Only after the last tree has been cut down;
Only after the last river has been poisoned;
Only after the last fish has been caught;
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
– Cree Prophecy
(Stop destroying the environment. Think about our planet. We have only but one.)

The World This Week

– that Donald Rumsfool said the U.S. military is too strong to lose the war in Iraq, but ultimately political solutions will be needed to win. (Famous last words?)

– that while ‘home-grown’ terror cells remain a concern of U.S. law officers, who cite several disrupted plots since 9/11, the suspects’ unsophisticated planning and tiny numbers have led some security analysts to conclude that America, for all its imperfections, is not fertile ground for producing jihadist terrorists. (Maybe they just deliberately blunder to shield your eyes from the real McCoy?)

– that Afro-American Senator Barack Obama, a rising star of the Democratic Party, said he is considering running for the U.S. presidency in 2008. Asked on NBC television’s ‘Meet the Press’ program if it was fair to say he is thinking about running in 2008, the Illinois lawmaker answered: “It’s fair, yes.” (Better Obama than Hillary Clinton! Go, Obama!!)

– that Dick-head Cheney said he thought Hillary Clinton could win the White House in 2008 and that a potential Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, was too inexperienced. Clinton, a New York Democrat who is running for re-election, is considered a likely contender for the White House in 2008. Obama, serving his first term as a U.S. senator from Illinois, has been touted recently as a possible candidate, something he said he would consider. (I am feeling sick already.)

– that Donald Rumsfool said that anyone demanding deadlines for progress in Iraq should ‘just back off’, because it is too difficult to predict when Iraqis will resume control of their country. During an often-combative Pentagon news conference, Rumsfool said that while benchmarks for security, political and economic progress are valuable, “it’s difficult. We’re looking out into the future. No one can predict the future with absolute certainty.” He said the goals have no specific deadlines or consequences if they are not met by specific dates. (i.e. No exit strategy. They are stuck and they have no clue.)

– that former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet allegedly has at least US$180 million worth of gold stashed at HSBC’s regional bank in Hong Kong, the authorities have discovered according to local media reports. Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley told a radio station that ‘the information is not yet official’ but he said the gover-min had alerted the judicial authorities. (This guy should just leave Chile and visit Soeharto.)

– that Argentine prosecutors asked a federal judge to order the arrest of former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani and seven others for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center that killed scores of people. The decision to attack the center ‘was undertaken in 1993 by the highest authorities of the then-gover-min of Iran’, prosecutor Alberto Nisman said at a news conference. He said the actual attack was entrusted to the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah. (It’s unlikely they’ll ever get to him.)

– that Australia’s Environment Minister Ian Campbell says Iceland is sticking two fingers in the air to the international community by killing a whale species listed as close to extinction. Icelandic whalers reportedly broke a 21-year-old international ban on whaling when they harpooned the first fin whale since a moratorium was imposed in 1985. Fin whales, the second largest species on the planet, are rated an endangered species on a red list compiled by the World Conservation Union but Iceland says they are plentiful in the north Atlantic. (It’s time for Green Peace to arm itself with submarines and ‘harpoon’ whalers with torpedoes.)

– that John Howard is under pressure to fast-track reforms to remove legal ‘discrimination’ against same-sex couples as the federal gover-min considers a new ban on civil partnerships for homosexuals and lesbians in the nation’s capital. The Australian Coalition for Equality, has welcomed moves by the Prime Minister to review federal legislation on the issue, but urged Mr Howard to commit to a timetable to removing ‘discrimination’. (Do what is right, Howard. And that doesn’t mean being ‘politically right’.)

– that a senior Muslim cleric touched off outrage in Australia for likening women who dress immodestly to meat that is left out for prey – a comment critics said excused rape. John Howard called the remarks ‘appalling and reprehensible’. “The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous,” he told reporters. (They just can’t accept responsibility for failing to control their itchy dicks.)

– that the cleric has refused to resign for remarks comparing scantily-clad women to ‘uncovered meat’ as John Howard urged Muslims to act to defend their image. Sheikh Shit Taj Aldin al-Hilali, who has been forced to stop preaching for up to three months amid a firestorm of criticism, said he would only step down when the world was ‘clean’ of the White House. (Shitheads like him thinks he is most holy and righteous simply by growing a beard, shouting some religious slogans and misquoting and misusing some verses of the divine scriptures. He is no better than that moron sitting in the White House.)

– that a heated debate over veils that cover the faces of some British Muslim women is growing ugly and could trigger riots, the head of Britain’s race relations watchdog warned. Britons are becoming increasingly polarized along racial and religious lines, and if they don’t talk respectfully about their differences, bad feeling will mount and could fuel unrest, Commission for Racial Equality chairman Trevor Phillips wrote in The Sunday Times newspaper. (When respect is expected by one side to only go one way, then violence is inevitable.)

– that the cost of residents’ parking permits could be linked to car emissions under plans being considered in one of the country’s most affluent areas. A Lib Dem council in London wants owners of gas-guzzling vehicles to pay more to park outside their homes. (Want to show off your big fuel guzzling SUV? Then pay more and pay until you die lah.)

– that France 2, a French television company won a libel case over accusations that it faked a report into the killing of a ‘Palestinian’ boy whose death in 2000 became a symbol of the uprising known as the second intifada. A court in Paris ordered Philippe Karsenty, the director of the Media Ratings website, to pay France 2 and its Israel correspondent, Charles Enderlin, symbolic damages of 1 each. (A most perverse ruling by the Paris court. The French does not want to aknowlege the Fench responsability in the resulting violence and deaths in the ‘Palestinian’ territories that followed this cooked-up report. It simply says it is perfectly alright to slander the Israeli military, but it was not alright to expose the deception of the al-Durra video.)

– that around a dozen Japanese tourists a year need psychological treatment after visiting Paris, as the reality of unfriendly locals and scruffy streets clashes with their expectations. Already this year, Japan’s embassy in Paris has had to repatriate at least four visitors, including two women who believed their hotel room was being bugged. (There’s really nothing romantic in Paris for these poor Japanese.)

– that ex-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has written in a new book that Warmonger Bush’s frequent references to God in their meetings before the Iraq war had made him wary of those political decisions. Schroeder wrote in an advance excerpt of his memoirs that Germany had stood by its vow of ‘unlimited solidarity’ after the September 11 attacks in 2001. But Germany stayed out of Iraq, causing a breach in U.S.-German ties. He said in ‘Decisions: My Life in Politics’, published in Der Spiegel magazine, he was alarmed by Warmonger’s talk of God, which made him fear religion influenced decisions. (It is hard to believe that Warmonger has God in his mind for all his political decisions. He is just saying it to play up to certain constituents in the U.S. to back the war.)

