Weekly Roundup: Week 22 “It is like letting a fox loose in the chicken coop!” Constance Singam “..there is a culture of collective historical amnesia amongst Singaporeans.” guanyinmiao “These frightful harridans, how dare they believe they should marry to get something out of marriage?” Magical Chicken This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break. The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - TOC: Thank you for doing your best – a tribute to Dr Goh Keng Swee - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Singapore is forever indebted to Dr Goh Keng Swee - i have succumbed to peer pressure: Let’s not forget who the rapists are. - The Star: Goh leaves behind some unanswered questions [Thanks Gerald] - guanyinmiao’s musings: Our Collective Historical Amnesia: Failure Of “National Education” - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: MM Lee’s Eulogy.. - ST Forum: Separation from Malaysia: How crucial was Dr Goh’s role? Singaporeans are fed, up with progress! - TOC: Will we have a smaller electricity bill? - My Little Corner: Inflation is up 3.2% - SingStat.gov: The CPI in Apr 2010 rose by 0.9% over Mar 2010 due mainly to higher costs of transport, housing and “recreation & others”. Excluding accommodation costs, the CPI went up by 0.9%. [PDF] - Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Minimum wage - TOC: Workers cheer NWC recommendations? - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Economic Recovery Not Without Costs We are against capital punishment - covered in his blood: Yong Vui Kong loses appeal – It’s up to the politicians now [Thanks paul] - singularity industries: The Value Of Life - covered in his blood: Christians and the Death Penalty – Just not Mandatory [Thanks Paul] - For Want of a Better Title: Yong Vui Kong v PP [2010] SGCA 20 Re education - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Are teachers overworked? - Flying Low: A Teacher’s Job - Growing your tree of prosperity: My views on how Singapore can adopt the Liberal Arts. - ST Forum: Student community projects should serve real needs Strangers in a Strange Land - TOC: 6,700 S’poreans’ foreign spouses denied long-term visit pass or PR each year - Thoughts of a Cynical Investor: DBS: Another FT goof - TOC: Old regime supported by new citizens Singaporeans, a dying breed - Singapore Life and Times: Where are the young ones? - Trapper’s Swamp: That sound you hear is the collective jerking of knees - Barnyard Chorus: A nation of WTF [Recommended] - ST Forum: Is S’pore a nation of spoilt princesses? Twilight in Paradise - ST Forum: Changing pay-cut mindset: Govt-linked firms must take lead - ST Forum: Pay cut for older workers: What’s SIA’s policy? National Service - I’m getting personal: Conscription - Singaporean Skeptic: Do you really think Malaysia is out to get you? - Mr Wang Says So: “But I Didn’t Tell A Lie … I Just Didn’t Tell The Whole Truth” – The SAF - TOC: Costa Rica – a nation without an army - ST Forum: Ambassador replies to MM’s remarks about Costa Rica - Gerald Giam: MINDEF’s culture of secrecy - Singaporean Skeptic: Senile Minister doesn’t get it. Truth, Justice, and the Singapore Way - Gerald Giam: Is Clause 258 really a reproduction of a section of the Evidence Act? - Yawning Bread: Compounding the question of compounding offences - Only “objective” and “factual” political films please, we’re Singaporeans: Ex-detainee Vincent Cheng barred from speaking in history seminar [event info] CPF - TOC: CPF: can’t withdraw more at 55 even with property pledge? Housing Singaporeans - My Little Corner: Releasing more reserve sites may not lower the cost for buyers Mother Tongue - Magnet Moon: Did Singapore government deliberately dilute Mother tongue? - My Very Own Glob: How do you say U-turn in your mother tongue? Tanjong Pagar Railway Station - Musings From the Lion City: Landmark Going - The Long and Winding Road: Having to bid farewell to another old friend? - The Malaysian Insider: KL agrees to vacate historic Singapore train station - Free Malaysia Today: Did Najib swap KTM land to settle RM363b debt? - The Long and Winding Road: Blood and politics at the Cape of Stakes - Bernama Shahrir: Ridiculous To Pretend KTM Land In Singapore Is Malaysian Territory - The Star: A good deal for Malaysia - My Sinchew: The bilateral relations Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - The Gigamole Diaries Lapses in audit? Suggest they check if MOE’s budget for medical education has been appropriately used. - The Gigamole Diaries: MRSA infection rates in Singapore hospitals Little Green Dot - ST Forum: Face up to the green fact YOG - Loyalty is Orange: The Orenji Headlines: Get excited about the YOG damnit! Religion - Thinker, Writer, Magus, Man: Our Daily Sacrilege [Recommended] - Irreligious: City Harvest rectifying plagiarised articles [Thanks Terence] - It’s all about Amelioration: Knowledge is Strength المعرفة قوّة، العلمُ قوّة [Recommended] - under a Pipala Tree: A choice Vesak [Thanks Danny] - TVD: TVD’s Picks: Cheat Pastors? ZOMG Daily Discourse - TOC: State’s decisions threat to secular society - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Weekend Thoughts.. - Laïcité: Karma and the Just World Fallacy - The Rot Within: Attrition - The Temasek Review: Making a Case for Public Referendums - Seelan Palay’s Blog: Internet Control and Auto-regulation in Singapore (PDF) - The Temasek Review: PAP’s classic three-fold propagandist tactic to brainwash unsuspecting Singaporeans - Only “objective” and “factual” political films please, we’re Singaporeans: 23 years after Operation Spectrum : Ex-detainees recall mental and physical abuses - Trapper’s Swamp: Violence on the news underlines need for voluntary community service - The Temasek Review: Inter-Korea conflict may endanger Singapore’s investments in Northeast China - Gerald Giam: Need a seat? Just ask for it! - The Observer sleeping with Mr Depression & Mr HIV: “Human Rights” VS ‘Human’ Rights. - TOC: Int’l non-governmental coalition launches campaign to divest ST Engineering of $1 billion - Sgpolitics.net: My awakening: political education of an ordinary Singaporean student - I’m getting personal: Whose side are you on? - The Asia File: Britain did not give aid to Singapore - Loyalty is Orange: The Death of Online Gaming - TOC: Electricity, Unemployment, Healthcare, CPF : Why is transparency of statistics so important? - TOC: Opacity from MAS concerning some foreign stock counters - department of crappy engineering: eat with your family everyday Life, the universe and everything - TOC: A refreshing way to engage bloggers - Subba’s Serendipitous moments: Can trauma be healed? - EcoWalktheTalk: President’s Cancer Panel: Environmental causes of cancer underestimated [Thanks Bhavani] - Abdillah Zamzuri: Rusticity In Modern Singapore - blankanvas: 100% LOVE. 100% MINI. - Cooler Insights: A Visual Tour of Shanghai World Expo - Webs@Work: BBC: The Virtual Revolution - funny little world: More Reflections on Bangladesh – Being A Woman - Loh and Behold: Learning Chinese - Empty Vessel: On being mono-skilled - funny little world: funny little world wins blog awards! - deadpris: Blogger “begging” for breast implants - WIT at TheTransitCafe: Inside Marina Bay Sands - Wild Shores of Singapore: Any crude on our shores? (26 May) - Small steps for Social PR: Singapore’s upload speeds slower than Mongolia and Laos #$! - The Asia File: It’s what’s on the inside that counts: a review of Singapore’s casinos - Wild Shores of Singapore: What is being done about the oil spill? (27 May) Infoblogoramus - Balderdash: Survey on Gen Y - Otterman speaks: Come enjoy the atmosphere at the Assisi Hospice Charity Fun Day on Sunday 29 May 2010 - SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 29 May-5 Jun Daily SG: 28 May 2010 Singaporeans, a dying breed - ST Forum: Is S’pore a nation of spoilt princesses? Truth, Justice, and the Singapore Way - Only “objective” and “factual” political films please, we’re Singaporeans: Ex-detainee Vincent Cheng barred from speaking in history seminar [event info] The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - ST Forum: Separation from Malaysia: How crucial was Dr Goh’s role? Strangers in a Strange Land - TOC: Old regime supported by new citizens National Service - Gerald Giam: MINDEF’s culture of secrecy - Singaporean Skeptic: Senile Minister doesn’t get it. Tanjong Pagar Railway Station - The Long and Winding Road: Blood and politics at the Cape of Stakes - Bernama Shahrir: Ridiculous To Pretend KTM Land In Singapore Is Malaysian Territory - The Star: A good deal for Malaysia - My Sinchew: The bilateral relations Mother Tongue - My Very Own Glob: How do you say U-turn in your mother tongue? Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - The Gigamole Diaries Lapses in audit? Suggest they check if MOE’s budget for medical education has been appropriately used. - The Gigamole Diaries: MRSA infection rates in Singapore hospitals Religion - TVD: TVD’s Picks: Cheat Pastors? ZOMG Daily Discourse - TOC: Electricity, Unemployment, Healthcare, CPF : Why is transparency of statistics so important? - TOC: Opacity from MAS concerning some foreign stock counters - department of crappy engineering: eat with your family everyday Life, the universe and everything - Small steps for Social PR: Singapore’s upload speeds slower than Mongolia and Laos #$! - The Asia File: It’s what’s on the inside that counts: a review of Singapore’s casinos - Wild Shores of Singapore: What is being done about the oil spill? (27 May) Infoblogoramus - SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 29 May-5 Jun Have a good Vesak Day weekend Daily SG: 27 May 2010 Singaporeans are fed, up with progress! - TOC: Workers cheer NWC recommendations? - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Economic Recovery Not Without Costs National Service - Mr Wang Says So: “But I Didn’t Tell A Lie … I Just Didn’t Tell The Whole Truth” – The SAF - TOC: Costa Rica – a nation without an army - ST Forum: Ambassador replies to MM’s remarks about Costa Rica Singaporeans, a dying breed - Barnyard Chorus: A nation of WTF We are against capital punishment - For Want of a Better Title: Yong Vui Kong v PP [2010] SGCA 20 Tanjong Pagar Railway Station - Free Malaysia Today: Did Najib swap KTM land to settle RM363b debt? Re education - ST Forum: Student community projects should serve real needs Daily Discourse - TOC: Int’l non-governmental coalition launches campaign to divest ST Engineering of $1 billion - Sgpolitics.net: My awakening: political education of an ordinary Singaporean student - I’m getting personal: Whose side are you on? - The Asia File: Britain did not give aid to Singapore - Loyalty is Orange: The Death of Online Gaming Life, the universe and everything - funny little world: funny little world wins blog awards! - deadpris: Blogger “begging” for breast implants - WIT at TheTransitCafe: Inside Marina Bay Sands - Wild Shores of Singapore: Any crude on our shores? (26 May) Selected News Stories - WSJ: UPDATE: Singapore Manufacturing Grows At Fastest In 26 Years - WSJ: GIC Real Estate Considers IPO - The Asia Mag: So You Think You Know Pakistan? - BBC: In graphics: Eurozone in crisis - NYT Bits: Q and A: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s Chief Daily SG: 26 May 2010 Strangers in a Strange Land - TOC: 6,700 S’poreans’ foreign spouses denied long-term visit pass or PR each year - Thoughts of a Cynical Investor: DBS: Another FT goof Singaporeans are fed, up with progress! - Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Minimum