Someone on Dr Chee Soon Juan:


"dr. chee is a cowardly, immature, attention seeker, he is a vile, malicious, seditious, vindictive person who lies and twists whatever/whoever/wherever/whenever to prevaricate the truth and covers up himself and is self delusional, he deceives himself and anyone who is willing to go along.

he is a national/international shame and an embarrassment to all singaporeans in this whole world, and a ungrateful person. i pity his family especially his wife. i applaud the extreme patience and humility in which our MM/SM and every minister who had to deal with him, in his taunts and other publicity stunts and disruptions.

i have the utmost contempt for such a person who wastes our precious time and money in our busy courts. and drums up international interference with our legal/political process. and feeds of such controversy and gets funding and support for all his trouble making.

he is an irritant, a panderer and a willing pawn to those who also seek to destroy the credibility and good name of our government and leaders. he is destructive towards the peace and progress of our nation. and is certainly backwards in thinking, going back to rioting, creating disturbance and civil unrest. a travesty and a sham, he should be locked up forever, to prevent anymore such persons from arising from our midst. a perverse, unrepentant, morally bankrupt and self seeking person."


The Associate:

Just an observation on the notion of "responsibility" and freedom of speech - it always strikes me as curious how "responsibility" in the exercise of one's airing of opinions is championed by those who have the most vested interest in suppressing said opinions, other than their own, that is.

It's the same as a "socially responsible press" and being "managed democracy" - always a wonderful thing for the managers and the ones in power who insist on defining just what "responsible" and "managed" is.

***

Singapore says reservations to Women's Convention are based on respect for freedom of minorities to observe own laws

"One of the reasons for the reservations cited by the country involved the need to maintain the Asian tradition of men as heads of households. That was an incorrect assumption that came from the patriarchal past, which was not appropriate under the Convention. Also, the country’s reports themselves referred to the growing number of women as heads of households. Several experts referred to the so-called 'Asian values' as a barrier to the advancement of women. It was pointed out that there were more than 50 countries with various religious and cultural traditions in Asia, and for that reason it was difficult to understand what exactly 'Asian values' meant.

Singapore was a transit country for trafficking of women and children, she added. The country’s officials often turned a blind eye to the problem in exchange for bribes. Did the Government have an integrated programme to address those issues?"


So much for our Asian Values...

Yes, if your religion/culture says that you can circumcise your women, beat them when they're disobedient, bind their feet or what not, we'll close one eye on the pretext of tolerance!

I'm not sure about the corruption bit though. Hmm.

***

Ask Jeeves: Does cutting hair make it grow faster?

Carolyn Pettibone, grad student, Genetics, Harvard Medical School

I went and did some research on the subject, and found a few papers that tried to test the idea. They were pretty funny to read. The scientists conducting them had to recruit their friends to do different shaving experiments, mostly on arms, legs, or heads. They would measure the weight of hair shaved after allowing it to grow for several days, and they tried to see if more frequent shaving made the hair grow faster. But in each experiment, the scientists found that the hair didn't grow any faster no matter how often it was shaved.

- So now I can keep my vernier calipers.


Related: The Trichology Knowledge Base - Hair Facts & Fairy Tales

Myth: Pulling out one grey hair will make two grow in its place.

Fact: Not at all. But if hair is starting to turn grey (it's actually white, there is no such thing as a grey hair - the greyness is the effect of white hair interspersed with normal coloured hair) and you pull one grey hair out, it may well be that the neighbouring hair is just about to start growing, therefore two hairs in close proximity will appear at about the same time.

- So much for my sister's empirical verification.

***

Someone on a tutorial debate: "shall we just concede defeat when the tut starts
den we dun need to do anithing"

Haha.


On crashing hostel rooms:

Friend: my whole group stays in sheares, but they are all guys so i bunk with my friend in temasek

Me: eh it's the 21st century. what's wrong with staying with someone of the opposite gender? *g*

Friend: they are horny and i dont like staying with them. personal preference

Me: but they're not horny for you I assume :)
haha so you would stay with non-horny guys? but most guys (and most girls, most guys would argue) are horny

Friend: thats troubling. while the fact that they are not horny for me is a tad insulting but i would rather they be not horny for me than horny. the problem is i suspect most guys dont really care in the end

Me: see? with women, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't
if you appreciate them, they feel objectified and demeaned
if you don't, they feel insulted
bah

***

Antony Flew and The Falsification Debate

Two explorers come upon a clearing in a jungle. There are flowers growing in this clearing, but there are also just as many weeds. One of the explorers, thinking that this is a garden, states that "some gardener must tend this plot." The other explorer, however, believes that "there is no gardener." They decide that they will set up their camp in this clearing, to solve their dispute.

