Wee Shu-Min Affair
The Wee Shu-Min Affair a.k.a. The Wee-Wee Saga/The Adventures of Elite Girl
Contents
- The Original Posts – Derek Wee and Wee Shu-min
- The Uproar
- Wee Siew Kim’s Apology
- The 2nd Apology
- The Aftermath
Cartoons courtesy of Sei-ji Rakugaki
____________________________________________________________
1. The Original Letters
“Future of Singapore,” by Derek Wee, “Many of my peers, bright and well educated have packed up and left. It’s what MM Goh called “quitters”. It’s sad but true, Singapore no longer is a place where one can hope to work hard their lives and retire graciously. It’s really the push factor. A future is something we sweat it out, build and call our own. Unfortunately, people like me, mid 30’s going on 40’s, staying put by choice or otherwise, we can’t help but feel what lies ahead is really a gamble.
To PM Lee and the Ministers, we are on a different platform. Until you truly understand our insecurity, the future of Singapore to me remains a question mark.” (2 Oct 2006)
“Original Blog Now Removed – Full version available here” by Wee Shu-Min, “…dear derek is one of many wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our country, and in this world. one of those who would prefer to be unemployed and wax lyrical about how his myriad talents are being abandoned for the foreigner’s, instead of earning a decent, stable living as a sales assistant. it’s not even about being a road sweeper. these shitbags don’t want anything without “manager” and a name card.
please, get out of my elite uncaring face.” (19 Oct, 2006)
2. The Uproar
“Future of Singapore”, Solitaire Joker, “I wonder if the future of Singapore belongs to people like her.
If so, I have no wish to be part of this future. It would mean that little would change.” (20 Oct, 2006)
From Sammyboy’s Alfresco Shop:
“the issue here is how she said it. More precisely, her mindset. If she were the daughter of some rich tycoon – a Paris Hilton, a Xu Chun Mei – I’d say to hell it with and let her make a bi*ch of herself.
But if she is indeed the daughter of an MP, and a very possible future “leader” in Singapore – whether it’s in the civil service or a GLC – then such mindset is worrying. She seemed to have taken the wrong foreign language, for she should be reading Nietzsche in German instead.
Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful….” -satoshi83
“So sad that it is these elite people, who treat us with contempt, that have their university education financed by government scholarship and paid for by taxpayers, like you and me.” -teh si
“there is a lot of arrogance in Sg. I think it is not due to ability or talent. it is due to overcompensation and ignorance. the young girl is ignorant of greater things that’s why [she] speaks so pompously, many adults in the work place can be like that too.” -NLA
“There are many ways to put your views across but hers is over the top – caustic, rude, demeaning and condescending (have I missed any other …. )
I can’t believe its Wee’s daughter.” -Scroobal
“Looking Back Home” Wei Kiat’s Blog, “I had been trying feverishly for the past 10 minutes, but the less-than-elite mind of mine still could not figure out how spelling affects the ability to get an iron rice bowl, except in her own dreamy view of how the world works, where everything seems to lie in the hands of spelling errors and grammar mistakes.
No doubt this girl is a high flier in terms of academic. But I guess she couldn’t shake away from the world of of academic results when it comes to real life. Spelling and grammar are important when you are 18 years old and writing an essay for your teachers, but unless she felt that her life consisted of only General Paper essays, she shouldn’t be that much ignorant, and much like a “stick-shoved-up-ass elite who have no idea how the world works”.” (Oct 19, 2006)
.
Considered Responses
“The Wee Shu-Min Cyber Drama” Hear ye! Hear ye! “If Shu-min had been my peer, I would most probably have been tossed into the trash can. My dad was a blue-collar worker, and my mum’s a housewife. By some stroke of miracle, I was granted access to good schools and received a good education. However, to her, she probably thinks that it is her right to enter a good school and receive top education. Her worldview is different because that’s the kind of world she knows.
… I think that what should really be examined is what led her to develop such a high and mighty attitude.” (Oct 21, 2006)
“Class Disconnect,” Kitana, “But my point is this: is meritocracy really working? Are we allowing people from the heartlands to go through the system and excel so that they can in turn, help the rest of their class to move on up? Or are we simply creating more clones of an elite class, that once they escape their own class, they will no longer identify with the issues of the common man? Yes, there are definitely exceptions, but for the most part, how true is the mindset that that RJC girl has? My suspicion is that it isn’t unique to her alone. It’s just that not that many people would be silly enough to blog about it. But still.
And you wonder why the disconnect.” (Oct 21, 2006)
“Wee Shu Min just me, us, just like another Singaporean, just better Engrish” What’s in Your Goodie Bag? “Do we not recognize her attitude (as contrast to her views) of human beings as potentially dangerous taken to its logical conclusion- there are leeches and those who believe they rule over them. There are those that we can be sad for, those who could have been winners and those who could never be. We have kept dangerous ideas out of our shores, censored a million things, but what if, what if this portending darkness of ideas which is anti-human, this darkness is already within us? Wee Shu Min, whether she likes it or not, whether we like it or not, is after all, just one of us. Does she really believe what she wrote, will she if she realise otherwise, change her view as a rssult of this debate, or will she just repress those views since they are unpopular. I wonder about the man who had the courage – nay, the desperation, who jumped off the track – and I wonder, how truly, truly, does Shu-Min think of a man like that?” (Oct 21, 2006)
“The brilliance of youth” My Singapore News, “What we see in her is the tip of a smelly iceberg. It transcends from the little spoilt brat that demands the maid to do everything for ‘it’ to the peanut people among the elite. Not all elite are in the same shitty mindset. Thank god.
…Our society has indeed stratified into two separate worlds, not so much in material wealth, but in the value of life and life philosophy. On one end, money is not enough. On the other, money is never enough. And for the latter, the world owes them a living because of their talents.” (Oct 22, 2006)
“Of blogging and censorship views” George Yeo “Words matter. Words said to your face matter. Words overheard also matter. Kind words can lift our spirits. Cutting words can be demoralizing. For this reason, all communication in human society is regulated to a great or lesser degree.” (Oct 24, 2006)
3. Wee Siew Kim’s Apology
“I think that if you cut through the insensitivity of the language, her basic point is reasonable, that is, that a well-educated university graduate who works for a multinational company should not be bemoaning about the Government and get on with the challenges in life.
Nonetheless, I have counselled her to learn from it. Some people cannot take the brutal truth and that sort of language, so she ought to learn from it.” – Wee Siew Kim, full version available at ‘Elitist’ Blogger Counselled
“Half-Assed Apology That Wasn’t” Insane Polygon “I guess when it comes down to half-assed apology that’s not really an apology, the men in whites has honed it down into a fine art. If you don’t think you’re in the wrong, then please do not apologise. A half hearted one is worse than not apologising at all.
Obviously empathy is not a lesson you deem important enough to teach your precious daughter. And for goodness sake, why is the father “apologising” for the daughter? Where’s your precious, why has she not said anything about the whole ruckus she started in the first place? Why is no one apologising to Derek Wee?” (Oct 23, 2006)
“Open Message to AMK MP Wee Siew Kim,” Ripperstrife “I am deeply ashamed to see someone as pretentious as you sitting on a parliament seat. Why do I say pretentious? If this is how you daughter and father think in private with your elitism views of the society, I cannot even fathom why you should continue being an MP. Surely, how can someone like you begin to imagine what it is like to be near bankrupt because of a business failure? How it is to be debt ridden? How it feels like to be at your prime age of 40 and yet feel insecure about holding on to your job? Where is your compassion and understanding of the unfortunate ones who are only venting their frustruation through a virtual medium? It sickens me to see that sort of remarks coming from a minister.” (Oct 24, 2006)
“Scholar Behaving Badly” desperate youth “wee sk’s response, which takes the form of a personal attack on derek wee, ignores that the latter purported to be voicing concerns not unique to himself, but ones that are shared by other singaporeans of his age group. just last week the results of an international study by kelly services saw singapore ranked among the top three countries for age discrimination …; shouldn’t that have been a cue to take people’s thoughts on this issue more seriously?” (Oct 24, 2006)
“The Wee-Wee Saga” Whispers from the heart “we are not a tyranny of the academically capable and the clever, we, the peasants are the upper class, their masters with the whip. … WEE, wee, wee darling, how can you expect to have an iron ricebowl or a solid future if you cannot empathise accordingly? … the world is about winners and losers. it’s only sad when people who could be winners are marginalised and oppressed by the elites.
please, get your f***ing elite uncaring face off this tiny dot.” (Oct 24, 2006)
“Wee Shu-Min, Globalisation, Singapore and America,” Mr Wang “In Singapore, my sense is that the government is more likely to tell you: “Get out of my elite uncaring face”. Not in
those exact words, surely they would be more diplomatic, but the spirit of it would be largely the same. Yes? … Then they wonder why so many Singaporeans want to emigrate, or don’t like serving NS, or dare not have babies. Heheh.”
“Noblesse Oblige” Insane Polygon, “Perhaps, in order for Singapore to survive globalisation, this is the way we have to go, to quote Wee Shu Min, Singapore will have to suffer the tyranny of the clever and the capable. Who am I to say she is wrong.
Certainly it will be a society I want no part of – to live in a society ruled by the dictums of Darwinian policies – where survival of the fittest is the order of the day. People are not animals and we shouldn’t live like animals or to be governed like animals. In a society without compassion for the poor, the sick, the old and the weak, what purpose and dignity is there left? Maybe Singapore will be stronger, if we do indeed weed out the weak, much like what elitists would probably like to do, but at what costs?”
“Wee Shu Min: elitist, yes; intelligent….?” Wormie “Ms Wee has every right to rebut Derek’s observations. However any rebuttal should be done without any prejudice or emotionally. Calling Derek a crackpot and a leech is overboard by any standard; especially if his observations are accurate and when Ms Wee herself had not been subjected to the harsh reality of working life. Her rebuttal smacks of arrogance. And when she received negative feedbacks, she conveniently choose to run away. As she is ‘unfortunate‘ to have a MP father, she should have known better that the use such strong derogatory terms can invite costly lawsuits if used on the wrong people. Luckily, Derek is a forgiving person.” (Oct 25, 2006)
“I sho smart u sho stupid” Goodie Bag, “But the underbelly of this is that some might see those who refuses to participate in this mantra, who tried but failed, as a person who is a “leech” – as something less than human, less worthy of respect. This attitude is sad for Singaporeans, for humanity, if this attitude translates into the philosophy of the leaders of the future. When human existence is reduced to being rational economic agents – where we are no longer human, Those who share such views debase others, fellow Singaporeans, as much as they debase themselves.”
“Unpublished Letter to Wee Siew Kim,” Chia Ti Lik, “Whilst the less discerning may opine that MP Wee has apologized on behalf of his daughter, in truth both father and daughter have exhibited no more empathy or remorse than when the remarks were first made in Ms Wee’s blog. MP Wee’s remarks albeit more diplomatic had in fact exhibited an even higher level of arrogance and lack of empathy. …
Whilst I do not hope that the current establishment gets richer as a result of whatever discussion that takes place, I do hope that the former does get a lot humbler and wiser for Singapore will need leaders who can truly empathize with the people instead of having to live with parrots perched tree high above ground and their dissonant cacophony of callouness and insensitivity.” (Oct 26, 2006)
“Empathy” the odd joker, “To presume that everyone could and can be the same as the people at the top of the hierarchy is an illegitimate view, silly at best, socialistic at worst. Whatever happened to the ‘Staying Together, Moving Ahead’ slogan that our ruling party espoused during the elections?”
4. The 2nd Apology
‘We both apologise to the people whom we have offended, and especially Mr Derek Wee,’ the MP said. … Yesterday, in his apology, he said: ‘I should not have said what I did about people’s inability to take the brutal truth and strong language.’ – From Straits Times 28th Oct
Responses & More Commentary
“The Secret Identity of Elite Girl,” Insane Polygon, “As for that whole apology thing, the half-heartedness with which it was initially made is worse than not apologising. Patronising to the core. If WSM and her father don’t think they are wrong,they shouldn’t apologise. Just come out and defend your viewpoints with good arguments. Instead WSM closed down her blog and than her father came out with some gibberish. Even if I don’t agree with your viewpoints, I can still respect you for the courage of your convictions. But here, it just makes you look like hypocrites. Apologising for the sake of appeasing angry constituents and probably mostly to save face and your own political career. If you want to be an elitist, at least give us some good arguments to support yourself. If you can’t even do that, then how elite can you truly be?”
“Humility is not a lesson that is easily taught and…” Urbanrant, “For him to make the insensitive remarks that ‘Some people cannot take the brutal truth and that sort of language, so she ought to learn from it,’, it showed a callous disregard for the electorate that voted him into power (although he did got into parliament by virtue of a walkover in 2001).
I often wonder what is the price of having that many MPs who “walk”(over) into Parliament so easily. I guess now i know the answer.”(Oct 28, 2006)
“Sorry misses the point” E Pur Si Muove, “The main point is still that Mr. Wee had added insult to injury by issuing a non sequitur of an apology. In addition, Mr. Wee has neatly answered the question: where did Shu Min get her smarmy attitude from? The most likely suspects are family and friends; Mr. Wee’s reponse supports strongly the hypothesis that the elitist attitude comes from at least one person in the family; the father in particular. But in that case, should the father have any business running a constituency if he appears to have condoned tacitly the class divide that characterizes the attitude of someone who says “Please don’t bother me with your problems”?” ” (Oct 28, 2006)
5. The Aftermath
The Wee Shu-Min Saga has spawned artistic pieces:
The Importance of Being Elite by Han
THE INTELLIGENT SINGAPOREAN 
miss wong said
I am a student from a good school with many high fliers. I find that many students on my school lack compassion towards the more unfortunate people. And it’s probably the environment ( mingling mainly with the elite and being to academic and cca oriented) that has moulded hearts of stone. I guilty of it too, but thanks to my empathetic and kind parents, i am uaually brought back down to earth when i get over myself. hope that Mr Wee KS and his daughter will learn to stand in the shoes of others. It’s really a simple principle that leaders should adopt in order to conceive a genuine desire to help others. I do hope that the first statement of apology issued by Mr Wee is spurred by his paternal instinct to support his daughter, and not by his responsibility as an MP.
Michelle said
Wee Shu Min might get perfect for a grammar. But oh, one thing, she’s not Albert Einstein nor Paris Hilton. That’s so sad, isn’t it?
http://tellmeastoryplease.blogspot.com/2006/10/of-wee-shu-min-dawn-yang-and.html
Harro! said
Could say it better. 🙂
Harro! said
Sorry. I mean “couldn’t” say it better. 🙂
Sparkplug said
You know, I couldn’t care less about what Wee Shu Min said. She may be one spoilt, arrogant, opinionated brat, but – honestly – the world’s full of spoilt, arrogant, opinionated brats.
