This came from Mr Miyagi’s Blog

As regards TODAY

Walking away from a job is never easy and this has been a struggle of a decision.

There is a divide between the online and the offline which we both felt my column would continue to bridge but following the events of last week and many many long discussions between brown and myself, today I told TODAY that I quit.

The TODAY money is nice and secure but we’ve since gotten a few very interesting projects and great sponsors that will keep both of us very busy.

Don’t worry, we aren’t abandoning the offline world. After all, those sponsored TV cameras we got aren’t paperweights.

Way to go, Mr Miyagi!

It is nice to see some solidarity among bloggers and in the Internet Community. There are quite some people here who still stands with you and Mr Brown.

If this gover-min fails to see how loyal some bloggers are to this nation in spite of their criticisms, then don’t bother saying anything to this shit of gover-min. Let your vote at the ballot box decide the fate of these bunch of pompous & arrogant pigs.

The World This Week

– that the FBI has drafted sweeping legislation that would require Internet service providers to create wiretapping hubs for police surveillance and force makers of networking gear to build in backdoors for eavesdropping. FBI Agent Barry Smith distributed the proposal at a private meeting with industry representatives and indicated it would be introduced by Sen. Mike DeWine, an Ohio Republican, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. The draft bill would place the FBI’s Net-surveillance push on solid legal footing. At the moment, it’s ensnared in a legal challenge from universities and some technology companies that claim the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband surveillance directives exceed what Congress has authorized. (So, when the FBI is tapping communications of a U.S. person to someone outside the U.S., is it not overstepping its bounds and violating the sovereignty of another nation and the privacy of the non-U.S. person?)

– that the highest courts in New York and Georgia dealt a blow to supporters of homosexual marriage by upholding laws banning such same-sex unions in both states. The New York Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s Constitution offered same-sex couples no guarantee of the right to marry. The 4-2 decision means Massachusetts remains the sole state recognising homosexual and lesbian marriages. (Perhaps Massachusetts should consider legalising sodomy too.)

– that the U.S. authorities said that all 50 states have joined a national website that lists the addresses and other details of convicted sex offenders. (Would one entry read ‘William Clinton, caught with intern performing fellatio’?)

– that an official commission investigating high-profile Norwegian cancer researcher Jon Sudbo declared that most of his work was invalid because he manipulated and fabricated data. Sudbo, 44, has admitted falsifying data about cancer of the mouth for articles he wrote in prestigious medical journals: Britain’s The Lancet and U.S. publications The New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The case has shaken academic circles both in Norway and abroad. (None of these frauds can yet beat the Master of fraud, Ernst Haeckel, who attempted to fabricate evidence to confirm a crackpot theory.)

– that while his memory of the first time he ‘did it’ is a little hazy, Vladimir Putin has reassured reporters that his recollection of the last time he had sex is as clear as an unmuddied lake. “I can’t remember exactly when I did it for the first time,” a laughing Putin said after completing a live two-hour webcast during which he fielded questions from surfers around the world on a wide range of topics in a Kremlin studio. “But I certainly remember when I did it the last time, to the exact minute,” he said. (I wonder what would happen to someone who ask Baby Lee that same question.)

– that Osama Osalah bin Laden has training bases in Somalia and is intent on plunging the Horn of Africa country into further chaos, Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said. Gedi was responding to a purported audio recording by the al Qaeda lea-duh that said a U.S.-backed bid to deploy foreign troops to Somalia would be part of a crusade to crush Islamic rule. (And inciting murder from some cave in Afghanistan / Pakistan is soooo Islamic.)

– that radical ‘Islamic’ militia fighters in central Somalia shot and killed two people at the screening of a banned World Cup soccer broadcast while dispersing the crowd of teenagers watching it, an independent radio station reported. The ‘Islamic’ fighters, who have banned such entertainment, opened fire after the teenagers defied their orders to leave the cinema that was screening the Germany-Italy match, Shabelle Radio reported. It said the dead were a girl and the cinema owner. (It begs the question, what’s so un-islamic and sinful in watching a football match?)