After passing some time in the clearing, the two explorers have yet to see a gardener. The first explorer still adamantly believes that there is a gardener who tends the plot, but for some reason, they are unable to see him. They set upon building an electrified, barbed-wire fence. They also bring in bloodhounds, assuming that even if the gardener could get over the fence, he could not mask his scent.

More time passes with no proof of the existence of a gardener. The dogs have not barked, and the fence has remained inactivate. The first explorer still believes, however, that there is a gardener: "But there is a gardener, invisible, intangible, insensible to electric shocks, a gardener who comes secretly to look after the garden which he loves." The other explorer, though, remains skeptical, and questions his partner's assertion: "Just how does what you call an invisible, intangible, eternally elusive gardener differ from an imaginary gardener or even from no gardener at all."

This is Flew's first argument; the first explorer's original assertion has changed in order to circumvent the inconsistencies observed by the second explorer, without actually addressing them.

Flew's next point is that while the debate between the two explorers appeared to be over an assertion, namely that there is a gardener, as the debate progress it changed into something else. He argues that when the first explorer adds these new qualifications - he is invisible, intangible, insensible to electric shocks - then he is also changing, bit by bit, the original inadequate assertion. Therefore, "a fine brash hypothesis may thus be killed by inches, the death by a thousand qualifications."

***

Downloading music and movies, according to my sister and the ads they like to show in theatres, is stealing.

In the common understanding, theft occurs when you take something from someone, thereby depriving them of its usage. Intellectual theft occurs when you steal someone's work and claim it as your own, without crediting the author of the work. Piracy of intellectual property is neither.

The music and movie industry argues that piracy is 'theft' because it deprives artists and creators of content of their incomes. Ridiculously long terms of copyright aside (How can Walt Disney still be living off the profits of 'Steamboat Willy' when he died in 1966? And who will be benefiting from the royalties from it till 2023?), and ignoring the fact that most artists (at least in the music industry) see but a minute fraction of the revenues from their work, this assumes that all those who consume pirated goods would pay for the equivalent amount of original goods. Which is why we should be leery of the figures given for profits "lost" to piracy - the college student living on a shoe string budget is not going to buy 60 CDs' worth of music if he's unable to download them.

But anyhow, if one subscribes to the logic that consuming pirated goods is theft, as my sister seems to do, then justifying your own consumption of pirated goods with the excuse that the original versions are unavailable is suspect. If taking someone else's car is considered theft, the act cannot be justified by the excuse that said car is unavailable in your locality. Ditto for intellectual property.

***

Ho no! Salt Lake code may ban Claus - "For years now Salt Lake City has been very accommodating of the jolly old elf and his flying team. The city's general aviation ordinance makes it clear that Santa's sleigh has free rein to fly about the city at low altitudes on Christmas Eve despite restrictions on low-flying aircraft other days of the year. Now, however, some airport leaders want to rewrite the city's general aviation rules - a revision that includes eliminating the city's long-standing exemption on low-flying Christmas Eve reindeer. Such a prohibition could spoil Santa's chance of delivering presents to boys and girls in Salt Lake City, others say."

Vibrating sex toy shuts Australian airport - "A vibrating sex toy tossed in a garbage can shut down operations at an Australian airport for about an hour on Monday... They were just about to call in bomb experts when a passenger came forward and identified the package as a vibrating 'adult novelty device.'"

24 hour candy machine - This seems to be an ad for some intellectual property protection system called "Idea Protector" but it seems more like an allegory about intellectual property, whose effect is to give people a bad impression of the product. Incidentally my sister claims I'm "too young" to be looking at such stuff, but I'm quite sure she was doing worse when she was younger than me, so.

This section of a 1999 Thinkquest entry on How solar cells work is suspiciously similar to Howstuffworks.com's article on How Solar Cells Work. Hmm.