wage Housing Singaporeans - My Little Corner: Releasing more reserve sites may not lower the cost for buyers Twilight in Paradise - ST Forum: Pay cut for older workers: What’s SIA’s policy? Mother Tongue - Magnet Moon: Did Singapore government deliberately dilute Mother tongue? YOG - Loyalty is Orange: The Orenji Headlines: Get excited about the YOG damnit! National Service - Singaporean Skeptic: Do you really think Malaysia is out to get you? Religion - under a Pipala Tree: A choice Vesak [Thanks Danny] Daily Discourse - Trapper’s Swamp: Violence on the news underlines need for voluntary community service - The Temasek Review: Inter-Korea conflict may endanger Singapore’s investments in Northeast China - Gerald Giam: Need a seat? Just ask for it! - The Observer sleeping with Mr Depression & Mr HIV: “Human Rights” VS ‘Human’ Rights. Life, the universe and everything - funny little world: More Reflections on Bangladesh – Being A Woman - Loh and Behold: Learning Chinese - Empty Vessel: On being mono-skilled Infoblogoramus - Otterman speaks: Come enjoy the atmosphere at the Assisi Hospice Charity Fun Day on Sunday 29 May 2010 Selected News Stories - NYT Gadgetwise: From Singapore, a Tale of Expensive Data Roaming - NYT: Heartland of Thailand, Still Angry and Divided - The Globe and Mail: In Thailand’s north, the Red Shirt revolt lives on - Reuters: UK government plans political reform - Guardian: State opening of UK parliament (18 pictures) - The Daily Finance: The New York Times vs. Bloggers Debate Heats Up - GOOD Blog: Scientists May Have Discovered the Origin of Life - FlowingData: Most influential people on Twitter – Cosmic 140 Daily Tech: 26 May 2010 News - TechieLobang: LG Launches LG Mini (GD880) in Singapore - JustinLee.sg: Nokia Ovi Store offers exclusive Barkingseed Games - TechGoondu: Do-it-yourself: Update your Nexus One to ver 2.2 aka Froyo - TechieLobang: Refinery Media that Brought SuperModelMe Inked Deal with Foursquare - TechGoondu: HP powers data centres with cow manure - Tech65: Apple iPad 3G (16GB) Unbox - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: BlackBerry phones and the magnetic holster Reviews | Guides - i-digITall.com: Sony Handycam DCR-SR68 Review - TechieLobang: HTC Desire Review, First Thought - Tech65: Creative Wireless Speakers First Look - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Review: Motorola Backflip Daily SG: 25 May 2010 The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - guanyinmiao’s musings: Our Collective Historical Amnesia: Failure Of “National Education” - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: MM Lee’s Eulogy.. Singaporeans are fed, up with progress! - TOC: Will we have a smaller electricity bill? - My Little Corner: Inflation is up 3.2% - SingStat.gov: The CPI in Apr 2010 rose by 0.9% over Mar 2010 due mainly to higher costs of transport, housing and “recreation & others”. Excluding accommodation costs, the CPI went up by 0.9%. [PDF] Tanjong Pagar Railway Station - Musings From the Lion City: Landmark Going - The Long and Winding Road: Having to bid farewell to another old friend? - The Malaysian Insider: KL agrees to vacate historic Singapore train station We are against capital punishment - covered in his blood: Christians and the Death Penalty – Just not Mandatory [Thanks Paul] National Service - I’m getting personal: Conscription Religion - Irreligious: City Harvest rectifying plagiarised articles [Thanks Terence] - It’s all about Amelioration: Knowledge is Strength المعرفة قوّة، العلمُ قوّة Daily Discourse - The Temasek Review: Making a Case for Public Referendums - Seelan Palay’s Blog: Internet Control and Auto-regulation in Singapore (PDF) - The Temasek Review: PAP’s classic three-fold propagandist tactic to brainwash unsuspecting Singaporeans - Only “objective” and “factual” political films please, we’re Singaporeans: 23 years after Operation Spectrum : Ex-detainees recall mental and physical abuses Life, the universe and everything - EcoWalktheTalk: President’s Cancer Panel: Environmental causes of cancer underestimated [Thanks Bhavani] - Abdillah Zamzuri: Rusticity In Modern Singapore - blankanvas: 100% LOVE. 100% MINI. - Cooler Insights: A Visual Tour of Shanghai World Expo - Webs@Work: BBC: The Virtual Revolution Infoblogoramus - Balderdash: Survey on Gen Y Selected News Stories - Bloomberg: Temasek Loses Final Indonesia Antitrust Breach Appeal (Update2) - NYT Arts: In Singapore, Musical Theater That Prefers Its Own Local Flavor - Bloomberg: Temasek Loses Final Appeal on Indonesian Anti-Monopoly Ruling - WIT at TheTransitCafe: Eyewitness reports from Bangkok: The aftermath - FT.com: AIA chief in threat to quit over Pru deal - BBC: Why Prudential gambles on Asian growth - Reuters: Politics redraws the investment map in South East Asia - The Economist: Who’s at risk? [to the Euro] - Ritholtz: Lessons for the Apprenticed Investor - Quote and Comment: Speech on “How Power Handles Public Scrutiny” Daily SG: 24 May 2010 Re education - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Are teachers overworked? - Flying Low: A Teacher’s Job - Growing your tree of prosperity: My views on how Singapore can adopt the Liberal Arts. We are against capital punishment - covered in his blood: Yong Vui Kong loses appeal – It’s up to the politicians now [Thanks paul] - singularity industries: The Value Of Life Singaporeans, a dying breed - Singapore Life and Times: Where are the young ones? - Trapper’s Swamp: That sound you hear is the collective jerking of knees Twilight in Paradise - ST Forum: Changing pay-cut mindset: Govt-linked firms must take lead CPF - TOC: CPF: can’t withdraw more at 55 even with property pledge? Truth, Justice, and the Singapore Way - Gerald Giam: Is Clause 258 really a reproduction of a section of the Evidence Act? - Yawning Bread: Compounding the question of compounding offences The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - TOC: Thank you for doing your best – a tribute to Dr Goh Keng Swee - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Singapore is forever indebted to Dr Goh Keng Swee - i have succumbed to peer pressure: Let’s not forget who the rapists are. - The Star: Goh leaves behind some unanswered questions [Thanks Gerald] Little Green Dot - ST Forum: Face up to the green fact Religion - Thinker, Writer, Magus, Man: Our Daily Sacrilege Daily Discourse - TOC: State’s decisions threat to secular society - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Weekend Thoughts.. - Laïcité: Karma and the Just World Fallacy - The Rot Within: Attrition Life, the universe and everything - TOC: A refreshing way to engage bloggers - Subba’s Serendipitous moments: Can trauma be healed? Selected News Stories - The Star:New generation, renewed ties - WSJ: Singapore Bling - Telegraph: Did Britain really need to give millions to the wealthy state of Singapore? - NYT: The Real World Cup Prize? Broadcast Rights - NYT: Do Leaders Make History, or Is It Beyond Their Control? - Room for Debate: What Will Wall Street Look Like Next Year? - NYT High and Low Finance: Naked Truth on Default Swaps - BBC: ‘Artificial life’ breakthrough announced by scientists Q&A - Guardian: Scientists create first synthetic cell (6 pictures) Weekly Roundup: Week 21 “..every Singaporean worth his or her salt would agree that justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done.” Pritam Singh “I cannot find the words to adequately express the disappointment and anger that I feel.” Kirsten “Read, search, understand, analyze, then judge. As a citizen of Singapore, you owe it to yourself.” Nabs “The only Renaissance that appears to be happening is that of conservatism.” Ho Rui An This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break. We are against capital punishment - TOC: Prejudicing a fair trial? The Yong Vui Kong case [Recommended] - funny little world: Reserving the right to kill blindly. - Rachel Zeng: Pondering on… - Trapper’s Swamp: Mandatory death penalty ruled constitutional - guanyinmiao’s musings: Generalisations With Capital Punishment In Singapore - New Asia Republic: Death penalty serves no demonstrable criminal justice purpose, says international NGO - Jacob 69er: Singapore Court of Appeal upholds State-sanctioned murder of Yong Vui Kong - Singabloodypore: Yong Vui Kong to be Hanged - funny little world: First world facade, third world reality? - Musings From the Lion City: The Law Was Applied - TOC: Death Penalty for drug offences decline but hundreds still executed - guanyinmiao’s musings: Generalisations With Capital Punishment In Singapore - Rachel Zeng: Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign statement on dismissal of Yong Vui Kong’s appeal - Balderdash: Another merry-go-round (on Drugs, the Death Penalty for Trafficking, and working towards Goals other than Ideals) - singularity industries: The Value Of Life Countdown to Elections - Chemical Generation Singapore: Leaky Leak Stories - Sgpolitics.net: The PAP system works? Then why are so many leaving? Housing Singaporeans - Gerlad Giam: WP Forum Speech: We can make public housing affordable again [Vid] - TOC: Workers’ Party Youth Wing Youthquake HDB public forum - Trapper’s Swamp: What are we, chopped liver? - Yours Truly Singapore: Mr Minister, a nice home with nice view now please - TOC: Singaporeans’ rights to social security and public housing Mother Tongue - ST Forum: No apology for cornering Govt: WP chief - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Did our Education Minister gave us the wrong impression? - The Star: Caught in a linguistic dilemma - Trapper’s Swamp: It is political, like it or not, continued - FOOD fuels me to talk: PM, give adult S’poreans better chance - guanyinmiao’s musings: Rethinking Singapore’s Linguistic Education Strangers in a Strange Land - The Temasek Review: What the PAP don’t get it: The half-truths about immigration - funny little world: Reflections on Bangladesh – Reciprocity - The Gigamole Diaries: Singapore population growth - MHA: Oral Answer to Parliamentary Qns (a) how many applications for Long Term Visit Passes, both new and for renewal, were received and what were the respective success rates; (b) what was the no. of applications for PR and how many were successful; (c) what was the no. of applications for SG citizenship and how many were successful; and (d) whether the rejections in each category were in response to the strong sentiments expressed by Singaporeans that there are too many foreigners in SG, 18 May 2010 - TOC: Impossible to determine if fewer foreigners were accepted - Trapper’s Swamp: Anecdotal evidence vs anecdotal evidence - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: The quitter quits Singapore - Chemical Generation Singapore: Foreign Talent and Workers in Qatar (sounds like Singapore too) Singaporeans, a dying breed - Trapper’s Swamp: True gender equality benefits men and women - The Temasek Review: 8 reasons why Singaporeans should just leave Singapore Re edcuation - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Education System: Balance Creativity, Pragmatism And Ambition - ST Forum: Style without substance for kids? ERPains, Trains & Automobiles - department of crappy engineering: media’s fairness on fare Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - The Gigamole Diaries: Ethics of prophylaxis The Beautifulexpansive Game - Singapore Life and Times: Kick around - TOC: A world cup for the red-green giants (only) Pinkdot - pinkdot.sg: Pink Dot 2010: From the heart - TOC: Pink dotted! - Thinker, Writer, Magus, Man: The Problem with Pink Dot - Irreligious: Thorn in the Christian flesh - My Very Own Glob: Pinkdot 2010 - pinkdot.sg: Views from our Balloon Cam - TOC: Families speak out – Pink Dot 2010 - Sam’s thoughts: A Pink Dot for Singapore The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - Sgpolitics: Words of tribute and remembrance for Dr Goh Keng Swee - Singapore Alternatives: A Tribute to a National Icon – Dr. Goh Keng Swee - Tan Kin Lian: Dr. Goh Keng Swee’s immense contribution to Singapore - The Gigamole Diaries: Good leader, or a bad follower….? - Loh and Behold: So Goh Goes - Zach’s Thought Blot: Goh-ing Forth from the Past - The Temasek Review: Why Singaporeans do not owe Goh Keng Swee or other PAP leaders a “debt” of gratitude Religion - Irreligious: Buddhist brochure promoting ‘polite bigotry’? - Cheat Grace: Plagiarism again? [via Irreligious] - Barnyard Chorus: Drawing Mohammed - Irreligious: So who copied who? - Loyalty is Orange: Question proselytizing, but do not dismiss it Daily Discourse - It’s all about Amelioration: The Price of Being Egocentric [Thanks Nabs] - New Asia Republic: Medical misinformation a concern [Thanks D] - TOC: The Conservative Renaissance – Part 1 [Recommended] - Leona’s Blog: Khairy Sulaiman’s Arrest Reveals Seamy Side of Singapore’s Gender Politics - New Asia Republic: National conversations: monopoly no more [Thanks D] - TOC: The conservative renaissance – part 2 [Recommended] - Gerald Giam: Criminal Procedure Code: Tilting the law in their own favour - Yours Truly Singapore: PM Lee on nepotism and his father’s legacy - The Temasek Review: Four Major Hurdles Faced By Our Jobless Matured PMETs [Recommended] - The Rot Within: “Realizing” Filial Piety [Recommended] - TOC: Singapore – A Nation or merely a State? - guanyinmiao’s musings: Farewell To Wet Markets? Farewell To Provision Shops? - Moving Higher In Souped-up Heuristically Agon Moment: Peranakans are Half-Caste? - The Temasek Review: Professor Bradley Freeman’s proposal to Media Development Authority - Trapper’s Swamp: No due process please, we’re Singaporean - TOC: Bloggers – enemies of the State? (Part One) - ambiguity: 3 Attempts In A Day - ambiguity: Small Penis Syndrome - Loh and Behold: Yeo’s Yo-yo - motochan: On Philip Yeo and his “Storm in an ‘Apple’ Teacup” - Seelan Palay’s Blog: Dissent leads to creative thinking that is essential for productivity Life, the universe and everything - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Euro : Govt Intervention in the works? - Angela Leow Gray: StreetWars Singapore shot down after first week [Thanks DK] - Anonymous_X: A visit to Universal Studios Singapore (definitely will be a regular there!) [Thanks wacky_artz] - Moving Higher In Souped-up Heuristically Agon Moment: Singapore AIDS CandleLight Memorial 2010 - The Long and Winding Road: The “bright” lights of Prince Edward Road and the Polytechnic by the sea - All about money: More doomsday scenario.. - Balderdash: Mac Sucks – 17th May 2010 - WIT at TheTransitCafe: Video hasn’t killed the rock band, but could it kill text? - boo-n-bouquet: Irony of Tiger Airways - The Kent Ridge Common: Singapore Arts Fest 2010 – Between You and Me - Wild Shores of Singapore: NEW blog – Cyrene Exposed! - The Long and Winding Road: The gateway to the roads that lay to the south of Singapore Infoblogoramus - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Apply for your NDP 2010 tickets NOW! - SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 15-22 May - Eros Coaching: Free Workshop: How to Release Stress and Tension - Small steps for Social PR: “Live” streaming of Samsung’s bada developers day in Singapore - Jacob 69er: {New Book} Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock Daily SG: 2 May 2010 KNN GoDaddy is under siege. The is the second time in a month. :( Compromised Website Update 5/20/10 An attack impacting less than 200 accounts happened this morning. Go Daddy is working with other top hosting providers and security experts to gather information to stop to the criminals initiating these exploits. We have contacted the malware site registrar to remove the offending domain from the Internet, in order to block the attack. As part of our investigation, Go Daddy has launched a fact-finding tool to collect information about your experience. If you suspect your site was impacted, please fill out our security submission form, located here – http://www.godaddy.com/securityissue. Thank you, Todd Redfoot, Chief Information Security Officer GoDaddy.com Here’s a report from WPSecurityLock We are against capital punishment - singularity industries: The Value Of Life Countdown to Elections - Sgpolitics.net: The PAP system works? Then why are so many leaving? Mother Tongue - FOOD fuels me to talk: PM, give adult S’poreans better chance - guanyinmiao’s musings: Rethinking Singapore’s Linguistic Education Singaporeans, a dying breed - Trapper’s Swamp: True gender equality benefits men and women - The Temasek Review: 8 reasons why Singaporeans should just leave Singapore Pinkdot - Sam’s thoughts: A Pink Dot for Singapore Daily Discourse - ambiguity: Small Penis Syndrome - Loh and Behold: Yeo’s Yo-yo - motochan: On Philip Yeo and his “Storm in an ‘Apple’ Teacup” - Seelan Palay’s Blog: Dissent leads to creative thinking that is essential for productivity Life, the universe and everything - The Long and Winding Road: The gateway to the roads that lay to the south of Singapore Infoblogoramus - Small steps for Social PR: “Live” streaming of Samsung’s bada developers day in Singapore - Jacob 69er: {New Book} Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock Selected News Stories - Asia Pacific Journal of Education: Teachers’ motivation to teach national education in Singapore: a self-determination theory approach [US$30] - The Daily Indian: Rise of ethical Gambling - Reuters: Singapore, Hong Kong most open to trade – report - The Malaysia: The Malaysia-Singapore Food Fight - The Lede: Amateur Video Shows Fires in Bangkok and Northeastern Thailand - The Big Picture: Crackdown in Bangkok [Large pics] - The Frame: Deadly mayhem grips Bangkok [large pics] - NYT Dealbook: Clients Worried About Goldman’s Dueling Goals - Reuters: Stressing to do the best for the kids? Don’t, expert says - Reuters: Asian moms hooked on Internet for children, selves: study - Guardian: Art theft in Paris (12 pictures) One Minute Survey on Dietary Trends VegVibe magazine is conducting a dietary trends survey to investigate whether the awareness of the need for a healthier diet has impacted the dietary choices of Singaporeans. Using a simple single-matrix interface, the survey should not take more than 1 minute to complete and will go a long way in representing the dietary behaviour of Singaporeans. This is the first time that such a poll is being conducted and I hope that you will provide your input (via the link below) and also forward this email to all Singaporeans on your contact list, thanks. Survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/85L9QRL Thanks Ganga Daily ChioBu: MuQi MiYa MuQi MiYa 母其弥雅 (born 20 May 1987) is a well known model in China. The Yunnan native began modeling at the age of 14 and after 8 years, she has established herself as an advertiser darling who fronts regular promotion campaigns for companies. She is best known as China’s most beautiful yoga instructor, a title given by Chinese netizens after she released a yoga pictorial and demonstrated her yoga chops in a TV programme. Besides being a professional Yoga instructor, MuQi MiYa is also a dancer and a Taekwondo master. In the 2010 Tencent Auto Show 腾讯车展, MuQi Miya won the “Favorite Leading Lady” Award, the highest award in the event. Pictures after the break. Daily SG: 20 May 2010 Strangers in a Strange Land - TOC: Impossible to determine if fewer foreigners were accepted - Trapper’s Swamp: Anecdotal evidence vs anecdotal evidence - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: The quitter quits Singapore - Chemical Generation Singapore: Foreign Talent and Workers in Qatar (sounds like Singapore too) The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - The Temasek Review: Why Singaporeans do not owe Goh Keng Swee or other PAP leaders a “debt” of gratitude Re education - ST Forum: Style without substance for kids? Religion - Barnyard Chorus: Drawing Mohammed - Irreligious: So who copied who? - Loyalty is Orange: Question proselytizing, but do not dismiss it Daily Discourse - Trapper’s Swamp: No due process please, we’re Singaporean - TOC: Bloggers – enemies of the State? (Part One) - ambiguity: 3 Attempts In A Day Life, the universe and everything - WIT at TheTransitCafe: Video hasn’t killed the rock band, but could it kill text? - boo-n-bouquet: Irony of Tiger Airways - The Kent Ridge Common: Singapore Arts Fest 2010 – Between You and Me - Wild Shores of Singapore: NEW blog – Cyrene Exposed! Infoblogoramus - Eros Coaching: Free Workshop: How to Release Stress and Tension Selected News Stories - Guardian: Singapore is still out of step on death penalty policy - ABC: Casino business is community business - AlJazeeraEnglish Youtube: Thaksin’s lawyer speaks to Al Jazeera on Thai crisis - Huffington Post: Goldman Sachs Publicly Supports Financial Reform, But Fights It With Lobbyists - Yahoo Finance: Fraud Alert Daily SG: 19 May 2010 We are against capital punishment - guanyinmiao’s musings: Generalisations With Capital Punishment In Singapore - Rachel Zeng: Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign statement on dismissal of Yong Vui Kong’s appeal - Balderdash: Another merry-go-round (on Drugs, the Death Penalty for Trafficking, and working towards Goals other than Ideals) Strangers in a Strange Land - The Gigamole Diaries: Singapore population growth - MHA: Oral Answer to Parliamentary Qns (a) how many applications for Long Term Visit Passes, both new and for renewal, were received and what were the respective success rates; (b) what was the no. of applications for PR and how many were successful; (c) what was the no. of applications for SG citizenship and how many were successful; and (d) whether the rejections in each category were in response to the strong sentiments expressed by Singaporeans that there are too many foreigners in SG, 18 May 2010 Mother Tongue - Trapper’s Swamp: It is political, like it or not, continued ERPains, Trains & Automobiles - department of crappy engineering: media’s fairness on fare Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - The Gigamole Diaries: Ethics of prophylaxis The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - Zach’s Thought Blot: Goh-ing Forth from the Past Pinkdot - pinkdot.sg: Views from our Balloon Cam - TOC: Families speak out – Pink Dot 2010 Religion - Cheat Grace: Plagiarism again? [via Irreligious] Daily Discourse - TOC: Singapore – A Nation or merely a State? - guanyinmiao’s musings: Farewell To Wet Markets? Farewell To Provision Shops? - Moving Higher In Souped-up Heuristically Agon Moment: Peranakans are Half-Caste? - The Temasek Review: Professor Bradley Freeman’s proposal to Media Development Authority Selected News Stories - Reuters: UPDATE 1-Singapore’s Wilmar denies Indonesian tax fraud claim - Reuters: Australia should also probe Goldman – SEC informant - Visual Economics: Goldman Sachs Under the Microscope - Reuters: Smartphones get cheaper for mass appeal - Reuters: LED market faces bright outlook but hurdles remain - Reuters: Professional social networking booming - NYT Wheels: Honda Delays the Next Civic - NYT Wheels: Misconceptions About Fuel Economy Daily SG: 18 May 