Tantalizine

Baba Yetu - Civilization 4 theme music

2010-05-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Damn that's beautiful. Wonder how long it would take for me to learn how to say The Lord's Prayer in Swahili...

Baba yetu, yetu uliye
Mbinguni yetu, yetu, amina!
Baba yetu, yetu, uliye
Jina lako litukuzwe.
(x2)

Utupe leo chakula chetu
Tunachohitaji utusamehe
Makosa yetu, hey!
Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe
Waliotukosea usitutie
Katika majaribu, lakini
Utuokoe, na yule, milelea milele!

CHORUS

Ufalme wako ufike utakalo
Lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni. (Amina)

CHORUS

Utupe leo chakula chetu
Tunachohitaji utusamehe
Makosa yetu, hey!
Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe
Waliotukosea usitutie
Katika majaribu, lakini
Utuokoe, na yule, simama mwehu

Baba yetu, yetu, uliye
Jina lako litukuzwe.
(x2)

Translated:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

[For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.]
Amen.

I Was A Teenage Indie Actor

2010-04-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, from many lifetimes away.

I was an indie actor.

Cringe.

Saving the world: It's a job for you.

2010-04-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

Environmental protection and conservation that is. It's a job for me too.

As climate change and sustainable alternative energy resources dominate social conciousness for the next 30 years, humanity is quite obviously becoming more and more dependent on technology.

We may not be zipping around in warp-capable Starships yet, but we're certainly using more consumer electronic devices than ever. Though many tout amazing e-Reader devices like the Amazon Kindle as the way to reducing our carbon footprint and saving trees. Fact of the matter is, environmental scientists are just beginning to discover that these advances in eco-friendliness are ultimately set back when there are little avenues for electronics recycling.

"Truth is, tossing an old newspaper for recycling is still easier and more commonplace than electronics recycling."

The deeper you look, the more complex the issue becomes. Take Apple for example, one of the few firms to receive the Gold standard from the Environmental Protection Agency, its products are as friendly as it gets. However, with more batteries running on their popular mobile devices, the non-removable batteries will degrade and need replacing. Though Apple gets kudos for a take-back program to replace old batteries, fact is, after a few years, people are more likely to buy a new device than upgrade the batteries. This in turn, creates more waste.

Though more are turning to the ever expanding and hyper fresh media content of the internet, the death of print is still far from certain. The advent of television didn't herald the death of radio, nor did in-home VCRs hasten the demise of the cinema. Though intuitively, it seems that e-Readers like the Kindle will ultimately consume less energy than the multitudes of petrol guzzling chainsaws that harvest trees and the fleets of trucks that transport them- it's still difficult to draw any definitive conclusion.

A recent study conducted by The Center for Sustainable Communications in Stockholm, Sweden, compared reading a newspaper on a PC for 30 minutes with reading a printed newspaper. The results were surprising- There was no discernable difference in the carbon footprint between the two activities.

At the end of the day, I suppose it's up to us, the end-user to make the best choices we can possible.-JH

How you can do your part
The Apple Recycling Program offers free and environmentally friendly disposal of your Apple products.
In Singapore, you can contact designated Apple Recycler- Li Tong at http://www.reverselogistic.com/apple.consumer/
Internationally, you can locate your local Apple Recyclers here- http://www.apple.com/recycling/ipod-cell-phone/

The Math of Pi Made Easy.

2010-04-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

Why the hell don't they teach math this way?

Blogged without permission from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/take-it-to-the-limit/?src=me&ref=general. Go read the damn thing yourself.

If you keep moving halfway to the wall, will you ever get there? Something about this one was deeply frustrating, the thought of getting closer and closer and yet never quite making it. Another concern was the thinly veiled presence of infinity. To reach the wall you’d need to take an infinite number of steps, and by the end they’d become infinitesimally small. Whoa.

Questions like this have always caused headaches. Around 500 B.C., Zeno of Elea posed a set of paradoxes about infinity that puzzled generations of philosophers, and that may have been partly to blame for its banishment from mathematics for centuries to come. In Euclidean geometry, for example, the only constructions allowed were those that involved a finite number of steps. The infinite was considered too ineffable, too unfathomable, and too hard to make logically rigorous.

But Archimedes, the greatest mathematician of antiquity, realized the power of the infinite. He harnessed it to solve problems that were otherwise intractable, and in the process came close to inventing calculus — nearly 2,000 years before Newton and Leibniz.

Thanks to him, we have Pi.

Let’s recall what we mean by pi. It’s a ratio of two distances. One of them is the diameter, the distance across the circle through its center. The other is the circumference, the distance around the circle. Pi is defined as their ratio, the circumference divided by the diameter.

If you’re a careful thinker, you might be worried about something already. How do we know that pi is the same number for all circles? Could it be different for big circles and little circles? The answer is no, but the proof isn’t trivial.

The key to thinking mathematically about curved shapes is to pretend they’re made up of lots of little straight pieces. That’s not really true, but it works … as long as you take it to the limit and imagine infinitely many pieces, each infinitesimally small. That’s the crucial idea behind all of calculus.

Here’s one way to use it to find the area of a circle. Begin by chopping the area into four equal quarters, and rearrange them like so.

The strange scalloped shape on the bottom has the same area as the circle, though that might seem pretty uninformative since we don’t know its area either. But at least we know two important facts about it. First, the two arcs along its bottom have a combined length of πr, exactly half the circumference of the original circle (because the other half of the circumference is accounted for by the two arcs on top). Second, the straight sides of the slices have a length of r, since each of them was originally a radius of the circle.

Next, repeat the process, but this time with eight slices, stacked alternately as before.

The scalloped shape looks a bit less bizarre now. The arcs on the top and the bottom are still there, but they’re not as pronounced. Another improvement is the left and right sides of the scalloped shape don’t tilt as much as they used to. Despite these changes, the two facts above continue to hold: the arcs on the bottom still have a net length of πr, and each side still has a length of r. And of course the scalloped shape still has the same area as before — the area of the circle we’re seeking — since it’s just a rearrangement of the circle’s eight slices.

As we take more and more slices, something marvelous happens: the scalloped shape approaches a rectangle. The arcs become flatter and the sides become almost vertical.

In the limit of infinitely many slices, the shape is a rectangle. Just as before, the two facts still hold, which means this rectangle has a bottom of width πr and a side of height r.

New threads. Newer Treads: Go to Pedro for new belts and shoes.

2010-03-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

According to a much loved fashionista aunt of mine, Chinese New Year is a 15 day affair, that gives us many good reasons to continue shopping. Thanks to Pedro, looking for new accessories to complete our new looks is going to be less pain and a lot more pleasure.

Here are our top 10 picks

Spring/Summer 2010 collection from Pedro.

1. Conjure the reality of a nautical soiree evocative of the French Riviera onboard a luxury yacht and cavort in style this season with the Spring/Summer 2010 collection from Pedro. This season, grey is back.

Spring/Summer 2010 collection from Pedro.

2. Embark on a superlative voyage in fashion and discover the panorama of enchantment that awaits at your style destination. In this particular case, notice the Bally-alikes for those that love the look of Fiorio but not the $900 price tag.

Pedro tie and briefcase accessories

3. Deftly brought together to form an amazing amalgamation of texture, the effect is a sublime creation which has come to encompass the very essence of Pedro. Notice the attention to detail on the necktie.

Nothing says 'practical' like a dual purpose bag that doesn't look out of place in office or pleasure boat.

4. Unleash the perennial iridescence of metallics which spread the Midas touch alongside a sensory interpretation of the stalwarts of taupe and ebony.

Trophy girlfriend not included.

5. Blue loafers for that 'lady-killer' playboy look.

Look out for our "How to wear Colours" guide on at augustman.com

6. The Angry Ho says it's too much. I say, if you're man enough- Go Fuschia.

Spring/Summer 2010 collection from Pedro.

7. It's odd how they've focused on his shoes and ignored what I believe to be a patent leather patchwork briefcase.

Really.Starting.To.Hate.This.Guy's.Abs.

8. Call attention with a pair of striking blue trainers.

Belt from Pedro

9. Details on the belt that people are bound to notice.

Look out for the reptile skin design card holders.

10. Ratty, tattered looking wallet? Get a new one.

From belts to wallets to shoes, Pedro provides some of the best looking designs I've seen this season sans heavy price tags. -JH

History of the Shirt

2010-03-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

The article of clothing often symbolizing elegance and refinement but also an expression of liberty, the shirt for centuries has accompanied and characterized the life of men. Worn by emperors, generals and by common people without distinction, with the passage of time it assumes different roles and meanings.

Until the time of the Italian Republic (1860s), as can be deduced from Latin sources, known by the term "subucula" the shirt had the function of modern undergarments. His historians report that Charles the Great "...wore directly on his person a shirt and pants of linen cotton." Men and women in the city and the country dressed in the same manner: shirt and long tunic with sleeves of different dimensions. The popularity of the shirt continuously increased and it became a gift object for both the privileged and the needy.

Beginning in the 1300s also art and literature give prominence to this top garment: in the canvases of many painters among which is Caravaggio, or in the literary works such as Boccaccio's Decameron, where often men and women wore shirts. We suppose therefore that its wide adoption was above all for reasons of hygiene.

Many cities became famous for their shirt production, such as Venice, where for the wedding of noblewoman Lucieta Gradenigo a "shirt of gold" was created. In the 1500s the true protagonist was the collar: from the small flat collars called French to the Italian version that took the form and name of "frill", to the "giorgiera" that required an enormous expanse of fabric up to 11 meters (36 ft.).

In 1843 at Montevideo in Italy the famous red shirt of the Garibaldini was born.
The shirt, its success constantly growing, began to alter its style according to the occasion: white without a collar and with wide sleeves for the painter, white and at times without a right sleeve for the sword duel, or well hidden under the jacket for pistols. In the 20th century it was above all the American cinema that popularized different types of shirts. Pure white shirts with flowing sleeves worn by Rudolph Valentino, the "Oxford" of Humphrey Bogart, the type suited for the hard life of the far west worn on screen by John Wayne, or to finish, the mythic Hawaiian worn by Tom Sellek in the cult series "Magnum P.I." of the 1980s.

Of the many types of shirts, how can one forget the "button down", in particular for the varying accounts of its true origin and authorship. The most memorable suggests that the founder of this most famous American shirt industry, the cult following of this leader of shirts, was inspired in England at a polo match where the players had their collars attached to keep them from flapping in the wind. The more credited version however is another in which its anonymous inventor found himself on a pier in the New York harbor during a particularly windy day and, annoyed by his collar blowing in the wind, attached it at the ends with buttons made of mother of pearl. Whichever is its true genesis, the "button down" is found in formal settings, with the collar open, in moments of relaxation, and dressed up with a tie or bowtie for important occasions, demonstrating that it is the most versatile leader of the many models of shirts.

With this brief voyage through the history of the shirt we can see that from its first appearance in ancient times to today man has never stopped producing it in new shapes and fashions, wearing it in different ways and loving it with an immutable passion

What?

2010-02-22T19:41:00.000-08:00

For many animal loving evangelical Christians the problem of who is going to look after their pets when the rapture comes is upsetting to say the least.

For those who aren’t aware of what the rapture is, it is a belief in some Christian doctrines that believers will be whisked up to join Jesus in the sky leaving non believers on earth to suffer a seven year reign of terror under the anti-Christ.

Now some entrepreneurial atheists have come up with a novel idea to solve the problem of the abandoned pets and have created a website, ‘eternal-earthbound-pets’ to put animal lovers who are destined for heaven in touch with animal loving atheists who aren’t going anywhere.

The idea is that those bound for heaven can find an earthbound atheist to look after their beloved pet when they are whisked away for a better life.

All those who have signed up to take the pets in are self confessed sinners, blasphemers and atheists so the pet owners can relax in the knowledge that there’s no chance of them being saved.

What SGD490,000 Buys You Elsewhere

2010-01-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

I've been house hunting recently and I must say, I have endured great deal of heartache over the whole situation. Feeling rather dejected having missed a chance of owning a slice of Pinnacle at Duxton, I must say that I felt rather pleased with myself when I found a nice little high rise nook in the geographical centre of Singapore.

Looks awesome. Right until you realise there are places more awesome for far less.

Price tag: SGD600,000.
It didn't take long for my joy to fade. Globally, property prices have sunk, in part due to the greatest recession since the great depression and in part due to shrinking lines of credit. This property price paralysis is happening everywhere else in the world.

Except Singapore.

For SGD490,000 (a whole SGD110,000 less), you can buy any one of these ditties in fairly good estates in the United States.

Downtown LOFT in Memphis

This apartment is one of 122 in the South Bluff Lofts, a 1909 building originally used as a distribution center for a wholesale supply company. Suddenly my place wasn't looking so hot.
Undaunted and fuelled by massive cognitive dissonance, I decided to look deeper, perhaps I might find myself justified paying over half a million for a Design and Build government apartment. I didn't.

Because somewhere out there, was an apartment that had shared a common pool, sauna and gym. For slightly under SGD450,000.

Then again, perhaps the extra $100,000 goes towards paying my dues of living in one of the safest cities on the planet and maybe, there's just no price-tag on a safe living environment for you and yours.

"HDB flats remain affordable" - Mah Bow Tan

When dreams don't come true

2010-01-06T00:57:00.000-08:00

Am I disappointed? Of course I am.

However, the Lord knows best. He knows how I feel.

I'll wait in steadfast faith for what He deems best for me.

It's happened before, His love endless, it will happen again.

Brilliant Social Commentary from South Park

2009-11-23T00:45:00.000-08:00

South Park never ceases to amaze me when it comes to social commentary. In 2006, the writers had already correctly predicted that parents would eventually turn to the Dog Whisperer for tips against bratty kids.

At an early age, child brains are essentially primitive enough for psychological tricks and triggers to work- dog raising tips are would be a great idea. But the best part is, fast forward 3 years, The New York Times is finally catching on that parents are turning to the Dog Whisperer for parenting advice.

According to the NYT:

Today’s network lineup provides fewer idealized families and no shortage of questionable child-rearing role models (see “Gosselin, Jon”). For every take-charge SuperNanny, there’s a Homer Simpson, and who wants to raise a Bart?

It’s little wonder, then, that some parents, and even a few child therapists, have found themselves taking mental notes from a television personality known for inspiring discipline, order and devotion: Cesar Millan, otherwise known as the Dog Whisperer.

The suggestion that the Dog Whisperer is also a Child Whisperer of sorts has popped up — sometimes couched as a joke, but, well, not really — in parents’ forums like blogs, online discussion boards, magazines, Twitter feeds and podcasts. Some parents are starting to take notice.

“When we started watching his shows, we had intended to apply his advice toward our dogs,” said Amy Twomey, a blogger on parenthood for The Dallas Morning News who is raising three children under 10 with her husband, Matt. “But we realized a lot of ideas can be used on our kids.”

Full article available here.

The Redeeming and Condemning Power of Facebook

2009-11-22T22:15:00.001-08:00

Available exclusively on AugustMan Magazine Facebook
Click here to Join the AUGUST MAN Facebook Page

On Oct 17, 2009 at 11.49 am, 19-year-old Rodney Bradford asked where his pancakes were. At that very moment 24 kilometres away, a robbery was in progress, a robbery that witnesses said Bradford committed.

Yet for all the damning evidence, that man who looked remarkably similar to Rodney, wasn't him. Rodney was in his father's apartment in Harlem on Facebook, writing a status update, "Where my IHOP (International House of Pancakes), yo?"

However insipid and lame this update was, it saved Rodney jail time as police proved through an IP search in cooperation with Facebook that Rodney was, indeed, at home.

Just yesterday, in Bromont, Quebec, Nathalie Blanchard found herself under similar scrutiny. This time around, Facebook did not play exonerating saviour. Nathalie was supposed to be on long-term sick leave and medical benefits for depression from IBM. However, Facebook photo albums proved otherwise.

She was "tagged" at Chippendales, enjoying her birthday party and on a sun holiday. Although Manulife wouldn't comment on the Blanchard case, Nathalie's benefits have since been terminated.

The Internet and all its ubiquitous social media marvels like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook have become so intimately entwined in our lives that authorities and higher management alike have begun to use trawled "evidence" from these once-considered parasitical outlets.

My issue isn't that the Internet is being used increasingly as a character reference on us, but rather, as we head into a dystopian Minority Report kind of future, should we not, as intelligent beings exercise more caution on our vanity?

Vanity indeed. All your status updates are simply based on a premise that somewhere among your 500 friends, someone gives a damn. When you post pictures, it provides proof that you were indeed at Club Ibizia last night.

As bosses and seniors start to get on the social media bandwagon, it's perhaps time to start thinking a little more before you post your masturbatory updates, especially when last night you promised the boss you'd be working on the $2 million dollar project rather than partying at Club Ibizia. I for one, would be a little more careful on informing my friends I just killed Gildamesh the Orc King on Castle Age. - JH

The End is Nein

2009-11-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

Exclusive from Facebook: AugustMan Magazine

Nein. Non. No. The End is definitely not nigh.

