The Singapore Daily

“[National History] is something more than a tool of national indoctrination or political mobilisation, historical consciousness is a common identity that belongs to the individual.”
Findmuck

“Our glory days are truly behind us.”
Khairulanwar Zaini

“It’s time to say thanks but no thanks to censorship. It’s time to let me decide”
Let me decide

“Let me express my right to freedom of expression and make a fair comment. I think you are a cruel soulless son of a bitch.”
Sam Ho

This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break.
More »

July 31st, 2010 | Category: Weekly Roundup | Leave a comment

Twilight in paradise
- Sam’s thoughts: Caught in a Bad Romance: The day Lee Kuan Yew gutted me
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: MM Lee : Never Retire & the Intellectual Class.
- The Asia File: Elderly Lee Kuan Yew offers to take pay cut
- Singapore Notes: Signs Of Senility
- Feed Me To The Fish: Chui Kong Lumpar Song!
- My sketchbook: No retirement age in Singapore

The Gospel of Harry
- Under The Willow Tree: Lee Kuan Yew’s “Intellectual Class” will Run Singapore Into the Ground
- TOC: Lee Kuan Yew – a sad sight indeed

YOG
- The Temasek Review: Slovak YOG Ambassador Danka Bartekova writes to TR
- TOC: Upset S’porean writes to SSC, slams YOG
- Vinyarb: CNA poll on YOG

Housing Singaporeans
- flaneurose: When will housing prices return to ‘normal’?

Singaporeans are fed, up with progress!
- TOC: Why I do not like high GDP growth

Religion
- Barnyard Chorus: International Burn A Koran Day

Daily Discourse
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Singaporeans’ national duty: buy women from abroad
- ST Forum: Seeking excellence – but at what cost?

Life, the universe and everything
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Singapore’s 40 richest compared with the rest
- For Want of a Better Title: Formula for Dividing Matrimonial Assets

Infoblogoramus
- The Substation: The Substation Love Letters Project #2 (August) – Elangovan [Facebook]

Selected News Stories
- Forbes: Singapore’s 40 Wealthiest
- BBC: Fixed retirement age to be axed
- Guardian: Compulsory retirement at 65 to be phased out
- NYT: Job Training Alone Doesn’t Create Jobs
- The Asia Mag: Malaysia’s Imam Idol – Gimmick or Good Thing?
- NYT Room for Debate: Should Internet Gambling Be Legalized?
- SMH Drive: Hyundai Releases Equus Details
- SMH Drive: First drive: New Mercedes-Benz ‘Gullwing’
- lookout: Introducing the App Genome Project
- Idiagram: The Art of Complex Problem Solving
- NYT: Panorama: Inside the Supreme Court

July 30th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

Shiori Kanzaki 神崎詩織 was born in September 22, 1987. She is the Best known for her role of Yuka Sanada in the 2004 TV show The Justirisers. Shiori has also dabbled in a variety of trades in front of the camera. Beyond her film acting work, which includes productions such as Bayside Shakedown 2 (2003), Kanazaki has appeared in a variety of plays, such as an adaptation of Little Women, commercials and a brief stint as a model. Pictures from her photobook Bookmark and recent magazine features after the break.

More »

July 30th, 2010 | Category: Daily ChioBu | Leave a comment

We are against capital punishment
- TOC: High Court reserves judgement on judicial review application
- Jacob 69er: {Video} Give Vui Kong A Second Chance, 1st Aug (Sun), 4pm – 6pm, Speakers Corner
- TOC: Legal charges threat to freedom of expression: HRW

Twilight in paradise
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: No retirement age
- Fit to Post: There should be no retirement age for S’pore: MM Lee

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- Article 14: S.35 of the Films Act is Unconstitutional

Alan Shadrake charged for Jolly Hangman
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Alan Shadrake accused of contempt of court..

The Great Flood of Singapore
- The Lycan Times: Floods & Engineering

Healthcare & Healthcare Providers
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Bed crunch continues even as new hospital opens
- TOC: Medisave – pay up or be charged?

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Lost in Singapore: National Day and 100,000 Foreigners

Singaporeans are fed, up with progress!
- Furry Brown Dog: The dual economy of Singapore

Re education
- guanyinmiao’s musings: The Community Engagement Programme (CEP): An Exercise In Futility?

YOG
- The Temasek Review: Slovak YOG Ambassador slams Singapore’s YOG venues of “school standard” only

2010 National Day
- Abdillah Zamzuri: Live Our Dreams, Fly Our Flag

Daily Discourse
- Singaporean Skeptic: Hong Kongers fight to preserve their culture.
- ST Forum: Police and ambulance slow to respond to accident
- ST Forum: Issuing summonses does not help residents.