– that the rival Hamas and Fatah movements agreed on a plan implicitly recognizing Israel, a top ‘Palestinian’ official said after weeks of acrimonious negotiations aiming to lift crippling international aid sanctions. But two Syrian-based Hamas lea-duhs denied a final deal had been reached. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the agreement between Hamas and the Fatah Party of President Mahmoud Abbas was a ‘non-starter’ because it failed to meet international demands. (They would explicitly deny the existence of Israel. And that’s what matters.)

– that Vladimir Putin ordered Russian agents to hunt down and ‘destroy’ the killers of the four Russian diplomats taken hostage in Iraq early this month, Interfax news agency reported. Interfax said Putin issued the directive at a meeting in Moscow with visiting Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia. “The president ordered the special forces to take all necessary measures to find and destroy the criminals who killed Russian diplomats in Iraq,” the Kremlin told Interfax. (Putin once again shows that he is no girlie-man.)

– that Russia will offer a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of the killers of five Russian Embassy staffers in Iraq, the head of the KGB’s successor agency said. The announcement by Federal Security Service chief Nikolai Patrushev came during a meeting of a top interagency group called the National Anti-terrorist Committee and came two days after Vladimir Putin ordered special forces to hunt down and ‘destroy’ the killers. (Time to show the thugs how to do things professionally.)

– that Iran said it may give its response to an international offer aimed at ending a nuclear stand-off around Aug 6, but remained firm over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment ahead of a key meeting with the European Union on the crisis today. “Our negotiations with the Europeans…are only the beginning of the talks and our definite response to their proposals will be ready around middle of (the Iranian month of) Mordad,” chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted as saying, referring to a date around Aug 6. Teheran has been offered a package of incentives by the world’s major powers if it agrees to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment. (Makes one wonder what kind of answer that would be. Aug 6, 1945 is also the date the first American atomic bomb was used on Japan.)

– that Osalah demanded Warmonger Bush release al-Zarqawi’s body to his family and that Jordan allow him to be buried in his homeland, something Amman has said will never happen. (If Osalah wants the body so much and really cares for the family of Zarqawi, he can come get the body himself.)

– that slain terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been buried in an undisclosed location, the U.S. military and Iraqi gover-min said. Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said Zarqawi had been buried in a ‘secret location’ in Baghdad. The U.S. military confirmed it but declined to give details. (Secret location = largest U.S. Army base in Iraq?)

– that Zarqawi’s wife was quoted by an Italian paper as saying he was ‘sold to the Americans’ because he became too powerful. Ms Um Mohamed, who the paper says is about 40 and in hiding in Europe, told La Reppublica: “His growing power and the consensus he achieved between the most radical groups cost him his life.” She claimed her husband was ‘the victim of a secret pact between Iraqi resistance fighters, the lea-duhs of Al-Qaeda and the American secret services to eliminate him’. (Who cares? He should know the price for consorting with demons.)

– that tensions between Japan and South Korea escalated as Tokyo protested after a South Korean ocean survey ship entered what it considers to be its maritime economic zone. South Korea shrugged off the complaint over the survey near a group of disputed islets, known as Dokdo in Korean, saying that Seoul’s actions were not in breach of international law. (Way to go, South Korea!!)

– that North Korea ratcheted up the rhetoric in its war of words with Washington by promising an ‘annihilating strike’ with its nuclear deterrent should the U.S. launch an attack, its media said. (Self annihilating strike, right?)

– that after weeks of intense speculation, North Korea finally went ahead with its missile test-firing. As a fireworks display timed to coincide with America’s July 4 Independence Day, Pyongyang’s performance was impressive – no fewer than seven missiles in two separate volleys, including the Taepodong-2 which is allegedly capable of reaching American territory. (The last time round they said they were launching a satellite. This time round they should just say they are congratulating the Americans for the 230th year of their independence..)

– that Harvard-educated Taipei mayor Ma Ying Jeou has been badly hurt by the pan-blue’s failed attempt to oust Chen Shui Bian. Mr Ma’s approval ratings have fallen below 50% and his popularity is now at an all time low and tensions within his own party are mounting. Not too long ago, he’s been the undisputed superstar of Taiwanese politics with popularity ratings soaring above 70% in the first half of the year. (Don’t flip-flop like Kerry.)