For a man who's destroyed the world three times over, Roland Emmerich is making tons of money. And what is the director of celluloid disasters such as Independence Day and The Day before Tomorrow, going to do with all the money that he can't possibly spend during the End of Times?

For that matter, even Jehovah's Witnesses, those persistent (annoying) evangelists have stopped their traditional (since 1874) apocalyptic prophecies when they botched it up again for the last time 1975.

Humanity seems intent on marking every significant historical milestone with apocalyptic ideologies. When the United Nations was formed, biblical doomsayers were quick to point out that the beginnings of this world government was a sign of the end of times. Truth be told, we have it on good information from "reputable" sources that the world's probably been ending since 99 AD. Well, here's the good news- It's not over and we're still here.

Here's our tip for you astute August Men out there, when friends bug you to spend $9 on Roland Emmerich's 2012, smile and tell them to turn on the news. Disasters happen everyday and the ones on CNN have special effects more realistic than anything Roland can throw at you. -JH

Whatever is popular on TV now not only sucks but bites

2009-11-10T18:55:00.001-08:00

Exclusive for AugustMan Magazine on Facebook

Getty Images: Zombie- Fans perform Thriller

Vampires. There's a media frenzy around bloodsuckers - Just look at True Blood on HBO (Max for Singaporeans), Twilight part deux coming out in the theatres and the Vampire Diaries. In fact, just not too long ago, Buffy was traipsing around on our television screens gleefully staking them in cheerleader outfits and cheesy lines.

Even if we move away from the blood sucking spectrum, we're still looking at flesh eating zombies in Zombieland. The latest offering from Hollywood features a lone nerd surviving the zombie infested plaguelands of the former US of A.

Wherever we are, it appears humanity has a morbid fascination with the undead - just look at Hollywood's latest horror (pun intended), Paranormal Activity.

Perhaps the truth is closer to the surface. Vampires never eat, they're eternally youthful, wrinkle-free and we've never seen an ugly vampire- isn't that the stuff of fashion fantasy?

Death simultaneously attracts and repels us. We spend billions to erase signs of aging and even turn to organ replacement to extend life. If there's a chemical or alchemic concoction for it, society will spend its energy making, advertising, and consuming.

What of zombies? A zombie apocalypse gives us the benefit of a fresh start. A powerful time to remake one's identity, not to mention opportunity to allow our ids to surface in a land of lawlessness. A thief can become the gun-toting saviour who rescues trapped survivors from meat eating chompers and a saint can become a satanic survivalist who would do anything for self-preservation.

Ultimately, whether you like zombies, ghosts or vampires, it all falls back to the human condition- we're all looking for a sense of self unrestrained by social norms and mores, and that’s really creepy.

The growing power of Men's Rights

2009-11-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

"Men's Rights" Groups Have Become Frighteningly Effective

They’re changing custody rights and domestic violence laws.

At the end of October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, members of the men’s movement group RADAR (Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting) gathered on the steps of Congress to lobby against what they say are the suppressed truths about domestic violence: that false allegations are rampant, that a feminist-run court system fraudulently separates innocent fathers from children, that battered women’s shelters are running a racket that funnels federal dollars to feminists, that domestic-violence laws give cover to cagey mail-order brides seeking Green Cards, and finally, that men are victims of an unrecognized epidemic of violence at the hands of abusive wives.

“It’s now reached the point,” reads a statement from RADAR, “that domestic violence laws represent the largest roll-back in Americans’ civil rights since the Jim Crow era!”

RADAR’s rhetoric may seem overblown, but lately the group and its many partners have been racking up very real accomplishments. In 2008, the organization claimed to have blocked passage of four federal domestic-violence bills, among them an expansion of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to international scope and a grant to support lawyers in pro bono domestic-violence work. Members of this coalition have gotten themselves onto drafting committees for VAWA’s 2011 reauthorization. Local groups in West Virginia and California have also had important successes, criminalizing false claims of domestic violence in custody cases, and winning rulings that women-only shelters are discriminatory.

Groups like RADAR fall under the broader umbrella of the men’s rights movement, a loose coalition of anti-feminist groups. These men’s rights activists, or MRAs, have long been written off by domestic-violence advocates as a bombastic and fringe group of angry white men, and for good reason. Bernard Chapin, a popular men’s rights blogger, told me over e-mail that he will refer to me as “Feminist E,” since he never uses real names for feminists, who are wicked and who men “must verbally oppose … until our flesh oxidizes into dust.” In the United Kingdom, a father’s rights group scaled Buckingham Palace in superhero costumes. In Australia, they wore paramilitary uniforms and demonstrated outside the houses of female divorcees.

But lately they’ve become far more polished and savvy about advancing their views. In their early days of lobbying, “these guys would show up and have this looming body language that was very off-putting,” says Ben Atherton-Zeman, author of Voices of Men, a one-man play about domestic violence and sexual assault. “But that’s all changed. A lot of the leaders are still convicted batterers, but they’re well-organized, they speak in complete sentences, they sound much more reasonable: All we want is equal custody, for fathers not to be ignored.”

One of the respectable new faces of the movement is Glenn Sacks, a fathers' rights columnist and radio host with 50,000 e-mail followers, and a pragmatist in a world of angry dreamers. Sacks is a former feminist and abortion-clinic defender who disavows what he calls “the not-insubstantial lunatic fringe of the fathers’ rights movement.” He recently merged his successful media group with the shared-parenting organization Fathers and Families in a bid to build a mainstream fathers' rights organ on par with the National Organization for Women. Many of Sacks’ arguments—for a court assumption of shared parenting in the case of divorce, or against child-support rigidity in the midst of recession—can sound reasonable.

But do any of their arguments hold up? Many of the men for whom Sacks advocates are involved in extreme cases, says Joanie Dawson, a writer and domestic-violence advocate who has covered the fathers’ rights movement. The great majority of custody cases, in which shared parenting is a legitimate option, are settled or resolved privately. But of the 15 percent that go to family court—the cases that fathers’ rights groups target—at least half include alleged domestic abuse.

Unsurprisingly, this argument is missing from MRA discussions of custody inequality and recruitment ads, which cast all men as potentially innocent victims “just one 911 call away” from losing everything they have earned and loved. These rallying calls, and the divorce attorneys hawking men’s rights expertise on MRA sites, promising to “teach her a lesson,” serve as what Dawson sees as a powerful draw for men in the midst of painful divorces.

While MRA groups continue to expand their base of embittered fathers and ex-husbands, they’ve cleaned up their image to court more powerful allies. RADAR board member Ron Grignal, the former president of Fathers for Virginia and a former state delegate candidate, organizes the group’s Washington lobbying activities. In 2008, RADAR partnered with Eagle Forum for a conference at the Heritage Foundation about the threat that VAWA poses to the family. Grignal argues that state interpretations of VAWA are so broad they could cast couples’ money disputes as domestic violence, enabling unwarranted restraining orders that then win women’s divorce cases for them. Politicians, Grignal says, are increasingly on board with men’s rights movement concerns.

“On domestic violence, I’ve had both state and federal legislators tell me they know that this process is out of control,” says Grignal. “They’re afraid if they support [reforms] they’ll be tagged as ‘for domestic violence.’ But I’ve had Democrats on Capitol Hill tell me they agree with everything I say. A member of the Congressional Black Caucus told me that his brother can’t see his kids, and his wife threatened to throw herself down the stairs to ruin his political career.”

Some domestic-violence protections do seem to have unintended effects, such as mandatory-arrest policies that compel police to take someone into custody in response to any domestic-violence call—a policy that has been criticized by RADAR as well as by some domestic-violence advocates, who say it imposes an absurd equivalence between largely nonviolent family spats or insubstantial female violence and serious abuse. But groups like RADAR are criticizing the law for the wrong reasons. In fact, the effect of mandatory arrest in conflating women’s low-level violence with battery, seems very close to RADAR’s campaign for viewing women as equal domestic abusers.

One potent idea advanced by MRAs is the claim that men are equal victims of domestic violence. Mark Rosenthal, president and co-founder of RADAR, makes a very personal argument for the phenomenon. Rosenthal, who doesn’t call himself an MRA, grew up with a mother who he says terrorized the entire family and hit her husband frequently. The true impact of the violence, he says, was more than physical and eclipsed his petite mother’s ability to inflict serious injuries. Rosenthal wants to see an appreciation for women’s nonphysical abuse incorporated into domestic-violence policy. “It’s not about size,” he told an audience at a law enforcement domestic-violence training. “It’s not exclusively about physical attacks. However, it is about a pathological need to control others, and women are as prone to this as men.”

RADAR and other MRA groups base their battered men arguments largely on the research of a small group of social scientists who claim that domestic violence between couples is equally divided, just unequally reported. Most notable are the studies conducted by sociologist Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire, who has written extensively on female violence (and who Dawson saw distributing RADAR flyers at an APA conference). Straus’ research is starting to move public opinion. A Los Angeles conference this July dedicated to discussing male victims of domestic violence, “From Ideology to Inclusion 2009: New Directions in Domestic Violence Research and Intervention,” received positive mainstream press for its “inclusive” efforts.

While some men certainly are victims of female domestic violence, advocates say the number is closer to 3 percent to 4 percent, rather than the 45 percent to 50 percent RADAR claims. Jack Straton, a Portland State University professor and member of Oregon’s Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force, argues that Straus critically fails to distinguish between the intent and effect of violence, equating “a woman pushing a man in self-defense to a man pushing a woman down the stairs,” or a single act of female violence with years of male abuse; that Straus only interviewed one partner, when couples’ accounts of violence commonly diverge; and that he excludes from his study post-separation violence, which accounts for more than 75 percent of spouse-on-spouse violence, 93 percent of which is committed by men.

All in all, advocates say that cherry-picked studies from researchers like Straus, touted by the MRAs, amount to what Edward Gondolf, director of research for the Mid-Atlantic Addiction Research and Training Institute, calls“bad science.” Statistics suggesting gender parity in abuse are taken out of necessary context, they say, ignoring distinctions between the equally divided “common couple violence” and the sort of escalated, continuing violence known as battery—which is 85 percent male-perpetrated—as well as the disparate injuries inflicted by men and women.

“The biggest concern, though, is not the wasted effort on a false issue,” writes Straton, but the encouragement given to batterers to consider themselves the victimized party. “Arming these men with warped statistics to fuel their already warped worldview is unethical, irresponsible, and quite simply lethal.”

In this, critics like Australian sociologist Michael Flood say that men’s rights movements reflect the tactics of domestic abusers themselves, minimizing existing violence, calling it mutual, and discrediting victims. MRA groups downplay national abuse rates, just as abusers downplay their personal battery; they wage campaigns dismissing most allegations as false, as abusers claim partners are lying about being hit; and they depict the violence as mutual—part of an epidemic of wife-on-husband abuse—as individual batterers rationalize their behavior by saying that the violence was reciprocal. Additionally, MRA groups’ predictions of future violence by fed-up men wronged by the family-law system seem an obvious additional correlation, with the threat of violence seemingly intended to intimidate a community, like a fearful spouse, into compliance.

MRA critics say the organizational recapitulation of abusive tactics should be no surprise, considering the wealth of movement leaders with records or accusations of violence, abuse, harassment, or failure to pay child support. Some advocates call MRA groups “the abuser’s lobby,” because of members like Jason Hutch, the Buckingham Palace fathers’ rights “Batman,” who has been estranged from three mothers of his children and was taken to court for threatening one of his ex-wives.

Contrary to RADAR’s claims, domestic-violence advocates say that not only do abuse accusations not automatically win custody cases for women; there are a rising number of custody decisions awarded to abusive fathers, as judges see wives eager to protect their children as less cooperative regarding custody. More than half the time, studies have found, wives’ accusations of domestic violence are met with counter-accusations from husbands of “Parental Alienation Syndrome”—a medically unrecognized diagnosis that suggests mothers have poisoned their children into making false accusations against their fathers.

In one recent case, Genia Shockome, a Russian immigrant, was fighting for custody of her two children with her ex-husband, whom she charged had beaten her so severely that she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and who had told her she “had no right to leave” since he’d brought her to the United States. The judge in the case sided with her husband’s counter-claims of Parental Alienation Syndrome and awarded him full custody (and later sentenced Shockome to 30 days in jail while she was seven months pregnant). When her attorney, Barry Goldstein, co-author of the forthcoming book Domestic Violence, Abuse and Custody, criticized the judge in an online article, the judge retaliated with a complaint, and Goldstein was given a five-year suspension. Goldstein says the sanction represents a chilling pressure on attorneys, who may now fear penalties for criticizing a court’s gender bias that will interfere with their duties to their clients and that could result in women deciding not to leave abusers out of fear they won’t get a fair trial.

If cases such as Genia Shockome’s are the fodder of mainstream fathers’ rights advocates like Glenn Sacks—who ridiculed her claims and loss of custody as an uncredible “cause célèbre” for feminist family-law reformers—what Sacks calls the movement’s “lunatic fringe” is more vitriolic yet.

Within the ranks of the men’s rights movement, vigilante “resisters” are regularly nominated and lionized for acts of violence perceived to be in opposition to a feminist status quo. In a few quarters of the movement, this even included George Sodini, the Pittsburgh man who opened fire on a gym full of exercising women this August, killing three and leaving behind an online diatribe journaling his sense of rejection by millions of desirable women.

Sodini’s diary was republished widely, including on the website of a popular men’s rights blogger, “Angry Harry,” who added his assessment of the case. “MRAs should also take note of the fact that there are probably many millions of men across the western world who feel similar in many ways, and one can expect to see much more destruction emanating from them in the future,” he wrote. “One of the main reasons that I decided to post this diary on this website was because the western world must wake up to the fact that it cannot continue to treat men so appallingly and get away with it.” In a phone interview, Angry Harry said, “Of course there will be more Sodinis—there will be many more,” likening him to Marc Lépine, a Canadian man who killed or wounded 28, claiming feminists had ruined his life, or Nevada father Darren Mack, who murdered his estranged wife and attempted to kill the judge in their custody battle. (Also among this number is John Muhammad, the “D.C. Beltway Sniper,” whose involvement in a Washington father’s rights group and history of abuse is described in his ex-wife Mildred’s newly-released memoir, Scared Silent.) Perhaps, Angry Harry mused, that as the ranks of online MRAs grow, “the threat” of their violence “may be enough” to bring about the changes they desire.

Glenn Sacks dismissed Angry Harry as an "idiot" without real power in the movement, and yet he cautiously agrees that what Sacks calls "family court injustices" could lead to future violence.* “I want to be careful in wording this,” he says, “but the cataclysmic things I’m seeing done to men, it’s always my fear that one of these guys is going to do something terrible. I don’t want to say that like I condone it or that it’s OK, but it’s just the reality.” The movement seems eager to supply more martyrs. After Sacks wrote about a San Diego father who shot himself on the city’s courthouse steps over late child-support payments, numerous men wrote Sacks, telling him, “They’re taking everything from me, and I want to go out in a big way, and if I do, will you write about me?”

I asked RADAR’s Mark Rosenthal about the ties between groups like RADAR—claiming, however cynically, to have egalitarian motives—and the blunt anti-feminist positions of men’s movement allies like Chapin or Angry Harry. “I’d like to suggest that what you’ve just done is interview Martin Luther King and Malcolm X,” he told me. “In any movement, there is going to be a reasonable voice and people who are so hurt, who are so injured by the injustices, that they can’t afford to step back and try to take their emotions under control. But no movement is going to get anywhere without extremists.”

*Clarification, Nov. 6: This article originally said that Glenn Sacks "cautiously defends" Angry Harry. In fact, he "cautiously agrees that what Sacks calls 'family court injustices' could lead to future violence."

Correction, Nov. 9: This article orginally mislabeled the National Organization for Women as the National Organization of Women.

Beyond the Iron Curtain

2009-11-09T22:56:00.000-08:00

This article will always be a source of pride for me. Yes. I do write for AugustMan now.

Twenty years have passed since the Berlin wall came down. And while the world gathers to commemorate the end of the cold war and the reunification of the once divided nation, one wonders how much has changed, if at all.

Economically, Berlin had been designated a test bed of free-market "western" capitalism and centrally-managed planned communist economy. East and West Berlin, both culturally and economically alike at the end of World War II were split between Russia and the remaining Allied Powers.

For all intents and purposes, human flight from East to West has stood testament to the strength of free-market ideologies. West Germany, propelled by capitalist ideals, progressed into an industrial and economic powerhouse while East Germany, continued to stagnate essentially becoming a time capsule of 1950s products and architecture.

Indeed, little has changed. We are still in an absurd arms race, conflicts are still fought on ideology albeit of a different nature and most importantly, the recent global financial meltdown is proof enough that the free-market isn't exactly the stellar example of economic theory.

