«我国互联网形态有特殊性。相对于国外的各种限制，中国的互联网是全世界最开放的。» - 周锡生
("Our country's Internet situation is unique. Compared to all kinds of restrictions in foreign countries, China has the most open Internet in the world." - Zhou Xisheng, Deputy Chief of Xinhua News Agency, Director-General of Xinhua News Net)
***
We are born to believe in God - ""Children have a natural, intuitive way of reasoning that leads them to all kinds of supernatural beliefs about how the world works. As they grow up they overlay these beliefs with more rational approaches but the tendency to illogical supernatural beliefs remains as religion"... even ardent atheists may balk at the idea of accepting an organ transplant from a murderer, because of a superstitious belief that an individual’s personality could be stored in their organs"
Is Google Censoring Islam Suggestions? - "Confused about what Islam is? Join the party — it seems Google can’t figure it out either. Or, at least its search suggestion program can’t"
Singaporeans Seek Asylum Elsewhere - "Despite the prosperity, the decent health and education systems and the lack of crime, a steady trickle of Singaporeans have felt the urge to abandon their homeland and seek asylum in nations such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada over the last few years. (That of course doesn't count the thousands of Singaporeans who leave every year to settle elsewhere. By one estimate, the number who put the Lion City behind them is as high as 15 percent of annual births)... With genuine refugees from strife-ridden nations such as Afghanistan... most asylum seekers from Singapore are turned back... Meanwhile, the Singapore government continues to stick to its long-standing policy of refusing to accept refugees. It is one of the few countries that have chosen not to sign up to the UN Refugee Convention and has a long history of turning away even those in desperate need... Lee Kuan Yew... vetoed a 1979 proposal by Margaret Thatcher to buy a vacant Indonesian or Philippine island to house Vietnamese boat people. His concern was that this would create a "rival entrepreneurial city""
German cop faces firing after having noisy sex in church
He Lied, She Lied - ""Men tend to lie to gain career or professional status... Women tend to lie to gain social status." So while a man is busy underestimating operating costs or bloating sales figures, Reina says their female colleagues are more likely to be spreading office gossip that may not be true, or making up excuses not to attend a co-worker's dinner party... Women are also more likely to express exaggerated appreciation. Office hallways rebound with women complimenting each other on their outfits, hairstyles and work; men tend to keep it to a simple, "Good job, man"... women are more likely to be self-deprecating and express falsely negative evaluations of themselves in order to either fish for a compliment or seem less threatening... A man, no surprise, is more likely to aggrandize his achievement"
YouTube - 12 Days of Ris-Mas - "On the 12th day of Ris-Mas my true love gave to me: 12 months probation, 11 day safari, 10 ads from sponsorers, 9 English lessons, 8 khaki jins, 7 credit cards from 6 different people, 5 leopard preens, 4-giveness, 3-piece bigini, 2 polar disorder and a diploma in hospitallality"
Man beaten to death for using mobile phone in pub
Chimpanzees exchange meat for sex - "[She] studied chimps in the Tai Forest reserve in Ivory Coast... Dr Gomes thinks that her findings could even provide clues about human evolution. She suggests this study could lay the foundations for human studies exploring the link between "good hunting skills and reproductive success". "This has got me really interested in humans," she said. "I'm thinking of moving on to working with hunter-gatherers.""
Patriarchy has infected Macaques in Indonesia, Penguins in Antarctica, Shrikes (presumably in Eastern Europe) and now Chimpanzees in Côte d'Ivoire (insect mating might be too simple to describe as prostitution)
We’re Wired from Brain to Toe, So Why Aren’t We Illiterate Yet? - "When once we dined on Tolstoy, now we munch on Tweets. So goes the argument. Turns out, it’s wrong. Actually it’s been wrong for a few millennia, starting when Socrates predicted that we were all screwed when the oral tradition gave way to the written word... Enjoyment of literature has always been a moving target — hence, the Canon’s very center of gravity–Shakespeare–wrote plays for the barely literate rabble. Terrific irony... research on whether TV is detrimental to the intelligence of children depends almost entirely on where they live, in a socioeconomic sense... 'for children of impoverished parents... The more TV they watch, the better their grades'"
Theory is useless - you must look at empirical data. Which is why when the humanities try to talk about social science, you often get ridiculous results
Secrets of the Economist's Trade: First, Purchase a Piggy Bank - "Economists are often cheapskates... economics majors were less likely to donate money to charity than students who majored in other fields... One year, Yale University economist Robert Shiller, who'd never gambled in his life, found himself at a casino there. He says that was because Wharton economist Jeremy Siegel realized that by using coupons offered to conventioneers, they could take opposing bets at the craps table with a 35 out of 36 chance of winning $12.50 each. Over two nights, Mr. Shiller netted $87.50. He hasn't gambled since."
Contra Mundum: Confessions of an Anti-Choice Fanatic - "If current media is to be believed opposition to legal abortion comes from misogynist fundamentalist fanatics who want to impose their religious mores onto others. This string of pejorative terms is amusing; however, it does not actually address the more crucial question of whether laws against feticide (the killing of a fetus) are just... Those who attempt to ground humanity in the amount of brain development an organism has undergone face a dilemma... “by any plausible measure dogs, and cats, cows and pigs, chickens and ducks are more intellectually developed than a new born infant”"
Audiences experience 'Avatar' blues - "On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope... A user named Mike wrote on the fan Web site "Naviblue" that he contemplated suicide after seeing the movie... "When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed ... gray. It was like my whole life, everything I've done and worked for, lost its meaning""
............................
Noah's Ark was circular raft made of reeds, according to ancient tablet - "The tablet describes the Mesopotamian story, which became the account in the Old Testament of Noah's Ark in the Book of Genesis. In Mr Finkel's translation, the god speaks to Atram-Hasis, a Sumerian king who is the Noah figure in early versions of the ark story... Mr Finkel, the curator of the recent British exhibition on ancient Babylon, believes it was during the Babylonian captivity that the exiled Jews learned of the story of Noah and incorporated it into the Old Testament"
How To Wake Up Your Girlfriend (video)
This guy's not getting laid tonight
Letter From London - My American Friends - "When I finally got to America myself, I found that not only were the natives friendly and hospitable, they were also incredibly polite. No one tells you this about Americans, but once you notice it, it becomes one of their defining characteristics, especially when they’re abroad... racial intermingling in Britain is most conspicuous in the ethnically diverse makeup of the groups of yobs — Asian, black and white — who exercise their antisocial behavioral skills without any kind of discrimination as to whom they happen to be terrorizing"
L'origine de Bert
Thursday, January 14, 2010
"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater." - Gail Godwin
***
"SIR – I recently finished my required 45-hour “orientation class” (Orientierungskurs) and corresponding examination in Germany after a mandatory equivalent of 600 hours of German language lessons, just to stay in the country for three years. Apart from being told that the German flag contains the colour gold, “not yellow”, I had to endure rich-bashing and ridicule of the notion that anyone can become a millionaire. The result of this class has been a desire on my part to leave Germany, which was perhaps one of its goals.
Roxanna Nazari
Berlin"
***
"SIR – I recently finished my required 45-hour “orientation class” (Orientierungskurs) and corresponding examination in Germany after a mandatory equivalent of 600 hours of German language lessons, just to stay in the country for three years. Apart from being told that the German flag contains the colour gold, “not yellow”, I had to endure rich-bashing and ridicule of the notion that anyone can become a millionaire. The result of this class has been a desire on my part to leave Germany, which was perhaps one of its goals.
Roxanna Nazari
Berlin"
Post ID: 5118937978840031056
Mr Miyagi:
"I've always said that no matter how bad one thinks Singapore is, there's always Malaysia to make us thankful we don't live there."
"I've always said that no matter how bad one thinks Singapore is, there's always Malaysia to make us thankful we don't live there."
Post ID: 4069530642514652804
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The Post-Breakup Facebook Effect
"There's an interesting phenomenon on Facebook: as soon as a girl gets out of a relationship and makes her new "single" status known, all of her guy friends suddenly jump in to console her. From that moment on, numerous guys will continue to post sympathetic messages on her wall and status updates until the relationship status has returned to "In Relationship". Personally, I find the phenomenon to be extremely entertaining.