– that Chen Shui-bian pledged to do a better job in his remaining two years in office, after surviving an opposition-backed move to oust him last week over alleged incompetence and corruption scandals involving his family. In an address to Taiwan’s highest academic body, the Academia Sinica, Mr Chen made a fresh apology for the shortcomings of his independence-leaning gover-min. (He probably can’t do worse than he already did already.)

– that a Taiwanese soldier has been arrested for allegedly threatening to assassinate Chen Shui-bian on an Internet blog site, the defence ministry said. Chu Chao-kong was arrested last week in Taipei for writing on a blog that he ‘really want to put a gun on Chen’s head’, defence ministry spokesman Wu Chi-fang said. Chu is a private serving in the honour guard, a military regiment which has close access to the President at parades and other functions. (Shooting Chen would be letting the shithead off too easily. Better to let him live and see how the next gover-min skins him alive.)

– that Chen Shui-bian’s wife is expected to be questioned by investigators before the end of this month in connection with a high-profile corruption scandal that has embroiled his family, media reports said. The wheelchair-bound Ms Wu is being investigated for allegedly receiving, and then selling, NT$5 million worth of Sogo vouchers in exchange for lobbying favours. (And nothing will come about from all this ‘for show’ questioning.)

– that a father who called his son ‘Fined Six Thousand and Five Hundred’ – the amount he had to pay in local currency in 1987 for ignoring Vietnam’s two-child policy – has agreed to change the name. His son, now 19, will in future be called ‘Golden Dragon’. (Singaporean parents may want to consider… COE, ERP, GST as names.)

– that pressure is growing on Thaksin Shinawatra to name the alleged mastermind behind what he called a plot to topple him by unconstitutional means.A group of outgoing senators has urged him to name this person, who is widely believed to be Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda. But ruling party Thai Rak Thai’s deputy lea-duh Sudarat Keyuraphan and former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh have dismissed speculation that Mr Thaksin was referring to General Prem. (Then who? His Majesty the King?!)

– that Abu Bakar Bashir Ba-shit says that Indonesia should send Islamic holy warriors to Israel to punish it for unleashing air strikes in ‘Palestinian’ territories. “Israel is the enemy of Allah,” terrorist cleric Ba-shit told hundreds of members of the Muslim-based Crescent Star Party in the capital Jakarta. “That is why Indonesia should send holy warriors there,” he said. (When will you be going, Ba-shit?)

– that Mama-thir called Singapore a ‘calculative nation’ and said it was pointless negotiating with it. On the issue of the bridge project to replace the Causeway, he spoke at length about how it was useless for Malaysia to try and seek Singapore’s agreement on the matter. He said he had known Singapore for 22 years and charged that the country thought only of itself. (Why should Singapore agree to a bridge that cost almost 60 times as much as one across the Straits of Malacca to Sumatra?)

Singapore This Week

– that hundreds of unlicensed massage parlours which have sprung up in housing estates and sparked concern about vice in the heartland will now come under closer scrutiny from the authorities – they will have to register details of their businesses with the police or face a fine of up to $1,000. (It has always been an unspoken rule that as long as the sleaze keeps out of the HDB – and residential – areas, the authorities will generally try to look the other way. Moving into the HDB heartlands is as good as sticking one’s head under the guillotine and then see how fast the blade will fall.)

– that the new rules for massage parlours have shut down many – especially in HDB estates in just one week. Among 42 parlours islandwide, 29 were shut. In Yishun alone, 10 have closed. So too, another 11 in Hougang, Ang Mo Kio and Bedok. (Soon it will just evolved into just a representative office, where illegal masseuses will go to a location of your choice to provide the ‘special’ service.)

– that ComfortDelgro will hike flag-down fare by 10 cents to $2.50 and doubled its peak-period surcharge to $2. Trips less than 10 kilometres will be charged at 10 cents for every 210 metres travelled, compared to 225 metres currently. For trips above 10 kilometres, the charge will be 10 cents per 175 metres, compared to 200 metres now. Calculations showed that factoring in all the increase, a 10-kilometre ride during a peak period will cost about 14 to 18% more than previously. (They cannot justify raising rental without raising fares first, right?)

