The Stupid Shitty-Porean Award

The World This Week

– that even with the additional American troops likely to be deployed in Baghdad under Warmonger Bush’s new war strategy, it may take another ‘two or three years’ for American and Iraqi forces to gain the upper hand in the war, according to the new American operational commander in Iraq. Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno assumed day-to-day command of war operations last month in the first step of a makeover of the American military hierarchy in Iraq. In his first lengthy meeting with reporters, the 52-year-old general struck a cautious note about American prospects, saying much would depend on whether commanders could show enough progress to stem eroding support in the U.S. for the war. (2 or 3 years is almost right. The next President will most likely pull troops out of Iraq anyway.)

– that Warmonger Bush’s announcement that he will pour more troops into Iraq was the last throw of the dice in a misconceived enterprise that has dragged his country, Britain and the Middle East into a nightmare. The package includes 17,500 more combat troops for Baghdad and 4,000 more marines for Anbar province, the cockpit of the Sunni insurgency. Over US$1 billion will be spent in economic aid. In return, the Iraqis are to promise to crackdown on insurgents, regardless of sect or religion. (Just do the right thing and pull the troops out. Let the Iraqis settle their own sectarian differences by killing one another. The rest of the world should just stand back and watch nonchalantly.)

– that Hanoi Jane took the stage for her first anti-war demonstration in 34 years as thousands massed in Washington to demand that Congress cut off funds for the Iraq war. “I haven’t spoken at an anti-war rally for 34 years,” said Hanoi Jane, whose visit to Hanoi in 1972 outraged many pro-war Americans and damaged her reputation as an actress. “But silence is no longer an option,” she said to cheering protesters. (* Yawn * The American people’s silence is not an option. Yours is, Hanoi Jane. That is, if you have any shame at all!)

– that Hugo Chavez plans a new ‘luxury’ tax on everything from second homes to art collections, and the rich will undoubtedly feel the pinch. (That’s what the GST should be all about if it is really meant to help the lower income.)

– that an ‘Islamic’ cleric’s mockery of the convict ancestry of many white Australians met Friday with a mixture of amusement and anger from the gover-min.John Howard laughed off the jibe by the controversial Mufti of Australia, Sheikh Shit Taj Aldin al-Hilali, but some of his ministers suggested the cleric should leave the country. “The Anglo-Saxons arrived in Australia in shackles. We [Muslims] came as free people. We bought our own tickets. We are entitled to Australia more than they are,” he said. (Right. But not the present generation, you fxxking a**hole. Above which, the Aborigines probably have got more entitlement to Australia than you freaking fundamentalist swines.)

– that Mahmoud Mahbouk Ahmadinejad is in danger of losing the next election due to a greater than ever housing shortage crisis in Iran, especially among the poor and the young, according to a new study. Meir Javedanfar, Iran analyst at Meepas, an Israeli-based independent political and economic analysis company, says in a study published in the current issue of Iran-Pulse that it is now almost impossible for young Teheranis to purchase a home without financial assistance from their parents. (Why would he? It is already impossible for young Singaporeans to purchase a house without financial assistance – i.e. a loan – and do you see the Tali-PAP losing an election?)

– that the execution of Saddam Hussein was rushed to prevent the him from revealing facts that could compromise the U.S., former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov said. Saddam was executed in an ‘unexpected’ way so ‘he could not have the last word’ and reveal compromising information on the relationship between the U.S. and his former regime, the veteran diplomat said on television. If Saddam ‘had said everything’, ‘the U.S. President would have been greatly embarrassed’, said Mr Primakov. (Intriguing, but Saddam could still have written a diary and passed it to his lawyers to reveal everything. The ‘Unpublished Diaries of Saddam Hussein’ would definitely be a greater hit than that crap from O.J. Simpson.)

– that U.S. forces raided an Iranian consulate in northern Iraq, arresting five diplomats and staff and taking computers and files. The raid, and a buildup of U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, indicate that the Bush administration is ignoring the advice of the Iraq Study Group (ISG) to reach out to the two neighbors to help quell the violence in Iraq. (Is Warmonger trying to bring on World War III? It is fortunate that there’s only 2 years left in his term.)

– that Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan have become an accepted haven for al Qaeda lea-duhs such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, a senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN. That’s not a formal assessment, the official said, but a growing view by U.S. intelligence analysts in the months since the Pakistani gover-min reached an agreement with tribal authorities to not threaten the region’s autonomy as long as the tribes agreed not to harbor foreigners. (Don’t the U.S. know Musharraf would definitely prefer lesser death threats and attempts on his life?)

– that Warmonger Bush and Tony B-liar are war criminals with more Iraqi blood on their hands than Saddam Hussein, Mama-thir Mohamad said. Mama-thir, one of the developing world’s most strident and veteran critics of the West, launched a shrill attack on Bush and Blair, telling reporters at his Malaysian peace foundation that Bush should face the same ‘sham’ justice as Saddam. (And he should face the same ‘sham’ justice as Anwar Ibrahim.)

– that many foreign companies that have invested in Thailand may soon have to slash their stakes after the military gover-min imposed new restrictions on foreign ownership in the country. Singapore investment company Temasek Holdings will be among those affected by the changes, said Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula. Under the proposed changes, major foreign investors in telecommunications and other sectors deemed vital to national security will have to sell off shareholdings that exceed 50%. (Fire sale! Fire sale! And here comes another Micropolis!)

– that one day after spooking investors with tighter rules on foreign ownership and saying that Singapore investment company Temasek Holdings would be among those affected, the Thai Finance Minister has softened his stand. Pridiyathorn Devakula said Thailand’s gover-min may give foreign investors more time to reduce stakes in local companies. Dow Jones quoted Mr Pridiyathorn as saying that he had made an error when he said telecoms was on List 2 and the impression that Temasek, which acquired Thai telecommunications giant Shin Corp, would now have to reduce its voting rights. Instead, he said that telecommunications companies have been classified under the so-called List 3 sectors. These companies will have to cut their foreign and nominee ownership to less than 50%. But they can still retain control of their assets by keeping their voting rights. (Read: Don’t say we never give you chance!)

– that OPEC, which has already lost billions of dollars due to the recent price decline, has been mulling production curbs to prop up oil prices. Oil may also become dearer overnight if tensions erupt in the troubled Middle East or extreme weather hits energy supplies. “It’s unclear at this point in time whether the recent decline in oil price is sustainable,” said United Overseas Bank treasury economist Thomas Lam. (And whatever made them think that the rise in oil prices were sustainable, huh?)

– that the U.S., Australia and Canada have voiced concerns to China over the first known satellite-killing test in space in more than 20 years, the White House said. “The U.S. believes China’s development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area,” National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. “We and other countries have expressed our concern regarding this action to the Chinese.” Using a ground-based medium-range ballistic missile, the test knocked out an aging Chinese weather satellite about 860 kilometers above the earth on Jan. 11 through ‘kinetic impact’, or by slamming into it, Johndroe said. (“The Bush space policy is designed to ‘ensure that space capabilities are available in time to further U.S. national security, homeland security, and foreign policy objectives.’ Moreover, a fundamental goal of the policy is to ‘enable unhindered U.S. operations in and through space to defend our interests there’. Well, so the Chinese had the same idea. What’s America’s problem with that?)

– that China has told a senior U.S. official that a recent test of a Chinese satellite killer missile did not signal a threat to other countries or a bid to militarise space. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill raised U.S. objections to the test with senior Chinese officials during a visit to Beijing. The Chinese, who had not previously confirmed carrying out the test earlier this month, told Hill ‘this was not a threat against anybody and was not meant to spark a race to militarise space.’ China became the third country after the U.S. and the Soviet Union to shoot down anything in space, after it had destroyed one of its own satellites. (The weapon is there just in case the Americans insist on having the last say in the matter of the final and eventual unification of China.)

– that Shinzo Schizo Abe voiced concern about China’s satellite-destroying test, charging that Beijing had violated international law. “I believe it would not be in compliance with basic international rules such as the Outer Space Treaty,” Abe said in parliament of the Chinese test. The 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty, which bans weapons of mass destruction in space, says that all nations should avoid contamination of space and be held liable for any damage caused. (In that case everyone is in violation. Putting man-made objects into space is ‘contaminating’ space.)

– that when asked if an attack on a Japanese satellite would be an act of war, Abe said: “The international community should be concerned about any destruction of another country’s satellite in a way that does not comply with international laws.” (Actually, detonating a nuke in space would be even more effective than knocking out individual satellites. The only draw back would be you lose even your own satellites.)

– that IMF managing director Rodrigo Rato called for China to be ‘more flexible’ in setting its exchange rates, renewing a demand frequently made by Western nations. “A more flexible exchange rate regime is in the interest of China,” Rato told reporters on a visit to Tokyo. The U.S. and other major industrialised countries accuse China of keeping its yuan artificially low to make cheaper its manufacturing exports which have flooded foreign markets. (Wow. They do know what is in the interest of China better than the Chinese themselves, huh?)