– that Russian authorities are investigating claims a bear shot by King Juan Carlos of Spain in August was a tame animal that had been fed honey and vodka, before being released near where the king was to be hunting. (Poor bear. And we all thought such toadying is only done during the days of Soviet Union.)

– that Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that he would not try to run for another term, but said he would retain influence over Russia even after leaving office in 2008. The immensely popular Putin is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, but supporters have called for a referendum on amending the country’s laws to allow him to stay in power. (Maybe he should just make a post for himself so he can continue to wield some power. Say, President-Mentor.)

– that Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak questioned whether Muslims had done enough to change the West’s ‘wrong perceptions’ about Islam, which he said was under ‘ferocious attack’. He also said Islam needed a fresh religious discourse to promote tolerance and uproot extremist views. (They have simply done too much to ‘change’ the West’s perception. They should just have done more to stop themselves from reinforcing those perceptions.)

– that an investigation into France’s alleged role in the genocide in Rwanda is due to begin. France has been accused by gover-min officials in Rwanda of being complicit in the killing of 800,000 people. A panel of respected Rwandans will hear claims that French soldiers stationed in Rwanda allowed or even encouraged the killings of thousands of Tutsis. France has denied playing any role in the 100-day frenzy of killing that took place in 1994. (Seems like past evils are finally catching up.)

– that Israel’s prime minister delivered his strongest comments yet on Iran’s nuclear program, warning that Tehran would have ‘a price to pay’ if it does not back down from its atomic ambitions and hinting that Israel might be forced to take action. (Like what? Bomb Iran? Or use your nukes on them?)

– that Hamas wants to ‘liberate the “Palestinians”‘ not to destroy Israel, Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief, told The Jerusalem Post. (To Hamas, destroying Israeli is ‘liberating the “Palestinians”‘. So, wake up!)

– that in an interview following his talks in Tel Aviv with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Solana insisted that it was ‘not impossible’ for Hamas to change and ‘recognize the existence of Israel’. History had shown that people and nations ‘adapt to reality’, he said. (The EU would ‘adapt’ to the ‘reality’ in which Hamas ‘recognised’ an Israel that is nothing but a memory.)

– that Mahmoud Abbas hopes to beef up his loyalist forces with PLO troops stationed in Jordan, ‘Palestinian’ officials said, as rival factions bolstered their ranks in anticipation of a feared civil war. Israel has objected in the past to letting members of the Jordan-based Badr Brigade enter ‘Palestinian’ areas. But with clashes intensifying between Abbas’ Fatah Party and forces loyal to the Hamas gover-min, Israeli officials said they would consider allowing them in, the ‘Palestinian’ officials said. (Remember the story of the trojan horse, O Israel. Remember that Abbas also said he didn’t need to recognise Israel.)

– that Mahmoud Mahbouk Ahmadinejad has reportedly delivered a scathing attack on Warmonger Bush, saying he is inspired by Satan. Speaking to a group of supporters, Mr Ahmadinejad said he himself had inspirational links to God, Iranian media reports. (Both of these fu*kwits should just get in a ring and kill one another.)

– that Iran’s supreme lea-duh, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Arab and Muslim nations to be vigilant and stay united to stave off what he described as the ‘treacherous plots’ of the U.S. and Israel. (There’s nothing more treacherous than political lea-duhs in the guise of a pious religionist.)

– that in another message from the Iranian lea-duhship to the Persian nation, Mahbouk Ahmadinejad has called on Muslims to create a baby boom to double his country’s population. He said birth control policies should be scrapped, and that women should work less so they can spend more time on the ‘main mission’ of raising children. (So you can have cheap ‘guided-bombs’ when you can’t feed them and put them in schools? In his sick mind, women have no other purpose other than be wrapped up like rice-dumplings and as a children-making factory.)

– that Condom-leezza Rice urged China to fully implement the UN resolution against North Korea, particularly the requirement to inspect cargo from the nuclear-armed state. In a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing in Beijing, Rice said she discussed how Beijing should abide by the Council’s resolution that was approved to punish North Korea for its October 9 atomic test. (China has more to fear from Kim’s nuke than the Americans, who are out of range and far away.)

– that a move by health workers in China to offer AIDS education to sex workers has triggered heated discussion in the country. Some say this will only serve to encourage the sex trade. But health authorities say sex workers need AIDS prevention information to curb the spread of the disease. (Why has no one consider options to get them out of the trade?)

– that Japan and the U.S. agreed in top-level talks to strengthen their military alliance and step up work on missile defence due to the threat from nuclear neighbour North Korea. Shinzo Schizo Abe, backed a tough line on North Korea as he met with U.S. Secretary of State Condom-leezza Rice, who is on a four-nation tour in the wake of Pyongyang’s nuclear test. (There’s no shield that a well designed warhead wouldn’t get through.)

– that the policy chief of the Japanese ruling party has renewed his calls for a debate over whether Japan should acquire nuclear weapons capability in the face of nuclear threat from North Korea. Shoichi Nakagawa, a close ally of Shinzo Schizo Abe, has argued that Japan should not shy away from discussing the nuclear option, long regarded as taboo in Japan, the world’s only nation to come under nuclear attack at the end of the World War II. Nakagawa’s remarks, originally made shortly after North Korea’s nuclear test this month, have triggered a debate on the issue, with Foreign Minister Taro Aso Arsehole echoing the sentiment. (The last thing the world can trust Japan with, is nuclear bombs.)

– that Kim Jong-Il has expressed regret about his country’s nuclear test and willingness to return to disarmament talks if the U.S. eases the pressure, a South Korean newspaper has reported. Chosun Ilbo, quoting an unidentified diplomatic source in China, said Kim made the remarks to a high-level Chinese delegation visiting Pyongyang. (Kim Jong Il’s been learning ‘Japanese Diplomatic Speak’. I regret… I felt remorseful… but I just ain’t gonna stop doing it.)

– that Kim Jong-Il has told Chinese envoy Tang Jiaxuan that no more atom bomb tests are on the way, according to reports from South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. Mr Kim has told Mr Tang that North Korea has ‘no plan for an additional nuclear test’, the report has said. (I’ll trust Kim as far as I can throw him.)

– that reports that North Korea had apologized for conducting a nuclear test were ‘inaccurate’, China said, adding there was no guarantee the reclusive state would not test again. The remarks from Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao were China’s first official reaction to media reports that Kim Jong-il told a visiting Chinese envoy that Pyongyang regretted the difficulties its October 9 nuclear test had caused its neighbor and did not plan another test. (Like I was saying earlier… there’s no reason to trust Kim Jong Il and the blasted North Koreans.)