Complaining loudly in ignorance, about things neither experienced nor understood is forgiveable for someone her age. Yes, she should have known better. But we’ve all done things at 18 that are unwise in retrospect.
What really pissed me off was the response of daddy MP, basically condoning her stand and defending her opinions, and the non-apology that followed.
Even American politicians – now hot on the campaign trail – know how to apologise properly. Perhaps this is what our leaders mean when they complain about “western-style democracy” not being suitable for us.
If this is reflective of the character of our “carefully-screened” MPs, I fear for our future.
Ngiam Tong Dow said of Sparta during an interview – “it dawned on me that though the starting point was meritocracy, the end result was dictatorship and elitism. In the end, that was how Sparta crumbled. Yet, Athens, a city of philosophers known for its different schools of thought, survived.”
jumper said
this issue, at least, settles one thing: Singaporeans DON’T speak the best English in Asia, contrary to what they often claim.
@Michelle
“Wee Shu Min might get perfect for a grammar”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!
Yoyo Barn said
I only have 3 factual statements to make:
1) A person’s personality is determined by his or her genes, and also by the environment.
2) Small W and Big W share the same gene pool. (Father and Daughter)
3) Small W and Big W share the same physical environment. (Same house)
Does it not follow then, that Small W and Big W MIGHT have the same personality??
And the Chinese say:
4) Jiang Xiang Yi Gai, Ben Xing Nan Yi, which essentially means that one’s personality is hard to change.
Hence, this basically means….. Well, hopefully people living in Ang Mo Kio knows what this means…
BN said
Next election if the elder Wee still running go up close to them and shout ‘get out of my elite uncaring face’
JusTice said
OMFG Wee Shu Min T-Shirts!!
http://suchvividjustice.blogspot.com/
John Seah said
I thank Wee Shu Min for being candid and outspoken. Now we know how do the ruling class think of the rest of us and how arrogant they are. Let us encourage more from these bitches to speak their mind…Frankly we let our politics develop into such a state by not exercising our rights. Someone once said “People deserve the government they have”.
John Seah said
INABILITY TO TAKE THE BRUTAL TRUTH. How bloody arrogant !! Is he fit to be our MP? Tell me. What empathy do you have? So what is the brutal truth Mr Wee? Are you going to do something about the brutality of life that we are being subjected to? If not, then why do we elect you to represent us? Do we elect you so that you can tell us “No bread, tell them to eat cakes!!”? Should we rather have an MP who can champion our cause than one who simply makes comments that we are not able to take the brutal truth?
charles lim said
AYN RAND
Crawldaddy said
Hmm.
I would say that Wee Shu Min has been incredibly honest with herself, to the point of growing too big for her own shoes. Her mockery of a person who has gone through more of life’s hardships is a disgrace to her so-called elitist mentality.
Yet I still believe that in order to survive here in Singapore, while it is part and parcel of life to whine and complain and receive rebuttal from more *refined* and *educated* individuals, we all as individuals have to strive for excellence ourselves.
Over-dependence on a governing body isn’t wise, after all. And really, if a man such as her father can make such a scathing apology can become an MP… I think anyone’s decision to bring their own talents elsewhere is duly justified.
Because the real talents are not being appreciated, much less recognised.
I also feel that she needs to be humble in her approach towards people who do not have such “talents” as she does, given her ability (no doubt through *meritocracy*) to enter one of Singapore’s more prestigious tertiary institutions.
Hopefully this is an eye-opener for all who wish for their children (if they wish to have children in the first place) to make it in life.
Melo said
I can’t believe that someone can be so rude to another person. It just makes me wonder is it the education system or the upbringing that makes both father and daughter behave that same way.
It’s a disgrace to the government… and our education system.
ex Garmen said
This wee brat reminds me of a director in a stat board that I used to be working for. The 50 year+ lady looks down on the staff with no degree, scold every body for grammar or spelling mistakes in their reports, emails, powerpoint slides while she herself don’t understand the word stake holder but did not bother to understand the word.
So, what can I say, it’s not just the current breed of scholars / elites that are so arrogant, the whole garmen system is infested with these arrogant elites / bratz…
Ren Ann said
以仁治国，天下为安
Lusidvicel said
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Thomas Koh said
I am enjoying this very much. LOL
4 years in college in the States taught me alot about freedom of speech, democracy, etc. I didnt know Singapore has that to spawn so much bloggers given the limitation set by the govt. It is a different Singapore now. I might even consider going back and be part of it.
Singaporelover said
Thomas,
It is a very different Singapore now.
We are closer to North Korea, some say.
We even die differently now, preferring the MRT tracks to jumping off the HDB blocks.
And we are going to have more than 2 casinos in the long term. Las Vegas is no fight for us.
You should come home immediately. You will be receiving the first homing pigeon award from Goh Chok Tong himself.
Cindy said
mati sia
mati mati mati later she b/c gahmen how?
she might just increase gst + her pay
i love sg too much to leave i hope to see a change too…
it is changing muahahaha
or else i also go jump mrt lo
j said
oh yeah, go worry. go wack her, burn her effigy and change her school of thought, which is hers and hers alone to have.
you live life with the elite you have. and i’m pleased with the elite we have.
j said
i would be ashamed of the grammar most of you have.
Z said
Actually, the only mistake she could possibly make in her post about Derek wee was humility. She did not think about how others may feel although what she said was 100% right and true.
The fault can be blamed on both the lower class and “elites”, lower class for being over-sensitive to constructive, yet poorly-phrased remarks, and “elites” for being unable to phrase their comments positively, although they are constructive.
The problem about Wee Shu Min’s blog post has really nothing to do with stereotyping people into classes of elites and low class, rather it’s about the way she phrased it and expressed her point.
Thus, my point is-
PEOPLE MISUNDERSTOOD HER POINT, AND THE ARGUMENT FOR HER WAS MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE. for she was trying to win this arguments as what most people will do.
Xame said
Wow.
Wouldn’t it show her more if we just ignored her? That’ll make her look like an insignificant and ill-mannered brat that she is, wouldn’t it?
bbjohn said
Aiyah …
want to be elite also must be smart lah.
So stupid, how to be elite?
Goes to show, singapore has only stupid elites not worth their elitic salt.
elitism so.. said
Sad,her elitism attitude irks me..and so what if she comes from a prestigious insitution..if she dont get the idiotic attitude of hers right,she’s never gonna get far..far far
40+ Singaporean said
Thus, my point is-
PEOPLE MISUNDERSTOOD HER POINT, AND THE ARGUMENT FOR HER WAS MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE. for she was trying to win this arguments as what most people will do.
Z, your post and in particular the above sounded just like her father. In defending her and apportioning blames to both ‘elites’ and ‘lower class’ you have ignored the crux of the problems with her post, that of total lack of empathy. You have also intentionally(?) or unwittingly endorsed her views of elites vs the rest of the population.
You are just like J, (maybe you are J, maybe you are one of the PAP mole in the blogosphere), happy with the elites (BTW, J, it should be ‘elites’ not ‘elite’) you have. I, like many others, are not.
One last point for J – it should be ‘grammar most of you used’ NOT ‘grammar most of you have’.
Krishna said
I think we can forgive the girl but not her dad. As someone had said a half baked apology is worse than no apology. The father shouldn’t have poked his nose in this matter and to add salt to the injury, he defends her views eventhough most of his constituents would fit the profile of a 40+ loser from the heartlands. I just hope that he is the unique case among the people occupying the parliament…..
Wee Wee said
It seems obvious where that little girl learn to “apologize” from. Father and daughter apologizes the same style – Insincere and hypocritical. The worst consequence of it all is she will now never end up a politician ever. She will say she never wanted to be a politician… blah blah blah… That’s because she knows she will never be voted in.
Either you don’t like what your father is doing or you know you suck now.. lol
pee pee said
Elitism at the max.
Is it the education system or upbringing? More likely the education system. Why?
Parents go through the education system and when they have children, they ‘transfer’ their elite values over to them. Meanwhile, the children go through the same system and the cycle continues…
Conclusion? Singapore’s education system is flawed.
jennifer loh said
see people?this is the quality of the spawn from you electorate…..
oh what am i saying?it was a walkover(but of course! we are after all talking about singapore here)!
see wee shu min, this is not really a measure of your dad’s worth is it?when all potential opposition has been suppressed.
and do you know why,you fucking brat?because people who are basically losers, who know that deep down inside- they cannot compete with the best in a fair environment, simply go into politics.sorry folks, singaporean politics.
in your hallucinatory haze of of make believe eliticism, you have probably overlooked the fact that in other countries, politicians more or less go into politics because they want to do something for their country(usually they are already financially buoyant and are not needing handouts nor to put their hand in the till).And not because they dont have the balls for COMPETING AND TRYING TO MAKE IT in the private sector, but YET so desperately wants to be rich THAT HENCE…. eureka! why not leech off the country but going into public service?where they will hopefully support my dumb ass spawn too?
hmmm , talk about leeching…. your dad is an mp and you are on a scholarship????
is there some indication of major leeching here,people???
oh btw,wsk is you father, but he aint no one’s daddy ever!certainly not mine.
and that goes for the rest of the current governing coalition too.
note:i used coalition,,not long now , my pretties, we are so gonna blow you parasites out of the office,perhaps to china..where we shu min can carry playing her make believe elitist shit.
and for all the mainland chinese loving sycophants,wouldnt it be your ultimate wet dream??
jennifer loh said
i believe that wee shu min is the typical arrogant snob whose present status quo can be attributed to her upbringing or rather , a lack thereof.as the saying goes, the apple doesnt fall far from the tree.
having said that,as a continuation from my previous post, i would like to state that i am not strongly anti-pap, but rather i am resolutely pro singapore.which means, that i do not condone anything that is contradictory and detrimental to the overall good of the nation and her people.
wsk’s half hearted apology is an indication of a deeper arrogance and reflects an absence of empathy and decency.He also failed to do rectify differences to the correct degree simply because of a deep-rooted vanity in him which dictates, “nothing that comes from me can do wrong/be bad “.sounds familiar?
i wouldnt want a man like that to be administrating anything that affects me and especially my country, coz the last time i checked, i still only have one country-to which i belong and for which i have a stakeholder’s interest, in its wellbeing, interests and future.
to those posers masquerading as civil servants or politicians who actually have no greater interests except for their own, this i say to you.
should your interests contrasts with those of singapore and its people, and if you are really just feigning civic duty and interest for the sake of hoarding as much money as you can while in office…please kindly leave this country and let those who really care for and love this nation do the right thing by us.
student said
I may not be in the GEP programme or whatever, and I may not have liked the way Wee Shu Min made her point, but really, should we be so uptight about the whole thing? One, what’s wrong with elitism. Let them grow up to be elitists, what has it got to do with us? Unless they become dictators to purge the world of what they term “lower class”, who gives a about what they think? Two, getting rid of the GEP programme is a lousy thing to do, it’s only running away from the “problem”. I’m not from GEP, and don’t interact with the GEPers, but the way I see it, the GEP programme helps them expand their potential. Not everyone on the higher side of iq are snobby snobs who like to snob their way through their snobbishness, just like not every cow has mad cow disease, right?
Three, this is supposed to be a free country. Free with multi-racial, multi-religion and stuff, right? So why can’t people have free thoughts? Although Wee Shu Min shouldn’t have degraded Derik, but why should eliticism be looked down upon. Everyone has their own view on things, like vegetarians.
lol.
Finished Studying said
“Student” needs to learn more about the REAL Singapore.
“Three, this is supposed to be a free country. Free with multi-racial, multi-religion and stuff, right?”
Are you even serious?
Got to be the joke of the day.
Very Siong said
Accidentally got into the affair!
Must migrate to the neighbouring countries already cos not in the category of Elite.
Probably need to re-look at our education policy eg why we “enlist” students to Sec and JC according to their A’s and not the distant from home like P1 registration. This policy has created a distant, a wall, a elite system and division among people.
acapriccio said
Truth be told, I think people are over-sensitive regarding the terms and labels “lower class”, “middle class” etc. Like it or not, this class system/social strata exists in every country, every society and every organisation so I see no point or outcome in arguing how the Wees or other contributers in this forum are so evil and insensitive to dare use the word “class”. Face it,the moment we are born we are put into classes and it is what you make of what you have that makes the difference. Apart from certain inevitable amount of social stigma, the only reason why seeing the above mentioned labels can evoke such huge response is one’s own narrow mind.
That said, I do agree that Wee Shu-Min has been too insensitive and arrogant in putting across her point. Like many of the contributers of this forum, I am not too bothered with her but the way her father, a public figure with image to uphold. What I find worse than having that kind of attitude and character, was the fact that Daddy MP was not even able to mask that part of him when giving public “apology”. Does this not show something about the standard of “politicians” we have in Singapore?
acapriccio said
sorry, words missing.
*the way her father, a public figure with image to uphold, acted.
Curious said
Hmm.. heard she got into U Penn. Wonder if she is on a scholarship. Anyone knows?
Luke said
Maybe from there she would see how free US be compare to Sg. Change her bigot view, turn over the new leaf. Who knows, she might be elected as PAP MP by her new image.
Sama sama said
or, she might stay cos then she can enjoy her cake while people think of bread.
Vernetta B said
Will Wee Shu Min ever get a scholarship?
wee shu min said
ELITIST
Sooty said
Likely? Haha. I think the best part is that she is now infamous. Debacle indeed.
Nick said
I was once a Junior College lecturer. Left S’pore to return to my home country (M’sia) 15 years ago. Glad that I have made the right choice. Over the years I have moved on as a human resource practitioner in the manufacturing and hospitality industry. Currently, I am holding a senior manager position in an established 5 star hotel. I have managed to switch jobs even when I am in my forties. Over here, life begins at forty.
John Cheo said
nick, you’re really lucky. very glad for you. dont come here and make us pathetic singaporeans feel so jealous leh.
because i understand that your happy life story in malaysia is definitely a far cry from that which is possible for the general malaysian population.many are trying to get their kids out of malaysia to singapore to receive an education which they deem are worthy enough for the new global economy.
but having said that, congrats once again. hope your life story will be translated into reality for the many many malaysians in your home country.
Toot toot said
Well, it all boils to the next elections.. those older PAP supporters will die, and they will be lack of supporters then!
zz said
Does PAP has anything to do with this?
So you think opposition parties are not like that?