The phenomenon is now part of a strange mating ritual which has evolved on Facebook... In the case of the guys who immediately post comments on the change of a female’s relationship status to “Single”, the guys are essentially displaying their lower value...
I can see it now though, a Discovery channel show on the mating rituals of humans who are connected to Facebook. (Said in an Australian accent) "The female demonstrates her ability to cook by posting images of the meal that she just made for dinner. The males collect photos which depict themselves in a position of influence and post status updates which illustrate their cleverness.""
The Post-Breakup Facebook Effect
"There's an interesting phenomenon on Facebook: as soon as a girl gets out of a relationship and makes her new "single" status known, all of her guy friends suddenly jump in to console her. From that moment on, numerous guys will continue to post sympathetic messages on her wall and status updates until the relationship status has returned to "In Relationship". Personally, I find the phenomenon to be extremely entertaining.
The phenomenon is now part of a strange mating ritual which has evolved on Facebook... In the case of the guys who immediately post comments on the change of a female’s relationship status to “Single”, the guys are essentially displaying their lower value...
I can see it now though, a Discovery channel show on the mating rituals of humans who are connected to Facebook. (Said in an Australian accent) "The female demonstrates her ability to cook by posting images of the meal that she just made for dinner. The males collect photos which depict themselves in a position of influence and post status updates which illustrate their cleverness.""
Post ID: 2677086583585877708
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
"The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane." - Nikola Tesla
***
I'd heard of this, but I thought it was an urban legend:
"FILL MY CUPS
This one's for the ladies
Step right up to the Boobie Booth and flaunt what you've got, we don't care if they're bite-sized or swollen, droopy or perky, silicone or saline, papayas or even raisins - everyone's a winner. But trust us, big girls most definitely won't cry.
A - 1 free drink
B - 2 free drinks
C - 3 free drinks
D - 1 Bottle of Premium Vodka
DJ Dcup (Australia): The next big thing to come from Down Under, Dcup has drawn comparisons to Treasure Fingers, Miami Horro and Shazam
Belvedere Vodka $168++ per bottle
OverEasy - 1 Fullerton
Sat, 16th Jan 2010
9pm-Late"
It'd have been a cute promotion on its own, but the fact that the DJ is called Dcup makes it even cuter. Except presumably they don't think there're DD and bigger cups in Singapore.
Perhaps some girls will deliberately wear overly-big bras to get more drinks.
I'm quite sure this will be more popular than Dare 21 (which promised free entry to girls wearing 21" of clothes or less).
Some say it is offensive but really, it is a logical extension of the idea of Ladies' Nights: in both cases one gender is privileged over the other.
jemauvais:
"No I won't be there, but I'm curious to know:
1) How many women are actually going to step up to the Boobie Booth.
2) How they are going to determine the cup size (like are they going to do it arbitrarily? Or just check labels? Or have those Triumph or Wacoal sales people around to do private fittings?).
3) What size is the "bottle of vodka" for the D Cups (notice they didn't say anything about mixers).
But most importantly, I'm waiting to see if some disgruntled feminist will lodge a complaint about this, like the Muttons FHM Braless Day thing...!"
***
I'd heard of this, but I thought it was an urban legend:
"FILL MY CUPS
This one's for the ladies
Step right up to the Boobie Booth and flaunt what you've got, we don't care if they're bite-sized or swollen, droopy or perky, silicone or saline, papayas or even raisins - everyone's a winner. But trust us, big girls most definitely won't cry.
A - 1 free drink
B - 2 free drinks
C - 3 free drinks
D - 1 Bottle of Premium Vodka
DJ Dcup (Australia): The next big thing to come from Down Under, Dcup has drawn comparisons to Treasure Fingers, Miami Horro and Shazam
Belvedere Vodka $168++ per bottle
OverEasy - 1 Fullerton
Sat, 16th Jan 2010
9pm-Late"
It'd have been a cute promotion on its own, but the fact that the DJ is called Dcup makes it even cuter. Except presumably they don't think there're DD and bigger cups in Singapore.
Perhaps some girls will deliberately wear overly-big bras to get more drinks.
I'm quite sure this will be more popular than Dare 21 (which promised free entry to girls wearing 21" of clothes or less).
Some say it is offensive but really, it is a logical extension of the idea of Ladies' Nights: in both cases one gender is privileged over the other.
jemauvais:
"No I won't be there, but I'm curious to know:
1) How many women are actually going to step up to the Boobie Booth.
2) How they are going to determine the cup size (like are they going to do it arbitrarily? Or just check labels? Or have those Triumph or Wacoal sales people around to do private fittings?).
3) What size is the "bottle of vodka" for the D Cups (notice they didn't say anything about mixers).
But most importantly, I'm waiting to see if some disgruntled feminist will lodge a complaint about this, like the Muttons FHM Braless Day thing...!"
Post ID: 176113711009638374
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Me on Tuesday: Not going to take part in pointless online arguments until the end of the week
A: i don't believe it you can control yourself.
B: You'll just find a way to start an argument by saying that its not pointless.
C: we could get the ISD to email you just so you can argue with them
D: can you?... you're leafving town this weekend?
E: what is this, austerity week?
F: i disagree with you walking away from all that
G: I bet you can't resist=p
I find their lack of faith disturbing.
In any case, I made it.
A: i don't believe it you can control yourself.
B: You'll just find a way to start an argument by saying that its not pointless.
C: we could get the ISD to email you just so you can argue with them
D: can you?... you're leafving town this weekend?
E: what is this, austerity week?
F: i disagree with you walking away from all that
G: I bet you can't resist=p
I find their lack of faith disturbing.
In any case, I made it.
Post ID: 7035520069052334496
On dirt:
"“In cleaning”, writes Mindy Lewis, editor of a recent collection of essays entitled “Dirt”, “we make sense of our lives, sort our messes, restore order to our psyches, work out our anger and frustration, rediscover the beauty in our lives, and express our love for (and resentment toward) others.” Cleaning away dirt, her contributors suggest, can be healing or oppressive, comforting or obsessive, or each of these at different times.
One essayist in “Dirt” describes how her neurotic desire to keep her house spick and span led to the break-up of her marriage: “For me, the act of cleaning house came to represent my endless pursuit of control, in a life where virtually none existed.” Another contributor explains how cleaning became an expression of self-worth. “The truth is, cleaning gives me a sense of purpose at times when it doesn’t seem like I have a role in this world,” she writes. “At home, there are always things to be dusted, sucked up, disposed of.”"
"“In cleaning”, writes Mindy Lewis, editor of a recent collection of essays entitled “Dirt”, “we make sense of our lives, sort our messes, restore order to our psyches, work out our anger and frustration, rediscover the beauty in our lives, and express our love for (and resentment toward) others.” Cleaning away dirt, her contributors suggest, can be healing or oppressive, comforting or obsessive, or each of these at different times.
One essayist in “Dirt” describes how her neurotic desire to keep her house spick and span led to the break-up of her marriage: “For me, the act of cleaning house came to represent my endless pursuit of control, in a life where virtually none existed.” Another contributor explains how cleaning became an expression of self-worth. “The truth is, cleaning gives me a sense of purpose at times when it doesn’t seem like I have a role in this world,” she writes. “At home, there are always things to be dusted, sucked up, disposed of.”"
Post ID: 518106162643892283
Enfin, je comprends pourquoi le participe passé s'accorde en genre et en nombre avec le complément d'objet direct qui le précède.
C'est pour nous aider à distinguer les phrases:
Je l’ai sautée sur mon lit.
et
Je l’ai sauté sur mon lit.
C'est très très important!!!
C'est pour nous aider à distinguer les phrases:
Je l’ai sautée sur mon lit.
et
Je l’ai sauté sur mon lit.
C'est très très important!!!
