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A picture I'd been looking for for a very long time

"You live and learn. At any rate, you live." - Douglas Adams

***

And to think it was lying on my hard disk all this while (from a most unexpected source)...


"Cranberries
Orange
Peaches
Lemons
Grape fruit
Watermelons
Pears
Cucumbers
Sweet Potatoes
Bee Stings
Flap Jacks
Has Been
Pointers
Mail Bags
Under Chinners
Cup Cakes
Balloons
Water Wings
Coat Hooks
Block Busters
Hot Water Bottles

Triumph International

Women all over the world love Triumph

Order Chart
Note: To avoid mistakes order by model name

TRIUMPH makes the best out of any breast !"


(previously, when I googled "oranges grapes breasts" or the like, I kept getting recipes for chicken breasts)


Addendum: One for butts



Related: Balderdash: They Show All Kinds

Poe's Law at work?

The debt we owe MM Lee

IF IT were not for Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's selfless contributions, superb leadership and 'tough' rules, I would not be in a safe and comfortable environment in Singapore.

If it were not for the strong Singapore dollar, I would not have a chance to say 'Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!' while shopping in another country.

If it were not for the efficiency of the government authorities, I would not be so spoilt as to complain about hiccups in the system.

I might have been worrying about my son or daughter being a foreign worker or domestic help in another country.

I might have been worrying about falling off a packed bus or train, while hanging on to the window or door.

The list goes on.

Thank You, Mr Lee.

Wu Yew Fei (Madam)

<3 is...

From My Toy:

The "No true Scotsman" fallacy

"Imagine Hamish McDonald, a Scotsman, sitting down with his Glasgow Morning Herald and seeing an article about how the "Brighton Sex Maniac Strikes Again." Hamish is shocked and declares that "No Scotsman would do such a thing." The next day he sits down to read his Glasgow Morning Herald again and this time finds an article about an Aberdeen man whose brutal actions make the Brighton sex maniac seem almost gentlemanly. This fact shows that Hamish was wrong in his opinion but is he going to admit this? Not likely. This time he says, "No true Scotsman would do such a thing.""

--- Antony Flew, Thinking About Thinking (1975)

I'm more familiar with this in its "No true Christian" variant.

Links - 18th May 2011

"There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government." - Benjamin Franklin

***

Gender bias uncovered in children's books with male characters, including male animals, leading the fictional pack - "Since children's books are a "dominant blueprint of shared cultural values, meanings, and expectations," the authors say the disparity between male and female characters is sending children a message that "women and girls occupy a less important role in society than men or boys"... The tendency of readers to interpret even gender-neutral animal characters as male exaggerates the pattern of female underrepresentation... "The persistent pattern of disparity among animal characters may reveal a subtle kind of symbolic annihilation of women disguised through animal imagery""
No, this is not a joke. However I still prefer "“The Da Vinci Code” will be the 68th movie since 1960 to feature an evil albino"

Did support for NSP cost employee her job? - "But in my three years with the town council, I had not received any written notification of having performed poorly. So how can they suddenly dismiss me?"

Asked to choose between bacon and sex, 43 per cent of Canadians would choose...bacon! - "When asked to rank various aromas by preference, 23% of men ranked bacon as number one. And it seems bacon lovers think they are better lovers... Nearly one in four of respondents (23%) from Manitoba and Saskatchewan wondered if 'my partner loves bacon more than me'... Of note - western Canadians are especially enamoured with bacon. Of respondents from British Columbia, 50% said they would give up sex before bacon, versus 37% of respondents from Quebec"

Excerpt from 'He's Just Not That Into You' - "Imagine right now that I'm leaping up and down and shaking my fist at the sky. I'm on my knees pleading with you. I'm saying this in a loud voice: "Please, if you can trust one thing I say in this book, let it be this: When it comes to men, deal with us as we are, not how you'd like us to be." I know it's an infuriating concept — that men like to chase and you have to let us chase you. I know. It's insulting. It's frustrating. It's unfortunately the truth. My belief is that if you have to be the aggressor, if you have to pursue, if you have to do the asking out, nine times out of ten, he's just not that into you. (And we want you to believe you're one of the nine, ladies!) I can't say it loud enough: You, the superfox reading this book, are worth asking out"
One of the many problems with feminism - you never know which set of mores a woman has. "If she says yes, then she's no lady"

In Very Corrupt Countries, Corrupt Practices Boost Growth

Why Successful People Leave Work Early - "Try this for a day: don't answer every phone call. Stop checking your email every two minutes. And leave work early. You'll be astounded at how much more you'll get done. According to a study published in the Psychological Review conducted by Dr. K. Anders Ericcson, the key to great success is working harder in short bursts of time. Then give yourself a break before getting back to work."