Couldn't help myself. I know i shouldn't but:

"absolutely women's health @ (an anonymouse organisation) is holding 2 performances of the CONDOM DIALOGUES for young women about sexual health and safe sex.
Join ***** **** (Survivor Schoolyard & Beauty is your Duty) and comedians (snip) to explore through comedy, song, performance and discussion messages about safe sex, how to tackle introducing a condom if the moment arises, when to say yes and when to say no, keeping safe, health and in control and will give us an opportunity to laugh at some of the more awkward moments of having intimate relationships.
The performance will contain some course language and sexual references, therefore suitable for young women 14 years and over. A panel discussion with relevant health professionals will follow. "


One wonders what kind of "course" language will be used.

***

Quote of the Post: "I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I've ever known." - Walt Disney

***

Blogger News:

Ask your readers to think of three photos they'd like to see posted to your blog. (Things around your house or whatever.) When you have enough requests, post them!

I don't suppose there's anyone so bored as to send in a request.

***

I find out about the latest Japanese fetishes and perversions:


"Zentai is basically cover the entire of your body including legs, toes, body and head. So you look like a mannequin. When you are zentai, normally you must not talk and need to rely on your body expressions. This is already famous in taiwan, germany, US and japan. Normally exhibitions will see some people in zentai to demostrate products or just a display item in show.

Cosplay is doing costumes so that it make you become a character of anime, game or movie characters. Doing cosplay costumes rely a lot of skills. Singapore has a cosplay club, holding competitions like every year. They attend movie promotion ceremony, etc to be in the news headlines with their home-made costumes.

And lastly, kiragumi. A mix of zentai and cosplay. Where the characters are masked, into full lycra overall costume and wear anime, game or movie characters costume. This is the most trendy thing in Japan now. US already has some fans in it.

There are already some zentai fans in singapore."

***

Aha! I've found out what the "S. W. R. D." in S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike stands for: Solomon West Ridgeway Dias.


"Having deliberately chosen to go out of control, Kumaratunga has elected to attempt to distract the electorate by enacting an elaborate drama on stage. Last week in Polonnaruwa, she danced to the cheers of the party faithful, seeking to ridicule Finance Minister K. N. Choksy by mimicking his facial expressions. It is Choksy after all, who is spearheading the cabinet subcommittee's investigation into her vehicle purchases. Inoffensive as always, Choksy laughed off the attack. By choosing to criticise the personal appearance of the finance minister, Kumaratunga is paving the way for similar attacks on her own appearance which, let's face it, is far from fetching. How would Kumaratunga feel if fun were poked at her dysfunctional eye, her evil squint, her bizarre choice of hair dye, the ever widening tyre of flab around her waist, the rapidly expanding expanse of her ample posterior and her duck-like gait? But mark the precedent: when in the run up to the 2000 general election a woman mimicked Kumaratunga, eye-patch and all, she was assaulted and her house vandalised. The police were never to investigate the crime: so much for Kumaratunga's sense of humour."

***

Interesting analysis of me run through the Script / AOLer Translator (just try deciphering this!):


FIRST THNG TAHT COMES 2 MIND IS OMG U HAF SO MUCH TEIM11!1!1!!!!1! WTF OMG WTF LOL

NO!!111! OMG RILLY I WONDER IF U DONT SLEP OR SOMETHNG1!!1!!!! OMG LOL U HAEV TIEM 2 GET CAUGHT UP WIT SO MANY BLOGS WRIET SUCH INT3RESTNG ENTREIS ON UR THAN SYNDICAET IT 2 LJ!!!1!!!1 LOL AND DA THNG IS TAHT U DONT AV3N WRIET ONE-LIENRS!1!1!11 OMG WTF U SEM 2 HAEV R3SEARCH3D EVERY SNGL3 3NTRY B/C WTF I DONT KNOW HOW U READNG BAES IS SO WIED!1!!! OMG SARCASM WORKS WIT ME AND I QUIET LIEK UR EXCEPT TAHT SOMATIEMS IMM 2 DUMB 2 G3T IT!!!!11 WTF I ADMIER UR WIT 2 AND UR 2NGU3-IN-CHEK WRITNG STYLE11!!! OMG WTF I FIND U INT3R3STNG 2 TOK 2 NOT QUIET DA TYPICAL SNGAPOREAN OR RI GRADUAET (BUT I DONT RILLY WANT 2 STEROTYP3 NO MAT3R HOW HYPOCRITICAL TAHT MAEKS ME SOUND)!!!1!!! WTF HOW3V3R I GET THIS FELNG TAHT U FEL PAOPLA WIT A RELIGION MISGUIEDD AND U LOK DOWN ON OTHARS QUIET A BIT!!11!!!! OMG WTF LOL =| INCLUDNG M31!!! OMG LOL UR INTAR3ST IN PR SLASH IS MUSNG THOUGH!111!! OMG D