Post ID: 6880429211606274902
Saturday, January 09, 2010
"Nothing can so alienate a voter from the political system as backing a winning candidate." - Mark B. Cohen
***
Left 4 Dead 2's Frying Pans Kill a Tank 3 Times Faster than Shotguns
Basics - Another Challenge for Ethical Eating - Plants Want to Live, Too - "The more that scientists learn about the complexity of plants — their keen sensitivity to the environment, the speed with which they react to changes in the environment, and the extraordinary number of tricks that plants will rally to fight off attackers and solicit help from afar — the more impressed researchers become, and the less easily we can dismiss plants as so much fiberfill backdrop"
PR stunt gone wrong? - "Several 'acts of vandalism' carried out on SingPost mailboxes over the past few days, attracting public attention, now appear to be an attempt by SingPost to drum up publicity - and the police have stepped in... "Police will be taking the matter up with SingPost as this whole episode has caused unnecessary public alarm and wasted valuable resources""
Die mauer im kopf is like der Polizist im Kopf. We can get rid of the policemen on the streets, but never the policeman in our heads
Simon Koh Yong's Braised Abalone - "Incidentally, it doesn't mean that the bigger the abalone, the better. Size is a matter of personal taste and the 'head count' - that is, 10-head or 15-head, etc, simply refers to the number of abalones that make up a kati of weight (600 gm). The smaller the abalone, the younger it is, and as it takes years to grow to a large size, it's generally agreed that the bigger and older the abalone is, the better the taste."
New scanners break child porn laws - "The rapid introduction of full body scanners at British airports threatens to breach child protection laws which ban the creation of indecent images of children"
Under-aged suicide bombers, here we come!
Save the trees, say NO to junk mails from SingPost - "These fliers are delivered by our friendly postmen who are able to unlock the anti-junk locking devices on our letterboxes, junk mail seep through. This defeats the entire purpose of HDB installing these devices. Singaporeans wonder why because they do not know their postmen have colluded with the spammers and that Admail is an auto opt-in subscription."
KFC accused of racism over Australian advertisement - "An outnumbered white cricket fan handing out pieces of fried chicken to appease a dancing, drumming and singing group of black West Indian supporters... "The ad was reproduced online in the US without KFC's permission, where we are told a culturally-based stereotype exists, leading to the incorrect assertion of racism"... some commentators [are] accusing Americans of "insularity"... the association between fried chicken and ethnic minorities was a distinctly US issue: "They have a tendency to think that their history is more important than that of other countries""
Let's hope no one in Singapore makes an advertisement about "Jap food"
i.Saw - The World's First USB-powered Chainsaw
Newark terminal locked down; search continues for man - ""I just saw one woman pleading with a gate agent, saying that she had two small children and a heart condition -- that she simply could not take this," Cho said. "But of course, there will be no exceptions.""
Perhaps one day we'll find that security measures kill more people than terrorism
What Israeli security could teach us - "US airport security remains obstinately focused on intercepting bad things -- guns, knives, explosives. It is a reactive policy, aimed at preventing the last terrorist plot from being repeated... things don't hijack planes, terrorists do... But because federal policy still bans ethnic or religious profiling, US passengers continue to be singled out for special scrutiny mostly on a random basis. Countless hours have been spent patting down elderly women in wheelchairs... time that could have been used instead to concentrate on passengers with a greater likelihood of being terrorists... It is not racism or bigotry to argue that the prevention of Islamist terrorism necessitates a special focus on Muslim travelers, just as it is not racism or bigotry when police trying to prevent a Mafia killing pay closer attention to Italians"
How to nap - "A short afternoon catnap of 20 minutes... you can drink a cup of coffee before you nap. Caffeine requires 20 or 30 minutes to take effect, so it will kick in just as you're waking"
The 30 Most Disturbing Twilight Products - "Bella's Womb Well, it was bound to happen, someone was bound to make a felt version of Bella Swan's womb... wait WHAT. HER WOMB? SOMEONE FELTED HER WOMB? WITH THE MUTATED BLOOD-CRAVING ADULT BABY RENESMEE INSIDE? TELL US WHY. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THIS?? TwiCrotch: Edward Panties Who doesn't need panties where the crotch faces INSIDE. Yeah, mull that one over, fans.... The Vamp: The Sparkly Dildo"
25kg of cocaine hits Spanish supermarket shelves - "Drug smugglers in Spain are at least 25 kilos of cocaine short after boxes of bananas in which they'd hidden the Bolivian marching powder ended up on supermarket shelves."
Amazon.com: Daniel A. Koblosh's review of Denon AKDL1 Dedicated Link Cable - "After I took delivery of my $500 Denon AKDL1 Cat-5 uber-cable, Al Gore was mysteriously drawn to my home, where he pronounced that Global Warming had been suspended in my vicinity... One heck of a cable. Didn't notice any improvement in audio quality though. The $800 Apple iCable is clearly superior."
Ten Psychology Studies from 2009 Worth Knowing About - "1. If you have to choose between buying something or spending the money on a memorable experience, go with the experience 7. If someone is trying to sell you something, be extra careful to keep your psychological distance 10. If you’re a man and find yourself in an argument with your significant other, choose your words very carefully... Women may just be better at communication, or just luckier in this particular biological lottery"
Explosives planted on man to test airport security - "Irish police have released a man held over an explosives find, after Slovakian authorities admitted planting them in his luggage."
They could've framed him for drugs also
Sex doesn't sell in mainstream cinema, study says - "Crunching data from 914 films released between 2001 and 2005, researchers Dean Keith Simonton from the University of California, Davis, and independent Vancouver-based researcher Anemone Cerridwen discovered sex and nudity have a negligible impact on the box office... On average, the less sex and nudity, the higher the gross... "I think it reflects and reinforces sexism in society, in general. Even if the performer genuinely doesn't mind having to do this stuff as a condition of employment, it creates a hostile environment for the rest of us: other women on camera, behind the camera, in acting classes, plus women, in general""
Chanting "get your rosaries off our ovaries" creates a hostile environment for Catholics.
Someone: "stinky men next to me on the train creates a hostile environment for me"
***
Left 4 Dead 2's Frying Pans Kill a Tank 3 Times Faster than Shotguns
Basics - Another Challenge for Ethical Eating - Plants Want to Live, Too - "The more that scientists learn about the complexity of plants — their keen sensitivity to the environment, the speed with which they react to changes in the environment, and the extraordinary number of tricks that plants will rally to fight off attackers and solicit help from afar — the more impressed researchers become, and the less easily we can dismiss plants as so much fiberfill backdrop"
PR stunt gone wrong? - "Several 'acts of vandalism' carried out on SingPost mailboxes over the past few days, attracting public attention, now appear to be an attempt by SingPost to drum up publicity - and the police have stepped in... "Police will be taking the matter up with SingPost as this whole episode has caused unnecessary public alarm and wasted valuable resources""
Die mauer im kopf is like der Polizist im Kopf. We can get rid of the policemen on the streets, but never the policeman in our heads
Simon Koh Yong's Braised Abalone - "Incidentally, it doesn't mean that the bigger the abalone, the better. Size is a matter of personal taste and the 'head count' - that is, 10-head or 15-head, etc, simply refers to the number of abalones that make up a kati of weight (600 gm). The smaller the abalone, the younger it is, and as it takes years to grow to a large size, it's generally agreed that the bigger and older the abalone is, the better the taste."
New scanners break child porn laws - "The rapid introduction of full body scanners at British airports threatens to breach child protection laws which ban the creation of indecent images of children"
Under-aged suicide bombers, here we come!
Save the trees, say NO to junk mails from SingPost - "These fliers are delivered by our friendly postmen who are able to unlock the anti-junk locking devices on our letterboxes, junk mail seep through. This defeats the entire purpose of HDB installing these devices. Singaporeans wonder why because they do not know their postmen have colluded with the spammers and that Admail is an auto opt-in subscription."
KFC accused of racism over Australian advertisement - "An outnumbered white cricket fan handing out pieces of fried chicken to appease a dancing, drumming and singing group of black West Indian supporters... "The ad was reproduced online in the US without KFC's permission, where we are told a culturally-based stereotype exists, leading to the incorrect assertion of racism"... some commentators [are] accusing Americans of "insularity"... the association between fried chicken and ethnic minorities was a distinctly US issue: "They have a tendency to think that their history is more important than that of other countries""
Let's hope no one in Singapore makes an advertisement about "Jap food"
i.Saw - The World's First USB-powered Chainsaw
Newark terminal locked down; search continues for man - ""I just saw one woman pleading with a gate agent, saying that she had two small children and a heart condition -- that she simply could not take this," Cho said. "But of course, there will be no exceptions.""