LOL
seetosy said
I have heard of this Wsm “saga” but have never bother to read the blogs until I stumbled upon it. I am 66 years and have seldom read blogs.
This Wsm “thing” really worked me up and I have to write something.
Very depressing to see an intelligent(???) girl so full of pride. Wsm, that’s a cardinal sin you know. If you have gone to U Penn (rumored??), you will find many others with higher IQ than you. You will find that you are just a “little” fish in a big pond. Learn to be humble, understand and help those in need. Don’t brush them off.
LTA said
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/when-the-collective-good-may-not-be-so-good-a-study-of-gayness/
They have relocate here. Just found them today.
I found the Brotherhood Press!
guppygal said
Walau! It’s so Kan Kaur to find my favorite read one meh! How come they transform? This is like a movie!
Wau your customer service really lousy BP, no one can find you! It took me nearly two weeks to find this!
Got customer complaint center or not?
sitis said
Dear all readers,
The BH Press has relocated to this site. Sorry for the inconvenience and late notification. We hope you will continue to visit us and please pass the word around to your friends.
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/
Thanks and much obliged.
SITIS.
Lolita said
Hello SITIS,
Good job what you are doing. Most of us are reading in the cache. As for the older readers most of them are reading through the cache repository, so they will not hit a score on your visitor meter. The brotherhood hide their numbers, they are just very secretive abt their readership. Just for your information.
Great job , Kudos. Keep it open, it will come through.
Love
Lolly
sitis said
Thanks, Lolly. SITIS.
Bala said
Yeah after reading all this,can’t blame the reactions from others in hostility to this. It amazes me that no one goes to the source of the problem.Our MM has always espoused such views but in an indirect and subtle manner but there was not much reaction.The WSM saga is just an extension or a fredian slip perhaps but its good that people are aware of the underlying thoughts and assumptions.It does irk and I can understand the hostility and anger from Singaporeans as am related to the infamous Durai of the NKF infamy. For example, He is a typical closet WSM and not so charitable or noble as the press tried to make him out to be. He does have the elitish looking down upon people mentality and is an apple polisher. There are more of WSM clones around but its just that they hide their intentions and views well.I don’t whether this comes across right but hope you folks understand in a way that this has been the way in Singapore for a long time.The education system just reinforces these concepts and mindsets. There are other brilliant folks who in the world and who have done more extraordinary things than the MM and his ilk but have never blew their trumpets or have such views towards others. Just have to let them score their own goals and show themselves that they are not so smart after all.Durai too is an example of that as it was shown finally he was not so smart after all.Just have faith in yourselves and be comfortable with who you are as no one can make you feel inferior unless you allow them to do so.
G. Yong Wee MIng said
Life forms here are pretty varied, from heartlander, ang mo pais, convicts, rich pple, insane pple….not forgetting normal everyday pple.
One thing I feel and had lived by is that I stuck to my beliefs while chasing the dream and walking the route, education and national obligation, it is always more comfortable to mind your own business and work hard to get your goals and dreams, with style, artistry and flair, while helping my fellow country men and doing what is right when it is called for, apart from that, i dun let factors I can’t change, emo scars, unjust treatment, anger, public policies, culture, society and so on affect me, let alone a remark made in anger and haste from a young girl who couldn’t control and wanted to express herself. no point, dun waste time.
for personal happiness and success, work on yourself,hard, kind and smart, not waste time on things and pple you cannot change…..
thanks, i wish you well, my fellow men…..
Anonymous said
Actually, Wee Shu Min is too self-centred. She uses harsh words that were really unsuitable like, how can she call someone a crackpot when he was just harmlessly voicing his ‘none of my business’ but a very serious and important issue that may not be seen as a problem to her as she has not yet reach that age.
Age discrimination is normal in all countries-especially in Singapore I must admit- and though it doesn’t affect her, and being from elite schools and knowing how to spell doesn’t secure you an iron rice bowl.Anyway with her kind of attitude any boss would have been totally pissed off and she’ll be sacked the next second.
Being younger doesn’t mean you are more capable than the elderly, nor is being smarter grants you a successful life. Life has to be full of setbacks, yes, discrimination is everywhere but people have to empathise. Not that the fittest survive. The world has love and if everyone thinks that way, we’ll all be doomed.
Guess who am i?
Bird of Prey said
Observer,
Pls note I have received a MOST URGENRT PRIORITY READER COMPLAINT – they are not able to read from the cache any longer.
NOW READ THIS! YOU WILL FROM TODAY ONWARDS POST ONE COPY OF ARTICLE HERE IN THE INTELLIGENT SINGAPOREAN AND THE WOS.
WE NEVER EVER PUT OUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET, TRUST WILL COME WITH TIME. MEANWHILE ALL READERS REPORTS WILL BE TREATED AS CLASSIFIED TILL FURTHER NOTICE, WE WILL MONITOR USING APOM.
EAM END / F
darkness said
BOP and Trajan,
I want both of you to tear up everything and conduct a FULL INVESTIGATION. After 7 days, I want to know what is happening along with your recommendations, do whatever it takes, whatever.
I want to know what is really happening.
darkness said
If something is stupid then you dont waste your time trying to figure out why it regularly produces stupid results.
You take the whole thing and throw it out of the window.
Then you start with a new piece of paper, not to ask ‘why’ this time, but to rather what is the goal here? That’s to say what are they trying to accomplish by doing this?
Get KOHO to be involved in this. Or do I need to do everything myself? I do not want excuses, I want all of you to find out who, why and how many of them they are, how organized are they etc.
Once we have more information, we can plan, without information, we can do nothing.
Go!
KOHO said
We need at least 14 days to do a thorough analysis. I am not making excuses, but we need to go through each “log in” manually, so that takes time.
I dont see what the big deal is bc for all we know most of them could have gone back to the “confession days” where one person log’s in, copies and mails it to the rest.
I know for a fact, some of the read groups do this on a regular basis.
Another reason could be the are reading of the ‘echo list’ within the read groups.
But agreed it doesn’t make any sense. I cannot really figure it out myself and it’s quite impossible with TOC and Singapore Daily linking etc. Not possible! Even if you take out ALL our regular readers!
So we will investigate and report accordingly, but I know the cache seems to be getting the same 8.7 to 9.97 hits.
Signing off – KOHO.
KOHO said
The margin of error is just higher, that is all – we will loop all the way back to the 27th and do an interlution check, it will mean, you know what, but we can submarine the whole operation to get the data.
The real figure should be 5K to 6K daily. With a AV registered hit per article at the standard 450 -600 / unregistered would be factorial at 6.6 to 8.3.
I cannot account for it, we have NOT changed anything darkness, the format is still the same and we are using the same writers.
I am not too worried abt it darkness – these things have never ever affected us.
Why should it affect us now?
astro boy said
You know what? Snoopy, the pariah dog was here a few days ago sniffing around. He was looking for the thing sinister. I know Snoopy as a friend and he told me that someone is tracking us. So I asked him, what you mean and he said, they’re so close to us the signal is like 1:1 i.e overlapping. I dont want to sound paranoid, but he could be right. What if the thing sinister is like just following us on the blind in our wake? It’s happened bfr and lately there have been strange things happening.
scholarboy said
I have to agree with AB, there could be a ‘thing sinister’ shadowing us.
I mean you consider the facts, IS folds up, then out of no where an aggregator springs up, followed by WOS.
Now don’t shoot me, I am just thinking aloud now.
Those council boys know that we are out in the cold, so they know our game plan, we need to invade a site pronto. They know this. So what do they do, they fish tank us by creating all the things we want to see, they know us, so they know how to build it, they have the org skills, resources and network.
They put us all in this fish tank where we believe, we created it ourselves, but they are controlling the traffic etc.
I mean you look at the Helscrieber sites, they have been springing up like mushrooms out of nowhere.
I mean you are talking about serious hardware and skills sets here so who has it?
We have been painted.
Astro boy said
You mean ‘hellschreiber’ sites. OK that’s another big coincidence. I mean, there is probably only one Singaporean who knows what it is and it’s darkness and as far as Youtube is concerned there has been only 2 post on the subject for the whole year! So now a hellschreiber site opens up offering to be a listening post, another in Manipur followed by another in Beijing, that’s really coincidental.
Then one week ago a nema enigma ten spooler is offered for sale in Youtube, but if u r brotherhood u get it for only $1 – now forgive me why would someone give me a 16K machine for $1??????????????
It’s a set up.
I agree with SB, I smell a rat! Thing sinister is probably tracking all this.
I propose moving the discussion to elfinman.
Darkness said
Nema enigma for $1? I think it’s time for me to make a trip to London.
passerby said
Good Morning,
I don’t want to chap Siaow, but why don’t you post here and over there in WOS? That way you can have the reliability of two readings and if the variation is continues to be wide, then you know conclusively, it’s a really stupid reading.
As it is WOS is definitely generating stupid readings in the counter dept. I mean, I have even seen the counter reverse at least 12 occasions and on three times it did not move for nearly 5 hours on the highest traffic times, so I think what Obby did was right by throwing it into the bin. Good riddance to rubbish.
Another is to set it up by having a pinger with every article posted, but I am sure you guys already know that.
Good work any way whatever the readings.
Nonetheless, it may not be very wise to reveal the number of readers you have, this way at least they are severely under represented by a few thousand percent and that’s good, if you dont really want to stand out.
Just a suggestion. 🙂
poppy said
Brotherhood style of justice has always been swift, sharp and shocking like what happened to Singapore Angle. They are finished and if they come out again, they will get another round of fun ad hoc style. That’s what I like abt brotherhood, decisive and when they set their minds to do something, its done.
The same should apply to this. There is no need to find out the reason or who is behind it. All that needs to be done is post here and there, this way whatever it was calculated to achieve will simply have eat shit and die value.
Darkness is right, if it is stupid throw it out of the window!
Darkness said
Let us calm down. We can be very destructive to ourselves and others, when we wind ourselves up unnecessarily. To me there is no plot, no thing sinister or council behind the scene wayanging.
Sitis has been forthright to us and it would be a supreme discourtesy to even entertain nonsensical thoughts. In our history, there has never been a short supply of pulp fiction and much of it has been ‘coincidental’ bordering on the surreal – so there you go!
From time to time we get people who choose to disrespect us for whatever reasons, sometimes we let it past, other times we give back, but always remember, this is not our problem. As much as an issue they have to grapple with themselves. So this matter deserves only 5 minutes of my time, after that I just press to delete button. My point is this, so what if there someone following in our wake shadowing us? I really don’t know, they may or may not be the case, that could well be the case, but if they have an agenda, then you have to consider whether it’s worth their effort to do the things they do. Whatever it is, it’s not something that we do not have the organizational skills to deal with to successfully come up on top. Do you understand?
What is important for this period is we continue producing, instead of spending time chasing our own tail. If we produce, we get better at it, everything gets lubricated and thoughts acquire speed, ease and accuracy – if we spend time debating what should be, even if we win, we will just cheat ourselves, because victory can only come at the expense of productivity i.e we have already diverted our focus from what is really important. Besides, you cannot fool people, they will just say, if you are so good, then why is your productivity so paltry? How do they answer this question? They cannot, because paltry is paltry, little is little, not much is not much, doesn’t even matter if you are Mr Brown, as zero is zero, all you have is hits not necessarily readers – and if you want to play that sort of numbers game, there is a whole bags of tricks you can use to get people to get people to drop by, but always remember, there is a big difference between looky see and actually reading and understanding.
That is why to me, the equation has to remain very simple, if it’s going to work efficiently. We need to focus of producing, if we do that we create the opportunity for writers and readers to bond. If we are not diligent on this and instead allow of brain to go off in ten different directions, then there is a danger we will be so diversified, we may not even be effective any longer.
So where would you rather put your chips? Besides if I produce X and someone else produces X-Y, you can say anything you want, that X-Y has more readers or has even a hundred million more hits than me, but you cannot deny one reality: in cumulative output terms, I outstrip you! So the question it throws out is whether it’s even an apple to apple comparison.
Always bear this in mind, BP readers are a very unusual lot, they are not general readers, most of them are connoisseurs. I cannot say this without coming across as arrogant, but that remains a fact, they are what I call first edition readers i.e people who pay close attention to detailing, originality and élan so they are never different from the run of the mill readership out there. That’s why most sites cannot sustain long reads have you noticed that? Not many because its supposed to cater for the ‘general’ reader who is really just about anybody. That also means, if there is a sudden shift, those sites just dry out and die out real fast, but that is a problem that we don’t seem to have only because there is still such a thing as a compact between writer and reader in the BP that’s the important part and so you must all get this firmly fixed in your brain.
That is why we must never allow anything to interfere with the primary goal – productivity.
Darkness said
As for this whole Burma thing, let me be very forthright with all of you.
I have received a lot of criticism on this point, for doing what seems to be very ‘little’ or ‘not enough.’ But I say this: it is not our role to do more then to say, what they the junta is doing is wrong (period). As a human being, I have a right to say this and no one can cite me, but I do not have a right to impose my values on the Burmese people to assume more than this. In blogland, there is a lot of people out there who wish to free Burma, that to me is just really dumb, firstly, you’re not even Burmese and secondly, you’re not even a stake holder in the country, so whatever political landscape will be eventually profiled will not even affect you. If you are there, then that’s a different matter and I cannot deny that you may perhaps have even such a thing as a legitimate claim to moot the case for regime change etc. Only because you have calculated the risk and so I assume you have done a good job of it, but if you are in balmy Singapore sitting in your room in your Adidas shorts and picking the skin from your big toe, while you read this, then I say, you have as much right as a tick claiming that you own the dog that you’re sucking blood from, that’s just so dumber than dumb. This is where we need to appreciate there is a line to everything, only because there are real and present dangers that follows from even the unassuming act of encouraging others to freedom. Many of the bloggers in Burma are young, they have zero in their hard drive so when they come online, they see a Shangri-la, a very different world where there is hope etc and it’s all very edifying and back of the neck hair standing and all that but I am afraid, it’s not the real world. So I worry, they may become more embolden to do and say stupid things and as a human being I have to take responsibility for it – I cannot just say, oh I have no influence and climb back into my closet and shut the doors, that’s only possible if I know that the screwed up regime doesn’t have rotweillers regularly looking dissidents, but they do and that is where I believe all this is just a great disservice to the general good. In the art of war, the first rule is not to win, that comes maybe fourth or fifth down the line in the battle order, the golden rule is to stay alive and this is where you have to ask yourself whether what you are doing contributes to that as a means to fulfill that strategic end.