***

Last Thursday, I finally had a $18 hair cut. Those shackled by archaic notions of what males should and should not do need not rejoice, for it was just a little trim. A $18 haircut is a very different experience from a $9 abang one, and though I could have had 2 abang haircuts for the price of the one I got, I didn't trust abang with my 5 months of "hard work", fearing he'd ruin it. Besides which, the experience was very interesting. Meanwhile Zhiming doesn't want to waste money cutting his hair. My explanation is that my little trim is something of a scientific experiment, to investigate if hair really grows faster after it's been trimmed.

Some people commented that my hair was very "retro". Whether it's because of the sideburns or my clipped-back fringe, I don't know.

Tym asked if I was going to launch an invective about the double standards of (Singaporean) society in allowing women to dye their hair and keep it any length they want (the caterwauling of some Secondary School Principals about 'inappropriate gender behavior' notwithstanding), while men face disapproval if they dye their hair, and woe betide them if they have long hair and are not in an arty-farty job, or the yuppie service industry. Suffice to say that, as with fashion, there are 2 categories of hair lengths and styles: female and unisex.

[Addendum: Wowbagger responds - "There exist unacceptable levels of shortness for female hair. Crew cuts are definitely out, as my family and strangers in the female toilets let me know with some pandemonium two years ago." But generally, my observation holds (as for fashion). Just the other day I saw this ang moh skinhead girl in NUS. You don't see *that* many males with crew cuts anyway.]

Speaking of which, I haven't done a hair status update in a while:
Fringe: Reaching the bottom of my eyes in some places
Sides: Some strands are now touching my earlobe
Back: I don't really notice much change, but maybe that's because of my short neck


Someone asked me why I am so opposed to the Halal-isation of originally non-Halal food (eg the substitution of beef or turkey bacon for real bacon). I asked him what he thought of curry made without chili, or satay without satay sauce, and he replied that he wouldn't eat it. Besides which, the total abandonment of culinary principles (ie not offering a more authentic alternative) in the pursuit of cheap profits is morally suspect.

He Who Must Not Be Named has asked me to accompany him while he engages in various dull daily chores, like laundry. Just like me, he detests ironing. Personally, I don't mind doing laundry, washing dishes or even, in extremis, drying them. But ironing is horrific. On the rare occasions when I do ironing, after the first few minutes, when I get the worst of the creases out, it seems that the more I iron, the more crumpled my garments get. Besides which, my philosophy is that within the first 5 minutes of your donning a garment, it will get somewhat creased, so there's no point seeking perfection in ironing.

I've never understood what people see in jeans. Granted, they're easy to match and don't need ironing, but they are wretchedly hot, and I don't see why people find them so comfortable. Heck, I don't even own a pair of jeans. Or at least not any that I've worn (or could have fit into) for the past 5 years. Interestingly, many jeans I see have a brown patch sewn onto the butt area with the waist and length measurements. I suspect that one reason we have men's jeans and women's jeans is that the waist measurements printed on the brown patch on female jeans is actually 2 sizes smaller. I must go around with measuring tape one day and attempt to gather empirical evidence to prove my theory. Also, what's with denim made with uneven yarns?

Ban Xiong memorably proclaimed, on many occasions, that the only cure for footrot is ORD. Unfortunately, like so many of his grand pronouncements, this wasn't strictly true. Melvin is still afflicted by footrot and it's spreading, despite his wearing shoes only once a week. Meanwhile I was struck by a spot of it a few weeks back, but with vigorous application of Daktarin, aka Miconazole Cream, it has been eradicated. And even he doesn't trust himself, applying the cream regularly as a preventive measure. Bah.

Hoods, zips (when not strictly necessarily to keep the garment from falling off the wearer) and strings tempt me so. I should hire someone to stand still while I enact my various fantasies involving them.