Perhaps one day we'll find that security measures kill more people than terrorism
What Israeli security could teach us - "US airport security remains obstinately focused on intercepting bad things -- guns, knives, explosives. It is a reactive policy, aimed at preventing the last terrorist plot from being repeated... things don't hijack planes, terrorists do... But because federal policy still bans ethnic or religious profiling, US passengers continue to be singled out for special scrutiny mostly on a random basis. Countless hours have been spent patting down elderly women in wheelchairs... time that could have been used instead to concentrate on passengers with a greater likelihood of being terrorists... It is not racism or bigotry to argue that the prevention of Islamist terrorism necessitates a special focus on Muslim travelers, just as it is not racism or bigotry when police trying to prevent a Mafia killing pay closer attention to Italians"
How to nap - "A short afternoon catnap of 20 minutes... you can drink a cup of coffee before you nap. Caffeine requires 20 or 30 minutes to take effect, so it will kick in just as you're waking"
The 30 Most Disturbing Twilight Products - "Bella's Womb Well, it was bound to happen, someone was bound to make a felt version of Bella Swan's womb... wait WHAT. HER WOMB? SOMEONE FELTED HER WOMB? WITH THE MUTATED BLOOD-CRAVING ADULT BABY RENESMEE INSIDE? TELL US WHY. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THIS?? TwiCrotch: Edward Panties Who doesn't need panties where the crotch faces INSIDE. Yeah, mull that one over, fans.... The Vamp: The Sparkly Dildo"
25kg of cocaine hits Spanish supermarket shelves - "Drug smugglers in Spain are at least 25 kilos of cocaine short after boxes of bananas in which they'd hidden the Bolivian marching powder ended up on supermarket shelves."
Amazon.com: Daniel A. Koblosh's review of Denon AKDL1 Dedicated Link Cable - "After I took delivery of my $500 Denon AKDL1 Cat-5 uber-cable, Al Gore was mysteriously drawn to my home, where he pronounced that Global Warming had been suspended in my vicinity... One heck of a cable. Didn't notice any improvement in audio quality though. The $800 Apple iCable is clearly superior."
Ten Psychology Studies from 2009 Worth Knowing About - "1. If you have to choose between buying something or spending the money on a memorable experience, go with the experience 7. If someone is trying to sell you something, be extra careful to keep your psychological distance 10. If you’re a man and find yourself in an argument with your significant other, choose your words very carefully... Women may just be better at communication, or just luckier in this particular biological lottery"
Explosives planted on man to test airport security - "Irish police have released a man held over an explosives find, after Slovakian authorities admitted planting them in his luggage."
They could've framed him for drugs also
Sex doesn't sell in mainstream cinema, study says - "Crunching data from 914 films released between 2001 and 2005, researchers Dean Keith Simonton from the University of California, Davis, and independent Vancouver-based researcher Anemone Cerridwen discovered sex and nudity have a negligible impact on the box office... On average, the less sex and nudity, the higher the gross... "I think it reflects and reinforces sexism in society, in general. Even if the performer genuinely doesn't mind having to do this stuff as a condition of employment, it creates a hostile environment for the rest of us: other women on camera, behind the camera, in acting classes, plus women, in general""
Chanting "get your rosaries off our ovaries" creates a hostile environment for Catholics.
Someone: "stinky men next to me on the train creates a hostile environment for me"
Post ID: 6904179177950148258
On why you should not take up an A*STAR post-graduate "scholarship":
Me: "People who take A* scholarships post-bacc are... the biggest morons. There is no nice way to put it. MORONS"
A: whyyyyyyyyy
Me: You get a bond and you would probably have gotten post-grad funding in the first place
A: but what if the person doesn't get a post-grad funding in the first place
B: i'm sure there's a rationale for it. perhaps they couldn't get into some fully funded program or didn't want to live on a meager graduate assistantship for 7 years
C: It's a form of selflessness I guess
D: PhD is generally fully-funded in better universities. so you should aim to get to those fully-funded programmes. might have to live on meagre salary for 5-7 years, but if that's what you want, you should do it. (and dun even think of doing PhD in NUS!)
E: phds in the states are fully funded at any university worth getting a phd from. in fact, guidance counselors and faculty advise not to enter any phd programme that doesn't fully fund its phd candidates.
F: I second E. It is not difficult at all to get funding for a PhD in the US. For most programs ALL PhD students get funding upon admission. If you cannot even get into one of these programs, then you should not do a PhD.
Also, grad assistantships in the sciences aren't that meagre. I'm in the humanities, we get less money than the sciences, but some students in my program still save enough to buy a house while they are still in the program.
G: That said, its easier to get into top programs if someone else is footing the bill
H: 2 reasons:
1. priority to top positions given to scholars (as usual)
2. it's significantly easier to get into top programmes if you bring your own funding (as geoffrey pointed out)
F: The purpose of getting into top programmes is presumably for better career prospects later. Signing your soul to A* defeats that purpose. In the first place, if you're really outstanding in grad school, you can secure a good post-doc right off the bat (or, in some fields, even go straight to a tenure-track position). But no matter how outstanding ... See Moreyou are in grad school, there is no guarantee that you can find a similarly good post-doc position in A* (you cannot jump straight into a senior position, not even if you're a scholar). In the first place, there is the very real question of whether there exist good post-doc positions in A*. In the second place, your choice of post-doc has to be approved by scholarship administrators. In the third place, A* is only one organisation and obviously the available post-doc positions in your field within A* are going to be much fewer than the total number of post-doc positions available on the world market. Your options are very, very much reduced if you are on a scholarship.
If that is not your purpose, but you want to get into top programmes just because you like the feeling of being somewhere 'prestigious', well, good luck to A* having such people in their team.
Me: "People who take A* scholarships post-bacc are... the biggest morons. There is no nice way to put it. MORONS"
A: whyyyyyyyyy
Me: You get a bond and you would probably have gotten post-grad funding in the first place
A: but what if the person doesn't get a post-grad funding in the first place
B: i'm sure there's a rationale for it. perhaps they couldn't get into some fully funded program or didn't want to live on a meager graduate assistantship for 7 years
C: It's a form of selflessness I guess
D: PhD is generally fully-funded in better universities. so you should aim to get to those fully-funded programmes. might have to live on meagre salary for 5-7 years, but if that's what you want, you should do it. (and dun even think of doing PhD in NUS!)
E: phds in the states are fully funded at any university worth getting a phd from. in fact, guidance counselors and faculty advise not to enter any phd programme that doesn't fully fund its phd candidates.
F: I second E. It is not difficult at all to get funding for a PhD in the US. For most programs ALL PhD students get funding upon admission. If you cannot even get into one of these programs, then you should not do a PhD.
Also, grad assistantships in the sciences aren't that meagre. I'm in the humanities, we get less money than the sciences, but some students in my program still save enough to buy a house while they are still in the program.
G: That said, its easier to get into top programs if someone else is footing the bill
H: 2 reasons:
1. priority to top positions given to scholars (as usual)
2. it's significantly easier to get into top programmes if you bring your own funding (as geoffrey pointed out)
F: The purpose of getting into top programmes is presumably for better career prospects later. Signing your soul to A* defeats that purpose. In the first place, if you're really outstanding in grad school, you can secure a good post-doc right off the bat (or, in some fields, even go straight to a tenure-track position). But no matter how outstanding ... See Moreyou are in grad school, there is no guarantee that you can find a similarly good post-doc position in A* (you cannot jump straight into a senior position, not even if you're a scholar). In the first place, there is the very real question of whether there exist good post-doc positions in A*. In the second place, your choice of post-doc has to be approved by scholarship administrators. In the third place, A* is only one organisation and obviously the available post-doc positions in your field within A* are going to be much fewer than the total number of post-doc positions available on the world market. Your options are very, very much reduced if you are on a scholarship.
If that is not your purpose, but you want to get into top programmes just because you like the feeling of being somewhere 'prestigious', well, good luck to A* having such people in their team.
Post ID: 797783108182298783
"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." - Galileo Galilei
***
Here're some of my better French constructions - my favourite lines from the past year (post-correction).
Previously quoted material will not be repeated.
En 2010, je chercherai des petites amies françaises et des petits amis français. Je nagerai dans l'océan d'Atlantique en hiver.
Il y aura un grand esclave qui m'attends dans ma chambre, et une belle esclave dans ma cuisine.
Avant, je couchais aves les hommes et, un jour, j'ai rencontré Alice.
Q: Quand j'avais vingt ans, j'ai rencontré un garçon.