– that fresh reports have emerged that nuclear-armed North Korea may be ready for compromise as the top U.S. diplomat headed home from Moscow after a mission to increase pressure on the reclusive communist state. Talk of progress in the stand-off came as thousands of South Korean anti-war activists rallied in downtown Seoul, demanding US-North Korean direct talks to ease tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear test earlier this month. (Pyongyang will always be ready to compromi$e as long as the $ keeps coming.)

– that condom sales and bookings at several of South Korea’s pay-by-the-hour ‘love motels’ surged in the aftermath of North Korea’s nuclear test earlier this month, according to statistics released. (Perhaps there are many Koreans who believe they shouldn’t die a virgin.)

– that investigators had failed to uncover solid evidence of corruption by Thaksin Tham-sim Shinawatra, the country’s coup lea-duh said, undermining the main rationale for the takeover. However, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin advised Tham-sim against returning in the near future and warned the military was on the alert for any risk of a counter-coup by his supporters. (He isn’t corrupted. But he sure is greedy.)

– that the lea-duh of last month’s military coup says any airplane carrying toppled Tham-sim Shinawatra back to Thailand would not be allowed to land. Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin indicated that Tham-sim, now staying in London, was apparently trying to use his immense wealth to stage a political comeback. (Some people just never give up, do they? Can’t blame them. Power is addictive.)

– that Abdullah Badawi has upped the ante in a bitter feud with Mama-thir, hitting out at the vociferous mamak for the first time, officials said. But even as Abdullah signalled a gloves-off approach, Mama-thir issued a stinging assault over the Internet, saying a ‘climate of fear has enveloped the country’ and asserting his right to criticise Abdullah. (Abdullah should deal with Mama-thir the same way Mama-thir deals with those who criticised him.)

– that in an unusual riposte, Abdullah said during the talks he refuted Mama-thir’s claims of nepotism involving his son Kamaluddin and Malaysian company Scomi, and accused Mama-thir’s sons of benefiting more under the ex-premier’s tenure. (啊，撕破脸啦！阿都拉终于都忍无可忍，’肚烂’啦！)

– that Mama-thir, who has accused Abdullah of running a ‘police state’ and curbing his right to speak, warned anyone criticising Abdullah would be blocked and accused the police and gover-min of issuing threats to critics. The threats includes ‘sacking, transfer to remote areas like in Sabah, retraction or cancellation of contracts, harassment by the banks, call-up by the police, the Anti-Corruption Agency and other gover-min enforcement agencies’, he said. (Well, compared to the black-eye and jail sentence that Anwar got, this is ‘sup-sup-sway’ [small matter].)

Singapore This Week

– that this year’s Speak Mandarin Campaign will be continuing with its theme of ‘Mandarin Cool’. It hopes to reach out to the post-65 generation of English speaking Chinese especially through the popular medium of Mandarin songs. (Nothing so cool about it when most people can’t kriffing read the Chinese characters.)

– that SMRT has posted a 10% growth in its first half profit to S$58.8 million. For the three months to September, it booked a slightly bigger increase of 13% to S$31.6 million. (And next year will still raise fares.)

– that SMRT said higher revenue and interest income helped to offset the jump in operating expenses. It expects ridership to move up marginally this quarter compared to a year ago but this will still be lower than the last quarter as a result of seasonal fluctuations. Operating expenses are seen escalating due to the bigger electricity bills and higher depreciation of its taxi fleet and trains. (And I thought higher depreciation goes towards giving them tax exemptions as well?)

– that we should expect to see more full-day bus lanes in Singapore as a review of the public transport system gets underway. The special lanes, which currently give buses priority during the morning and evening rush hour, are already in use in Orchard Road only. But the gover-min intends to expand them to other areas – as part of its plans to make public transport more attractive. (For starters, before they come up with any new ideas, why don’t these clowns start using public transport for a year, at least 2 times every working day?)

– that in a speech that spelt out Singapore’s public transport road map for the next 10 to 15 years, Raymond Lemon Lim, transport mini$ter, said: “We must make a concerted effort to aggressively promote public transport, which is an efficient mass carrier, and which plays a central role in most First World cities.” (Efficient, it is. Effective, it is not.)

– that in 1997, there were 355,503 private cars on the roads and this rose by 9.5% to 389,282 in 2004. However, the number of daily car trips over the same period increased by 23% – more than double the rate of cars on the road. “In other words, there has been a growing trend that once a car is bought, it is used very intensively,” Lemon said. Lemon said the increase is ‘not surprising, as having paid heavily upfront for a car, with a limited period of use before it has to be scrapped, owners tend to drive as much as they can’. (They paid him a million bucks a year to figure that out? BTW Lemon, you make parking expensive they will also keep driving it and create more illegal parking problems.)

– that the chairman of the Gover-min Parliamentary Committee for Tran$port, Mr Cedric Fool, agreed with the thrust of Lemon’s speech, but said more can be done to make public transport attractive. One area that could see improvement is closer collaboration with the Tran$port Ministry and the Ministry of National Development. (Then it is doomed to failure.)

– that public tran$port in Singapore gets tops marks compared to Los Angeles, San Jose and Cairo, says permanent resident Alaa Sidhom, who has lived in all these cities. Buses and trains arrive on time here, stop near his home, are easy to access, and are well-connected to one another, said the engineer from Egypt. He said he was amazed by Singapore’s public transport when he arrived. Buses and trains took him to within metres of his flat in Woodlands. (No wonder this gover-min tells us we needed more ‘foreign talents’. Look bozo, move to Punggol or SengKang to a block which requires you to make a short walk to the bus stop to a feeder bus which takes you to the MRT. Then tell me about it.)

– that people in Singapore are not using public transport enough. This perturbs the gover-min, which has invested over $10 billion in public funds on bus and rail infrastructure in the past decade. Despite that, just less than half the daily 8.3 million trips here are made via buses and trains – a dip from 51% when the 1996 ‘World Class Land Transport System’ White Paper was published. In that White Paper, produced when the LTA was formed, the gove-min envisaged raising the share of public transport to 75% of all trips – a benchmark against downtown Zurich, the Swiss city renowned for its public transport system. (There’s nothing to be perturbed about. Commuters have simply given up writing about their complaints about the ‘Worst’ Class Tran$port system and simply voted with their ‘cars’. Pun intended. [‘Car’ in Hokkien dialect means leg (脚).])