– that Hu Jintao has vowed to ‘purify’ the Internet in a top-level meeting that discussed ways to master the country’s sprawling, unruly online population. The Politburo – its 24-member leading council – was studying China’s Internet, which claimed 137 million registered users at the end of 2006. Hu made it clear that the Communist Party was looking to ensure it keeps control of China’s Internet users, often more interested in salacious pictures, bloodthirsty games and political scandal than Marxist lessons. The party had to ‘strengthen administration and development of our country’s Internet culture’, Hu told the meeting. (There was first the Great China Firewall. It’s time for the Great China Internet Proxy.)

– that Yasukuni said it had revised references to China in a war museum on its premises. The Mainichi said that in a panel about war between Japan and China, a statement blaming ‘Chinese terrorism’ is now accompanied by a statement referring to Japan’s plot at the time to set up a puppet regime near Beijing. But the Mainichi quoted a supervisor at the museum as saying that it had not changed its view of history. (At least it’s a step forward, not backwards. Let us give the Japanese time.)

– that Chen Shui-bian appealed to a group of senior judges to stop the trial of his wife Wu Shu-chen on corruption charges on the grounds that it could jeopardise state secrets, his aide said. “The president should have executive privilege to refuse to offer the court information on defence, foreign affairs and state secrets,” said presidential deputy secretary-general Cho Jung-tai. (Accusation: The prosecutor showed that state funds have been taken and paid out into his wife’s pockets by means of false receipts, and / or that state funds were used to pay for her purchase of luxuries. Objective of trial: To determine that the evidence are in proper order and without dispute and thus to decide on the appropriate punishment. Facts: Chen even claimed that one of the items were a gift to his own wife using those funds. The only state secret that might be jeopardised would be how this unaudited and badly accounted for public funds is being abused.)

– that Chen Shui-bian has maintained the innocence of himself and his wife, who is on trial on corruption and forgery charges. “I want to point out very clearly that not a penny has gone into private pockets. We have used all of the state funds on secret diplomatic work and also on work related to national security,” Chen said. Wu Shu-chen has pleaded not guilty to charges that she illegally claimed NT14.8 million dollars in personal expenses from state affairs funds. (Where does that personal diamond ring fit into secret diplomatic and national security work?)

– that Chen Shui-bian has accused China of ‘provoking’ his gover-min by targeting the island with nearly 1,000 missiles, stepping up the rhetoric against Beijing. Chen insisted that China had put Taiwan on the defensive with its provocative acts, rejecting Beijing’s claims that he was to blame for cross-strait tensions. “It is China that is provoking Taiwan,” Chen said. “It passed the ‘anti-secession law’. It never formally renounced the use of force against Taiwan. It has also begun to complete three-stage preparation work to invade Taiwan in the future. (Chen has a knack of putting the carriage before the horse. No ‘Taiwan Independence’ rhetorics from you, no ‘Anti-Secession Law’ from China, alright?)

– that Chen said he was merely trying to maintain the peaceful status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and hit out at China what he called a massive increase in the number of missiles pointing at the island to 988. “Back in the year 2000, when I first became president, the missiles deployed along the southeastern coast of China were about 200 and now they are almost 1,000. They have increased almost by fivefold.” (If he had kept his big mouth shut, it would have remained at 200.)

– that Thaksin Tham-sim spoke to the Asahi Shimbum, a leading Japanese newspaper, and Kyodo News, which published the interviews. While the Thai military junta had reacted testily after the CNN interview and Tham-sim’s private meeting with S Jayakumar – even cancelling an invitation to Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, it has chosen to remain silent so far. Its response to Japan is being far more muted than its reaction to Singapore. (First Mama-thir, then Half-Babie. Now Thailand. Singapore has always been a favourite punching bag of these countries when they have a problem and they got no one to lash out at.)

– that junta lea-duh General Sonthi Boonyaratglin had a voiced his concerns that Singapore could be listening in to confidential calls after Temasek bought Shin Corp, which belonged to the Tham-sim family. (As if Singapore ‘eat finish so free’? [Hokkien: jia bah jin eng, meaning: having too much free time.])

– that a Malaysian official has blamed massive land reclamation by Singapore near the Malaysian mainland for the recent flooding in southern Johor state that left 17 people dead. The reclamation on Pulau Tekong, east of mainland Singapore and opposite the mouth of Malaysia’s Johor river, caused the flooding in December and January that also forced about 100,000 people to be evacuated, said Johor Chief Mini$ter Abdul Ghani Othman. The reclamation led to the narrowing of the mouth of the Johor river, slowing the discharge of excess rain water into the Johor Straits, Othman said. This led to the river bursting its banks in Kota Tinggi, the worst affected town where streets and many homes were submerged. Singapore and Malaysia have for decades shared uneasy relations over a host of irritants, and the fresh and unexpected charge is likely to fuel tensions. Abdul Ghani’s spokespeople could not be immediately reached to confirm the report. There was no immediate reaction from Singapore either. (Well, the next time I have constipation, I’ll blame Othman for the Satay or Nasi Bryani that he has eaten.)

– that the Johor administration has come under increasing pressure in the wake of the floods that killed 17 people and left Malaysia with a massive RM1.5 billion bill – the cost of helping the flood victims and repairing roads and schools. About 30,000 people are still taking shelter at relief centres. Until now the Johor gover-min had not pointed fingers at anybody over the floods. In fact, it had been banking on visitors from Singapore to help bring its economy back on its feet. (Well, it is still banking on Singapore to foot that RM1.5 billion bill – hoping that we will be cowered to pay after they made such irresponsible and unfounded comments.)

– that Singapore’s MND pointed out that a study carried out by Malaysia’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage in 2002 on the impact of the reclamation works showed there were no appreciable changes to the water levels within the Straits of Johor for flood flows. “As such, the study concluded that there is no increased flooding due to Singapore’s reclamation works,” said the MND. Other studies came to similar conclusions. Both gover-mins then accepted that it would not be necessary for the flood impact to be assessed any further. (What maybe flooding with water might be the brains of Abdul Ghani Othman – to the point that he can no longer think logically and talk sense.)

Singapore This Week

– that when Tali-PAP fought the last General Election, it knew that it would push for the Workfare Bonus. But the thought of funding it by raising the GST had not even been discussed at that point. Lao Goh revealed this towards the end of his nine-day trip to Abu Dhabi and Morocco when he was asked if the Tali-PAP tended to come up with unpopular policies – like raising GST – only after it won elections. (Guess what? I really believe Lao Goh… when I am dreaming.)

– that “If the pain is not worth it, we will lose more support at the election,” he said. So far, on every occasion in the past, the pain has been worth it, said Mr Goh. “That’s the beauty of working with Singaporeans. A lot of complaints, but at the end of the day they understand,” he added. (Or rather, the beauty is that they are many suckers for pain who always come back for another helping of shit after whining.)

– that Citigroup Global Markets’ [Singapore] director [Asia-Pacific Economic and Market Analysis] Chua Hak Bin argued that the GST is regressive, which places a bigger burden on the lower-income earners. Ng Eng Hen Eng disagreed, saying: “The interesting thing about our previous GST exercises is that we’ve managed to re-distribute such that GST didn’t become regressive. We actually gave back GST rebates to the bottom 20% equivalent to 11 years’ of GST spending. I think people forget.” (Forget? Is that the reality or just some other figures that you million dollar jokers ‘scientifically conjured’ out of thin air? If that is the case, no one forgot. We simply DISAGREE.)

– that Baby Lee has indicated that the hike in the GST will likely come in a one-off adjustment, and the gover-min is also seriously looking at increasing the employer’s contribution to the CPF. (Better do it now so there can be another hike in another 2 years to 10% and yet leave enough time for Singaporeans to forget before the next election.)

– that Baby Lee said, “Is it better to take your medicine sooner or stretch it out? Take medicine once or two times? I prefer to make my medicine early, why? This is something we need to do, once we have done it, we can move on; we have the resources to have the revenue from the GST that we use, for all the things we want, further investments, etc. If I stretch it out, my revenues come in slower, that means I cannot do all the things I need to now.” (This has got to be the most stupid comment since ‘Mee Siam Mai Hum’. Four reasons. 1. I am not sick, so why should I take medicine? 2. If I have 2 hammers, 1 10lbs, and the other 20lbs, I’ll definitely hit him once with the 20lb hammer instead of hitting him twice with the 10lb hammer, even if the 20lb hammer will kill him right away. 3. When doctor gives Baby Lee medicine for 5 days and ask him to take it 3 times a day, does Baby take it all at one go? Funny he hasn’t yet die from overdose. 4. And GST isn’t medicine. It’s pure and simple poison for those with lower income.)

– that to help fund ‘Workfare’, Baby Lee said the GST has to be raised. Singapore’s GST is set to go up from 5 to 7%. (That’s very funny. The next time Singaporeans should note that when you vote for the Tali-PAP, you are also voting to ‘contribute’ in the funding of whatever hare-brained craps the Tali-PAP is cooking because they have got no means to fund it without your contribution.)