If you have not even considered this seriously question, then maybe, its time you do?
anongal said
“if there is a sudden shift, those sites just dry out and die out real fast, but that is a problem that we don’t seem to have only because there is still such a thing as a compact between writer and reader in the BP…”
So what r u saying Bambi Bad Boy is ppl like Singapore Angle, Molly Meek, Hear Ye all dried up when IS closed down?
You mean they didn’t see the co-relation between the IS, BP and themselves?
I am confused?????? Could you explain further pleeeze.
Darkness said
Many I believe did not ask themselves a very important question, what’s the ecology that made up the IS and the rest of its readership? Just as many people will probably blame me for the demise of the IS and that may well be true. I really don’t know, but if that were the case, I would certainly not shirk responsibility for accepting my portion of the blame. Only be very mindful all we did was insist under the strongest possible terms we had a right to ASK a question and we even presented EVERY opportunity for them to respond to it. From the onset, that’s where we drew our lines and we even made it very clear, things may deteriorate with time but it will certainly not go away. So you cannot say they were not aware of the cost of doing nothing anymore than you can say a man who smells smoke has a right to turn in without investigating further even if it’s coming down wind from his neighbor’s plot of land. Bear in mind this has nothing to do with whether you like, respect or even care for this neighbor, it’s a very simple calculation. But in those cases doing absolutely nothing is irresponsible as it is immature. So who is to blame in my opinion is a direct function of how prepared one is to blog under the current landscape that we all find ourselves in, that’s what it means to be part of an ecology, what actions will affect you and vice versa. If the answer is I am prepared, then I say good for you lah and may peace be with you. If it’s answered in the negative and he’s still bitching away that I am the one to blame, then I will have to ask, didn’t you know it would come to this? It’s a simple trade off calculation: the cost of starting from zero again is exactly the same as continuing in IS, there is no real difference. To paraphrase, if my field catches fire, will you help me to put it out? If you say, no because I don’t see you then how can you blame me, if the fire also consumes your field? Even if you didn’t see me, you could have seen the fire – how do you answer that question? See what I mean, so all this talk about who is to blame is academic. Don’t say, I am being too philosophical, it’s complicated but what did you really expect it’s a complicated question.
anongal said
“the cost of starting from zero again is exactly the same as continuing in IS, there is no real difference.”
How can you say there is no difference?
You speak in riddles. How do you expect to progress this way? I am sorry.
anongal said
What you seem to be advocating is some form of twisted logic where you assert that inorder for there to be peace, then one must be always prepared to press the button that launches a thousand rockets.
I am sorry, but an ecology requires respect and you can more or less substitute that organic def for community, but since you have decided to do otherwise, I guess that allows you de-personalize much of your decision from your actions.
Perhaps there lies all your broken dreams Bambi boy? An inability to make sense of the gulf that divides reality and illusion?
scimitar said
Amboih! So complicated. No wonder you are so confused Bambi Boy. You know, it’s very unhealthy to isolate yourself by cutting off the com-sat. Pls restore it. Do write.
Prima Delli said
Yes. Agreed. Most unhealthy and almost guaranteed to produce a pear under every case. I agree, there is no need to discuss the matter, it just wouldnt do to have it this way. Pls restore the communication, no need for further discussions.
I dont think there is no need to even discuss the matter with Bambi, Ob can you pls see to it soonest. Many thanks.
guppy said
Absolutely agree / the e-mail acc should not have been cancelled in the first place. This is very unhealthy and its leads to all kind of manky-ness (is there such a word? There should be). There was a time when Bambi used to SMS me every single day, usually he would write a whole lot of very lovely nonsense, it could have been part of a poem or bits and pieces of a story. I really dont have the faintest, then suddenly it just stopped. No reason. Only to continue again quiet suddenly nine months later, then it stopped. I agree this sort of isolationist tendencies should be avoided at ALL cost, it seems to be some form of crazy werewoft. I notice, it particularly bad during full moons.
guppy said
I notice he has a very dark side and when he goes crazy, he is like an animal. There is no way to deal with him but to shoot him with a dart gun or put him a cage. So its best to keep the channels open. A very good idea. Prevention is better than cure.
pollock said
It’s best when the channels remain open. I don’t like this wing it alone sort of nonsense very much. I agree, it’s very “unhealthy.”
Lassie said
To me it makes absolutely no difference, whether the BP is aggregated or not.
Readers will still find a way to read the BP with or without road signs.
Hello, we do know how to google ya know, we know how to trawl for information ya know.
Hello, I mean it’s not as if someone pulls us by the nose and says, hello read this! And we just lap it up like Bimbo’s. Life isn’t so simple, you can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.
Besides there is not alot to read out there in blogosphere? So what’s the fuss ball all abt?
Just keep writing, the rest will take care of it’self.
Speak as if this is the first time the BP has gone through this, I cannot even remember how many times this has happened.
I don’t expect the writers like AB, SB and Harphoon to be as battle hardened as Bambi baddie boy, but they should do well to learn to roll with the punches. You look at BBB, he just rolls up his sleeves and fires round after round, do you think he is even bothered by tmr or the day after that?
I mean to tell me a man keeps that sort of pace up and nothing happens?
Like I said, life isn’t dat simple.
dummy sitter said
I am really speechless, 1st month, you all garner 7,000 hits and even then, it’s not really 30 days, more like 18 days only.
Not a single flicking link! Not even one! One of two highlights from aggregators out there only. Everything is go by feel, brotherhood style!
And you are complaining?
On top of that you probably have 10 times that figure reading off the SLF, cache or bulletin board.
And you are complaining?
What idiots. No wonder they call you all monkeys and darkness is the biggest ape if there ever was one.
Do grow up, I feel like slapping all of you!
dummy sitter said
We all told darkness bad boy to stay in one place remember?
Now you are getting it very nicely.
CEO said
Hi,
To me darkness is not a very imaginative guy. I don’t mean to sound disparaging, but in all the years, I have followed the BP. What comes across time and again is he has only used one strategy whenever he is cornered that is the overwhelming productivity of the BP. So if you look at the BP, they probably produce 10 to 15 times more than the average blog and the articles run quite long – so they are quite substantive. I agree it is quite impossible to ignore such a big real estate in blogosphere and it can also be quite intimidating as well. That could be why so many bloggers perceive them as a threat. That means they already have critical mass. If you look at the IS, it’s being dead for the last 2 months, but it’s still getting quiet a lot of hits and I wonder why? Most blogs would have died by now, but for some reason the IS is still very much alive despite having very little in the way of external linkages. The only reason I can think off is because there is still a lot to read here and it’s practically impossible to finish it all and it covers practically every conceivable subject!
So I agree with darkness, he should just continue writing and the rest will certainly fall into place.
observer said
Harvardian said
Actually the choice out there is sparse and that has to be an understatement. We are a long way from the US which even feature niche blogs. So what is there to read? Talk as if there is even a myriad of choices. Write on, I am just glad you are all back.
They’re just unbreakable!
Harvardian said
BP. I know them only too well. They can’t be bothered. You like them or not that’s your dai chi, they don’t care. That’s their strength, it’s also a weakness….I think. Something to think abt darkness bro.
Brother902 said
It is a widely know fact the FC boys stand for “failure club.” Those people are all pre-science officers, note the prefix “pre” which means they didn’t quite make the examination cut for full fledge guild navigator which is the pride of the fleet. Somewhere down the line, one notable colorful failure supremo by the name of darkness changed the notation FC to “fight club” and that was how they came to be known as writers aka flying circus troupe, but everyone knows in the brotherhood those guys couldn’t cut the grade. It’s not easy to be a full fledge guild navigator, it’s about a hundred times harder to be one than to qualify as a minister.
No one in the brotherhood even respects those idiots.
Harvardian said
Hello Bro,
I don’t know abt you, but I really cannot imagine, the brotherhood without a personality like darkness, if he didn’t exist, someone would have to create such a magnetic personality, I mean with due respect, but I don’t see even any of the top brass stepping into his shoes, even you have to admit that, it’s a very tough act to follow!
It just wouldn’t be the same without him.
Don’t take my word for it, just go and ask around, if you don’t believe me, especially the ladies.
Brian said
“Besides, you cannot fool people, they will just say, if you are so good, then why is your productivity so paltry? How do they answer this question? They cannot, because paltry is paltry, little is little, not much is not much, doesn’t even matter if you are Mr Brown, as zero is zero, all you have is hits not necessarily readers.”
I don’t know abt you, but this is the wisest words, I have heard for a very long time in the net or anywhere else. I am just wondering what it takes for a man to say of these things. I mean he must really be thinking abt it.
LATEST FROM BP said
Just out from the oven!
To read more, “In The Name of My Father? – The Hubris of $ and Faith”
Excerpt:
“It could even be argued, the whole proposition of a church going into property business has nothing to do with God even if it’s a logical extension.
Show me one verse in the Bible where it’s written, the goal is to maximize opportunities and increase shareholder value, that may well be the mantra for a firm, but when it comes to a church: all I am saying if religion is to remain true to it’s intended purpose and to remain relevant to it’s adherents, then it cannot possibly be premised solely on ‘cost and benefit’ calculations.
Or can it?”
Google: 9984200218
For fast search retrieve your BP article in a flash!
Happy Reading. Aurora.
kokopop said
Aurora your fast search doesnt work anymore, we cannot access the cache.
So I have posted the whole article here:
This is a new article from the brotherhood press. Entitled:
In The Name of My Father? – The Hubris of $ and Faith.
I don’t know about you but the whole idea of a church venturing into the real estate business just rubs me the wrong way.
Hey, I don’t really care what Biblical justification is put forward.
I know only too well, history is redolent with the tragic fact, whenever individuals or institutions are laden with money, they can fashion any version of the ‘truth’. Usually the ‘truth’ is quiet elastic and it’s simply a convenient means to justify a nefarious end. Neither do hucksters and charlatans feel comfortable with the whole idea of accountability and transparency – all too often they prefer the ‘black box’, or the ‘mushroom treatment’ – keep you in the dark and feed you shit – doing so gives them considerable latitude to do the things they do such as refusing to subordinate their power to higher laws or allowing others to audit their doggy accounts. On the first touch it may even sound convincing, when they rant on piously,
‘God is after all God, so how can you put man before God?’
That’s certainly true, God is perfect, but the problem is how do we know that man can be trusted to enact the will of God? Besides don’t serial killer regularly hear voices? Besides history stands firmly against man, leave him unbridled to his own devises and in no time, he’s off marching off to a crusade – I whose name? Followed by a rein of terror where everyone is hunted down and burnt on the stake, in whose name again you might ask? Yes, you guessed it, God – is it such a surprise, the adoption of the rule of law has marked each faltering step towards civilizing the human condition and not God?
Well before we dive in. Let’s consider whether it’s even morally right for a church to venture into the real estate business?
Picking up the rag these days you’ll find that the whole idea of churches going into the real estate business is the most natural thing in the world to do. Well I want to tell you, it isn’t and just in case you accuse me of subscribing to good old fashion Victorian moralists kill joy values that promotes austerity for the sake of austerity’s sake, nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t believe religion for one moment requires self-flagellation or even wearing a hair vest or anything resembling an uphill before it’s able to qualify as spiritually kosher or genuine. I am not even against churches diversifying into the property or even the apparel business per se. All I am doing is exercising my right as an embattled Christian to ask, whether it’s ‘right’ to do so?
Central to the whole discussion: why does a church or for that matter a temple see itself differently from any other entity where it feels that it doesn’t need to be accountable to the people when it comes to issues such as money? Isn’t money, money? Can a church or temple be accorded a special dispensation from being audited just because it has a moral claim? If a church involves itself in activities like property investment, doesn’t it threaten to dilute the whole ideal of what religion is all about?
Well, it really ‘depends’. For one, it hardly requires any elaboration. By now it’s already in the public square, but nonetheless worth iterating: money and faith brings problems, notable among them is malfeasance, abuse and lack of accountability. Central to the debate isn’t really the issue of faith as much as the personalities who feature in the faith movement and who regularly oversee the funds, those are the weak links in the chain – should they be trusted to do the right thing? Can they even be trusted? I know some of them may be men of the cloth, but that still doesn’t explain why embezzlement and misuse of church funds features so regularly? It’s disconcerting.
The danger is this: any talk of regulation and accountability when it comes to faith smacks of ‘zoo keeping’ or ‘heavy handedness’. In fact it is anything but. Which would you rather place your trust in: man or a credible system which guaranteed transparency and accountability? I am sorry, I don’t really buy into the whole God even feature here, because as I mentioned before as long as ‘man’ remains in the equation, that just relegates God into the supine bochap status of sleeping partner. Besides, if everything is above board, then what’s there to really fear?
It could even be argued, the whole proposition of a church going into property business has nothing to do with God and even if it’s a logical extension. Show me one verse in the Bible where it’s written, the goal is to maximize opportunities and increase shareholder value, that may well be the mantra for a firm, but when it comes to a church: all I am saying if religion is to remain true to it’s intended purpose and to remain relevant to it’s adherents, then it cannot possibly be premised solely on ‘cost and benefit’ calculations. Or can it? Should religion encapsulate a higher ideal that even speaks of a grander ambition that goes way beyond simple bean counting?
In fact, I would even go as far as to say, the whole idea of religion cannot be premised on anything resembling a straight line calculation. How can it? When you consider the guts of what makes up any religion and it doesn’t matter whether it is Christianity, Islam, Buddhism etc isn’t even premised on rationality as it is on the abstraction of faith, that comprises of principles that has absolutely nothing to do with logic but still manages to add up to effectively allow one to lead a purposeful life by honoring one’s parents, loving one’s girlfriend, fostering friendship and nurturing what gifts we might possess for the benefit of mankind.
We all know higher principles be it faith or something as fundamental as ‘rights’ can never be placed on the altar where cost and benefit calculations rule the day. That’s just asking for big trouble. It harks back to Acton’s famous prophetic warning that all power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely, and history bears him out in almost every case! So there you go.
It could even be said the whole idea of faith isn’t so different from the whole ideal of enshrining the inalienable rights of an individual. Did the framers of the American constitution say, chincai lah, if there is a bigger payout in pursuing X strategy rather than Y, then jalan lah? Nope, instead they envisioned the slippery road associated with premising anything on just logic and instead deliberately made it even virtually impossible for either the legislature or executive to override the fundamental rights of a citizen even if they managed to garner the majority of votes! – The reason is simple. If certain ‘rights’ are deemed sacrosanct then the question turns on: what’s the best means to protect those rights? A tragic inevitability enters the equation here: one that simply needs to recognize the limits of mankind – he can’t be trusted, even if he claims to be acting in the name of my father!