– that Lemon Lim indicated that few stones will be left unturned in the gover-min’s quest to make public transport ‘a choice mode’. (You do not need to turn too many stones, Lemon. Just read the newspapers, dude. Our gripes are there all the time: Train frequency. Fare increments. Bus bunching. Routes removal. Ineffectiveness [i.e. inconvenience] resulting from efficient – profitable – public tran$port ‘competition’, or should I say, complement of one another. It is common sense while it is efficient to have one train filled up to 85% and everyone to use the train, how is it effective transport when I need to incur extra cost to take a bus to get to the MRT?! Do we need to pay you another million bucks to figure that out?!)

– that the 1996 White Paper cited major unhappiness with public buses: long waiting times, unknown waiting times, and long journeys. As for trains, the criticisms included overcrowding and inaccessible stations. Little has changed. A 2005 PTC survey found that long waits and overcrowded buses were top grouses. Likewise for polls in 2004 and 2003. (And long trips. Try going Harbour Front to Boon Lay interchange. Either bus 30 which takes forever, or 97 to Jurong East to change, or take the MRT back to Outram. In this case, too damned convenient. But is it at all efficient?)

– that in Zurich, car ownership in the Swiss financial capital is among the highest in Europe, with one car for every 1.6 residents in 2004. And yet, almost everybody there uses public transport – even political lea-duhs. (And that’s why they succeeded and we failed. The fact that our political lea-duh$ hardly used our own public transport systems would perhaps be a telltale sign of their own confidence in their tran$port policy and their much touted ‘Worst’ Class Tran$port. Come join us and use it. Come experience it yourself and you would have a better idea on how to improve it. Or else just give up.)

-that Tharman Thumby Shanmugaratnam said that, in order to foster genius akin to that at the Nobel prize level, a planned system must be in place to encourage as much creativity as possible. He said the Education Ministry is trying to do that in several ways. “But we also have to leave space for serendipity, for surprising successes, at the intellectual and non-intellectual level”, he said, noting that some Nobel laureates did not start off as academic successes. (And that’s perhaps why we still do not yet have genius at the Nobel prize level. I don’t recall Einstein, or even Edison, being creatures of a planned system.)

– that Ang Mo Kio is about four months away from having a new mega mall, a development seen to bring a new buzz to one of Singapore’s oldest HDB estates. Billed as a one-stop retail and entertainment experience, the four-storey AMK Hub with 262 shops will also be a focal point for a range of services provided by National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) cooperatives. These include a 2,000-sq-ft lounge where the elderly can meet in air-conditioned comfort; a 4,400-sq-ft childcare centre; and an NTUC Club entertainment centre with an eight-screen cineplex. It will also house FairPrice’s first-ever hypermarket and have a mega pharmacy run by NTUC Healthcare, the labour movement’s health-care arm. The 19.3ha complex will also be connected to an air-conditioned bus interchange, slated for completion early next year, and an underpass to Ang Mo Kio MRT station. (Finally! Does anyone remember when the old Interchange was taken down and how many years the land was left to fester before they did something about it?)

– that Tali-PAP (NOTE!!) MP Wee Siew Kim has said sorry for remarks he and his 18-year-old daughter, Shu Min, made about Singaporeans who worry about jobs. In a statement issued, he apologised for the comments he made in an earlier interview on his daughter’s criticism of another blogger, Mr Derek Wee, 35, on her blog. “We both apologise to the people whom we have offended, and especially Mr Derek Wee,” the MP said. (The only apology I will accept from both of you: Resign and get your sickening elitist f*ck face off mine + giving back the scholarship your unworthy daughter has taken from some more deserving soul. Yes, get off my uncaring vengeful face, both you leeches!)

– that Wee originally said he stood by his daughter’s ‘basic point’, saying well-educated Singaporeans such as Mr Derek Wee should ‘get on with the challenges in life’ rather than complain to the gover-min about them. “I think if you cut through the insensitivity of the language, her basic point is reasonable,” he had said. “Some people cannot take the brutal truth and that sort of language, so she ought to learn from it,” he added. (So if you are well fed you should just shut up and let other people rot, is that what you mean? Is it a surprise why lots of Singaporeans are turning into uncivilised, inconsiderate ‘pigs’, as one Aussie friend of a ST forum writer said to him?)

– that Wee’s comments drew further criticism, especially online. In his apology, he said: “I should not have said what I did about people’s inability to take the brutal truth and strong language.” (Sorry also must explain!!)

Trivial, Jokes and Thoughts from Discussions

– that some of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod digital music players shipped carry a computer virus, according to a posting on Apple’s technical support Web site. Apple said since September 12, less than 1%of Video iPods – pocket-sized devices that can play music files and video clips – left its contract manufacturer carrying the virus RavMonE.exe, which affects computers running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system. (Insidious! Evil!)

– that copyright laws are ‘out of date’ and must be updated so MP3 player users can make copies of CDs without breaking the law, according to a think tank. The Institute for Public Policy Research argues that consumers’ rights should be improved with a ‘new private right to copy’. It is also calling on the UK gover-min to reject demands for the music copyright term to be extended beyond 50 years. The IPPR recommendations are ahead of a review of intellectual property laws. (A balance between protecting intellectual rights and preventing it from being a money grabbing tool is to be found.)

– that Google Inc.’s third-quarter profit nearly doubled in the latest demonstration of the Internet search lea-duh’s phenomenal financial firepower. The company earned $733.4 million, or $2.36 per share, for the three months ended in September. That represented a 92% increase from net income of $381.2 million, or $1.32 per share, at the same time last year. (For $400/share it earned $1.32/share – roughly 0.33% – and it went up $30++ dollars in after-hours trading. For a $24/share stock, AMD earned $0.27/share – 1.125% – and it plunged a good 10% at least. Talk about the insanity of the stock market and well, bad mathematics.)

– that for several years, China’s loans have helped to keep prices and interest rates low in the U.S., and to finance big tax cuts. If the lending began to dry up – because Chinese officials decided to diversify into other currencies or to spend more at home – prices, interest rates and taxes in the U.S. would very likely rise. If the loans dried up quickly – a worst-case scenario – the result could be a sharp financial crisis. A gradual shift could mean a long downward trend in American living standards as a higher cost of living took its toll. (Still wanna say so much about China’s human rights abuse and currency exchange rates?)

that Paul Wolfowitz was quoted as saying China and its banks were ignoring human rights and environmental standards when lending to developing countries in Africa. Large Chinese banks ignored the ‘Equator Principles’, a voluntary code of conduct under which projects financed by private banks meet social and environmental standards, he told Les Echos, Paris-based sister newspaper of the Financial Times. (China should stop lending to America too.)