The world hasn't become a fairer place. Disparities in wealth continue to exist globally and even within national boundaries. The physical demolition of a schism hasn't proven that centrally managed economies are doomed to fail. It has only shown that given enough time, the selfish actions within a free market can doom the rest of us to economic failure.

Yet for all the gloom, we can still take comfort in the fact that the wall's fall was the result of the human will for change and reform. That ideologies of any kind divide and separate. That in order for us to progress, we must question once-indisputable "truths” and cast light on blind faith. That ultimately, the utopian future, lies in our hands and not in the hands of our leaders. We must want heaven for ourselves.

Shaolin Wood

2009-11-05T00:49:00.000-08:00

In the late 80s, the golden age of Hong Kong cinematic productions opened my eyes to Shaolin Kung Fu.

Austere grey robed monks ambled across pebble strewn backroads and wastelands, ready to defend life and morality with well placed kicks and deft palm strokes.

My eyes widened with each timbre beam sundered and each rival floored with a the strike of a thousand palms.

But today, I believe the monks have met their true rival. A wood that can never be touched or softened.

A shaolin wood.

On August 17, eight contestants of a local beauty pageant took part in a Swimsuit fashion show in front of the main gate of the Shaolin Monastery.

The contestants sashayed and strutted their stuff in front of monks sworn to celibacy and a life of eternal purity.

To the monks at 少林寺Chán Shaolin Monastery at Song Shan near Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China. My heart goes out to you.

It appears that even monkhood cannot save you from the deathly blue balls syndrome.

Dear Journalist...

2009-11-05T00:40:00.000-08:00

It begins rather innocuously enough. I've spent a career in marketing and PR before serious dramatics from an ex-boss has pushed me over.

It began with "Dear Journalist", my ex-boss picked on me continuously. Yet 3 weeks ago, with a fated twist of irony, I received an event invite from ex-colleagues.

I love my colleagues, the ex-boss, not so much. I really didn't understand why, but you probably would. Why would two words: Dear & Journalist cause so much consternation?

Maybe it's because she gave me so much crap about it. Maybe it's the dawning realisation that she gave this leeway to my colleagues but continually rode my ass about it.

Maybe it's got to do with the fact that I was chewed out for, get this, "smiling too much."

It doesn't really matter now. Cos I'm out.

Thankfully, I've become a journalist. Either way, I forgive her.

Mostly, I pity her.

That dear person.

How a Blunder finished off a Wall

2009-10-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

This article belongs to the BBC. I've saved it for reference.

When the Berlin Wall opened on 9 November 1989 Brian Hanrahan was the BBC News reporter on the ground. This year he's been back to talk to some of those whose decisions made this key moment in 20th Century history possible.

From the safe distance of 20 years, the opening of the Berlin Wall can be seen as inevitable - the natural consequence of changes that were reshaping Europe. But for most of 1989 it was unthinkable.

And the decision itself was an accident - intended neither to happen the way it did nor to spark off the tumultuous changes that followed.

I heard the inside story of what started this extraordinary rush of events from one of those who made the decision in the East German Politburo - the communist party's ruling body.

Hans Modrow was a communist reformer in the Gorbachev mould. He had only just been given a place on the Politburo as East Germany's leaders tried to head off the demands for change that were sweeping the country. But as a new boy his opinions counted for little.

He remembers an agitated discussion about the travel restrictions - the laws which banned most East Germans from leaving the country and which had sparked off the popular discontent.

At the end of it the party leader, Egon Krenz, suddenly produced a new set of regulations. From now on it would be much easier for East Germans to travel.

What annoyed Mr Modrow was the autocratic way in which the Communist Party still did business. "We couldn't change anything, he says, We sat there like stupid little boys. We just had to do what we were told."

'Blurted out'

But now came a blunder that would bring down the Berlin Wall and the East German state with it.

The intention was to announce the changes overnight and phase in the new rules the next morning. Instead one of the Politburo members, Guenter Schabowski, blurted out the plans during a televised press conference - and compounded his error by adding the new rules would come into force "immediately".

Live press conferences were a novelty in communist days, and Mr Schabowski was becoming something of a celebrity through his appearances. Mr Modrow is still scathing about Mr Schabowski's preening in front of the media.

"The order wasn't to be published until 0400 in the morning. But Mr Schabowski didn't notice. He went into an international press conference. And he was so arrogant and full of himself. We had no idea this was happening."

Mr Schabowski's announcement was complicated and bureaucratic, and like many others that evening I puzzled over it before concluding that it signalled free travel. If this was true it would mean the end of the Berlin Wall because the whole fearsome structure with its watchtowers, barbed wire and guard dogs had become redundant.

East Berliners were rather quicker off the mark. Tens of thousands of them started turning up at the border demanding to be let across.

But the guards hadn't been told anything - their standing orders were to stop anyone crossing. Until recently they'd been instructed to shoot to kill anyone who tried.

This night they tried to turn people back - but after a generation being pushed about Berliners turned belligerent and refused to go.

Stunned guards

The standoff between the armed guards and the angry crowds soon grew tense and dangerous.

The guards asked their headquarters for orders but the government ministries in charge of security told them nothing. Mr Modrow and the other Politburo members had gone home unaware of what was going on.

With radio and TV reports bringing more people on to the streets, Mr Modrow says it was the border guards themselves who decided what to do.

"With hindsight it's the border guards we must thank, not any of us in the Politburo. The guards on the ground - at the time - made the critical decision. They ignored their standing orders. They said, 'Open the border.'"

I arrived at the main border post just in time to see the barriers swing open as the guards gave up any attempt to regulate the crossing. They looked stunned at the mass of people streaming past them. Their whole world was collapsing about them.

But if East Germany's leaders were ignorant of what was happening, the rest of the world was already watching on television.

In Washington, James Baker was at lunch with the President of the Philippines, Cory Aquino, when he was told the news. A short while later, hearing that people were taking sledgehammers to the wall, he abandoned the table and hastened over to the White House.

Changed world

There he and President Bush were taken aback at what they saw. They'd had no warning. "It was happening before our eyes. Maybe the Soviet leadership saw it coming but I don't think anyone in allied capitals anticipated it happening with that speed."

And Mr Baker admitted candidly that he was daunted by the scale of the task ahead in reshaping world alliances. As the West's chief diplomat he would have to do most of it. "The world as I had known it all my adult life changed that day, and it changed fundamentally. I had grown up with the Cold War. Everyone in my generation had."

In the Kremlin the man most responsible for the change slept through it. The Soviet leader had been tipped off a few days earlier about the way the East Germans were thinking.

Mr Gorbachev chuckled as he remembered the rush to tell him what had happened. "They reported to me quite early in the morning. They were in a hurry to let me know. We had been expecting it to happen. It could have happened at any time."

And he was matter-of-fact about the consequences. "I took note of the report. It moved us on to a new phase. Not that I was enthusiastic about it, but I accepted it as something that had to happen. We understood that the time was coming for the German problem to be addressed."

In London Douglas Hurd had been foreign secretary for just 15 days. He noted the news from Berlin in his diary. "The regime and now the wall are crumbling fast," he wrote. But he was already wondering how he could persuade the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, to consider the idea of a united Germany.

Berliners were only just opening the bottles of sparkling Sekt at the beginning of a street party that would last for days. Many were still uncertain what exactly was happening.

But in a few short hours they had changed the contours of world politics and there could be no going back. The inevitable, unthinkable accident had happened.

Contemplating a new look

2009-09-23T08:04:00.001-07:00

Eeps was down from Melbourne and after an exhausting 5 hr trek of Singapore's "premier" shopping belt, we ended the day with fruit tarts at the delicious new Fruit Paradise.

One thing's for certain, the Singaporean food critic is an odd creature, review websites across the red dot have commented that the tarts are not sweet enough.

I disagree.

The sweetness of the fruits is precisely the reason why the cream stays light and fluffy- to have both topping and base in sugar synchronicity will kill both taste senses and liver processes. I've noticed that the average Ah Teck is going to shovel the entire dish down, essentially skipping the palette and aiming for a general taste before rapid chewing and a trip down the throat.

The degustation process is best aided with a slow and appreciative enjoyment of the taste contrasts and flavors. To wolf down your meals would do your tongue a complete disservice and deprive the brain of all the possible taste sensations. Additionally, some genius chose to comment on the japanese curry and rice at a FRUIT PARADISE.

But I digress. Eeps, myself and the gf enjoyed the tarts immensely, but it's what followed that was the greatest fun by far. Like food tasting, the review and conceptualisation of a new look is a fairly slow but wonderfully enjoyable process.

Helping Eeps look for new spectacles before he headed back to cost-prohibitive Melbourne prompted us to head to Eye-play over at the Heeren. It wasn't the gorgeous BOSS glasses that caught our attention.

It was the wood veneer (or were they completely wood) "Buddy Holly" glasses that caught our attention. After screwing around with the Potter glasses, we had more or less settled the glasses for Eeps. Leaving the gf to muck around and decide a new look for me- the nerd.
Not that I'd mind.

$206 for the glasses and hi-index lens. What I am interested in is however a new suit to match the glasses.

Ah decisions decisions.

I've just sent my Louis Khoo LevelNine rimless glasses in for servicing and the thought of returning to my consumerist lifestyle after two months (successful I might add) cold-turkey non-shopping lifechange reeks too heavily of failure and defeat for me to find even the most fashionably attractive ideas intriguing.

The psychological battle rages on but most importantly, how could I ever measure to THE MAN- Buddy Holly- He's the epitome of Nerd Cool. Rocker Nerd, an anti-thesis and an accurate description of my personality. The very idea of this tempts me to the core.

Planet Earth

2009-09-22T02:17:00.000-07:00

"That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar", every "supreme leader", every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

Carl Sagan
describing Earth

Reasons

2009-09-22T01:26:00.000-07:00

A good reason to start smoking.

My next wardrobe (in the middle of a hunt for a new place).
The Gant Belt I regretted not buying.

I haven't been blogging about fashion trends lately cos I've been busy:

House hunting
Dealing with drama
Choosing a diamond

I will return soon.

P.S. that crocodile skin black bag does not make me look gay. The term's metro.

A Boy's Prayer

2009-09-17T01:35:00.000-07:00

Father, your hand guides us
In you our faith
Your will unseen
Our mortal fears deceive
Give us today your gift of peace
When enemies beesech us
Our daily bread speed us
Lead us not into self condemnation
Deliver me from despair
Amen.

Supplemental: The Great Purge

2009-09-08T02:09:00.000-07:00

Those who fail to remember history, are condemned to repeat it.

In the summer of 1932 Joseph Stalin became aware that opposition to his policies were growing. Some party members were publicly criticizing Stalin and calling for the readmission of Leon Trotsky to the party.

When the issue was discussed at the Politburo, Stalin demanded that the critics should be arrested and executed. Sergey Kirov, who up to this time had been a staunch Stalinist, argued against this policy.

When the vote was taken, the majority of the Politburo supported Kirov against Stalin. In the spring of 1934 Sergey Kirov put forward a policy of reconciliation. He argued that people should be released from prison who had opposed the government's policy on collective farms and industrialization. Once again, Stalin found himself in a minority in the Politburo.

After years of arranging for the removal of his opponents from the party, Joseph Stalin realized he still could not rely on the total support of the people whom he had replaced them with. Stalin no doubt began to wonder if Sergey Kirov was willing to wait for his mentor to die before becoming leader of the party.

Stalin was particularly concerned by Kirov's willingness to argue with him in public. He feared that this would undermine his authority in the party. As usual, that summer Kirov and Stalin went on holiday together. Stalin, who treated Kirov like a son, used this opportunity to try to persuade him to remain loyal to his leadership. Stalin asked him to leave Leningrad to join him in Moscow.

Stalin wanted Kirov in a place where he could keep a close eye on him. When Kirov refused, Stalin knew he had lost control over his protégé.

Sounds familiar? Look North to Malaysia at another former Master/Protege relationship- Mahatiar and Anwar.

Sometimes, the need to "fix the opposition" and "buy votes" can make the current rulers miss the forest for the trees. The bit of history was Stalin's legacy, he purged all opposition and opposing voices so efficiently that eventually when the Nazi armies came knocking on Soviet borders, all that saved Russia was the harsh winter cold and a bit of luck.

Singapore exists on the equator in a tropical region and Fate is a fickle mistress.

We need to balance our policy of survival with the democratic process

2009-09-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has been and still is right in many aspects of governance.

Before you brandish pitchforks and flaming torches, please allow me the pleasure of explaining my opening statement. Please take comfort in the assurance that my current thoughts fill me with as much dread as you might feel.

In the not-too-distant past, MM Lee has flirted with the idea of rudimentary eugenics (graduates marrying graduates in order to spawn smarter progeny through SDU) and giving a bigger share of voting rights to the entrenched citizens.

According to MM Lee, "I’m not intellectually convinced that one-man, one-vote is the best. I’m convinced, personally, that we would have a better system if we gave every man over the age of 40 who has a family two votes because he’s likely to be more careful, voting also for his children."

I'm not too convinced that one-man, one-vote is best either. And since, unlike himself, I'm not a politician I can discard the notion that a family man votes wiser and postulate that family or no, there are more "stupid" people than smart people. Taking probability and the intellectual curve, it's safe to say that at any given time, the majority is comprised of citizens less intellectual than the upper quartile of the population.

Democracy distilled is therefore akin to "majority rule".

In many situations, "majority rule" is a bad way of making decisions, essential taxes might be voted off, unpopular but socially affirming policies might be voted away killing minority rights etc (e.g. a greater "white population" might vote in a way that puts blacks at a disadvantage).

That's why even in "leading democracies" like the United States, they practice a form of democracy, better known as a Republic- The citizens elect a leader to make the decisions for them.

For a small city-state like Singapore uses its small size and stature to practice acts economic (bio-science is important, push for bio-science industries islandwide now) and political agility, true democracy would paralyse an otherwise nimble nation.

And while MM Lee is correct in his assumptions, his or his party's application of these ideals leaves much to be desired.

While a strong mandate may be required for a ruiling party to pass and affirm what they believe to be good policies for the nation, the uneven playing field for opposition parties makes the thought process that leads to these policies a little less earnest.

Let me put it this way, if it was debated in parliament that "we need take the opportunity to buy into Bank of America." The pro-faction in this case, being the PAP and Ho Ching would state their case, the opposition would debate the cons to buying too early etc.

When this level of discourse occurs, certain points and facts may have highlighted the fact that buying now would not have been the right time. Not to mention the positive spill effects on Singapore's citizenry.

The citizens, once exposed to policy decision making and debate, can form their own opinions and ideas and essentially engage in participatory democracy. This should form the corner stone for all fledging democracies.

The pledge need no longer be aspirational, it could be a practicising, functioning pledge of dedication to Singapore Inc. Malay, Chinese, Eurasian and others will all have their own opinions on essential public policies and foreign policy decisions. More importantly, leadership renewal will be less of an issue for those wanting to take office to genuinely serve his fellowmen.

The key is this- how can we find the middle ground?

Take this hypothesis: The World is flat.

In a system like ours currently, if the PAP says it's flat (casinos are good). It's flat (they're good). End of discussion.

In a democracy, the majority believes the world is flat. There is initial resistance as the naysers in the majority refuse to accept the premise that the world could be round. A debate occurs where members of a council argue facts. Eventually, the proof bears overwhelmingly that it's round, the public begins to accept the fact that its round especially since the intelligentsia are now convinced that it is round.

Where do we find the middle ground?

Terrible bi-partisan politics occasionally paralyse the United States, how do we find that middle ground of agility and yet practice democratic governance?

Is it safe to have a government so firmly entrenched in it's own "World is flat" beliefs?

It doesn't make me happy that MM Lee, once advocate and champion for union rights (he took pro-bono cases during his days as a lawyer), eventually banned trade unions and co-opted the NTUC into the government.

But MM Lee saw accurately, that in a small country like Singapore, the strategic importance of attracting and retaining foreign investment made it paramount that ours was a business environment secure from crippling strikes (e.g. UPS in 1997). Even then, how does co-option of trade unions safeguard the employee rights of its citizenry?

While I must admit that Singapore stands rather precariously (no hinterland) on the ability of its people to outproduce and out-attract investment better than its regional neighbours, I find it rather odd that the ruling party treats us (it's biggest shareholder) rather carelessly.

I put this forward, as a tired and soon to be apathetic blogger- Can we unite at least on one front, agree with the PAP that pure democracy might be our way to a united nationhood, but that we aspire, as one people, to seek the Singaporean dream without forsaking our forebears that have made this possible.

The post-separation workers who worked three shifts without complaint to make Singapore the jewel of South East Asia. These are the men and women who are now reduced to picking discarded cans off our streets. Can we at least agree, they need better care?

Might I also put forward, that while the ruling party continues to barrel down the path of courting the money of the wealthy through Integrated Resorts and luxury homes, that they take the time to consider that the wealthy are prone to flights of fancy. Have they considered that Singapore might be heading down the path to nothingness ala Dubai?