2010 We are against capital punishment - funny little world: First world facade, third world reality? - Musings From the Lion City: The Law Was Applied - TOC: Death Penalty for drug offences decline but hundreds still executed Strangers in a Strange Land - funny little world: Reflections on Bangladesh – Reciprocity The Beautifulexpansive Game - TOC: A world cup for the red-green giants (only) The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - Loh and Behold: So Goh Goes Religion - Irreligious: Buddhist brochure promoting ‘polite bigotry’? Daily Discourse - TOC: The conservative renaissance – part 2 - Gerald Giam: Criminal Procedure Code: Tilting the law in their own favour - Yours Truly Singapore: PM Lee on nepotism and his father’s legacy - The Temasek Review: Four Major Hurdles Faced By Our Jobless Matured PMETs - The Rot Within: “Realizing” Filial Piety Life, the universe and everything - Moving Higher In Souped-up Heuristically Agon Moment: Singapore AIDS CandleLight Memorial 2010 - The Long and Winding Road: The “bright” lights of Prince Edward Road and the Polytechnic by the sea - All about money: More doomsday scenario.. - Balderdash: Mac Sucks – 17th May 2010 Infoblogoramus - SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 15-22 May Selected News Stories - Reuters Life: Lasers, iPods, for a Singapore funeral of a lifetime - BusinessWeek: Singapore Export Growth Accelerates, Boosting Economic Rebound - New Asia Republic: Stop the killing, urges Thai civil society - Asia Pacific Voices: South Korea Fires Warning Shots at Border - Global Post: Analysis: “It’s over” in Iran [Thanks Orenji kun] - Reuters: Seeking less scrutiny, hedge funds flock to Asia - NYT DealBook: A Scorecard on Wall Street’s Legal Troubles - Reuters: Modern Etiquette: Tips for dining for business success - Gawker: The Seven Most Over-Used Journalistic Cliches Daily SG: 17 May 2010 We are against capital punishment - TOC: Prejudicing a fair trial? The Yong Vui Kong case - funny little world: Reserving the right to kill blindly. - Rachel Zeng: Pondering on… - Trapper’s Swamp: Mandatory death penalty ruled constitutional - guanyinmiao’s musings: Generalisations With Capital Punishment In Singapore - New Asia Republic: Death penalty serves no demonstrable criminal justice purpose, says international NGO - Jacob 69er: Singapore Court of Appeal upholds State-sanctioned murder of Yong Vui Kong - Singabloodypore: Yong Vui Kong to be Hanged Countdown to Elections - Chemical Generation Singapore: Leaky Leak Stories - TOC: Singaporeans’ rights to social security and public housing Housing Singaporeans - Gerlad Giam: WP Forum Speech: We can make public housing affordable again [Vid] - TOC: Workers’ Party Youth Wing Youthquake HDB public forum - Trapper’s Swamp: What are we, chopped liver? - Yours Truly Singapore: Mr Minister, a nice home with nice view now please Mother Tongue - ST Forum: No apology for cornering Govt: WP chief - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Did our Education Minister gave us the wrong impression? - The Star: Caught in a linguistic dilemma Strangers in a Strange Land - The Temasek Review: What the PAP don’t get it: The half-truths about immigration Re edcuation - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Education System: Balance Creativity, Pragmatism And Ambition The Beautifulexpansive Game - Singapore Life and Times: Kick around Pinkdot - pinkdot.sg: Pink Dot 2010: From the heart - TOC: Pink dotted! - Thinker, Writer, Magus, Man: The Problem with Pink Dot - Irreligious: Thorn in the Christian flesh - My Very Own Glob: Pinkdot 2010 The passing of Dr Goh Keng Swee - Sgpolitics: Words of tribute and remembrance for Dr Goh Keng Swee - Singapore Alternatives: A Tribute to a National Icon – Dr. Goh Keng Swee - Tan Kin Lian: Dr. Goh Keng Swee’s immense contribution to Singapore - The Gigamole Diaries: Good leader, or a bad follower….? Daily Discourse - It’s all about Amelioration: The Price of Being Egocentric [Thanks Nabs] - New Asia Republic: Medical misinformation a concern [Thanks D] - TOC: The Conservative Renaissance – Part 1 - Leona’s Blog: Khairy Sulaiman’s Arrest Reveals Seamy Side of Singapore’s Gender Politics - New Asia Republic: National conversations: monopoly no more [Thanks D] Life, the universe and everything - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Euro : Govt Intervention in the works? - Angela Leow Gray: StreetWars Singapore shot down after first week [Thanks DK] - Anonymous_X: A visit to Universal Studios Singapore (definitely will be a regular there!) [Thanks wacky_artz] Infoblogoramus - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Apply for your NDP 2010 tickets NOW! Selected News Stories - Huffington Post: Strict Singapore May Be the Most Surprising Place on Earth - Global Post: Why Singapore went into the casinos industry - Huffington Post: Breaking the Public Sector Unions’ Stranglehold on State and Local Governments [via New Asia Republic - Time: Is Cambodia Dredging its Rivers to Death? - NYT: The Battle for the Internet - Guardian: Clashes continue in Bangkok (22 pictures) - GOOD Blog: Intermission: Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Erupts in Stop Motion - The Big Picture: First of the last Space Shuttle launches (42 photos large) Weekly Roundup: Week 20 “These are not reasons to take a life.” Benjamin Cheah “Come this friday, we either advance, or we stall. We either realise, or we ignore.” theinkhorn “I’m wondering if MM Lee is privately rolling his eyes at Ng’s proposed ideas.” Aaron Ng “What I worry about this decision is the tacit admission that we need to look good, better than we really are, and so we will change the rules to achieve that goal.” Callan Tham “Point 11 in “Making Singapore a Leading Global City”, on improving Singapore’s culture sector is really strange. There is no mention of people at all.” twasher This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break. Countdown to Elections - Chemical Generation Singapore: Go. Stop. Go? Alliance between the Reform Party- Singapore Democratic Alliance - Sgpolitics.net: Proposed Reform Party-SDA alliance called off for now - Singapore Recalcitrant: A Premonition of Opposition Disintegration? - TOC: Reform Party’s renewal - Yawning Bread: Reform Party unveils six election candidates - TOC: Reclaiming our political space - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Are Singaporeans better off than they were 4 years ago? - Yawning Bread: Effects of recent electoral changes - The Void Deck: Reform Party M&A Happening Right Now! - Trapper’s Swamp: There may be hope yet - Times They Are A-Changin’: Just for Laugh - Seelan Palay: Raising us up the PAP way (Video) - ST Forum: TV debates: Style and substance not mutually exclusive - ST Forum: How TV debates make a difference - The Temasek Review: Kenneth Jeyaretnam washes “dirty linen” with SDA on ST Forum - ST Forum: Reform Party chief on impasse with SDA We are against capital punishment - magnezium: Responding to the Minister’s comments on the mandatory death penalty - Mathia Lee: Death Penalty – Are we trading off justice for real deterrence? - Thinker, Writer, Magus, Man: Shanmugam’s Slippery Slope - groundnotes: Fuzzy Logic On The Death Penalty - Rachel Zeng: Result of the appeal of Yong Vui Kong to be heard this coming Friday - SpotlightOnSingapore: Capital punishment in Singapore for drug-related offences. - My Very Own Glob: Dear Law Minister - ambiguity: Against The “Trade-Off” - Trapper’s Swamp: Shanmugam’s misleading defense of the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking - Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Singapore official and media claim liberal cities are hotspots for drugs and crimes - Want some tau huay?: Shanmugam’s own version of ‘For The Greater Good’ - ST Forum: Drug lords may gain from death penalty - TOC: The slippery slope, the greasy pole - funny little world: The death penalty myopia. Mother Tongue - Yawning Bread: Mother-tongue conservatives voice existential fears [Recommended] - guanyinmiao’s musings: Evaluating Singapore’s “Bilingualism” - The Itche To Write: Lowering Weightage of Chinese language - ST Forum: EVERY pupil I know requires private tuition in Chinese. - ST Forum: Irony of learning ‘mother tongue’ - Singapore Life and Times: Knowing the language is important - ST Forum: Learning a language: Get priorities right - ST Forum: Help kids love, not loathe, mother tongue - TOC: Flaws in our education system go beyond mother tongue - Sam’s thoughts: What’s the problem? Cat got your Mother Tongue? - Yawning Bread: Mother-tongue policy undermines education and our future [Thanks lary] - Hear Ye! Hear Ye!: Chickening your way out of bilingualism - Tan Kin Lian: Mother Tongue Language - Trapper’s Swamp: PSLE Mother Tongue weightage reduction: mistaking consequence for cause - Yaw Shin Leong: Was it Our Wrong Impression or Their Strategic Retreat? - Sam’s thoughts: Singapore Mother-Tongue-Tied [Recommended] - A Serial Number on my Vote: Another supporting rant to someone else’s rant - Lips Don’t Lie: Mandarin, Malay or Tamil Language is MORE important? - ST Forum: Happiness… Mum #1: Gratified over status quo - ST Forum: ..and dismay. Mum #2: Govt should have stood firm - Sgpolitics: Low Thia Khiang: Govt has made 3 commitments on mother tongue - Yawning Bread Sampler: Workers’ Party and race politics: cutting it too fine - Times They Are A-Changin’: Flexi-Weighting For Language Homeless in Stingypore - TOC: The holistic approach to eradicating homelessness Housing Singaporeans - TOC: HDB’s classic non-answer - Yours Truly Singapore: New HDB flats still affordable: Mah - Singapore Alternatives: Sell New HDB flats at cost instead of asking citizens to sell flats for retirement - TOC: Straits Times plays along to HDB’s COV striptease CPF - Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: The Long Shadow of Ideology — An Examination of the Political Thinking Behind Singapore’s CPF Scheme [Recommended] Strangers in a Strange Land - Singapore Dino: Philip Yeo’s obsession with foreigners ERPains, Trains & Automobiles - Yawning Bread Sampler: New taxi surcharge is price-fixing - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Public Transportation: In A Fix Over Priority Seats Singapore Coloring - Flying Low: Just say Malays are lazy Re edcuation - Zach’s Thought Blot: Liberal Arts in Singapore? [Recommended] - flaneurose: Singaporean students being exam smart is NOT the problem - Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: University rankings — following the wrong star? Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - Angry Doctor: Subsidy and Other Preoccupations 21 Little Green Dot - Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Singapore – worst polluter per capita - EcoWalktheTalk: Study ranks Singapore highest in relative Environmental Impact [Thaks Bhavani] - The Ecologist: The damage caused by Singapore’s insatiable thirst for land - The Phnom Penh Post: Singapore hits back over sand report - TOC: Not a grain of truth in sand export claims, says Cambodian Government Religion - New Asia Republic: Why I am an atheist [Recommended] - Sze Zeng: Kong Hee & co. are into plagiarism? [Thanks GG] The Beautiful Game - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: SingTel & Starhub secured World Cup broadcast rights - Singaporean Skeptic: Singaporeans overpay for everything. Daily Discourse - The Temasek Review: Employee Voice: the context of Singapore’s labour movement [Recommended] - funny little world: Singapore = Arts hub? Srsly? - Mathia Lee: Beyond Freedom: Dignity - Barnyard Chorus: Sisters in Solidarity & online petition. - The Rot Within: Thoughts on the ESC report [Recommended] - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: The Singapore Bubble? - Fit to Post: The price to pay for being a global city [via TOC] - Yawning Bread: Issue work permits to sex workers - Chia Ti Lik’s Blog: Jack Neo’s latest tribute to the PAP should be a comedy – How to train your minister :) - Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Slice of 70s history – Mass media consumption patterns in Singapore – Summary and Television - The Rot Within: A Warning for Singapore’s Urban Planners and Marketers Life, the universe and everything - EcoWalktheTalk: Making Singapore a Sustainable City: Concept Plan 2011 - Unraveling Singapore: Can I Have My Personal Space? - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: The wonders of washing hands - blankanvas: the media kit for your blog - New Asia Republic: Tony Stark on property rights - Singaporean Skeptic: Are you restricted to the SGX? - Balderdash: Singapore: world capital of the city-dormitory (Part 3) - Small steps for Social PR: Facebook Fanpage Fail (FFF): HTC Singapore Fans Revolt - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Understanding European Weekend Package.. - Musings From the Lion City: Clarification Infoblogoramus - XinYun @ SG: Events: IMD 2010 Open House - Gerald Giam: Speaking at Workers’ Party forum this Saturday - loozihan: Aemaer @ 1st Experimental Film Forum (Singapore) - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: bada Developer Day Singapore - pinkdot.sg: Come make Pink Dot 2010; Come make history! Daily SG: 14 May 2010 Please bear with us while we upgrade -_-| Mother Tongue - Sgpolitics: Low Thia Khiang: Govt has made 3 commitments on mother tongue - Yawning Bread Sampler: Workers’ Party and race politics: cutting it too fine - Times They Are A-Changin’: Flexi-Weighting For Language We are against capital punishment - funny little world: The death penalty myopia. Re edcuation - Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: University rankings — following the wrong star? Little Green Dot - TOC: Not a grain of truth in sand export claims, says Cambodian Government Daily Discourse - Chia Ti Lik’s Blog: Jack Neo’s latest tribute to the PAP should be a comedy – How to train your minister :) - Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Slice of 70s history – Mass media consumption patterns in Singapore – Summary and Television - The Rot Within: A Warning for Singapore’s Urban Planners and Marketers Life, the universe and everything - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Understanding European Weekend Package.. - Musings From the Lion City: Clarification Infoblogoramus - pinkdot.sg: Come make Pink Dot 2010; Come make history! Selected News Stories - ST Forum: What a shame.. - NYT: South Koreans Put In Most Hours - Room for Debate: The Twilight of the Welfare State? - The Lede: Full Text of British Coalition Agreement and Video of Cameron and Clegg News Conference - The Lede: Underwater Video Shows Oil Gushing From Damaged Pipe into Gulf - Mint: The Gen Y Guide to Personal Finance - Guardian: Marrying a younger man increases a woman’s mortality rate - The Big Picture: Disaster unfolds slowly in the Gulf of Mexico SG Daily: 13 May 2010 Mother Tongue - Sam’s thoughts: Singapore Mother-Tongue-Tied - A Serial Number on my Vote: Another supporting rant to someone else’s rant - Lips Don’t Lie: Mandarin, Malay or Tamil Language is MORE important? - ST Forum: Happiness… Mum #1: Gratified over status quo - ST Forum: ..and dismay. Mum #2: Govt should have stood firm We are against capital punishment - TOC: The slippery slope, the greasy pole Housing Singaporeans - TOC: Straits Times plays along to HDB’s COV striptease Re edcuation - flaneurose: Singaporean students being exam smart is NOT the problem Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - Angry Doctor: Subsidy and Other Preoccupations 21 Little Green Dot - The Phnom Penh Post: Singapore hits back over sand report Daily Discourse - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: The Singapore Bubble? - Fit to Post: The price to pay for being a global city [via TOC] - Yawning Bread: Issue work permits to sex workers Life, the universe and everything - Balderdash: Singapore: world capital of the city-dormitory (Part 3) - Small steps for Social PR: Facebook Fanpage Fail (FFF): HTC Singapore Fans Revolt Infoblogoramus - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: bada Developer Day Singapore Selected News Stories - Bloomberg: Temasek Invests in Chesapeake, Spends $1.2 Billion on Resources - PC World: Clouds Hang Over Microsoft Office, SharePoint 2010 Launch - Popular Science: Gallery: Inside the Pavilions of Expo 2010 Daily SG: 12 May 2010 Mother Tongue - TOC: Flaws in our education system go beyond mother tongue - Sam’s thoughts: What’s the problem? Cat got your Mother Tongue? - Yawning Bread: Mother-tongue policy undermines education and our future [Thanks lary] - Hear Ye! Hear Ye!: Chickening your way out of bilingualism - Tan Kin Lian: Mother Tongue Language - Trapper’s Swamp: PSLE Mother Tongue weightage reduction: mistaking consequence for cause - Yaw Shin Leong: Was it Our Wrong Impression or Their Strategic Retreat? We are against capital punishment - ambiguity: Against The “Trade-Off” - Trapper’s Swamp: Shanmugam’s misleading defense of the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking - Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Singapore official and media claim liberal cities are hotspots for drugs and crimes - Want some tau huay?: Shanmugam’s own version of ‘For The Greater Good’ - ST Forum: Drug lords may gain from death penalty Countdown to Elections - The Temasek Review: Kenneth Jeyaretnam washes “dirty linen” with SDA on ST Forum - ST Forum: Reform Party chief on impasse with SDA Housing Singaporeans - Singapore Alternatives: Sell New HDB flats at cost instead of asking citizens to sell flats for retirement Re edcuation - Zach’s Thought Blot: Liberal Arts in Singapore? ERPains, Trains & Automobiles - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Public Transportation: In A Fix Over Priority Seats Little Green Dot - EcoWalktheTalk: Study ranks Singapore highest in relative Environmental Impact [Thaks Bhavani] - The Ecologist: The damage caused by Singapore’s insatiable thirst for land Daily Discourse - The Rot Within: Thoughts on the ESC report Life, the universe and everything - New Asia Republic: Tony Stark on property rights - Singaporean Skeptic: Are you restricted to the SGX? Infoblogoramus - Gerald Giam: Speaking at Workers’ Party forum this Saturday - loozihan: Aemaer @ 1st Experimental Film Forum (Singapore) Selected News Stories - Wise Bread: Read Your Financial Statements Like a Banker - Reuters: In Indonesia, Twitter takes on social watchdog role - The Lede: Video of Prime Minister David Cameron’s First Remarks - NYT Wheels: Car of the Future Could Include Personalized Dashboards - NYT: Revamped Microsoft Office Will Be Free on the Web - eWeek: 10 Reasons Why Android Will Dominate the Mobile Market - Matt McKeon: The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook Daily Tech: 12 May 2010 Apple announced that they have sold 1 million iPads within the first month. That is pretty impressive. And for those who are waiting for iPad to come to Singapore, you will be glad to know that it will be here sometime in July. So start saving. News - Engadget: Apple sells 1,000,000 iPads in revolution’s first month - MarketingWeek: Apple names iPad UK launch date - LesterChan.net: iPad Coming To Singapore in July 2010 - InformationWeek: Apple iPhone Gains Market Share, BlackBerry Slips - Bloomberg: Apple Policy Said to Prompt U.S. Allegation by Adobe - Engadget: Adobe shows off prototype Android tablet running Air and Flash ‘flawlessly’ - Daily Tech: Google’s Weapon of Choice: Android 2.2 - LesterChan.net: Nokia N8 Announced - Cnet: Twitter confirms awkward ‘auto-follow’ bug - PCWorld: Facebook Bug Exposes Private Chats - Engadget: Nokia sues Apple again, says the iPad 3G infringes five patents - TechGoondu: SingTel aims at newbie smartphone users - i-digITall.com: Fisheye fun and Miniature mischief from Canon - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: BlackBerry 6 sneak peak Reviews | Guides - i-digITall.com: Review: Sony HD Bloggie (MHS-PM5K) - TechGoondu: Get sweaty with this Walkman - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: First Look: HTC Legend - i-digITall.com: Review: HP MediaSmart Server LX197 (FL706AA) Daily SG: 11 May 2010 An announcement from our host about last Friday’s attacks. WordPress Exploit Update 5/10/2010 This afternoon some customers’ websites were affected by a new, lighter wave of malware attacks. Go Daddy is reaching out to those whose sites were compromised, and reminds customers to be vigilant about updating all software in their hosting account. Though we understand this issue is frustrating, Go Daddy believes the situation is moving in the right direction. We have identified —and are attempting to work with — the key service providers the attackers are using, are are collaborating with the authorities to ensure the individuals will be prosecuted. WordPress Exploit Update 5/7/2010 A new wave of attacks aimed at compromising websites running outdated versions of online applications, such as WordPress, recently hit numerous Internet hosting providers. The bottom-line resolution is to be sure you have the most up-to-date versions of all applications installed on your hosting account. Customers who were once impacted, but have cleaned and updated all of their sites to the latest version, are no longer having issues. Countdown to Elections - The Void Deck: Reform Party M&A Happening Right Now! - Trapper’s Swamp: There may be hope yet - Times They Are A-Changin’: Just for Laugh - Seelan Palay: Raising us up the PAP way (Video) - ST Forum: TV debates: Style and substance not mutually exclusive - ST Forum: How TV debates make a difference We are against capital punishment - magnezium: Responding to the Minister’s comments on the mandatory death penalty - Mathia Lee: Death Penalty – Are we trading off justice for real deterrence? - Thinker, Writer, Magus, Man: Shanmugam’s Slippery Slope - groundnotes: Fuzzy Logic On The Death Penalty - Rachel Zeng: Result of the appeal of Yong Vui Kong to be heard this coming Friday - SpotlightOnSingapore: Capital punishment in Singapore for drug-related offences. - My Very Own Glob: Dear Law Minister Mother Tongue - Singapore Life and Times: Knowing the language is important - ST Forum: Learning a language: Get priorities right - ST Forum: Help kids love, not loathe, mother tongue CPF - Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: The Long Shadow of Ideology — An Examination of the Political Thinking Behind Singapore’s CPF Scheme Little Green Dot - Readings From A Political Duo-ble: Singapore – worst polluter per capita Daily Discourse - Barnyard Chorus: Sisters in Solidarity & online petition. Life, the universe and everything - Unraveling Singapore: Can I Have My Personal Space? - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: The wonders of washing hands - blankanvas: the media kit for your blog Infoblogoramus - XinYun @ SG: Events: IMD 2010 Open House Selected News Stories - AFP: Sand exports to Singapore harm Cambodia: watchdog - Telegraph: Singapore tops the table for overseas degrees - ST Forum: Do more to