– that according to statement released by a London law firm, Vince Vaughn would be filing a ‘legal complaint’ against a tabloid trio – the New York Post and the Britain-based Daily Mirror and The Sun – that said he was seen kissing a ‘mystery blonde’ at a charity event in London and had called it quits with Aniston. (Why stop at the tabloids? Maybe do an NKF – sue everyone who has a copy of that news too.)

– that Madonna told Oprah Winfrey she was surprised by the firestorm surrounding her efforts to adopt a 13-month-old boy from the African country of Malawi. And she blamed the media for it. (After she had been such a media whore, she now blames the very people who gave her the attention she craves.)

– that the Aero-Club de France, a Paris-based federation that was set up in 1905 to rule on the veracity of first-in-flight claims, confirmed that Santos-Dumont was flying’s pioneer. The federation awarded a trophy cup to Brazil’s Santos-Dumont after the Wright Brothers refused to provide evidence that they flew unaided at Kitty Hawk in 1903. (Well, doesn’t matter who flew first when the Brazilians didn’t capitalise on it.)

– that men who glue themselves to mobile phones for hours a day may be seriously endangering their fertility, research has revealed. A U.S. study presented to an international reproductive conference in New Orleans found that heavy mobile phone users have up to 40% lower sperm counts than lighter users. But an Australian fertility expert has cautioned the findings, saying similar research undertaken here does not support the results. (Coming up next, mobile phones as contraceptives, and the top 10 ‘sperm-killer’ mobile phones.)

– that humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets’ worth of natural resources every year by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a report published by the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Footprint Network. (The nearest available earth-like planet is well… erm… we don’t know where it is.)

I am a little late in this but is this elitist’s bitch’s response and her views any surprise to anyone? And the fact she’s from RJC reminds me of a friend of mine who complains once to me how elitist and uncaring her younger RJC brother is.

I am now inclinced to agree with her ex-boyfriend that a lot of these conceited and pompous little elitist bastards is the result of the school they came from, and I won’t be surprise that the yappies with no burdens in life would have agreed with the little bitch and bashed Derek Wee too.

Anyway, there is REALLY nothing wrong with what Derek Wee has written. Anyone who doesn’t have a silver spoon in their mouths and no rich parents to back them up and provide them a job will understand and agree with what Derek Wee has written.

Wee Shu Min’s apology is not needed because it is my considered opinion that this opinion will last her a life time because I have heard the same shits coming from some of my acquaintances when they were teenagers and I still hear them today.

Personally speaking, it is best to just take away her scholarship and when it is her turn to join the work force, let her go and try get a job just like every other simple Joe and Jane, let her stay unemployed for a year or more while she sees jobs she’s qualified for taken away by ‘foreign talents’.

And to top that, when she’s 35, retrench her from her job and make her line entirely obsolete, then let her go retrain and wonder why she still couldn’t find a job in-spite of her ‘upgrading’.

Some people needs to be f**ked to the wall before they will learn the realities of life instead of thinking all’s just milk and honey in Tali-PAP’s politically socialist ‘utopia’.

It is only a real tragedy and a mishap in reality that this ‘uncaring elitist’ will never have to face the life every other Singaporean faces and I am wondering if she is doing this so she can beat Tammy as the most searched name in Singapore.

Gotten this from a friend on MSN:

Meritocracy has led to Elitism,
Elitism has become Despotism,
And Despotism will inevitably lead to Tyranny.

And I add: ‘And Tyranny, to Revolution.’

Comments are welcomed in this thread on my forum.

The World This Week

– that Warmonger Bush has signed a new National Space Policy which claims the U.S. has a right to deny access to space to anyone ‘hostile to U.S. interests’. The document, the first major overhaul of U.S. space policy in 10 years, has a new emphasis on security and defense, as opposed to research, while encouraging private enterprise in space. (Played too much ‘Alpha Centauri’ is it? Like the first guy who build the first space platform can prevent the next guy from doing the same.)

– that Mexico asked Warmonger Bush to reject a plan to build a border fence to keep illegal immigrants out, but acknowledged that its plea was likely to fall on deaf ears. Congress gave final approval to a bill to put up about 700 miles of fence, a project Republicans hope will impress voters calling for tougher immigration control ahead of November 7 congressional elections. Bush is expected to sign the fence construction legislation into law. (Just build a fence of your own and put a minefield in between the two.)

– that no sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts. The House and Senate gave the Bush administration regime leeway to distribute the money to a combination of projects – not just the physical barrier along the southern border. The funds may also be spent on roads, technology and ‘tactical infrastructure’ to support the Department of Homeland Security’s preferred option of a ‘virtual fence’. (They decided that building a fence would means Mexico doesn’t have to do anything but leave everything to the fence. And in the future, they can’t blame Mexico anymore!)

– that the leftist presidential front-runner in Ecuador said that the devil should be insulted by comparisons to Warmonger Bush, whom he called a ‘dimwitted’ lea-duh who has done ‘great damage’ to the world. Rafael Correa referred to a U.N. speech by his friend, Hugo Chavez, who caused an uproar in the U.S. by calling Bush ‘the devil’. (Obviously Rafael Correa isn’t very bright-witted either when he need to talk about something so blatantly obvious to anyone with a good brain.)

– that increasing numbers of Australian teenagers as young as 16 are becoming social smokers of the stimulant drug ice, as they look for alternatives to the party pill ecstasy. The latest monitoring of ecstasy users by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre has found that young people are smoking ice with their friends as drug syndicates deliberately seek a younger market. The Australian National Council on Drugs said it was concerned the syndicates were shifting their business base away from heroin to the equally addictive ice. (Execute both traffickers and abusers for a long term solution to drug abuse & trafficking.)

– that Australia hauled in North Korea’s ambassador to protest Pyongyang’s nuclear test but stopped short of expelling him, saying there was a ‘marginal advantage’ in maintaining diplomatic ties. Alexander Downer said he had told ambassador Chon Jae Hong the test had further isolated the communist regime from the rest of the world, threatened regional security and ‘humiliated’ China. (It’s not like Kim Jong Il gives a damn how China feels about the matter.)

– that Downer said, “I said it was one thing to be offensive to the United States and Britain and Australia and their allies, but it’s another thing to treat the Chinese, who have been such stalwart supporters of North Korea for such a long time, in this way. North Korea has treated China extremely shabbily.” (10 years is not too long for a gentleman to have his revenge. [君子报仇十年未晚。] And China is that gentleman.)

– that Australia’s worsening drought is driving farmers to suicide and gover-min funds should be used to help them leave increasingly unviable land, scientists and politicans said. The side effects of the worst drought in living memory include mental illness, depression and suicide in rural communities, said opposition Labor Party health spokeswoman Julia Gillard. But the suggestion of exit payments to farmers was criticised as ‘un-Australian’ by a member of parliament for the rural-based Nationals party, which is part of Howard’s coalition gover-min. (Some of these politicians ought to read more details about Australia’s water shortage and farming problems in Jerrard Diamond’s book: ‘Collapse’.)