– that Baby Lee also indicated to employers and unionists that future Workfare payouts could see a bigger portion going into the workers’ CPF account. (Right. Take money off our pockets into yours, and move it into another pocket said to contain ‘our money’ which we can’t touch even if we are in a state which we would be better off splattered all over an MRT track.)

– that five years ago, ‘For Sale’ signs lined the lonely stretch of bungalows along Berwick Drive. Even for a steal of a price, the suburban Serangoon Gardens area saw few takers. The economy, shaken by the terror attack in New York, hadn’t yet stepped out of the long shadow of the 1997 Asian financial crisis that crushed banks, businesses and home prices. Today, his street is lively and bustling. Foreigners are returning to the property scene in big way, making their presence felt with large numbers, a diversity of nationalities and a staying power that, at once, strengthens and calms the market. (In the end there will be no more middle-class Singaporeans. In the Tali-PAP utopia, there are 3 classes, the Tali-PAP and the high-class Singaporeans, the foreign talent middle-class, and the educated, well trained, lower-class Singaporean serfs that is the source of manpower for the economy which the Tali-PAP will take full credit for.)

– that the latest economic good news is a glowing report card on the Singapore labour force in 2006. The report, released by the Ministry of Manpower, boasts of the highest employment rate in 15 years, higher salaries and a more qualified workforce. According to the report, 76% of the resident population aged 25 to 64 was employed as of June last year, the highest proportion since the data was first compiled in 1991. The percentage of unemployed residents – those actively looking for jobs but unable to secure any – also dropped to a five-year low. As of last June, the figure was 4.5 per cent, down from 5.6% in 2002. (And there is no better time is there to bring the GST to an all time high of 7% in 13 years, right?)

– that Baby Lee said Temasek Holdings is accountable if its purchase of Thailand’s Shin Shit Corp fails. He spoke in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Cebu. Last year, Temasek Holdings led a $3.8 billion acquisition of Shin Corp – a deal which is now said to have dropped in value. Mr Lee said it was a ‘commercial proposition’, and if it did not work out, it would be ‘Temasek’s fault and it has to answer for it’. Reiterating that it was not a gover-min matter, he also said it is premature to talk about losses on the Shin Corp deal. (It would definitely be Temasek’s fault. But would it be Ho Ho Ho’s fault?)

– that Singapore is gearing up to churn out more graduates – and postgraduates – as the country pumps ahead into its next stage of growth in the new economy. Currently, about 23% of the cohort born each year go on to attend university here. Add 17% who pursue their degree course overseas or through distance learning, and the university participation rate stands at about 40%. (Churn out so much why still need ‘foreign talent’?)

– that the Singapore Totalisator Board and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) are pumping $7 million into Singapore’s Olympic dream. The idea is to ensure that the athletes who have the potential to win a medal at Beijing 2008 or London 2012 should get the finest support possible. Neither time nor resources should stand in the way. (And what’s the damned point? What good will a gold medal won by an individual in 2008 do for Singapore in 2009?)

– that the lower middle-class households, those in the 30th to 50th percentile, barely saw their wages grow. So once the average inflation rate of 1% to 2% is factored in, it means that the incomes of almost half the population have either fallen or not grown since 2000. (More Good Years! For us, like real only!)

– that the gap is growing and the richest 10% of households – with an average monthly income of $16,480 – saw their wages increase at a healthy clip of 2.8% annually between 2000 and 2005. (Welcome to the Tali-PAP’s elitist, ‘meritocratic’ utopia. * pui *)

– that increases in the pay of civil servants serpents are based on merit, and depend on their performance and potential, Teo Chee Hean said. The pay was also tied to Singapore’s economic climate. He said, “The civil service pay package is adjusted in tandem with economic conditions, to the annual variable component or AVC. The AVC quantum is reduced during periods of slow economic growth and conversely the AVC quantum is increased during good economic growth to ensure civil serpents’ salaries remain competitive with the market.” (Is it? Who else is in with me feeling that civil serpents are getting better bonus payouts than we all in the private sector?)

– that only four in 10 active CPF members – those earning an income – who turned 55 in 2005 had the minimum sum of $90,000 in their CPF at the end of last year. The minimum sum is for retirement needs. For instance, a CPF member will receive monthly payments from his minimum sum when he turns 62, until the funds run out. But more than six in 10 would have accumulated the minimum sum, if not for the fact that members can withdraw half of their CPF balances when they turn 55, said Ng Eng Eng. Responding to Halimah Yacob, Ng said the minimum sum is ‘adequate for subsistence living’ for about 20 years after age 62. (‘Subsistence living’, or ‘barren existence’?)

– that the NKF is claiming about $12 million from Durai and his ‘special friend’ co-defendants that was allegedly wasted on salary increments, failed contracts and loss of donations. The NKF believes it may have lost $4 million in donations following a public outcry against Singapore’s biggest charity scandal, that happened mid-2005. (Ever considered some slimming down like getting rid of that corporate image in spite of being a charity? And that’s not just the NKF alone.)

– that Durai had spent more than $1 million over seven years on hotel stays alone. He also set up a slush fund that was used to get around restrictions on fundraising and donors’ money was wasted on botched IT deals agreed to between Durai and his friends. Durai has rewarded his favourites, like ex-director Matilda Chua, extravagantly with 12-month bonuses anmd evidence that Durai had tried to destroy on his computer was retrieved. (We want a show. We want more dirty linen. We want to be entertained! Why did you quit the case Durai?)

– that during the cross-examination, it was also revealed that former NKF Vice Chairman, Alwyn Lim didn’t have much regard for Yong. Lim is one of the third parties in the case. In an e-mail Lim wrote, he accused Yong of wanting ‘chairmanship so badly that he sold his soul’. The email added that Yong ‘has no substance and his only claim to fame is that he dresses like a dandy’. (There was someone I knew who said he didn’t even like Yong’s looks. Can’t remember the exact comments but it definitely wasn’t something flattering.)

– that the big job of reviewing Singapore’s public transport system – from the nuts and bolts to the service standards – has gone to the Australians. In its first move to rope in an external consultant, the LTA has appointed the Australian arm of U.S.-based consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton for the comprehensive study. Booz Allen Hamilton is expected to submit their findings to the LTA in the middle of this year for review and evaluation. (And the result is still the same. It is still a World ‘Worst Class’ Transport and they will remain clueless why car ownership and usage continue to increase and the people just simply keen on using public transports.)

– that Singapore’s public transport system has been identified as one of the most efficient and enjoyable in the world, on par with Vienna’s and Helsinki’s. (Only when you are a tourist and you don’t use it everyday for your entire life.)

– that this is according to a ‘Mobility in Cities Database’ report released by the International Union of Public Transport (IUTP), said the LTA in a media briefing on full-day bus lanes. (Whatever they say. The LTA, the gover-min, along with the management of the transport operators and their mouthpieces, only need to convince us by using it daily, for only a year.)

– that SingPower, which reviews the tariffs quarterly according to the past three months’ oil prices, recently cut the rate for January-to-March by 1.62 cents to 20.02 cents per kwh. This saves between $1.74 and $6.32 for families living in one-room to five-room flats, SingPower estimates. But unlike current oil prices, the tariff is nowhere near July-2005 levels of 16.06 cents per kwh. (As usual lah. Go up super fast. Come down, you just wait long long because they hope you either never notice the diffference, or got use to it.)

– that when asked why pump prices have not gone down in accordance with oil prices, ExxonMobil Asia-Pacific – the largest retail pump operator here – said crude oil was not the sole determinant for petrol prices. Factors include internationally-traded wholesale petrol prices, costs of storage, and currency exchange rates, said ExxonMobil spokeswoman Eva Ho. (Is that right? The SGD has strengthened. And we really want to know how is cost of storage is not fairly constant, when you technically build and own those things and pays roughly the same for maintaining them? And don’t tell me you don’t have reserves in the first place!)

– that companies may not immediately adjust what they charge because oil prices have been volatile, said energy consultant Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz. Over the past week, crude prices see-sawed on news that Saudi Arabia – the biggest OPEC member – did not feel further supply cuts were necessary since the market was ‘looking healthy’. (Right. So when it temporarily spiked, why did the companies immediately adjust their prices?)

– that Chiam See Tong kept his word to remind the gover-min of its $80-million upgrading election carrot last year for Potong Pasir residents. He asked what the gover-min was going to do with the sum promised, ‘now that the Government is not releasing it to upgrade the constituency’. In reply, Grace Fu Fool said that as the majority of Potong Pasir voters did not support the plan, ‘the Tali-PAP candidate did not have the mandate to pursue his proposal with the gover-min’. (In that case why isn’t Potong Pasir exempted from the GST increase, since it probably also did not support the idea of ‘Workfare’?)