Life, the universe and everything
- Under The Willow Tree: Singapore Economy Would Suffer if China Property Boom Collapses
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Singapore download speed below global average
- Open Contours: The Broken Cabinet
- Pinyin.info: Why Chinese Is So Damn Hard [via Balderdash]

Infoblogoramus
- The Substation Theatre: Local music – Industrial: “Strobe Like A Butterfly” (FREE ADMISSION) [Facebook]
- Gerald Giam: My new book: Singapore version 2.0

Selected News Stories
- BBC: Wealthy Chinese flock to the West
- NYT: As English Spreads, Indonesians Fear for Their Language
- The Telegraph: Jim Rogers predicts a new recession in 2012
- NYT: Five Omens for China’s Future
- Reuters: Jobs, professions influence cause of death: study
- Chicago Tribune: Wired and tired
- SMH Drive: Audi reveals new A7 ‘coupe’
- Guardian: London 2012 Olympics: new pictures of the site with two years to go [pictures]

July 29th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

The Great Flood of Singapore
- The Kent Ridge Common: Flooding woes – the critical cause of poor soil quality
- New Asia Republic: Looking at Orchard River through a broken window

Countdown to Elections
- The Temasek Review: Desmond Lim barred from meeting Potong Pasir residents

Alan Shadrake charged for Jolly Hangman
- Balderdash: Improving your country’s reputation for fun and profit
- Asia Times Online: Shooting the messenger in Singapore

We are against capital punishment
- funny little world: Have you signed?

YOG
- TOC: Press Muse – Ivory tower irony in last-gasp YOG pitch
- Klik.tv: Ris Low We Will Rock You Boom Boom Pow Remix [Thanks izreloaded]

Blueprint for a sin city
- Covered in his blood: Of casinos, birds, bees and honey [Thanks Paul]

Kong Hee Doing The Ming Yi
- The Logical Christian: The Anti-Prosperity Hypocrite

Daily Discourse
- Irreligious: Comment on Joseph Prince’s father not ill-judged
- Everything Also Complain: Often-drunk Sikh priest
- Singapore Notes: Dastardly Journalism
- TOC: London’s history, Singapore’s future?

Life, the universe and everything
- Singapore and beyond: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Selected News Stories
- WSJ: Manufacturing growth slows sharply in Singapore
- AP CP: Romanian ex diplomat accused of hit-and-run killing in Singapore claims he was set up
- Malay Mail: ‘No’ to foreign-born athletes for Malaysia
- NYT: A Victory for Writing
- The Star: Are conglomerates good or bad?
- Guardian: Afghanistan war logs: Massive leak of secret files exposes truth of occupation
- BBC: ‘Hidden US Afghan war details’ revealed by Wikileaks
- New Scientist: How Wikileaks became a whistleblowers’ haven
- SMH Drive: VW launches Mazda6 fighter
- OCW: Buying Guide : Which Singapore telco offers the best iphone 4 price and package?

July 28th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

Housing Singaporeans
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: MBT : There is IMBALANCE in the Market!
- Siew Kum Hong: The “market” as deus ex machina (or, The Scapegoat For Rising Housing Prices and Other Inconvenient Realities)
- Under The Willow Tree: Mah Bow Tan is Either Disingenuous, or Stupid
- Mr Wang Says So: The Little Story of One HDB Flat
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Selling a HDB flat

Countdown to Elections
- New Asia Republic’s workshop on General Election Blogging and the Law: Peter Low on GE Blogging [Thanks Donaldson]
- Singapore Notes: Their Dreams, Our Nightmares
- The Temasek Review: Proposed strategem for the Reform Party in the next 10 years
- Keep Me Safe While I Sleep: Is the PAP for or against us?
- New Asia Republic’s Photos: SPP Ordinary Party Conference 2010 (25 Jul 2010, 3pm to 7pm)

We are against capital punishment
- New Asia Republic: Road justice beyond doubt..
- funny little world: Give Vui Kong another chance!
- Lianain Films: The Good Fight
- TOC: SADPC & TOC to take to Speakers’ Corner – 1 August

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- LET ME DECIDE: Time to say thanks but no thanks [Thanks AE]
- Moving Higher In Souped-up Heuristically Agon Moment: Let Me Decide – Mr Lee Kuan Yew Agrees With You

Singaporeans are fed, up with progress!
- TOC: Fastest growing economy – what about jobs and wages? (Part 2)
- Yours Truly Singapore: Singapore’s well-being goes far beyond GDP

The Great Flood of Singapore
- TOC: Floods and politicking – which hits worse?
- Thetwophilo’s Blog: The Great Singapore Flood – a case of ponding [Thanks George]

re education
- guanyinmiao’s musings: The Ministry Of Education’s (MOE) Delayed Move Forward
- ST Forum: Exam-focused parents leading kids astray

Strangers in a Strange Land
- TOC: Employers bear brunt of unnecessary foreign worker levy hike

Little green dot
- Green Drinks Singapore: Citibank pulls sharkfin promotion

Daily Discourse
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Efforts to control motor insurance claims
- Loh and Behold: Irresponsible Journalism
- Singapore Dino: Wikileaks’ Afghan expose and Singapore’s excessive secrecy
- Lost in Singapore: ‘Fuck’ Really Such A Bad Word?

