The Universe Within

change

2008-09-20T19:14:00.002+08:00

decide to change blog to - not sure why too - just like to change - so for that few random readers who come by every now and then, the new blog address without any posts is thefw.wordpress.comand in case you are wondering how in this world i came up with such a lame username, i used a name generator (its more efficient (than to be creative?)):http://www.wishafriend.com/namegenerator/cool/

Healthcare around the world

2008-04-17T22:50:00.002+08:00

The Latest PBS Frontline documentary (available online) on Healthcare all around the world rocks.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/Makes you wonder if we can have compulsory insurance in Singapore too.

Good healthcare but the underinsured: reasons, proposed solutions, doubts and a suggestion

2008-04-07T22:30:00.010+08:00

Good healthcare systemSingapore has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Reasons commonly given include:(i) large degree of emphasis on the individual (or the individual's employer) to take responsibility of the individual's health care; and(ii) a stable political system.(http://www.watsonwyatt.com/europe/pubs/healthcare/render2.asp?ID=13850)Some of the ‘compulsory’ elements in the

Go Figure

2008-04-07T22:15:00.004+08:00

Headline: Train services at Choa Chu Kang station disrupted after man fell unto trackPhoto Caption: Police remove the body of a man that was killed this morning when he jumped in front of a moving train at Choa Chu Kang MRT stationGo figure

Self Improvement for others

2008-01-19T00:03:00.000+08:00

Life is odd. A principal's 'advice' has become a debate about how one should better motivate students. The divisions appear neatly drawn. One might choose between the old school "wake-up" call or the more modern "positive" encouragement. I can imagine dinner tables marked by different schools of thought. Seen this way, the principal's 'advice' is at its worst, old school, and at best, solid

Protecting the old

2007-12-25T22:39:00.000+08:00

As the Singapore Government makes our facilities elderly friendly in light of our greying population, perhaps it is time to institute better legal protection for the elderly.The elderly in general are more vulnerable to scams. In North America, statistics and anecdotal evidence point this to fact. http://money.aol.com/bankrate/general/canvas3/_a/top-scams-targeting-the-elderly/

A brief note on Article 15(2)

2007-12-16T02:45:00.000+08:00

Recently I been looking at Article 15(2) of the Consitution and wondered what it is all about. A word of warning, my intepretation here is largely based on a literal reading of Article 15(2). My conclusion from reading Article 15(2) is that the use of public reason in determining public policy is very important. Here it goes:Article 15(2) in essence prevents state taxation for the purposes of a

Press Freedom

2007-12-11T23:05:00.001+08:00

"In India, Singapore and Russia, by contrast, more people favoured stability over press freedom. In those countries, around 48% of respondents supported controls over the press to ensure peace and stability. Around 40% expressed the view that press freedom was more important. People were also asked to rate how free the press and broadcasters were in their country to report the news truthfully and

Where they find these people

2007-12-11T00:21:00.000+08:00

Mike Huckabee"As new polls highlight Mike Huckabee’s ascent in the Republican presidential field, he is drawing new scrutiny of his record in Arkansas, particularly his actions in the release of a convicted rapist who went on to murder a woman and his response to a questionnaire in which he said people with AIDS should be quarantined."{link}Rudy GullianiMs. Gustitus said: “He said he didn’t know

Military Intelligence

2007-12-06T16:11:00.000+08:00

Apparently, . If you watch Frontline, you know that the evidence against Iran as a terrorist state was quite weak previously.This is the timeline.2002 was the year the Bush administration coined the term "the axis of evil". This axis of evil theory is I think a simple one. The greatest terrorist threat is when the wrong weapons fall into terrorist hands - because terrorists cells cannot by their

Lawyer goes missing

2007-12-01T08:41:00.000+08:00

.... (probably) with 6 million (probably), according to the Straits Times. Another case where there is a breach of trust over the proceeds of a property transaction. Last time these cases were hardly heard of.Lawyers were only allowed to charge a certain rate for property matters.In 2003, these scale fees were cut. There was "liberalisation" of the legal sector.Then the fixed scale fee became a

FIGHTING TO BUY!!!

2007-11-25T21:06:00.000+08:00

Ugly Singaporeans? No.This is just ridiculous. But we too have the potential of becoming really really irrational consumers.Imagine:7 million people. Christmas shopping 2020? Orchard Road?

Finally, a New Australian PM

2007-11-25T04:34:00.000+08:00

Hope he does better.