(By Darkness / Musings / Religion / Ethics – 9984200218 ES / The Brotherhood Press 2007)
kokopop said
It seems abit stupid to me, if I want to read about cars, why should I wade through 20 articles about stamp collections.
Can you fix this problem Aurora. Or please post a mirror copy in the IS in the future. This is will be good.
kokopop said
I mean I google 9984200218 and I get 20 articles abt Burma! Are you trying to waste our time here?
barfly said
“No one in the brotherhood even respects those idiots.”
So maybe you can explain this, when darkness appears why is it “yes sir, no sir, three bags full?”
juicybaby said
Why can’t you all post it in the Intelligent Singaporean on the main board? I don’t see the point of googling 9984200218 and reading 20 pages of unrelated material. If I want ice cream, I will go and buy ice cream, but if someone wants me to eat ice cream when I dont want to eat it, that just turns me off both ice cream and whatever that’s avaliable, not a very good way BP of creating a lasting internet experience. What?
Juicybaby said
“Besides, you cannot fool people, they will just say, if you are so good, then why is your productivity so paltry? How do they answer this question? They cannot, because paltry is paltry, little is little, not much is not much, doesn’t even matter if you are Mr Brown, as zero is zero, all you have is hits not necessarily readers.”
This is really words of wisdom, it can even apply to everything. I am going through a challenge in my torrid relationship right now and I can relate to what Bambi is saying. I can also sense his frustration and although I like to believe he was just thinking when he stumbled on this. I know he didn’t, this sort of realization can only come, when a man stops everything and gathers the important things in his life to try to make sense of it. Very well said and thanks. Love JuicyBabe.
As for the BP, not to worry, my brother always said, the BP is like one of those legendary German tanks they used to build during WW2 and the crew are really well disciplined and all that.
I really don’t think they can be destroyed that easily. It just seems to keep going under all weather conditions and as someone rightly said here. They just don’t give a flying shit about the rest. So if you tell me all of that isn’t going to count for something, then maybe you can explain why the IS is still getting so many hits.
I miss the IS, you should all invade it or bring it back from the dead again. (sigh)
Juicy Babe
koalabear said
Actually coming to think of it why doesn’t the brotherhood invade the IS?
It seems to me, they seem to have alot of respect for this site.
Usually, it is quiet matter of fact, they just park their space ships any where they want and if you ask them why?
They will just say, I hope you don’t mind, we are just refuelling.
So why not invade the IS?
I cannot think of a better way to pay tribute to a fallen comrade by keeping the eternal flame burning.
I bet if they post here, the stat meter will just jump and all the regular readers will stop their nonsense of copying and sending etc.
Just a thought.
BTW, I agree with you juicebaby, there is a tinge of sadness in Bambi’s words.
I cannot help but feel too, he must have thought abt it all for a very long time.
Such words just don’t come from nowhere, they come from very deep within.
ivyleaguer said
BP has critical mass. Once you have that, everything more or less takes care of it’self. Conservatively probably 5 to 6 times more than even Mr Brown, they will never ever tell us the exact figure. Its a adage of war, when strong pretend to be weak. Neither will any information come out either.
You would have to pry that sort of information out of them.
ivyleaguer said
Or spend alot of money and resources to get it out. Either way, they will make you lose and you are still none the wiser for it. That’s the only reason I can think of why they don’t really care abt the rest of blogosphere. They just don’t care.
ivyleaguer said
If they really cared, how could they possibly consider even declaring war with Singapore Angle, Bernard Leong etc?
Have you ever asked yourself how it is possible for one man to declare war with so many writers and what stupifies me is, he can actually manage to pull it off.
What’s incredibly silly is how SA didn’t see it all coming.
Now they are as good as history, but it has also damaged the BP and the broader internet, as the IS was definitely more intelligent than either TOC or Singapore Daily combined together by half.
ivyleaguer said
BP is doing the right thing, they’re digging in doing the things they do best, that should hold them in good stead.
Darkness is spot on when he said,
“we must never allow anything to interfere with the primary goal – productivity.”
Blog on! I will spread the word for you guys.
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
this is a new article from the Brotherhood Press.
One World, One Understanding, One Heart, But Please Keep Your Problems To Yourself?
Watching events unfold in Burma recently. I am reminded there is a Faustian twist to the whole idea of globalization, here the sun does not shine without casting long and disturbing shadows at the same time. It’s prone to induce two states of minds for those who live in this brave new world: a lengthened reach of understanding brought forth by immediacy of technology and even such a thing as a ‘collective’ consensus which is not all together so different from a collective understanding that’s global in scale – a world heart.
These days what happens in Yangon reverberates with equal measure through New York, Paris, London and even balmy Singapore, it’s basically being churned out by the same information assembly lines and the throughput is roughly at the same speed. That simply means, in all probability it’s bound to provoke the SAME sense of repugnance, the SAME revulsion and probably the SAME response irrespective of where one of watching it unfold –that’s the difference between now and the past. Before it could be said the whole idea of a ‘global’ or ‘universal’ understanding was more of less sabotaged by the information lag and the monopolization of news outlets which invariably leads to some form of coloring, censorship and processing, but not this time – the world has never been flatter before! This is really as tabled as it gets.
As the recent Burmese street protest showed so clearly, most people all round the world were quick to embrace the plight of the downtrodden and this throws out the question, whether it’s even reasonable NOT to expect one common reaction? That’s to say, is it reasonable to even expect people to remain emotionally detached from what’s happening in the world, if they are exposed to the same facts as say someone living in London?
While it could be said our means to collate information is just as efficient as someone living in Hawaii or in Paris. Can the same be said about the opportunities for expressing what we feel about a particular event?
Oddly enough, this is whole idea of an ever expanding global consciousness isn’t really a new idea. It’s being around since circa 2001, especially post September 11, when the Americans first coined the ideology, War on Terror. It seems almost natural then that even most non-Americans should take terrorism seriously: never mind that New York is a few thousand miles away from Orchard –never mind that there is no such thing as a twin towers near us – never mind that, those confused guys who ploughed commercial airliners into the world trade center don’t have a beef with me – never mind that it wasn’t really an Islamic superpower that was responsible for the dastardly act, more like someone who lives in a cave and commutes to office with a donkey. In the age of collective consciousness, one is all too mindful of the perpetual fear nonetheless – does he look like a suicide bomber? Why does he keep rummaging through his bag, is that a bomb? You get my drift and throws into sharp relief the whole issue of how on one hand, it’s permissible and even encouraged that one should take the threat of terrorism seriously – but on the other hand, it’s not OK when a few like minded people just want to express their grief by sitting around singing songs and lighting a few candles on the pavement.
Is there a disconnect somewhere?
Really, what’s the difference between the emotionally appreciating the gravity of why it’s important to take the threat of terrorism serious – from let’s say expressing revulsion and disgust from what’s recently happening in Burma?
Besides with globalization being a cornerstone these days, isn’t it unrealistic to even suggest for one moment, one’s opinion about what’s happening in the world can be all that different from let’s say someone in Mumbai, Tokyo or Shanghai? So why can they express their opinions freely while some still remain corseted?
What is the price? There is always a price when anything is bracketed in the name of whatever, so don’t tell me there is no price – what is the real cost when the very means of expressing oneself is surgically quarterized from society?
I guess much of it turns of how policy makers grapple with the whole idea of finding a happy balance between allowing one to express one’s views and keeping the peace? Are these two notions incompatible? How do policy makers deal with this hubris where they can’t stop information these days from coloring the emotions of people? Yet, they have to stop the house from burning down?
As we barrel onwards into age of globalization what will emerge very rapidly in the near future is increasingly the volume of this global voice will ring out louder. It’s a mathematical certainty – that even evolutionist have long recognized, as dystopian chaos begins to organize itself, it will begin to take a shape and form.
Increasingly derisive topics such as homosexuality, human rights and even saving the whales will feature regularly increasingly in the collective consciousness and there may even be a few rumbles and against this tide of emotional eddies washing up on our shores, this will pose a challenge to both policy makers and the security services; is it wise to even expect to ‘control’ and ‘regulate’ in the hope of moderating the outcome? Will holding on the tried and tested traditional means of just blindly interpretation the black letter of the law and applying it robotically be enough to win the day? Where one is one, two plus two equal four etc and more than five is definitely a no-no.
Or does it make more sense to profile a flexible and inclusive means to manage these ‘conflicts?’
To argue that law and order should rule in the age of the advent of the global culture is undeniably a sensible policy, but to believe in every case the worst case scenario will always unfold is to demonstrate a lack of imagination to deal innovatively with new problems as it’s unrealistic and even blinkered to even assume for one moment in this age of global interconnectivity, it’s even possible to stop the politics, economics and the understanding from simply washing up to our shores and technology – with the expectation people should remain comatose and supine is not only pernicious as it’s damaging in the long run: as it raises the question, what type of global citizenry are we actually producing? Is that the kind that will be able to prick their ears up hear the Babel of what the world has to say and to stand up confidently to state it’s case?
Perhaps it’s time to begin trusting our hopes instead of our fears.
Do we even have a choice? I wonder.
“Come to the edge”, he said.
They said, “We are afraid”.
“Come to the edge”, he said.
They came.
He pushed them …
and they flew.
Guillaume Apollinaire
(By Darkness & Aurora / Musings / Religion / Ethics / Socio-Politics – 9883710663 ES / The Brotherhood Press 2007)
aibo said
He must be typing it out on his Nokia again. I can tell.
disatisfiedtither said
What’s the mystery concerning darkness? Everytime the brotherhood runs into a rut, all I see is the same thing, he just grabs the flag and says to his men “follow me, stay close to me!” And away he goes charging off. It’s the same formula every time and all the time.
helokitty said
I think there was this girl once by the name of Amy Tan who once did a post doc thesis on the HK net, they wanted to find out how big was the bro, but after 12 months of intensive research she couldn’t even decide on one of a thousand.
They trust no one and you will see only what they allow you to see and even if you think you see it all, all you have is an illusion. That’s why it is well known, they are invisible in the virtual.
labrat said
“Besides, you cannot fool people, they will just say, if you are so good, then why is your productivity so paltry? How do they answer this question? They cannot, because paltry is paltry, little is little, not much is not much, doesn’t even matter if you are Mr Brown, as zero is zero, all you have is hits not necessarily readers.”
These are really strong words. I mean it really hits like a freight train and it just leaves you reeling for a good 60 min, but after that the world becomes a whole lot clearer.
labrat said
Is this the latest?
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/in-the-name-of-my-father-the-hubris-of-and-faith/
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
The Incredible Dumbness of Being – ‘An Intellectual, An Intellectual, My Kingdom for an Intellectual?’
Of late, I can’t help but ask, whether the scene has actually got alot dumber and shallower.
Am I the only one who is regularly shaking my head and slapping himself blind these days?
Usually this surreal footage of finding myself smack in the incredible dumbness of being occurs whenever I chance across something so incredulous as to stop me dead on my tracks, like: the reasons why gays aren’t allowed pedal their tricycles in a public park. OK someone MAY stop someone, a heated debate MAY ensue – since when is that a logical way to premise anything, let alone an executive decision? Am I missing a step here….a brain perhaps…do I need to brush up on my ESP skills? Because I am really missing huge chunks of the narrative here!
What about this zinger, if there is a gathering, someone MAY throw a stone. Oh no, not a stone please, let it not be The Stone, anything but that! Someone MAY even be rubbed the wrong way….OK…….so while we are at it, a meteorite the size of Hawaii MAY even be barreling towards earth this very minute…so what are you saying? All of us should be hiding in our closet perpetually?
Since when did probabilities assume the basis for certainty even flying in the face of possibilities?
It’s enough to make me wonder whether we are already living in some sort of dystopian nightmare where we have ceased completely to examine the deeper meaning of life – and somewhere in this race to be faster, better and leaner we have even relegated rational discourse to the garbage heap. What happened to deep spirited strip-right-down-to-the-bone debate or good olde fashion, head bone is connected to the neck bone, neck bone is connected to the backbone etc debate, that used to do a decent job of fleshing out issues and driving out gaps in our understanding?
What’s really missing from the modern day narrative? I mean let’s not be fuzzy wuzzy here, for once let’s just pin down that offending sucker by giving it a name and a face!
What did someone just holler? We need more intellectuals? Oh sacred blue…not those pesky lot….no please, not the elites, tolong…….someone please hand me the cyanide pills….hurry up…..
Actually before we pelt these erudite lot to dust (not that we can do any damage with our middle class longans). Let’s just consider why many of us harbor a morbid distrust for everything and everything remotely close to intellectualism.
Much of it, I discovered after auditing by brain had to do with un-learning what’s already being scripted in our heads concerning intellectuality. In practically every definition, ‘intellectuals’ are perceived as ‘trouble makers.’ For one they are impervious to propaganda, indoctrination, and self-deception that simply means in state inspired lingo – they aren’t your off-the-shelve team players. Neither can they be of co-opted by repressive regimes such as the Soviet Union, the Third Reich, and by any other régimes of authoritarian-totalitarian ideology, they’re just stand there spouting out the inconvenient truth: why this or why that doesn’t make any sense.
So it makes perfect sense for even regimes like the US under the Bush administration to elide wholesale the idea of even listening to this erudite group. Usually they are branded as ‘voices from the wilderness’ or any of a host of disparaging terms – the idea is to hopefully render them incoherent and ineffective.
One of the most enduring myths concerning intellectuals is they are toffee noses or aristocrats. Nothing can be further from the truth, John Stuart Mill was a commoner cut from the pavement and if the truth be known ‘intellectuals’ are born into every milieu of society, neither does one have to be a graduate to qualify as one either.
Besides if you speak to someone, why the hell should you even bother where he graduates from or even whether he’s even a graduate – common sense is common sense even if it’s spoken by a street vendor.
One possible reason why the general quality of debate on anything these days is so dismally low as to induce a comatose state flows as a direct function of some ‘lack’ or ‘systematic gap’ within society. Yes, I am sure we can all fill-in-the-blanks and more or less offer our reasons what really behind this lamentable state.
Everything from didactic styled education to an over rigorous policy of silencing dissent may well form the back ground of this sad narrative. Along with the whole idea of the great – ‘if.’ – if, there was a free environment to pursue ideas, then citizens would be empowered with the tools to be curious – if there was such an environment that foster collective competence trust, there would certainly be the taste to engage in the societal debate without any inhibitions. If and if and if etc– I know and so do you, so this is the part, I going to skip and set aside and let’s for one moment just ask ourselves the simple nut and bolt question.