For some reason, many Malays love to extract portions of their names so they'll sound Western. Examples:

Nur Hasanah (Nana)
Norlinda, Haslinda (Linda)
Norlinda (Nora)
Amirah (Amy)
Rosanah (Ros, Rosie)
Rafidah (Fee)
Shamsuddin (Sam)
Sharifah (Sherry)
Mohammad (Hams - facetious suggestion by a Malay friend)

Quote of the Post: "To hear many religious people talk, one would think God created the torso, head, legs and arms, but the devil slapped on the genitals." - Don Schrader

***

Number of American deaths per year that result directly or primarily from the following selected causes nationwide, according to World Almanacs, Life Insurance Actuarial (death) Rates, and the last 20 years of U.S. Surgeon Generals' reports.

Tobacco 340,000 to 450,000
Alcohol ((Not including 50% of all highway deaths and 65% of all murders) 150,000+
Aspirin (Including deliberate overdose) 180 to 1,000+
Caffeine (From stress, ulcers, and triggering irregular heartbeats, etc.) 1,000 to 10,000
"Legal" Drug Overdose (Deliberate or accidental) from legal, prescribed or patent medicines and/or mixing with alcohol - e.g. Valium/alcohol 14,000 to 27,000
Illegal Drug Overdose (Deliberate or accidental) from all illegal drugs. 3,800 to 5,200
Marijuana 0

(Marijuana users also have the same or lower incidence of murders and highway deaths and accidents than the general non-marijuana using population as a whole. Crancer Study, UCLA; U.S. Funded ($6 million), First & Second Jamaican Studies, 1968 to 1974; Costa Rican Studies, 1980 to 1982; et al. LOWEST TOXICITY 100% of the studies done at dozens of American universities and research facilities show pot toxicity does not exist. Medical history does not record anyone dying from an overdose of marijuana (UCLA, Harvard, Temple, etc.).

(Source)


The numbers seem accurate enough. The question is: how many deaths from Marijuana would there be if it were as widely consumed as Tobacco, Alcohol, Aspirin and Caffeine?

***

This event just ended, I wonder what they were doing:


Event Title:GIG Weekend
Organizer: Campus Crusade for Christ
Committee: Clubs and societies
Category: Excursions

What if all you thought you knew was a lie?
What if there really was someone beyond the sky?
Let me tell you how he would cry.
Let me tell you why he would die.
GIG WEEKEND-Where it begins. God under investigation

Date/Time: 2nd October 2004(afternoon) - 3rd October 2004(evening)
Venue: Scripture Union Campsite (at the white colonial house)

Contact: Daniel at : crun_5@yahoo.com or at 98513117
Places are limited. RSVP

***

Script/AOLer Translator

This is real powerful. The preceding section of this post is transformed into the following:


EVENT TITLEGIG WEKEND
ORGANIEZR CMPUS CRUSAED FOR CHRIST
COMITE CLUBS AND SOCEITEIS
CAETGORY WUT IF AL U THOUGHT U NU WAS A LEI????! OMG WTF WUT IF THEIR RILLY WAS SOMEON3 BYOND DA SKY?!!?!!
L3T MA TEL U HOW H3 WUD CRY!!!!1!1! OMG
LET MA TEL U Y HE WUD DEI1111!! OMG WTF
GIG WEKAND-WHARE IT BGINS!!!!11! OMG WTF GOD UND3R INVESTIGATION
DAET/TIEM 2ND OC2BR 204(AFTARNON) - 3RD OC2BR 204(3V3NNG)
V3NUE SCRIPTUR3 UNION CMPSIET (AT TEH WHIET COLONIAL HOUS3)
CONTACT DANEIL AT CRUN_5@YAHOCOM11!!!!! OMG LOL OR AT 9851317
PLAECS R LIMIETD1!1111!1 WTF LOL RSVP

***

Democracy fails Singapore battler - "Mr Lee is regarded as the most successful defamation litigant in history. In nine actions since the 1970s he has been awarded damages of more than A$3 million by the courts, and hundreds of thousands more in out-of-court settlements."

The Christian Faith and the New Physics - Interesting article on the history of Physics, though I *still* don't understand the Schrodinger's cat Thought Experiment. But it says almost nothing about its supposed topic!

Survey: Islam and the West - It is interesting to read this survey written in 1994. "Islamic radicals, the people who wish to turn back to the foundations of their faith... will need to ask themselves how the words Muhammad bequeathed 1,400-odd years ago square the wellbeing of today's Muslims in the matters of economic organisation, the rights of women, and the basic question of who rules a country." - the questions it asks are still very relevant, though it's rather disingenuous on the koran and women.

Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages - "This site is dedicated to the Chinese propaganda poster as it has been produced from 1949 till the present day. So-called propaganda art has played a major supporting role in the many campaigns that were designed to mobilize the people, and throughout the People's Republic, the propaganda poster has been the favored vehicle through which art conveyed model behavior."
The modern ones are generally less cheesy, except for those sliming Falungong

chipmunks - The true story of Alvin, Simon and Theodore.

Rapture! - "This film talks about the rapture that is happening soon in the year 1000, 1941, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,2005!!

***

I had a taste of the World Famous Ramly Burger (Chicken) one day when I was in Clementi. Really, though some people swear by it, it's nothing special, and though I was assured by a friend that the stall we'd bought them from was "average", I cannot imagine a "good" Ramly Burger would be all that much better. I also cannot understand why it was so popular that there were *4* Ramly Burger outlets in the area near Clementi MRT (they're having a pasar malam/carnival/food fest now, but still, 4 is a hell of a lot).

Indeed, the Ramly Burger offers a genuine Malaysian Taste, what with simple and raw, yet strong flavours that hit you in the face with no pretense at subtlety (I'm told that technically Ramly Burgers are banned in Singapore because they don't pass Health and Safety regulations, so maybe we can guess at how their arrive at their special taste).

My chicken patty was a little limp had a very processed taste, as was Abdullah's beef, I would imagine. The thin wrapping of egg folded around the patty lent an interesting texture, but this was unfortunately not followed up upon by the few shreds of white cabbage that lay under the egg wrapping - they were dry and tasteless. To complete the whole taste experience, a dark brown sauce (BBQ or Worcestershire, I couldn't tell) and a white sauce (probably cheap Malaysian mayonnaise made from palm oil, since it tasted very thin and had no body) were drizzled on top of the patty.

A big minus point for Ramly burger, though, is that in the typical Malaysian (Hawker) fashion, gratuitous use is made of oil and deep frying (for the patties). And I'll bet my hat that there's loads of palm oil in there too.

Other people's comments:

"it's juicy, it's meaty and it's definitely better than McDonalds"

"i like how they wrap the egg and put all those sauces inside, it rocks. it's pretty smart and unique if u ask me"

"Nothing special about the patty. But the amt of mayo and tomato liberally piled inside the burger made my tastebuds hurl and my stomach churn"

[Addendum: My sources tell me I got the lousy Ramly Burger, and the good vendors are like nomads. Looks like they have no quality control.]


The morals of money-lending

The oldest references to usury are found in religious manuscripts of India, dating back to 2000-1400 BC where the 'usurer' is associated with any interest lender. In the Hindu Sutra (700-100 BC) as well as in the Buddhist Jatakas (600-400 BC) there are many references to the payment of interest, along with expressions of disdain for the practice.

Vasishtha, a prominent lawmaker of the era, drafted a law that banned the high caste Brahmans and Kshatryas from being usurers or money-lenders. In the second century AD, the term usury becomes relative, meaning that interest above the legal rate could not be charged; that would be a usurious loan. But usury in some form or other has continued to the present day, and although in principle it is condemned, the term 'usury' refers only to exorbitant interest, ie well above socially accepted rates. The practice operates in most parts of the world.


The Singapore Association for the Deaf has put out this ad: "I'm an engineering graduate. I'm a teacher. I'm a sportsman. I'm deaf. But I'm certainly not dumb and mute". I'm sure they are attempting a pun, but methinks it cuts a little bit too close for comfort, and the connection between "dumb and mute" and not being able to be a graduate, teacher or sportsman is tenuous. How would deaf people feel if the Singapore Association for the Dumb put out an ad: "I'm an engineering graduate. I'm a teacher. I'm a sportsman. I'm dumb. But I'm certainly not deaf"?

Nowadays I don't see many Super Buses (two storied, air-conditioned SBS buses) with the counters that tell you how many seats on the upper deck are free. There must be too many people like me scheming to crash them.


"This is unbelievable, Goldar. Once again you have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory" - Lord Zedd

***

We watched a video on child labour in India. Apparently 65 million (?) children under the age of 14 in India work, mostly in rural areas. Very sad, yes, but if the children don't work, what are they going to do? The government is not going to provide free education for 65 million children, which will almost certainly have to include some sort of incentive (like a free lunch) to get children to attend school, especially if even 10% of Indian women are like this crazy woman interviewed in the video who expressed a wish to have 2 dozen children.

