He was invited to the Blog TV programme to discuss the current SMRT fiasco. He quoted a post by a PR about SMRT staff that were Malays and Indians and could not speak good English and probably resulted in the problems last week. His insensitivity to quote the message verbatim was not taken kindly by the bloggers. Even Halimah Yaacob was offended and has to air her unhappiness.
Seng Han Thong has since apologized for his insensitivity which is really uncalled for as he is a politician and cannot forget how such remarks could be taken differently. It is going to do him no good.
Well, it happened. Just too bad.
12/22/2011
To be happy or to be more frighten?
Read a summary of the Blog TV programme on the recent SMRT breakdown. Did they miss an A in SMRT? What I read is that SMRT is ready to handle a terrorist attack but not a normal breakdown. And the problem is really communication. If they could communicate well, the problem will be solved.
Did they say 21 claws fell off? Could communication prevent the claws falling off? Could good communication prevent the UPS from cutting off and allow ventilation to go on without suffocating the passengers?
Scary isn’t it?
Did they say 21 claws fell off? Could communication prevent the claws falling off? Could good communication prevent the UPS from cutting off and allow ventilation to go on without suffocating the passengers?
Scary isn’t it?
A super intellectual and expert on North Korea
The death of Kim Jong Il has spawned an army of pseudo intellectuals and experts about North Korea. And one cannot miss what they have to say about Kim Jong Il and the country. Let me just quote some of the enlightening news and views they would say.
Kim Jong Il was a mad dictator. He was egoistic, and wore a hair style and platform shoes to make him look taller. He was a womanizer, a lover of sports cars and cognac. He spent millions buying cognac. He was reckless and always provoked the South Koreans. He had several wives.
I have yet to see him in his playboy look, in his sports cars and surrounded by all the beautiful women, luxury watches, branded clothes, and half drunk because of his consumption of millions of dollars of cognac. Anything else is new?
As for North Korea, it is a poverty stricken country, 2 million people died of famine, under fed children looking like the leftovers in poor third world countries, skin and bones with eyes bulging. And they spent all their monies in defence and nothing left to eat.
The wailing and remorse for Kim’s death is all staged, all managed and propaganda. If they don’t do it, don’t pretend to be crying, (they are all watching over their shoulders to see who is watching), they would be arrested, perhaps sent to Siberia or tortured in Guantanamo. The North Koreans are not only stupid, robotic, unthinking but as crazy as their Dear Leader.
Now Dear Leader is dead, his young son is incapable to running the country. And he is so naïve, braggart, arrogant, and trying to prove himself. And he is planning to launch an attack at South Korea. Maybe he will fly his ICBMs to the USA and Singapore. So frightening dealing with these poor and mad people. It is a country of insanes but all very happy after being tortured and oppressed by their Dear Leader.
See how well read I am on North Korea. I know everything about North Korea from the experts by reading all the articles in reputable newspapers written by experts who have not even step foot in South Korea, not talking about North Korea. I think I am more expert and intellectual than all these pseudo intellectuals and experts because I know everything they know and more.
Anyone who wants to know about North Korea and Kim need not go further or waste time reading the reputable media. Everything that is needed to know is summarized here. Just parrot what I say and you can act like an expert, an unthinking intellectual.
The same things will be spoken by the future experts of North Korea and Kim Jung Un in the next 30 years. I know. I am the super intellectual and expert of North Korea.
Emeritus Professor Redbean
Kim Jong Il was a mad dictator. He was egoistic, and wore a hair style and platform shoes to make him look taller. He was a womanizer, a lover of sports cars and cognac. He spent millions buying cognac. He was reckless and always provoked the South Koreans. He had several wives.
I have yet to see him in his playboy look, in his sports cars and surrounded by all the beautiful women, luxury watches, branded clothes, and half drunk because of his consumption of millions of dollars of cognac. Anything else is new?
As for North Korea, it is a poverty stricken country, 2 million people died of famine, under fed children looking like the leftovers in poor third world countries, skin and bones with eyes bulging. And they spent all their monies in defence and nothing left to eat.
