Jun 28

• Catch me if you can!

  from Sheep City

• Citizen Accountability in Practice

  from Words of the Lionheart

• Should homosexuals be allowed to teach?

  from theonlinecitizen

• UNSW Singapore Campus Doomed To Fail

  from SingaporeSurf

• Landed properties should not be priced out of Singaporeans’…

  from nofearSingapore

• Singapore Takes On Dengue Fever, But Victory Is Not…

  from SingaporeSurf

• Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon…

  from Simple is the Reason of My Heart

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Jun 26

• Homosexuality as a “disorder”: classification denies…

  from theonlinecitizen

• Mur’s Immanence

  from A Xeno Boy in Sg

• How To Be A Good Teacher

  from Stressed Teacher

• Politics of Money II – A Reply I thank all commen…

  from Singapore Politics

• Thoughts And The Reality of Pets & Children

  from Mr Wang Says So

• CPF : Uniquely Singapore, F1 or F9?

  from theonlinecitizen

• How is the ex?

  from nofearSingapore

Here’s The World. Take it! – How Successful People Really Think.

THERE’S a story – two salesmen who were sent to the African continent during the 1800’s to sell shoes – the first after spending a period in the Ivory Coast telegrammed the London head office and sent the following message,

“All of them are barefooted here! No point. I am coming back home.”

The other sent the following message,

“All of them are barefooted here, fantastic! Send as many shoes as you can!”

This story embodies a mystery, “what does it take to have good business judgment?”

There are some obvious hallmarks that we all associated with those who have good business sense – firstly, they can all navigate themselves out of sticky situations and all of them seem to have the maturity to remain unflustered when the shit hits the fan. Nothing ever seems to derail their sense of confidence and surefootedness. These winners also seem to have a keen nose for spotting opportunities which usually. When push comes to shove, they all have this uncanny ability to anticipate their competitor’s next move – right down to the minuteness detail.

It raises the question: what does good business acumen actually consist of? Does it have something to do with taking action? Following that mythical line called gut feel, intuition or does it have more to do with just plain good olde luck?

Can I or you develop good business acumen?

Jun 24

• ‘Sleepers’ in Singapore….

  from Diary of A Singaporean Mind

• Another day another charity scandal….

  from Diary of A Singaporean Mind

• Should Taiwan Follow Singapore?

  from SingaporeSurf

• Keep elderly from flying S’pore coop

  from Siew Kum Hong

• Selling INto Strength

  from SingaporeSurf

• SINGAPORE: ‘Light touch’ on new media, but government…

  from AsiaMedia Southeast Asia News

• Guiding oldsters on proper Straits Times use

  from ringisei

• Making most of university

  from Hear ye! Hear ye!

• Something I can never have

  from Sheep City

• Circum-scription: On Cut Citizens

  from To Fix a Mocking Peasant

• Scrutinizing Singapore

  from Singabloodypore

• The Politics of Money

  from Singapore Politics

Yes! You can have welfare in Singapore!

Mohd Arif, 32, works as a technician and takes home $2200. He hardly saves and needs to support his three children at home. His wife, a production operator helps out but brings home only $900 a month. Below the median family income of about $5400, life is harsh. Things could easily get more depressing if you find out that after July 2007, your consumption will be taxed 2% higher.

The year 2007 will be remembered by the blogosphere as the one in which Singapore ministers declared a 32.5% salary increase for themselves from about $1.2 million to about $1.6 million. It is also a year where the good and services tax will be raised from 5% to 7%.  Clearly, declaring a tax increase and granting senior government servants a large pay increase in the same year has ruffled the feathers of many citizens, the most vocal being the bloggers in the Internet. The political capital expended in these initiatives is clearly a heavy one and only time will tell if this decision will impact the people’s support for the government in the years to come.

HAL, You’ve Been Invited for Tea! – A Singaporean Odyssey

“I have no hesitation in thinking that a machine can be just as intelligent and just as real as a person, in principle.”

– Professor Rodney Brooks, Director, MIT (AI)

Since the advent of the computer age, automated systems have featured increasingly in every facet of work, life and play. Millions of commercial airliners take off and land safely every year managed wholly by fail proof navigation computers. Traffic lights change colors faultlessly managed by computers to ensure optimum traffic flow. Products and services are manufactured, warehoused, shipped and tracked by computers with hardly a glitch. Computers are also friendly always adopting that smooth and confident voice even when we take the wrong turn while navigating with our GPS. They don’t bitch, complain or gripe – they just hum along – excepting for what we are, warts and all.

It’s enough for me to ask the question: Do we really need human politicians to run Singapore these days? Why don’t we just replace them with high intelligent computers like HAL? You know who HAL is – don’t you? We even have one unit here, in the Intelligent Singaporean and he manages all our communications and even takes care of security along with a thousand other task – HAL’s, the quintessential fail proof, butler, chess savant, wizard extraordinaire all rolled up into a clean, efficient and uncomplaining peak performer – summarized in his own words in the 60’s sci-fi flick by Kubrick in 2001, Space Odyssey “By every practical definition, we are incapable of error!” Just to prove my point, allow me to demonstrate, why I think, it would be a good idea for PAP to consider recruiting HAL as their next parliamentarian:

Still think humans are up to the job? What do you say?

When History just isn’t your History – The “Rosetta” Project.

HAVE you ever wondered: why politicians, corporate and even religious leaders rewrite history? Tell me now. Did the Singapore government ever pursue a eugenics program? Was the Shin Corp fiasco entirely the fault of the irrational Thai junta? Were the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus?