Woman gets probation for obscene acts with girl - "A YOUNG woman who committed an obscene act on two occasions with a girl aged about 12 was placed on 24 months' split probation on Monday"
If it were a guy, he'd have gotten jail

- "Rice makes you stronger, healthier than bread: study - "In a test on university students, researchers measured how long they can perform exercise after eating rice or bread. The duration of time averaged 456 seconds (with an error margin of 58.3 seconds) for rice, compared with 311 seconds (with an error margin of 41.9 seconds) for bread. The researchers also probed how rice and bread affect the level of blood cholesterol in hamsters with hyperlipidemia. After eight weeks, those fed with rice showed lower levels of fat and cholesterol, researchers said. In the group, accumulation of fat reduced and excretion of bile acid increased"

French Women Beauty Secrets - "If you want to be sexy, choose: show the top or show the bottom, but not both at once!... Make-up remains discreet, general appearance is classical rather than obvious, subtlety sexy rather than provocative... being attractive is often a serious advantage over men. So we flirt. The things you can get with a large smile... amazing! In my opinion, to some extend, everywoman does it. But French women are not afraid to admit it. They are not ashamed of using their charm to manipulate men"

Michael Caine on Film vs Theatre Acting - "The modern film actor knows that real people in real life struggle not to show their feelings. It is more truthful, and more potent, to fight against the tears, only yielding after all those defense mechanisms are exhausted. If today's actor emulates film, he'd be better off watching a documentary. The same is true of drunkenness. In real life, a drunk makes a huge effort to appear sober... On stage you have the dramatic thrust of the whole play to help you along. In film you shoot isolated moments, probably in the wrong sequence, and you have to constantly crank yourself up to an intense pitch of concentration on every shot"

All female sect worships Putin - "Followers are reportedly encouraged to sing upbeat patriotic Soviet songs at 'services' rather than hymns and are said to survive on a Spartan diet of turnips, carrots, peas and buckwheat... "Her so-called teachings are a nonsensical mixture of Orthodoxy, Catholicism, the occult, Buddhism and political information""

A quel moment les filles deviennent des folles hystériques ??? - "En général, notamment au début d’une relation, elles ont l’air parfaitement normales, plus ou moins jolies, plus ou moins intéressantes, plus ou moins intelligentes... Il faut savoir qu’une fille qui tombe amoureuse ou qui craque de manière émotionnelle à tendance à faire des choses comiques... Vous connaissez peut-être la phrase «je peux t’emprunter un pull» ? Mais connaissez-vous sa traduction en langage féminin : «je peux t’emprunter un vêtement qui porte ton odeur, que je vais porter tous les jours, voire utiliser comme substitut de doudou, que je laverais peut-être un jour mais pas tout de suite, et que je ne te rendrais JAMAIS surtout si tu me quittes ???»"

Kate Middleton, and the fine art of moulding a new husband - "Liz Fraser, best-selling author of The Yummy Mummy’s Survival Guide, sums up the practice of moulding a newly-wed husband best when she describes it as “stealth training”. She points out that “nothing makes a man dig his heels in more than being asked to do something”... Every female of my acquaintance volunteered her own tried-and-tested covert method of promoting domestic harmony. So here they are – 25 ways for a woman to keep her husband in her thrall"
Anyone talking about training women would be slammed as sexist and chauvinist

That Is Priceless - "Art's Greatest Masterpieces, Made Slightly Funnier"

The Mended Spiderweb series - "In the forest and around the house where I was living, I searched for broken spiderwebs which I repaired using red sewing thread... My repairs were always rejected by the spider and discarded, usually during the course of the night, even in webs which looked abandoned"

Tai chi improves balance, mental health in elderly - "However, the sport "seems to be ineffective" for treating the symptoms of cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, the authors said. The evidence was contradictory as to whether tai chi improved high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, muscle strength, osteoporosis and other conditions."

SMU Advertising over the Ages - including pictures of their famous Jumps

"Most turkeys taste better the day after; my mother's tasted better the day before." - Rita Rudner

***

Someone asked me why I asked she was from SMU (on seeing pictures of her jumping)

Luckily, SMU archives some of their advertisements online, so you can see how their advertising has evolved over the years.