– that income ceilings are still needed for purchases of subsidised Housing Board flats, but HDB will be flexible if families are in difficulty, said Grace Fool. Income ceilings help ensure that the gover-min’s limited public housing subsidies are given to those who need them more, she added. She was responding to Mr Zaqy Mohamad , who asked if the ministry would review the income ceiling. Now, the household income ceiling for the purchase of a subsidised flat by first-time buyers is $8,000 per month. Extended families buying a subsidised HDB flat to live together enjoy a higher household income ceiling of $12,000 per month. Ms Fu said the limits are ‘generous’, as eight out of 10 Singaporean households have incomes within the ceilings. (Too bad if you are the 2-in-10 who wants to be prudent and not over stretch yourself.)

– that according to Mohd Maliki Osman, some of those media reported cases of Singaporeans who live in void decks, or on the beach – are sometimes ‘homeless by choice rather than due to circumstances beyond their control’. (Interesting. It begs the question, why did they prefer this ‘choice’ in view of Singapore’s – or rather, the Tali-PAP’s – much boasted about ‘economic success’?)

– that Singapore’s history of cooperation among the ‘labour unions’, the gover-min and employers – tripartism – is Singapore’s ‘secret’, and cannot be easily copied. Baby Lee lauded it as one of Singapore’s ‘most sustainable advantages’. (Tripartism is a myth. More like ‘bipartism’ when the gover-min and the unions are actually one since a mini$ter and a member of the ruling party is secretary-general of the congress of trade unions, and only gover-min approved ones at that!)

– that “Our model works only because unionists and workers can see the benefit of working with the gover-min and employers. There is trust and confidence,” said Baby Lee, quoting from an e-mail sent by Halimah Yacob, who is also NTUC’s assistant secretary-general. “Many other countries see us, envy us, want to learn the secret from us, but they can’t so easily copy it,” Baby said at the inaugural Singapore Tripartism Forum. (Trust and confidence? Or just that there is a hand over their mouths and the workers really just have a semblance of a voice, but in reality, no voice at all?)

– the Josephine Teo [MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and executive secretary of the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union] said, “When meeting unionists from the region and beyond, they often tell us how they feel the model of tripartism is workable and they are quite envious of it. They admire the way we are able to do away with posturing and get down to problem-solving.” (Of course. They will to find ways of controlling the unions. And when unions = gover-min, then there’s not much possibilities for ‘posturing’.)

– that while the future looks tough for taxi drivers, they can earn more by adding value to their services, Baby Lee said. They could double as tourist guides or ferry medical tourists, he suggested. Cabbies have to get creative in making money, for one reason: The gover-min does not intend to limit the number of cabbies by making it tough to get taxi licences, like what some countries do. (Like becoming part-time OKT [Orh Kwee Taus aka pimps] and earn $10,000 a month which the Chinese free sheet ‘My Paper’ [我报] has reported? They just have to pray hard they don’t end up like the pub operators in Joo Chiat.)

– that the Crazy Horse Revue, widely hailed as the Great Entertainment Experiment that would take Singapore’s reputation as a world nightlife centre to the next level, is closing down. The revue, run by public-listed cinema operator Eng Wah Organization, will turn down the lights on the show for the last time on Jan 31, the company announced. It was a victim of poor attendances, leading to losses of more than $3 million, and very strict advertising rules that limited its publicity. Ms Goh Min Yen, Eng Wah’s managing director, said the show at the 400-seater theatre at Clarke Quay has, for the most part, been drawing less than half of the expected 65% attendance. (Had it been allowed to run as freely as the Joo Chiat ‘Vietnam’ pubs, it would have flourished and even prospered.)

– that the Indonesian blanket ban on sand exports, coupled with the impending rise in prices, is unlikely to set back the construction of the Marina Bay Sands Casino. The casino operator confirmed that its budget would not be affected, and said it expects the gove-min to help it secure alternative sources of sand. Construction work on the other casino – Genting International’s Resorts World at Sentosa – could begin as early as April if all goes according to plan. The gover-min gave its reassurance that the permanent ban on sand is unlikely to have any long-term impact on the construction industry. (You can tell who are your friends and who are not. These sore-eyed shitheads around us knows the high hopes we put in these casinos, and they are already doing their bit to make sure we don’t succeed so easily.)

Trivial, Jokes and Thoughts from Discussions

– that in a recently filed lawsuit, Cisco asked a judge to forbid Apple from using the name ‘iPhone’, a Cisco trademark since 2000. The case hinges in part on whether Apple’s phone – a sleek, $499 gizmo unveiled to much fanfare – could confuse shoppers looking to buy Cisco’s iPhones. Attorneys specializing in intellectual property said that Cisco will likely win, if the case goes to court. (If Apple can sue people making iMac lookalikes, Cisco should sue them until bankruptcy for trampling on one of its trademarks.)

– that regulators in Norway have deemed Apple’s iTunes Store illegal in their country because the songs won’t work on anything but an iPod, the Financial Times reported. The report said that Apple has to allow other companies access to iTunes songs by October 1 or further legal action will ensue, which could involve a shutdown of the site if taken all the way. European regulators have been taking a hard look at Apple’s music business recently, with news earlier this week that France and Germany are conducting simliar investigations. (Well done, Norway. All the way!)

– that Apple has so far been able to keep the iTunes Store up and running in Europe, after an attempt by the French to pass a law mandating interoperability failed. The company told the Financial Times that ‘Apple hopes that European gover-mins will encourage a competitive environment that lets innovation thrive, protects intellectual property and allows consumers to decide which products are successful’. (What gross hypocrisy. Why isn’t Apple allow consumers to decide which music store to buy from then? Would that not be allowing them to decide which is more successful?)

– that no one bats an eyelash if you say something critical about Microsoft and Windows. But write anything even faintly judgmental about the Macintosh and in comes a flood of hate mail from Mac users. The worst part is the tone of most, which generally tend toward religious zealotry. (Never stand between the zealot and his dog… oops… I mean ‘god’.)

-that the globally popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft unveiled a new virtual continent to fans. Blizzard Entertainment released ‘The Burning Crusade’ expansion a day earlier in Europe and North America, where a combined total of 3.5 million people subscribe to play the game on the Internet. (* YAWN * Ultima OnLine: Been there, done that, ever since ‘The Second Age’ and ‘Samurai Empire’ several years ago.)

– that McDonald’s Corp. has finally selected a new trans-fat-free oil for cooking its famous french fries after years of testing, the fast-food chain said. While it has developed a healthier new oil, the company is still not saying when it will be used in all 13,700 U.S. restaurants. It already trails competitors in committing to a zero-trans fat oil. (Maybe it’s time to do away with this unhealthy food entirely.)

– that David Beckham had announced that he would join U.S. Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy this year, leaving Real Madrid in a deal reported to be worth US$250 million. (Let’s hope that frees up some newspaper space for this part of the world.)

– that the world’s movers and shakers have long debated the likely catastrophic effects of a global crisis triggered by a water shortage. It was even the premise of a television documentary The Water Wars. But international scholar Professor Asit Biswas told an audience of top gover-min officials, academics and water management experts gathered at the LKY School of Public Policy that such a scenario is highly unlikely. Biswas, who heads a think tank in Mexico, the Third World Centre for Water Management, argued that any impending water shortage would be the result of poor water management, not climate change. (Guess what? That can be read as “If you happen to live in a place where there’s abundant water and not affected by climate change while your water management policies don’t end you up with acute water shortages, it’s ‘good water management’.” And that can be misleading.)

– that his thesis struck fertile ground some 18 months ago when he discovered that Singapore had been practising for 40 years what he had been preaching round the world, often to deaf ears. PUB chief executive Khoo Teng Chye said the local water agency provided Prof Biswas with local facts and figures. “We were flattered when he came up with a report that highlighted Singapore’s successful water management,” he said. Prof Biswas’ report has since been read around the world. (He has not taken into account that there are always lea-duhs or politicians of countries which do not have the political will / will not / are unwilling to / are incapable of enacting prudent and good water management policies.)

– that a small area of the brain nestled inside the cerebral cortex might explain why smoking is such a hard habit to break. A new study of 69 smokers with brain injuries showed that those who had damage to the insula often quit smoking suddenly and effortlessly, suggesting that this particular area could be a target for future therapies to help smokers quit. (Find the ways to do it soon. Give me back the fresh air.)

– that 24-year-old Song Yick Biau was described as a ‘lonely’ and ‘socially inept’ man who sought refuge in the internet, where he could take on different personalities. Song had assumed the identities of MSN Messenger users – chatting with their friends and changing their passwords to lock them out of their accounts. He also threatened to post pictures of one victim online, unless she sent him photos of her breasts. (Never heard of porn, Song ‘Boh Nau’? [Boh Nau – brainless])

– that Justice Liew Thiam Leng passed a deterrent sentence of 27 months in jail, stressing that Song’s act could undermine public confidence in e-communication. (36 months would be better.)

– that the teen who hijacked his neighbour’s Internet access is a loner whose life centred around Internet gaming, the judge presiding over the case said. What the 17-year-old needs is a structured environment for him to change, said District Judge Bala Reddy. With that, he sentenced Garyl Tan Jia Luo to 18 months’ probation, out of which half will be spent in a boys’ home in Bukit Batok. During the other half of the probation period, Tan will be barred from using the Internet and will have to stay indoors from 10pm to 6am. (He should thank the judge for giving him back his life outside the Internet.)

