I feel so sorry for our journalists/reporters

Many of you must have missed this fact and did not even think about it. Why is it that we don’t produce great journalists/reporters that could be nominated or won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism? Yes, we have many journalists, many very well qualified and I believe can write great stories and produce great journalistic works.
 
The answer, the environment. It is so stifling here for anyone or journalists/reporters to fully express themselves in their works, in their profession. If only the journalists and reporters could be given full reign to write what they want to write, the way the want to write, as journalists and reporters, I am sure many great names of journalists would be Singaporeans.
 
If SPH is thinking of writing about regional news, there is no need to recruit foreigners. Our very own journalists and reporters would be able to write much better than the foreigners. Maybe this going regional thing is a good thing for our journalists and reporters to write freely, without any restraints or constraints.
 
I remember an old story about a group of American tourists visiting Moscow Square. And they were bragging to their Russian guide about freedom of expression. This was in the 60s when Russia was the bigger USSR. The Americans claimed that they could say anything in America, even shouting ‘Fuck JF Kennedy, or Fuck Johnson’ in a public square.
 
The Russian guide looked at them and said, they could do the same in Moscow. The Americans laughed at him. What, we dared you repeat what we said right here. The Russian guide put his loud hailer to his mouth and blared out, ‘Fuck JF Kennedy, Fuck Johnson.’ Then he looked at the Americans and said, ‘See, freedom of expression.’
With freedom of expression, journalists and reporters can really be what they are and excel in their works. Now many mistook them as duds, unable to write or produce great literary works. But writing about the region would remove this constraint, I hope, to write freely. Let’s hear them write about the Mad Man or Rocket Man in North Korea. 

The only people allowed to write ‘quite freely’ in our media are some foreigners pushing their private agenda, like anti China or anti North Korea. These people are so privilege to write their rubbish as if they are authorities in what they are saying and feeding daft Singaporeans with their hostile views on China and North Korea. Some may be wondering if this is an official view or encouraged by the govt to publish such negative views on these two countries.
 
If our journalists were given such freedom, would they unthinkingly reproduced the same thing as the western media and addressed Kim Jong Un as the Mad Man or Rocket Man, regurgitating what the western media planted in their heads? If they do, then there would be no hope for them to rival AP, Reuters or whatever media from the West. They would not be producing anything new, original or refreshing.
 
This would be a test for them to be themselves, to think as individuals, not as unthinking robots, only parroting what is being programmed into their heads, consciously or unconsciously. Alas, this is unlikely to happen. Many would be writing about their pets and what they eat for breakfast.
 
I would recommend SPH to drop the stupid idea of hiring foreigners and let our own journalists/reporters loose and have a go at true journalism. Hey, provide jobs for Singaporeans man, not foreigners with Singaporean money or money made from Singaporeans. The govt has already been very generous in creating a couple of million jobs for foreigners here. There is no need to do more in this direction.
 
Maybe we will see a few Singaporean Pulitzer Prize winners in the making.

SMRT – A very bad deal for General Desmond Kuek

Nothing personal, but to volunteer to helm the SMRT is not a very wise thing to do for General Kuek. I think he must be regretting everyday, just like Boon Wan, for volunteering to solve the SMRT problems. The deep seated technical and engineering problems cannot be solved, would not go away just be replacing a few heads, just like the deep seated cultural problems.
 
Why would a clever man like Gen Kuek, the top man commanding the Armed Forces with a few hundred thousand men and women, and everyone has to ‘ta beh’ him in his presence, volunteered for a trouble infested train company? Why would someone who was used to walk around decorated like a Christmas tree during official functions, walking with the President during National Day parade, want to walk the railway tracks, to dirty himself and look like another average Singaporeans when no one has to ‘ta beh’ him anymore, when his words are no longer commands or orders to obey?
 
Today, everyone is poking at him for his failure to solve the train problems and to be pushed around by civilians that knew nothing more about the trains than him. When he was once almighty, now even ex NS men working in the SMRT would rant at him if they are not happy. It is a very bad decision, in my opinion, to volunteer for this job. To be kind to him, we should appreciate his bravery to answer the call of duty, to sacrifice himself in a mission that no wise men would volunteer.
 
Is there really a way to solve the train problems just by money, by hiring the best men for the job instead of putting round pegs into square holes and hope that miracles would happen? With the money SMRT is paying, it really can buy the best men available in the world for this job. No train company really pays their top men this kind of money. Why didn’t SMRT go around the world like the elites used to do when a top job is vacant, hire the best foreign recruitment agencies to round the world to headhunt the most qualified men for the job? There would be thousands lining up for this job and dying for it if they go globe hunting. And I mean real talents, not fakes with fake qualifications and degrees from you know where.
 