Life, the universe and everything
- New Asia Republic: China’s Mekong diplomatic offensive
- deadpris: Singapore Vehicles Not Allowed to Pump Ron 95 in Malaysia
- Small steps for Social PR: Some interesting facts about Singapore
- VR-Zone: HWZ forum may not be really busy!!!

Selected News Stories
- Bloomberg: Singapore’s Output Rises at Slowest Pace Since February as Demand Cools
- MarketWatch: 2010 Lexus GX460
- Reuters: Queen’s photos go online at Flickr
- The Frame: Farnborough International Airshow [large photos]

Starcraft II is finally here!

July 27th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

The Great Flood of Singapore
- The Mind Game: ST cunning in the front-page flood
- Everything Also Complain: Orchard Road sandbags
- ST Forum: Has train tunnelling played a part?
- The Star: Oh, for a dip in Orchard River
- My sinchew: Singapore flood risk alarms insurers: report

Housing Singaporeans
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: HDB prices hit new high!
- Under The Willow Tree: HDB Unaffordability Exposes Economic Policy Failures – Housing Bubble to Grow and Pop
- Blowin’ In The Wind: HDB flats: Selling how much above valuation where?
- TOC: Helping the needy – Mr Koh replies
- My sketchbook: Welcome to my party

Alan Shadrake charged for Jolly Hangman
- TOC: I am not going to be cowed: Alan Shadrake (Updated)
- Singapore Notes: Is Shadrake Doing Us A Favour?
- TOC: Review : Once A Jolly Hangman

Countdown to Elections
- TOC: Political pokerplay: the government’s gamble
- Gerald Giam: My interview on Yahoo! Fit to Post
- funny little world: What, are we Communists now?

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Blowin’ In The Wind: How many Indians, Chinese, Malays and people of other races in Singapore’s total population?
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: How to fight human trafficking: Ban the term ‘sex work’
- The Rot Within: Surprising Statistics

re education
- ST Forum: ..we must review a range of value, motivation and reward systems.
- ST Forum: Abolishing Exam Culture

YOG
- Sex sells, so does Politics: Please pay $188 and help us evaluate the YOG Village

Religion
- guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Obsession With Our Divides and Fault-lines

Daily Discourse
- TOC: Next Gen broadband system may not be for next generation S’poreans
- Chemical Generation Singapore: CAD and COC Move On… to Others
- The Mind Game: Makers and Keepers of History (Pessimism and idealism)
- TOC: The Dunno Cartoons (Updated)

Life, the universe and everything
- Open Contours: Terror and Beauty

Infoblogoramus
- Carpe Diem: Party Against Poverty III @ Timbre @ The Substation
- TOC: Civic Life project announces short-film competition
- loozihan 罗子涵: Aemaer @ 7th Singapore Short Cuts, National Museum of Singapore

Selected News Stories
- Bloomberg: Singapore’s Consumer Prices Rise a Sixth Month on Transport, Housing Costs

July 26th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

“The stupid decision would be to try (and fail) to ban it.”
Au Waipang

“If they do anything, it’ll just draw more attention to it all, and they have no defence.”
Alan Shadrake

“Silently the people respond to the economic and social realities with slow suicide: Total Fertility Rate of 1.22.”
PengYou

“Reasons must be given for the Orchard Road flood. But only real ones, please.”
Christopher Ong

“The Web in itself cannot effect major political change. It doesn’t level a uneven political playing field. It doesn’t negate martial power. It is blind, lending its potential to the orthodox and the radical.”
Spiegel

This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break.
More »

July 24th, 2010 | Category: Weekly Roundup | Leave a comment

The Great Flood of Singapore
- Siew Kum Hong: More on 50-year floods
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Floods : Singaporeans want answers!
- Molitics: Freak Events and A Prayer
- Yours Toothfully: Your Problem, Small Problem
- Critical Piece of Shit: Thought of the day
- The Temasek Review: What are the KPIs for the Environment Ministry in flood prevention?
- Lost in Singapore: MM Lee Said God is to be Blamed, Not PAP
- Feed Me To The Fish: Now it’s God’s fault?
- My view on things: Marina Barrage causes the Flood?
- Singapore Sojourn: Up The Creek Without A Paddle
- Saint-Marce: Of Singapore government and recent floods
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Outsourcing of public works
- Mark Lim: Flood-Prone Areas in Singapore

Alan Shadrake Arrested for Jolly Hangman
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Shadrake faces heavy silencing hand, part 2
- TOC: Radio Australia speaks to James Gomez on Shadrake
- Singapore Notes: Catch The Lie Here

We are against capital punishment
- TOC: Save Vui Kong Campaign kicks off in Sabah

Countdown to Elections
- TOC: Oh what a tangled Web

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- Ravi Philemon: MDA gives a non-answer for my query on Dr Lim Hock Siew

ERPains, Trains & Automobiles
- Fit to Post: Are MRTs really that overcrowded?