Singapore and Singaporeans really have a ‘knack’ in coming up with the most absurd arguments and complaints in the world. These are some of those I found:

The World This Week

– that the latest prediction is that Arctic ice may melt completely in the summer months as soon as 2040. (Poor Polar bears.)

– that 2006 may well be the year that is remembered as the year of dying dictators, with Milosevic, Pinochet and Saddam dying one after another. (How much more time to go before Soeharto joins them?)

– that after stonewalling environmental groups for years, the U.S. finally acknowledged that polar bears are under threat from declining Arctic ice levels. As a concession, it has proposed listing them as a threatened species, the first time the U.S. has directly linked global warming with the threat to a species. Though environmentalists have been pleading for mandatory controls on the emission of carbon dioxide – the gas said to be the chief culprit in heating up the atmosphere – Warmonger Bush has, until now, steadfastly brushed them aside. The U.S. is responsible for more carbon dioxide emissions than any other country. (Maybe it would have been better had Al Gore been president.)

– that the U.S. gover-min has drawn a chorus of fierce protests from politics and industry after once again refusing to label China a currency cheat. The Treasury Department, in a twice-yearly report on global exchange rate policies, said Chinese currency reforms so far have been ‘considerably less than is needed’ to rebalance world trade. But the report, not for the first time, concluded that no major US trading partner meets the ‘technical requirements’ to be labelled a currency ‘manipulator’ under US trade law. Among incredulous reactions from those who want to see China punished over its trade practices, calls mounted for a new approach to Sino-US economic frictions. (Well, these guys wants China to sell more U.S. treasury bonds in their possession is it?)

– that with at least eight slayings in New Orleans in the first week of the new year, officials are considering a curfew to help stem the violence, the police superintendent said. (Like I have said before, there is no use trying to rebuilt this evil city as it is. They should just fill it in and built a new one right on top of its ruins.)

– that Pat Robertson , an American Conservative Christian broadcaster says God told him a terrorist attack will result in ‘mass killing’ in the U.S. in the second half of 2007. (If it didn’t come to pass, are we allowed to stone this false prophet to death?)

– that Arnold Schwarzenegger, who once taunted Democrats as ‘girlie men’, called for an end to partisan bickering and a focus on innovative centrist policies. (Some might be asking if Schwarzenegger has become a ‘girlie man’ himself.)

– that the Australian Defence Department is investigating why a rocket launcher was found by a man at a rubbish tip in central Queensland. James Maloney said he bought the rocket launcher for $2 at the recycling centre for the tip at Yeppoon, near Rockhampton and he believes the launcher is an inoperable, single-use model from the Singapore military. He believes it was used in an exercise at the nearby Shoalwater Bay military training area. (If it was one of ours, it would be quite a bad joke.)

– that Paris famously rude inhabitants have long been a headache for tourism authorities who have made repeated attempts to persuade Parisians to be more friendly to visitors. (Are they any worse than Singaporeans in terms of attitude?)

– that Germany’s interior minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, said that he would seek a constitutional amendment to allow security forces to shoot down hijacked aircraft, if need be, to protect the country from terrorist attacks. Schäuble, a leading conservative in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s gover-min, said the Constitution should be amended to include a state of ‘quasinational defense’. This clause, he said, would give the military the legal right to shoot down a hijacked plane. Under current law, the gover-min can declare a state of national defense only if the country is attacked from outside. Schäuble said the Constitution did not take into account the events of Sept. 11, 2001, in which terrorists hijacked several aircraft and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside Washington, causing thousands of deaths. (What’s there to stop them from shooting down a plane that isn’t on a 9-11 style suicide mission?)

– that a Danish art group that pokes fun at world lea-duhs targeted the Iranian president, Mahmoud Mahbouk Ahmadinejad, by placing an advertisement in a Tehran newspaper with an insulting hidden message. Beneath a picture of the president, a series of apparently sympathetic statements were arranged such as ‘Support his fight against Bush’ and ‘Iran has the right to produce nuclear energy’. The advert was attributed to Danes for World Peace. However, the first letters of each phrase, when read from top to bottom, spell out S-W-I-N-E. The English-language Tehran Times, the conservative daily that printed the half-page advert, had apparently not detected the hidden message. (Even swines would find it insulting to be associated with this genocidal schmuck.)

– that Somali ‘Islamists’ urged foreign Muslim fighters to join their ‘holy war’ against Ethiopia after days of heavy fighting between ‘Islamist’ and pro-gover-min troops. The ‘Islamists’ and pro-Somali gover-min fighters have been firing artillery and rockets at each other across frontlines, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. (Yes. Muslims should join the Holy War, against these blasted infernal ‘Islamists’ who are committing mass murder in the name of God.)

– that the Ethiopia’s Air Force launched bombing and missile raids on towns across central Somalia. The attacks were the first official reaction by Ethiopia’s military to powerful ‘Islamists’ who have taken control of much of Somalia since June and which Addis Ababa fears will boost hardline ‘Islam’ inside its own borders. Confirmation of the attacks follows weeks of denials that Ethiopia was not involved in military action against ‘Islamic’ elements within Somalia. (Shocking. And I just realised that Ethiopia has Su-25s and Su-27s.)

– that thousands of Somali and Ethiopian troops were closing in on the last remaining stronghold of a militant ‘Islamic’ movement. Somalia’s prime minister called for dialogue, but warned that any resistance would be met with force. The military advance on Kismayo marks the latest move in a stunning turnaround for Somalia’s gover-min, which just weeks ago could barely control one town, its base of Baidoa, while the Council of ‘Islamic’ Courts controlled much of southern Somalia. (It’s the Horn of Africa’s version of Afghanistan and the Taliban all over again. In a few years, we will still hear about fighting in these places. After all, a regime propped up by an un-welcomed foreign gover-min never last long.)

– that Israel is willing to transfer $100 million to ‘Palestinians’ for humanitarian needs, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s spokeswoman said after Olmert met with Mahmoud Abbas. However, Miri Eisin said the money will be released only if a way is found to transfer the now-frozen funds directly to ‘Palestinians’ – without going through the Hamas-led gover-min. (And how are they going to prevent the money finding its way to Hamas, after that?)

– that Mahmoud Abbas declared Hamas’ militia in the Gaza Strip illegal, and the terrorist movement responded by defiantly announcing plans to double the size of the paramilitary unit. (What a joke. More likely it would be Hamas that would declare Abu Mazen illegal.)

– that a grainy cell phone video of Saddam Hussein’s execution triggered international criticism, with Britain’s deputy prime minister calling the leaked images ‘unacceptable’ and the Vatican decrying the footage as a ‘spectacle’ violating human rights. (Hitler probably made the right choice to kill himself before the Allies got to him.)

– that Warmonger Bush said that Saddam Hussein’s execution should have been carried out in a ‘more dignified way’, but the Iraqi lea-duh had received justice, which his victims had not. (Warmonger must be so happy now that ‘the man who tried to kill his dad’ isn’t around anymore.)

– that British finance minister Gordon Brown has condemned the way Saddam Hussein was hanged as ‘deplorable’ – in contrast to Tony B-liar, who has so far stayed silent on the execution. Brown, expected to take over as premier when B-liar steps down this year, said: “Now that we know the full picture of what happened, we can sum this up as a deplorable set of events.” (猫哭老鼠假慈悲。[Crocodile Tears.])

– that Tony B-liar’s office later said B-liar believed the manner in which Saddam was executed was ‘completely wrong’, adding to criticism aired by senior ministers and Blair’s likely successor Gordon Brown. (What’s the damned point? A lot more Iraqis were killed because of this unlawful invasion of a sovereign nation.)

– that new UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon ran into trouble on his first day of work over Saddam Hussein’s execution when he failed to state the UN’s opposition to the death penalty and said capital punishment should be a decision of individual countries. The UN has an official stance opposing capital punishment and Mr Ban’s predecessor, Mr Kofi Annan, reiterated it frequently. Mr Ban, however, took a different approach, never mentioning the UN ban on the death penalty in all its international tribunals, and the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. (Humans who behaved like beasts has got no human rights. Once found guilty, they should be killed for the beasts that they are.)

– that Iran has urged the UN Security Council to condemn Israel’s ‘clandestine development and possession of nuclear weapons’ and to consider slapping sanctions if the Jewish state refuses to scrap its arsenal. In a letter to Qatar’s UN envoy Nasser Abdulaziz al-Nasser, the president of the Council for December, Iranian Ambassador Javad Zarif cited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s apparent admission last week that Israel possesses nuclear weapons. (Iran has the least of rights to urge for anything when it blatantly seeks to possess nuclear weapons on its own. Sanctions should be imposed on Israel, all nuclear armed military powers for owning, and Iran for aspiring to own nukes aka the Cocoon of the Devil.)