1) 2003 January - 'SMU is different'



The emphasis is more on the quality of the education, and how different they are - which is why they do handstands, jump and do gymnastics.

Note also how they are dressed - all casually.

2) 2005 March - 'Not just.but'



Where there is still talk of their students receiving a good education, the emphasis has clearly shifted to job prospects. Note that maybe a third of the people featured here are wearing suits (up from 0% in the first ad).

Also, don't miss the following lines which are repeatedly hammered into you: "100% of SMU graduates found jobs within six months, 60% well before they even graduated, 75% receiving at least two offers."

We still see the famous SMU jump(s).

3) 2005 August - 'Make the world a richer place'

I was considering leaving this out of my analysis since it was for their specialised Masters in Wealth Management (I left out a previous ad for it despite its boasting that millionaires could count on their graduates) but I was just so disgusted by the copy that I had to include it:


"Our Vision: To Make the World a Richer Place"

See, ads in the industry (at least those that I've seen) don't openly proclaim that they seek to grow the treasure of Mammon - instead they stress things like tradition, trust, customer service or similar fuzzy-wuzzy things.

This, on the other hand, promotes naked, unabashed self-interest - with a headline that is more likely to be used by a NGO.

4) 2006 May - 'Affirmation 2006'



The SMU students have stopped doing gymnastics and jumping, but now seem to be into dance.

This edition stresses the popularity of the university, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy (hot favourites remain hot because they are highlighted as hot favourites).

Incidentally the text on all 6 pages is identical except for the names of the students.

5) 2008 March - 'Let's Make a Difference'



There is a seeming return to emphasising the quality of the education. Yet, note that the 'practical' aspect is hidden just below the surface, with key phrases like "places our graduates among employers' top choices", "business study missions, overseas internships", "many are also talented spotted" (sic)

Oh, and don't forget this great snub (coming on top of 66% finding jobs before graduation etc): "Our top 20% Business Management graduate employees take home an average salary of S$4,100 per month - 28% more than the top 20% earners from other local universities"

However, there're only 10 individuals in casual attire - versus 20 in formal. Compare this with the first ad of January 2003.

6) 2010 March - 'A Different U'



This series notable for only having two students in office attire (one of whom is selling Fish Bee Hoon to boot)

The message might appear to have become less 'pragmatic', but its motivating spirit is still clear. For example, the Fish Bee Hoon page says that: "Many found challenging careers in a variety of industries, others became budding entrepreneurs. Either way, each one has what it takes to choose their own path in life". It is significant that both highlighted paths involve business success instead of, say, becoming a social activist (perhaps volunteerism is only called for when you're in school - after you graduate, just focus on making big bucks).

Also, see the Rodin page: the primary motive talk of a good education is finally revealed - "to produce well-rounded graduates who are fully preparedfor the 'real world' demands of business, government and life in general."

I was surprised that there was talk of business ethics - but this came after the Financial Crisis, after all.

7) March-May 2011 - Various



One or two old ads (e.g. the Ballerina) are rerun, but the vast majority show graduates in office attire (even if not always suits) posing in no-nonsense poses.

You know that they're positioning themselves strongly as a business university which brings you good job prospects, as gone are the smiles, fun poses, gymnastics and interaction with professors. However, one thing puzzles me - if their top 20% Business Management graduate employees are taking home a higher average salary than the top 20% earners from other local universities, why aren't they smiling (or even looking smug?) There're two possibilities - they aren't outperforming the main two other local universities anymore (there's now a noticeable lack of statistics attacking the reader), or they're just being less hardsell in their advertising - which I can't say.

What is interesting though is the stronger emphasis on community service: the non-profit sector is now listed as a valid career ambition (the page with the ladies in red and blue dresses), "when doing business with a heart, the whole society profits" (the Third World classroom) and community service is mentioned in each graduate's cluttered CV. They seem to be trying too hard for some though ("Anti-smoking advocate"?!) And it seems CV padding is not something SMU advises against: "Winner, MAS essay competition", "Winner, beauty pageant" and above all the superbly generic "Award winner" and "Student leader" do not seem particularly suitable for the purposes of these advertisements.

I will end off by noting that it is surprising that they're featuring civil servants now (and even an Air Force officer - misleadingly dressed in a business suit).