Can we really tolerate a smart Alec? I am not asking you whether you can work with one as much as I am asking whether the whole idea sitting next to one wouldn’t provoke you to smoke and burn silently like an overstressed engine only to explode. Let’s be honest about it, everyone feels intimidated when they have to grapple with their own inferiority complex, me included.
Neither do they (the intellectuals) make life easy for us. You will recognize their swagger easily enough; they never apologize before opening their mouth, so in almost every case, they are almost guaranteed to rub a sizeable segment the wrong way. Neither are they afraid of abstractions or shy away from a full toss go-for-your-neck debate and lastly, they never ever naively think that either you or me hold any thing remotely close to the ‘truth.’
If I had to plumb it, the whole notion of being labeled an intellectual is as good as painting a bull’s eye on your ass and standing in the middle of the padang. It’s bound to get very colorful.
For one the vast majority of us feel the need to even apologize if they want to say anything remotely intelligent. Don’t believe me? Just consider how our vernacular discriminates against intellectuals and their metier.
Exhibit A: the Singlish term, “cheem” – what does it really mean? If anything it exposes our own coquetry and intolerance for anything remotely philosophical, stimulating and dare I say, even intelligent – never mind that philosophy is simply defined as a means of making sense of life. Since the good life for man is the life lived in accordance with his essence, it follows that the good life for man is one that is firmly rooted in an examined existence. And if that doesn’t nail the intellectual.
Exhibit B: The Singlish word “atas,” which roughly translates into “whatever you say is 5 index IQ points above idiot.” And if that’s still not enough to sink the intellectual, that’s also the cue for the village dunce to say, “hey chiat kantang, don’t talk so much!” – that to me is the clincher, that says it all – we loathe intellectuals, don’t we?
So the verdict is clear: it doesn’t pay to flaunt your intelligence – but despite the misgivings of being an intellectual, I am inclined to believe we may need them more than we know it.
The world would be a safer place with their all seeing pineapple eyes and unceasing swan gurgling questions – pastors going around in BMW sports cars would have to think twice or thrice before deciding to venture for a spot of Donald Trump, politicians who keep on saying, “we don’t have a choice,” would be pushed to a corner and held to the task of really earning their keep and corporate hucksters and charlatans who keep telling us the turnaround is just around the corner while they secretly peddle off their stock options on the side, would have to stand in the dock allow these erudite lot to throw custard pie at them.
In an age when we already garner most of the accolades as being world this and world that to even be within the top ten listing of most competitive country, fastest shufflers, most accountable and most unlikely to cook our books or murder our boss – perhaps it’s time to serious cultivate a cadre of world class thinkers to compliment this growing list.
As this shows http://www.infoplease.com/spot/topintellectuals.html we certainly have a long way to go, but if we are really seriously about turning the tide against being incredible dumb in an intelligent age, perhaps it’s just a step that we can’t afford to skip.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”
Nelson Mandela
(By Harphoon, Aurora & Darkness / Sociology / Satire / Politics / Revised from EP90339822AB/ New Codex: 9937728001 EP The Brotherhood Press 2007)
KKP
Darkness said
You know, I cannot tell you what you can or cannot do, but if you do this, then you will make life difficult for us – do you understand?
We have an agreement.
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/the-incredible-dumbness-of-being-being-dumb-in-an-intelligent-age/
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article:
The Really Strange Reasons Why You Write the Thing You Do?
Extract:
“Is that the reason why you write? You haven’t really thought about it, have you? Could it be the ‘act of writing’ is even hardly a matter of choice? Though you seem to do a good job of dressing it up as one – you or shall I say ‘we’, have to write in the way cripples gather beneath the shade of a tree to convince ourselves wheelchairs are scientifically far more efficient than limbs – it doesn’t matter if the lies we tell ourselves turn to mud the very moment when we are confronted with a flight of stairs – we need to write to convince ourselves our existence has the hope of transcending the omnipresent cultural susceptibility to the charms of materialism – you don’t want to be labeled a bimbo, mall rat or lounge lizard and I don’t want to be called a himbo, all muscle and no brain, – above all, we write because we still want to believe we are in control of our destiny. In an age when we are regularly being told character isn’t as important as genetic make up, your helix decides who you will be, a rocket scientist, janitor, hood, taxi driver, circus performer or simply a man who writes the things he does?
Just admit it, let go!”
Click here to read further!
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/11/the-really-strange-reasons-why-you-write-the-things-you-do/
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of New Article:
Strategic Analysis: The Re-Unification of Singapore and Malaysia?
Brief Extract:
“…..throws out the question: Has MM Lee gone senile? Does he really believe for a moment it’s even conceivable for Singapore to re-join Malaysia under favorable terms? What is he really trying to accomplish? Was he obliquely rebuking the Malaysians for being bovine to change? Or, was he voicing out a commonly-held belief that is often voiced by the disenchanted and marginalized minorities in Malaysia? We really have no idea. Having said that, I am reminded politics is a bit like chess. There’s always a cerebral dimension nothing is ever what it seems at face value….”
To read more click here:
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/14/strategic-analysis-the-re-unification-of-singapore-and-malaysia/
KKP
NEW ARTICLE /BP said
Title of Article:
Perils of Living in the Age of Fast – High-Tech vs Low-Tech.
Brief Extract:
“One of the most enduring myths about developing anything successfully is simply this: Pursuing a Space Age high-tech strategy regularly pays out more. That’s just plain bullshit. No one is denying there are certainly firms pursuing a high end strategy and some of them even manage to turn in a respectable return on their investments. But what’s rarely mentioned is simply this: Many of those who were financially and ideologically invested in the hi-tech sector are reluctantly reaching the conclusion that much of what they believed about the New Economy and financial markets was just lousy business sense.
Taking the high road is fraught with considerable risk and all too often one is more likely to end up recounting the onion story – the more one peels, the more one cries only to end up with nothing!”
To read more click here:
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/perils-of-living-in-the-age-of-fast-%e2%80%93-high-tech-vs-low-tech/
KKP
prima delli said
I believe this is the third or fourth time this has happened. We are not able to read the cache and when we google : 99832772014 nothing comes out.
I will really appreciate it if in future ALL articles are posted in FULL here on the IS.
Let use this method for the next 6 months or till the fast search is resolved, which ever comes first.
Sitis said
Excellent, you guys are helping me to make my job easier, while I have been trying my best to put your best interests in my heart using all sorts of ways to try to communicate but still get a one-way traffic like a dumb fool trying to bang my head against the wall. If you don’t like the way I am doing, please be kind enough to tell me straight in the face instead of playing hide and seek and allowing me to make guesses all the time.
I set up the BH Comms for you. You refused to use it. I set up another site for you just so you can communicate, again you refused to use it. I am not an ESP expert that I can read all your minds, the readers’ minds, etc.
Why I imposed an approval for every comment at the WOS site is because I don’t want it to go the way of the IS. There was no control on the comments and resulted in heated arguments, and bad feelings and finally had to close down.
I even set up a back-up site for you, just in case the WOS is forced to close for one reason or another. I also try to keep records of your comments in other blogs, just in case they erase them away like what had happened at the SA, so that you will have records of evidence of what transpired.
As for the Burma thing, I was simply filling up the gaps whenever I sense no new articles coming. Moreover, I think it is a good cause to support. Whether it works or not, does it matter? We are all human beings, aren’t we?
From now on, I will just leave the WOS solely for your articles. I will take out all other peripherals. Would you want me to do that?
I need instructions, if not detailed, at least some general directions as to how you want me to operate, please. As I have repeated so often, I set up that site solely for the Brotherhood Press, not for myself nor anyone else. That is yours. Do it whatever way you want. Just tell me so (PERIOD). Is that clear enough?
If anyone suspects that I have any link with the Council of the Dumb, get that off your head. You must be more dumb than them.
Sitis.
darkness said
sitis,
I would appreciate it, if you can put back everything as it was.
We have established certain communication linkages, we cannot communicate between ourselves without them.
Do you understand?
We must be patient. Very patient. We know.
Thank You.
Sitis said
Yes, sir,
At your command. Right away.
Sitis.
darkness said
Rome was not built in a day. It will take a very long time, brick by brick, road by road, but eventually, we will all reach there, we must remain calm.
darkness said
Sitis,
What others may think, speculate or even imagine is irrelevant. It must be treated as such, otherwise we will get distracted and our focus will be diffused.
Their thought processes cannot be allowed to interfere with our plan.
Let me just share with you our vision. We have marked out a point called X somewhere in the distant future. ALL of us must work towards this point. There is not four, three or two ways to accomplish this, only ONE road and EVERY man knows what is expected of him.
We have to keep hitting this point, again and again. As we do this again and again everything will acquire extraordinary speed and accuracy. Everything will fall into place happily. The rest is not important, it will come and go, but I cannot accomplish this alone.
I cannot stop people from fathoming all sorts of morbid thoughts about the council or whatever bogeyman they may choose to conjure. I can certainly motivate them, but that is really all I can do, so the really meaningful part is for EVERY man on board to know what HIS role is and that way, he too can form up with the rest and all of us will be a very happy family.
I have no right to tell you what to do, but if you aspire to reach the point where X marks the spot, then even you must function as part of this team. We must move as one, not two, three or four and all of us must form up to create a shape that’s not so different from a flock of migratory birds as they transverse the great void.
In this formation EVERY man must know what is expected of him. If the person next to him falls, he cannot stop. He cannot even ask any questions, because as long as there are others who rely on him, he must just keep going.
You are a very important linchpin, do you understand? You are not a spark plug or a even a head lamp so now you understand why you cannot make this kind of unilateral decisions without first confirming it with me before. Again, I am not trying to tell you what you can do, I am only sharing my thoughts with you.
There can be no buts, if’s or however only X marks the spot.
Remain calm.
Darkness.
Sitis said
Darkness,
Thanks a lot for your direction. From now on, without your instructions, I will not change the course or direction. I shall drive on until I collapse, irrespective of whatever obstacles.
Sitis.
labrat said
It’s chilling when you consider how he regularly walks into the hearts and minds of others. It’s just chilling.
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of New Article:
Why It’s Time To Move Beyond Mr Brown.
Brief Excerpt:
“Do you really want to know why Mr Brown is regularly feted and even promoted as the name and face of the blogosphere?
As much as I would like to say Mr Brown represents what’s commonly produced in blogosphere, you know what? He doesn’t and it’s really as simple as that. So what accounts for this entrenched media characterization? After all, there’s certainly no lack of competent bloggers who often do a decent job of Swiss cheesing some prickly topics. Just to name a few: Yawning Bread, Elia Diodati, Aaron Ng and probably a host of others like the Singapore Daily and even the Online Citizen, etc. So why aren’t they given the same air time as Mr Brown?
Does the print media harbor a hidden agenda in it’s insistence that blogosphere = Mr Brown?”
Click here to read the complete version of this article:
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/why-it%e2%80%99s-time-to-move-beyond-mr-brown/
KKP
Sitis said
Dear Readers,
New Article: “When 8 Out of 10, Just Means 8 Our of 10”.
Recently, the editor of ST, Han Fook Kwang proclaimed that a readership survey in April found that 8 in 10 of the paper’s readers polled in face-to-face interviews considered it an ‘important’ or ‘must-read’.
Let’s just press the ‘pause’ button here, stand back and take a closer look, sounds impressive right? Hey 8 out of 10! That’s 80%, 20% short of the full sweep!
That, Mr Han did not elaborate further on was this: What’s the projected growth going to be like in the newsprint industry in the next financial year? What strategy is the board going to implement to realize these financial targets? What sort of market segmentation are they planning to target? What’s the strategy? What would the advertising revenues look like?
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/when-8-out-of-10-just-means-8-out-of-10/#comments
Happy reading.
Sitis.
NEW ARTICLE /BP said
Title of New Article:
Hey! We Should Send A Singaporean To Space As Well?
Brief Extract:
“Space, since time immemorial has always held a hold on me and even today when I switch on the TV to watch a launch of a space craft, it just sends the hair at the back of my neck standing. To those who question whether it even ‘makes sense’ for a third world country like Malaysia to send a man to space. I’ve have to admit finding the ‘why’s’ would be a stretch. After all, space, like caviar, champagne and 40 foot yachts, belong to the stuff one associates with Byzantine sized excesses. For one, almost everything about fails to commensurate with value – it’s a prohibitively expensive enterprise no matter how one chooses to cut it. Even space tourism runs into the millions.
I really don’t know how one is able to argue against the proposition the money would be better spent on education or to help alleviate poverty? I don’t even believe it can be done! Nonetheless, I am inclined to believe that sort of logic only holds true, if you believe everything can be reduced into monetary nuts and bolts ‘sense’.
“Sense,” I have to insist is really in the eye of the beholder. For example: How much is one prepared to put a price on dreams? Even the ones which don’t take off?”
To read the complete article click here:
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/hey-we-should-send-a-singaporean-to-space-as-well/
Brought to you by Kokopop dedicated BP reader.
NEW ARTICLE /BP said
Title of Article:
377A – The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Brief Extract:
“Well, as much as I like to believe the answer to whether 377 should stand or be repealed hinges on placing ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ on the scales of life, nothing can be further from the truth.
In reality, 377 represents the starkest reflection of what it means for a society to come to terms with one reality, “CHANGE”. Any concept that proposes ‘CHANGE’ requires us all to perform one activity – it challenges our pre-existing notions of what really constitutes our known world. To be more specific – it questions the whole idea of ‘Privacy’ against the backdrop of the ‘Public’ sphere. You can even say, it proposes to define this domain – by juxtaposing the question:
What should the ‘Public’ sphere include or exclude?”
To Read The full Article click HERE:
http://whatotherssay.wordpress.com/2007/10/20/377a-%e2%80%93-the-unbearable-lightness-of-being/
primagirl said
“Sitis Says:
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Dear Darkness,
As Observer had previously suggested to me to remember giving the 24 hours’ notice. I am now taking the liberty to give that 24 hours’ notice to the Brotherhood Press that I will be closing down the site in 24 hours’ time.
I am getting fed up of the guessing and cat and mouse game. I wish to go back to my full retirement to enjoy life instead of getting mixed up with all the strange fellows.
In 24 hours’ time, all my sites would be closed to the public, as of now: 22 October, 2007, 2050 hours.
Sitis.
darkness Says:
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:58 pm
We understand, we have already provisioned for such a contingency, thank you Sitis.
Long live the brotherhood!
Darkness”
This says it all in my opinion, better than I can possibly explain in words. “We understand, we have already provisioned for such a contingency, thank you Sitis.”