Singaporeans are fed, up with progress!
- ST Forum: GDP does not reflect standard of living fully
- ST Forum: Rethink ‘liveability’ in S’pore

Strangers in a Strange Land
- funny little world: 100,000 more people coming your way!
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Singapore emigration and immigration compared with other countries

YOG
- Everything Also Complain: Olympic rings not eye catching
- ST Forum: Unnecessary traffic disruption

National Service
- The Singapore Sports Fan Says: Matthew Goh could have been a potential bronze medallist at the IAAF World Juniors [Thanks SSF]

Daily Discourse
- New Asia Republic: Moral hazards of modern banking (part 2 of 2)
- FOOD fuels me to talk: Hey Minister, ever tried being a beggar?
- Balderdash: Seemingly the duty of a DPP is to press for the maximum sentence possible – regardless of the merits of a case

Life, the universe and everything
- EcoWalktheTalk: Part 1: How to compost at home – using container pots [Thanks Bhavani]
- Loyalty is Orange: The Orenji Headlines: Bye bye Onemanga, Hello Mangafox

Selected News Stories
- Reuters: Asia’s budding bankers no longer feel need to go West
- NYT: Cantonese, Please
- SMH: 2010 Calendar of new car releases
- Guardian: Football: New kits for the 2010/11 season
- CrackTwo: Celebrities who Look Similar (92 pics)

July 23rd, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

Mai Nishida 西田麻衣 (born 23 Mar 1989) is a gravure idol from Kyoto. In 2006, Mai beat 3,000 contestant to win Japan talent agency Space Craft’s swimsuit competition. This was quickly followed by a debut in Weekly Young Sunday alongside famous gravure models Momoko Tani, Natsuko Tatsumi and Mui Yamaguchi. She has since released 11 gravure DVDs, 3 photobooks and her own pin up calendars for 2009 and 2010. Mai has also starred in various Japanese TV Shows such as Ranking Kingdom and Beach Angels, and has released 2 CDs Pink Generation and 31′s LOVE in 2007. In 2009, Mai appeared in 2 movies Teketeke テケテケ and Gurakin Queen グラキン★クイーン and in 2010 she is to appear in the movie 40-Year-Old Figure Skating Coach (COACH コーチ 40歳のフィギュアスケーター).

Pictures from Mai Nishida’s VYJ No. 92 after the break. [PNSFW]
More »

July 23rd, 2010 | Category: Daily ChioBu | Leave a comment

The Great Flood of Singapore
- Want some tau huay?: Is the Marina Barrage really working?
- funny little world: So, who is going to solve #sgflood?
- Singapore Notes: Omigosh! He’s Gone Mental!
- Singaporean Skeptic: Harry Lee says the PAP is powerless to help us.
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Flood prone Singapore
- The Temasek Review: PUB: Oh wait, it wasn’t a blocked culvert that caused the flood
- i have succumbed to peer pressure: Why don’t we do just that?
- Carpe Diem: How about wakeboarding in Orchard Road

We are against capital punishment
- TOC: Lawyer M Ravi files judicial review on Yong Vui Kong’s case
- Everything Also Complain: Death penalty for speeding
- Jacob 69er: Wanted: 100,000 signatures by 23rd August to save Vui Kong
- Malay Mail Online: Senators pledge to save Malaysian on death row in Singapore

Alan Shadrake charged for Jolly Hangman
- Article 14: The Shadrake Affair
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Shadrake faces heavy silencing hand
- Singapore Kopi Tok: Alan Shadrake Self-Pwnage [Thanks drago]
- AirKosong.com: The new cross-border (book) trade between Malaysia and Singapore

Countdown to Elections
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Bowing and scraping
- The Temasek Review: Write to Your MP : Demand for Zero Walkovers, Not More NCMPs

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Lost in Singapore: Mr Lim “Anyhow” Say: Foreign Worker Influx is Good

The Gospel of Harry
- Blowin’ In The Wind: When Lee Kuan Yew struck a chill in expat hearts

Kong Hee Doing The Ming Yi
- Irreligious: What do URA’s guidelines mean for City Harvest?

