Friday, 31 July 2015

Top Ten Unimportant Documents destroyed in Malaysian Police HQ

From the Home Office at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, Here's the Top Ten List!

Top Ten Unimportant Documents Destroyed in the fire at Malaysia Police HQ

#10 Investigation into Anwar's Black Eye (4/10 on the Unimportant Scale)

Thursday, 30 July 2015

Sept 2015?


May 2016.

Sept 2015 is wishful thinking and the projection of impatient minds.

Or these impatient minds could be right.

I doubt it.

Here's one analysis why it is unlikely to be Sept 2015.
I seem to recall that during Budget 2015, it was noted that this year's budget will incur a deficit of about $6b. And there were some programmes that have been extended to 2016 and beyond which means that the 2016 budget will also incur a deficit. But this is fine as the govt has accumulated surpluses over the last few years, and can offset the deficit with those surpluses.
BUT, if the election is before April 2016, parliament will be dissolved and there would be a new government (new parliament) in FY2016, and there would be NO surpluses to offset the budget deficit. 
If there is a planned deficit for the FY2016 budget, then the GE cannot be before April 2016.

BUT, I could be wrong.

[Edit/Afternote (6 Aug) : Then Minister for Transport announced fare decrease of 1.9% at the end of the year, and the opening of 12 stations on the Downtown Line 2 on Dec 27. 

And it is seemingly more certain that Sept 2015 is not going to be elections.

Still thinks it will be May 2016.]

Thursday, 16 July 2015

I had a Dream -

So I dreamt that Attention-Seeking Banana Boy (ASBB) read about how Singaporeans rallied to the side of the teenager on the train who was being bullied by an Angmo. That teenager was wearing a t-shirt. "I'm Fucking Special", it declared.

The Angmo apparently disagreed, perhaps because as an Angmo he felt HE was the fucking special one.

(Oh, this post is unlike my usual posts and will feature "fuck" or "fucking" throughout. If this word causes you to flashback to relive the last time you fucked and the unpleasantness that ensued, you should probably stop reading. If you object to the word for religious reasons, this is not a place of worship, and this is not holy scripture. If you object to your young children reading this word, this blog is not meant for small children... or big babies. If you do not like the word, because it reminds you that you are a 40-year-old virgin, there's Geylang. But really, that is none of my business. If you object to the word because you think it's crude and has no place in public discourse, you're THAT Angmo from the train, right?

Anyway, my dreams are rated M, so consider yourself warned. Or advised.)

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

PAP's strategy revisited (or why I am not PAP election strategist).

Previously, I had suggested that PAP should pull out of Opposition-held wards unless they have a candidate (or candidates) who are passionate about that SMC/GRC and believe that they can win the ground.

Now, PAP  has once again proven that they are the world's worst politicians.  Take the recent statement about PAP's strategy in Aljunied:
In case you are a PAP politician, let me explain what that translates to for the Aljunied Electorate

1) "We're not wasting our Ministerial talents on your ward."
2) "We don't think we will have a good chance to win anyway."
3) "So you will get people we can afford to lose, or don't feel too bad about losing or not having as MPs. Why yes, you can call them 'losers'."
4) "And yes, what is most important to the PAP is OUR plans and how we can use the electoral process to get what WE want (potential office-holder)".

So if you are an Aljunied voter who is undecided or leaning towards the Opposition, would the above unintended message persuade you to change your mind?

The PAP has once again shown that when it comes to politics, they are guileless communicators. They say exactly what they think and they don't think about how they come across. (As Exhibit A, I present Tan Chuan Jin and his comment about "cardboard collectors").

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Hot, Flat & Crowded - highlights

From a review and summary of the book by Thomas Friedman, taken (with permission) from a note on Facebook.
Hot, Flat & Crowded is a book by Thomas Friedman who, as a book reviewer notes, "is a journalist, and journalists needs editors, and this book needs serious editing. It's 400 pages of small type. There's a 220 page book in here somewhere, struggling to get out."
This is not that 220-page book, but the highlights of the book.

First some explanations of the title.

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Finally, a comment on Amos I can agree with

From a FB comment:
I feel sorry for Amos because he was poorly advised, and poorly influenced, and was ultimately used by people. 
His lawyer (actually most lawyers) don't understand probation. Yes, for some offences, you would want to studiously avoid a criminal record - sex offences, violent crimes, and crimes that suggests a lack of personal integrity, or a weakness of character. Then yes, it makes sense to go through a year of more of probation to ensure those records never exist. For this "offence", his interests would have been best served by taking the few weeks jail and that would be the end of it.

Monday, 6 July 2015

Why Tolerance is Intolerable.

From a Facebook Note:
Why Tolerance is Intolerable (A comment on a message of tolerance to LGBT) 
24 June 2015 
When one's position is informed by values, tolerance of other positions informed by other values, is intolerable.
Why? Because if you believe in the One True God, then what of other believers of other faiths? Obviously their gods are false. Then how can one tolerate those of other faiths? 
Obviously only in a patronising way. Not necessarily overtly patronising. But in your heart of hearts, you KNOW you are the follower of the One True God (OTG, reg'd trademark), and those of other faiths are obviously wrong, deluded, and hell-bound.
How else can you tolerate them except with the Knowledge that they are wrong, but you have to keep your mouth shut because, hey - multi-culti, diverse and fruity, let's all just get along or the ISD will get you for sedition? 

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Weaning Singaporeans off their cars

There was this article on the Straits Times about how to wean Singaporeans off their cars.

It was not a very good article. It was basically suggesting that Singapore introduces Trams... because "Trams are the number one means of public transport in Leipzig."

Anytime you read something that is basically gushing over something that works very well in some setting and suggests it be adopted by SG without considering the factors why it works very well over there... you have a dumb article.

Extract from the online comment:
Trams? Old tech. And like the MRT, if a tram breaks down, the next one cannot move because they are on the same track. I've seen this in Melbourne.
Trams need either powerlines or tracks or both. It means fixed infrastructures and that means inflexible application. Trams are old tech. Quaint, but may not be relevant or appropriate to Singapore..
The "Trams" of the future will be driverless/ autonomous "trams" that do not need to run on tracks. This gives them greater flexibility in application and deployment.
Subsequently, in a flurry of for and against letters to the forum page, writer after writer wrote in defence and attack of the proposal to "wean" Singaporeans off cars.