The wailing and remorse for Kim’s death is all staged, all managed and propaganda. If they don’t do it, don’t pretend to be crying, (they are all watching over their shoulders to see who is watching), they would be arrested, perhaps sent to Siberia or tortured in Guantanamo. The North Koreans are not only stupid, robotic, unthinking but as crazy as their Dear Leader.
Now Dear Leader is dead, his young son is incapable to running the country. And he is so naïve, braggart, arrogant, and trying to prove himself. And he is planning to launch an attack at South Korea. Maybe he will fly his ICBMs to the USA and Singapore. So frightening dealing with these poor and mad people. It is a country of insanes but all very happy after being tortured and oppressed by their Dear Leader.
See how well read I am on North Korea. I know everything about North Korea from the experts by reading all the articles in reputable newspapers written by experts who have not even step foot in South Korea, not talking about North Korea. I think I am more expert and intellectual than all these pseudo intellectuals and experts because I know everything they know and more.
Anyone who wants to know about North Korea and Kim need not go further or waste time reading the reputable media. Everything that is needed to know is summarized here. Just parrot what I say and you can act like an expert, an unthinking intellectual.
The same things will be spoken by the future experts of North Korea and Kim Jung Un in the next 30 years. I know. I am the super intellectual and expert of North Korea.
Emeritus Professor Redbean
Ministerial Salary Review still awaiting
Last month Hsien Loong mentioned that the Review will be ready in early December. We are nearing Christmas and nothing is seen nor heard. The ST has a report today on the Review Committee and apparently it has yet to submit the Report to Hsien Loong.
What caught my attention is AP Eugene Tan’s comments on what should NOT be done, that is, the cut should not be too deep. He gave two reasons. A too big cut will ‘disincentivise private sector talent to enter politics’. I think this is a very wrong reason for not doing the right cut.
Political office is about serving the people and country. Politics is not about self and self serving. This is exactly the problem with our political scene, where instead of bringing people who think country and people, they are incentivizing people who think self and profit. We are seeing the results and there are coming in straight and fast. The public housing was a happy problem that turned ugly. The efficient transport system that ran for 30 years is now running into trouble. From good to bad.
The next reason is that a too deep a cut will be ‘admitting that ministers have been grossly overpaid for 15 years’. What kind of excuse is this? Two wrongs do not make a right. If it was wrong, admit it, do the necessary and move on. Pretending that it was not wrong is not going to solve anything. The cancer will just grow.
I really hope that this is not the thinking and premises adopted by the Review Committee. If they are, the recommendations can be best forgotten.
What caught my attention is AP Eugene Tan’s comments on what should NOT be done, that is, the cut should not be too deep. He gave two reasons. A too big cut will ‘disincentivise private sector talent to enter politics’. I think this is a very wrong reason for not doing the right cut.
Political office is about serving the people and country. Politics is not about self and self serving. This is exactly the problem with our political scene, where instead of bringing people who think country and people, they are incentivizing people who think self and profit. We are seeing the results and there are coming in straight and fast. The public housing was a happy problem that turned ugly. The efficient transport system that ran for 30 years is now running into trouble. From good to bad.
The next reason is that a too deep a cut will be ‘admitting that ministers have been grossly overpaid for 15 years’. What kind of excuse is this? Two wrongs do not make a right. If it was wrong, admit it, do the necessary and move on. Pretending that it was not wrong is not going to solve anything. The cancer will just grow.
I really hope that this is not the thinking and premises adopted by the Review Committee. If they are, the recommendations can be best forgotten.
Cheryl Fox - Get Real and hard
I happened to watch this programme hosted by Cheryl Fox on 20 Dec. It was about the housing scheme for the old and lonely. We have this scheme where the oldies are allowed to rent HDB flats at a concession rate of something like $26 pm where two oldies could share a one room flat. They could find their own flat mates or the HDB could fix them up if they could not find one.
$26 monthly rental each is a steal. How to find such low rental when every flat costs several hundred thousand bucks? Even people on public assistance would be able to afford to pay $26 as they get something like $400 pm from the govt.