More importantly, could we avoid Dubai's fate if we started to have decent debates on the prudence of such pursuits we might avoid such an ill advised short term move?

Might they also consider, that once the rich and powerful are moving on to their new playground, Singapore will be left with the husk of an improverished and unhappy underclass of Singaporeans who have no other choice but to stay.

Foreign talent remit money overseas, they don't invest like citizens (in HDB flats) or put roots (through National Service), when they're gone, leaving keys in abandoned cars at the airport, any guesses to who's left to pick up the pieces?

While pondering these few points- might MM Lee also take the point to consider, the 5 years it may take the opposition to squander money in our reserves, the PAP and it's GLC investment corps like GIC and Temasek Holdings has proven that they have managed in 1 year.

And that while we don't begrudge or fault those who make mistakes, could these mistakes have been avoided through better debate in parliament? And most importantly, without checks and balances, what impetus (since no opposition exists to force resignation or discipline on the errant decision-maker) is there to avoid this mistake from ever being made again?

I would like to end, with MM Lee's own words during an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria in 1994-

"Westerners have abandoned the ethical basis for society, believing that all problems are solvable by a good government, which we in the East never believed.
Eastern societies believe the individual exists in the context of his family. He is not pristine and separate. . .The ruler or the government does not try to provide for a person what the family provides best.

Governments will come, governments will go, but [family] endures. We start with self-reliance. In the West today it is the opposite. The government says give me a popular mandate and I will solve all society’s problems.

We focus on the basics in Singapore. We used the family to push economic growth, factoring in the ambitions of a person and his family into our planning.

Nobody really believes that the government can provide in all circumstances. The government itself does not believe in. In the ultimate crises, even in earthquakes and typhoons, it is your human relationships that will see you through. So the [American] thesis . . . that the government is always capable of reinventing itself in new shapes and forms, has not been proven in history."

Does MM Lee really believe the PAP can re-invent itself after 40 years of dominance where Barisan Nasional and LDP have so recently fallen? Can a people, so coddled into apathy and so unpracticed in the ways of active participatory democracy be counted on in pulling ourselves out of the rut?

Count on Me Singapore or Count on PAP Singapore?

Knee Jerk Diatribe

2009-08-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

In a stunning show of organisational incompetence, SMRT delivered extreme disappointment once again.

At approximately 6.20pm on 31 August 2009, Northbound trains were completely disrupted flooding Raffles and City Hall stations with massive crowds. Subsequent overland travel by buses of said corporation were over-taxed as commuters struggled to find alternative routes home on bus routes.

Yes, there will be reasons to explain this "disruption" but be they technical, human errors or suicide are not important and I'll address this later.

Firstly, I would like to congratulate SMRT on first quarter FY2010 net profits of $48.2m announced on 31 July 2009. In a year of severe recession and plunging consumer spending, this report of net profit is nothing short of an economic and financial miracle.

One might think, that this $48.2 million dollars be put to good use through capital re-investment and infrastructure upgrading and maintenance. I would imagine that in order for such amazing year-on-year growth to continue, these profits must be used to update and upgrade both man and machine.

That said, should this disruption be caused by a track fault or technical issue, SMRT would have absolutely no logical or rational defence for such an occurrence. After all, these issues occur with such regularity (every 3 weeks) you would think that SMRT had difficulty affording regular care for their rail networks.

If the slowdown and halt in Northbound train services was the result of human error, you would think that such amazing profits translated to incredible bonus pay cheques for rank and file workers. With the amount of revenue available to SMRT, the company would be able to pay for top notch train operators and service crew. Hence, "human error" should be minimised, after all, by that same token, our well-paid ministers are nothing short of infallible.

If the stop in services was caused by a suicide. I offer my condolences and I beseech this GLC to implore the authorities to reconsider social and economic policies that are leading a percentage of the citizenry to such drastic acts of self termination.

Few issues to note, REFUNDS offered by SMRT within 3 days are not compensation enough for time costs and opportunities lost.

SMRT, a company of considerable scope and girth, offering a portfolio of bus AND train services are completely and disproportionately incompetent in organising shuttle bus services for affected routes. Marshaling a fleet of buses to ferry affected passengers to stops along the train route would have made more sense than offering a "cop-out" cash refund.

If you consider the magnitude of stupidity involved, the mind boggles.

In a city-state where the Minister Mentor boasts of a 20 minute ride from one end of the country to another, this writer took 2 hours to get home from city CBD to the country's center.

When you start to put the pieces of the puzzle together, it's not difficult to understand the average Singaporean psyche. When you work 12 hour days for economic progress, survival and little job security, and it takes you over 1 hour to get home just in time to see your kids go to bed. Why bother having children at all?

Like the philosophical riddle- "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?", one has to wonder, if the children never see their parents around, do they exist?

When you start to add up the policies that have led to the strain on public transport infrastructure, you can understand that it's not complete inaptitude on the part of SMRT management.

In a country where the ruling party makes simplistic decisions on economic and foreign talent policies (more inputs = more output therefore more GDP), it doesn't take Einstein to figure out that the MRT networks are currently bursting at the seams with the overload. SMRT will never be able to make allowances and plan contingencies as a result of untenable government foreign labor policies.

When SMRT Corp began operations in August 1987, transport planners obviously did not account for the ridiculous importation of over 1 million "RESIDENTS" that would eventually tax and over burden the transit system.

There are 4 train types currently in service:
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151, capable of taking 1920 passengers. Used since 1987.
- Siemens C651 Cars, with a capacity for 1920 passengers as well, in service since 1994.
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries & Nippon Sharyo C751B, used since 2000.
- Alstom Metropolis C830, 931 passengers, servicing the circle line since May 2009.

My point is this, if train capacities remained the same throughout the years, with MINIMAL change to train frequency since our FT boom, imagine the strain to the 22 year old system.

I offer you this to consider
- if you pay your transport minister SGD2.5 million per year, should you expect better transport planning?
alternatively
- if the transport council approves yearly fare hikes where the SMRT Corporation can earn $48.2 million profit during the "worst recession since the great depression", should you expect excellent train service?

Finally, have we reached this numbness with the "bitter medicine" that we no longer care or expect minimum standards from our elite civil "servants" or govt-linked corps like SMRT and Temasek Holdings?

Do we still even care if we're getting fucked over or are we just lying there like the dutiful wife for yet another round of marital rape?

So which is baby, Spits or swallows?

2009-08-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Dictionary definitions of "Pledge"

To bind or engage by promise or declaration; to engage solemnly; as, to pledge one's self.
A solemn binding promise to do, give, or refrain from doing something: signed a pledge never to reveal the secret; a pledge of money to a charity.
Something given or held as security to guarantee payment of a debt or fulfillment of an obligation.
The condition of something thus given or held: put an article in pledge.

So, when the highest paid elder statesmen and first generation political leader of independent Singapore categorically states that The Pledge is an aspiration and not ideology, I have to ask myself, what should I make of these other pledges:

The wedding vows- "I pledge that I will honor my wife"
Pledges of Allegiance

Are the vows taken merely aspirations? That I may hold on to the claims made and discard them at personal leisure and whim?

What then of allegiance? That loyalty to King and country are mere drinking toasts?

more to come, will update after work

Awwwww Mondays

2009-07-27T18:40:00.001-07:00

So...

The week is off to a running start- a client cracked a fit today, flipping out over a previously approved storyboard that inadvertently started a cascade of work which culminated in myself and a colleague working past 11pm today.

I wonder- "Why is there such an adversarial relationship between clients and their agencies?"

Aren't we all geared towards the same objective? Better mind share and awareness of said client's brand?

If snakes and hamsters can live in harmony, I see no reason why client-agency relationships should continue to be antagonistic.

Furthermore, I find it counter-productive for a client to initiate the pitch process, select an agency and then continually micro-manage the "expert communicators" they've hired to do the job.

Yes, I agree, the client/agency handler has vested interest and is responsible for the retainer costs and marketing expenditure- requiring strict accounting and adherence to KPI. HOWEVER, the agency has a similar if not equally accountable objective- conceptualising and executing cohesive marketing communications plans that work.

Unprofessional, sloppy and ill-planned communications efforts that do not work cast not just a bad light on the agency in question but also damage the reputation of the firm. This hit to reputation directly impacts not just the client but in effect handicaps the firm with regard to future projects and pitches.

That said, take a moment and consider this- "Do you tell the doctors what medicine to prescribe?"

Let us do our work and let us produce the comms-medication for what ails your company. Dick measuring and politicking hurts everyone.

Spot On

2009-07-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you ex-Battlefield 1943 players- Penny Arcade nailed this one on the head. Quite often, some moron would swoop in just as a P52 Mustang spawned and fly it right into the ground.

For those of you copying files out in a hurry, Windows has an irritating "argument encouraging" file copy speed algorithm. I'll be trying to move some high res artwork to a thumb drive for urgent printing just before lunch. Windows would calculate an initial estimation of 3 52 15 "We'll just go for lunch without you asshole" minutes.

WOAW...

2009-07-19T08:15:00.001-07:00

Check out this AWESOME flypast.

A Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet crew got permission for a low-level demonstration flight, as part of the opening ceremony for a speedboat race on the Detroit River, last weekend. This is what it looked like, for Motor City residents.

Read it here.

A testament for all to see

2009-07-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Let today, Wednesday 15th July 2009, stand testament to the fullness of the Lord's grace and abundant generosity.

I've found employment with a dream firm during a period of recession where said firm has just laid off employees and at a time where countless job seekers have yet to be even interviewed.

I count my blessings and offer thanks.

Gloria, in excelcis deo.

*Related posts:

http://tantalizine.blogspot.com/2009/04/dark-times-part-1.html
http://tantalizine.blogspot.com/2009/05/dark-times-part-2.html

Dark period started Apr 2009. Ended July 2009. Rescue time- 4 months.

Found! Solution for Blogger Pic update issue

2009-07-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

This was provided through Google Forums by YVOLOW:

Try this manual method. Its an extra step though.

Still upload the usual way (choose ur size accordingly cos that will be how u want the pics to show on ur blog) but when the picture is uploaded, DO NOT click done. Instead, right click on the pic, left click on properties & copy the URL (add) there. Do not close the uploaded image window. Just minimise it.

On ur blog window in edit HTML format, input the following:

where URL is the URL(add) that u hv copied. Close the uploaded pic window before u click publish. Once u click publish, u shall be able to see ur pics.

Hope the above helps. :) Happy Blogging.

It IS an extra step and it provide a temporary manual solution- Unfortunately, it's still NOT A FIX for a blogger bug.

Nicest shoes ever

2009-07-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yves Saint Lauren, you've definitely outdone yourself this time.

Kudos.

WTF

2009-07-03T04:10:00.001-07:00

Was feeling happy at the sight of some light down the tunnel of this dark period in my life after this morning's interview.

Elation was short lived over misuder-fucking-standing over dinner.

Fuck me.

Fuck.

Fuck.

p.s. hope never to cuss like this again on this blog or any other. But boy was it cathartic.

BTW to the under-aged kiddies reading this blog: vulgarities and cussing a friend out is not cool because by the time you find a situation that truly requires it- you're not going to achieve maximum stress release if you say it all the time at random meaningless moments.

It's not in the stars that hold our destiny but in ourselves

2009-06-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Lies he hath spoken
the one they call William
Fate, Destiny, the Divine
You've gone by many names

Sight unseen
Thy many paths are littered
with dreams broken
and hopes unspoken

By faith we walk
by actions we commit

Like rain forged estuaries
we rush headlong
towards the inevitable

The road unlit
the home of Puck
oh how it beckons
Ever weary my footing unsure

The trail well trodden
Choices will be made
Nary a tear I will shed
In comfort of knowledge serene

That accept I will
your ungentle guidance
this fool of fortune

A last day guilty pleasure: Strippers vs. Zombies

2009-06-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

It's my last day at work and I needed a guilty pleasure to tide me over the weekend. MJ's death and my subsequent Thriller MTV-aroused Zombie desires led me to my local import (Thank you China) store where I handed over 10 precious dollars for this gem of a B grade zombie flick: The gratuitously titled- ZOMBIES ZOMBIES ZOMBIES.

This is a movie so bad, that it's good. I kid you not.

A B-grade "homage" to Tarantino's Grindhouse: Planet Terror, the writing is actually half decent and the scripted dialogue actually manages to produce a few gems. Here's a taste-

Alex: Ow! You sure you know what you're doing!?
Stripper: Duh! I'm wearing a nurse's outfit..

While the acting is decidedly B-list, it's not evenly so across the cast, some of the actors excel in their roles (look out for the over the top Pimp "Daddy").

The plot's simple: a junkie looking for his high (and a score) rips off the local science lab where an experiment with guinea pigs has gone awry. His "crystal meth" gets into the hands of the town prostitute who then proceeds to smoke and overdose herself into a literal zombied state.

Little wonder that the resulting zombie virus transmits (much like aids) quickly through the local horny male populace and for an unfortunate few, penises turn into tantalising zombie sausages.

The DVD box art aside, you can expect very little nudity (VERY little for a over the top B-flick), nevertheless, the women are fairly attractive and while the movie kills braincells, that loss of grey matter is exactly what makes the film more entertaining as the movie progresses.

Acting: 3/5
Direction: 2/5
Dialogue: 3.5/5
Story: 2.5/5

Like I said, it's bad. But sometimes, being bad, can be good.

Rest in Peace MJ

2009-06-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

For the many millions of MJ jokes, none spoke more clearly than his song: Black or White.

He was good looking as an African-American. Oddly womanish as a White male. Scary as a plastic enhanced human being.

Yet, for all his eccentricities, he united the world in song. He healed the world with his music and kept thousands of late night show hosts in work.

And I would just like to thank you Michael, for scaring the pants off a 5 year old with Thriller (insert your own joke here) and for single handedly igniting my zombie fan-hood with said video.

Thank You.

New world challenges need a new world hero: Barack Obama

2009-06-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Too bad it wasn't Jack Black singing ala Tenancious D...

Genius Architecture

2009-06-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

This is the entrance to the MRT (metro system for you international readers). It's not exactly revolutionary architecture in terms of design or aesthetics.

Quite possibly designed by the man who drew up the architectural plans for ION ORCHARD (the building in the background), the dome shaped entryway with positive meniscus glass configuration is a SCIENTIFIC MARVEL.

Why you ask?

At 200km north of the equator, Singapore enjoys clear blue skies and an ambient average daily temperature of a warm 32 degrees celcius. The unrelenting sunlight allows many Singaporean women to develop hot, luxurious tans- giving East-asian women living in this jewel of the orient their trademarked sarong party yummy qualities so beloved by ang-moh (western) men.

Ok. We've established: Singapore is hot. The minions on this little islet are inundated with powerful sunrays daily.

Science 101: Positive Meniscus lens
A positive meniscus series of glass panels placed in a dome configuration like the one featured in the picture at the start of the article achieves roughly the same effects of this home-made solar death ray.

Archimedes created something similar in 212BC, the power of 112 rays of sunlight on ONE single focused point. Here's the catch, the Archimedean death sun didn't have the technical and technological tolerances of our modern day geeks.

And while THANKFULLY, the opening uses glass panels instead of reflecting mirrors. The dome shape configuration performs admirably focusing disparate rays of sunlight into ONE FOCUSED POORLY VENTILATED AREA.

THANK YOU GENIUS ARCHITECT OF THE TEMPERATE WESTERN NATIONS FOR CREATING THIS HELLISH INFERNO OF AN ENTRANCE.

We've established:

Singapore is hot
We get A LOT OF SUN
It's hard to stay cool in sunny Singapore
Did I mention it stays like this ALL YEAR ROUND?

WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DESIGN SOMETHING LIKE THIS YOU MORON?

Thank goodness the connecting tunnel to Wisma Atria has re-opened. Else I would have to find out where you live and nuke your home with an Archimedean Death Sun weapon...

This just in: Japanese Scientist Invents Breast Enlargement Ringtone

2009-06-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

Dubbed "ROCK MELON" ringtone, Dr. Hideto Tomabechi discovered that the subliminal sounds of babies crying amongst other sounds causes a woman's breast to expand and enlarge. Test sounds involved in the experiment increased the breast size of one subject by 3 cm.

Addendum: MSN Convo

tamber says:

what the eff

percevale says:

yep
I love the japanese
AND DISCOVERY CHANNEL
for recognising the life altering effects of such a scientific breakthrough

tamber says:

percevale says:

Cure for cancer? Who gives a fuck. Mankind can now enlarge breasts with their handphones
i wonder what happens to manboobs when guys in the vicinity hear the tone
or is it something the woman has to listen to in private...

Today's Mood: SNARLY

2009-06-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

I will prevail. The Lord willing.

When life gives you lemons...

2009-06-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Make lemonade.

So goes the saying.

But what if those lemons were rotten?

I don't want to serve rotty lemonade really.

We can't change the cards we are dealt. Only how we play the hand.

