsible parties are going to be fined once the investigations are complete. And more interestingly enough, what happens if it is discovered that LTA is to blame. Who watches the watchmen indeed...
Labels: current affairs, food for thought