A: Il était très beau, mais je n'étais pas gai. Quel dommage!
Q: Votre petit garçon a mangé du chocolat et il en a sur ses vêtements et dans les cheveux
A: Jette-lui dans le fleuve
Q: Pourquoi est-ce qu'elle ne veut pas porter cette robe?
A: Parce qu'elle n'est pas assez mince
Q: C'est l'anniversaire de Marina. On lui offre des fleurs?
A: Non, je déteste Marina
Q: Vous voulez un verre de vin avec votre viande? Il est très bon
A: Je suis désolé. Je suis Musulman.
Quand nous sommes passés sous le Pont des Soupirs en bateau, j'ai soupiré parce que mon amie est tombée dans le Rio de Palazzo
Q: Alors, on achète cette maison?
A: On pourra acheter cette maison quand tes parents mourront et te donneront beaucoup d'argent
Q: Tu ne vas plus au cinéma?
A: Je pourrai aller au cinéma quand je prendrai ma retraite
Q: Pourquoi est-ce qu'elle est partie en Afrique?
A: Elle est partie en Afrique pour chercher le yéti
Q: Pourquoi est-ce qu'il va dans une école de langues?
A: Il va dans une école de langues pour flirter avec les femmes
Q: Pourquoi est-ce que tu vas au supermarché?
A: Je vais au supermarché pour voler à l'étalage
Q: Et vous, qu'est-ce que vous venez de faire?
A: Je viens d'apprendre l'imparfait
[Le conseil donné au vacanciers] Ne vous habillez pas à l'extérieur
[Lisez les phrases ci-dessous et dites où se trouve la personne. Puis, imaginez la question]
Q1: Non, merci, je ne peux pas boire de vin.
A1: Dans l'église.
Q2: Oui, bien sûr, j'ai travaillé en Angleterre.
A2: Dans des toilettes. Vous parlez Anglais!
***
Mes dernières vacances, j'ai voyagé en Malaisie.
Il faisait trop chaud, comme à Singapour.
Je suis allé à KL en avion. J'ai pris l'avion de SIA, mais j'ai détesté, parce que les femmes SIA étaient trop vaniteuses.
Le premier jour, j'étais malade parce que j'ai déjeuné d'un restaurant sale.
Le deuxième jour, j'ai visité le Musée National. Il n'y avait pas assez de choses, et c'était trop cher.
Le troisième jour, une femme m'a volé. Les gendarmes ne m'aidé pas.
La Malaisie, c'était horrible!
***
Here're some of my better French constructions - my favourite lines from the past year (post-correction).
Previously quoted material will not be repeated.
En 2010, je chercherai des petites amies françaises et des petits amis français. Je nagerai dans l'océan d'Atlantique en hiver.
Il y aura un grand esclave qui m'attends dans ma chambre, et une belle esclave dans ma cuisine.
Avant, je couchais aves les hommes et, un jour, j'ai rencontré Alice.
Q: Quand j'avais vingt ans, j'ai rencontré un garçon.
A: Il était très beau, mais je n'étais pas gai. Quel dommage!
Q: Votre petit garçon a mangé du chocolat et il en a sur ses vêtements et dans les cheveux
A: Jette-lui dans le fleuve
Q: Pourquoi est-ce qu'elle ne veut pas porter cette robe?
A: Parce qu'elle n'est pas assez mince
Q: C'est l'anniversaire de Marina. On lui offre des fleurs?
A: Non, je déteste Marina
Q: Vous voulez un verre de vin avec votre viande? Il est très bon
A: Je suis désolé. Je suis Musulman.
Quand nous sommes passés sous le Pont des Soupirs en bateau, j'ai soupiré parce que mon amie est tombée dans le Rio de Palazzo
Q: Alors, on achète cette maison?
A: On pourra acheter cette maison quand tes parents mourront et te donneront beaucoup d'argent
Q: Tu ne vas plus au cinéma?
A: Je pourrai aller au cinéma quand je prendrai ma retraite
Q: Pourquoi est-ce qu'elle est partie en Afrique?
A: Elle est partie en Afrique pour chercher le yéti
Q: Pourquoi est-ce qu'il va dans une école de langues?
A: Il va dans une école de langues pour flirter avec les femmes
Q: Pourquoi est-ce que tu vas au supermarché?
A: Je vais au supermarché pour voler à l'étalage
Q: Et vous, qu'est-ce que vous venez de faire?
A: Je viens d'apprendre l'imparfait
[Le conseil donné au vacanciers] Ne vous habillez pas à l'extérieur
[Lisez les phrases ci-dessous et dites où se trouve la personne. Puis, imaginez la question]
Q1: Non, merci, je ne peux pas boire de vin.
A1: Dans l'église.
Q2: Oui, bien sûr, j'ai travaillé en Angleterre.
A2: Dans des toilettes. Vous parlez Anglais!
***
Mes dernières vacances, j'ai voyagé en Malaisie.
Il faisait trop chaud, comme à Singapour.
Je suis allé à KL en avion. J'ai pris l'avion de SIA, mais j'ai détesté, parce que les femmes SIA étaient trop vaniteuses.
Le premier jour, j'étais malade parce que j'ai déjeuné d'un restaurant sale.
Le deuxième jour, j'ai visité le Musée National. Il n'y avait pas assez de choses, et c'était trop cher.
Le troisième jour, une femme m'a volé. Les gendarmes ne m'aidé pas.
La Malaisie, c'était horrible!
Post ID: 5819327334835061276
Friday, January 08, 2010
"Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home." - Bill Cosby
***
The official MFX 1209 trailer is a lot less fun than the famous version.
Happily, I've found a working mirror! The original url is still trying to get your credit card details, and another mirror replaces the original music with Rick Astley (yes, that song - and they still dare to call themselves "the official free" video), so this is a welcome find.
Interestingly, they've rebranded the original to take advantage of its inadvertent infamy.
Original Cover
New, Rebranded Cover
***
The official MFX 1209 trailer is a lot less fun than the famous version.
Happily, I've found a working mirror! The original url is still trying to get your credit card details, and another mirror replaces the original music with Rick Astley (yes, that song - and they still dare to call themselves "the official free" video), so this is a welcome find.
Interestingly, they've rebranded the original to take advantage of its inadvertent infamy.
Original Cover
New, Rebranded Cover
Post ID: 7257276149660073383
Thursday, January 07, 2010
French vs German Music
"If you would be known, and not know, vegetate in a village; If you would know, and not be known, live in a city." - Charles Caleb Colton
***
"The American Composer Ned Rorum likes to classify music as either French or German.
By French, Rorum means music that is sensuous, economical and unabashed superficial.
By German, Rorum means art music that strives to be brainy, complex and impenetrably deep."
(Wednesday's Composer's Datebook)
Elsewhere, in his own words:
"I'm very French by nature and I lived in France for a long time and I am very sympathetic to French music as distinguished from German music. And I feel that all aesthetics in the universe are divided between French and German. Everything is either one or the other. If that's true, then I fall roundly into the French category. German means extravagance and beating your breast and repitition and thickness and heaviness. French means continuity and transparency and say what you have to say, then shut up, with a certain overlay of sexuality. As opposed to German which is sexuality with a lot of sweating. It is loud. Beethoven is pretty crude"
"The world is divided into two aesthetic styles: French and German. The color red is German. The color blue is French. Men are German, women are French. Japan is French, and China is German. German art is known for being profoundly superficial, and French art, for being superficially profound... I am French. If you disagree with my analysis, then you are German."
And:
"Unlike 30 or 50 years ago, there is no culture in Europe. There is nothing coming out of France that I know about—and I would know—in terms of serious theatre or music, or literature or painting, either good or bad; likewise Germany. England is fairly interesting but, strange as it may seem, America, with all its vulgarity, is the most interesting country culturally on earth today in music, in literature, in theatre, in painting."
***
"The American Composer Ned Rorum likes to classify music as either French or German.
By French, Rorum means music that is sensuous, economical and unabashed superficial.
By German, Rorum means art music that strives to be brainy, complex and impenetrably deep."