Daily Discourse
- Thinking Nectar: nytimes.com: The Trouble With Meritocracy
- Sam’s thoughts: Legalising same-sex marriage: Argentina beats Singapore
- Seelan Palay’s Blog: US ban on libel tourists, Singapore cited
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: String of bad luck

Life, the universe and everything
- singularity industries: My Chat With A Taxi Driver To Commemorate Racial Harmony Day
- AWARE: The Power of Breasts

Infoblogoramus
- Siew Kum Hong: MARUAH Pillar Talk #2: Trial Observation

Selected News Stories
- theSun: Singapore wooing UEC holders
- NYT Ross Douthat: The Trouble With Meritocracy
- AP: Media watchdog: Ukraine TV too cozy with leaders
- NYT: The True Calling That Wasn’t. WHAT if you’re not happy in your job?
- State of Design: 2010 Premier’s Design Award finalists
- Intac: The Internet in 2020

July 22nd, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

The Great Flood of Singapore
- The Kent Ridge Common: Proper Reasons for Orchard Flood, please
- Siew Kum Hong: Sorry seems to be the hardest word
- Singapore Notes: Some People Just Can’t Handle The Truth
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: How the Marina Barrage Crest Gate works…
- Lost in Singapore: The Great Singapore Flood, Parliament and How about “Sorry?”
- Loyalty is Orange: The Orenji Headlines: Flooding Q&A
- The Temasek Review: Environment Minister Yaacob Ibrahim learnt that “floods are caused by intense storms”
- Under the Willow Tree: Great Flood Fiasco: “Intense Storms” or Sinking Sampan?
- The not-so-green Geek: 5 ways to prevent flooding in sunny Singapore
- Gurmit The Blog: Water, Sign Of The Times
- GOV.SG: Response by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim in Parliament on Flash Floods
- ST Forum: What about the groundwater?
- ST Forum: Marina Barrage’s role questioned

Singaporeans are fed, up with progress!
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Use a broader range of socio-economic measures, urges NMP Viswa Sadasivan
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Singapore economist compares Singapore with China
- hongjun’s Personal Blog: Do not understand Singapore’s foreign workforce strategy
- Blogging for Myself: Government: Your Friend and also Enemy
- Philip Greenspun’s Weblog: How to explain Singapore’s growth despite lack of stimulus?

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Balderdash: A summary of anti-immigration sentiment in Singapore
- The F-Word Blog: One domestic worker’s story

Alan Shadrake Arrested for Jolly Hangman
- The Asia File: British author’s arrest in Singapore ‘not linked’ to death penalty debate

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- Sgpolitics.net: Dr Lim Hock Siew

Press Photographer handcuffed for his own good
- Everything Also Complain: Five-hour handcuff imprint

Countdown to Elections
- The Kent Ridge Common: ST Forum: A Case of Blowing One’s Own Trumpet?

ERPains, Trains & Automobiles
- Bastiat Institute: The State and Scarcity

Re education
- guanyinmiao’s musings: Singapore’s Education System As An Overheated Pressure Cooker

YOG
- ST Forum: Money spent on YOG ‘give way’ drive unnecessary

Religion
- The Grand Moofti Speaks: Singapore’s religious law and common space: time for a review

Daily Discourse
- Icarus Flew Too High: To France, to the Ecoles!

Selected News Stories
- The Star: A tale of two Singapores
- Asian Sentinel: Global Media and Singapore’s Bureaucrats
- NYT: Asians Paying More Attention to Inheritance Planning
- Washington Post: A note on “Top Secret America” project
- MarketWatch: 2011 Ford Fiesta. A must drive if you’re looking for a small, economical car
- NYT: Tweet Less, Kiss More

July 21st, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

The Great Flood of Singapore
- Under the Willow Tree: Massive Flood Cockup Exposes Cracks in the Political System
- Singapore Notes: It Never Rains, But It Pours
- The Lycan Times: Why we shouldn’t be building more drains
- The Temasek Review: Yaacob Ibrahim: “Impossible” to keep Singapore completely flood-free
- the mrbrown show: the wave song
- Carpe Diem: The Orchard Wave
- ErniesUrn on Xanga: Lord of the Freak Floods [Thanks Ernest]
- ST Forum: It’s time to start a proper investigation
- ST Forum: Are current flood prevention measures effective?
- Reuters: China Three Gorges dam faces major flood test

Press Photographer handcuffed for his own good
- The Kent Ridge Common: Did he obstruct justice or did he not?
- The Temasek Review: Lianhe Wanbao refutes explanation by Singapore Police
- Singapore Notes: Standing Up For Freedom Of Expression
- Musings From the Lion City: Over-Zealous; Nothing More
- Sex sells, so does Politics: Revised Standard Operating Procedure for Handcuffing Public Taking Photographs

Alan Shadrake Arrested for Jolly Hangman
- Chemical Generation Singapore: Shadrake Jolly No More…For Now
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Jolly Hangman author Alan Shadrake didn’t expect legal action
- Chee Siok Chin’s Blog: Exposing the truth scares the PAP
- My Sinchew: Lawyer seeks access to British author arrested in Singapore

Singaporeans are fed, up with progress!
- TOC: Don’t focus solely on GDP growth, NMP says
- NYT: Rethinking the Measure of Growth

Countdown to Elections
- Gerald Giam: Sylvia Lim grills Home Affairs, Environment Ministers
- Sgpolitics.net: Our police state is fraying at the edges

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Singapore Dino: Wong Kan Seng: 20,000 new citizens needed each year

ERPains, Trains & Automobiles
- The Void Deck: Buy Your Car Now! Or Not.

GIC, Temasek State Funds Investments
- The Grand Moofti Speaks: Singapore Inc., Temasek and reaping rewards

Re education
- department of crappy engineering: enough of moulding
- ST Forum: PSLE – the unfactored elephant in the room…
- ST Forum: Future requires a bolder strategy

YOG
- There really is no need for a title..: You are the one Singapore – JJ LIN [via ALVINOLOGY]
- Dee Kay Dot As Gee: They are teaching YOG Cheer the wrong way

Blueprint for a Sin City
- Chemical Generation Singapore: Money Laundering Coming Soon to a Coffeeshop Near You

Healthcare & Healthcare Providers
- Singapore M.D.: Confidence Goods 15

Little green dot
- Wild Shores of Singapore: Singapore restaurant serves another giant endangered grouper

Kong Hee Doing The Ming Yi
- Gweek Culture: Rich Jesus [Thanks Gwee]

Life, the universe and everything
- Irreligious: Alienated by technology
- theory.isthereason: In High Definition: Singapore’s Night Festival – New World 2010

Selected News Stories
- The Star: The customer no longer king
- BBC: Viewpoint: The murky world of illegal Asian gambling
- Telegraph: A British financier is behind a £658 million cocoa trade which single-handedly moved the global cocoa market.
- The Economist: Disease and intelligence
- NYT Bits: Five Robots to Watch
- Matt Davies: Capital Punishment

July 20th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Comments (1)

The Great Flood of Singapore
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Marina Barrage and the floods…
- Loh and Behold: Outrageous! Floods again?
- The Sun Shines on Singapore: The Flood of Nonsense Excuses
- Singapore Dino: PUB asked to explain floods: What about Yaacob?
- Singaporean Skeptic: Another 1 in 50 year event.
- The Temasek Review: Flash Floods, did the Marina Barrage help?
- Ravi Philemon: Where are the MPs?
- Civic Advocator: Govt owes us a Commission of Inquiry
- Dee Kay Dot As Gee: Why you should never stand in the middle of Orchard River
- Vinyarb: The blame game
- Freak Thoughts: Submerging Singapore
- My sketchbook: The return of the flood
- The Temasek Review: Singapore could be in “deep” trouble by the end of this century, warn experts
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: Car insurance and flood
- ABC: Flash floods stain Singapore’s urban paradise reputation

Press photographer handcuffed for his own good
- Abdillah Zamzuri: Singapore’s Flood in Cuffs
- TOC: Photographer handcuffed by police for taking flood pictures
- The Lycan Times: Floods & A Handcuffed Reporter
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Press photographer handcuffed while taking flood photos, unreported in sister paper
- The Temasek Review: Procedural lapses in handcuffing of Wanbao photographer by Singapore police
- Lost in Singapore: Of Handcuffs, Singaporeans and Foreigners
- Fit to Post: Singaporeans outraged by photographer’s detention

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Compulsive history
- Abdillah Zamzuri: The Buzz with Dr Lim Hock Siew’s Political Video
- Sam’s Thoughts: Let film be available for public discussion
- The Asia File: Does political censorship work in Singapore?
- Seelan Palay’s Blog: Did I just “distribute” the banned video of Dr Lim on my blog?

Alan Shadrake Arrested for Jolly Hangman
- TOC: A safe system of equal justice for all?
- TOC: Alan Shadrake’s crime?
- The Asia File: British author arrested in Singapore over death penalty book
- ambiguity: New Rules SG #3
- Jacob 69er: Author of death penalty book arrested by Singapore police day after book launch
- Guardian: Singapore arrests British author of death penalty book
- SMH: Singapore arrests British author

We are against capital punishment
- TOC: The neglect of professional responsibility by the mainstream press
- Irreligious: A collective “meh” for drug traffickers

Singaporeans are fed, up with progress!
- TOC: Fastest growing economy? What about jobs and wages?
- Gerald Giam: The PAP’s obsession with GDP growth
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Hong Kong Passed Its Minimum Wage Law Yesterday…
- The Temasek Review: Time for Singaporeans to find a long term solution

Countdown to Elections
- Singapore Alternatives: illegal hawker? My Story
- The Temasek Review: The old ways of doing things does NOT work anymore

Strangers in a Strange Land
- flaneurose: What are some possible unintended consequences of massive immigration?
- ALVINOLOGY: The Other Side of The Coin – A China Girl’s Singapore Story

Re education
- guanyinmiao’s musings: Why The Community Involvement Programme (CIP) Is Not Working

YOG
- Loyalty is Orange: The Orenji Headlines: Oh YEAHHHHHH

Kong Hee Doing The Ming Yi
- The Logical Christian: What Is The “Prosperity Gospel”? – A Statement By The Lausanne Movement

Daily Discourse
- guanyinmiao’s musings: Why The People’s Association Is Stifling Its Own Progress Forward
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: The “Chinese” Republic of Singapore
- Barnyard Chorus: I’ll Be There For You
- funny little world: A climate of fear.
- Yaevlejunce Pilgrimage: Why I am Christian and support the repealing of 377A

Infoblogoramus
- Gerald Giam: Workers’ Party Open House
- SGEntrepreneurs: Events For The Week – 17-24 Jul

July 19th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

“We cannot rely on a select group of cultural intellectuals in the academic world to answer these questions. Conversation needs to permeate society.”
Rui An

“There was such a blatantly unthinking spin-job (or absolutely rubbish journalism) in today’s Sunday Times, that I simply had to blog about it.”
Siew Kum Hong

“Everywhere, it seems, Singaporeans are getting more and more frustrated at little things that get in their way.”
Christopher Ong

“All in all, it is a rather oppressive month..”
Joshua Chiang

“I hereby declare that the film is no longer in my possession, and its ownership will from now on be given to all citizens of the Republic of Singapore.”
Martyn See Tong Ming

This week’s roundup and recommended reads after the break.
More »

July 17th, 2010 | Category: Weekly Roundup | Leave a comment

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Singapore on a record high, here come the foreigners!
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Singapore is the fastest growing economy in the world!
- The Kent Ridge Common: Should new citizens serve compulsory time at the grassroots level?
- Under the Willow Tree: Singapore Economy is Booming but Guess who is Benefiting? Duh… Foreigners!!!!

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- Barnyard Chorus: The public is interested
- Singapore Notes: There Are Experts, And There Are Experts
- Feed Me To The Fish: Are Ex-ISD detainees in the limelight to radicalise us? Or wake us up from our slumber?

Distance Based Fare Hike
- The Temasek Review: Lim Hwee Hua’s fare change justification flawed

We are against capital punishment
- TOC: Malaysian lawyer denied access to Yong

Re education
- Under the Willow Tree: Pioneer JC Girls’ Deaths – The Cost of Singapore’s SocioEconomic System

Kong Hee Doing The Ming Yi
- Irreligious: Cell group leaders earn commission? Seriously?

Daily Discourse
- New Asia Republic: New Media & Democracy
- Under the Willow Tree: Singapore’s Addiction to Gambling – in More Ways than One
- ST Forum: Puzzled by tax rationale on owner-occupied homes

Life, the universe and everything
- ErniesUrn: Lord Of The Rings Game: Singapore Inc Edition PC Game

Selected News Stories
- Chinapost: Shanghai may pip Singapore as busiest port
- NYT: Report Warns of Risks to China’s Bank System
- NYT: The Google Algorithm
- Dismal Scientist: Global Recovery Status
- NYT: Toyota Concedes 2 Flaws Caused Loss of Control
- SMH: First drive: Hyundai i20
- NYT: How Microbes Defend and Define Us

The Evolution of Mobile Phones ( 1985 – today )

July 16th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- flaneurose: Revisiting the Streisand Effect
- New Asia Republic: Transcript of banned video “Dr Lim Hock Siew” [Thanks Donaldson]
- Only “objective” and “factual” political films please, we’re Singaporeans: Martyn See complies with MDA’s order but video goes viral
- Siew Kum Hong: Why censorship is evil
- Ravi Philemon: MDA please clarify how ban served public interest
- Singaporean Skeptic: Thank you PAP for promoting Dr Lim Hock Siew!
- becktan: On Despair
- Civic Advocator: 2 Lefts, only 1 Right
- My sketchbook: Why are we so afraid of Martyn See’s video?

Countdown to Elections
- Sgpolitics.net: A lesson for the opposition

YOG
- TOC: Straits Times – “accurate, timely and balanced”?

ERPains, Trains & Automobiles
- guanyinmiao’s musings: Taking The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) System For Granted

Housing Singaporeans
- Furry Brown Dog: Who really benefits from rising HDB housing prices?
- The Temasek Review: HDB asking more than $300,000 for 4-room BTO flats in Punggol

Twilight in Paradise
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: France to raise retirement age to Singapore’s…

DBS – Too big to fail failed
- Tan Kin Lian’s Blog: MAS and DBS computer glitch
- Blowin’ In The Wind: DBS cutting costs? ATMs replaced a full-fledged bank

High Notes and Minibombs
- Singapore Alternatives: Minibond Saga in HK – Role of Democratic Pressures
- Reuters: DBS Hong Kong to pay $84 mln in Lehman settlement

Re education
- ST Forum: Community Involvement Programme
- ST Foum: Review community scheme in schools

Daily Discourse
- New Asia Republic: 读万卷书，不如行万里路
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: Policing propriety as an abuse of human rights
- Singapore Notes: Ruthless, Shameless and Ignorant

Infoblogoramus
- blankanvas: access all areas
- work class historian: Book Launch: The Makers and Keepers of Singapore History

Selected News Stories
- Eurasia Review: Railway Land Swap: New Light On An Old Issue
- WSJ: Singapore May Tighten Policy in October
- WSJ: Who’s Richest: Hong Kong, China or Singapore?
- NYT Room for Debate: Can China Gain Journalistic Credibility?
- SMH: Citroen C3 VTi 120 five-door hatch
- NYT: Design Flaw in iPhone 4, Testers Say. Did Apple make a lemon?

Contributed by Cheong Wing Lee

July 15th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- The Kent Ridge Common: Why ban Lim Hock Siew’s footage?
- Singapore Alternatives: A month of barring and banning – Joshua Chiang
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Dr Lim Hock Siew Video is now banned..
- Anonymous_X: Dr Lim Hock Siew: “…that there is judgement, there is justice”.
- Singapore Notes: A Distortion Of Reality

Countdown to Elections
- Chemical Generation Singapore: Punishing All for the Disgusting Acts of the Few
- TOC: Public pressure key to opposition working together

YOG
- Musings From the Lion City: The YOG Budget
- The Temasek Review: YOG’s S$ 387 Million budget, do we really need to spend so much?

Strangers in a Strange Land
- Freak Thoughts: Xenophobic Singapore

Distance Based Fare Hike
- Blowin’ In The Wind: Old and new bus fares compared

Daily Discourse
- The Kent Ridge Common: Are Singaporeans becoming more easily irritable?
- Yawning Bread on WordPress: After sixteen years, police resort to entrapment again
- carkenn92: Sex Trafficking in Singapore Home
- ST Forum: Give drivers access to accident database

Selected News Stories
- The Island: A new intellectual leader emerges in Asean
- WSJ: Small Investors Flee Stocks, Changing Market Dynamics
- BBC: China’s frothy property market falters in June
- Reuters: Crisis Awaits World’s Banks as Trillions Come Due
- Fortune: The smartest people in tech
- Autoevolution: Citroen Offering On-Board WiFi
- Crack Two: Teen Movie Idols Before and Now (35 pics)
- NYT Goal: How They’re Celebrating in Spain

July 14th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment

ERPains, Trains & Automobiles
- guanyinmiao’s musings: Putting Overcrowded Trains In Perspective
- department of crappy engineering: Going the distance fare
- Singapore Commuter: Transport crawl

YOG
- TOC: YOG – another farce?
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Why the YOG will be a big success…
- Ravi Philemon: Why invite former stripper to choreograph part of opening ceremony of YOG?

– THIS HEADLINE HAS BEEN CENSORED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD –
- Only “objective” and “factual” political films please, we’re Singaporeans: Here we go again – Govt bans another Martyn See’s film
- Want some tau huay?: Singapore Government bans another political film which is ‘contrary to public interest’

We are against capital punishment
- New Asia Republic: Cabinet should not usurp Elected President’s Constitutional powers
- TOC: Law Minister’s comments prejudicial to Yong Vui Kong’s clemency appeal

Strangers in a Strange Land
- TOC: It is not about just providing food
- The Temasek Review: Proposal to prevent racial enclaves from forming in Private

Our war on Terror
- Singapore Notes: Spotting The Bad Eggs
- The Temasek Review: PAP’s idiosyncratic methods to stem radicalisation have failed

GIC, Temasek State Funds Investments
- WSJ: Seatown at the Fore as Temasek Diversifies

The Great Flood of Orchard, Thomson, Boon Lay, Bukit Timah, Telok Kurau, Tai Seng, Kampong Ampat, MacPherson
- Loyalty is Orange: The Orenji Headlines: More good natural disasters ahead

National Day 2010
- ST Forum: Displaying flags to set record? That’s going overboard

Kong Hee Doing The Ming Yi
- Irreligious: Why they hate megachurches

Daily Discourse
- Diary of A Singaporean Mind: Without Vision or Purpose..

Life, the universe and everything
- After Post Modernism: A Perfect Equilibirum

July 13th, 2010 | Category: Daily Sg | Leave a comment