– that Lebanon has deployed its army on its southern border with Israel for the first time in almost 40 years, vowing to reassert control in the area by stopping attacks and arms smuggling. At a ceremony to mark the occasion, army commander Brigadier General Michel Sleiman called on his troops to confront any violations of an August 14 UN-brokered ceasefire that ended Israel’s 34-day war against Hezbollah. (But will they? Or will they take off their uniforms to join Hezbollah? Or give uniforms to Hezbollah terrorists so they can operate freely on the borders?)

– that Syria and Israel can live side-by-side, in peace and harmony, accepting each other’s existence, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad said. He also added that an impartial arbiter was needed to mediate between the two countries, but said that the U.S. lacked both the will and the vision to fulfill that role. (And as usual, say only right?)

– that the Hamas regime has said it will shutter all gover-min offices in protest at attacks by Fatah supporters. Eight people died and some 60 were hurt when gunmen from the rival groups clashed in Gaza on Sunday. The clashes have been triggered by cash-starved Hamas’ inability to pay the wages of gover-min workers. (The Israelis should just get ready their pop-corn and watch a good show while they make sure none of the sides got too powerful for the other to cope with.)

– that the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, threatened for the first time to kill Hamas lea-duhs, including exiled political chief Khaled Meshaal. The threat marked an escalation in the power struggle between Fatah and the ruling Hamas movement after two days of internal fighting in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank in which 12 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 wounded. In a statement sent to Reuters, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it held Meshaal, ‘Palestinian’ Interior Minister Saeed Seyam and senior Interior Ministry official Youssef al-Zahar responsible for the deaths. (It is clear that the mess they are in, is not all to do with Israel.)

– that ‘Palestinian’ Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said his Hamas-led gover-min will not recognize Israel and has problems with a widely touted Arab peace plan because it does. International assistance to the Palestinians has dried up because the terrorist movement will not recognize Israel and renounce violence. But Haniyeh repeated the terrorist group’s hardline principle despite the crippling Western sanctions that have bankrupted his gover-min, led to strikes and demonstrations by public service workers and clashes between Hamas forces and police identified with the rival Fatah. (Sooner will tigers and lions become vegetarians than Hamas will recognise Israel.)

– that deemed a ‘moderate’ by Israel and the U.S., Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) told the Arab media his Fatah Party needn’t recognize Israel. (Like I have said before a long time ago, you can’t trust any shithead going with a ‘Abu blah blah’ moniker.)

– that cheered on by supporters, Haniyeh vowed that Hamas would never recognize Israel. He said, however, that the group was prepared to accept a long-term cease-fire with Israel if it withdrew to 1967 boundaries. (How to accept a ceasefire with something you never recognise?)

– that a Virginia National Guard unit came under scrutiny after a video seemed to show troops abandoning a civilian truck convoy during an attack by Iraqi insurgents, resulting in the killings of three unarmed drivers. The video, obtained by ABC News, shows a military personnel carrier racing away after insurgents open fire and disable four Halliburton trucks near Balad, Iraq. “I do not know who the driver was of that Humvee, but he abandoned us,” civilian driver Preston Wheeler of Mena, Ark., who taped the footage, told ABC News. Wheeler said almost 40 minutes passed before U.S. troops returned. (“Not my problem,” says the guardsmen.)

– that Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said there was no ‘reason or logic’ to suspending Iran’s nuclear work and talks were the only way to resolve a standoff with the West, according to state TV. (Does Iran actually know logic?)

– that Iran called the threat of international sanctions over its disputed nuclear program a ‘rusty’weapon and repeated that it would not abandon uranium enrichment. The six countries at the center of efforts to persuade Iran to drop uranium enrichment – a key step toward making nuclear weapons – said they have agreed to pursue possible sanctions. (Sanctions do not work. Act, or let it be.)

– that Al-Qaida deputy lea-duh Ayman al-Zawahri said in a video posted on the Internet that Pope Benedict was a ‘charlatan’ because of his recent remarks on Islam. “This charlatan accused Islam of being incompatible with rationality while forgetting that his own Christianity is unacceptable to a sensible mind,” the terrorist said. He also condemned President Bush, calling him a charlatan as well. (There’s nothing wrong with Islam as a religion. There’s only something wrong with Al-Qaida’s brand of ‘Political Islam’, which is what that is incompatible with rationality and reality, and completely unacceptable to the sensible mind.)

– that Pervez Musharraf, bristling at allegations his country harbors Taliban rebels, criticized Afghanistan’s lea-duh, saying he was failing to draw people away from the Islamic militants. Musharraf and Hamid Karzai have been at odds over Afghan accusations that Taliban lea-duhs are running the insurgency from the city of Quetta in southwest Pakistan. (And Musharraf probably doesn’t dare to go to Quetta without some solid security measures. Even then I have my doubts.)

– that Chen Liangyu, chief of the Communist Party in Shanghai, was dismissed and removed from the Politburo, after accusations of corruption and illicit investments of pension funds in real estate and other projects. Chen is also being investigated for having allegedly provided assistance to illegal businesses, shielding corrupt colleagues and abusing his position to benefit family members, Xinhua said. (Chen Liangyu might look like big deal but his bigger backers might still remain scot free.)

– that Shinzo Schizo Abe said he hoped to go on a fence-mending tour of China and South Korea but refused to give ground on emotionally charged disputes over wartime history. (Then there’s really nothing to talk about, Schizo. Go home.)

– that Shinzo Schizo Abe will visit China and South Korea hoping to rebuild regional ties. His visit to Beijing will be the first bilateral summit between Chinese and Japanese lea-duhs for five years. (What’s there to rebuild with Yasukuni around?)

– that North Korea triggered global alarm by saying it will conduct a nuclear test, a key step in the manufacture of atomic bombs that it views as a deterrent against any U.S. attack. But the North also said it was committed to nuclear disarmament, suggesting a willingness to negotiate. The contradictory statement fits a North Korean pattern of ratcheting up tension on the Korean Peninsula, a Cold War-era flashpoint, in an attempt to win concessions such as economic aid. The strategy has had mixed results in recent years as the totalitarian regime sinks deeper into isolation and poverty, with China serving as its lifeline for food and fuel. (* BOOM * There goes 40 years of North Korea’s GDP in the Yanggang province, along with the chances of surviving through the winter for some North Koreans.)