(Wednesday's Composer's Datebook)
Elsewhere, in his own words:
"I'm very French by nature and I lived in France for a long time and I am very sympathetic to French music as distinguished from German music. And I feel that all aesthetics in the universe are divided between French and German. Everything is either one or the other. If that's true, then I fall roundly into the French category. German means extravagance and beating your breast and repitition and thickness and heaviness. French means continuity and transparency and say what you have to say, then shut up, with a certain overlay of sexuality. As opposed to German which is sexuality with a lot of sweating. It is loud. Beethoven is pretty crude"
"The world is divided into two aesthetic styles: French and German. The color red is German. The color blue is French. Men are German, women are French. Japan is French, and China is German. German art is known for being profoundly superficial, and French art, for being superficially profound... I am French. If you disagree with my analysis, then you are German."
And:
"Unlike 30 or 50 years ago, there is no culture in Europe. There is nothing coming out of France that I know about—and I would know—in terms of serious theatre or music, or literature or painting, either good or bad; likewise Germany. England is fairly interesting but, strange as it may seem, America, with all its vulgarity, is the most interesting country culturally on earth today in music, in literature, in theatre, in painting."
Post ID: 1832571075633383716
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
"One thing I have noticed from a lot of reviews online and from this website, is that Singaporeans tend to be easily fooled by ambience. I've seen a lot of good reviews of restaurants based on Sentosa, and honestly, my reaction upon reading those reviews is often "you must be -expletive involving a mother and a verb-ing kidding me... do these idiots doing the reviews know how much money the restaurant spends on RENTAL vs. FOOD??" Especially since I have eaten at some restaurants at Sentosa, and think that (a) I'm glad I don't live on the ex-Pulau Blakang Mati, and (b) the food is really suitable for the dead.
Really, all it seems to create a "great" restaurant in Singapore with "great" reviews by food journalists with no tastebuds, is to have decent air conditioning, (b) hire a great interior design decorator. The food is often blah, tasteless, and cooked with as much fire and passion as a Toyota car factory robot."
(Source)
Really, all it seems to create a "great" restaurant in Singapore with "great" reviews by food journalists with no tastebuds, is to have decent air conditioning, (b) hire a great interior design decorator. The food is often blah, tasteless, and cooked with as much fire and passion as a Toyota car factory robot."
(Source)
Post ID: 6325166545700061789
Rediscover Your Womanhood: A Health Seminar on Delicate Female Issues
My first question:
1) Are men welcome to rediscover their womanhood?
2) Why are all 4 of the speakers male?
Post ID: 5175193805384416845
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it." - Voltaire
***
More great stories from the Malaysian press. WaiWai would be proud!
I wonder if these stories being run in the Malaysian press is a subtle attempt to discredit Singapore. Or at least make it sound as wacky as Malaysia.
Husband's organ donor is wife's lover
A BUSINESSMAN who was given a new lease of life after receiving a kidney transplant found out later that the donor was his wife's lover, China Press reported.
The daily quoted the businessman, in his 40s, who said that the man had saved his life but took away his wife.
Things got worse when he realised that the biological father of a child whom he had regarded as his own was actually that of his wife's lover.
The Singaporean, known as John, had been suffering from kidney problems for seven years and started undergoing dialysis in 2007.
"My wife told me one day that a friend of her buddy named Peter was willing to donate one of his kidneys and I was so touched," he said.
"Two months after undergoing surgery in August 2008, my wife of 12 years told me that she had been sleeping with Peter since 2006."
"I had wanted to reconcile with her for the sake of the child but a private investigator I hired found out that she was still on good terms with her lover and this disappointed me," he told the daily.
> Sin Chew Daily reported that a widow in Singapore has slept with at least 24 men in two years, including a married man resembling her late husband.
The daily said the businesswoman had to "pleasure herself" during the six months after her husband's death from a heart attack.
A few months later, she met a man, who looked like her late husband, and began pursuing him with expensive gifts.
He became her lover but they broke up six months later as he could not fulfil her desires.
She began picking up men in various night clubs and could not focus on her work even after consulting a psychologist.
She has since met a divorced man, in his 50s, who was able to satisfy her.
***
More great stories from the Malaysian press. WaiWai would be proud!
I wonder if these stories being run in the Malaysian press is a subtle attempt to discredit Singapore. Or at least make it sound as wacky as Malaysia.
Husband's organ donor is wife's lover
A BUSINESSMAN who was given a new lease of life after receiving a kidney transplant found out later that the donor was his wife's lover, China Press reported.
The daily quoted the businessman, in his 40s, who said that the man had saved his life but took away his wife.
Things got worse when he realised that the biological father of a child whom he had regarded as his own was actually that of his wife's lover.
The Singaporean, known as John, had been suffering from kidney problems for seven years and started undergoing dialysis in 2007.
"My wife told me one day that a friend of her buddy named Peter was willing to donate one of his kidneys and I was so touched," he said.
"Two months after undergoing surgery in August 2008, my wife of 12 years told me that she had been sleeping with Peter since 2006."
"I had wanted to reconcile with her for the sake of the child but a private investigator I hired found out that she was still on good terms with her lover and this disappointed me," he told the daily.
> Sin Chew Daily reported that a widow in Singapore has slept with at least 24 men in two years, including a married man resembling her late husband.
The daily said the businesswoman had to "pleasure herself" during the six months after her husband's death from a heart attack.
A few months later, she met a man, who looked like her late husband, and began pursuing him with expensive gifts.
He became her lover but they broke up six months later as he could not fulfil her desires.
She began picking up men in various night clubs and could not focus on her work even after consulting a psychologist.
She has since met a divorced man, in his 50s, who was able to satisfy her.
Post ID: 4984236748576211926
"Both the cockroach and the bird would get along very well without us, although the cockroach would miss us most." - Joseph Wood Krutch
***
Christian teacher sacked for offering to pray for sick pupil
Shanghai Bridge Made of Rubbish Collapses - "After only a short period in operation the bridge began to collapse, with investigators finding such sturdy construction materials as bags of rubbish, Styrofoam, scrap wood and waste plastic used in the structure in place of reinforced concrete."
Looks like hairbands aren't the only things made of junk in CHina.
For Some of Japan’s Jobless, Homes Just 5 Feet Wide - "The rent is surprisingly high for such a small space: 59,000 yen a month, or about $640, for an upper bunk. But with no upfront deposit or extra utility charges, and basic amenities like fresh linens and free use of a communal bath and sauna, the cost is far less than renting an apartment in Tokyo... The government says about 15,800 people live on the streets in Japan, but aid groups put the figure much higher, with at least 10,000 in Tokyo alone. Those numbers do not count the city’s “hidden” homeless, like those who live in capsule hotels. There is also a floating population that sleeps overnight in the country’s many 24-hour Internet cafes and saunas"
Park ranger sacked over 'racist joke' wins £40k compensation after tribunal tells council 'skin colour is a fact of life' - "A park ranger sacked for asking a black colleague if he 'put polish' on his legs has won £40,000 compensation... employment judge Lindsay Hall-Smith has ruled that he was unfairly dismissed, saying: 'An individual's race or colour is a fact of life. It does not follow that alluding to such matters to or in the presence of the individual concerned necessarily involves racism or less favourable treatment of the individual.'... The judge said the switch to shorts 'usually provoked humorous comments', and one woman, Diane Nash, even wolf-whistled at Mr Parker when he arrived"
What Israel can teach us about security - ""When the security agency in Israel (the ISA) started to tighten security and we had to wait in line for – not for hours – but 30 or 40 minutes, all hell broke loose here"... Despite facing dozens of potential threats each day, the security set-up at Israel's largest hub, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, has not been breached since 2002... "They're not looking for liquids, they're not looking at your shoes. They're not looking for everything they look for in North America. They just look at you... and that's how you figure out the bad guys from the good guys.""
If North Americans adopted behavior-based screening, people would be screaming about racial profiling.
SSRN-How Movies Created the Financial Crisis by Larry Ribstein - "Narrative makes sense out of reality and can forcefully persuade listeners to a particular point of view. Artists in general have a narrative of business which springs from their belief that at least some aspects of business are antithetical to art. Filmmakers add to this a resentment of the constraints capital places on their art. Film is particularly persuasive because of its vivid images and because of the consistency of filmmakers’ anti-capitalist perspective on business. Filmmakers’ negative portrayal of capitalists has helped to prepare the public to believe that capitalists - and not government, economic cycles, greedy people or business generally - caused the financial crisis. This will help the public accept a regulatory agenda built on this premise, specifically including the regulation of hedge funds."
