A taxi driver in Singapore with a Stanford PhD This is an extremely but sad (from my perspective) blog. Ageism can hit anyone in Singapore. Even a Stanford PhD is not spared. It's another number 1 for Singapore - we have the most educated taxi driver in the world.It's probably only in Singapore where we have a Stanford PhD driving a taxi. What's next? NUS graduates picking up cardboard boxes for a living? Tsinghua graduates working in KTV Yahoo News: China is rich abroad because of worker bulge From Yahoo News on 2 Aug 2009: GENEVA (AFP) - – China can finance the US economy because its workforce is large relative to children and old people, a new analysis suggests, trying to solve a mystery why Beijing is a major net creditor rather than a borrower as emerging economies usually are. And this strong ratio of workers to dependants is set to last for at least 15 years although the Uncontroversial issues Over the years, starting from the old Sintercom forum, which was shut down in 2001, and soc.culture.singapore, I've been involved in numerous online arguments with people. While I find some of the issues to be thought-provoking and interesting, many of them should have been decisively settled by sheer weight of logic and evidence. I am tired of arguing over the same things again and again, so I Bottled water or not? I don't know what this guy is complaining about. If bottled water were banned, then can't he bring his own water bottle or go into a kopitiam and order a cup of water? No one is asking him to drink from the tap in toilets. His post becomes even more ludicrous when he says that bottled water is a 'basic right'. Excuse me but I can't seem to find the right to bottled water anywhere in the Universal S'pore aligning tax code with OECD's This was published on Asiaone's website [link] on 2 Jul 2009.S'pore aligning tax code with OECD'sDRAFT amendments have been made to the local tax regime to align Singapore with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's standard for the effective exchange of information on tax matters.One proposed change will lift the domestic interest requirement for information exchanged under Of Migrant and Stayers The Kent Ridge Commons (KRC) has a new article Migrants and Stayers. Well, it is not exactly new because the article was written more than two years ago after Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (GCT) had said that Singapore was 'leaking talent'. Around the same time, I also offered my own perspective [link] on why Singapore was 'leaking talent'. There is a subtle but important difference between what Come together? This is the logo of NDP 2009. No kidding. I'm not bluffing you.Come together? Five fingers of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality? Reaching up? Five fingers reaching up? Was there no one in the committee that designed this who foresaw the potential for sexual innuendos and schoolboy snickers?They told us that we had to stand up for Singapore but this is ridiculous! ST: Spore's population is 4.84 million From the Straits Times on 17 June 2009:SINGAPORE'S population grew 5.5 per cent last year to reach 4.84 million, due largely to the influx of foreigners. The number of residents, that is, Singapore citizens and permanent residents (PR), rose 1.7 per cent to 3.64 million in June last year, said a report released by the National Population Secretariat (NPS) on Wednesday. There were 79,167 new PRs The MSG scare I am pissed.The blogger at the boy who knew too much claims that, in his own words, that he has a heightened sensitivity to Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and that many westerners experience the 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' when eating MSG-laden food. In particular, based on absolutely no rigorous medical research, he believes that Chinese people have some special ability to clear MSG from their The Kent Ridge Common I must say that I am impressed by this new independent student daily from the National University of Singapore. I wish I had something like this to read during my time in NUS. As an undergraduate in NUS many years ago, I found the student publication like The Ridge to be feeble and boring. Instead of addressing pertinent issues like scholarships for foreigners, ways to improve undergraduate Why I don't use plastic bags Ever since I bought my car and begin grocery shopping on my own, I've tried to avoid using plastic bags. Instead, I use regular reusable shopping bags like these or a cardboard box (I have a few of these at home). The former cost 1 USD each and don't break or tear as easily as disposable plastic bags.One practical reason why I do not use plastic bags is because they tear easily. Some people use Public transport in Singapore A thought has occurred to me:There are two primary modes of public transport in Singapore - the Rapid Transit System (RTS), a.k.a. trains, and buses. Buses run on diesel, the cost of which is sensitive to the fluctuating price of oil, and trains run on electricity. Given the scarcity of petroleum and the volatility of its price, isn't it wiser to expand the train network and reduce the employment Abs Exerciser for George Bush Taken from CNN:President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush also were remembered by their Arab friends. The Saudi king gave the first lady an $85,000 sapphire and diamond jewelry set and a $10,000 piece of artwork made of gold, depicting a desert scene of Bedouins, camels and a tent.... The gifts range from the extravagant -- like the jewelry -- to the modest -- a $6 assortment of nuts and ST: Putting the oomph into physics From the Straits Times on 28 Nov 2008:Putting the oomph into physicsSTUDENTS have been going for engineering, the life sciences and mathematics, and bypassing physics. But physicists are needed in industries here, said Senior Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew yesterday. Singapore's having top-notch physicists was a key factor behind the world's This blog endorses Tan Kin Lian for president Singapore need someone to stand up to the powers that be for the little guy and unsurprisingly, I personally don't think that anyone in the establishment does that although some of them do actually believe that they are working for the little guy (but their actions are nearly always diametrically against the little guy's interests).If you believe that Mr. Tan Kin Lian, the former CEO of NTUC ST: Accept sacrifices, cutbacks From the Straits Times on 8 Nov 2008:Accept sacrifices, cutbacksTHE Government will ensure no Singaporean falls below the poverty line as a result of the financial crisis but it cannot restore people's living standards to what they were pre-crisis.Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew gave this assurance today, as he promised measures in next year's Budget to buffer lower-income earners and those without ST: Expect high leakage of engineers From the Straits Times on 24 July 2008: Expect 'high leakage' of engineersTRAIN more engineers and expect a 'high leakage' of these desirable talent into other industries, said Mr Philip Yeo.It's inevitable because 'their skills of logical thinking and analysis can be applied to any field', he added.Mr Yeo should know. An engineering graduate from the University of Toronto, he has held ST: Still adamant that scholarship holders serve their bonds From the Straits Times on 24 July 2008:Still adamant that scholarship holders serve their bondsBy Zakir HussainMR HECTOR Yee, one of three public-sector scholarship holders who were named and shamed for breaking their bonds 10 years ago, now works at Google's headquarters in California.So does Mr Philip Yeo consider him a loss to Singapore?Clearly not, suggests his answer to the question. In fact ST: Learning Chinese - where there's a will, there's a way From the Straits Times on 18 June 2008:Learning Chinese - where there's a will, there's a wayI THANK readers who wrote in to discuss my article, 'Who says it's hard to learn Chinese?' (June 4). By so doing, you have provided the authorities feedback on the views, concerns and issues about the bilingual education policy. Hopefully, the Ministry of Education will take note and take appropriate ST: Who says it's hard to learn Chinese? From the Straits Times on 4 Jun 2008:Who says it's hard to learn Chinese?By Lee Seng Giap, For The Straits TimesSOME English-educated Chinese Singaporeans think and say that Chinese is difficult to learn. That is why their children find it hard to pick up Chinese, they say.Is this really the case? I have found the answer is an emphatic 'No!'Vili Maunula, a theoretical linguist, writes: 'All ST: English test for foreign front-line staff? Bosses say 'no' From the ST on 25 May 2008:English test for foreign front-line staff? Bosses say 'no'Many not keen on imposing test, citing current labour crunch in service industryBy Jamie Ee Wen Wei and Dhany OsmanShould there be an English entry test for foreign workers in front-line service jobs?Judging from the response of employers and human resources experts contacted by The Sunday Times, the answer seems ST Forum: Engineers' body will work to draw top brains into industry From the ST Forum on 2 June 2008: Engineers' body will work to draw top brains into industryI REFER to the article, 'His worry: Is Singapore becoming high cost, low tech?' (May 22). In it, Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, a former top civil servant, highlighted the importance of Singapore ensuring that the best and brightest students become engineers. He was quoted as saying: 'How do you become a Bond breakers A couple of months ago, I was asked by a professor J in the office building to review the credentials of a graduate school applicant X from my alma mater, the National University of Singapore. X is a 4th year Electrical and Computer Engineering student and should have completed his studies by now. Prof. J handed me the dossier file containing X's application materials - his transcript, resume, Sunday Times: Making S'pore a 'brain gain' city From the Sunday Times on 18 May 2008:Making S'pore a 'brain gain' cityTo stay ahead globally, Singapore - like many other countries - is trying to attract talent, but efforts will be hampered if locals don't welcome themBy Warren Fernandez, Deputy EditorImagine if you could read the minds of people around the world to fathom what they were thinking about most.What do you think it would it be? ST Forum: Speak English the way it should be spoken From the Straits Times Forum (10 May 2008):Speak English the way it should be spokenI FIND that our spoken English and Mandarin in Singapore are appalling. However, what amazes me is that our Malay and Indian friends are speaking at least their mother tongue efficiently. Some are even competent in handling both English and Malay/Indian languages.So are the Chinese learning languages the wrong way You cannot kill people by chanting Sanskrit The president of the Indian Rationalist Association, Sanal Edamaruku, challenges a tantric, on India Television to use the arcane arts to kill him. Hundreds of millions of Indians tuned into India Television to watch the televised performance of the dark arts by the tantric.The performance are on Youtube.Sanal Edamaruku Challenges Tantra Part 1Sanal Edamaruku Challenges Tantra Part 2Sanal ST: Appoint a woman to Cabinet? Base it 'on ability' Got this from the Straits Times (3 Apr 2008) Appoint a woman to Cabinet? Base it 'on ability'MS GRACE Fu would very much like to see a woman appointed a full Cabinet minister, but not 'just to satisfy some gender or race requirement'. Ms Fu, the Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, is the first woman office holder to comment on the Cabinet changes announced last ST: Staff crunch spells last orders for tze char stalls Got this from the Straits Times (2 Apr 2008)Staff crunch spells last orders for tze char stalls By April ChongMR HUANG Hui Liang, 40, served up his last plate of braised noodles at his tze char stall in Tampines in February.Four months earlier, his brother had also called it quits at his Bedok stall.Such ST Forum: Help grads who do as well as foreign talent From the Straits Times on 20 Feb 2008:Help grads who do as well as foreign talentRECENTLY, I befriended a group of scholars from China studying at my alma mater, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). They were in their late teens and were attending foundation courses in English and maths before starting their undergraduate studies. In their five-year sojourn at NTU, they will be given free What is your religion? One of the things that strikes me as somewhat odd in America is the almost Talibanish national obsession with religion. Well, not really religion in general but just one particular persuasion, Christianity. The majority of Americans are religious to the extent that an ordinary Singaporean who does not share their beliefs would find it almost fanatical and irrational. I've had one who've tried to