Problem is God/Fate/Destiny/whatever doesn't play cards.

He plays the dice.

So what now?

This just in: An example of Singapore's Shining Civil Service

2009-06-15T01:45:00.001-07:00

Heard from a friend of mine who was having some family woes:

He had spoken to Mr Foo S. T., an officer with HDB-
X- "Hi, I'd like to initiate a special appeal. The flat is fully paid for, I want to buy out my father's portion."
HDB- "Why?"
X- "He's an undischarged bankrupt, he needs the money for living expenses and to feed his new family. My mom lives in Australia, a citizen there. They're divorced."
HDB- "Ah.. read the regulations on our website www.hdb.gov.sg the regulations are there."
X- "I understand, I'm not yet 35.. but i don't have a family nucleus either."
HDB- "Then you have to read our regulations. They clearly state.."
X- "I understand, I'm asking for your advice."
HDB- "Only other way besides reading the regulations at www.hdb.gov.sg, is that your parents have to die. Then you can buy your own flat."
X- "BUT i already OWN IT."
HDB- "Sorry. They have to dead. Or you can read our regulations at www.hdb.gov.sg."

Best Christopher Walken Impression Ever

2009-06-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

Classic.

I <3 Walken.

That new mattress had better be nothing short of a miracle mattress

2009-06-10T20:14:00.001-07:00

Man.. this sucks.

Read about it here.

This week's Badvertising: Kellogg's Cereal

2009-06-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

I'm a fitness freak. I endorse meal replacements. I DO NOT ENDORSE IRRESPONSIBLE MEAL REPLACEMENTS.

Whenever I replace a meal, it's calibrated for a calorie count that takes into account nutritional values like protein, fat and vitamin counts- To make up for the total carbohydrate calorie deficit and to ensure my body's defenses are kept high with required vitamins and minerals.

What Kellogg is asking you to do is eat a high carb, low nutrition (where's the veges mate?) meal. ONE BOWL FOR ONE MEAL IS NOT HEALTHY.

Yes, you will lose weight BUT YOUR BODY GOES INTO FAT STORING MODE. Once you're off that ridiculous diet- you'll put back your fats upon returning to your meal routines.

Please, exercise some caution. And err.. do exercise- that's THE ONLY pant downsizing activity. All others is bullcrap.

A good read for many Singaporean Chicks

2009-06-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Singapore Girls (not the great stewardesses) and Balaclava (you know why you're there) crowds, finding a rich hot guy is a sure fire way to meet a raging egomaniac.

He'd use you and lose you. The best way to snag your own faithful rich hot guy- is to pick one before his eventual rise to power ala Michelle. It's like playing stocks, pick a good counter and invest long term.

Buying into short term popular stocks is a surefire way to mistime the investment and get your fingers burned.

You get the best of both worlds. You fall in love with the guy's personality and strength of character and eventually get the bonus dividends of steady career, great income and a jetsetting lifestyle.

Think about that please. You can read the article here.

Reading between the lines

2009-06-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

According to the Straits Times:

Mr Lee said he did not think Singapore was an affluent country, the Korean daily reported.
'Besides, as a government official, I have to lead by example. Singapore's senior officials fly economy class, not first class, for flights under six hours,' he was quoted as saying.

Does this mean that for flights over 6 hours, THEY DO FLY FIRST CLASS? Why not business class?

Here's a relative comparison:

A Singapore-Melbourne flight is 6 hours (not including tail winds). As a frequent traveller down under, the flight in economy class is relatively painless, I watch 3 movies, some episodes of "Queer Eye" or "House" and I touch down: I'm still refreshed.

If you look at all the countries within the 6 hour flight zone, that would mean that essentially over 70% of all senior official flights are FIRST CLASS (taking into account our major trading partners and allies).

Thanks for this token show of frugality.

We Remember..

2009-06-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

The few who sacrificed so much, for so many, in service to freedom.

We remember H-Hour, D-Day: Normandy.

To these men, I salute you.

Special thanks to 101st Airborne 506th Easy Company for cutting off German artilery (Assault on Brecourt Manor), cutting off the Axis supply route and linking Allied armored forces to the battle on the beach head.

Warning: Dumb Blonde ahead

2009-06-05T00:25:00.000-07:00

This video is evidence why after over 1 million views, the nerd market is still a very relevant and lucrative segment.

No thanks

2009-06-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

Trim- Yes. Shave? NO.

Good grief.. shave your groin.. what the @#$%!?

Seriously cool animation

2009-06-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

Apologies, I've been down with a small bout of "clinical depression". Nope, this isn't some namby pamby feel good animatic but perhaps a poigant reminder of why extraterrestrials don't yet choose to visit our civilisation.

Time paradoxes make good money

2009-05-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a good tale of self fulfiling prophecy- Kill mom in the past, fail, son lives to send his own protector. Repeat.

Throw in man killing machines and a plot regarding the epic struggles of humanities' last hope and you have an easily repeatable, infinitely rebootable hollywood movie series.

Not that I'm opposed to any of this mind you (provided that the story is good) but I do lament the insinuation of this assertion- that entertainment's best and brightest are unable to think of new ideas and original stories to tell.

Terminator Salvation was indeed an entertaining film perfunctory insertion of philosophical musing of 'what defines a human' notwithstanding. Like it's other summer blockbuster cousin- Star Trek, the director eskews story telling and character building elements for a cinematic creation filled with plenty of flash but void of bang.

Marcus Wright makes a compelling Terminator pregenesis but even as his sacrifice towards the end allows John Connor to continue the good fight, the viewers are robbed of the magnamity of the situation. There's no sense of emotional loss akin to the ending of Terminator 2 where this reviewer will admit to the shedding of tears as Arnold gets lowered into the vat of molten iron. Most amazingly, we connect with Arnold even if all he does is act monotonously. Marcus on the other hand is a heart and steel prototype with human perspectives and emotions yet there's hardly a reaction from the audience for his ultimate gift of life.

Yes Terminator Salvation will entertain you exceeding well. Is it a good movie? No. Ironically, even with a lead Terminator with heart, the film has none.

Dark Times- Part 2

2009-05-29T00:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes God lets you float in the darkness for a while, to test your mettle and refocus your faith and strength. But He ALWAYS saves and rewards you at the end.

I sense the light coming and I hope it's O&M.

Let it be His Will and I will rest easy in faith that He alone knows what's best for me.

Face: Common sense sacrificed on the alter of Singaporean Culture

2009-05-28T19:44:00.001-07:00

Yes. You heard me- Singaporean Culture. I don't say Asian Culture because a variety of politicians and dictators have misguidedly used the idea of "asian values" as an excuse to practice autocracy.

But this post isn't about politics. It's about plain common cents.

Face value in the Singaporean context is so ridiculously important that it not only gets in the way of rational business decision making but it causes the usually "penny-pinching" singaporeans into getting into their cars, paying their road taxes (tax to use the road) and then PAYING more taxes (erp) to use particular roads.

We complain about kopitiam price increases, cost of living expenses etc but when it comes to owning a car and driving it around a very small and highly connected Singapore, common sense flies out the window.

My premise is this- If the majority of New Yorkers, one of the most densely packed population of career minded and fashion conscious people, can eskew car ownership for a metro system and foot travel, why the hell can't we?

Why are we still so voluntarily paying for more than we have to when we don't need to? It's FACE and the "loving adoration" of relatives/friends going- "Wahh.. he drive merchedis (insert car brand) hor.."

And it's the very same mentality that keeps the majority voting the same people back in. Just think about what a big liability this obsession is.

The toast of Cannes: COLIN - a zombie POV movie

2009-05-27T03:31:00.000-07:00

Shot on a $70 budget, the effects are pretty good from the looks of the trailer alone. The acting could use a bit of polish though, so does the direction (omg overuse of hand shaky effect).

One thing is for certain, despite the criticisms, KUDOS I say to the idea of a zombie movie from a zombie's POV. Kudos.

P.S. First to post!

How to turn more onto the pleasures of the news

2009-05-26T01:36:00.000-07:00

Melissa Theuriau is a presenter on "LCI Matin" (LCI Morning), a Today Show-style French morning show.

Eye candy and upwardly fashionable, if more news anchors started looking like she does, you can be pretty sure citizens of the world would start to be a little more current in their current affairs.

In Singapore, we have our very own- CHERYL FOX.

Thanks Cheryl. For being the face that kept me sane during the morning drudgery of NATIONAL SERVICE. Without you, my bunkmates would rather listen to techno in the morning.

Because of you and thy sublime beauty, you enthralled a platoon of ah beng soldiers to the wonders of Channel NewsAsia. If it had not been for you, my brain cells would have chosen to self-terminate and I would not be blogging today.

Cheryl Fox- thank you.

Most sincerely,

Time to move aside Chuck..

2009-05-26T01:00:00.001-07:00

After chained viewing of the Dos Equis spots, I'm thoroughly convinced this man could beat Chuck Norris.

His beard > all.

He lives vicariously through himself

2009-05-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

I like this guy. Adore this ad. Love this quote.

Great advert and if Dos Equis ever comes to Singapore, you bet my beer budget I'll order this for a taste.

p.s. He pwns Chuck Norris.

The argument against Rollerblading

2009-05-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

Succinct.

Sherlock Holmes

2009-05-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hollywood seems to be going through a bit of the "reboot" trend. Not that I mind, especially when they have talented leads like RDJ (Robert Downey Jnr) and Jude Law together.

Combine it with stellar starlet Rachel McAdams and you have a killer combination of entertaining eye candy for 2 hours.

I like Sherlock Holmes. I adore the cast. I believe I'll love the movie.

Useful Stuff: Runpee.com

2009-05-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

In a bid to make this blog more useful to my viewers. I'm going to dedicate a new category of "Useful stuff" entries for you readers out there.

The inaugural entry: Runpee.com

Runpee.com is a website dedicated to helping you find out the optimal time slots in any particular movie- TO GO PEE.

As we all (myself included) have experienced, the large coke and popcorn combo can be a deadly money waster in terms of sabotage to personal health (kidney stones) and entertainment (shit.. I missed the plot!).

Runpee.com is our best hope in avoiding the "should I go now or later" situation when nature calls mid fight scene or dramatic moment.

It's now in BETA. Avaliable here.

If I should be so lucky

2009-05-21T06:19:00.001-07:00

I'm guessing if it was a local couple, they'd be going:

HUAT AH!

Click here for the full BBC article.

BREAKING NEWS: OOPS..

2009-05-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

I was wondering, since Mdm. Ho Ching has stepped down, couldn't she just clear leave like every other employee in the country (isn't that what we do after tendering our resignation)? Rather than make half-crocked decisions to "Buy high and sell low"?

According to the NEW YORK TIMES:

Analysts at Goldman raised BofA from neutral to buy and added the company to their so-called conviction list of recommended stocks. Analysts at Citigroup kept a buy rating on the shares, but had positive things to say about the integration of BofA and Countrywide, the troubled mortgage lender it recently bought, as well as its capital-raising plans.BofA is using “at-the-market” stock sales to raise a large part of its additional capital cushion. That means the shares are quietly dribbling out in unknown quantities. Reading the tea leaves — and watching the volume of BofA stock trades — analysts at Citi, led by Keith Horowitz, estimate it has already raised $3 billion to $4 billion from selling new stock.

But Temasek, the investment arm of Singapore, could be feeling a bit of seller’s remorse. The fund recently reported selling its entire stake in BofA — at an enormous loss, by all accounts — some time before March 31. Since then, BofA’s stock is up about 74 percent.

OOPS..

Click the title or here for the full NYT article.

Asian Values

2009-05-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Once upon a Cultural Studies lecture many years ago, my college Professor Brown had this to say:

Don't give me this bull shite about Asian values. The Kamasutra & tantric sex. Populations of 3 Billion in China. 1 Billion in India. There's definitely FUCKING going on in Asia. Decadent west.. hmpf..

This came to mind after a cursory glance of the ~~comedy~~ forum section of the 20th May 2009 issue of the Straits Times.

According to Mr. Steven Tan:
Besides providing accurate facts about STIs, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Aids, the programme also imparts useful skills to students, such as decision-making and the right places to obtain reliable information, as well as assertiveness and strategies on how not to succumb to persuasion.

I was truly heartened to learn that the students were taught that the best way to avoid STIs and Aids is to avoid casual sex, sex with multiple partners and unprotected sex, and to stay faithful to a partner within the context of marriage.

However, the students were subsequently taught how to use a condom.

While I understand HPB's good intention to curb the rising incidence of STIs among the young, I wish to express my concerns as a parent that students are being taught how to use condoms in school.
It gives a mixed and confusing message. Is it not better to encourage students to avoid pre-marital sex altogether, since the programme also teaches that the use of condom is not 100 per cent safe?
Students are not likely to heed or remember to practise safe sex just because they have attended a lesson on condom use.
Even if they do use a condom, they are not likely - in the heat of the moment - to remember or follow the steps to use a condom correctly.
I truly appreciate the HPB's efforts for creating such a programme and hope that it will review and consider whether it is really necessary or useful to teach students how to use a condom.

This confuses, contradicts and compromises the good advice to avoid pre-marital sex as the only foolproof protection against STIs and Aids.

With this many people in Asia, you'd think learning how to use the condom would be a good thing no?

DICING WITH DEATH

2009-05-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

How on earth is that news?!

Comment on the economy. Write commentary on how current policies to invigorate the local economy are NOT SHOWING FRUIT. Write about the plight of migrant workers and how local employers need to take classes on Business ethics 101. How is it news that "It's a common sight to see people falling or jumping into the Singapore River"!?

Misstep sends student into water.
Misstep sends commuter falling onto train tracks.
Misstep sends pedestrian onto path of incoming car.
Misstep sends maid off HDB flat onto pavement 20 floors below.
Misstep sends slipper of heartland hubber into face of an ah beng- a fight ensues.

SEE A TREND!? Falling into the Singapore River when all signs point to common sense and intelligence telling you to be careful on steep wet steps IS NOT NEWS.

Anyway, the story goes on to talk about how Coral Secondary School Student Muhd Asyraf Azman lost his footing on a step along the Singapore River that had a hole in it.

I've been to the Singapore River. The steps are steep. The steps are wet. And the water is dirty. Stay away. How is it a SPECIAL REPORT: SINGAPORE RIVER HAZARDS.

Piranhas in the Singapore River (if there were. not saying there are). That's a hazard.

Steep, wet steps along the river. That's common sense- keep away or sit, stand, climb or play on those steps at your own risk.

A cup of clear, odorless acid. That's a hazard. Hot coffee with all the hallmark indications of a severe scalding if you spill some on yourself. That's common sense to exercise caution around a hot beverage.

P.S. I enjoyed the flotation device story that tested methods of what Mas Selamat might have used to get to Malaysia. It was definitely the kind of story I look forward to in the Sunday Plus. I was wondering if you would do an article on "HOW MANY TOILET ROLLS CAN BREAK A FALL FROM A THIRD STOREY WINDOW".

Realistic Long Term Investments

2009-05-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

I've been writing love letters to Angelina Jolie. I send about 1 a week and roses fortnightly. Daily, I send her emails asking her if she has eaten well and whether she's had a good day.

I consider this a long term view on my investments. In time, my love to Angelina Jolie will bear fruit. Oh Angelina, how I've carried a torch for you since I saw you in Hackers. I've stuck steadfastly beside you since your breakout role and worshipped the countless silver screens upon which you've graced us with your presence.

Oh how others laugh and make jibes at my investments but I believe in time, my true love (no one, not even Brad can love you like I do) will bear fruit and I will stand vindicated.

But, "Be still." says my rational mind. "Are these realistic long term investments?"

Never has an article reminded me so succinctly, the love and the torch I bear for Angelina. I must take the long term view I tell myself, but never have my logical thoughts been louder.

I read, breath in throat, as Finance Minister Shanmugaratnam spoke about the US$ 2.3 billion to 4.6 billion loss. I recalled how you told us that it was a "long term investment" when others questioned its prudence as a purchase during a collapsing global economy. I wept, as Temasek gave up and lost money in their other "long term investments". Oh, how the course of true love never did run smooth. I'm a true blue Singaporean it seems, my love for Angelina is the same. I see the parallels. My love will see me victorious.

As others panicked and gave up their stocks in questionable banks and firms, Temasek Holdings held true and continued to, as the Financial Times put it "Buy high and sell low."

But no, I won't panic Ms. Jolie, I'll double my efforts to woo you no matter the cost.

Many people still laugh at me as I continue to invest in my pursuit of you Ms. Jolie.

But when I invest, I'm investing for 10, 15, 20 years. It may look like I'm making a loss, but I have not borrowed my emotions to invest- my heart is true. I will ride the storm and in time, make beautiful babies with you.

"Be still my heart," sayeth my rational mind again.

"Is this a realistic long term investment?"

For Dr. Thio Su Mien

2009-05-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

"Dr." Thio reminds me of another Defender of the family unit basing her arguments on the christian bible- "Dr." Laura Schlessinger.

