Günther Branlutte

Priceless!


Amidst the furor of the NKF donations issue, one question that seems to have gone unasked, not least by the 2/3 of Singaporeans who donate to the NKF - could all that money be put to better, more efficient uses? No one doubts that the NKF saves lives, but I think that diminishing returns have long since set in, and lives could be better saved and improved by channeling the money to other causes. At the same time, some of the NKF's excuses are immensely lame. Take how they justify their sponsored spanking new building costing $21 million: "Their great gift is for all Singaporeans, and the future generations". I think the $21 million would be much better spent actually helping the people they are supposed to.

"That's what you're seeing going on: these people hate freedom, and we love freedom, and that's where the clash occurs... it's going to take a while for them to understand what freedom is all about." - Dubya. It seems he loves freedom so much that he's shoving it down people's throats with the barrel of a gun

Radm Teo Chee Hean wants future SAF soldiers to not obey orders blindly, and to take the initiative. To that end, he wants the SAF to build a culture of trust and openness so people can exercise initiative on the battlefield. I, as well as all the NSFs I talked to, are skeptical. This initiative of his would involve changing the whole culture and mindset of the SAF, most especially that of the regulars. To ask them to stop the current oppression, badly disguised as discipline, regimentation and security, where NSFs do most of the work but are still made whipping boys - to end the tradition of Stupidity, Sadism and Senselessness - is almost impossible. But if it can be done, I am hopeful for future slaves, though it will take at least 15 years of constant effort since he is facing entrenched vested interests.

The Perlis Mentri Besar suggested that handphones be banned from NS camps because they can spread inaccurate information (Read: the unvarnished, un-whitewashed truth), leading to "concerns" (Read: legitimate concerns) among the public.

A columnist in Life asserts that Singaporean drivers are maniacs on the road, implies that they are the worst in the world and says that children are massacred in road accidents regularly. This is the sort of alarmist article, based on anecdotal evidence taken from a small sample that is taken to be statistically significant, that is all too common these days. For his sake, I hope that he was being sarcastic.


Story of the day: In the spring of 1978, hundreds of art-lovers in Frankfurt, Germany visited an exhibition featuring the work of an "exciting" new artist: "Yamasaki - the Discovery of the Year."

The catalog drew particular attention to the "convincing luminosity of his colors" and "the excitement of his powerfully dynamic brushwork." Within three hours, all twenty-two pieces on offer had been purchased, some for more than $1000.

Excitement increased when the organizer, Behrend Feddersen, announced that Yamasaki would be making a surprise appearance to answer questions about his work. Excitement increased further when the artist was revealed to be... a chimpanzee. "I encouraged him to throw paint on 22 canvases," Feddersen explained, and announced that the proceeds would go "to the circus where he works."

I love modern art. Don't you?

Addendum: This presumably was meant to be Pierre Brassau aka the chimp Peter from Sweden's Borås Djurpark zoo, a hoax perpetrated by Åke "Dacke" Axelsson