– that opponents of Iran’s ultra-conservative president won nationwide elections for local councils, final results confirmed, an embarrassing outcome for the hard-line lea-duh that could force him to change his anti-Western tone and focus more on problems at home. Moderate conservatives critical of Mahmoud Mah-bouk Ahmadinejad won a majority of seats in last week’s elections, followed by reformists who were suppressed by hard-liners two years ago. (It remains to be seen just how one mullah differs from another.)

– that Iran’s top nuclear negotiator said during a visit to China that Teheran will continue to honour the principles of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Chinese state media reported. The pledge by Mr Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s national security council, was reported the same week that the Iranian gover-min said it was keeping open the option of quitting the treaty. (No one can trust Iran in view of Ahmadinejad’s current antics.)

– that Al-Qaeda’s deputy lea-duh said that any Muslim woman who wears the veil in Western countries is a supporter in what he described as a fight between Islam and ‘Zionist Crusaders’. Ayman al-Zawahri issued what amounted to an al-Qaeda New Year message to the world in an audio tape posted on the internet, calling on terrorist groups in Iraq to unite and urging ‘Palestinians’ not to co-operate with the ‘Palestinian’ Authority. (The so-called ‘Zionist Crusaders’ probably would fight for the right for your women to wear a veil as much as they would fight against the shitheads who forced them to wear it.)

– that a Taleban commander confirmed that Akhtar Mohammad Osmani, the rebels’ military chief in southern Afghanistan, was killed in a U.S. air strike. The terrorists initially denied reports of his death. (A good thing innocent civilians were nowhere nearby when this shithead got what he deserved.)

– that Pakistan said it will plant land mines and build a fence on parts of its long, rugged frontier with Afghanistan to meet criticism it does too little to stop Taliban and al-Qaida guerrillas from crossing the border. Relations have been souring between the neighbors, which are key U.S. allies in its war on terror groups. Afghan and NATO officials contend militants operate from sanctuaries in Pakistan, but the Islamabad gover-min insists it does all it can to stop them. (These Pakis are really doing all it can to stop them… verbally only.)

– that China needs a strong and credible military, the gover-min said in a key policy document, citing what it termed security challenges it cannot ignore, such as Taiwan’s independence drive, the U.S. – Japan alliance, and North Korea’s nukes. (And with that the Americans and Japanese will further justify its anti-China stance even more strongly.)

– that China has expressed ‘serious concern’ over reports that Japan and the U.S. might plan a coordinated response in the event of an armed conflict over Taiwan. “China expresses serious concern over this,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular briefing. “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. Any arrangement or consideration should respect and abide by the principle of one China.” The ‘one China principle’ states that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to the same entity and that this entity is ruled from Beijing. (These bastards are just giving themselves an excuse to stick their noses into China’s own business.)

– that Shoichi Nakagawa Baka-gawa, a top policymaker has called for Japan to ‘correct’ its view on World War II sex slaves, saying the gover-min should reconsider its apology. Baka-gawa, policy chief for Shinzo Schizo Abe’s LDP, said in an interview with the conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper that the gover-min should review a 1993 statement of regret. (No problem. You can do that after you send your daughter over to serve as a sex slave.)

– that Baka-gawa has been outspoken calling for Japan to consider the long-time taboo of going nuclear after North Korea tested its first atom bomb in October. He defended his remarks which drew a flurry of criticism. (They should just turn him into another ‘kami’ for Yasukuni.)

– that Schizo Abe has renewed his pledge to rewrite Japan’s post-World War II pacifist constitution in his New Year policy statement. “It’s been 60 years since the constitution went into effect,” Abe said in the statement. “It’s time for us to write a constitution that suits the new era,” said Schizo, the first Japanese PM born after World War II. (And perhaps it’s time to start new wars too.)

– that Japan is allowing researchers to study 11 royal tombs – the graves of ancient emperors, sealed centuries ago – in a move that may shed light on the myth-shrouded origins of Japan’s imperial family. The tombs to be opened up include one for the Emperor Nintoku, who is thought to have died in 399 A.D. The secretive Imperial Household Agency has until now refused to let the public, and even scholars, enter the old tombs, saying the spirits of past emperors should not be disturbed. (What maybe disturbed is probably not just the spirits but some myths that began propagating sometime after the 1860s.)

– that suggestions by some scholars that the imperial line originated elsewhere – for example, on the Korean peninsula – have been attacked as an insult to the Japanese people. (And imagine the humiliation if they found out some of their ‘historical facts’ were not only myths, but fiction.)

– that the South Korean gover-min is handing out gifts for office workers who promise not to visit brothels this holiday season. “If you promise yourself to make it a healthy night out at the end of the year, and if you recommend this to others, we are giving lots of prizes,” the Ministry of Gender Equality said in an Internet posting. (If the prizes are good, can always take them first and then do it after the end of the year.)

– that Wu Shu-chen did not appear in court as her trial on corruption charges continued, officials said, following her collapse last week at the start of proceedings. Wu asked to be excused from the hearing after doctors at the National Taiwan University Hospital where she has been treated advised her not to go, said a spokesman for the Taipei district court. The hospital has recommended that Wu seek additional treatment due to low blood pressure, which could make her again lose consciousness. (She didn’t seem all that weak previously. The courts should get a second opinion.)

– that Wu was discharged from hospital on New Year’s Eve, 16 days after collapsing at the start of her high-profile trial on corruption and forgery charges. Television images showed a nurse at National Taiwan University Hospital carrying her to a van, which took her home to the nearby presidential residence. Hospital spokesman Lin Ho-hsiung told reporters that “Wu’s health has stabilized…the special medical team recommended that she be discharged from hospital.” But he declined to say if Wu would be able to attend her next court hearing in January. (She will be back in the hospital again to avoid going to court to face the evidence of her crime.)

– that a major earthquake measuring magnitude 7.1 rocked Taiwan, rattling high-rise buildings and disrupting telephone services. Authorities said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The US Geological Survey said the quake was 10 kilometres (six miles) deep, 57 miles from Kao-hsiung, Taiwan. The Taiwan central weather bureau reported there were two quakes. The country’s worst, a 7.6-magnitude quake, killed some 2,400 people in September 1999. (Will this earthquake herald the end of the rule of the DPP just like the 1999 one did for the KMT?)

– that Chen Shui-bian’s son-in-law Chao Chien-ming has been sentenced to six years in prison and fined 30 million Taiwan dollars for insider trading, according to a court spokesman. Chao, a doctor suspended by the National Taiwan University Hospital over the scandal, was convicted of making gains valued at 4.27 million Taiwan dollars through the illegal deal, said Liu Shou-song of the Taipei district court. (Someone should put another person in the same cell with him… with an umbrella.)

– that Chao’s father Chao Yu-chu drew a five-and-a-half year prison term in the same case and was given a further three years in jail for embezzling 11 million dollars in political donations to the president. He was also fined 30 million dollars, Liu said. (Finally there’s at least some semblance of justice done.)

– that Chen Shui-bian insisted in his New Year’s message that the island’s sovereignty lay in its own hands, rejecting Beijing’s ‘one-China’ policy’. (What else is new from this despicable lil’ shit?)

– that Hong Kong’s monetary authority chief has played down the prospect of pegging the city’s currency, currently linked to the US dollar, to China’s yuan, a report has said. Joseph Yam Chi-kwong said that the yuan would become an internationally significant currency like the US dollar and the euro, possibly leading other nations to peg their currencies to it. But he added the Hong Kong dollar would not follow suit until the yuan was fully convertible, according to the report (They might as well just do it before Hong Kong businesses are hurt by the exchange rate.)

– that the Philippines bowed to pressure from Washington over custody of a U.S. Marine convicted of raping a Filipina, transferring him to the American embassy in Manila. Officials and the U.S. embassy spokesman said Lance-Corporal Daniel Smith was taken from a jail in the capital. His case has become a headache for the gover-min, which agrees with Washington that under the terms of a Visiting Forces Agreement he should remain in U.S. custody while he appeals. (The VFA was never rectified by the American Congress. The Philippines gover-min has shown that it’s got no backbone.)

– that a row has broken out in the Philippines over the transfer of a U.S. marine convicted of rape into U.S. custody, but Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the move was aimed at preserving bilateral ties. Critics say the transfer of Lance-Corporal Daniel Smith from a Manila jail to the custody of the U.S. embassy amounted to contempt of court since no tribunal had granted the required permission. (If it wasn’t for the fact that there is no choice yet offered for replacing Arroyo, the Filipinos would have removed her by popular uprising a long time ago.)

– that Philippine journalists who have been the target of a barrage of libel suits by the husband of Gloria Arroyo are fighting back. All members of the media who have been sued by Jose Miguel Arroyo filed a $400,000 class-action suit late last week. They alleged that he violated the freedom of the press and expression. (Has he got something to hide that he didn’t want the press to write about?)