For the same money, even Obama would be queuing up to apply for the job. He would not smell this kind of money as President of the USA. Heads of States all over the world would not mind trying their luck at his job that apparently anyone can do. The money is so good.
 
How, when are they going to hunt another foreign talent for this job since Singaporeans have proven that they could not do it? Maybe another foreign fake would be able to fake that everything is fine if given the job. General Kuek should take on an ambassador position instead of being punished sitting on this chair.
 
Yes, brave man, brave soldier. I really feel sorry for him. From being an untouchable, now everyone is throwing mud, stones and rotten tomatoes at him.

Mary Christmas everyone. Oops, I mean Merry Christmas.

When kindness received a tight slap

Statestimesreview reported this.

'According to reporters from Chinese papers Lian He Zao Bao, two N-level students from Juying Secondary School were not allowed to receive their official certificates because they owed school fees. The two Normal Technical-stream students with extreme poverty family background each owed the school S$540 and S$1,696, and only received their exam transcripts during the release of N-level results yesterday (Dec 19).
 
It is understood the two poor students were embarrassingly shamed by the school when their fellow school mates heard of the real reason why they were the only ones not given their N-level certificates.
An anonymous part-time teacher was enraged by the school’s mercenary actions and immediately went around the school collecting donations to crowd fund the amount to pay the school. The anonymous part-time teacher raised the full amount in less than a day, but the school refused to take the donation money – embarrassing the two poor students who were eagerly wanted their certificates back to join in the celebration with their friends.
 
The school then forced the parents of the students to meet, and discussed options to recover the school fees before finally returning their N-level certificates.
 
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education (MOE) did not deny the incident and only repeated himself saying the government has a lot of financial assistance plans to assist local students.'

 
How heartless and unkind can these people be? Instead of offering full assistance and showing kindness, they did not care how the two students felt but about the few hundred dollars they owed in school fees. This is so shameful! I can't believe there are so heartless and callous people responsible for education and educating our young.

No amount of financial assistance schemes could wipe away the shame and pain of the students affected in this episode. The people that subject the students to such embarrassment should be sacked. For those meagre some of money, it needed a part time teacher to take the initiative to help the two students. Are the full time teachers that poor, totally out of wits, dunno what to do?

This is how bad some people in this silly island have become, bullying and shaming the down and out instead of giving them a helping hand. But when it comes to Christmas, they were throwing money around to many that don't need it. Charity only happened in Christmas time.

Merry Christmas can be a frightening moment

Many people will be giving away presents during Christmas, and many people will be receiving presents or hoping to receive presents. Many presents will be placed under the Christmas trees at home. Many presents will be sent be mail or couriers.

Here is the frightening moment, especially for those living in the White House or in Capitol Hill. And this is also true for those countries that voted against the UN Resolution condemning the American unilateral act of recognising the seized part of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

For these people, receiving a present by mail is going to be a frightening experience, a dilemma, to accept and open the present or not.

The most dangerous job during this Christmas period must be the postmen or couriers delivering the presents. Are the presents going to blow up in their faces?

'Merry Christmas, I am delivering your Christmas present.'

The World United voted against the evil Empire

The UN General Assembly voted for the resolution not to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 128 voted for, 35 abstained and 9 against. Arab and Muslim countries around the world closed rank to denounce the Americans’ unilateral act in contempt of the UN and the Arab/Muslim countries. The vote against the evil Empire is justice late in coming but nonetheless proof that the evil Empire is in the decline. It is not going to bully the world again. The World United has stood up to the threats of the evil Empire.
 
Elsewhere there were protests against the Americans. In Malaysia, Mahathir has made his round to lead the first protest outside the American Embassy. Najib is not going to be left out and will be leading another protest against the Americans.
 
Malaysia has also called for the boycott of Jewish products. Why Jewish and not American products when the violation is committed by the Americans to favour the Jews, not the Jews annexing Jerusalem, I don’t know. Yes, why not boycott American products? 

While many Arab/Muslim countries are thumping their chests today, do not be deceived. Tomorrow, everyone of them would jump into bed with the Americans again. They would still believe that the Americans are the angels, there to protect them. And when the Americans said go and eat shit, they would. The Americans would go on and demonise and attack other countries, and these silly countries would be shouting and marching behind the Americans. You can be very sure about this.

In three months at the most, all of them would be praying to their white gods again, and prostrating in front of the Emperor. Jerusalem would be forgotten, the cause of the Palestinians would be forgotten.
Long live the white Emperor!