He cant even be bothered.
primagirl said
Cannot even be bothered, as if what has happened is the most natural thing in this world.
dudu said
They will make sure white is black ,short is long, hard is soft and big is small. Whatever it is, lets agree on one thing: it’s easier to squeeze blood out of the stone, then to get any information regarding their readership. They will just keep on generating so much disinformation that it’s impossible for anyone to even build up a coherent picture.
Why do you think nomads walk in single file? Do you really think, they even care abt the morality of being honest with you?
mika said
Dear Darkness,
May I ask what has happened. I was under the impression a period of 24 hours was given. As I see it, the “what others said” site was shut down almost instantly.
What will happen to the brotherhood press?
I hope that you will step forward and provide us with a road map as how best to move forward.
Many thanks.
Darkness said
Good Afternoon,
I am very sorry if many of you have been inconvenienced.
We will try to get back on-line as soon as possible.
What has happened has happened. As far as, I am concerned – it’s cut and dried.
The matter is already processed and somewhere on it’s way to rubbish tip in my head. We just have to roll with it like we have done so before and manage it so that the impact remains within control.
This entire event was forseeable, so we have long since provisioned systems to deal with it.
The question is whether we will continue? Yes, most definitely, so please stay tuned here, we will play by ear, it will take a while for us to re-organize ourselves again.
I will be meeting some of the boys for a night cycling session this evening – we will certainly discuss, how best to move forward from here.
What will not kill us, will make us stronger.
Happy Reading
Darkness 2007
KOHO said
speed test @ 0901
Dory said
They are here / they did it within their famous 24 hours!
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Click here to read further:
KKP
snoopy said
Why can’t he just die like anyone else?
Why does darkness have to be so different?
volvorianne said
Dear Sir,
All I really care abt is the Brotherhood Press. The rest doesn’t much matter to me. As it’s simply a means of delivering the bread.
I would like to commend Harphoon for the recent 377A write up, it was certainly a very insightful and original angle.
I would like to pose a question to Bambi Bad Boy darkness directly concerning, this new site called, “just stuff” – may I ask whether this is the new brotherhood site? Will we see another repetition of what happened to WOS? What is the relationship of Miss Dotty to the Bro? Is she like Aurora?
Many Thanks. I do hope my questions get an airing. Meanwhile may I thank you all for keeping the ball up in the air despite the slight hiccup.
volvorianne said
In my view, it was incredibly stupid to haven given Bambi Bad Boy an ultimatum, that’s really as good as playing the extinction game where one loads a bullet and say, lets play a game.
The problem is, he will actually play it. We have all seen this bfr.
Personally, I do not blame them.
CEO said
Pls volvogirl, dont make it sound personal. To be honest with you this is the cat and mouse game they (the bro play) in their network.
It goes like this. Mr A wants to him out more abt Mr B. Mr B plays along, only he supplies disinformation i.e wrong statistics, numbers etc. Mr A gets ever confused, Mr B says bye bye.
They have been playing this game for years. I think what is happening in Dotty site is the real thing, because they are linking the site directly with the SLF, the only time, they ever did that with the IS was during the great debate, that means 99.99999% of their readers will come via through this sky bridge.
Makes you wonder why the spent so much time dancing with Sitis, doesn’t it?
CEO said
Besides Darkness is right, you cannot produce and produce and produce and produce and produce without at least getting something back in return.
Lets face it, there isn’t that much to read in the singapore blogo scene.
So if you skip the brotherhood press, what are you reading actually?
Mr Wang takes about one and half minutes, Aaron maybe two at tops and Mr Brown takes 15 seconds. As for Molly Meek, she says the same thing, so if you read one, it all sounds the same!
So if you know better, maybe you can be so kind as to share with me.
Speak as if, we ALL have unlimited choice! That’s simply not true. The Brotherhood knows that only too well.
I just hope the make something out of this!
Boey said
CEO,
What are you saying? Sitis was some kinda of information spy?
buenovistachurchmall said
CEO, this cat and mouse sounds like a very dangerous high stakes game. I am sorry, I am not very street wise, can you explain further please. This time in baby language. Many thanks. I really like to learn as I believe this may hold one of the keys to being a good businessman.
CEO said
BV,
Very simple to make sense of it. During the cold war, the US and USSR were engaged in a nuclear arms race.
Now if you think abt any race, it has alot to do with numerical superiority, but it has nothing to do with real numbers and everything to do with perceived numbers – this is where cat and mouse comes in.
The US played cat and mouse by coming up with this idea known as the “minute man,” the whole idea is they will keep moving one nuclear rocket every minute somewhere in the US, so it’s never a static target.
Now if you do that, then you dont have to be a PHD to realize that everything abt the arms race is reduced to just a giant monitoring machinery.
That’s how the US killed the USSR, they made the latter’s monitoring machine so big and still they didn’t know how many rockets there were – bc they kept moving them.
So they bankrupted themselves by building more and more rockets to fight off an imaginary threat.
That is cat and mouse. I make you run around in circles and I keep you guessing till you go mad.
Darkness just happens to be an expert at the game, he probably developed the math to do roughly the same thing with their readers.
It’s bound to drive any sane person crazy eventually.
CEO said
You have to ask yourself one simple question, why didn’t darkness move the bro-hood communications to WOS, why did he keep it ALL in the IS?
That was a big give away.
Second thing, he was too cool abt it, that’s the other big give away.
I mean if someone told you, your landlord is kicking you out, what would you do? Would you say, thank you very much bye bye, if you didn’t have a plan B all along?
It was cat and mouse, if u cannot see that, you have to be a new reader.
Darkness said
Understand This! I will not bite the hand that feeds me!
Sitis, was good, he did us well and we will always be thankful.
That is all.
We work with whoever wants to work with us – there is never any bad blood.
Even if we part, we part as friends, harsh words may be exchanged, but this will past.
All that remains is fondness, friendship and respect.
You are confusing us with other riff-raffs in the internet.
We are the brotherhood. We always remember those who fill our cups and we welcome them always.
Darkness 2007
Darkness said
You did NOT weaken us, you made us stronger by a factor of maybe 3 to 4.5 times.
For this, I must thank you from the depths of my heart.
Thank You
Darkness 2007
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article:
A New Catch Phrase For The Sign of Our Times -377A
Brief Extract:
“It’s a truism that words migrate because the concepts they connote have also migrated. When the Romans paid their soldiers with salt, not only did they birth the word ‘salary’ but also spawned a whole genre of accretions, such as “the salt of the earth” and “worth his salt.” In both of these instances the words filled a vacuum and managed to sound off successfully against the rhetoric of the age. And just as “Inshallah” found itself transplanted from the battlefields of Iraq to even diplomatic speech these days in Capitol Hill. One wonders will 377A do the same for us? Will it fill a need and even take root in our ‘collective consciousness.’ As a word that describes the hubris between gays and straights, modernity and tradition, rights and rights denied, minority and majority and a host of other competing dichotomies?”
To read the full article click HERE:
http://dotseng.wordpress.com/
KKP
Darkness said
Don’t stop make it more difficult, it will only make us stronger.
Now even our readers are even writing for us!
Now even our men have never ever been more motivated bfr!
Now we have more readership than ever!
Pls don’t stop, when you stop, it ALL stops.
Thank You, Thank You. I Thank You.
You miscalculated. You grow fatter and weaker, we grow stronger. You lose. We win again. I know it is frustrating, but that is how the game is played.
Darkness 2007
force Z said
Darkness knows his moves, otherwise there is no way, he could have survived for so long. Thanks CEO for the explain. I dont quiet understand though. It will be good, if darkness himself chipped in. Thanks, Great site!
CEO said
Force Z,
You are most welcome. Cat & Mouse is very simple to understand, but it is the highest form of RPG strategy, incredibly difficult to execute and in their game, only the best can play it to the hilt, needs a very cool head.
The objective is to make one party expand so much resources till they break down, give up or bankrupt themselves.
Consider this, lets say you have 10 batallion of troops, but If, I force you to spread them out across 500 miles, then it could be said, I have effectively rendered your force incoherent and reduced your offensive capability to a defensive role. I win, you lose.
The problem is how do I get you to spread your forces out across 500 miles? What conditions, do I have to create?
Bear in mind, the gamer who wins is the one who can accomplish this with the least resources avaliable, so strategy is key.
Understand? It can be used for information, terrain, position or anything.
The ultimate game of chess.
CEO said
Play it right and you can literally drive the otherside nuts.
But play it wrongly and you are a dead ducky.
That’s why it’s called cat & mouse.
gtigagala said
OK so cat & mouse is a dangerous game.
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Ville Lumiere – A Parisian Travelogue
October 29th, 2007
“There is a French word which I really like to share with only you this evening. It’s a word that doesn’t lend itself easily to the English translation, “d’epaysement.” A few years ago, I shared a carriage with the Paris Bureau chief for the New York Times, his translation of the word felt just right.
“The feeling of not being assaulted by the familiarity of things, a change in surroundings where there is no immediate point of reference.”
He went on to add, “Most people don’t make it a point to d’epayses, only to end up re-creating a home they once knew in a place away from home….ensuring, they never ever left.”
This is unfortunate, as it’s too true. Although one may even spend years working, living and playing in a country, their unwillingness to d’epayses ensures they never really left home. What I usually find unfortunate is whenever I ask whether they joined the locals at the café for a morning croissant or an evening aperitif, shopped at the outdoor marche, went to the local fete, or people-watched in the place, the answer is invariably, “dowan lah.” They may have had an amazing boat ride on the Seine, but they don’t know the real Paris – one has to make it a point like I mentioned to be depayses – step off the boat and walk around for that sort of knowledge – even perhaps try to get lost.
Until you have really wasted time in a city, you cannot pretend to know it well”
To read the full article click here:
Pls note regular BP readers. BP has moved to Dotty’s site called, “just stuff.”
Happy Reads!
Kokopops
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
NEW ARTICLE / BP Says:
October 30th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Title of Article:
Is Secularism under Siege by Thio?
Brief Extract:
“Recently, Thio Li-Ann published an article entitle, “Secularim, the Singapore Way,” on the 30th Oct 2007, in the Strait Times.
In the article, she puts forward the proposition,
“In Singapore, secularism is useful as a framework to promote co-existence of different religions and belief systems…..however, reading “secularism” in an anti- theistic manner to exclude religious perspectives would no longer be a neutral position.”
To paraphrase, what the author is saying: to exclude religious groups from a discussion of policy may NOT even be democratic, as it only serves to marginalize a segment of society. She goes on to flesh out the proposition, that Singapore may even have such a thing as a “unique” model that doesn’t require the government to maintain as neutral an attitude as possible towards religion when deciding issues concerning the public.
While, I don’t disagree consultation with religious bodies or for that matter the RSPCA does add considerably to the depth of any public debate and can even produce beneficial outcomes.
The question is; whether it’s even desirable for political decisions to be influenced in part by religious beliefs?”
Click here to read the complete article:
KKP
minister said
I am really impressed by the ability to the BP to adapt and overcome. IS followed shortly by WOS and hardly a dent or even more than 12 hours in between. I don’t think it necessary for me to even say keep it up. It will come across as insincere and irrelevant even.
Will you pls allow me to just say, Thank You.
Btw, I believe Darkness has made a good move by opening the ranks to include ladies. This will hopefully bring a softer touch to BP which was previously in short supply.
Have a nice day.
Harvardian said
Darkness,
Brotherhood has many friends. I will spread the word far and wide. Trust me, this time, next year barring any contingencies, it will be at least twice what the Intelligent Singaporean used to be!
Thank you as well.
ike said
If the truth be known, there are no shortages of landing sites for the BP. You people write and people read, somewhere, something gets exchanged, could be trust or even something close to a relationship, but it would be fool hardy to assume nothing passes.
As darkness likes to say, I know life is simple, but it cannot be that simple.
Long Timer said
What Ike said is true and I believe ppl like darkness already knows that in their hearts.
There will always be plenty of landing sites for the BP.
One is never enough!
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
New Article:
Missing The Mark by the Proverbial Mile – A Critique of Janadas Devan.
November 2nd, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Recently, I read with a mixture of disbelief and amazement how senior writer, Janadas Devan wrote about the parliamentary debate concerning S377A in Parliament – the article entitle: “377A debate and the rewriting of pluralism,” was nothing short of a vitriolic attack on NMP Thio Li-Ann’s parliamentary speech. Describing Prof Thio disparagingly as ‘a formidable warrior,’ who represents the ‘moral conservative majority’ – Mr Devan commits the sin of presumption by presupposing Prof Thio is above all a moralist, concerned only with handing out good conduct marks to cautious centrist and awarding failing grade to just about anyone who doesn’t subscribe to her straight jacketed conservative stance – never mind that this is hardly the case.”
Click here to Read More:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
New Article: Are Singaporeans Really Apathetic?
Brief Extract:
“Before we dive into the debate, understand this! Apathy isn’t a disease anymore than perpetual masturbation constitutes a malady, it’s merely symptomatic of a mental disorder, very much in the way, Alzheimer disease causes amnesia – getting the pecking order right allows us to ascribe a sense of scale to the problem. It doesn’t give us the solutions, but it actually allows us to make sense of how the apathy calculus works.
For example, after three shots of vodka, I am not apathetic about fabricating all sorts of tall stories to impress a cute girl in a short skirt. Hwever, I remain terminally apathetic to the prospects of doing the same to a two metric ton auntie even after polishing whole quart of the same. That serves to illustrate my point economically: apathy is a direct function that flows from whether we perceive there is a valence between being engaged and reaping the expected benefits. Or remaining bochap (apathetic) because it’s simply not worth it to pursue a lousy pay out.”
To Read More Click Here:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE/BP said
Title of Article:
Are Singaporeans Really Apathetic? Part II
Brief Extract:
“How is it that people who claim that we either live in an apathetic or engaged society, never ever seem to explain how they derived at this conclusion? Doesn’t it seem incongruous to you whether we are apathetic or engaged ought to be as amenable to investigation like whether the Lochness monster or the Yeti actually exist?
I believe this can be accomplished. However, I don’t believe this can be done by simply asking: are we living in an apathetic society?
That sort of question is bound to produce, the fallacy of faulty generalization.”
To Read Further Click Here:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE/ BP said
Title of Article: The Day After The Press Died
November 15, 2007
Brief Extract:
“The press is dying. Too many authorities have assured it, that its days are numbered, too many good newspapers are languishing. It has lost much public respect. Once venerated as the purveyor of all reason and truth, it looks more like a fevered dinosaur lumbering as an army of bloggers taunt it, no end with insolent jibes – it’s abused relentlessly in blogosphere. Will it be eventually bullied into acquiescing that its demise is inevitable?”