The programme Get Real, showed a few of the tenants and how they live their lives sharing the flat with strangers. There was a 65 year old guy living with a granny who is more than 90. And there is this guy in his 60s or 70s living with another guy who is much older and have all kinds of oldies problems, unable to control his urine, difficulties in moving, and this guy took upon himself to look after him, feed him, wash him and clean up the mess he is creating, without getting paid a single cent.
The other guy who is with the granny, he just tolerates. The granny is in a world of her own, with poor personal hygiene and her room smells. What to do, there is nothing that the guy could do. He just lives with it.
The two guys were extreme examples of tolerance and compassion. They understand. They know the other parties needed help but were helpless.
I wonder how many of such folks are living on their own in such conditions? Okay, please don’t be patronizing by saying they are losers and deserve to be where they are. With the high cost of living, many will fall into this category in a matter of time, no money, can’t work, weak and feeble, economically useless, and no one to look after them.
The children, if they have, would have serious problem looking after them as well. Our social economic structure is designed to have both average Sinkie parents working. Where are they going to find the time looking after their old folks? And there are also space constraints in the little flats. Where to put the oldies when they have growing up children? Average sinkies don’t live in big 20,000 sq ft bungalows.
So how, put them in old folks homes? You think it is so cheap, so affordable? Many would cost them both their incomes. So how? How much does it cost to upkeep one such loser that is completely dependent on others to help them to live longer?
I think the pension of a minister could take care of at least 1,000 such folks. It definitely would not bankrupt the country to take on this function for sure. It is a case of value. Who shall take care of them and if the rightful caretaker can’t as they too are in dire straits, who else?
Some say depends on Charity Shows and the public for more donations. Some say the President can help to raise funds. Yes, depends on the public and their money to support these people who are blessed with long lives. Is the money in our national reserves not public money?
Where is the dignity to grow old? Shit, people in such state better don’t ask for dignity. It is between a one room flat, a nursing home or the road side. What do they expect?
$26 monthly rental each is a steal. How to find such low rental when every flat costs several hundred thousand bucks? Even people on public assistance would be able to afford to pay $26 as they get something like $400 pm from the govt.
The programme Get Real, showed a few of the tenants and how they live their lives sharing the flat with strangers. There was a 65 year old guy living with a granny who is more than 90. And there is this guy in his 60s or 70s living with another guy who is much older and have all kinds of oldies problems, unable to control his urine, difficulties in moving, and this guy took upon himself to look after him, feed him, wash him and clean up the mess he is creating, without getting paid a single cent.
The other guy who is with the granny, he just tolerates. The granny is in a world of her own, with poor personal hygiene and her room smells. What to do, there is nothing that the guy could do. He just lives with it.
The two guys were extreme examples of tolerance and compassion. They understand. They know the other parties needed help but were helpless.
I wonder how many of such folks are living on their own in such conditions? Okay, please don’t be patronizing by saying they are losers and deserve to be where they are. With the high cost of living, many will fall into this category in a matter of time, no money, can’t work, weak and feeble, economically useless, and no one to look after them.
The children, if they have, would have serious problem looking after them as well. Our social economic structure is designed to have both average Sinkie parents working. Where are they going to find the time looking after their old folks? And there are also space constraints in the little flats. Where to put the oldies when they have growing up children? Average sinkies don’t live in big 20,000 sq ft bungalows.
So how, put them in old folks homes? You think it is so cheap, so affordable? Many would cost them both their incomes. So how? How much does it cost to upkeep one such loser that is completely dependent on others to help them to live longer?
I think the pension of a minister could take care of at least 1,000 such folks. It definitely would not bankrupt the country to take on this function for sure. It is a case of value. Who shall take care of them and if the rightful caretaker can’t as they too are in dire straits, who else?
Some say depends on Charity Shows and the public for more donations. Some say the President can help to raise funds. Yes, depends on the public and their money to support these people who are blessed with long lives. Is the money in our national reserves not public money?
Where is the dignity to grow old? Shit, people in such state better don’t ask for dignity. It is between a one room flat, a nursing home or the road side. What do they expect?
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