– that another two taxi operators yesterday said they will raise cab fares, a day after Singapore’s largest taxi company ComfortDelGro announced it would hike charges to cope with fuel costs. SMRT and Premier notified the PTC of their hikes. Operators are required to give two weeks’ notice, so their fares can go up on July 17 at the earliest. (See? 66.6% is no difference from 75.2%.)

– that with the hike in fares, market watchers are expecting ComfortDelGro to raise its taxi rentals soon. Depending on the age of the taxi, it now costs between S$91 to S$96 a day (24 hours) to rent a cab. (Cannot wait anymore for $100/day rentals lah!)

– that the WP launched its first major event since the General Election by making its presence felt to a core group of future voters – young people. It held a youth outreach programme at several places, including Orchard Road, handing out pamphlets to mark Youth Day. (It must have been like getting visited by aliens for some of these ‘young people’.)

– that some independent mobile phone shops here have been using the ‘trade-in’ scheme to skim profits from telcos, by pocketing rebates which they would only get from selling phones that were on promotion. Retailers who work this scheme are defrauding the telcos by issuing false invoices to obtain subsidies, said the CASE. This tactic was widespread because it was an easy way for dealers to earn up to a few hundred dollars from each subsidy the telco provided on a promotional phone. (Will it be “Bye bye, cheap phones!” very soon?)

– that one of the reasons this practice has gone unchecked, say dealers, is that although the promotional phone’s 15-digit IMEI security number is stated on the contract, no database of Imei numbers exists to track the phones that are sold. (There’s some poetic justice after all.)

– that surprise was written all over the face of Michael McCrea when he heard that he would be spending the next 24 years in jail for killing his driver and a Chinese national. That is 10 years each for each person’s death and another four for disposing of their bodies. It was an exceptional sentence, surprising even the lawyers and journalists in the courtroom. (What so exceptional? Everyone was expecting him to be hanged. Did he sincerely expect a light sentence in which he will be out of jail in a few years?)

– that defence lawyer Kelvin Lim was taken aback by Justice Choo Han Teck’s punishment, which he described as ‘very harsh’. After a discussion with McCrea, Mr Lim filed an appeal against the sentence. (It would be ‘very harsh’ if the dead person was Kelvin Lim himself.)

– that the 2005 General Household Survey, released by the Department of Statistics, shows that the average income of households have risen in the past five years. It has gone up from $4,940 in 2000 to $5,400 last year. The median income, the midpoint that separates the top 50% of households from the lower 50%, has also climbed from $3,610 to $3,830. But the income disparity between the big earners and the lowly paid continues to grow during these five years. In 2000, the top 20% earns 20.9 times more than the bottom 20%. In 2005, this figure is 31.9 times. (What else better than this to justify more hikes?)

– that the CPF Board is taking computing giant IBM to court in a civil suit over a failed IT project it claims the company did not complete. CPF is asking the court to assess the damages caused by the delay, an amount that could go over $40 million. In its suit against IBM, CPF claims it suffered as a result of IBM’s failure to deliver the new system on time and as needed. In its defence and counterclaim against CPF, IBM says that CPF caused the delays by continually changing the specifications it wanted in the new system. It claims that instead of an upgrade, the board demanded changes that required more time and effort, which delayed the completion of the project. IBM is claiming more than $38 million from CPF for the work it carried out. (And if IBM wins the case it would just be another honest and unfortunate mistake, right?)

– that the police are looking into a show of support for blogger Mr Brown by about 30 people who arrived at City Hall MRT station wearing brown. Those interviewed said they had come in response to an SMS message that had circulated over the weekend. The cellphone short message had asked people to wear brown and head for City Hall station at 2pm Sunday, to protest against the ‘Gover-min-imposed blackout’ on the blogger’s weekly column in the free newspaper TODAY. (These 30 people have got mighty big ones. But it’s sad there were only 30.)

Trivial, Jokes and Thoughts from Discussions

– that it looks like Kyle MacDonald, the 26-year-old Montreal man who set out to trade a single red paper clip for a house, has accomplished his ambitious goal. MacDonald will be giving his most recent trade a movie role to the city of Kipling, Saskatchewan in exchange for a two-story farmhouse, according to his blog, ‘one red paperclip’. The deal will become official once MacDonald shakes hands with the mayor of his new home town, exactly one year after he announced his endeavor. (Can I trade a used condom for a flight on the space shuttle?)