Schlessinger was frequently criticized in the gay community for her view of homosexuality as a "biological error," and for her opposition to adoption by same-sex couples.

In response to her comments about homosexuality, a rhetorical and sarcastic "letter to Dr. Laura" was circulated circa 2000 on the Internet, that attempted to illustrate disagreements with her literal interpretation of the Bible, especially with regard to homosexuality.[21] This letter was the inspiration for the character Jenna Jacobs in a Season 2 episode of The West Wing called "The Midterms." In that episode, President Bartlet criticizes Jacobs for using the Bible to call homosexuality "an abomination."

President Bartlet: Forgive me Dr. Jacobs, are you an M.D.?
Jacobs: A Ph.D.
Bartlet: A Ph.D.?
Jacobs: Yes, sir.
Bartlet: Psychology?
Jacobs: No sir.
Bartlet: Theology?
Jacobs: No.
Bartlet: Social work?
Jacobs: No. I have a Ph.D. in English literature.
Bartlet: I'm asking 'cause on your show, people call in for advice, and you go by the name of "Dr." Jacobs on your show, and I didn't know if maybe your listeners were confused by that and assumed you had advanced training in psychology, theology or health care.
Jacobs: I don't believe they are confused, no, sir.
Bartlet: Good. I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.
Jacobs: I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President, the Bible does.
Bartlet: Yes, it does, Leviticus.
Jacobs: 18.22
Bartlet: Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I had you here. I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be?

While thinking about that, can I ask another? My chief of staff, Leo McGarry, insists on working on the sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or is it OK to call the police?

Here's one that's really important 'cause we've got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point?

Does the whole town have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side-by-side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you?

A good reason to separate Church and State

2009-05-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

The common misconception about the United States is that many mistake the country to be a christian nation when in fact nothing in the constitution alludes to that fact.

The biggest problem isn't that Americans don't separate Church and State, it's that they can't separate CHURCH AND POLITICS.

if they're expecting a Christian Obama to impose his christian views on a secular public, they're expecting to be lied to.

Angles & Deus

2009-05-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

No it's not a typo. Yes, this rant is semi-inspired by the movie- Angels & Demons.

I watched it last night. I'm not a fan of Dan Brown's books and while I am a conspiracy theory buff, his writings are poorly researched and referenced even as works of fiction.

Nevertheless, his portrayal and perspectives on the catholic church are mostly spot on.

My position as a lapsed catholic notwithstanding, I feel that Dan Brown's and subsequently the director Ron Howard's depiction of church and religion are something that have been hallmarks of why so many turn to atheism.

Religion in its man-made forms are so flawed and so prone to justifications that all the rites and traditions for our salvation (and subsequent secular benefits to the needy & hungry) are so heavily shadowed by the evils and divisions it encourages.

What really gets my goat is the religious war-cry: "God's will!" Lapsed though I may be, I do subscribe to the will of the Father. But I'll also extend this disclaimer: "Reliance on God's Will is NOT AN EXCUSE for common sense and logical reasoning to take leave."

I winced inwardly at one point during the encounter between this lady (catholic I assume) and a supporter of stem cell research.

Supporter: "Why do you deny the right to save lives of the sick and dying?"
Catholic lady: "We can't play God!"

That point and counterpoint provides a neat summary of this conundrum. We are interpreting God's Will from a human angle. The entire bible has been interpreted from a human angle. Even if we take at face value the perfection of Logos (The Word), our interpretations of Logos are far from it.

Human Angles & the Will of Deus: a top down philosophical and logical look at things:

God gives us the ability to reason. (For you fundamentalists and literalists- You really think Adam and Eve could have taken the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge that belonged to an omnipotent and omniscience deity if He really didn't want us to have it?)
God gives a free will- the power to make choices.
With sentient and independent thought- Humans begin to conceptualise philosophy and begin scientific inquiry into how the world works. We want to touch the face of God (the divine).
God is everlasting & eternal.
The Bible/Torah/Quran is one book. Written from perspectives of humans. (Hands up how many took dictation from a tutor or teacher and still got the written work wrong somehow.)
Just for fun: Sum of present human knowledge is in over 20 volumes of encyclopedias.
Humans presume that whoever Deus/God is, He/She NEEDS our help in "fixing" the world.
Religion begins to divide humanity because we each interpret holy writings in accordance to our own beliefs as we try to "fix" the world.
Each sect of religion is the TRUE ONE.
The premise that if one individual's version is the TRUE, it also holds true that all others are therefore false.
"God has spoken to me!" or alternatively "It's God's Will!", we must convert/cleanse/save, the unbelievers/infidels/heathens.
We give birth to the Spanish Inquisition/Salem Witch Hunts/Modern day fundamentalist terrorism/whatever horrors committed in the name of God

My contention is that you don't need religion to act in accordance to morality and good conscience, for example:

Cloning

Human angle on Morality: Who's responsible for that new life? Who takes priority- the original or the clone?
Human angle on Good conscience: We should therefore ban complete human replication in good conscience. We however, retain the knowledge to duplicate healthy organs for replacement in the host to save lives.
What Deus says through Religion: Ban it all. We shouldn't play God.

Then what the Fuck (pardon the french)? Should we nuke ourselves back to the stone ages? Discard all medical advances in health and technology?

Consider for a minute that for all of THE BIBLE'S "perfection", nowhere has the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God EVER dictated to us how we should behave when it comes to controversial new technologies like stem cell research and cloning.

Neither has God said, "In time, the atom will lead to terrible destruction in your distant future, thou shalt not conduct atomic research."

If anything, the pursuit of science and discovery is one that God has encouraged and pre-ordained. Adam and Eve satisfied their curiousity by eating of the fruit. As sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, we satisfy our curiousity by continuious pursuit of the fruit of knowledge (science).

What God is looking for is the maturity to exercise that discovery and power responsibily and with the intention to benefit the rest of mankind.

Take this allegory:

Noah, go build the ark to save lives, a flood is coming.
Here are detailed blueprints and construction plans for the ark based on principles of physics and how wood is less dense than water (engineering/science for Godsakes- no pun intended).
God didn't go: Noah, a flood is coming. Come, take 2 of each animal and walk onto my giant God-hands. I will keep you safe while I cleasnse the world of the nephilim.

Ignoring the story of faith against a mocking audience, the fable also tells the story of an inspired farmer (also the first drunk and possible inventor of wine- Go read the Bible again), with no prior knowledge of boat building technology and understanding of physics, built a vessel that was no only capable of long voyages but of sufficient bouyancy to keep thousands of species afloat.

Not to mention, the technology that would prevent the animals from conducting their "circle of life aka food chain" behaviors that would cause them to eat each other.

Anyone that claims God is against science and progress is out of their mind.

Breaking News: Shanghainese Woman freaks out when boyfriend refuses to buy her a car

2009-05-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

A woman goes hysterical after her male companion refuses to buy her the car.

I found the original on youkou (a Chinese Youtube copy). I couldn't find a unadulterated version on youtube.

Translation:
Man: The car doesn't suit you
Woman: It does suit me!
Man: It's like this each time we go shopping. I'm not buying this car for you!

The woman then jumps into and drives the car up and down the showroom, ignoring her now frantic companion and salesman.

Finally he caves.
Man: Stop! Stop! I'll buy it! I'll buy it!

Something to live by

2009-05-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

How much is that doggy?

2009-05-14T00:33:00.000-07:00

I'm a cat person now... but it still doesn't stop me from appreciating one of God's handsome doggies :)

My personal favorite- the ~~Border Collie~~ Rough Collie aka Lassie

Why PAP will always win

2009-05-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

As taken from the ST forum page, letter in full available here.

The Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) and its president, Ms Lee Bee Wah, conveyed refreshingly clear thinking in their courageous decision not to nominate Liu. It is crucial not to recognise the wrong individual or for the wrong reasons.
- Lim Pueh Joo (Mdm)

Hi Mdm Lim Pueh Joo,

Thanks for the letter and I hope you continue to enjoy your estate upgrading programs and impositions on your civil liberties. We need more stalwarts like yourself as a bulwark against rising sentient thought in this country.

We need automatons that will take all our words at face value and regurgitate them as if it were personally held opinion and God given fact.

Thanks for your eternal support.

Best Regards,
Opinion Engineering Executive
Ministry of Public Relations

From TODAY Online: MP had no empathy

2009-05-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

It started with Member of Parliament (MP) Seng Han Thong being set on fire. Then came MP Denise Phua who was threatened by a rag-and-bone man. Recently, MP Cynthia Phua was subjected to a display of violence by a constituent.

Although these incidents are disturbing and a cause for concern, I wonder whether the constituents are solely to be blamed.

Allow me to relate my personal experience.

In February 2001, my older son died in a naval accident whilst serving National Service. In that year, my younger son was due for enlistment. A friend, a very active grassroots member, suggested that I approach my MP, for help in exploring the possibility of getting an exemption for my younger son. I was reluctant but he went ahead to fix an appointment for me at the Meet-The-People Session (MPS). I subsequently relented and he accompanied me there. It was in March 2001. That was my first appearance at a MPS, and it was to be my last.

I waited until midnight before I could meet the MP. Prior to this, he was given the case paper which detailed the objective of the meeting and the circumstances of my case.

When I entered the room, his first remark was “Yes, what can I do for you?”. There was no attempt at offering a word of sympathy or condolence. I then related my situation and said that both my wife and I were very traumatised.

His next remark “What traumatic, after two months, you won’t be traumatic?”. With that, I decided to end the meeting. And with that, my respect for him hit ground zero. I was too stunned and grief-stricken to react. Someone who was less-controlled and less-measured than me could have flown into a rage and become violent.

MPs are elected or appointed to serve the constituents. People who attend the MPS are those who have real problems and need help. In a lot of instances, they are stressed, distressed and troubled. What they need is a caring soul, a helping hand, a gentle voice, and words of hope and encouragement. To dispense these, MPs need good interpersonal skills and a high EQ. Arrogance, a patronizing, chiding and belittling attitude, aloofness and lack of empathy will only trigger acts of rashness and violence. Many of our politicians have a high IQ, some are scholars. However, a high IQ is not the only attribute needed in a political career. A high EQ is equally, if not more critical, especially when it comes to dealing with the constituents.

In my case, I would have felt good if my MP could have been a warm and caring person. If he could have been empathetic, consoling and helpful. All these qualities can only come from the heart, not from the mind.

How many of our MPs can stand up and be counted for this?

The stress test

2009-05-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

After a full day of use comprising:
-continuous calls
-regular smses
-reading eBooks during commutes
-google maps when I got lost
-web surfing & emails between meetings

I was 1/4 batt by the time I got back to the office. Throw in music and video and I'm guessing flat before day's end.

The good news?
With USB charging, it took 1hr to get back to full :)

Finally caved in...

2009-05-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

Blasted iPhone... I've now joined the ranks of a bazillion other iUsers. Sigh..

The problem is not that it's a status phone. It's that truth be told, as a convergent device (phone, pda, music & video player, web surfing and entertainment) it does the job remarkably well..

I'm not even seated in bed typing this post with heated MacBook on lap. I'm doing this via iPhone :)

The surfing experience is bar none and I look forward to the kindle app & eBooks. More on stress tested battery life tomorrow.

Breaking News: Terminator Salivation REDUX

2009-05-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

Check out the orgasmic goodness of Terminator Salvation- 21 May 2009. TERMINATOR SALVATION!!

I've been cheated by trailers before (ahem Star Wars episodes 2 & 3- GO TO HELL LUCAS) but Terminator Salvation seems to be the real deal!

The Scourge of Nigerian Scammers

2009-05-12T02:44:00.000-07:00

I salute these guys :)

Taken From Ars Technica- Click title for original article. Excerpt below:

When your hobby is baiting 419 scammers (also known as Nigerian scammers or advance-fee fraudsters), a death threat isn't cause for concern—it's a trophy worth bragging about to your friends.

Scam baiters are the vigilante enforcers who come together to waste hours, weeks, or months of 419 scammers' lives for nothing more than the satisfaction of knowing that they are distracting them from real victims. Though the world of 419 scams has existed since long before the Internet, people continue to fall for scammers in droves—certainly, scammers are making millions of dollars every year by promising money, goods, and romance that they never deliver on. That's part of why scam baiting has actually become a somewhat popular pastime online, with thousands of users flocking to scam baiting forums to share stories and ideas on how to string along more scammers. And hey, why not? Most of us end up spending too much time screwing around on the Internet anyway—these folks just use that time to make scammers miserable.

But when you hear stories like this, it makes you wonder. "I get death threats on regular basis," a student who goes by -C- told Ars. "Death threats are not uncommon and are actually considered achievements: they are a testament to the fact that the baiter managed to annoy his/her scammer nicely."

Star Trek and a review of Inadequate 23rd century tactics

2009-05-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Twenty-third century warfare isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You’d think that weapons and tactics would have progressed in 200 years. But the new Star Trek movie shows that the United Federation of Planets has a lot to learn about warfare.

A military analysis of young Cadet Kirk’s War isn’t easy. Director J.J. Abrams‘ frenetic rock ‘em, sock ‘em style can be tough to follow. But here is Star Trek’s vision of future warfare. (Warning: all sorts of spoilers ahead.)
From Wired.com. Click here to read more.

That said, Star Trek was a rocking good movie sans plot and moralistic introspection (not really a bad thing). Die hard Trekkers will dislike the giant continuity problems that will ensue as a result of MASSIVE history altering events (hint: the United Federation of Planets suffers loss of a homeworld of one of its founding members) and the non-Trekkers will find the movie a good reason to look up "continuity" Trek TOS (original series) and TNG (Next generation).

The latest incarnation of Star Trek is Star Trek:Nemesis on crack. Nemesis was action focused but as usual, attempted to slide in a cautionary tale on evolutionary biology, cloning and whether the actions of ones' clones are a reflection of the original.

This "reboot" turns Trek history on its head with the death of James T. Kirk's inspiration to join Starfleet- his father. George Kirk takes command of the USS Kelvin for 12 minutes and successfully enacts a holding action against a vastly technologically superior time-traveling Romulon Mining Ship (why a mining ship is so heavily armed is a mystery to me.. but then again, they're Romulon..), saving his wife, newborn son and 800 others. And that's where history splits, Jim never joins Starfleet till a chance meeting with Christopher Pike (first commanding officer of the constitution class Enterprise. NERD ALERT: Robert April is the first CO.. but it's a reboot..).

Commander Spock rises swiftly through the ranks and is actually given Captainhood of the Enterprise when Pike has to meet Nero face to face, Pike's last orders assign Kirk to Spock as First Officer.

The movie will continue to place die-hard "OMG continuity" Trekkers in a very uncomfortable position- the joy of watching their boyhood hero grow to fill the Captain's chair and the inevitable pain that comes from watching a founding member's homeworld go kablooey.

But nevertheless, watching my girlfriend ooh and aah at the spiffy updated constitution Enterprise bridge controls and phased laser point defense systems, I was under no doubt that this was the Trek movie that would turn previously non fans, fans.

JJ Abrams has tastefully included the bridge sound artefacts from the original series (whee.. whee.. whee..) and finally proven the purists that- THERE IS NO SOUND IN SPACE with a viscereal 10 minute combat sequence that cuts from "pew-pew-kabloom" ship exterior to ship interior at the precise moment where a bulk head explodes, flushing a crewwoman into the silence of dark space.

Overall, it's a mast watch (nautical joke). 4.5 out of 5 stars.

P.S. I might catch it again. The sound FX and soundtrack are worth every penny.

Nessun Dorma - Britains Got Talent 2009 Ep 5

2009-05-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

24 year old hotel waiter Gregg Pritchard auditions for the judges on Britains Got Talent, singing Nessun Dorma.

Click the title. Seeing is believing.

Bible Thumping

2009-05-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

You can read the inspiration for this post here.

Definitely not a pro-pornography post (but hey, like any hot blooded male, I do enjoy a voyeuristic romp), but just some simple thoughts on those that use the Bible to condemn all manner of behavior.

Please have a read through on the typical "evils" of pornography
(not my opinions btw)

Around 10 percent of all adults (not statistically proven) who engage in viewing pornography feel that they are addicted. These are self-reports of men and women who cannot stop viewing pornography. The consequences of pornography addiction (dependence) may not always be clear, but let me list a few consequences:
Separation and divorce
Being unavailable to children
Job loss
A fiance ending the relationship
An increased tendency to argue
Lack of trust in relationships
Sexually acting out
While many argue that pornography is a matter of freedom of speech, they are missing the point. Pornography hurts people. Do you really wonder who it hurts? It hurts marriages. It hurts the individuala who become addicted. Those caught in this addiction are likely to be depressed and feel out of control. They will not be as focused in their relationships with other halves.

If you aren't anti-pornography - you might want to consider the social implications that pornography is having upon all of us. It is time to wake up and realize that pornography is destroying far too many good men and women's lives. "

He then went on to quote the bible, to back up what he was saying.