protect shareholders of delisted firms - BBC: China seeks to tame property boom - PayScale: Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary Daily SG: 10 May 2010 Countdown to Elections - Chemical Generation Singapore: Go. Stop. Go? Alliance between the Reform Party- Singapore Democratic Alliance - Sgpolitics.net: Proposed Reform Party-SDA alliance called off for now - Singapore Recalcitrant: A Premonition of Opposition Disintegration? - TOC: Reform Party’s renewal - Yawning Bread: Reform Party unveils six election candidates - TOC: Reclaiming our political space - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Are Singaporeans better off than they were 4 years ago? - Yawning Bread: Effects of recent electoral changes Mother Tongue - Yawning Bread: Mother-tongue conservatives voice existential fears - guanyinmiao’s musings: Evaluating Singapore’s “Bilingualism” - The Itche To Write: Lowering Weightage of Chinese language - ST Forum: EVERY pupil I know requires private tuition in Chinese. - ST Forum: Irony of learning ‘mother tongue’ Homeless in Stingypore - TOC: The holistic approach to eradicating homelessness Housing Singaporeans - TOC: HDB’s classic non-answer - Yours Truly Singapore: New HDB flats still affordable: Mah Strangers in a Strange Land - Singapore Dino: Philip Yeo’s obsession with foreigners ERPains, Trains & Automobiles - Yawning Bread Sampler: New taxi surcharge is price-fixing Singapore Coloring - Flying Low: Just say Malays are lazy Religion - New Asia Republic: Why I am an atheist - Sze Zeng: Kong Hee & co. are into plagiarism? [Thanks GG] The Beautiful Game - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: SingTel & Starhub secured World Cup broadcast rights - Singaporean Skeptic: Singaporeans overpay for everything. Daily Discourse - The Temasek Review: Employee Voice: the context of Singapore’s labour movement - funny little world: Singapore = Arts hub? Srsly? - Mathia Lee: Beyond Freedom: Dignity Life, the universe and everything - EcoWalktheTalk: Making Singapore a Sustainable City: Concept Plan 2011 A focus group on the issue of “Sustainability and Identity” wrt Concept Plan 2011 is seeking feedback from the public on its draft proposals. If you are interested in Singapore’s land use and transportation plans over the next 40-50 years (which you should!), please give your feedback to the Focus Group. Thanks Bhavani. Selected News Stories - The Star: Planning for stable staples - CEPR: What’s the “We” Jazz, Thomas Friedman? - MintLife: Moody Markets: What Happens When a Nation’s Debt is Graded as Junk? - Visual Economics: How Countries Spend Their Money - GE: Home Appliance Energy Use Weekly Roundup: Week 19 “…he felt like he “was talking to an agent of MOH and not a reporter of a newspaper.”” Ravi Philemon We need minds to be humble and reflexive, and able to understand the implications of their privileges and actions in a multi-valued society.” Sam Ho “It is a common weakness: victors ascribing moral superiority to themselves.” Yawning Bread “I ache for our future, because today will never change.” Jeremy Chua Jiakai This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break. Countdown to Elections - The Temasek Review: Will the NCMP Scheme Be Truly Representative of The Opposition Voice? - Singapore Alternatives: GRC, NCMP vs Proportionate Representation - TOC: NSP’s sec-gen will not take up NCMP seat - The Grand Moofti Speaks: Does my MP live in Woodlands? - The Asia File: British TV debates making waves in Southeast Asia - ST Forum: Are they well thought out? - Yawning Bread: An elastic band here, a clothes peg there, part [1] [2] - Chemical Generation Singapore: NCMP – The Gauntlet Perhaps Left Unpicked on the Floor - Singapore Alternatives: CNA Talking Point: NCMP Scheme - guanyinmiao’s musings: Election Debates In Singapore: Beyond The Gloss - Trapper’s Swamp: “Politics is not only for old people” - ST Forum: Media should observe cooling-off rules - choongyong.com: Applied for Police Permit - TOC: Good news about jobs almost everyday, really? - Trapper’s Swamp: A Simple Majority Is Enough, Continued - Want some tau huay?: ‘Run by young people for young people’ - TOC: Reform Party seeking alliance with SDA - Sgpolitics.net: Demanding transparency and accountability from the opposition Homeless in Stingypore - TOC: TOC’s response (Part Two) – A “tidy sum”? - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Minister Balakrishnan scolds Al Jazeera and bloggers …Part 2 - guanyinmiao’s musings: The Al Jazeera Saga: Who’s Calling Who Out? - Trapper’s Swamp: More stenography from TODAY - TOC: My clarification on the Al-Jazeera issue - FOOD fuels me to talk: Homelessness & homes in S’pore - Kaffein-nated: MCYS = ARMY? - Stupid Genius: Homeless in Singapore UN Spec Rap Raps SG - Singapore Kopi Tok: Muigai, Mugai, Why You Like That? - Simy TC: Response to ‘Tak Boleh Tahan on his/her comment on the article ‘ Certain ethnic groups marginalised by government policies, UN expert says’ in TOC [Thanks lary] - Free Malaysia Today: Human rights lessons from Singapore - Flying Low: Just a quick one - Times They Are A-Changin’: Isn’t GRC system affirmative action? - ST Forum: UN official’s remarks Re education - Sam’s thoughts: Singapore Sex Education: It’s not just about sex [Recommended] - Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: Sexual Education: Where to draw the lines? - Flying Low: Sex Education in Schools - TOC: A sore lack of trained sexuality educators in Singapore - TOC: Government grossly under-budgeted for special needs education - New Asia Republic: Four out of six MOE sex-ed vendors are Christian organisations [Recommended] - Sam’s thoughts: Sexuality Education for Multi-valued Singapore - Illusio: MOE and sex ed: let the culture war begin! [Recommended] - Trapper’s Swamp: If it’s convenient, it must be right, continued Housing Singaporeans - Boleh! Boleh!: Is HDB flats really affordable? - Singapore Dino: The Sunday Times’ subtle criticism of Mah Bow Tan? - Boston Experiance: Public housing in Singapore - Yawning Bread: Mah Bow Tan exposes reason for low birthrate - Who Moved My Singapore Cheese: Property agents talking up the resale market Strangers in a Strange Land - The Grand Moofti Speaks: Foreign workers, English and the Singapore – Malaysia special relationship - Sex sells, so does Politics: Did Singapore just imported more hookers? - The Temasek Review: PR: An invited guest who acts like a host! Ministars: Get Rich or Die Tryin’ - TOC: Better benchmark needed for Ministers’ salaries CPF - TOC: CPF restoration: Good or bad news? Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Healthcare burden worsens inequality in Singapore. - Trapper’s Swamp: Universal healthcare coverage Singapore Coloring - TOC: Group wants “race” removed from NRIC GIC, Temasek State Funds Investments - TOC: GIC / Temasek — What is the best way forward? Sin City Singapore - The Asia File: Some worrying early signs for Singapore’s casinos - WIT at TheTransitCafe: Lawyers and construction site do not mix, as MBS finds out Religion - Irreligious: When intra-faith harmony can harm inter-faith harmony - New Asia Republic: Speak Up or Be Spoken For! [Recommended] Labour Day 2010 - Gerald Giam: Workers’ Party Labour Day Message 2010 - Singapore Alternatives: [NSP] May Day Message 2010 - Jacob 69er: {Videos} Labour Day Picnic @ Hong Lim Park - TOC: Reform Party outlines its labour policies in May Day message - Yaw Shin Leong: Do Your Part For Singapore Daily Discourse - Singapore Recalcitrant: Is Straits Times a government mouthpiece? - Barnyard Chorus: China One outright discrimination against transgender Marla Bendini. - Civic Advocator: Should competitive TKD for kids be limited? - Irreligious: Boobquake - New Asia Republic: ASEAN’s Readiness in Achieving the ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Prospects and Challenges - Seelan Palay’s Blog: The Charade Of Meritocracy in Singapore - funny little world: A person is not a commodity. [Recommended] - Singapore Dino: Al Jazeera investigates Malaysian press freedom: Parallels with Singapore? - Sgpolitics.net: The case for a minimum wage - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Penang and Selangor pursue FOI (Freedom of Information) Act - TOC: Burma on the brink of civil war - The Sun Shines on Singapore: The New US Ambassador - Carpe Diem: Singapore cuts funds to theatre company - The Temasek Review: Why are PAP leaders so intolerant of criticisms? - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore Talking? Still A Long Way To Go (Part 2) - Trapper’s Swamp: Just one of those things that won’t go away - Yawning Bread: Entry to clubs “on the basis of … testicles” - TOC: Are more Singaporeans financially stressed? - The Temasek Review: Pushing for Freedom of Information laws in Singapore - It’s all about Amelioration: The Free Market Rhetoric.. - Fridae.com: Transgender women in Singapore launch campaign to end discrimination Life, the universe and everything - TOC: One year on, AWARE ‘reinvigorated’ since saga, says president - flaneurose: The flaneur’s guide to dining alone - Balderdash: Singapore: world capital of the city-dormitory (Part 2) - Open Contours: Politics is Theatre - motochan: Kampong Buangkok: Last Village of Singapore - The Lycan Times: 2 years after a traffic accident… - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: YOG Cheer #1 – You Are The One Singapore - For Want of a Better Title: The Internet: Perfectly suited for Singaporean Culture - ambiguity: For her friends, family, acquaintances… - Rachel Zeng: On euthanasia - pinkdot.sg: Brother to brother: Standing by your family through the tough times - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Internet might fail on 5th May 2010 (6th May for those in Singapore) - Chemical Generation Singapore: Humanitarian Affairs 101 - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Choose a good security question for your online services - Loh and Behold: Hanoi’s Most Prominent Clown, Bobby Chinn Infoblogoramus - TOC: Can young S’poreans afford public housing in S’pore today? - SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 1-8 May Daily SG: 7 May 2010 Sometime this afternoon, we were hacked and some malicious code was inserted into the template. I’ve just managed to stop the script from running. I’m going to clean things up and upgrade my host server so it doesn’t happen again. If you see anything suspicious, don’t click anything, just close your browser and you’ll be fine. Thanks to everyone who sent in emails to alert us. Our sincere apologies to everyone :( g Countdown to Elections - TOC: Reform Party seeking alliance with SDA - Sgpolitics.net: Demanding transparency and accountability from the opposition Re education - Illusio: MOE and sex ed: let the culture war begin! - Trapper’s Swamp: If it’s convenient, it must be right, continued Sin City Singapore - The Asia File: Some worrying early signs for Singapore’s casinos - WIT at TheTransitCafe: Lawyers and construction site do not mix, as MBS finds out Homeless in Stingypore - Stupid Genius: Homeless in Singapore Strangers in a Strange Land - The Temasek Review: PR: An invited guest who acts like a host! Daily Discourse - TOC: Are more Singaporeans financially stressed? - The Temasek Review: Pushing for Freedom of Information laws in Singapore - It’s all about Amelioration: The Free Market Rhetoric.. - Fridae.com: Transgender women in Singapore launch campaign to end discrimination Life, the universe and everything - Chemical Generation Singapore: Humanitarian Affairs 