See what I mean: the path that leads down to history invariably ends up in a hall of mirrors. Do we really value the truth enough to ensure history remains accurate and a reflection of what really happened? After all the Christians like to say, only “the truth has the power to set you free!” Really? Well on first impressions anyone might be forgiven for assuming that we don’t really care much about the truth and bother even less for those who may choose to regularly gut out reality and substitute it for their own version of the truth. I am serious!

Just look at literature, if you don’t believe me. Did you know, Moby Dick was originally a novel about the serial killing walrus with had a penchant for human meat. Had Melville not switched the titular beast for an albino whale, the yarn might have languished in obscurity today, forgotten by all but a few ardent environmental fundamentalist. Yes re-writing history does serve a purpose: it offers a convenient way of rehashing and re-packaging reality to remain relevant with prevailing times. That’s to say, it’s often re-constituted like potato crisp to make it more palatable for mass consumption. After all didn’t you know the truth kills? What if politicians and corporate honcho’s bare their souls and tell us they have just as much control over the economy as a butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo? Where would we be? How would this revelation sit alongside our notions of power and politics? Truth remains, if we really care to take a long look around these days, everyone is into the business of rehashing history – novelist are the worst, often passing off the old as new. Musicians are just contrite, continually lending their own swagger to old scripts and historians are shambolic. Since they keep telling us, “actually this wasn’t what really happened!” while furiously cutting and pasting huge chunks of events which they regularly pass off as humanity’s on going disquisitions Though these erudite lot continue to insist they are merely – “rediscovering” instead of “rewriting history.” How justifiable is this form of tweaking? Does it really add any value to our understanding of the truth? Or is it just plain self-serving white washing?

Jun 21

• Land of milk and money – and the politics of envy

  from theonlinecitizen

• Hard truth

  from Trisha Reloaded

• Singapore should consider Creative Commons

  from Simple is the Reason of My Heart

• How To Avoid The ‘D’-Grade.

  from Stressed Teacher

• Much Ado about the “New Media”

  from Winter Is Coming

• Vision of the Future, Part Two

  from Words of the Lionheart

• Two Messages About Terrorism In Singapore

  from THINK HAPPINESS

• MHA Response: Abdul Basheer Case

  from THINK HAPPINESS

• Uniquely Singapore – F1 or F9? Our charity sector

  from theonlinecitizen

An Eye on the Future of The Singapore Blogging Scene / A Brotherhood Perspective

THIS is a recent interview conducted between J. Kompf and Darkness. Key developments in the Singaporean blogging scene will be discussed: growth factors, trajectory, direction and the various pull and push forces that will play a role in to shaping the eventual form and texture of the blogosphere.

Factors such as commercialization, business opportunities and the scope for creativity and innovation will also be discussed. Alongside these discourses an in depth comparative analysis between the MSM and blogosphere will also be examined – along with other issues, such as; the role of bloggers – their relevance – readership trends – content development etc.

Readers both new and old will also be able to gain an appreciation of the Brotherhood Press as it serves to clarify much of the philosophy, goals and common misconceptions.

Brief excerpt of interview “on the future of the blogging scene in Singapore.”

Searching for a Place called Home – The Return

HAVE you ever asked where home is? No. I am not asking geographically. I know precisely where Singapore is: 01º 22′ N, 103º 48′ E. A tiny sliver of land immediately north of the equator positioned just off the southern edge of the Malay Peninsula between Malaysia and Indonesia.

I am asking in a philosophical sense,

“Where really is home in your heart?”

Against the backdrop of a globalization, more and more Singaporeans are finding themselves working abroad these days. This brings into sharp focus, the need to look deeper into what really constitutes loyalty and citizenry in the context of the question –where is home? Along side this goal there is also a plan to increase the population of Singapore to 6.5 million – how does this sit with the whole notion of nationhood? What notions would be conflated by the need to forge a national identity and shared destiny? Can this be reasonably accomplished? And more importantly how does this all add up to call our tiny dot – home?

Jun 19

• Lack of Critical Thinking Not Internet is the Problem

  from Simple is the Reason of My Heart

• Enemy at the gates

  from Sheep City

• Don’t be afraid to tell the truth

  from Hear ye! Hear ye!

• Everyone was looking ….. and nobody was helping

  from nofearSingapore

• Half Alfian, Half Singaporean

  from A Xeno Boy in Sg

• China launches successful anti-piracy program against…

  from Imagethief : Singapore

• Excuse me, are you an elite?

  from takchek (读书)

• National Education: Do You Have That Sense of Belonging?

  from Stressed Teacher

• Latest “terrorist” detentions: Some questions

  from Singapore Patriot

Weekend (Jun 15/16)

• Civil Service should be Upfront and Open

  from Simple is the Reason of My Heart

• Singapore, Research Hub? A Critical view

  from e pur si muove

• Modern Slavery: An Inconvenient Truth

  from nofearSingapore

• MediaCorp bags 27 medals in obscure (but very prestigious)…

  from Singapore Donkey

• Thank you China for trying to stop people from thinking…

  from URBANRANT – Musings and rants on life in Singapo

• Miscellaneous Rambles By Mr Wang

  from Mr Wang Says So

• Nobility through oblivion

  from aidilomar.com

• Funny things about Singaporean men

  from Hear ye! Hear ye!

• NSmen insurance, Singaporeans 1st & other issues…..

  from Diary of A Singaporean Mind

• Anger On The Campus Of Despair

  from SingaporeSurf

• Myths and misconceptions about pursuing high growth…

  from theonlinecitizen