I find this situation rather typical in present day interactions with a typical christian. In this instance, when I say christian, I'm excluding Catholics (though we're part of the same family).
Catholics can be depended upon to mind their business, their relationship is between God and themselves (the Pope being the exception as he continually shoots his mouth off. He speaks for the religion but not for the majority of practicing Catholics).

Back on point- It's my opinion and experience that increasingly Christians around the globe have taken to "bible thumping". In this instance, they've targeted pornography. Not too long ago, Singaporean Christians set their sights on homosexuality- Be aware of MORONS in Aware.

Firstly, I've mentioned that marriage as an institution is no longer as sacred as it used to be. Secondly, as a biblical foundation, marriage was something instituted by the Catholics (Vatican council) to be precise. For those of you who are family with King Henry VIII, his conflict with the Holy See over marriage and divorce essentially led to the splinter from Holy Leadership in Rome and gave birth to the Church of England (Anglican Catholicism). My point is that the man-made foundations (decided by men; females weren't involved in the decision making) for this institution is the reason for its high failure rates.

Through the ages, marriage success is and continues to be a major factor in how we are judged. People are pressured into marriage even today by social norms and mores. In the local context of Asian Singapore- there's a greater emphasis of "waiting for the right time (e.g. after graduation)" rather than "waiting for the right one."

As a student of human social dynamics, it's my opinion that marriages are failing, because it's not natural. And the failure rate is compounded when many (particularly Singaporean females) pressured into finding someone and as a result don't take the time to find the right one.

Raise of hands, those of you who are familiar with the following statements:

He was nice so I stay with him lor.
He was persistent. Always chasing me, so I gave in.
Together 7 years already, get married lor.

When girls tell me this, it really doesn't speak about how madly in love they are with their partners. It just tells me how insecure and how badly in need of adoration many Singaporean girls are.

And in the end, Singaporean hen-pecked men resent their wives, Singaporean women, hate their unromantic unwitty husbands (enter the Ang-moh), do you really think this is all because of porn?

Now think about how many people have been duped into believing that they must go and make it "official".

Some have claimed that the bible is a highly flawed book and when the entire institution of marriage is based in the bible, where does that leave us?

Biblical "Marriages"
They would see a priest (one from the tribe of Levi) to get permission and blessing. the man would do this. then he would go to the woman's family and buy her, of course she was only acceptable if she was a virgin.

It's only a marriage after it's been consummated. This is where the whole "tradition" of "you may kiss the bride" arises. In days of old, the village or village elders are present at the consummation to stand witness to the virginity of the bride, the evidence: Blood on the marital sheets.

Bible refers to post-marital sex as "and he knew her" so when a man knows this woman, by having sex, she becomes his wife.

Biblically (Christian, Torah & Quran), a man could do this with as many women as he could afford to keep. Solomon had 700 wives, and 300 slave women.

This was cool with God. All the key people in the bible had more than one wife; I've looked it up, you should too.

Having read the basis of marriage, reconsider the hypothesis that Porn is the reason for divorce. For all intents and purposes, the Bible tends to describe sex/sex with multiple women as an amazing thing (Songs of Solomon) even if it's paid for. In a way it's always paid for, even from the beginning, a man had to buy his virgin wife from her parents.

Now think about our Nanny State and all the taboos of sex/talks of sex and how the government continually bemoans the lack of babies. We have essentially tabooed sex itself!

And if we never talk about it openly and talk to our children the responsibilities of this profound and amazing act, how will we as a society and as individuals ever achieve maturity in our thoughts and feelings regarding the issue? On a more personal note, I've noticed that a bout of amazing sex solves more arguments that cold facts and logical reasoning, it is therefore, a logical assumption that the nitty gritty of the course of marriage might run a little smoother with semi-regular exchanges of bodily fluids no?

Breaking News: Old AWARE Exco triumphant

2009-05-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

The women have spoken and the vote of no confidence has been passed on Dr. Thio and her ilk, the new AWARE Exco.

It's 8.20 pm SGT and they've said they'll take 5 minutes to decide whether to resign.

Being women, I assume the same 5 minutes my girlfriend uses to get dressed and put on her make-up.

Enough time for me to finish watching Dances with Wolves.

Spotted at IKEA: Words of wisdom

2009-05-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Venture Shaven.

Well.. it's actually "Venture's Haven" but poor font leading has led to this faux pas.

And please forgive the crappy picture resolution, the Nokia e66, while beautiful and functional in everyway possible is cursed with a shit camera that cannot handle close photography.

Singapore Wars: A New Hope

2009-04-28T02:21:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2009 AFP article

Workers protest against unpaid wages in Singapore

SINGAPORE - More than 100 construction workers from China gathered outside Singapore's manpower ministry Monday to complain about unpaid wages and cancellation of their work permits, witnesses said.

The workers sat for about two hours at the steps of the ministry, at a busy intersection near the Chinatown district, and shouted at ministry officials and police officers to air their grievances.

There was no violence, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

At one point, police warned the workers to disperse within five minutes or face arrest. They left but regrouped across a road from the ministry, and voluntarily dispersed about an hour later.

Workers interviewed by AFP said they had not been paid their wages after their Chinese 'boss' absconded with the money. They also complained that their work permits had been cancelled without warning.

Comment from the manpower ministry on the workers' complaints was not immediately available.

Some of the workers told officials that they had not committed any crime and could not be arrested, but police told them they were illegally trespassing on government property.

'The government should punish the company, not punish us by cancelling our permits. We just want our compensation so we can go back to China,' construction worker Zhou Qing Ren, 40, told AFP.

'We have got no money to eat now and no proper place to stay,' another worker shouted.

Singapore is tightening its rules on outdoor protests as it prepares to host its largest international summit, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' forum, in November.

Analysts said the laws against outdoor protests can also be applied to deal with any outbreaks of public frustration amid the city-state's worst recession in more than 40 years.

An estimated one million foreigners live in Singapore, representing more than 20 percent of the total population, which is predominantly ethnic Chinese.

This is a very important article. I believe the ruling party has managed to unearth a double edged sword.

Current foreign policy pursues a no-holds barred "Economic Growth at all costs"

A policy of: More inputs = more outputs = more GDP".

More inputs = More foreign talent willing to work at 1/2 the pay of a Singaporean.

Understandably so, hungry migrant workers can earn quadruple in Singapore what their home-bound brethren earn is a win-win solution for owners of these firms and their fledging immigrants.

But, it looks like the ruling party has failed to take into account the tenacity and devil-may-care attitude of these workers. And if these workers continue to run numbers into the 1 million (according to the AFP article), even 10% of the 1 million, conducting a protest of POOR LABOUR LAWS/TREATMENT during the APEC summit is going to be a PR disaster of massive proportions.

These migrant workers have little to lose, considering that they have lost it all already. They just want their money and they want to go home. When asked by the police to vacate the premises, they just regrouped opposite the Manpower Ministry.

What's the ruling party to do?

Put them in jail? - Woohoo! Free room and board.
Pay them? - Who bears the burden of paying?
Violent crackdown? - PR disaster also

Suddenly with 1 million migrants that don't give a damn about Home Upgrading, Jail, Defamation suits and threats of exile, the PAP might find in them- "considerable enemies of the State".

Fact is, if Singaporean dissidents/dissenters/opposition start to "embrace and love these foreign talent". They might very well mobilize this vocal and active group to campaign and highlight the fundamental flaws of poor protection/treatment of employees here in Singapore.

Can the PAP continue to treat all residents: citizens, permanent or otherwise, as "economic digits"? You decide.

Be aware of Morons in AWARE

2009-04-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a SENSIBLE conservative. If I lived in the United States, I'd consider the constitutional right to bear arms as nice in theory but I'd prefer that you limit the types of guns outside Mac-10 fully automatic weapons (you don't to hunt deer with those).

Since I live in Singapore, I fully support the state and consider the definition of a marriage to be between men and women as well, since physically, we have matching "parts" much like jigsaw pieces.

To my madly in love gay friends, if you want to get "married", I'd endorse a new legislation of "long term partnerships" to symbolize your union. And to be really frank, when it comes to institutional marriage, it's not exactly as sacred or life-affirming as it used to be (my parents fought. A lot. Physically. Like fists and flying pots.).

Sensibility is KNOWING change is coming. Sensibility is KNOWING that not only is change inevitable but that eventually, you'd need to find equitable foundations (legally & socially) for that change.

It happened during President Lincoln's Emancipation proclamation. It happened after Universal Suffrage (Go women power!). It happened after Martin Luther King. It happened after Rosa Parks rode in the front of the bus.

But today, after her press conference. I realise that MORON has a new name. It's Thio Su Mien.

Dr. Thio, like others of her ilk, Maureen Ong and other self proclaimed feminists are an embarrassment to their professions and to the concept of suffrage.

Suffrage according to Wikipedia: The feminist movement is essentially one that has worked and continues to work against the status quo in American society. According to bell hook, “Feminism is a struggle against sexist oppression. Therefore, it is necessarily a struggle to eradicate the ideology of domination that permeates Western culture on various levels, as well as a commitment to reorganizing society so that the self-development of people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion and material desires.” ^[4] America’s culture is one that is measured on a patriarchal scale. Countering these standards is part of the Feminist Movement’s agenda and, although differing during the progression of waves, it was a movement started to also challenge the political structure. In thinking of a social movement as a collective, organized, sustained, non-institutional challenge to authorities, power holders, or culture beliefs or practices it can be said the Feminist Movement in all aspects a large and long lasting social movement.

Men of the era believed that women were too emotional and prone to irrational decision making to be entitled a vote- It's true. Go look it up. That was discriminatory. Fact is before the rise of the feminist movement, suffrage was all about abolishing slavery, it was after the 1st World War (lots of men died) where the equal importance of women started to become more evident. Many men and people in power at the time felt that the family unit was all about DAD wearing the pants, making the decisions and bringing home the bacon. Women had their role in society as a supporting element of care-giver to the little ones. It was a patriarchal structure and those in power were SURE that the foundations of society would crumble should women ever achieve equality.

Boy were they wrong.

Just as they were wrong on the slavery bit, just as they were wrong when they thought equality to the blacks would lead to disaster.

The issue here is not that the new Exco engineered a coup de tat of AWARE. It's that the new Exco, in their crusade to protect the family unit should have started their own grassroots organization rather than hi-jack another.

I repeat- the big deal isn't the coup de tat. But that while proclaiming to "feminists" (equal rights!), they've not only disrespected the views of another group but practicised in-equality.

And nothing could be more ridiculous then what I heard at the press conference when the new honorary secretary Ms Maureen Ong spoke.

" I came into the picture because somebody told me that something is happening that affects children and I am a mother of three children. I don't want my children to say that oh, it's all right to go and experiment with homosexuality, to experiment with anal sex, to experiment with virginity or the pill or even pre-marital sex"

According to the Straits Times-
THIO Su Mien explained that her concern about the direction that Aware was taking was partly prompted by a letter from a parent who was concerned that the society was promoting a homosexual agenda.

She wrote to the Today newspaper in 2007 to ask why Aware’s choice of a movie for a charity show was Spider Lilies, about two lesbians who fall in love.

Dr Thio said she went on to discover that in Aware’s comprehensive sexuality education programme, which is taken to schools, homosexuality is regarded as a neutral word, not a negative word.

Yes. DANGER! WARNING! Because I’m sure I’ll be tempted to turn gay after too many episodes of Queer Eye for a Straight Guy.

Here are the facts: When I watch my gay friends or shows involving gays. One thought DOES CROSS MY MIND.

“Wow that’s stylish.” or “Yes, that’s a more refined way to do something.”

IT IN NO WAY MAKES ME WONDER- if it’ll be cool or nice to experiment with a penis in my anal cavity.

Nor does it make me, in anyway, wish to touch or fondle a male reproductive appendage other than my own.

You don’t experiment with homosexuality, you are inclined or you’re not. Period.

Dr. Thio and Ms. Ong’s cognitive abilities and brain function are malfunctioning in such a way that renders me speechless on how someone that mentally challenged can ever be elected to power.

No wait.. 66.6 but that’s another story..

Oops.. lost my train of thought- Bottom line- Watching gay themed shows makes me want to be more stylish or buy better fitting clothes.

It in no way makes me want to be more gay.

To be honest, I want that level of stylishness to “advertise” myself to Krista Allens, Elizabeth Hurleys and Sienna Millers of the world.

Other men need not apply. Thanks very much.

Final note: Truthfully, I'm slightly homophobic.. I'd give a brotherly hug to a straight guy friend but I feel uncomfortable if my gay pals try to reciprocate. But that's my irrational fear due to societal conditioning. I love my gay pals, they're funny, they're bitchy and they have the best taste in clothes.

Playing Soccer encourages you to kick decapitated heads

2009-04-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

Modern day football (soccer to you American readers) was developed by the victorious English on the battlefield. The victors would decapitate the heads of their enemies and have a kicking good time in the 1300s.

Fast forward to the 21st century. The year is 2009 and Apple has started a revolutionary new past time of baby shaking. It all started with a simple iPhone/iPod Touch application of "Baby Shaker" that could be purchased for 99 cents at Apple Apps on iTunes.

The craze was so phenomenal that eventually, people hooked on the games started shaking real babies. Much as how World of Warcraft gamers call on the Dark Prince of Hell ~~Satan~~ Ragnaros for powers to pyroblast their enemies to cinders.

GET THE HELL OVER YOURSELVES YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS PUNKS. When babies cry during the work transit early in the morning, we've all at one point or another wondered- "I wish I could somehow shut that baby up."

Prisoners of War will attest to the fact that the wailing cries of babies are used as a method of softening before an interrogation but war veterans have yet to be outraged by the children's groups and brain injury foundations for NOT BEING SYMPATHETIC to the plight they have suffered.

Human nature as such implies "Yes, we think about screwed up shit." BUT the super-ego convinces to us to NOT ACT IN THE ANTI-SOCIAL MANNER of actually shaking babies to shut them up.

Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure how banning such a game will discourage baby shaking, in fact, it might even encourage some to act out since they're unable to find a healthy virtual outlet for their pent up baby wailing induced frustrations.

Wordplay

2009-04-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

I love MSN Messenger and the immediate humor that can arise as a result..

My reply to Shireen's nick:

Yeah.. You're too pretty to be one of the seven dwarves..

Laughs galore ensue

Layman's View to modern day Economics

2009-04-21T21:52:00.001-07:00

OH MY GOD- FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR THRIVES ON FEELINGS.

This is the best business to be in. The geniuses at Wall Street: derivatives traders, brokers, bankers etc really had it figured out.

Not only did they think up of how to sell NOTHING (debt- a loan of someone-else's money) four times over (eventually it runs out, but they continue to repackage and sell nothing from a bunch of other people earning close to nothing).

And then.. they finally realised that- "Hey, waitaminute, human beings walk around with a lot of emotions and feelings.. let's just screw around with their perceptions (rather than the reality of the situation)"

Suddenly, we have a market where stock markets are rallying or in decline based on how people feel.

Nevermind that, realistically: Manufacturing output, Total amount of precious metals/good/services, demand and supply stay relatively static day to day. However, we live in an age where the stock markets rise and fall on the same day within the week. Simply cos, OMG FEAR! OMG! Sky is falling! OMG! Intel made 1 million processor chips yesterday but just cos I FEEL SCARED, Intel is suddenly a crap company functioning on the level of a banana republic!

What the frak?

In the end, it's all simple physics. Money exists in one state/form or another. It doesn't disappear. What's really the problem is all that "fake" money running around from all the "stimulating". It's money only cos the govt says it is. But real productivity, real output, REAL MONEY/VALUE creation has yet to happen.

Living beyond your means consumerist lifestyle of credit HAS TO STOP. The madness should end somewhere and hopefully, we won't ever see a situation where Financial Services employees account for 9% of the workforce but yet command 34% of salaries for the workforce.

Guessed where yet? Only in New York baby.

Badvertising

2009-04-20T01:51:00.000-07:00

It's monday morning and I'm already wondering- What the Fuck were they thinking.

Whenever I'm faced with bad adverts (badvertising- my term), I'm impressed by two factors:

The skill of their Account Executives in getting their clients to accept lack lustre and poor advertising concepts.
The inability of the creatives to come up with non-vomit inducing ideas.

Today, Abbott graces the inaugural post for "Badvertising"- a whole new category for Tantalizine. Witness- the power of advertising as they try to convince you, that- "YOUR KIDS CAN ~~GET~~ FLY HIGH. And THEY CAN GET HIGHER."

Nothing sells like a kid hooked on drugs.

Yes. I understand that the product is- VIDAYLIN. But other than getting high, I've no idea what else it's supposed to do for my child.

And making my kid look CREEPY AND FREAKY in a teddy bear suit.

What the hell is going on?
Is my kid dressed like a teddy bear cos he's high?
Or are his parents dressing him that way cos they're high?