– that after years of supporting their gover-min’s policy of soft engagement towards North Korea, many South Koreans have described Pyongyang’s nuclear test a wake-up call. The so-called ‘Sunshine Policy’ is now under review by Seoul. News of North Korea’s first ever test of a nuclear bomb has not changed the daily lives of South Koreans but for many, it has changed the way they perceive their northern neighbour. (There are times when you have to realise you have a brother so lost you ought to just leave him to die.)

– that former South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung, the architect of his country’s policy of engagement with North Korea, accused the U.S. of failures that led to Pyongyang’s nuclear test. He defended his own ‘sunshine’ policy of reconciliation, noting there had been no panic in the South after the Stalinist regime announced its first ever atomic weapons test. (There’s another word for your policy. It’s called appeasement. Is it a wonder why one of my South Korean friends says that Kim Jong Il has already won?)

– that Wu Shu-chen, wife of Chen Shui-bian, has been cleared of wrongdoing by prosecutors investigating a corruption scandal. Wu was accused of accepting vouchers from a department store in return for her influence. Prosecutors said there was no evidence that she had intervened during the Sogo store’s takeover in 2004. Chen has been under pressure over a series of scandals involving his family and close aides. The allegations started in May when his son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming, was detained and later charged with insider trading. Prosecutors have also questioned Mr Chen over allegations of misuse of public funds. (陳水扁，下台！吳淑珍，錢還來！趙建銘，關起來！)

– that an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale rocked southern Taiwan, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The Seismology Centre said data showed the quake could be felt by residents in much of southern Taiwan. The tremor struck with its epicentre 156 kilometres southwest of Kengting, a popular coastal resort in southern Taiwan. It originated 47 kilometres under the sea. A second quake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit later according to the US National Earthquake Information Center, but Taiwan’s seismologists said the tremor, 214 kilometres south of Kaohsiung, was not felt. (A warning to southern Taiwan for its ‘unwavering’ support for Chen Shui-bian.)

– that Thaksin Tham-sim Shinawatra has resigned as lea-duh of the party he founded and built up, Thai Rak Thai. He said he had to quit due to ‘changing circumstances’, according to party spokesman Pongthep Thepkanjana. Thaksin Tham-sim. Thai Rak Thai – once a seemingly unstoppable force in Thai politics – has been hit by a mass exodus of members since the coup. (树倒猢狲散。[Literal translation: The monkeys scatter when the tree collapses.])

– that Indonesia will not meet a request by three terrorists sentenced to death over the 2002 Bali bombings to be executed by decapitation rather than firing squad. Lawyers of Amrozi, Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas and Imam Samudra said last week that if the executions were to proceed, the trio wished to be beheaded. (Maybe they should behead them and then use the heads as soccer balls while they still last)

– that Indonesia’s Forestry Mini$ter claims Jakarta is serious about putting a stop to the annual forest fires and smoke pollution. The National Police has been ordered to investigate and prosecute the large plantations responsible, but the minister claims nature has hampered efforts to douse the fires. (Are you blaming God? Either way, you are only serious about putting a stop to it while your statement remains audible.)

– that Indonesia apologised to Singapore and Malaysia for the choking smoke pollution over both countries and agreed to convene a meeting of regional environment ministers to tackle the problem. Anger had been growing in Malaysia and Singapore over the choking smoke pollution from fires raging in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia, which every year drift over parts of Southeast Asia – damaging health and and disrupting transport and tourism. “On behalf of the Indonesian gover-min, I have to apologise to the neighbouring countries for this incident even though clearly this is not an intentional (act) by Indonesia,” said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. (Can all of us make our medical claims at the Indonesian Embassy?)

– that Yudhoyono vowed to punish the culprits. (Like how? Hang them?)

– that Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda insisted the meeting should be held in his country, possibly in Pekanbaru city on Sumatra island’s Riau province, near Singapore instead of in Singapore. “We want the meeting to be held nearer to the where the problem is being handled,” he told reporters in Jakarta. (Actually, to hell with the meeting. Just put out the blasted fires, end the blasted smoke, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.)

– that Abdullah Badawi has brushed off rumours of a snap election. He says there is no need for him to seek another mandate from the people who have voted him into power with the biggest majority ever in history. (“I as stable as Mount Tai [稳如泰山] in China. No need for elections.”)

– that Abdullah had drawn a line under a row with Lao Lee, saying that he had nothing more to say on the subject, and that the incident had not hurt bilateral relations. (Quarrelling with Lao Lee is Mama-thir’s favourite pass time, not Abdullah’s.)

– that Mama-thir and Badawi will meet to try to resolve a damaging public row, the two sides said. The months of political brawling have sent shockwaves through Malaysia’s ruling party, and warnings it could lose power if the dispute between its two most senior figures is not halted. (Abdullah should just bring a kris.)

– that Malaysia has called on Indonesia to be more proactive in resolving the annual haze problem. Health Minister Chua Soi Lek warned that apart from the economic fallout, the issue has caused resentment among Malaysians towards Indonesia. Chua urged Jakarta to be more considerate and to act promptly to tackle the problem as the Malaysian public, fed up with having to put up with the choking haze year in and year out, want the authorities to end the blame game and start walking the talk. (Not like the blasted Indonesian gover-min is going to give a damn anyway.)

– that the following Malaysian companies are identified to be partly responsible for the smoke pollution engulfing the region recently: Banggaya Plan SDN BHD Malaysia, KL Kepong Plantation, Klau River Enterprise SDN BHD, Leumevist Resources SDN BHD, Minamas/Gutherie, Sarpindo Graha Sawit Tani. (Remember these shitheads and if they are listed on the stock market, make sure you give them a hand when their shares are tanking.)

Singapore This Week

– that Temasek’s $1.9 billion investment in Shin Corp has sunk by almost $690 million, and Thai officials are investigating whether the deal was illegal. Temasek said executives were not available for interviews but issued a statement in response to a list of questions saying it had not violated any laws, was cooperating with investigators and stood by its investment. (Micropolis is only a walk in the park.)

– that when asked during a question and answer session about Temasek Holdings’ deal with ShinCorp, Baby Lee said it was a commercial decision which also reflected Singapore’s confidence in Thailand’s economy. He added that Temasek complied with the rules and requirements of Thailand when inking the deal. (Isn’t that up to the Thai courts to decide?)

– that Temasek Holdings has confirmed that it’s planning to cut its stake in Thailand’s Shin Corp. In a letter to the Thai media, it says it will do so at an appropriate time and in an appropriate manner to maintain an orderly market. (A better way of saying: Cut loss and run.)