– that families of Australian victims of the 2002 Bali bomb blast expressed outrage and disgust at an Indonesian decision to overturn the conviction of a terrorist Muslim ‘cleric’ linked to the plot. John Howard said he was upset for the families of the 88 Australians who died in the explosions, but said Canberra could not change the ruling by a judge that cleared firebrand ‘cleric’ Abu Bakar Bashir Ba-shit. (The Indonesians never did have the political nor the moral courage to deal with what is wrong in their country.)

– that George Soros was late for a meeting last week with Mama-thir because he could not find a tie to wear, according to daughter Marina Mama-thir. (Well, maybe it was because of some cheese-pie he was having that he’s late…)

– that homosexuals should not govern mostly Muslim Malaysia, Mama-thir Mohamad said in a court filing, challenging a lawsuit by his former deputy, Anwar, who was sacked amid allegations of sodomy. “I strongly believe we cannot have a prime minister who is homosexual,” Mama-thir said in the 48-page statement. “Malaysia is officially an Islamic country.” (Had this not been a under-handed attempt to discredit Anwar, I would have clapped for Mama-thir.)

– that Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan urged Nilai Memorial Park, a privately owned cemetery, to demolish a monument commemorating those who fought against the Japanese invasion during the WWII. The controversy began when Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said monuments for ‘communists’ were erected in Sarawak and Nilai. (They would probably believed that had the Chinese not fought the Japanese, the Japanese would have given them a paradise as long as they exclaim “Dai Nihon Teikoku Banzai!” and bow to the Japanese Emperor and his murderous army.)

– that ‘Education Mini$ter’ Hishamuddin Hussein – 3rd in line to the post of PM – once threatened the non-Malays not to question the social contract, ketuanan Melayu or ‘Malay rights’, by waving a kris at the dUMNO AGM in 2005. (Some education. Had he done that outside the dUMNO AGM, someone might have put a bullet in between his eyes.)

– that a high court judge in KL sent prominent political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda to jail to await trial for the sensational murder of a Mongolian model, after denying him bail. Judge Datuk K.N. Segara rejected an oral plea for an extension of Abdul Razak’s bail, but said he would hear a formal application on Jan 19. (This is even worse than what Took Leng How did to Huang Na. He should be sentenced to die in the same way the model was killed.)

Singapore This Week

– that when a group of university students were shown photographs of some lea-duhs who have helped shape modern Singapore, none of them could identify them. Recounting this, Ambassador-at-large Professor Tommy Koh said at a gathering of academics and diplomats that more should be done to perpetuate the social memories of Singapore’s former lea-duhs, a number of whom have passed on. Prof Koh was speaking at the launch of a book to commemorate the life and work of the country’s first foreign minister, Mr S Rajaratnam, who died earlier this year. (Why stop at renaming roads and buildings to that effect? Rename islands too. And we hereby rename Singapore as… Lee Kuan Yew Island.)

– that more married women with at least an upper secondary school education entered the Singapore labour force and brought home a bigger chunk of the bacon last year, as compared to 2000. But such economic participation to meet Singapore’s increasing manpower demands has come at the expense of the fertility rate, as families with both spouses working have fewer children than their sole-career counterparts. (It is also the general attitude of women who earns more money than the husband to look down on them.)

– that Lim Swee Say Shee Shee has given Singapore workers this assurance in the event that CPF rates go up this year: your total pay package will also increase. But this does not mean workers will get their normal pay increment in full, plus the higher CPF contribution employers may have to pay. What will probably happen is some employers will moderate the pay increase, said Mr Lim in his first interview since becoming NTUC secretary-general on Jan 1. (What’s the point? I would be happier if CPF stays the same and the pay increment isn’t being meddled with by the NTUC so I get more take home pay to deal with the impending GST increase.)

– that with the unions now calling for the rate to be restored and the workers feel that it’s payback time, but employers – particularly those from the SMEs – are worried about their bottomline. (And well, I am a worker and I don’t feel it’s payback time. CPF increase only helps to put money into gover-min pockets and I don’t get to see that money unless I survive long enough til my retirement. And God knows what the age of retirement will be by then?!)

– that companies want a longer time frame to prepare for it. Otherwise, they would be forced to take the easy way out by cutting back on take-home pay and bonuses. While Lim Boon Bway Heng has assured employers that the rise would not exceed 3%, ApexPal CEO Douglas Foo said that SMEs would find it difficult to cope with even 1% or 2% hike. (It’s technically, a restoration, Douglas Fool. Not that I agree with it anyway.)

– that employers call on the gover-min to allow them more flexibility to reward their employees. (And you mean we can trust you bastards to do that and not reward yourselves first?)

– that 2 days after parts of Singapore were deluged by floods, people across the island abruptly found themselves without electricity for nearly an hour. As the power went out, the shutdown left a trail of people affected in its wake. Work ground to a halt for some as power went out in office buildings. Gridlocks ensued as traffic lights stopped blinking at some junctions, while a few ERP gantries shut down. (Nice. It should have shorted out the gantries and the entirety of this infernal system.)

– that according to a statement from Senoko Power Limited, the power failure came about as gas supplies from Petronas in Malaysia to the station were interrupted, resulting in two generators being unable to generate electricity. This was the first time such an incident has occurred since the gas supply’s inception in 1992. (And what can they do about that? Sue Petronas?)

– that while surfing online job portals at home recently, IT manager N Prasannakumar was flabbergasted when he came across one particular requirement in an advertisement. It read: Non-Indians preferred.The advertisement, posted by service provider Frontline Technologies on Dec 21, aimed to fill an opening for a project manager. Irked, Prasannakumar, a 39-year-old Singapore PR, wrote to Today urging companies to adopt an ‘equal opportunity’ stance without bias towards any nationality or race. (Well, sometimes it might not be a case of discrimination. The HR and the staff in Frontline maybe able to tell you more on the preference or prejudice, depending on the point of view.)

– that Jopca Solutions offered a software which costs $200 to forward just incoming messages and double that if you want outgoing messages as well. The difficulty is in sneaking the targetted phone out for the company to install the software. Also, the software is compatible with only certain models of mobile phones like the Nokia N70 and 6000 series phones. (Anyone who finds his / her spouse installing this on their phones should divorce that person if he is not guilty of cheating on them. It is completely offensive to invade another person’s privacy.)

– that lawyer Adrian Tan, director at Drew & Napier said, “Anyone using or selling the software can be found guilty under the Telecommunications Act for the fraudulent retention of messages.” Mr Bryan Tan, director of Keystone Law Corporation, said software users are also in breach of the Computer Misuse Act for installing software without the owner’s permission. If found guilty, users can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed up to three years, or both. The only instances where using the software is legal is when the owner of a targeted mobile phone consents to the tapping or when parents use it to check on their children who are not yet legally adults, said lawyers. Tapping your spouse’s or employee’s phone is not justified even if the phone is bought and registered under your name. (Should even give the jokers who spied on their spouse and employees a few stroke of rottan so they will learn their lesson.)

– that PI Mr Dennis Lee, owner of Covert Acquisition, who uses similar software in the course of his work, said the system is not just for catching cheating spouses. Mr Lee said he handled a case where a father was wondering where his son had obtained money to buy branded goods. After he installed the program, he found that the son was a runner for a bookie in Geylang and put a stop to it. Mr Lee said, “I stand by that particular case because it saved the son from trouble.” (At least there’s some meaning to the existence of this technology.)

– that Geylang Polyclinic has the longest waiting time among its peers, while in Sengkang, you can probably zip in out and out of its polyclinic in under an hour. In a detailed report on 18 polyclinics, the MOH found that it takes about 10 minutes to get registered at most clinics, while consultation time takes between 20 and 40 minutes. (Well, maybe the idea is to make the waiting time so unbearable you go to private clinics. Just joking…)

– that off-peak car (OPC) owners driving into Johor will have to comply with the same rules as in Singapore, or risk being fined and having their cars seized. Motorists spotted on Johor roads outside of the prescribed hours without the necessary day-permit will be fined RM300 and have their cars towed away. Under Singapore’s law, OPCs, identified by their red number plates, can be driven only from 7pm to 7am on weekdays and from 3pm on Saturdays. They may be used the whole day on Sundays and public holidays. Owners who drive outside of the prescribed hours must purchase and display a supplementary licence that costs $20 a day. According to Johor’s Road Transport Department [Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Johor, or JPJ], the same rules have always applied to Singapore OPCs in Johor, except that they were not strictly enforced in the past. This is going to change, as the Johor authorities will start clamping down on errant OPC drivers from now on. (Well done. They have finally learn from Singapore how to be lawfully evil already.)

– that LTA said that Singapore’s laws governing the OPC scheme and the displaying of day-licences only apply to OPCs when they are driven on Singapore roads. But she added: “Outside Singapore, owners and drivers of Singapore-registered vehicles should be aware of and comply with the vehicle and road traffic laws of the country that they are in.” (That’s such a fine example of how to be politically correct.)

– that off-peak cars from Singapore can be driven in JB during peak hours, said Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Datuk N. Parameswaran. Asked about reports of a new rule banning these cars from JB roads during peak hours, he said there was ‘no such thing’. Any Singapore-registered car with adequate insurance coverage can enter JB without restriction, he added. (They must have decided that such un-neighborly actions are at this moment unnecessary.)