Smacked children more successful later in life, study finds - "Youngsters smacked up to the age of six did better at school and were more optimistic about their lives than those never hit by their parents. They were also more likely to undertake voluntary work and keener to attend university... "The idea that smacking and violence are on a continuum is a bizarre and fetishised view of what punishment or smacking is for most parents"... Previous studies have suggested that smacking children can lead them to develop behavioural problems such as being more aggressive"
iPhone users are delusional, consultants say - "Apple has launched a beautiful phone with a fantastic user interface that has had a number of technological shortcomings that many iPhone users have accepted and defended, despite those shortcomings resulting in limitations in iPhone users' daily lives... When we examine the iPhone users' arguments defending the iPhone, it reminds us of the famous Stockholm Syndrome... you will discover the 10 great myths about the iPhone. Here are just two: it doesn't attract new business for operators, and it is not a technologically advanced mobile phone"
From their How will psychologists describe the iPhone syndrome in the future?: Below is a selection of some of the arguments that various hard-core iPhone fanatics have been using since the iPhone initially launched:
3. You cannot forward a SMS: This is a function that hardly anybody uses and was therefore not included in the first iPhones.
8. Apple decides which applications you can install on the phone: This is good, because Apple thereby ensures that you do not get inferior programs on your phone.
9. The app store is a closed universe: Apple knows what is best for end users, which is good for the many iPhone users.
15. You can only purchase the iPhone from operators chosen by Apple: Apple has spent a great deal of time and energy selecting the best operators for customers.
17. The iPhone does not support memory cards: Iphones already offer the necessary memory people require and end users can choose between two models, one with a little memory and one with a great deal of memory.
18. You can not install your own browser: The browser Apple has designed is so superior that you do not need any other browser on your phone.
What an anti-climax: G-spot is a myth - "The scientists at King’s College London... claim there is no evidence for the existence of the G-spot... outside the imagination of women influenced by magazines and sex therapists. They reached their conclusions after a survey of more than 1,800 British women... If one identical twin reported having a G-spot, this would make it far more likely that her sister would give the same answer. But no such pattern emerged, suggesting the G-spot is a matter of the woman’s subjective opinion... Andrea Burri, who led the research, said she was anxious to remove feelings of “inadequacy or underachievement” that might affect women who feared they lacked a G-spot... The quest for the G-spot will not be abandoned. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, which is publishing Burri’s and Spector’s work this week, is planning a debate, with publication of research from the pro and anti G-spot camps. Meanwhile, David Matlock, a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon, is credited with creating an artificial version of the G-spot. In some cases this has resulted in an over-sensitive zone which induces orgasms when, for example, women drive over bumps in the road."
WiFi for passive-aggressives - "Choose a wireless network: 'We can hear you having sex."
6 reasons why I’m dumping my iPhone for a Nokia N900 - "What does it take to ‘kill the iPhone’?
1. Web browser
2. Installing Apps
3. Contacts
4. Media
5. Messaging
6. Photos
Let’s face it. Apple needs to stop being stubborn and start looking at what we really want. They have, hands down, revolutionized the mobile industry. But they need to start evolving again. People need multitasking. Proper multitasking. Seamless integration of social networking is a must. And for god’s sake.. If we want to change the way our phone works.. even to the point of breaking it, can we not do that without playing a cat and mouse jail-breaking game?"
Meet the lipstick entrepreneurs - "Lots of people don’t like the term ‘lipstick entrepreneurs’. They think it’s sexist. But it reminds me of the women I’ve always admired most in business — the ones who look like they’re so in control, they still have time to dress well and do their hair. They make it look effortless.”"
***
Christian teacher sacked for offering to pray for sick pupil
Shanghai Bridge Made of Rubbish Collapses - "After only a short period in operation the bridge began to collapse, with investigators finding such sturdy construction materials as bags of rubbish, Styrofoam, scrap wood and waste plastic used in the structure in place of reinforced concrete."
Looks like hairbands aren't the only things made of junk in CHina.
For Some of Japan’s Jobless, Homes Just 5 Feet Wide - "The rent is surprisingly high for such a small space: 59,000 yen a month, or about $640, for an upper bunk. But with no upfront deposit or extra utility charges, and basic amenities like fresh linens and free use of a communal bath and sauna, the cost is far less than renting an apartment in Tokyo... The government says about 15,800 people live on the streets in Japan, but aid groups put the figure much higher, with at least 10,000 in Tokyo alone. Those numbers do not count the city’s “hidden” homeless, like those who live in capsule hotels. There is also a floating population that sleeps overnight in the country’s many 24-hour Internet cafes and saunas"
Park ranger sacked over 'racist joke' wins £40k compensation after tribunal tells council 'skin colour is a fact of life' - "A park ranger sacked for asking a black colleague if he 'put polish' on his legs has won £40,000 compensation... employment judge Lindsay Hall-Smith has ruled that he was unfairly dismissed, saying: 'An individual's race or colour is a fact of life. It does not follow that alluding to such matters to or in the presence of the individual concerned necessarily involves racism or less favourable treatment of the individual.'... The judge said the switch to shorts 'usually provoked humorous comments', and one woman, Diane Nash, even wolf-whistled at Mr Parker when he arrived"
What Israel can teach us about security - ""When the security agency in Israel (the ISA) started to tighten security and we had to wait in line for – not for hours – but 30 or 40 minutes, all hell broke loose here"... Despite facing dozens of potential threats each day, the security set-up at Israel's largest hub, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, has not been breached since 2002... "They're not looking for liquids, they're not looking at your shoes. They're not looking for everything they look for in North America. They just look at you... and that's how you figure out the bad guys from the good guys.""
If North Americans adopted behavior-based screening, people would be screaming about racial profiling.
SSRN-How Movies Created the Financial Crisis by Larry Ribstein - "Narrative makes sense out of reality and can forcefully persuade listeners to a particular point of view. Artists in general have a narrative of business which springs from their belief that at least some aspects of business are antithetical to art. Filmmakers add to this a resentment of the constraints capital places on their art. Film is particularly persuasive because of its vivid images and because of the consistency of filmmakers’ anti-capitalist perspective on business. Filmmakers’ negative portrayal of capitalists has helped to prepare the public to believe that capitalists - and not government, economic cycles, greedy people or business generally - caused the financial crisis. This will help the public accept a regulatory agenda built on this premise, specifically including the regulation of hedge funds."
Smacked children more successful later in life, study finds - "Youngsters smacked up to the age of six did better at school and were more optimistic about their lives than those never hit by their parents. They were also more likely to undertake voluntary work and keener to attend university... "The idea that smacking and violence are on a continuum is a bizarre and fetishised view of what punishment or smacking is for most parents"... Previous studies have suggested that smacking children can lead them to develop behavioural problems such as being more aggressive"
iPhone users are delusional, consultants say - "Apple has launched a beautiful phone with a fantastic user interface that has had a number of technological shortcomings that many iPhone users have accepted and defended, despite those shortcomings resulting in limitations in iPhone users' daily lives... When we examine the iPhone users' arguments defending the iPhone, it reminds us of the famous Stockholm Syndrome... you will discover the 10 great myths about the iPhone. Here are just two: it doesn't attract new business for operators, and it is not a technologically advanced mobile phone"
From their How will psychologists describe the iPhone syndrome in the future?: Below is a selection of some of the arguments that various hard-core iPhone fanatics have been using since the iPhone initially launched:
3. You cannot forward a SMS: This is a function that hardly anybody uses and was therefore not included in the first iPhones.
8. Apple decides which applications you can install on the phone: This is good, because Apple thereby ensures that you do not get inferior programs on your phone.
9. The app store is a closed universe: Apple knows what is best for end users, which is good for the many iPhone users.
15. You can only purchase the iPhone from operators chosen by Apple: Apple has spent a great deal of time and energy selecting the best operators for customers.
17. The iPhone does not support memory cards: Iphones already offer the necessary memory people require and end users can choose between two models, one with a little memory and one with a great deal of memory.
18. You can not install your own browser: The browser Apple has designed is so superior that you do not need any other browser on your phone.