101 - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Choose a good security question for your online services - Loh and Behold: Hanoi’s Most Prominent Clown, Bobby Chinn Selected News Stories - Asia Sentinel: Early Glitches for Singapore’s Casinos - BBC: UK Election - New Asia Republic: The global crisis of legitimacy - Paul Krugman: Greek End Game - Felix Salmon: How a market crashes - DealBook: What Any Goldman Settlement Might Entail - NYT: Newsweek on Block as Era of the Newsweekly Fades - Free Money finance: The Capital to Income Ratio - For the Record: Honoring Free Expression Online - Visual Economics: Healthcare Costs Around the World - Cellphones.org: How a Cell Phone Call Works - The Consumerist: How Rich Are You, Really? Daily ChioBu: Yuko Ogura Yuko Ogura 小倉優子 is one of Japan’s most popular gravure idols and actresses with Japanese entertainment agency Avilla. Born in Mobara, Chiba (1 Nov 1983), Yuko had the ambition of becoming a ballet dancer and began taking ballet lessons after school at a very young age. Unfortunately a leg injury forced her to abandon her training. When she left school, a friend suggested she audition for gravure work and when she did she was accepted immediately. On 17 July 2008, Sankei Newspaper’s entertainment website ZakZak awarded Yuko Ogura their first ever Gravure Idol Award. To date, Yuko Ogura has released or participated in over 60 idol videos. She is also well known for singing the theme song "Onno no Ko/Otoko no Ko" of hit anime School Rumble. Pictures from Yuko Ogura’s photobook Double Fantasy (released 2008) after the break. (NSFW) Yuko Ogura – Onna no Ko Otoko no Ko Yuko Ogura Double Fantasy Daily SG: 6 May 2010 Countdown to Elections - TOC: Good news about jobs almost everyday, really? - Trapper’s Swamp: A Simple Majority Is Enough, Continued - Want some tau huay?: ‘Run by young people for young people’ GIC, Temasek State Funds Investments - TOC: GIC / Temasek — What is the best way forward? Re education - Sam’s thoughts: Sexuality Education for Multi-valued Singapore Religion - New Asia Republic: Speak Up or Be Spoken For! Daily Discourse - Carpe Diem: Singapore cuts funds to theatre company - The Temasek Review: Why are PAP leaders so intolerant of criticisms? - guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore Talking? Still A Long Way To Go (Part 2) - Trapper’s Swamp: Just one of those things that won’t go away - Yawning Bread: Entry to clubs “on the basis of … testicles” Life, the universe and everything - ambiguity: For her friends, family, acquaintances… - Rachel Zeng: On euthanasia - pinkdot.sg: Brother to brother: Standing by your family through the tough times - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Internet might fail on 5th May 2010 (6th May for those in Singapore) Selected News Stories - Bernama: Singaporeans ‘Wait And See’ Before Investing In Iskandar Malaysia - SMH: Singapore wishes Indonesian investigation into corruption wasn’t happening - The Economist: Singapore’s gamble - NYT: Housing Shortage Makes Australia Ask if It Is Full - paidContent: Traditional Ways Of Judging ‘Quality’ In Published Content Are Now Useless - NYT The Lede: Video and Tweets From Athens - Guardian: Sleeping for less than six hours may cause early death, study finds Daily SG: 5 May 2010 Countdown to Elections - choongyong.com: Applied for Police Permit Strangers in a Strange Land - The Grand Moofti Speaks: Foreign workers, English and the Singapore – Malaysia special relationship - Sex sells, so does Politics: Did Singapore just imported more hookers? Singapore Coloring - TOC: Group wants “race” removed from NRIC Re education - New Asia Republic: Four out of six MOE sex-ed vendors are Christian organisations Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - Trapper’s Swamp: Universal healthcare coverage Ministars: Get Rich or Die Tryin’ - TOC: Better benchmark needed for Ministers’ salaries Religion - Irreligious: When intra-faith harmony can harm inter-faith harmony Daily Discourse - Sgpolitics.net: The case for a minimum wage - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Penang and Selangor pursue FOI (Freedom of Information) Act - TOC: Burma on the brink of civil war - The Sun Shines on Singapore: The New US Ambassador Selected News Stories - AFP: Amateur bloggers spice up Singapore’s food scene - RATATHOTA.com: Unchallenged governments can’t deliver? The democracy versus dictatorship debate - NYT: Smoking Car to an Arrest in 53 Hours - FoxBusiness: Goldman Settlement Talks Imminent - Reuters: Mothers in Norway, Australia have best lives, Afghanistan worst - Reuters: UK study shows 94 percent fish stock fall since 1889 - Mail Online: STEPHEN HAWKING: How to build a time machine - NYT Opinionator: Ethics for Extraterrestrials - NYT: A Sampling of Chinglish [pictures] Daily SG: 4 May 2010 Countdown to Elections - Yawning Bread: An elastic band here, a clothes peg there, part [1] [2] - Chemical Generation Singapore: NCMP – The Gauntlet Perhaps Left Unpicked on the Floor - Singapore Alternatives: CNA Talking Point: NCMP Scheme - guanyinmiao’s musings: Election Debates In Singapore: Beyond The Gloss - Trapper’s Swamp: “Politics is not only for old people” - ST Forum: Media should observe cooling-off rules Housing Singaporeans - Boston Experiance: Public housing in Singapore - Yawning Bread: Mah Bow Tan exposes reason for low birthrate - Who Moved My Singapore Cheese: Property agents talking up the resale market Homeless in Stingypore - FOOD fuels me to talk: Homelessness & homes in S’pore - Kaffein-nated: MCYS = ARMY? UN Spec Rap Raps SG - Flying Low: Just a quick one - Times They Are A-Changin’: Isn’t GRC system affirmative action? - ST Forum: UN official’s remarks Healthcare & Healthcare Providers - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Healthcare burden worsens inequality in Singapore. Labour Day 2010 - TOC: Reform Party outlines its labour policies in May Day message - Yaw Shin Leong: Do Your Part For Singapore Daily Discourse - Seelan Palay’s Blog: The Charade Of Meritocracy in Singapore - funny little world: A person is not a commodity. - Singapore Dino: Al Jazeera investigates Malaysian press freedom: Parallels with Singapore? Life, the universe and everything - The Lycan Times: 2 years after a traffic accident… - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: YOG Cheer #1 – You Are The One Singapore - For Want of a Better Title: The Internet: Perfectly suited for Singaporean Culture Selected News Stories - Seeking Alpha: The Roar of an Asian Tiger: On Singapore’s Rapid Growth - BBC: Farming fish in Singapore self-sufficiency drive - New Asia Republic: Common sense from an uncommon economist - NYT: Asian Cities Put Up Welcome Signs for Big-Spending Business Meetings - Asina Sentinel: The challenge and promise of World Press Freedom - Asia Pacific Voices: Should SEA Think Nuclear? - Mother Jones: Did Goldman’s Ex-Mortgage Guru Lie Under Oath? - Reuters: Modern Etiquette: Compliment or crawling? How to get it right - Lens: From Many Instants, a Moment Daily SG: 3 May 2010 Countdown to Elections - The Temasek Review: Will the NCMP Scheme Be Truly Representative of The Opposition Voice? - Singapore Alternatives: GRC, NCMP vs Proportionate Representation - TOC: NSP’s sec-gen will not take up NCMP seat - The Grand Moofti Speaks: Does my MP live in Woodlands? - The Asia File: British TV debates making waves in Southeast Asia - ST Forum: Are they well thought out? Homeless in Stingypore - TOC: TOC’s response (Part Two) – A “tidy sum”? - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Minister Balakrishnan scolds Al Jazeera and bloggers …Part 2 - guanyinmiao’s musings: The Al Jazeera Saga: Who’s Calling Who Out? - Trapper’s Swamp: More stenography from TODAY - TOC: My clarification on the Al-Jazeera issue UN Spec Rap Raps SG - Singapore Kopi Tok: Muigai, Mugai, Why You Like That? - Simy TC: Response to ‘Tak Boleh Tahan on his/her comment on the article ‘ Certain ethnic groups marginalised by government policies, UN expert says’ in TOC [Thanks lary] - Free Malaysia Today: Human rights lessons from Singapore Re education - Sam’s thoughts: Singapore Sex Education: It’s not just about sex - Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker: Sexual Education: Where to draw the lines? - Flying Low: Sex Education in Schools - TOC: A sore lack of trained sexuality educators in Singapore - TOC: Government grossly under-budgeted for special needs education Housing Singaporeans - Boleh! Boleh!: Is HDB flats really affordable? - Singapore Dino: The Sunday Times’ subtle criticism of Mah Bow Tan? CPF - TOC: CPF restoration: Good or bad news? Labour Day 2010 - Gerald Giam: Workers’ Party Labour Day Message 2010 - Singapore Alternatives: [NSP] May Day Message 2010 - Jacob 69er: {Videos} Labour Day Picnic @ Hong Lim Park Daily Discourse - Singapore Recalcitrant: Is Straits Times a government mouthpiece? - Barnyard Chorus: China One outright discrimination against transgender Marla Bendini. - Civic Advocator: Should competitive TKD for kids be limited? - Irreligious: Boobquake - New Asia Republic: ASEAN’s Readiness in Achieving the ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Prospects and Challenges Life, the universe and everything - TOC: One year on, AWARE ‘reinvigorated’ since saga, says president - flaneurose: The flaneur’s guide to dining alone - Balderdash: Singapore: world capital of the city-dormitory (Part 2) - Open Contours: Politics is Theatre - motochan: Kampong Buangkok: Last Village of Singapore Infoblogoramus - TOC: Can young S’poreans afford public housing in S’pore today? - SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 1-8 May Selected News Stories - The Star: The chase is on for big ticket items - MSN Money: World’s highest paid politicians - NYT: Myanmar Junta Members Go Civilian - The New Tork Review of Books: China: Humiliation & the Olympics - NYT: Google and Government Monitoring - NYT The Lede: Video Highlights of the Final British Debate - GOOD: ‘What the Volcano Can Teach Us About Nuclear War - Room for Debate: Should Laws Push for Organ Donation? - Plog Photo Blog: Captured: A Look Back at the Vietnam War on the 35th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon - Guardian: Models [nude] pose for Spencer Tunick in Peel Park, Salford - Guardian: Shanghai Expo 2010 opening ceremony Weekly Roundup: Week 18 “What they are blind to see is that money cannot a real nation make.” yaevlejunce “The PAP should not only tolerate disruption, disturbance and disorder, but for their own survival, encourage it.” Catherine Lim “If you want the public to form a different opinion, you have to give them the reason to change that opinion. After all, this is what public opinion is all about.” Tan Kin Lian “Treat these people humanely. They’re not sub-humans to be herded around, put to work like plow animals and then penned up at night.” Brad Farless “Hardly anyone calls these xenophobic people out for their horribly prejudiced and hurtful behaviour and we all quietly support them with our silence.” Flying Low “..using the information collected about one homeless couple to dismiss the issues of all homeless families is a weak and juvenile stand.” Callan Tham This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break. Countdown to Elections - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: What the next General Election is about.. [Recommended] - TOC: MPs’ views ahead of parliamentary debate full of hot air - The Asia File: Singapore opposition politician sells flat to contest election - Sgpolitics.net: Young Democrats keep up campaign at Bukit Panjang - The Itch To Write: Vote 18 Campaign - I’m getting personal: Singapore Youth Parliament - ST Forum: Have TV debates before election - Chill Out: On UK PM Elections Debates - TOC: GRCs and gerrymandering – the root causes of problems: Sylvia Lim - Gerald Giam’s Blog: Parliament is not a Feedback Unit, says Sylvia Lim - The Temasek Review: Time for the Singapore opposition to go for the juggernaut in the next General Election - The Anti Neo-Democracy Theorist: NCMPs and NMPs; Structural Limitations or Liberating Agents? - The Kent Ridge Common: Beware of the NCMP Trap - Thinker, Writer, Magus, Man: Beyond words [Recommended] - Musings From the Lion City: The NCMP Scheme - Trapper’s Swamp: Are hollow arguments, noise? - Want some tau huay?: Tyrannical government at it’s best - The Asia File: Singapore and the perils of political domination - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Cooling off day - Feed Me To The Fish: Botox or Bollocks or Both? - Trapper’s Swamp: Sylvia Lim and her NCMP experience - The Temasek Review: The PAP’s greatest fear: An aware, active and adversarial citizenry - Trapper’s Swamp: Good news, bad news? - News Asia Republic: Parliament is not an Opposition MP incubator, says NMP Calvin Cheng - Times They Are A-Changin’: Too Good To Be True? - The Kent Ridge Common: Edelman Statistic based only on 200 respondents - Singapore Recalcitrant: Can there be a level playing field? - The Lycan Times: Short Takes - TOC: NMP speaks up against restriction of non-mainstream opinions - Trapper’s Swamp: Follow-up to “Good news, bad news?” - Orenji Kun: Don’t Blame the Leaders [Thanks Orenji] Re education - Siew Kum Hong: Politics and policy-making [Recommended] - Want some tau huay?: Polytechnics vs Junior Colleges: Will the debate ever end? - Gimme Some Truth: Moments When You Curse Your Singaporean Education [Thanks Alastair] - The Lycan Times: Priority to JC Students for University? - Vinyarb: MOE disinvites hearing impaired teacher to conference - Trapper’s Swamp: This is nothing short of shameful, continued - Gimme Some Truth: MOE’s apology leaves vital questions unanswered - ST Forum: Different forms of sign language explained - Sex sells, so does Politics: MOE reinvited Susan Elliott and apologised for not knowing her well enough! - Sex sells, so does Politics: The truth behind why MOE is reducing weightage of mother tongue in PSLE Strangers in a Strange Land - Yaevlejunce Pilgrimage: The solution to a leaking tank is NOT to add more water. - Kaffein-nated: Here’s looking at you, Singapore - TOC: Degree-holders easier to get retrenched. True? - The Temasek Review: PMETs see largest increase in number of workers made redundant - Unraveling Singapore: The Serangoon Gardens Worker Detention Facility [Recommended] - TOC: Overreaction? Or under-reaction on issues that matter? - TOC: Certain ethnic groups marginalised by government policies, UN expert says - Flying Low: Because foreign workers aren’t really human - The Temasek Review: Singaporeans having “integration” forced down their throats by the PAP Housing Singaporeans - Yours Truly Singapore: On keeping public housing affordable - My Little Corner: Why the figures show HDB is affordable - ST Forum: Worry over ’stretch’ valuations - Blowin’ In The Wind: The Singapore alternative Homeless in Stingypore - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Minister Balakrishnan scolds Al Jazeera and bloggers - TOC: Al Jazeera responds to Vivian Balakrishnan’s accusations - TOC: TOC’s response to remarks by MCYS minister – Part One - funny little world: The productivity of the MCYS. - Sgpolitics.net: No lack of sophistry from the government concerning the homeless - Trapper’s Swamp: Why oh why can’t we have a better press corps? - Musings From the Lion City: A Poor Rebuttal - Want some tau huay?: Come on, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, what’s the real story? - journalism.sg: Government not a fan of Al Jazeera – but denies censoring it - Asia Calling: Singapore Homelessness ERPains, Trains & Automobiles - department of crappy engineering: pay by displacement - Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Subsidy for public transport - My sketchbook: Lower fares for public transport - ST Forum: What’s lacking in new fare system - Kaffein-nated: When size and distance do NOT matter for a Little Red Dot - ST Forum: How will change affect seniors? UN Spec Rap Raps SG - The Sun Shines on Singapore: How Much Affirmative Action? [Thanks thesun] - The Asia File: UN envoy’s Singapore visit ends in row [Thanks Ben] - Blowin’ In The Wind: UN human rights official raps Singapore - Balderdash: Singaporeans will forever be infantile - Earth Times News: UN official urges Singapore to ensure human rights for migrants Opposition meets UN Special Rapporteur - journaism.sg: Activists tell UN that racial harmony here is a media myth - Singaporeans for Democracy: SFD written submission to UN Special Rapporteur - Jacob 69er: {Photos} SFD meeting with UN Special Rapporteur on Racism - I’m getting personal: Discrimination in Singapore is institutionalised - Jacob 69er: ‘I want to remove Race from my IC’ advocacy campaign Signapore Coloring - TOC: Why associate race with sports? CPF - TOC: CPF has worked well for Singaporeans’ retirement? Gahmen and New Real Media - TOC: Astroturfing — stamp it out The elite uncaring face - Civic Advocator: Antidote to the oft unwitting elitism Lee vs Chee - Yawning Bread: The procession that wasn’t, or was it? - Sgpolitics.net: SDP calls on High Court to look into PAP abuse of the law Religion - Chemical Generation Singapore: An Anglican Leader For A Time Such As This? - Mathia Lee: What we can learn from the Catholic Scandal - Irreligious: My impression of New Creation Church - Irreligious: Singaporeans: Apathetic about inter-faith dialogue? - Mathia Lee: Gay is NOT = Paedophile - Irreligious: Four out of six sex ed vendors are Christian organisations Daily Discourse - catherinelim.sg: The Dirtiest Words In The PAP Vocabulary [Thanks Gerald] - funny little world: Be gracious, or else… - TOC: Give up your seat – CCTVs are watching - AngryAngMo: How Singapore Failed the Vulcano – A story of greed - New Asia Republic: Nuclear option a necessity for Singapore - Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Public Opinion on the Mainstream Media - It’s all about Amelioration: Banking Shenanigans [Thanks Nabs] - Cooler Insights: How to Manage “Gen Y” Workers - Singapore Sports Fan Says: My take on Loh Lin Kok asking Subhas Anandan to run for the SAA presidency - Writing-Yoga-Living With Dogs: More Shit on Singapore’s Stand on Sharks Fins.. - Wild Shores of Singapore: Dredging and massive reclamation next to Labrador until Oct 10 - Seelan Palay’s Blog: An Opinion about Singaporean Business Culture - New Asia Republic: Singapore joins IAEA board this September - Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: A social democracy - Singapore Law Watch: Police sought Google user info [2010] 23 Apr_ST - TOC: Never mind what the people think - still me: Oi! Cheebye! Be moderate can??? - ST Forum: Have Singaporeans arrived? - It’s all about Amelioration: Singapore for Singaporeans [Thanks Nabs] - Trapper’s Swamp: A simple majority is enough - Tribolum.com: Singapore is more than just PAP - Sgpolitics.net: SDP’s May Day message 2010 Life, the universe and everything - still me: Game theory and the job market – why it never pays to be honest in the interview - New Asia Republic: Transitioning from a salaried worker to a student - ambiguity: Further Analysis - Aussie Pete: Lest We Forget - ANZAC Day 2010, Singapore - Balderdash: Singapore: world capital of the city-dormitory (Part 1) - TOC: Director Ivan Heng of W!ld Rice on his Animal Farm - Cooler Insights: Earth Movie Review - Spectacular and Sobering - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: You can’t make fun of Hitler on Youtube anymore - Mindblogging Stuff: How to pronounce Eyjafjallajokull - Subba’s Serendipitous moments: The push and pull models – Not business models, but a mindset! - a day in the life of a BE@RBRICK: Singapore: The Helix Bridge & Marina Bay Sands - pinkdot.sg: From son to daughter: A Singaporean family’s transformation - Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Market in panic and the real dangers ahead.. - EDMW: Profitable Group - is it credible? [Thanks BT] - Imagethief: Report from Singapore. The short life and long death of Games Online [via FOOD fuels me to tallk] - Wah Lau Blog by Maik: Malaysia vs. Singapore - FOOD fuels me to talk: Cowboys in Paradise? Infoblogoramus - Rachel Zeng: Labour Day Picnic - SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 24 Apr-1 May - Midnight Monkey Monitor: Workshop on Cruel “Animal Liberation” - Moving Higher In Souped-up Heuristically Agon Moment: Call for Film Submissions - Seelan Palay’s Blog: Labour Day Picnic @ Speakers Corner - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: VOILAH!!!! Daily SG: 30 Apr 2010 Homeless in Stingypore - TOC: TOC’s response to remarks by MCYS minister – Part One - funny little world: The productivity of the MCYS. - Sgpolitics.net: No lack of sophistry from the government concerning the homeless - Trapper’s Swamp: Why oh why can’t we have a better press corps? - Musings From the Lion City: A Poor Rebuttal - Want some tau huay?: Come on, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, what’s the real story? - journalism.sg: Government not a fan of Al Jazeera – but denies censoring it - Asia Calling: Singapore Homelessness UN Spec Rap Raps SG - The Sun Shines on Singapore: How Much Affirmative Action? [Thanks thesun] - The Asia File: UN envoy’s Singapore visit ends in row [Thanks Ben] - Blowin’ In The Wind: UN human rights official raps Singapore - Balderdash: Singaporeans will forever be infantile - Earth Times News: UN official urges Singapore to ensure human rights for migrants Countdown to Elections - Singapore Recalcitrant: Can there be a level playing field? - The Lycan Times: Short Takes - TOC: NMP speaks up against restriction of non-mainstream opinions - Trapper’s Swamp: Follow-up to “Good news, bad news?” - Orenji Kun: Don’t Blame the Leaders [Thanks Orenji] Strangers in a Strange Land - The Temasek Review: Singaporeans having “integration” forced down their throats by the PAP ERPains, Trains & Automobiles - Kaffein-nated: When size and distance do NOT matter for a Little Red Dot - ST Forum: How will change affect seniors? Re education - Sex sells, so does Politics: The truth behind why MOE is reducing weightage of mother tongue in PSLE Religion - Irreligious: Four out of six sex ed vendors are Christian organisations Daily Discourse - It’s all about Amelioration: Singapore for Singaporeans [Thanks Nabs] - Trapper’s Swamp: A simple majority is enough - Tribolum.com: Singapore is more than just PAP - Sgpolitics.net: SDP’s May Day message 2010 Life, the universe and everything - FOOD fuels me to talk: Cowboys in Paradise? Infoblogoramus - Dee Kay Dot As Gee: VOILAH!!!! Selected News Stories - My SinChew: Indonesia chafes at graft ’safe haven’ in Singapore - Bloomberg: GE, Siemens Gain From Singapore Push to Tap Global Water Market - Reuters: Asia’s couture craving feeds Singapore’s haute hopes - Global Voices: Southeast Asia: Good Governance Advocacy via Technology - Bloomberg: I’ll Tell You When Chinese Bubble Is About to Burst: Andy Xie - NYT: What’s Next for Goldman Sachs? - Reuters: Global press freedom eroded in 2009: survey - Time: The 2010 TIME 100