I saw this girl, undoubtedly a hall resident, wearing flip flops which were of different colours - 1 was yellow and 1 was orange. Doubtless it was a fashion statement. Bah. In other news, I saw a man wearing a gray singlet which seemed exactly like the Army one, except that instead of the word "ARMY" printed in bold lettering across the back, the word "Nike" was printed in a small font at the front and at the back. Oh, and someone (presumably the man) had scrawled the word "army" below "Nike".


Quotes:

Today we'll be doing Tutorial 3... All of you guys [are] sleeping right? Today is Tutorial 2.

[On buffets] We'd eat until the restaurant closed down. It happened: this Tim Sum buffet... The next day they stopped it.

[On a Brazillian all-you-can-eat] If you go there and you don't eat $40 worth, which is what girls do.

Good morning everybody. [{Female} Student in middle, in a bright voice: Good morning! *waves hand*]

[On child labour and child abuse in India] You have to explain these things. Not like 'this is bad' or 'Indian culture is bad'

Bear the burnt of domination and discrimination (brunt)

gender in'ekwairlity (equality)

South Asia is a mo'sar'ik of cultures (mosaic)

I got too many slides as usual, but I did a smart thing for once. I made the important ones blue, so you can sort of fade out and when the screen turns blue, see whether you can train yourselves to wake up again.

What is knowledge?... You might have a Socratic sort of investigation. I could say: 'Students, what is knowledge? And then you could say some things and I could try to make you look like fools in front of your friends and drawing contradictions from the things you say, and we might make some progress that way.

Here's a smartass quote by Ernest Rutherford, but famous physicists are allowed to be snarky sometimes. 'In science there is only physics. Everything else is stamp collecting.' Now I don't know exactly what he meant by that. Maybe he thinks stamp collecting is wonderful and there's some complex irony going on here.

Here's a quote from our Platonic dialogue, the Meno. This is from the end. By this point you were probably nodding off whe nyou read so maybe you don't remember it so well.

Wow, there's a bird in here. Now that's an unusual. Gosh. I feel a little sorry for it. There's not really a lot I can do for it though... I can see whether I can think of an epistemological example to use on the basis of the bird.

[On the lecture's end] That's the end of my show for today.

[Someone on pictures of pioneers in Electro-magnetic Induction: All old men] [Someone else: He's quite handsome] Right. That's another session we're gonna have. Electro-magnetic idols.

[On a student's explanation for the direction of electro-magnetically induced current] You can see it in both ways. In terms of Lenz's Law or [Student: My law]

[On shorting an anmeter by connecting it to the output of a transformer] If any smoke goes off, if anything blows up - this is your experiment.

Is that all? The class seems to be getting smaller and smaller... Friday afternoon: they go to Orchard for shopping. Thank you for coming.

Toilet paper is a favourite consumption good of Singaporeans. When the cars come from JB, when they open the boots at Customs - rolls and rolls of toilet paper.

Actually I dub it very much (doubt)

There are a lot of good jokes about economists on the net... You type 'resources for Economists'... One of the links has a lot of jokes there.

The money supply keeps increasing. THe government prints money every year. But bank robberies are falling. We're very well-run.

[On German hyper-inflation] In one week the value of your money has shrunk by 3 times. That is incredulous (incredible)

[On German hyper-inflation] Already I see people dozing off, so I'm going to help them doze off further by telling them this grandfather story.

Treaty of Ver'siles (Versailles)

In Singapore, we don't have many seasons. I guess it's autumn out there. I go out: it looks like autumn.

Cyclical [Pronounced as: sai'clical] unemployment. For years, people have been trying to convince me that it's pronounced 'cyclical' [Pronounced as: si'clical] unemployment. I'm not convinced. One day I'll go down to the British COuncil to find out how it's pronounced. They have tutors there who teach you how to speak the Queen's English, according to the bus ads.

[On the efficiency wage] Even if you are in the central tower, you don't know what they are doing. They might be playing mahjong in the cockpit. You pay them very high wages to stop them from playing mahjong in the cockpit. If they are caught playing mahjong in the cockpit, you sack them straightaway.

It's even more fun when you read girls' magazines. They tell you how guys think. Then you think: 'I don't think like that.' [Someone: There's another possibility. Maybe you're abnormal.]

My sister's back!

Yay.