To Read More:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of New Article: When Good Produces No Good
Publication Date: November 20, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Sorry, if this sounds a bit vague and even obscure, but I speed read and one of the after effects of regularly doing so – is only one or two things stay in the mind. While the rest just assumes a huge blur.
Recently, I read somewhere, some Doc (do you notice, it’s always a doctor) in the government doesn’t feel the need to lower the entry level for prospective political candidates because he believes, it would be tantamount to dumbing down the govt. He went on to add it’s important to maintain high standards to ensure that the candidates could withstand the rigors of public scrutiny etc.
Now let’s freeze frame this for a moment and repeat and play again. What really is doctor actually saying?”
To Read The Complete article, Click here!
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article: The Games Elites Play / Part I
Date: November 20, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Damn. I remember somewhere in my averagely miserable campus days, how I used joke about the old boys network. For most of it, I thought the stories were fictions, or at least grossly exaggerated and highly embellished accounts that didn’t really capture the reality of life.
Fast forward a few years and I realized, it’s only too true – the old boys network is everywhere – it’s in industry, churches and even in clubs, where people regularly meet on a weekend to play an innocent game of scramble.”
Click here to read more:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article: Why is Temasek, the Poor Little Rich Girl Everyone Loves to Hate?
November 21, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Singapore’s leaders may not be accustomed to watching their effigies burn on CNN. And yet this was what happened Sept last year. Bearing the full brunt of the public ire was Temasek Holdings. Having taken up a $3.7 billion equity stake in Shin Corp, Thaksin’s flagship Telco firm, Temasek found itself sucked into a political maelstrom.
Recently, Indonesia’s anti-monopoly agency began investigating Temasek when an Indonesian labour union filed a complaint, alleging that Temasek violated anti-monopoly laws – it seems Temasek may have run foul into another political maelstorm again?
What’s really happening here? Is this the curse of Tutankhamen making it’s millennium rounds to this part of the tropics? Why are Singaporean firms like Temasek, so susceptible to the perils of being regularly single out for unnecessary attention? I know, it’s not fair – I even know, there may be no evidence to suggest they should even ‘find fault’ with us in the first place!– in fact there is every evidence to suggest, they may even be irrational, but what really is at the heart of the gripe?”
Click here to read more:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article: The Games Elites Play – Part II
Publication Date: November 24, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Oh yeah, elitism requires an exaction of fear on society.
This naturally leads us to consider; what’s the antidote for fear? Stands to reason, right? If fear predominates, then the group that is able to successfully ameliorate it, is able to garner a cachet of loyal adherents – it’s the standard medicine man, shaman or rain maker con job.
Here the trick takes its cue from medicine, what it cannot cure, it will attempt to alleviate by numbing away the pain. That’s the reason why every order of the elitism needs to deliver an effective means of successfully transforming the history of tragedy into fostering personal growth and salvation – give me 10% of your salary and you will be saved! – keep to the system and the system will keep you!”
To Read More Click Here!
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article: The Games Elites Play – The Final Chapter
Publication Date: November 28, 2007
Brief Extract:
“This is the final chapter in a trilogy – this is also the part where I drop the big one and we end it all with a bang! So lets dive in: What makes elites, elites? That’s to say, why do they do the things, they do? Yes, I know power, influence and position certainly features in this equation – but, what if I told you, elites actually believe they are righteous and even good when they are bashing gays, pulling out nails out of people and generally making life miserable for the rest of us?
That’s to say, they don’t see themselves as bad asses any more than those Moslem fanatics who once hijacked a commercial airliner and ploughed it into the world Trade center saw themselves as evil. Instead they actually believe they’re pure, enlightened and even see the world clearer than you or I….that’s what makes them so dangerous.”
Click here to read more:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article: Can We Afford To Mess Around With The Internet?
Publication Date: November 28, 2007
Brief Extract:
“I am sure it’s all over the grapevine by now – a government committee is out to compile a report on the internet…gulp. As usual, it’s a development that has generated considerable consternation in blogosphere – some have labeled it, simply as yet another attempt to control and regulate the internet, they want nothing to do with it. Others feel real or imagined. This was simply just another ploy designed to cower wayward bloggers to behave or else…… The oblique threat is clear, we live in a world of implications. So now you know the facts of life.”
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KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title of Article: The Terrible Cost of ‘Regulating’ The Internet
Publication Date: November 30, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Why don’t I feel it’s necessary to engage the consultative committee?
The short answer is, by them even obliquely proposing the cure for this state of apparent chaos in the internet can only be brought forth by legislation, they don’t even realize they are doing more harm then good.
Firstly, it demonstrates a lack of understanding for what actually constitutes much of the aggregation which makes up the internet scene: the apparent anarchy which currently exists in the net is merely an artifact of its infancy. It’s the same observable primordial phenomenon that once spawned life on this planet. All organisms eventually undergo a phase of rationalization before doing so, they invariably go through a stage of maturing; convalescing from a state of anarchy to hierarchy, the internet is no exception to this rule!”
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KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title: When Even The “Experts” Can Get It So Very Wrong? Part 1
Publication Date: December 2, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Have you ever asked yourself, why good ideas turn to mud? Remember Shin Corp? Started well, right? Till it all unraveled like the onion story, the more you peel, the more you cry, finally ending up with a big zero. What about the Segway, the machine that was supposed to kill the car? Where’s that great idea now? What! Languishing in theme parks for 10 cents per ride!
What about latest idea of ‘regulating’ the internet? Sounds like a good idea right?…”
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KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title: When Even The ‘Experts’ Can Get It Wrong – Part II
Publication Date: December 4, 2007
Brief Extract:
“I don’t deny the allure of regulating may even promise short term returns, quick fixes and even the panacea of a ‘would be cure all.’ It may even beacon out the murk in the midst of otherwise mind-numbing complexity and diversity: may even be seen to be effective in promoting the ‘right’ behavior, attitude and response ; may even be economical to the enterprise of keeping the MSM in business by ensuring it’s monopoly remains unchallenged.
However to believe for one moment, that all this can be accomplished without recognizing it’s visceral cost is just a travesty of rational reasoning – life simply cannot be that simple. It just cannot…….”
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KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title: When Speed Kills – The Way of The Tortoise
Publish Date: December 7, 2007
Brief Extract:
“SINCE the advent of the industrial revolution, speed and productivity has commanded a premium. Today in the age of globalisation, life has reached a frenetic mind boggling pace. Technology makes it all possible, e-mail on the go, tele-conferencing etc. The pace of work, life and play is imperceptibly ratcheted slightly higher without us really realizing it. I am reminded we can no more return to the quaint cottage industry days, than we can undo the internet. The age of speed is here to stay. But it doesn’t stop us from questioning this new order.>The hamster wheel is an apt pathos of life under this new order. For one it pokes fun at the imperative of speed but it also carries a serious message, one that suggests the future could be closer to dystopia than utopia. What’s the cost to this preoccupation with speed? There’s always a cost. Our sinews, muscles and brain cells can’t keep on getting larger and better to keep up with the culture of speed – surely something must give.”
To Read More Click Here!
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
TITLE OF NEW ARTICLE:Could This Be Why; The Singapore Population is Shrinking? Part I
DATE: December 17, 2007
BRIEF EXTRACT;
“In the early 80’s the trend of forestalling the stork first surfaced predominantly affecting the ranks of professional women (but that was alright. Besides they were all batty and fortunately there wasn’t too many of them. The government even created a spinster happy home to accommodate this erudite lot, called, SPH “Sisters of Perpetual Hesitation.” Neither did it affect the baby bottom line either. In fact, the government saved all the men in Singapore from the purgatory of endless bitching.) Recently on a more disturbing note, we are told even the likes of Sengkang Sally seem to be hanging up their eggs while a chorus of “dowan’s” resound against the backdrop of the heartlands. It’s serious time; is everyone delaying the arrival of the stork? What’s really happening?’
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kkp
NEW ARTCLE/BP said
Title of Article: Could This Be Why; The Singapore Population is Shrinking? Part II
Date: December 18, 2007
Brief Extract:
“Economist only refer to money as in the traditional sense of the word i.e paper money, currency, checks, credit cards, you know the stuff that makes the world go round and that’s where I suspect the calculations may have gone awry straying off the mark. Just as economic theory attempts to explain the abstraction of life by imposing some intellectual order on events and phenomenon, it also means it will always continue to remain blind to the other dimensions of life which defy quantification such as health, peace of mind, quality of life or whether you have the opportunity cost to luxuriate in the privacy of your little room hunching over your computer reading this while picking off dead skin from your big toe.
Nor does the model of Economic Man take into account the phenomenon called “downshifting.” As the word implies, it’s the direct opposite of not having a choice rather it emerges from the full consciousness, one is reconciling a lesser utility or return in exchange for another equivalent utility, only its one that cannot be possibly recognized by the formulaic economic approach.”
Read The Rest Here:
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
TITLE OF ARTICLE: How To Get Ahead of the Pack / Blogging – Part 1
December 25, 2007
BRIEF EXTRACT:
“How long should it take you to write an article in a blog? IMHO, an article should take no more than 20 minutes to write tops. Researching it however is another story and that I believe is where most people run aground. If it takes too much time then it’s just going to cut into your free time – it’s no good. You’re not going to be very productive. You’ve lose the momentum.
What’s the best way of balancing effort with productivity? The key is in getting the basics right….”
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KKP
MERRY X’MAS
TRAVELOGUE / BP / LIVE! said
NEW ARTICLE/BP said
Title: Why You May Not Even Have A Right To Privacy?
Publish Date:January 4, 2008
Brief Extract: “How much do you value your privacy? Did you know Singapore has been rated as “an endemic surveillance society” in survey: The 2007 International Privacy Ranking survey by Privacy International (PI) puts the republic in a category where it scored the worst for privacy protection.
I don’t know about you, but I have been pretty big on privacy ever since I could remember. I am so big on privacy, that’s probably the only reason why I became a prefect in school, it offered me an opportunity to read the newspaper all alone in the perfect’s mess room. This affliction carried through to NS when I gathered that officers in my unit had a right to a wooden partition, it wasn’t really a room, but at least I didn’t have to share a bunk bed with some stranger – yeap, I am big on privacy.”
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KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title: What Ever Happened To Small Is Beautiful?
Release Date: January 5, 2008
Brief Extract: “According to market predictions see here Financial Times and TODAYonline The future belongs very much to big juggernaut firms, well I am sorry. I cannot buy into that logic. Only because if one really takes the trouble to peruse the landscape of winners and losers in the last 4,000 years. Most of the big have gone the way of the dinosaurs – hey, I got news for you, they didn’t half make it – not the Greeks, not even the Roman Empire neither did the Ancient Chinese – the same goes for Communism – remember Enron? What about Arthur Anderson, Worldcom, Panam and so on, the list of the deader than dead goes on and on. Question: Does God reside in the big or small?”
To Read More, Click Here!
KKP
NEW ARTICLE / BP said
Title: NLB + Blogs = History?
Release Date: January 7, 2008
Brief Extract:
“The Czech novelist Milan Kundera once wrote that
‘the struggle of all humanity against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting’.
The powerful not only stay in power, Yes, they regulary write history – you can even say, this is the only kind of history there really is.
Whilst those who seek to preserve ‘history’ may choose to tell you otherwise – even they cannot deny, the ebb and flow of how someone who makes the news today quickly becomes yesterday’s forgotten hero, nothing more than a footnote in a history book.
By now all of you have heard that the NLB has decided to include blogs in it’s historical archives – what do I think about it?
As the adage goes, it’s hardly news, but how important really is history? Why should it even be worthy of perservation?”
To Read More, Click Here:
KKP
Jan 8 / BP said
Title: The Machine That Changed The World – A critique of the (OLPC) One Laptop Per Child project
Release Date: January 8, 2008
Brief Extract: “Recently, during a luncheon I was asked by my host what I thought about the new OLPC, The New York Times.
First touch: Great stuff. Loved the curved edges, reminded of the corn yellowed thermoplastic chairs in McDonalds. Shame about the key board though, what’s wrong with them? Well for starters they are too small. Besides we all know the the Linux-based XO laptop has so many bugs it might as well be christened the bug. From an operating standpoint, the implementation of the technologies is as close as dumber than dumb than you can possibly get…..”
Click here to read more:
KKP
10 Jan / BP said
Title: Why Is The Internet So Like That One? A Study of The Parallel Universe
Release Date: January 10, 2008
Brief Extract:
“I am sure you’ve experience it before. It goes like this: you read, see or hear something in the real world and form an opinion on it. Then you log on only to find the same topic written in an opposite way. It leaves you wondering,
“Hey, did I miss something or what?”
Calm down, you’re not in the “twilight zone,” you’ve just stepped into the “parallel universe.” – the internet.”
To Read Click Here!
KKP
anon said
i currently attend the same institution as shu-min wee and we run in the same social circles. i don’t know much about her but this much i do know… wee shu-min is STILL an ELITIST BITCH
laicf said
Well, his father Wee Siew Kim had started to appear on TV recently.
All forgotten and forgive by his Boss?
ruel said
have this little elite girl ever thought that she is in a little country that lacks any war experience compared to us third-world people who have to fight to survive? better think twice before pissing us off.
Karl said
Its probably a little to harsh, but whatever Shumin said is no doubt reflecting the ethos of any society. When you are past the 40 yo line, your only hinge for status in any society would be your ability to adapt and compete. In a dog eat dog world, complaining isn’t going to work. The best get the jobs. The best get the money. The Best get the good life. The best rule. And meritocracy and “fittest survive” holds true whether you like it or not and egalitarianism doesn’t always do. To call her elitist is just a way for those people to get back on her.
Anyway, this happened ages ago. Hope the guy is feeling better because is really doesn’t make rational sense to feel suicidal.
asdafsad said
Hahah, wonder if this problem exists in other high-flying schools like ACJC,HCI and all. Or is it just a plague that only Rafflesians experience?
ICG said
This is an ICG test signal / interplanetary com-test link is in progress.
Stand by
Intruder said
Pity, Xsukludkujx, your intrusion attempt was blocked.
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[…] at the expense of taxpayers’ money), culminating in the appearance of people such as Wee Shu Min (daughter of MP Wee Siew Kim of AMK GRC) with her infamous statement of “Get out of my elite […]
SJI student said
I am ashamed by such people who claim themselves Singaporeans and mock at fellow Singaporeans. Derek you must persist and get her elitism out of your face. Luckily my school has got us knowing on this fact which would raise awareness of how Singaporeans should choose their future MPs. Such a disgrace to chinese, Wee Shu Min should should continue posting on her apology and how she has grown more useful eyes.
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