– that Baby Lee has written to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to express his disappointment over the recurring haze problem. Baby said that Indonesia needs to deal with the problem in a timely and effective manner so that investor confidence in Indonesia and ASEAN’s credibility would not be affected. (Oh yes… we are full of ‘condifence’ in Indonesia. As to confidence… none.)

that Babysaid that while it might be too late this year to prevent the land-clearing fires, which caused the haze, it is critical to take action now to prevent future ones. A Foreign Ministry statement said Baby Lee also informed President Yudhoyono that Environment Ministers from the ASEAN countries affected by the haze would meet in Singapor. This is to muster ASEAN’s resources to help Indonesia cope with the present haze problem. (If Indonesia is having problems governing its vast terroritories, maybe it should give them away to more capable nations.)

– that from January next year, all Singaporeans will get to enjoy free wireless Internet in public areas for two years. Baby Lee shared this and other initiatives at a dinner marking 25 years of infocomm achievements. Baby also painted a vision where IT businesses can grow and jobs created as Singaporeans get wired island-wide. (Singapore got free things? Let me check if the sun rises from the west tomorrow. And what’s gonna happen AFTER 2 years?)

– that Baby Lee has said that responsible journalism will help improve the lives of people. Citing Japan, Baby Lee said that it has been very successful at improving people’s lives without an aggressive media. (Was the Japanese media equally muzzled and biased?)

– that from 2008, streaming in primary schools will be scrapped and replaced by subject-based banding. What this means is that weaker students can take a combination of foundation and standard courses, depending on what they are good at. (After so many years of defending the evil streaming system they finally realized that it is better to just ‘stream’ a kid according to the subject he is weak in instead of just ‘streaming’ him entirely. And they need to pay Thumby a million bucks to figure that out. * sigh *)

– that Lao Lee says he is sorry that his recent comments about Chinese Malaysians had caused Abdullah Badawi a great deal of discomfort. Lao Lee had said during an international forum in Singapore more than two weeks ago that ethnic Chinese minorities in Malaysia and Indonesia are being marginalised. In his letter to Abdullah, Lao Lee said he had no intention to meddle in Malaysian politics. Nor does he have the power to influence Malaysia’s politics or to incite the feelings of Chinese in the country. The remarks about Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese minority were made at what Lao Lee called a ‘free flowing dialogue session’ with former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. (Abdullah must have wished he’s got a CCTV.)

– that the future Bras Basah MRT Station has a glass roof that holds a pool of water, allowing sunlight into the station and keeping the heat out. (The Circle Line will also cost more because of all these un-necessary features.)

Trivial, Jokes and Thoughts from Discussions

– that in 1997-98, the haze cost the Southeast Asian region an estimated 9.0 billion dollars by disrupting air travel and other business activities. (Charge it to Indonesia.)

– that a few days after Mischa Spiegelmock and Andrew Wbeelsoi announced at this year’s Toorcon conference in San Diego that they had found a JavaScript-handling flaw whioch could be exploited to attack Firefox users, they said they were just kidding. The joke was so funny that the entire Firefox user base and Mozilla Foundation forgot to laugh. (But many of us won’t forget to knock them on the head the next time we see them.)

– that The Times reports that, according to a new report said to be published, 90% of traders could face the axe by 2015, as ‘all-electronic algorithmic trading’ comes more to the fore and traders find that they are surplus to requirements. The use of technology in trading highlighted in an IBM report is, of course, nothing new. It was three years ago that floor traders at the International Petroleum Exchange staged a revolt and refused to use new trading technology, as it looked certain to eventually replace them. And UBS Investment Bank was one of the first firms to use technology to trade in the $1.2 trillion-a-day currency market. The firm was said to be posting revenues of $1.4m each business day in 2003 from these activities, and needing only 30 traders – 50% less than the number required in 1999. (The days for them to be obnoxious will soon be the past. Resistance is futile, you will be * obsolete *.)

– that Brian Hunter, the Canadian-based trader who made those losing $6bn bets on the gas market which brought down hedge fund Amaranth, has had to hire two bodyguards after ‘several attempted attacks – not from investors, but from (former) colleagues’! In the meantime, the hedge fund is winding down. As many as 250 of the firm’s 420 employees will be canned this week. (Maybe they ought to just bribe his bodyguards to do it for them.)

– that Hunter himself might find it a little difficult to obtain a new job. Having said that, as he is believed to have earned around $100m last year, he probably won’t mind. (100 million? I wish his former colleagues success.)

– that online gambling firms faced their biggest-ever crisis after U.S. Congress passed legislation to end Internet gaming there, threatening jobs and wiping 3.5 billion pounds off company values. Britain’s PartyGaming Plc, operator of leading Internet poker site PartyPoker.com, and rivals Sportingbet and 888 Plc said they would likely pull out of the U.S., their biggest source of revenue. (Isn’t it legal in Australia?)

– that Micro$oft Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer may be valued in the billions of dollars, but they didn’t quite crack the $1 million mark in annual salary and bonuses for the last fiscal year. Each saw slight salary hikes, from $600,000 in fiscal year 2005 to $616,667 in 2006, but they also pulled in reduced bonuses -$350,000 in 2006, as opposed to $400,000 in 2005. “As the lea-duhs of the company, they are focused on building long-term success, and as significant shareholders in the company, their personal wealth is tied directly to sustained increases in the company’s value,” Microsoft said in its annual proxy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (They should come and run the Tali-PAP.)

– that Christopher Lee [李铭顺] has been arrested for drink driving after the police was alerted to a case of traffic accident at Serangoon Road. The motorcyclist sustained injuries on his face and hands and the pillion rider had injuries on his face and left leg, who was then conveyed to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He is currently released on bail and police investigations are on-going. (Irene Gan maybe able to recommend her lawyer.)

– that craving for his favourite Hainanese ‘scissors’ curry rice was probably why Christopher Lee was found at Little India in the wee hours one morning. The 35-year-old was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and is currently out on two weeks’ bail. He is also suspected of being involved in a collision with a motorcycle in Kitchener Road. (Dunno how to make Maggie Mee at home?!)

– that Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are reunited. And the producer of ‘The Simple Life’ says it feels so good. After a yearlong public feud that nearly killed the reality show that made them famous, Hilton and Richie have agreed to film a fifth chapter of ‘The Simple Life’ together, executive producer Jon Murray told The Associated Press. (Was it a real feud or just another publicity stunt?)

– that smoking pot may stave off Alzheimer’s disease. New research shows that the active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) in marijuana may prevent the progression of the disease by preserving levels of an important neurotransmitter that allows the brain to function. Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in California found that THC can prevent the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from breaking down more effectively than commercially marketed drugs. (And the next thing you get is people asking for pot to be legalised.)