More importantly, who's already high?

The people that agreed this was the badvertising campaign they wanted?
The creatives that conceptualised this bit of badvertising?

What were they smoking? And can I have some?

Terrible Thursdays: ZOMBIES!

2009-04-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

It's been yet another crap day, doing business in Singapore flies against the face of rational decision making when everything exists around a concept of Guan Xi.

Guan Xi by its very nature, implies that even if it's NOT THE BEST deal/rates, the project/supply contract still goes to you- JUST BECAUSE you're a friend or long time partner.

This is great, all this trust and love is wonderful. But it flies in the face of innovative business ideas that depend on you making a RATIONAL rather than EMOTIONAL decision.

Singaporean business executives have a long way to go (which explains the economy is living in the crapper).

That said, I look forward to zombies rising forth and eating all the "set-in-stone" aged decision makers. And when it all goes to hell, I really hope my maid passes muster.

Cheers to the zombie apocalypse and my L4D marathon on friday!

The one thing Singapore does right

2009-04-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

Political Correctness- It's a bane for the United States of America and the only advantage that Singapore has over the big bad "decadent" West.

Rob McKay for NZ Herald

Recently I was in Singapore. What really struck me were the low crime rates, genuine honesty and politeness of its citizens.

Singapore has zero tolerance for bad behaviour. They achieve this by being tough on those who break the rules. The phrase "political correctness" is nonexistent. You talk on your cellphone in the car: you lose the phone and $500. You eat on the train and there goes another $500. Drop a lolly paper on the ground and that will cost another $500 - all of this compliance and not a policeman in sight.

Singapore is full of novel ideas that make the city so safe and prosperous. The place is run like an efficient organisation. Why? Because Singapore has an over-riding policy of "zero tolerance for poor performance and bad behaviour".

We have become so PC in this country that people are too afraid to do anything for fear of repercussions. Managers are constantly accepting below average performance - why?

In many cases the manager has hired a person who does not "fit" the job, and they try to "fix" the problem by embarking on a treadmill of coaching and training, or a mixture of other "touchy feely" processes. Let me tell you straight up, if you have hired a person who does not have the innate personality, mental ability and attitude to do the job, no amount of training will make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. You might as well toss the training budget - and the six months of your time pandering to the situation - out the window.

Poor performance must be addressed immediately. The longer it's left, the worse it gets. Then one morning, you will wake up and decide enough is enough, go to the office and deal with it in an inappropriate manner that will probably cost you an expensive personal grievance claim.

Most organisations have three kinds of employees - have a look around your team now - you'll see people who were born to perform well (20%), some who have the capacity to perform well (60%) and those who will never perform (20%). Jack Welch, the famous American CEO, used to grade his team into As, Bs and Cs. The As were groomed for higher things. The Bs were trained to maintain, or fill the A slots and Cs were targeted to be managed out.

Often, managers take work off the Cs and lump it onto the As because they can be trusted to do quality work without a fuss. So the Cs are automatically rewarded for bad performance and usually get the same take-home pay. Here we see motivation working in the negative. There is motivation to perform badly because you get paid to do nothing.

It's time to get tough - "zero tolerance for poor performance" should be your new mantra. Don't allow the C team the luxury of passing off their responsibility to perform - set goals, introduce targets, measure output - ride hard, reward well.

Usually, when the pressure to perform comes on the C brigade, these slackers fold like a deck of cards and leave. But be very diligent when looking for a replacement: the next candidate could be the joker who was dealt off the deck of the last company because of poor performance.

As managers and leaders we have three opportunities to do something about our people performance. The first is at the front door - hire the right people first time - hire for attitude, train for aptitude.

The second opportunity is training and coaching your current people - ideal for your A and B people, but a huge waste of management time and money if you never got the first opportunity right. And finally, show the poor performers the back door - almost impossible to achieve in today's litigious employment environment.

Getting rid of poor performers is a long, morale-sapping, customer-killing, bank-balance-denting process. You have to face up to the fact, fast, that you screwed up and hired poorly. Many times this situation is not the employee's problem; they simply didn't "fit" the position and you never identified this.

"People" are the only lasting competitive advantage your business has, so here's another mantra - hire tough and manage easy.

Rob McKay MA(Hons) is a business psychologist and director of AssessSystems Aust/NZ Ltd

www.assess.co.nz

Movie Review: Oxford Murders

2009-04-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

Reviews I used to write for ARENA magazine

At the height of World War I, amidst flying shrapnel and gunfire, a lone soldier is in relentless pursuit of an answer to an enigma that has plagued mankind since time immemorial: Can we know truth?

The great thinkers of history have often sought a singular, irrefutable answer, similar in certainty that 2 and 2 makes 4. What better way to look for truth than using a language free from the entendres of man? It is in mathematics that the Tractus Logico-Philosophicus is borne, leading Lieutenant Ludwig Wittgenstein to a horrifying conclusion that beyond mathematics, there is no such thing as absolute truth.

This deduction is shared by Oxford Professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt). However, visiting American protagonist Martin (Elijah Wood) believes otherwise. Whether out of naivete or pure intellect, he believes that if we discover the secrets of numbers, we’ll discover the hidden meaning of reality.

Even the smallest snowflake contains a numerical basis in its structure he quotes, but when his ailing landlady is murdered for no reason, the young student starts to find his faith severely tested.

Seldom is Holmes to Martin’s Watson and during the course of deciphering the killer’s cryptic clues in order to thwart the next murders, mathematical and physics theorems like Wittgenstein’s Finite Rule Paradox and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle fly thick and fast. The narrative is interspersed with metaphysical and philosophical debates between Martin and Seldom regarding reality and the chaotic happenstance of life itself.

Stripped of its nerdspeak, Oxford Murders is a convoluted murder mystery. It would have done well, save for the incidental incompleteness of plotlines. The director tried so hard at making a thinking film that the murder mystery portion was left behind. We felt little sense of emergency other than morbid curiosity on who was next, not that we cared if they died either. Even as we stepped into the shoes of our geeky protagonists, there was little reason to care about their motives or pursuits. In terms of acting, Hurt excels as world-weary mentor and kudos to Wood for successfully shaking off Frodo. However, once the on-screen debates end, there is little chemistry between the two leads and the eventual unveiling of the killer feels like a non-event.

Can we know truth? Truth is, though Murders often forgets its pulse as a murder mystery, the movie remains undeniably engaging and watchable save for the spaghetti complimenting sex scene.

Societal Mental Conditioning

2009-04-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

More to come once I gather my thoughts- Happy Easter weekend.

Schizophrenia sufferers aren't fooled by an optical illusion known as the “hollow mask” that the rest of us fall for because connections between the sensory and conceptual areas of their brains might be on the fritz.

In the hollow mask illusion, viewers perceive a concave face (like the back side of a hollow mask) as a normal convex face. The illusion exploits our brain's strategy for making sense of the visual world: uniting what it actually sees — known as bottom-up processing — with what it expects to see based on prior experience — known as top-down processing.

"Our top-down processing holds memories, like stock models," explains Danai Dima of Hannover Medical University, in Germany, co-author of a study in NeuroImage. "All the models in our head have a face coming out, so whenever we see a face, of course if has to come out."

This powerful expectation overrides visual cues, like shadows and depth information, that indicate anything to the contrary.

But patients with schizophrenia are undeterred by implausibility: They see the hollow face for what it is. About seven out of 1000 Americans suffer from the disease, which is characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and poor planning. Some psychologists believe this dissociation from reality may result from an imbalance between bottom-up and top-down processing — a hypothesis ripe for testing using the hollow mask illusion.

In healthy viewers, the illusion is so powerful that even when aware of the illusion (see video below), they are unable to see the concave face — the mind just flips it back. Though the illusion is strong for faces, it doesn't work well with other objects, or even with upside-down faces. This bias is likely due to the special relationship we humans have with faces. Many neuroscientists believe we have brain regions dedicated to processing faces, and some brain injuries can leave patients unable to recognize faces, even though their vision and other memories remain intact.

Dima and Jonathan Roiser of University College London wanted to understand why people with schizophrenia aren't fooled. They put 13 schizophrenia patients and 16 healthy control subjects in an fMRI scanner that measures brain activity, and showed them 3D images of concave or convex faces. As expected, all of the schizophrenic patients reported seeing the concave faces, while none of the control subjects did.

Dima and Roiser analyzed the fMRI data using a relatively new technique called dynamic causal modeling, which allowed them to measure how different brain regions were interacting during the task. When healthy subjects looked at the concave faces, connections strengthened between the frontoparietal network, which is involved in top-down processing, and the visual areas of the brain that receive information from the eyes. In patients with schizophrenia, no such strengthening occurred.

Dima thinks when healthy subjects see the illusion, which is somewhat ambiguous, their brains strengthen this connection such that what they expect — a normal face — becomes more influential, overpowering the actual, though unlikely, visual information. Schizophrenia patients, meanwhile, may be unable to modulate this pathway, accepting the concave face as reality.

Schizophrenics aren't the only ones who see the concave face — people who are drunk or high can also 'beat' the illusion. A similar disconnect between what the brain sees and what it expects to see may be occurring during these drug-induced states.

Citation: "Understanding why patients with schizophrenia do not perceive the hollow-mask illusion using dynamic causal modelling" by Danai Dima, Jonathan P. Roiser, Detlef E. Dietrich, Catharina Bonnemann, Heinrich Lanfermann, Hinderk M. Emrich, Wolfgang Dillo, NeuroImage, In Press, Available online 24 March 2009.

Dark Times- Part 1

2009-04-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Going through a bit (understatement) of work shit at the moment.

Let this day, April 9th 2009, stand testament to the power of God's grace.

I'll respond with my experience and how He touched my life in a quantifiable, discernable way. Let this be testimony of proof of His promise of Love & guidance for us if we let Him be a driving force in our lives.

Downward spirals of Obesity & Poverty

2009-04-02T01:36:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been taking the effort to eat a little better. I work in the CBD, everything from simple salads (we're talkin tofu, corn kernels, diced hardboiled eggs and lettuce) costs within the range of $8 to $14 (added salmon- yum). It keeps me filled for a good 3-4 hours till either an early dinner or a late afternoon snack.

In comparison, a burger king meal complete with fries and coke costs $6 (a hell lot cheaper) or a "Economical rice" complete with overly greasy vegetables, a fattening but delicious sweet & sour pork and luncheon meat for $3.50. Cheap yes- filling? No.

Worst of all, it encourages you to snack and nowhere does it ever add up to the $14 I pay for a healthful lunch.

Conclusion:
Healthy eating really does cost more.

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

The scientists took an unusual approach, essentially comparing the price of a calorie in a junk food to one consumed in a healthier meal. Although fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients, they also contain relatively few calories. Foods with high energy density, meaning they pack the most calories per gram, included candy, pastries, baked goods and snacks.

The survey found that higher-calorie, energy-dense foods are the better bargain for cash-strapped shoppers. Energy-dense munchies cost on average $1.76 per 1,000 calories, compared with $18.16 per 1,000 calories for low-energy but nutritious foods.

The survey also showed that low-calorie foods were more likely to increase in price, surging 19.5 percent over the two-year study period. High-calorie foods remained a relative bargain, dropping in price by 1.8 percent.Although people don’t knowingly shop for calories per se, the data show that it’s easier for low-income people to sustain themselves on junk food rather than fruits and vegetables, says the study’s lead author Adam Drewnowski, director of the center for public health nutrition at the University of Washington. Based on his findings, a 2,000-calorie diet would cost just $3.52 a day if it consisted of junk food, compared with $36.32 a day for a diet of low-energy dense foods. However, most people eat a mix of foods. The average American spends about $7 a day on food, although low-income people spend about $4, says Dr. Drewnowski.

And fact of the matter is, unless you're a white collar worker earning a decent income- you're going to be choosing junk food. Ancedotally, though poverty is not restricted to race, it struck me as I watched a family of 4 (they were malay incidentally) board the feeder bus. Jovially tapping their EZ-link cards, McDonald bags in hand as they ambled towards their seats- I sat amongst them in the 2by2 seat facing configuration and mused at the "turbulence" as their massive body frames pressed into the seat.

Poverty is not a good thing. Particularly when it limits your lifestyle choices to foods that will bring you ill health like high cholestoral and heart disease. And I'm curious as to what our current leadership (the PAP) is thinking when foreign labor policy forces wages down particularly for the lower income group.

It’s easier to overeat junk food, Dr. Drewnowski adds, both because it tastes good and because eaters often must consume a greater volume in order to feel satisfied. Still, even those who consume twice as much in junk food calories are still spending far less than healthy eaters.“If you have $3 to feed yourself, your choices gravitate toward foods which give you the most calories per dollar,’’ said Dr. Drewnowski. “Not only are the empty calories cheaper, but the healthy foods are becoming more and more expensive. Vegetables and fruits are rapidly becoming luxury goods.”

And if healthy foods are becoming luxury foods- what does all this "at all cost GDP" eventually create?

In my opinion, a systematic downward spiral that kills:

National Defense capabilities- as the majority lower to low-middle income families suffer from obesity and other obesity related illness
Higher burden on the medical system- even with means testing, prolonged medical aid necessary to combating fat-related illnesses creates an untenable and eventually unaffordable level of medical aid needed just to sustain life

Breaking News: CANCER detection

2009-04-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

This just in- Getting screened for cancer is a leading cause of finding out that you have cancer. And now back to our regularly scheduled news this April 1st.

Business Week's findings on World's worst airport:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/pragues_franz_kafka_international

Obscene Pay for Church Pastor

2009-03-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Though the AFP report did not mention who was the one employee paid between 500,001 and 550,000 dollars in the financial year ended March 31, 2008. I feel it was a dead giveaway when New Creation's honorary secretary, Deacon Matthew Kang, said that it was the church's policy to "recognise and reward key contributors... and Senior Pastor Prince is the main pillar of our church's growth and revenue."

Coming from a Christian church that so often loves to accuse mainstream Catholicism as an erroneous religion, I find Pastor Prince and Deacon Kang's non-adherence to basic biblical following rather disturbing.

According to [Lk. 18:18-23]: "A certain ruler asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus said to him, 'Why doyou call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.' He replied, 'I have kept all these since my youth.' When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!'"

While Jesus did not condemn wealth (He had MANY rich friends), He did feel rather strongly about the possession of wealth. Christ constantly pointed out the danger of riches, which, He says, are the thorns that choke up the good seed of the word (Matthew 13:22).

Not to mention [Acts 4:32-5]: "Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."

Sure, I don't begrudge charitable organisations the T.T. Durai standard of self-serving high salaries (hey, if the leader can craft new ways to milk millions for charities, they do deserve that amount of pay for the greater service performed). But really, when a church leader starts to get paid like a private sector employee, I really wonder as to his principles and "virtues" stand.

Japan gets the cool stuff: Terminator Salvation exhibition

2009-03-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

It's so unfair. Japan gets all the cool stuff! Like an exhibition before the May 2009 premiere of Terminator Salvation. The exhibition features all the cyborgs from the Terminator series over at Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) Tokyo.

Terminator Exhibition - Battle or Coexistence? Robots and Our Future- features all the Terminator models from the motion pictures Terminator, Terminator 2 & Terminator 3:Rise of the machines and includes the series- Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. Visitors will also catch a glimpse of a "prequel" Terminator- The T-600. A precursor to the T-800 "Arnold" model.

The T-600 is a an early Terminator prototype. Unlike the T-800, the T-600 features an 8ft tall metal endoskeleton covered in synthetic skin instead of living human tissue.

T-800 "Arnold Schwarzenegger" cyborg consists of "living tissue over metal endoskeleton". As the movie unfolded across Terminator and Terminator 2, we learnt that the T-800 possessed excellent learning capabilities, enabling it to understand and adopt human behavior and phrases. It can also mimic voices once it hears them. A slightly improved version of the T-800 — the T-850 — appears in Terminator 3 when it's forced to face off with the T-X.

T-X aka “Terminatrix,” is embodied by babelicious Kristianna Loken incorporating a variety of weapons into its endoskeleton similar to the T-1000 "liquid metal" Terminator. As depicted in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the T-X can conduct DNA analysis by tasting blood, possessing shape-shifting abilities like the T-1000 and can also remotely control other machines and Terminators.
In yet another sneak peak at Terminator Salvation, the Moto-Terminator is on display as well. A motorcycle-based death machine, I look forward to watching it in action during the movie. And finally- Terminator: Sarah Chronicle's Cameron Philips (TOK715), a reprogrammed Terminator.
Terminator Salvation will be out May 2009.

Weekend Wishlist

2009-03-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

This is the coolest gift idea since Dancing Toasters. I want one. :)

Snowy Relaxed

2009-03-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

I have a $2000 dollar Le Corbusier Lounger at home. It's now the exclusive property of my "son". He showers on it, he sleeps on it. If you sit on it, he gives you a dirty stare.

It's his. And he's completely relaxed on it. Snowy- It's yours.