– that there is another reason why civil serpents won’t vote of the opposition other than the fear of losing their jobs. (Consider this: You are the mind and muscle of some of the crappiest policies in the corner of the planet. Will you actually vote for the very people who continually point out ‘Why the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes’ which will implicitly agree with them that you have done a really bad job?)

– that the popular hand-held devices by Canadian-based Research In Motion are sometimes called ‘CrackBerries’ because users become so reliant on them, reported Reuters. (And ‘CrapBerries’ too, when they don’t work too well.)

– that driving while talking on a cellphone is as bad as or maybe worse than driving drunk, according to Professor Drews, who teaches. psychology at the University of Utah. He also said alcohol was involved in 40% of the 42,000 annual U.S. traffic fatalities. (Wait til you see people who can’t not reply to their SMS immediately while driving. Some times I just feel like reaching out and punching the driver – even when he is my friend – who does that.)

– that researchers say there is mounting evidence that heavy drinking among teenagers causes brain damage. Studies are also increasingly pointing to the fact that young brains suffer significantly more from heavy drinking than adult brains. And the research suggests that early heavy drinking may undermine the precise neurological capacities needed to protect oneself from alcoholism. (What about sex?)

– that a Dell notebook PC went up in flames during a conference in Japan, reported online magazine The Inquirer. A witness said: ‘The thing was on fire and produced several explosions for more than five minutes’. According to TechWeb, Dell is investigating the cause of the explosions. Defective notebook batteries are known to have the potential to overheat and even burst into flames. (Now that’s one ‘feature’ that is no longer unique to a MacBook.)

– that the U.S. gover-min is stepping in to wash potty mouths and clothe exposed bodies on the national airwaves, with new fines that increase penalties tenfold for violating decency standards. The new measures, signed into law by Warmonger Bush, come at the end of years of pressure from religious conservative groups to ‘clean up’ the airwaves. Whether it is soldiers swearing in Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan, a curse that slips out of a pop star’s mouth, or more grown-up material on TV hits like Desperate Housewives and the syndicated sitcom Friends – U.S. television networks will be forced to clean up their act or pay a fine of US$325,000 per infringement, up from US$32,500. (Taking it off the airwaves doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen in everyday life.)

– that before the World Cup started, Posh Spice’s bold declaration that England would win the World Cup made international headlines and no one laughed. To his eternal credit, David Beckham has never suggested his wife’s next single would win a Grammy. (But their first handphone pR0n video might win them something, if they do make one.)

– that David Beckham quit as England captain after his team went out in the World Cup quarterfinals on penalties to Portugal. Beckham said the squad was devastated by another quarterfinal exit, this time in Germany. “Both myself and all the players regret that and are hurt by that more than people realize,” he said. (Make Rooney captain. Bwaghahaha…)

– that everyone from Gelsenkirchen to Geylang knew that Jamie Carragher would change direction when he retook his penalty – including the almost telepathic Portuguese goalkeeper, Ricardo. (Maybe they have all bet on their own teams to lose and are now all laughing their way to the bank!)

– that Juventus coach Fabio Capello has resigned in the wake of the Italian match-fixing scandal as a prosecutor recommended that the Italian giants be relegated at least two divisions. Earlier the Italian football federation prosecutor Stefano Palazzi called for the relegation of AC Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina on the third day of a trial where 25 people are also accused of sporting fraud. (And will there be something done to Fabio Grosso for diving to get that undeserved penalty against Australia? Italy can win the World Cup but it’s the most undeserving!)

– that Fifa suspended Germany midfielder Torsten Frings for Germany’s World Cup semi-final against Italy. Frings, 29, was banned for punching Argentina forward Julio Cruz in a fracas which followed the quarter-final between the two countries. He has been given a two-match ban. (And the video of this was released by none other than the Italian media. The level the despicable Shit-talians would sink to win the World Cup is expected, considering the match fixing scandal currently brewing in Shit-taly.)