If the USD drop 50 cents, this guy might just win

2007-11-24T07:26:00.000+08:00

Only Republican who makes sense

My mother is right - I should off all energy appliances WHENEVER I leave the room

2007-11-22T20:54:00.000+08:00

Well, it turns out that for the year 2006 (if the source is right), we have been per capita the fifth most polluting (as in CO2) nation in the world. I am pretty sure it has something to do with Jurong Island and our growth.And Leaf Monkey is one great Singaporean. - Go read his/her whole blog.I am proud of him/her for advocating (and somewhat setting an example) that we may live more 'greeny'.

What is this world coming to?

2007-11-15T23:41:00.000+08:00

This post is potentially PG. So be warned, and ask your parents to read first. Mr Stewart was caught in the act with his bicycle by cleaners in his bedroom at the Aberley House Hostel in Ayr. Gail Davidson, prosecuting, told Ayr Sheriff Court: "They knocked on the door several times and there was no reply. "They used a master key to unlock the door and they then observed the accused wearing only

Random Talks about Inflation

2007-11-14T21:54:00.000+08:00

I am not an Economist and really know nuts about the subject. But I am getting worried about what I "think" will happen in Singapore. Recently a Minister said that increase in CPI does not mean increase costs of living. Singapore's inflation has always been rather low. Due to cheap products in China, we have been all rather lucky. Considering how commodity prices were hitting 11 year high (wheat)

An Eventual Gambling Problem : Insights from Genting

2007-11-04T03:39:00.001+08:00

I read the Time Magazine article “Asia Growing Gambling Addiction” [1] with a heavy heart. I find Casino seriously distasteful because it is mere exploitation of the irrational, the superstitious and usually, the uneducated. This might be considered racist, but when it comes to gambling, the average Asian cannot count. Don’t think. And frankly, stupid. If you have been to Genting, you know what I

Eavesdropping : Sex and Abstinence

2007-11-02T21:48:00.000+08:00

I was momentarily surprised when the conversation turned to sex. After potential for eavesdropping on discussions about sex was not that common, especially while drinking coffee at Coffee Bean. These two young girls (one looks 19, the other looks 17) were initially talking about relationships {and here note inaccuracies of memory, poor hearing and paraphrasing}.The older looking one said; “We

Taxi Touting : Greed and Naivety

2007-10-31T20:41:00.000+08:00

Enforcement but is the underlying problem resolved?I have read various lamentations by online folks "whacking" taxi drivers for touting. The result - mainstream media picked it up and it is now a serious issue. Frankly, I don't know what these people are angry about. The penalties are already very harsh - with loss of income and livelihood for very long periods. But yet taxi drivers are still

Housing that can be Avoided! Horray!

2007-10-29T13:06:00.000+08:00

Random thoughts on the usual things

2007-10-28T05:20:00.000+08:00

377A outcomeI have heard that two of my friends who are gays will like to leave Singapore if they can. At least one of them is a very nice person and I hate that he might feel this way.,etc. These two gays friends could well be representative of how Singaporean gays in general feel (not sure about that). Some of those who like to leave will eventually do so. The inability to pursue one's version

Of Oranges and Milk and Worms

2007-10-26T05:57:00.000+08:00

What if Sodomy was Oranges and 'Normal Sex' was Milk?In Country Durian, a group of concerned citizens have asked that for a repeal of section 881B.Section 881BWhether in a private or public place, a Male person shall not drink of orange juice, with another Male person. A loud outcry ensued and the nation is divided. Members of the Vanilla camp have argued that drinking of orange juices unlike

Just another day

2007-10-25T06:15:00.001+08:00

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind,Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,Let me forget

TED: Rev. Tom Honey

2007-10-22T03:10:00.000+08:00

I almost entirely agree with him.

Respect Differences: Some thoughts on the Keep "377A" movement

2007-10-21T05:49:00.000+08:00

For many of us, sexual orientation is an important component of our personal identity. Hence, section 377A not only disregards but in effect, prohibits and demeans one’s key aspect of personal identity. It does so by criminalizing consenting acts in private on the basis of sexuality. Today, this oppression continues because of majority disapproval. As the MHA Summary of the Key amendment to the

For my own records

2007-10-20T17:52:00.000+08:00

The Future is Drying Up Consumer Credit Outstanding in the USRising Food Prices: The Agonies of Agflation http://www.imf.org/external/np/res/seminars/2004/mussa/pdf/aliber.pdf

A response to "a quiet contemplation"

2007-10-19T06:00:00.000+08:00

a paragraph contemplatedThe often-invoked Hobbesian basis why we protect race and religion from dangerous speech is that we as society will suffer terribly if we do not do so. There shall be riots, it is said. Society will be lost. It shall crumble. This can be seen, some in power say, in our historical account. Hobbes had said it simply enough. Without these laws there will be “Bellum omnium

First World : A good article

2007-10-08T03:06:00.001+08:00

and some thoughts on social controlBernard wrote in an excellent article entitled: Further than Closer to a First World Nation The immediate solution that any law-abiding Singaporean would do is to call the police and find out who did it, and possibly charge the person who did it with a sedition law. Yes, the law is able to handle this efficiently, but it does not solve the underlying problem

Hijacking the Debate?

2007-10-06T18:15:00.000+08:00

Are Middle Class Concerns now at Forefront of Compulsory Annuities In a strange twist in the compulsory annuities debate, protestors have attempted to compel the state to perform better in terms of CPF returns. If it (the proposed compulsory purchase of annuities) is, as some critics might allege, a draconian encroachment on their compulsory savings, then what the so called critics are asking

For my own records

2007-10-05T20:34:00.000+08:00

From Business TimesPublished October 5, 2007MM Lee: Stagflation can still make comeback He cautions against too much euphoria in the current state of the economy By CHUANG PECK MINGNoting that inflation is already up, he said: 'And because inflation is high, there is little room for the US Federal Reserve to further lower interest rates without risking higher inflation. And inflation will mean a

I respect those who protest against the Burmese Military Junta

2007-10-05T01:59:00.000+08:00

Free Burma

2007-10-03T18:47:00.000+08:00

Woman and Progress

2007-09-28T14:31:00.000+08:00

a history of unhappinessOne of my favorite books is "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why some are so Rich and Why some are so Poor" by David Landes. He has described how early-Japanese industrial revolution (in textiles, silk, and cotton) was largely built on a workforce made up of woman. And that role was very important. In his words, "factory enterprise had the best of both worlds: labour

Our Social Identity

2007-09-24T21:18:00.000+08:00

Who the state tells us we areA warning - this post is written largely tentatively. It does not suggest anything constructive or desires to. This post considers how the State through its institutions - namely the school - manages the 'truth'. I was feeling rather troubled after reading what happened to Otto Fong. I thought, why does a school care whether a teacher is gay? To me, if the purpose

The Disapproving 70 percent

2007-09-21T20:51:00.000+08:00

and how decriminalizing sex between males will change attitudes and win votesFor those not already in the know, apparently 7/10 Singaporeans "frown on Homosexuality." Mr Wang dissected this latest statistic and compared it to other acts many disapprove of, arguing, and he puts the case very high, that therefore homosexuality should be decriminalized. I think its very logical and sound.Some have

Unrepresented Litigants in a Complex system

2007-09-19T21:10:00.000+08:00

Are Lawyers' Fees to Blame?I have little use for legal services (thankfully). My mother has a bad impression of lawyers though. One of her girlfriends had a lawyer who was dealing with her divorce. That lawyer then ran to Australia with millions. I think he was later caught. We learn later it was because that lawyer lost heavily in casinos. Since then, my mother decided that when dealing with a

Your Morals

2007-09-18T10:32:00.000+08:00

An interesting site I picked up from a NYTimes article (incidentally, when come Wednesday, will have no paid sections)"Working with a graduate student, Jesse Graham, Dr. Haidt has detected a striking political dimension to morality. He and Mr. Graham asked people to identify their position on a liberal-conservative spectrum and then complete a questionnaire that assessed the importance attached

Not in Jesus Camp

2007-09-16T02:15:00.000+08:00

But what if they took over If you are like me, you might feel that religious voices, especially Christian voices, in recent years have been embolden. A senior Paster of a Church, Derek Hong, in Singapore has suggested that gays are out to destroy churches. Then just at city hall, a poster within a glass building (a church property) facing the public reads, "Are they making a monkey of you?".

Finland's Egalitarian Shadow

2007-09-15T01:27:00.000+08:00

what can we learn from Finland's Education System?Singapore's Maths and Science scores have been the very envy of the world. In the United States and Israel, schools use Singapore maths textbooks. Like the United States, Singapore's education system thrives on meritocracy. As Singapore's Minister of Education quipped, ""Yours [the US] is a talent meritocracy, ours is an exam meritocracy." Mr

Hello World!

2007-09-15T00:13:00.000+08:00

Welcome to my blog!

Index

2007-09-14T22:06:00.000+08:00

September 20071. Sep 15: Finland's Egalitarian Shadow: What we can Learn from Finland's Education System? : Singapore's Education system is the envy of the world. But so is Finland. What can we learn from them?2. Sep 16: Not in Jesus Camp: But what if they took over? The voices of the Christian Right in Singapore is getting louder. From an anti-gay lobby to a creationist picture, could they take