– that a Singaporean man brutally hacked to death in Johor Baru by a gang of masked men was on Singapore’s wanted list – as a suspect in the murder of a teenager who died after severe beating at Chinatown Shopping Centre four years ago. Teo Guan Kah, 28, fled Singapore soon after the February 2003 attack. He has been living in Malaysia since. He also assumed a fake identity complete with a different name, age and false passport. (Poetic justice has finally caught up with him.)

– that the recent heavy rains triggered landslides that threatened some homes and flooded plant nurseries along Thomson Road, but other areas prone to flooding in the past were unscathed. And even though the Dec19 deluge was the third highest daily rainfall in Singapore in 75 years, only a few areas were flooded. And that, says Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, shows ‘that the drainage system we have put in place has worked’. (Except for Thomson Road, that is. Makes me wonder if he wouldn’t scream had the drains around his house worked except for one which made the water enter his house.)

– that last year, ComfortDelGro took 17 million bookings, a 20 per cent rise on 2005. Even July’s fare hike it seems, has not persuaded more people from saving up to $4 by flagging a taxi on the road. (What it would really indicate is that the July fare hike has simply exacerbated the problem whereby commuters are unable to get a cab by flagging it down.)

– that the LTA has said it will do more to address the enduring problem of commuters not being able to get a taxi during peak hours and in the evenings. (Like how? By sticking its head in the ground and believe that more and higher surcharges will ease the problem?)

Trivial, Jokes and Thoughts from Discussions

– that 2 sociology professors, Stephen J McNamee and Robert K Miller Jr, recently co-authored a book titled The Meritocracy Myth. The book identifies various factors, aptly referred to as ‘social gravity’, which tend to prevent advancement and keep people in the places they already occupy, regardless of their talent. Social gravity includes the distorting effects of inheritance causing unequal starting points in the race to get ahead, the effects of who you know and ‘fitting in’, simple luck, unequal access to educational opportunities, declining prospects for self-employment in business, and discrimination on the bases of race, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical disability, region, religion and physical appearance. (Social gravity in Singapore = Tali-PAP and discrimination is based on which political party you joined.)

– that with so many distorting factors, the Singapore model of meritocracy must be actively engineered to counter the forces of social gravity, to better approximate a system where those who are truly the most capable are identified. Otherwise, the elite is likely to ossify and perpetuate itself – not because of superior ability, but because of access to resources and opportunity. One area with room for change may be the award of scholarships. (Thanks to the likes of Wee Shit Min. In fact, what’s the damned point of giving scholarships to children of the rich and those in power? The state can gladly save some resources by denying it to these freaking freeloaders who clearly can afford an education many times over. After all, even Khaw Boon Wan suggest that those who can afford it should be given less subsidies.)

– that another area to look into is the mentality of branding. For example, there is a perception that a non-scholar in the civil service can only expect to progress so quickly in his career whilst a scholar is on a different track. A truly meritocratic system does not cease to assess upon graduation; it is constantly vigilant to identify those who are capable and, ideally, blind to their branding. (Like real. Even in the SAF, scholars make high ranking officers faster, and it does not necessarily have anything to do with merits.)

– that important attributes of humanity such as passion, empathy and compassion should also take their place in a meritocracy, instead of the single track of brilliance in study and work. That will also send the right message to the youth. Finally, it should also be acknowledged that rewards cannot be reserved only for those who are of merit. In the final analysis, the society, including its elite, exists for the better good of every one of its members, great and small. Even those who are admittedly of little merit have this – they are a part of society and deserve the same respect as does any human being. Meritocracy is just a social tool – it cannot eclipse humanity. (Singapore is a pseudo-socialist state that is completely devoid of humanity. There can be no greater betrayal to the ideal of Promethean humanism found in socialism than in Singapore.)

– that it costs up to US$500,000 to lay a single kilometre of submarine fibre-optic cables, and cable repair ships charge about US$25,000 a day. (The cost of Internet connectivity finally comes to light.)

– that Sony has been convicted of misleading the French public and told to pay damages to a consumer watchdog for selling downloadable songs that only run on its own music players. France’s Union Federale des Consommateurs (UFC) took Sony’s French and British subsidiaries to court in February 2005 over the music download site Sony Connect. The lawsuit also targets Apple, maker of the popular iPod, whose case is expected to reach the courts soon. Music files downloaded on the Sony Connect website are ‘locked’ with what is known as digital rights management [DRM] software, which means they only run on Sony’s own players. (Such detestable anti-competition practices in the name of protecting copyrights and intellectual property has to be punished.)

– that the iPod is perhaps the most over-rated piece of shit that exists. For e.g. the iPod’s very specific video formats – you need to download movies either directly from the iTunes store or using a direct-to-iPod-format solution. (Well, this statement probably isn’t really justified but it’s deliberately said to piss off all you Jobs-worshipping iDiots. Above which, the anti-competition practice of making only videos and music available on iTunes playable on the iPod only is sooooo Microsoft. You Jobs-worshipping fags actually can swallow that and call it… protecting intellectual property but if Microsoft has done it you would have screamed bloody murder.)

– that a Brazilian court has ordered the YouTube website blocked for failing to withdraw a compromising video of supermodel Adriana Cicarelli on a beach in Spain, a local newspaper reported. The ex-wife of Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo was filmed by a paparazzi at a beach in Cadiz smooching, writhing and having sex among the waves with another Brazilian, Renato Malzoni. The couple sued Globo Organisations, which runs several websites, IG and YouTube for posting the video. While Globo and IG withdrew the video, the popular video website YouTube did not. (Get a room the next time, Adriana.)

– that a few years ago, a gover-min that did not agree to IMF conditions would find itself denied credit not only from the Fund but from the much larger World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, G-7 gover-mins and even the private sector. This was the major instrument of Washington’s influence in the region, and helped bring higher interest rates, tighter budgets, privatization, indiscriminate liberalization of international trade and capital flows and the abandonment of development strategies. (No wonder the likes of Chavez and a whole bunch of leftist gover-mins are mad with the U.S.)

– that Irish rock star and rights campaigner Bono has been awarded an honorary British knighthood. “Her Majesty The Queen has appointed Bono to be an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work,” the embassy in Dublin said. However, bestowal of an honorary award does not confer the title, Sir, on the holder. (And U2 fans will still worship him like a god.)

– that Holocaust-denier David Irving has vowed to fight back against ‘worldwide attempts’ to silence him and to renew debates about the Nazi genocide and WWII. A day after his release from jail, the British historian called for a boycott of Austrian and German historians until legislation that led to his imprisonment is repealed. Irving repeated the assertion that led to his conviction in an Austrian court last year, namely that Adolf Hitler was not party to the Nazi genocide of European Jewry and that the number of those killed was exaggerated. (This shameless liar deserved whatever he has gotten and the news shouldn’t even bother to report any news about him.)

– that Flora, a pregnant Komodo dragon living in a British zoo, is expecting eight babies in what scientists said could be a Christmas virgin birth. Flora has never mated, or even mixed, with a male dragon, and fertilized all the eggs herself, a process culminating in parthenogenesis, or virgin birth. Other lizards do this, but scientists only recently found that Komodo dragons do too. (Nature never cease to amaze us.)

– that European bears have bad news for us. They don’t hibernate any more. Scientists in Spain report bears are now staying awake all winter long. Research indicates the warmer winters and lighter snow means bears in the Cantabrian Mountains now stay awake all winter, and find plenty to eat. Scientists say this is just one more effect of global warming. (The surprises we get for fxxking up our environment is amazing. And this is just a minor one.)

– that soldiers trying to seize control of one Mexico’s top drug-producing regions found the countryside teeming with a new hybrid marijuana plant that can be cultivated year-round and cannot be killed with herbicides. The plants’ roots survive if they are doused with herbicide, said army Gen. Manuel Garcia. The new plants, known as ‘Colombians’, mature in about two months and can be planted at any time of year, meaning authorities will no longer be able to time raids to coincide with twice-yearly harvests. (Time to just napalm the damned things.)

– that the University of Virginia study showed a majority of older mice died while being subjected to the equivalent of a Washington to Paris flight once a week for eight weeks, The Washington Post reported. More intense forms of jet lag sped up the death rate in the elderly rodents, the study found. (Well, does it make the mice more horny too? It is rumoured that air-stewardess become sex crazed from too much flying.)

– that snakes could sense an earthquake 120 km away, three to five days before it happens. “When an earthquake is about to occur, snakes will move out of their nests, even in the cold of winter,” Mr Jiang Weisong, director of the earthquake bureau in Nanning, southern China, said. “If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash into walls while trying to escape.” (The things animals can teach us or warn us about…)

Kee Lay Cheng just can’t give up treating us as idiots. I have explained the above shit before so I’ll quit explaining in detail once again that there is no real payout of money for the gover-min in the above mumbo jumbo, even when the HDB can claim a deficit every year.

Upon reading this piece of ridiculous rubbish, my friend said this: