Many things happened both expectedly and unexpectedly in Beijing and yes I've had a great time despite some issues. Going to miss my friends alot... and I wish that the vacation could go on forever. Very exhausted now, might take a few days to catch up with the going ons in Singapore while I was gone... Apologies for messages unreplied and stuff, very mentally and physically drained. Need a few days to myself. My limbs are still aching from climbing the Great Wall, paddling the boat on Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace and dashing for my plane at the airport. Funny why I did not feel it when I was there but maybe I was too preoccupied to. Oh well.
9 days just wasn't enough.
At the time of writing, I am at the airport utilising the free internet access to pass my time while I wait for the time to board the plane to Beijing. I will be spending 9 days of (expectedly) crazy fun in Beijing and hopefully come back with interesting stories and photos to share. Do update me on the happenings around here via email as most socio-political blogs have been banned in China due to the great firewall. Will be back in 9 days so take care everyone! 
Need a break and working on a new painting. Other than that I am just very disturbed by Chua Lee Hoong's latest attempt at propaganda. How can the media get away with being publicly libelous (IMO they are)? If Dr Chee is a "psychopath" then LKY and Co. have no case against his words right? Apparently not the case though... but maybe Dr Chee can take them on a case of defamation because clearly he is not a psychopath, not mental and not even a person with anti-social behaviour. He is just being himself, a passionate advocator of democracy. Democracy is not a Western concept at all and his actions have been seen as shocking and even "juvenile" because this is a nation of slumbering sheep, complacent at their vote for a one party state.
Oh oh then again like many around me tell me all the time... "What do you know, you are just a young girl with the strangest thoughts!".
Nevermind.
Be back soon.
One of my favourite bloggers, Gopalan Nair, was arrested on Saturday night (no idea of the exact time) for making his opinions about the Lee vs. Chee case known on his blog. For those who do not know, Mr. Nair was formerly a Singaporean and a member of the Worker's Party in the late 80's to the early 90's. He has since relinguished his Singaporean citizenship and is now an American citizen.
Other than exercising freedom of speech and opinions, Mr. Nair put himself up as a political bait, challenging Lee Kuan Yew (and company) to take actions against him. That was in response to the threat mentioned by Lee during the 'trial'. Apparently the bait worked. What does this show us?
1. There is no freedom of speech and opinions here in Singapore.
2. Lee cares about his reputation and uses legal methods to pursue anyone who seeks to stain his name whether or not the 'allegations' or 'lies' are true (thanks to the MSM, many people believe in anything PAP).
What else can we deduce from this? Seriously, this is a scary place. Scary because our mouths have been taped and our right to opinions have been robbed of us right from our very birth as Singaporeans (with especial regards to socio-political issues). Scary because many people are willing to follow and believe what they have been told. This arrest of Mr. Nair, in my opinion, is simply yet another effort to further enhance the presence of the fear among Singaporeans to have their opinions known loud and clear.
No wonder many are giving up their Singaporean citizenship.
To PM Lee: You cannot blame local talents for leaving this island. It has become somewhat unbearable to live, gagged and bound. Many more will leave soon if they manage to save up enough. I sympathise with the those who are consciously suffering but yet have no credentials and financial resources to move abroad. Maybe indeed they can vote your government out in the next election but fear exists in most of their hearts because of the way you have clipped your oppositions' wings and resources, making them bankrupts and mere watch dogs in the Parliament. It doesn't help much with the mass media controlled under your government. Looking at the success of local 'propaganda', you and the members in your government must have been admirers and followers of Joseph Goebbels perhaps? Hey however guess what, this nation of slumbering sheep is slowly awakening.
I look forward with hope and glee to the results of future elections to come.
Oh and may I apologise somewhat unapologetically for attempting to exercise my right to speech and opinions here.
Read also:
Will you be back tomorrow?
Gopalan Nair arrested!
Singapore Dissident arrested by Singapore police
Is this a challenge or what?
FamiLEE on serial Political Suicide after Political Masturbation
Did Gopalan Nair threaten Belinda Ang?
(A very good question indeed.)
Singapore courts grant arrest warrant without bail for insulting a judge
The following quote is an extract from the article regarding the issue of cluster munitions sent to The Online Citizen by Seelan Palay.
"The Singapore government, through its goverment-linked company, Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd (ST Kinetics), manufactures, stockpiles and publicly advertises cluster ammunitions for sale (Cluster Munition Coalition 2008)"
First and foremost for the benefit of those who have no idea what cluster bombs are, the below is a summary.
Cluster bombs
Cluster bombs are large weapons which are deployed from the air and from the ground and release up to hundreds of submunitions, called bomblets (when released from the air) or grenades (when released from the ground).
Whether they have been dropped from the air or launched from the ground, they pose as threats to civilians. Their widespread dispersal means they cannot distinguish between military targets or civilians hence when used in or near populated areas, the humanitarian impact is extreme. Many submunitions have consistently failed to explode and these unexploded submunitions remain dangerous for a long time after the end of the conflict. Incidents involving submunitions are more likely to cause death than injury.
Sources:
Cluster bomb - Wikipedia
Cluster Munition Coalition
How is Singapore involved?
According to the fact sheet (Cluster Munitions in the Asia-Pacific Region) prepared and released by the Human Rights Watch in April this year, Singapore has been publicly advertising cluster munitions for sale (Page 1), besides manufacturing and stockpiling on cluster munitions. Also according to the fact sheet (Page 3 and 4) the government-linked company, ST Kinetics, produces two types of 155mm DPICM artillery projectiles containing 63 or 49 grenades, equipped with electro-mechanical self-destruct fuzes with an advertised dud rate of 3 percent. The company also produces 120mm motor bombs which delivers 25 DPICM grenades. As of 29 April 2008, Singapore has yet to be suscribed to the Wellington Declaration.
Self defence and profit... at what cost?
Some might say that it is part of self defence to stockpile on such munitions and it is for profit purposes that Singapore publicly advertises them for sale. However taking into account of the dangers of such lethal munitions, whereby the impact will include death or severe injuries of innocent civilian lives, don't you agree that such munitions should be totally banned and destroyed?
Manufacturing and stockpiling equates the intention of use, and publicly advertising the sale of such munitions equates capitalising on the reason of self defence and lack of technology in some countries.
Is self defence enough of a reason to deploy such lethal munitions that will cause humanitarian issues from the point of deployment and in the many decades to come? Have we become such a money greedy, self interested nation of people that we do not only disregard the consequences but also come up with excuses for the manufacturing, stockpiling and public advertising of cluster munitions?
Wars, or military conflicts, are cruel, ugly and horrible 'solutions' to 'attain peace' and to 'annihilate terror or evil' but why are we allowing our country to further contribute to the cruelty, ugliness and horror of wars?
Voice out, raise the awareness and participate in the call for the ban of cluster munitions
Some think that this is a waste of time as the treaty has been weakened by the absence of major producers such as United States, China and Russia when world representatives converged in Dublin on 19 May to seek an agreement on the ban of cluster bombs.
Since when do world representatives truly represent our voices anyway? Does the Singaporean government represent the citizens' voices and conscience? If our governments are not interested in calling for the ban of cluster munitions out of self interest, does it mean that we as citizens of such governments cannot take part in international actions against cluster munitions? I choose to believe and hope that common (global) civil actions and opinions against cluster munitions can create some form of impact although of course, not immediate. Actions like signing the petition and talking or writing about the issue to create awareness are not pointless and time wasting actions. Every action and effort counts. Why do some of us choose to give up or dismiss the ban of cluster munition as pointless and sit on our arses thinking (and hoping) that cluster munitions will not be deployed upon our country in the near future?
Can we really be comfortable that we could already be having shitloads of blood money sitting in our National Treasury from the sales of cluster munitions? Should there be a day whereby cluster munitions are used upon us, and you discover that they are made in Singapore, will you be smiling or crying bitterly at the irony of it all?
Maybe by then we will not even have the ability to cry at all for we will be too dead to even do so.
Do give it a thought.
Lately I have been busy preparing for the coming parents-teacher meeting thus I have also not been writing much on here and have been too busy to even reply to emails as well.
Anyway while filling in my observation records, I have to constantly take note of the positive things to say as well as to rephrase anything that might sound negative. Sure, it is professional to view each child with a positive light, we also cannot deny their flaws and the fact that they are mirrors of their parents in terms of behaviour. Self censorship and extra tact is highly compulsory from the side of the teachers because of the very sensitive (and defensive) nature of some parents who will just point everything negative as the contribution of the school environment or the teachers. Sometimes I feel stuck in the world of false positivity and it sickens me. I mean, I love those children to bits and they are all great. However nobody is perfect and sometimes they do have issues that caretakers and parents need to take note of. In my nearly two years of teaching experience in Singapore, I have made a bunch of 'mistakes' by raising the issues on face level with parents. No matter how tactful, and no matter how much I assure them that I am not saying that their children are bad little devils or stupid little useless bums, they are never really happy and trouble comes knocking with the management. Concerned as I am with their development, some parents only view the issues as my points against them. On the contrary, all I wanted to do was to work with them together on the issues. I don't know... maybe they feel guilty because their children are exactly like them, or maybe they feel that I know and understand their children more than them but the way they view the so called 'negative' comments are seriously negative. That has mostly been my experience but really, I am also glad that there have been some parents out there who actually ask whether there are any issues with their children and are willing to discuss and work things out with me.
I remember being in primary school and my Chinese teachers were always commenting to my parents that I needed to buck up with my mother tongue. My parents were concerned and they agreed. They were also in agreement with my Maths teacher when I was in secondary school, that I cannot give the excuse saying that I was too busy to hand in my algebra homework. They tried to advise me and tried to help me out with my two weak subjects, in their own traditional methods of course hahaa... According to some primary and secondary school teachers I know, they are allowed to point out whatever issues they see and the parents will somehow or rather, take them quite seriously. Point is, why is it that only early childhood educators are not allowed to point out issues to parents without having to phrase them in an ultra nice manner? Why must our observational reports be vetted by the management (same thing in the schools I have taught locally) when the management does not really know the children as well as us? (Speaking in general) It is one thing to correct our gramatical mistakes and another to point out to us what should not be said. Of course, it is common sense that labels like 'naughty', 'lazy', 'slow' and 'distractive child' cannot be applied because of the principle fact that children should not be labelled in that manner but there are certain developmental and behavourial issues that are obvious in some children that needs to be raised along with professional explanations that are sometimes unacceptable to parents.
I think child care centres here in Singapore are too afraid that their clients, the parents, will be offended and withdraw their children from the centre. Instead of advocating our beliefs and principles in early childhood, many centre owners and management cower and bow down like servants. Will this actually help in the education and development of a child? Shouldn't we be child based and not parent based? I mean, contrary to what alot of parents think, child care centres are not working towards their needs but to the developmental needs of their children. MCYS is not helping us to strongly advocate that and so it is our duty to do so. Surely parents are not totally unreasonable people who cannot be persuaded to look at us in another perspective. We need to be viewed in a better light, not servants, nor high class nannies. Why are we not taken as seriously as primary or secondary school teachers?
Some people tell me that I should swallow my frustrations and work within my means as well as accept the appalling attitude of some parents because I choose to be in this line. However that is not the point. I am in the early childhood sector because of the children, not because I accept the biting and unconstructive comments of certain parents as well as the long hours of work and low pay. If parents come up to me to tell me that they want to provide me with feedback regarding my teaching methods, I am all happy to receive but they can come up with all sorts of nonsense about milk bottles not washed properly and items not packed properly in the bags. I mean... if a parent can dump her child at me early in the morning clad in pyjamas with diapers dripping from the night before, what kind of a case can she make if she wants to talk about her child getting urinary tract infection because our teachers are not hygienic enough with her child?!
Seriously... never thought that there are such ridiculous people out there.
Holy bejeeeeezes!
Aodh jumped into the sink from a container and slipped through the narrow drainhole while I was changing the water of the tank. So mad at myself for this stupid carelessness. Dad tried to see if it got stuck anywhere in the pipes but there was no sign of him about.
So terribly sorry, Aodh, I didn't mean it. Thank you for bringing so much joy to my life, I will miss you and am missing you terribly now. No amount of tears will ever bring you back but I am just terribly sorry.
17 May became quite an eventful Saturday. I was at a private film screening of "One Nation Under Lee" which was produced by artist and activist, Seelan Palay in the afternoon at the Peninsula Excelsior Hotel. Then when evening came, I went over to St. Martin's Drive with activists Rizal, Seelan, Noora and Shafie over to St. Martin's Drive with the intention to participate in the vigil for the cyclone victims. Both events left me with much food for thought and brought what I have read about to reality that seems so surreal at the same time.
At the film screening...
"One Nation Under Lee" is a narrative take of an alternative version of Singapore history, not found in our history textbooks. It also includes interviews with various political opponents and former detainees as well as pictures of public protests and activist campaigns that had taken place in Singapore over the years. I have enjoyed the film and I do recommend anyone who can get hold of it to watch it as well as share it. However the event did not went without any hiccups and harassment from the authorities. About halfway through the screening, the authorities from the Media Development Authority (MDA) turned up demanding to the organisers to hand over the unlicensed film to them. Ms. Chee Siok Chin, together with the Master of Ceremony, Chia Ti Lik ended up negotiating with them outside the Tulip Room and they did a good job of buying time, so that we could finish watching the film. I was mad at the notion that we might not get to finish watching it and must have been cursing and swearing under my breathe or something and at the same time hoping that they will let this film finish running before coming in to seize the dvd. So I heaved a sigh of relieve when the film ended without any of that happening. However the moment it ended, Ms. Chee came in to inform us that the dvd will be handed over to the officers as negotiated. It was also told that police officers were outside earlier but once they heard that the organisers were willing to hand over the dvd, they left. The audience clapped sarcastically, invited the MDA officers to introduce themselves and to join us for lunch as we still have "... some food leftover."
You can find the videos here in two parts: Part 1 Part 2
After that, the event just went on with Martyn See and Seelan Palay having a dialogue session with the audience on the Films Act. Interestingly, this did not went without harassment too. Rudely, one of the MDA officers came back again, this time demanding to have the projector that belongs to the hotel. With logic and reason, Ms. Chee declined to hand it over and encouraged him to check with the hotel if he really wanted to have it. He left of course, what more could he do? He had already made an ugly laughingstock of himself... him and his colleagues. They made what was mentioned in the film a reality.
My take on this is that if there is nothing wrong with the government and the ruling party, if there is nothing wrong with the information in our textbooks, why are they even afraid that people see such films? Or get an alternative set of information that is way more accurate than our history textbooks and what you get to read/ watch everyday from the mass media? Clearly from the name of the film, one can deduce that the film shown wasn't some horrible film of incest or child rape or anything like that. Oh... or maybe I am wrong. Hahaa but I stubbornly refuse to think so! 
Well maybe I have not really put it correctly but the excuse is that I am feeling sleepy so please pardon me.
Watch the film here. It was uploaded by Uncle Yap.
Read also:
Film on Lee Kuan Yew seized by MDA
Censors and police seized video at private screening
Government officials disrupt private screening of film on LKY
The gatecrashers
Leegime tried to prevent a movie about itself
Singapore. The ultimate police state
At the vigil...
We were about to go on our way to get some dinner before heading off to the Burmese Embassy when Rizal got a call saying that people were being manhandled by the police at St. Martin's Drive. So we forgo dinner. When we got there, plainclothes police officers were there. Apparently the manhandling stopped just before we got there and everyone had to form a queue to go up to the Burmese embassy in groups of four, each group standing a distance of about two metres away. That was stupid, they are people, not sheep. They were there to pray and mourn, not to tear down the whole embassy. Why do they need to have a permit to pray and mourn? So people have no right to do that and have to apply to do so? Absolutely tragic.
Initially Rizal and Seelan were told by a police officer that Singaporeans were not allowed to participate but somehow it changed and we got into the queue. It felt ridiculous to queue and move along by the officers' commands. No filming of the vigil directly outside the embassy was allowed but some photographs were taken and Shafie was filming here and there.
The reason why I was there was because I genuinely wanted to support the vigil. The Burmese community here is closely knitted and are very organised. I admire and respect that spirit and wish that more Singaporeans will learn from them.
The police disgusted me with their arrogance, attitude and sarcastic words. Makes me wonder if they have hearts at all, or even a brain.
Borrowing the idea from Aidil Omar, I wonder what will happen if all of us go right down to Tan Tock Seng Hospital to hold a vigil for Mrs. Lee? Interesting thought. Do you think we need a permit for that or will anyone come up to stop us and herd us around like sheep?
Hahahaa I cannot stop laughing at the mere idea of it now.
Is this truly the place I was born?
Pictures can be found here.
As internet communication technology advances, more and more people are also equipped with the knowledge and skills to use the internet with ease. Such a technology has many uses, one of which is information sharing. Information sharing can be done in the form of downloads, emails, online chats and blogs to name a few. It has helped draw people closer as you can now meet someone from the other end of the world just by visiting a chatroom or a forum without actually having to book a flight. People can now find plenty of information available on the world wide web on practically everything from aquarium setups to political articles. It is a wonderful tool for many but a threat for some who views it with suspicion and caution.
Some governments and politicians treat certain information as 'threats' that will spread negative sentiments against them. Many journalists have also been detained for sharing 'state secrets'. Firewalls have also been set up by governments to moderate search results and to block out certain 'malicious' websites. The list of preventive measures goes on and on but all of these cannot be successful without the help of global internet services company such as Yahoo! and Google. To follow up on my blogpost entitled "Internet censorship in China", which I have had no time expanding, I would like to take this opportunity to do so for the Bloggers Unite for Human Rights campaign.
Google Inc. and China
"While removing search results is inconsistent with Google's mission, providing no information... is more inconsistent with our mission."
No doubt Google's noble mission of providing information has done many of us good, it is defying it's however unofficial slogan of "Don't be evil" by collaborating with the Chinese government's unofficial slogan of "We are wary of information". Google has thus stained its name with the word 'hypocrisy' by coming up with a separate search engine for the Chinese government that helps to filter out many of a user's search results.
A good example will be Falungong. Try searching for information of the sect on both Google China and Google UK, and you will see the difference in the number of search results. I ran a search and the result on the former stated that there 9.130 websites were found whereas the latter stated that there were 120, 000 websites found. Try searching for it on Google Singapore and you will get the same number of result as Google UK. You do not even have to be in China to see the difference. However despite the result showing 9,130 links, many of them are blocked by the Great Firewall. One can still access those links shown on Google China unless you are in China. This was found out through my experiences while living in Shanghai. The same was confirmed by a friend of mine living in China as she was tasked to do the little experiment with me at the same time.
Information, as widely available as they are, should be free for all our views as we have the right to read them and decide for ourselves if they are malicious or otherwise. Reasoning is a great function that humankind has been equipped with and thus withholding information from anyone is an action of undermining one's intellect and logic, in my opinion. There is also an evil intention underlying all the censorship and special search engines. Many things that seem logical and important to many of us have been seen as taboo subjects in China. This is largely due to the way the government works. Conservative and authoritarian, the Chinese Communist Party intends to remain in power for many years to come. They have no worries as yet because they always remain in power anyway and their citizens have no chance to vote them out. Being traditionalists, they also fear 'losing face' to the international community as it will embarass the whole of the leadership hence many 'dark secrets' are not to be revealed. Not even to China's own citizens. Their textbooks have been whitewashed, making Mao a hero, justifying his cultural revolution and all the murders that had been committed under his rule. The government of China fears that 'western' ideologies and notions of freedom and democracy will 'brainwash' and influence their citizens, causing the toppling of their reign. This has also been shown through their hestitance to grant permits to foreign broadcast companies and foreign magazines (mainly from the West and of course, Taiwan) apart from holding their control (however inconsistent) over the world wide web.
Personally I am disgusted by the fact that Google Inc., as rich as they are, are thinking of business first before mission. Instead of agreeing to such a condition by the Chinese government, they should just not go into China at all because their censored existence in China simply defeats their mission (if any at all, really). Although I must say that they did their best to stand by their principles, as mentioned by Elliot Schrage in a testimony before a panel of human rights representatives from various human rights organisations in 2006 but I still cannot find myself agreeing fully to their compromise. Surely, respecting the rules and regulations of a government is encouraging but putting oneself in the position of a compromised victim of a governmental bully is not worth respect.
I hope for Google to reconsider their compromised service in China and consider pulling out altogether to make their statement. There are many fans of Google in China and I am sure that they will be dismayed and even angry at Google's pullout of the China market. A probable reaction might well be loads of emails to Google asking them for reasons and what Google could do is to simply inform them about their principles and mission as well as how existing in China is not really being true to what they call "Don't be evil".
Nobody feels comfortable knowing that information, and a great load of information too, has been withheld from them. If Google doesn't start making a statement via their actions, there is really no hope for any other internet services company to follow suit. Indeed, even if Google pulls out, many companies such as Yahoo and Baidu will grab their opportunities but at least we will have more respect towards Google.
Yahoo yourself all the way to jail!
(Come back later for this part. I lost it when the internet connection got cut abruptly. Grr.)
He came from North America and is teaching 'proper English' in a language school in Singapore. She came from Jilin, China, teaching 'authentic' Mandarin at a local childcare centre here. Both are here for many reasons. His employment was due to the fact that there exists a preference among the expatriate community for their children (and themselves) to be educated by native English speakers. Her employment was due to the reason that there is a lack of local Mandarin teachers, who are willing and qualified to work under a miserable paycheck while running around the classes in the school facilitating language development (Mandarin) in an effective yet interesting manner. Both of their employment arised out of the fact that we have been perceived to be unable and not good enough for the job. Indeed to a certain extent (as much as I take pride in our language diversity), I agree that good language teachers are rather hard to find, especially when it comes to the Early Childhood Industry.
The former probably has a Degree in I. T., and the latter has a Degree in Education, specialising in Early Childhood. They have been here for awhile now, away from home and working in another country as expatriate teachers. However even as we see them in that light, the way they have been treated are totally different. Their living and working conditions are poles apart and it makes one wonder why? Does it have to do with a slight amount of racism and prejudice? Or have they been treated (and paid) according to the standards and cost of living in the countries they come from? The teacher from China has to tolerate long working hours while having a relatively low pay and at the same time deal with randomly ignorant Singaporeans who have been treating her (and counterparts) like a second class human being just because she speaks with a northern Chinese accent and is clearly from China. The North American teacher on the other hand enjoys a comfortable salary while work is not as taxing and people do not view him with tinted lenses. If you want to talk about passion and experiences, even though he might smack me on the head if he is reading this right now, I must say that she will certainly put him to shame anytime.
So one rainy Sunday afternoon, my Chinese teacher and I were on our way to our supervisor's wedding lunch at Goodwood Park Hotel from Orchard MRT. We walked past Marriot Cafe and saw the usual crowd of foreigners slowly enjoying their glass of wine, cup of tea and coffee, as well as some enjoying their cigar. I couldn't help it but wonder aloud why being a foreign professional, her world is such a contrasting opposite. She just gave me a humble smile that spoke a little of sadness and I responded with the same. However that sense of unfairness has never left my heart and mind even til today.
Guess my empathy came from personal experiences working in Shanghai with my foreign counterparts.
A good friend of mine from Scotland who I used to work with in the same school once commented to me that he hated children and teaching them as well. It was a genuine remark. Hearing that from the mouth of a senior teacher who had of course, a fatter paycheck than me plus alot more respect from the parents and staff, somehow filled me with a sense of injustice for a moment or two. I remember telling him to quit then, and let the people who genuinely want to teach do it. Competition was (and still is) high in Shanghai and many people would love to be able to teach as a native English speaker. Most of the time they just had to be white and they could pass off as one. As for me, it took great trouble even getting an interview because of my Asian origins. Even when I managed to secure a teaching job, it was not easy initially as discrimination was apparent ("We paid for an English teacher and you got a yellow skin lass to teach our children?" and "You were lucky because your ancestor migrated to a colony of the English and hence you are now equipped with the language. However that is not the reason why you should be getting an 'English' paycheck."). Even though the outward discrimination disappeared eventually for me, many people still did not think that Asians should be hired to teach English. Of course, my experiences in Shanghai was great and life was not too contrastingly different to that of the non Asian teachers'. Still, treatment was different if you think about it and had I been petty and overly sensitive about the whole treatment issue, I would not have stayed in Shanghai for 2 years.
Coming back to the local issue, all of these experiences made me value colleagues who put in effort to make a difference as teachers. I am sadden to hear that a good Chinese teacher will probably be leaving this country as soon as her contract ends, because the high cost in living is simply killing her right now. She came here with the fallacy that she would be more able financially provide for her mother but apparently she, like many others, found out that this wasn't too true.
Strangely, it seems that our country 'needs' native Chinese speakers who have the ability to teach and endure long hours of work at the same time but no one is willing to pay a little more to keep them here. Instead, people are more willing to pay shitloads of money to native English speakers who might well be just passing by before going to another third world country to teach. For some of these native English teachers, passion and knowledge is sometimes not part of the package. So I don't know... what are we paying for? What DO we want to pay for? Superficial package such as skin colour or knowledge and effort?
I leave it to you to decide.
Maybe we should also look into the possibilities of training more dedicated and qualified language teachers locally as well. I am sure that given the time and chance, any teacher who is so passionate about his or her work will gladly welcome training and improve his or her skills in terms of teaching approach and language fluency. Outsourcing afterall, is not the long term solution, while locals are left out of the lobang. They will eventually pack and go too, like some of my friends who have been given sponsorships to teach and study in Australia and New Zealand over the years by early childhood organisations and kindergartens there.
When that happens, some big man will start to complain about brain drain. What a bother.
(Pardon me for my 2 cents worth of rant yet again)
 | JAILED | May 3, '08 11:50 AM
for everyone |
Last year's May Day was spent in celebration of my hard labour and contribution towards the early childhood industry. I slept the whole day, nursing my fatigue both mental and physical. My mum sighed and called me lazy but to me, I deserved it and it was MY DAY to rest as part of the (underpaid, overworked) labour force. It was great, and I felt great. However this year's May Day was spent in a more meaningful manner and I am glad that it wasn't spent in bed indeed. I went down to hang out at Toa Payoh for the sole reason of signing two petitions. One was the Tak Boleh Tahan petition, showing my displeasure at the raising cost of living and the disgusting increment in the salaries of our ministers and the other, a petition to call for the resignation of Wong Kan Seng. The whole campaign was organised by the Singapore Democractic Party and the party leaders and activists were there to hand out flyers, man the campaign tables and talking to passer-bys.
Although many people might think that they were wasting their time and effort and that the people who went to sign for the petition were whiners and SDP supporters but on a personal note, I thank the SDP for organising this campaign as well as trying to raise awareness among the citizens by going onto the level of civil society. Majority of us as a society have been asleep under the spell of blind patriotism for way too long to realise that things are going in a ridiculous direction. At this point of time whereby citizens from the lower income level have to count every penny, toil long hours to make ends meet (with some taking up two or more jobs), ensuring that there is enough food on the table for all to eat, the ministers have increased their salaries with the excuse of attracting talents to the public sector. Now one might say that the increase in prices of basic foodstuff and essential daily products have been due to the increasing cost of petrol (blah blah blah), and there is nothing much the government can do to control it. However my opinion is that they can actually decrease the percentage of GST that we have to pay. We do not need a one off or three time installment of monetary assistance (re: GST offset package rubbish) but we need something to ease us of our daily expenses on basic necessities such as food, water, electricity and transport (*correct me if I am wrong but SMRT has been profiting, not making any losses by the way). Increase in prices plus the percentage of GST that we are paying right now just kills some of us from the lower income group.
Another issue is the hiring of foreign "lower paid" talents. According to THE SON,
"... foreign workers are hardworking and willing to work long hours. By hiring them, coffeeshops can open late or even round the clock... with the help of foreign workers, the airport, seaport, factories, offices, hotels, restaurants and retail outlets here can offer better service and business hours..."
What makes him think that our locals are not willing to work as hard as the foreign workers? There are people around who get retrenched or who have been asked to retire for some reasons and they are willing to go for any jobs as long as they get to earn a little to help them survive. Many of our locals, especially the senior citizens, have been reduced to become illegal hawkers and can collectors just to earn a few extra dollars a day because they have not been able to get any jobs that will allow them to work legally and in comfort (well, sort of...). Do not get me wrong however, I am not xenophobic but I feel that hiring foreign workers when there are suitable and willing workers available locally is seriously not necessary. Shouldn't the thought be on the locals first before outsourcing?
The last issue is about the accountability of government officials and ministers when it comes to "honest mistakes". The COI report on Mas Selamat's escape made me laugh so much that it hurts. Yes, I have tried to move on and yes the whole thing is getting so old but I am appalled that the government has been so arrogant about it when it comes to accountability. Sure, Wong Kan Seng wasn't the one who was present at the scene of escape BUT there are a few things that just do not seem very right and one of it was his very attitude about it. From his half hearted apology to his presentation of the COI, it seemed as if he was just trying to contribute to a scripted wayang show in his uniquely bland style. I mean... why was he presenting the COI in the first place when it was termed as an INDEPENDENT inquiry? In the end he got off the issue of responsibility so easily! It is bloody ridiculous. Anyway he should seriously step down not only for the MSK issue but for many other issues one of them namely, the foreign talent issue.
By the way please take note: Mas Selamat was detained and labelled as a terrorist without any trial so we cannot call him a terrorist but an alledged terrorist. Any detention without a trial in my books, is illegal detention but of course, what do I know? (Think for yourself.)
*I am not great at reading statistics so if I perceive the annual report wrongly or have linked it to the wrong report please do enlighten me*
Ohh and one more thing before I go to bed! Something extra. My advise of the day (actually week) is: NEVER go to Tan Tock Seng Hospital if you are in pain or dying because if you are in pain, they will only prescribe you with Panadol and if you are dying, you might just die in the observation ward because it will take 23 hours or so to get a bed. However take my mum's example. She scolded the nurses at the observation ward after about 12 hours of extreme pain in the back and boredom and suddenly got a bed! Brilliant wasn't it?
Read also:
Tak Boleh Tahan @ Toa Payoh Central
More of Tak Boleh Tahan @ Toa Payoh Central
SDP marks May Day by distributing flyers in Toa Payoh
S'pore opposition politician stages May Day protest
Why so serious?
SDP's May Day message
Tak Boleh Tahan, SDP says it again
The people drive us on
Been reading the COI report of Mas Selamat's escape since last night, and I can't help comparing this...
"He came out through the bathroom window..."to this...
Teensy thief crawls in mail flap
What is next? Hahaa... oh and check this out:
"In all, the COI found that Mas Selamat had about 11 minutes between the time he was brought to the toilet at 3.54 pm to 4.05 pm when the alert was raised. Within that time-frame, he took time to shave, then entered the urinal cubicle, turn the tap on and then flipped his pants over the concrete ledge above the cubicle door and made his escape."
This was extracted from the Mr. Wong's statement to the Parliament. Read the COI report here.
I am so thankful that the COI report has been made available to our eyes (rolls eyes) and I am sure that they have all worked hard for the investigation. Let us donate rolls of toilet paper to Whitley Road Detention Centre.
How I love the negligence. Indeed, we shouldn't be too complacent and think that all will be safe and rosy, faultless and wonderful in the little red dot that taxi drivers in Shanghai often referred to as "the garden" ("Ohh you come from the garden country? Very nice and clean right?").
Hey but what to do, it has happened.
One more thing... a very important thing... indeed, please bear in mind the ministers shouldn't be removed automatically removed for lapses down the line. Take the advise from our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Fair enough but I am sure there are other very valid reasons for a particular minister to step down. Just my opinion, but what do I know eh?
Remember, respect our mini(gang)sters. Accept their mistakes and pay your dues (protection money). 66.6% of you have voted for them to run this place anyway. So, how many of you have been convinced that you've made the right choice? Read the COI report again, go through the statements from our mini(gang)sters again. Maybe the Ministry of Home Affairs could have hired some child labour from my child care centre. When told of the escape during our morning assembly the day after the escape, one of the boys from the K2 class came up with this,
"Maybe he escaped from the window and nobody saw him. How come the police so stupid one?"
Brilliant wasn't he? And he did not take more than a month to come up with that.
We are no fools. Someone must be accountable for it the mistakes. If PM Lee thinks that his words weigh a huge load now I would say yea, a huge load of crap. Yea he can support WKS all the way as much as he wants but too bad, the government will get no support and respect from me as I did not vote for them to run this country for the fact that I am sick and tired of their arrogance, one man rule and running this place like a family business. Why should I accept the COI as an independent inquiry? If it is, then why was WKS presenting it?
Why should you?
No way.
However of course, you are free to decide. Just do not ruin this place for you and I by making foolish decisions in the next election.
A patriot is not someone who supports the ruling government blindly without thought. A patriot reads what the government says and does with thought, and a patriot fights for the truth, stands up for what he/ she believes, for the well being of the people, creating a better place for everyone to live in.
Which one are you, a silly sheep or a thoughtful and passionate patriot?
You decide.
Read also:
Mas Selamat: Monday is the moment of truth!!!
With LKY, who needs COI?
Physical Weakness
Resignation Letter Sample
The COI: Simultaneously fair and frustrating to Singaporeans
For more, check out: COI report: Reactions from the Internet
Dearest friends and acquaintances from China,
I am somewhat baffled.
Can I have a better and more intelligent answer to my question other than,
"To get an apology from Carrefour."
or
"Sarkozy must confirm his attendance at the Beijing Olympics."
and
"They can protest in the West, why can't we?"
These are not only shallow reasons, but immature. Do not get me wrong, I am not against demonstrations, protests or anyone speaking up. I am neither pro-Western, or pro-anyone in this very case. My personal views on the Tibetan issue are quite clear. Although appalled by the oppression and human rights issues, I do not agree with the concept of a religious state or rule. So in other words, I believe that Tibet has been the victim of a political game between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama.
No, my knowledge of the life in Tibet is not great so the above opinions are based on accounts gathered by talking to the Tibetan shop keepers in Shanghai as well as accounts from friends who have been to Tibet and have spoken to Tibetans discretly about their lives under the Chinese rule. Hence I have not been advocating openly on my blog that everyone should ban the Beijing Olympics as it is not fair at all. I don't think that anyone should ban the Beijing Olympics because if they really cared, they should have protested when Beijing was nominated as one of the candidates for the host of the Olympics years ago. They should have protested then and stopped this from happening. That is part of my take on the whole issue.
Living in China had been a great experience. I am not ungrateful to the wonderful hospitality and friendship all of you have extended to me. In fact I was happier living in Shanghai than living here in my homeland, Singapore, especially after the decease of my beloved Grandmother.
I believe in the freedom of speech and expression, something that both the governments of China and Singapore do not. However ever since yesterday, I have been disgusted and appalled by the shallow base and reasons why the Chinese chosed to protest outside Carefour and some French schools in Beijing, Wuhan, and some other parts of China. All of you were angered by the humiliation that the Western media and people have thrown upon you. You were angered by the fact that there were, and are still, people out there who tried, and are still attempting, to ruin the Olympics that will be held in Beijing soon. However please note that the Olympic torch is still on its way to your land as we speak. Not only that, you were angered by the way the Western media have 'demonised' China, and you were angered by the fact that the French President Sarkozy refused to confirm his attendance.
Now I am not saying that none of you cannot be angry for any of the abovementioned issues. However seriously, don't you think that people will take you more seriously if you are being more constructive? I do not agree with the shallow reasons behind protests happening worldwide anyway than I agree with the reasons behind the protests held in your country. However when it comes to human rights issues that have sparked the worldwide protests, have you, anyone of you, ever wondered if it makes any sense at all? Maybe it doesn't and I can totally understand. Your textbooks have been whitewashed and from a very young age, all of you have been taught and trained to love your country no matter what. I often watched the afternoon marching drill exercise of the Primary One students I taught with amusement when I got to the schools early or when I happened to pass by one. Those children spoke with a proud glint in their eyes when they tried to tell me in their best English, why they love their country so much and why I should too. Admittedly, despite genuinely smiling at their excitement, there is also a sense of sadness and disgust which I have very much kept to myself, with regards to the success of the kind of brainwashing you can get from the education system.
Let us get to the point. Why should Carrefour apologise to the Chinese? No way. Even though Carrefour is a French company, it did not tried to stop the torch relay. Carrefour is also not accountable to Mr. Sarkosy's refusal to confirm his attendance at the Olympics. Finally, Carrefour is not responsible for the way the Western media has 'demonised' China to the world. Same goes for the French schools. Before you start being proud of the fact that the protesters have caused the schools to stop operating for the day, have you not thought of how much your actions have terrified those young children? What have they done to deserve that? Why can't all of you just go and do your thing over at the French ambassy? If you are not against globalisation, you shouldn't be protesting outside Carrefour because your government's economy for the day is also at the loosing end (feel free to correct me if I am wrong on this). Leave the schools alone, leave the supermarkets alone. Attacking schools, terrorising young children who do not understand just leaves a bad taste in anyone's mouth.
Lastly, tell me what you love about your country? If you love your country, why not fight for the government to grant you and your fellow citizens your rights? Why not fight for the release of the many political journalists who were caught and have been detained without trial while trying to provide you and the world with the truth behind the government, behind Tianmen, and the ugliness behind the smiling facade of Mao? Is painting a 'you have humiliated us again, poor us!' picture to the world a sign of love for your country? Nay. Instead it simply painted a sad picture of a nation of self pitying, dillusional people. What respect do you expect the rest of the world to develop from this? If you want to protest, find a better reason to and do it properly with thought.
Go fight your own government for the well being of your fellowmen instead. Go and find out the truth about the 'anti-Chinese statements' and newsreports (they might well be at least 70% true) or be constructive and know your purpose behind the 'fight'. People might respect you more.
There, I am done with my two cents' worth of opinions.
Best regards,
Rach.
*This open letter hasn't been written to offend but to exercise my right to have an opinion.*
News reports on the protests:
Anti-French protests reported in Beijing and Wuhan
China urges 'rational' protests
Rallies continue across country
Related video post on this blog: American vs. China
I take my hats off Mr. Jeyaretnam. This is the man who was the first opposition party candidate to be elected as an MP into the Parliament in 1981 and was subjected to many attempts to reduce him to nothing. Yes, he went through several defamation suits placed upon him by *YEW KNOW WHO and company, was debarred and was announced a bankrupt after his damages installment was overdued for a day in 2001. Due to this, he was disqualified from participating in the elections. He also resigned from the Workers' Party in the same year.
He announced his return to politics with the formation of the Reform Party on 18 April. His application is still in the process of being approved and he doesn't expect any difficulties to have it approved but in the case that the application doesn't get approved, he vowed to challenge it. He claimed that he is not doing this (returning to politics) to get even with Lee Kuan Yew.
"The battle plan is to try and energise our people, to rouse them from this slumber into which the PAP has led them." answered Mr. Jeyaretnam when queried upon the battle plan for his party.
Ambitious man, but who is to say that it isn't possible? However there is an unspoken climate of fear among most of us here, made possible by our petty leaders who cannot stand being criticized or challenged publicly. Hence this task might take years to fufil but one good thing is that there is a growing group of concerned citizens here who are trying to work their way towards change.
Let's hope that JB Jeyaretnam's return to politics will be a catalyst that will help to bring about a better change in our political situation here.
*Not a spelling mistake!
Related videos:
Reform Part press conference Q & A session - Part 1 Part 2
Related articles:
Reform Party will educate, empower and energise: JBJ
Opposition figure JB Jeyaretnam registers in his new Reform Party
Singapore opposition talks of unity as veteran returns
Reform Part is not about getting even: JBJ
New party vows to fight Singapore 'enslavement'
Jeyaretnam speaks on Reform Party's plans and constitution
What JBJ actually said at his Reform Party press conference
You can also visit JB Jeyaretnam's blog here.
Finally had some time to read the whole interview of PM Lee on the Straits Times Online regarding new media and internet campaigning. Interestingly, it just gives me a feeling that he is not worth 3.1 million.
"My conclusion is that if the PAP (People's Action Party) wants to continue to gain the people's support, it must maintain a clean and capable government. It must continue to reflect people's views and continue to strive for a better future for Singapore. If the Government is unable to satisfy these basic demands, then it is unworthy of the people's support." Glad he knows it but that is pretty much common sense really. Who will support a corrupted and incapable government? Then again, how much has the PAP been reflecting people's views anyway? How do we know if our government is truly clean when we do not have any non governmentally linked company/ independent group of auditors to audit the top runners of the government? Does the government think that they have been able to satisfy our basic demands so far and are they really worthy of our support?
"Voters will say: 'I will not vote for you. I'm kicking you out.' That is completely reasonable." It is happening, it is... don't worry about it, dear PM. Hehee... "We have to renew regulations to meet the needs of the new age. We will review whether we should relax some of the regulations. However, we will proceed with caution to avoid creating a negative impact." Indeed, may we see a "relaxation" of the regulations soon and hopefully this isn't just merely our PM talking cock and singing song. Then again, the government can "proceed with caution" but does anyone really care nowadays? Just check out our local socio political blogs (not the Xia Xue kind of stuff) and the videos on youtube. The internet is a free media, the government can try to do whatever they want but it is a booming tool that can be used very freely nowadays. They can ban blogs or websites but there is always this thing called online tunnelling and by creating a ban, they are also generating free publicity.
"People also use the new media to release news. It is not a problem if they are factual reports. The problem is that online video clips vary in nature." If there are no problems with the government, why worry about people believing in non factual reports? Sure, online video clips vary in nature and some are terribly non credible but who is to say that CNA's news and video footages are factual and unbias? Since our censorship board has been doing an amazing job of hiding videos from our view, not because they are not factual, but because they are considered to be against public interest, the internet is our only probable source of getting to watch such videos. We need not only good news but also the truth. So if the government is not going to allow us a broader view of what is going on here, then it is not wrong to seek and share the alternative 'banned' perspective from online sources. "Take Fitna as an example. It is a short film on Islam, and spreads extreme anti-Islamic views." Take the PAP as an example. It is the ruling party in Singapore, and they spread anti-democractic views as well as terrorise their citizens into law abiding robots afraid and sometimes unequipped to speak up. Which is worse, you decide. (Anyone is always welcome to scream at me for thinking such a 'horrible' thing. Free speech reigns here.) "The United States also has such a phenomenon. Michael Moore's movies are politically motivated. He is very anti-Republican and anti-Bush. You may be misled by his documentaries if you do not understand his background and motives." Michael Moore has been giving us yet another perspective on things going on in his country. We do not need his films to be anti-Republican or anti-Bush. Seriously, we are not daft. CNA provides us with footages of war, recordings of interviews with Dubya the Daft and we are clearly able to decide. Most of us anyway.
"Another related problem is how do you refute views that are wrong. If a newspaper report is wrong, readers can write in to refute it or the newspapers can carry another report to clarify matters. The newspaper readership is rather fixed, but it is difficult to identify readers or surfers online. How do you find them to clarify the truth? There is no way to do this. This is a problem." Wrong by PAP standards you mean? It is actually not a problem. Readers of newspapers do not really get to refute without having their words censored anyway. On discussion forums, users get to discuss and clarify or even argue. On web blogs like theonlinecitizen, readers get to put in their opinions and doubts. The virtual world is virtually free. Swords fly free, spices gets peppered everywhere but at least discussions flow fast and uncensored most of the time so it is easier to get things clarified (in my opinion). At least in this manner, blood doesn't need to be spilled and limbs need not be broken or bruised. I guess it is a problem to the PAP because they might sometimes find it harder to locate the source of 'wrong' reports hence unable to exercise their legal muscles on anyone spreading malicious (but might not be false) reports about them? "For example, YouTube clips and political advertisements are very similar. Political advertisements cost a lot of money, including production, buying airtime on TV or print advertisements. Singapore politics will turn bad if political campaigning costs a lot of money." Hahahaa that fool! Uploading clips on YouTube is free, whether political or otherwise. There is no special account on YouTube for politicians only that requires them to pay. In fact if the whole campaign is online based then it sure will save a huge sum of money because there are many platforms that any political party can use in the campaign for free. How much did the PAP spent in campaigning during the last election anyway? Ohh... I forgot that MediaCorp, SPH and CNA could be willing participants or service donors in the PAP's campaign.
"From a narrow perspective, if political parties have to produce advertisements, the PAP will have an edge because we have the resources to do so. However, from a broader, national perspective, it is not a good thing. This is because many people will be willing to donate money to parties that need money, but political donations are never unconditional. You win the election and after you come into power, the donors will politely 'seek payment for debts'. What do you do for such debts of gratitude? In developing countries, this often turns into a problem of corruption. In the United States, it is not called money politics, but campaign financing." Speaking from experience, Mr. Lee? Ok but anyway he is so arrogant for thinking that PAP has the edge because they have the resources. Just because the oppositions are oppositions, does it necessarily mean that they do not have the resources to run a good campaign? Sure in some cases political donations can 'help pull strings' but as long as terms are laid down before the donation campaigns (from the parties receiving the donations), stating that only donations that have been contributed willingly without expectations of returns and gains are welcome, I think it will probably not be much of an issue. Take note that donors might well appreciate such parties more because of their attempt to declare non corruption, instead of being in contempt about the issue of non returns (for donors). A donation is not a debt. This isn't China (sorry to use this reference but I lived there long enough to see corruption happening daily).
"Our MPs do a lot of preparatory work and they speak with substance. Of course, at times, their debates may not be exciting enough, but they do their homework and put forward good views. When debating the Budget, they may have only two, three minutes to speak, but they speak convincingly and their opinions are worthy of consideration." Indeed, some of the MPs are truly good at raising issues. Their opinions are worthy of consideration but alot of times never considered. Such a pity. "As for the opposition MPs, they actually seldom debate in direct opposition to the Government. Chiam See Tong does not speak as much now. Sylvia Lim speaks rather carefully and seems restrained. Of course, this is good. Although Low Thia Khiang is very smart, he seldom debates on the core substance of policies. He seems more keen on catching the Government on its shortcomings, so as to embarrass the Government. This is very different from his impassioned speeches at election rallies. His attitude is that his responsibility is just to criticise government policies and not to propose alternatives." Read again. Catch what I catch? Hardly needs elaborating. "Actually, if we test people's knowledge of the policy details, I think journalists and PAP MPs may not make the passing grade." Hmm... food for thought. So who actually knows about the policy details? Why not explain them in layman's terms for the general public to understand instead? Maybe then will people stop 'misunderstanding'. "Therefore, I think the people who criticise Electronic Road Pricing or means testing are not just doing it to provoke the Government so that the Government will have new ways of thinking. The people truly do not see why the Government is proposing such measures. The Government has actually explained, but they remain sceptical about the policy. Nevertheless, some things have to be carried out. If you conduct a poll on whether national service should be implemented, I believe the majority of Singaporeans will support it." Yea it is our fault again, for not understanding/ for being sceptical about governmental policies. Also compulsory national service is an infringement to basic rights of choice. If a man joins an army willingly without being forced, but with the intention of defending our country, that man is a patriot worth training. However if there is no such a man or woman here in Singapore then maybe our National Education department has failed miserably (not in terms of brain washing, but in terms of developing the love of this country). I honestly believe that there are people around who will willingly dedicate their whole lives in the defence of this country.
"However, if the people feel you are like a clown and lose respect for you, will your words still carry strength? Will people still take your opinions seriously?" Hey look who's speaking! Ok it goes on and on and on and on but I just cannot fully agree with him at all. In fact, instead of only disagreeing with him about most of what he had said, I cannot help it but think that he is being too much of a traditionalist when it comes to many things. Times are changing, so instead of staying in the traditional mode especially with regards to campaigning, why not be more open to the change of times? Sure it is fine being cautious and critical about new media but then again there are some things that he obviously is so wrong about (IMHO). Man... drop the regulations on the internet because it is just a waste of time. Can't we just have a free virtual media when it seems impossible that we will ever get one offline?
Argh tired, cannot go on now. The man is daft, that is my conclusion for now until he actually comes up with something better and more realistically factual (online campaigns will seriously cost you peanuts if you are smart, my dear expensive first world PM). Read also: New Media - Do you agree with PM Lee?
Blogs languish in high-tech Singapore My role that of watchdog: WP Chief
Pfff... so exhausted today, just like any other day of the past two weeks or so. Anyway, I was just browsing through my rss feeds on iGoogle and a piece of good news just caught my eyes, among the usual blogs about current affairs and such. Apparently the film Speakers Cornered by Martyn See has been approved by MDA, it is great to hear! MDA has rated the film NC-16.
Personally I like the film. It portrays another perspective of local politics as well as the Police. Very aptly titled as well. Anyway it is a piece of good news although the approval does seem a little strange but that is maybe because I still have some unadjusted prejudice against MDA. Then again, the approval of the film doesn't change my mind about MDA. It is exciting however, to see if this will be the first of many films of the same nature to be approved (in future).
You can read about the approval from the maker of the film himself here and watch the film on youtube here.
Seriously, this is a film that every Singaporean should watch. Either you watch it and become more pro-PAP (hahaa for some bizarre reasons, I don't know) or gain a wider perspective on local politics (pff... seems to be the only way my exhausted mind can put it). It documents what went on during the peaceful protest at the Speaker's Corner during the World Bank - IMF meeting here and how the police went about doing their 'job'. Well I wasn't back here at that time but I can be very sure that those video footages were certainly not shown on Channel News Asia, especially the ones showing how the police tried to stop them from proceeding to Suntec City and how they followed Chee Siok Chin to the toilet and stuff.
Ahh you see, there is no harm watching CNA, receiving good news all day long but we all need to get another perspective of things to balance out the 'good news'. Otherwise we will always believe in good news and in turn become complacent.
Correct or not, Uncle Lee Senior?
Read also:
"Submit your boldest work to the censors." - Martyn See
NC-16 rating for film on Speakers' Corner protest
Was browsing through Reuters and couldn't help posting this here:
NAPLES (Reuters) - Ballot stuffing took on a new meaning in Italy's parliamentary election on Sunday when a man ate his ballot paper in protest at the country's politicians. Police in Naples said they had charged the 41-year-old businessman with destroying election materials. He said all Italian politicians and politics "are crap" and that he was protesting "against the system." (Reporting by Laura Viggiano; Writing by Phil Stewart) Wonder if he had a hard time digesting the ballot paper. Oh well hahaa...
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