What an anti-climax: G-spot is a myth - "The scientists at King’s College London... claim there is no evidence for the existence of the G-spot... outside the imagination of women influenced by magazines and sex therapists. They reached their conclusions after a survey of more than 1,800 British women... If one identical twin reported having a G-spot, this would make it far more likely that her sister would give the same answer. But no such pattern emerged, suggesting the G-spot is a matter of the woman’s subjective opinion... Andrea Burri, who led the research, said she was anxious to remove feelings of “inadequacy or underachievement” that might affect women who feared they lacked a G-spot... The quest for the G-spot will not be abandoned. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, which is publishing Burri’s and Spector’s work this week, is planning a debate, with publication of research from the pro and anti G-spot camps. Meanwhile, David Matlock, a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon, is credited with creating an artificial version of the G-spot. In some cases this has resulted in an over-sensitive zone which induces orgasms when, for example, women drive over bumps in the road."
WiFi for passive-aggressives - "Choose a wireless network: 'We can hear you having sex."
6 reasons why I’m dumping my iPhone for a Nokia N900 - "What does it take to ‘kill the iPhone’?
1. Web browser
2. Installing Apps
3. Contacts
4. Media
5. Messaging
6. Photos
Let’s face it. Apple needs to stop being stubborn and start looking at what we really want. They have, hands down, revolutionized the mobile industry. But they need to start evolving again. People need multitasking. Proper multitasking. Seamless integration of social networking is a must. And for god’s sake.. If we want to change the way our phone works.. even to the point of breaking it, can we not do that without playing a cat and mouse jail-breaking game?"
Meet the lipstick entrepreneurs - "Lots of people don’t like the term ‘lipstick entrepreneurs’. They think it’s sexist. But it reminds me of the women I’ve always admired most in business — the ones who look like they’re so in control, they still have time to dress well and do their hair. They make it look effortless.”"
Post ID: 3400142162318136805
"If God had really intended men to fly, he'd make it easier to get to the airport." - George Winters
***
This is quite sad:
Voulez Vous Sortir Avec JOSHUA TAN
Who we are: We're two friends, Shannon and Matthew, and we're on a mission. We plan to set up a date for our third friend, Joshua Tan (He's semi-oblivious about the whole thing). Joshua's our dear friend and he just got out of a serious relationship awhile back, and kinda lost his bearings for abit. SO, we're hoping to get him back on his feet, and that's where YOU come in.
The plan: For one lucky girl out here in the world of Facebook (preferably in Singapore as well), to go on an all expense-paid night out/date with Joshua...
PROCEDURE: Okay, so here's how it's gonna go. The first female (sry, females only), to post on the wall consenting to the night out/ date with Joshua, will be the the lucky girl to win it. Just add a comment or post below, and we'll be in touch! cheers!
********************
BIO
********************
Height: 1.8m
Weight: 72kg
Ngee Ann Poly
Mass Communications
The day was November 9th 1990.
That was the day doctors first laid eyes on Joshua Tan and immediately knew the small but inquisitively engaging child laying in their hands was destined for greatness.
As doctors lightly tapped Joshua on his buttocks in a hot, sweat-stenched delivery room on a clear, crisp Wednesday morning, expecting him to cry like most other babies, but instead were greeted with his hazel-brown eyes staring longingly up at them, as a soft smile slowly etched itself upon his face, they knew they had met a child like no other.
Doctors would later swear to his mother they saw Joshua give a slight wink of his eye, as if to say “I’m good, I’m good.”
And for Joshua Tan, affectionately known as “JT” (read Justin Timberlake) or “J-Bird” to his peers, that has been the case for the most part of his 19 years in life.
Counting the books A Walk To Remember and The Notebook as a couple of his personal favourites, Joshua isn’t afraid to embrace his sensitive side, admitting to only his closest friends (and the rest of Holland Village) in a drunken spur that he once shed a couple of tears as he watched the first Pokemon movie where Ash was turned to stone but was miraculously brought back to life by the tears of the heartbroken Pokemon.
But we digress.
In all seriousness, Joshua Tan is your boy-next-door meets Johnny Depp cum Ewan Mcgregor in Moulin Rouge, who strongly believes in the beauty of love and what it stands for, is steadfast and loyal, yet firm and assertive at all the right times. He would gladly walk the ends of the earth for the right girl, but remains his own man.
In conclusion, Joshua Tan is the clean-cut, well-spoken boy that both girls and their parents would love to have over for dinner, and maybe even stay for supper. So why not give him a try this New Year, after all everyone's entitled to a new start right? =)
Go with Love. Do the right thing."
My comment on the wall: The first? Isn't there any quality control?
Bunny Girl: after reading the entertaining copy, i'm more intrigued by Shannon/Matthew! sorry :x
***
This is quite sad:
Voulez Vous Sortir Avec JOSHUA TAN
Who we are: We're two friends, Shannon and Matthew, and we're on a mission. We plan to set up a date for our third friend, Joshua Tan (He's semi-oblivious about the whole thing). Joshua's our dear friend and he just got out of a serious relationship awhile back, and kinda lost his bearings for abit. SO, we're hoping to get him back on his feet, and that's where YOU come in.
The plan: For one lucky girl out here in the world of Facebook (preferably in Singapore as well), to go on an all expense-paid night out/date with Joshua...
PROCEDURE: Okay, so here's how it's gonna go. The first female (sry, females only), to post on the wall consenting to the night out/ date with Joshua, will be the the lucky girl to win it. Just add a comment or post below, and we'll be in touch! cheers!
********************
BIO
********************
Height: 1.8m
Weight: 72kg
Ngee Ann Poly
Mass Communications
The day was November 9th 1990.
That was the day doctors first laid eyes on Joshua Tan and immediately knew the small but inquisitively engaging child laying in their hands was destined for greatness.
As doctors lightly tapped Joshua on his buttocks in a hot, sweat-stenched delivery room on a clear, crisp Wednesday morning, expecting him to cry like most other babies, but instead were greeted with his hazel-brown eyes staring longingly up at them, as a soft smile slowly etched itself upon his face, they knew they had met a child like no other.
Doctors would later swear to his mother they saw Joshua give a slight wink of his eye, as if to say “I’m good, I’m good.”
And for Joshua Tan, affectionately known as “JT” (read Justin Timberlake) or “J-Bird” to his peers, that has been the case for the most part of his 19 years in life.
Counting the books A Walk To Remember and The Notebook as a couple of his personal favourites, Joshua isn’t afraid to embrace his sensitive side, admitting to only his closest friends (and the rest of Holland Village) in a drunken spur that he once shed a couple of tears as he watched the first Pokemon movie where Ash was turned to stone but was miraculously brought back to life by the tears of the heartbroken Pokemon.
But we digress.
In all seriousness, Joshua Tan is your boy-next-door meets Johnny Depp cum Ewan Mcgregor in Moulin Rouge, who strongly believes in the beauty of love and what it stands for, is steadfast and loyal, yet firm and assertive at all the right times. He would gladly walk the ends of the earth for the right girl, but remains his own man.
In conclusion, Joshua Tan is the clean-cut, well-spoken boy that both girls and their parents would love to have over for dinner, and maybe even stay for supper. So why not give him a try this New Year, after all everyone's entitled to a new start right? =)
Go with Love. Do the right thing."
My comment on the wall: The first? Isn't there any quality control?
Bunny Girl: after reading the entertaining copy, i'm more intrigued by Shannon/Matthew! sorry :x
Post ID: 1904582055459244102
"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Lewis Carroll
***
Libertarian Reluctantly Calls Fire Department | The Onion
CHEYENNE, WY—After attempting to contain a living-room blaze started by a cigarette, card-carrying Libertarian Trent Jacobs reluctantly called the Cheyenne Fire Department Monday. "Although the community would do better to rely on an efficient, free-market fire-fighting service, the fact is that expensive, unnecessary public fire departments do exist," Jacobs said. "Also, my house was burning down." Jacobs did not offer to pay firefighters for their service.
***
Libertarian Reluctantly Calls Fire Department | The Onion
CHEYENNE, WY—After attempting to contain a living-room blaze started by a cigarette, card-carrying Libertarian Trent Jacobs reluctantly called the Cheyenne Fire Department Monday. "Although the community would do better to rely on an efficient, free-market fire-fighting service, the fact is that expensive, unnecessary public fire departments do exist," Jacobs said. "Also, my house was burning down." Jacobs did not offer to pay firefighters for their service.
Post ID: 5987004453672477683
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