Foreign Policy said:

The world's busiest port for container traffic, Singapore saw its year-over-year volume drop by 19.6 percent in January 2009, followed by a 19.8 percent drop in February. As of mid-March 2009, 11.3 percent of the world's shipping capacity, sat idle, a record.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Got foreign magazine focus on Singapore port... looks like we are doing pretty badly..."

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lucretius said:

God helped us if we are really going to believe that Mas Selamat actually did swam across to Johor. With the sea current and Monsoon season, I pondered how one is able to swim across the border which is estimated about 1 KM far? Secondly, The activation of man hunt operations was hunting shortly after his escape. Surely He wont be swimming across the border in the day light. How is he even able to swim across then? Unless he was issued NVG (Night Vision Goggle) otherwise, I doubt. Please take in consideration that the criminal is about his 40+ age

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Trying to rational the fact that the terrorist trying to swim in the middle of the night without equipments and the Presdent of the Singapore Nautical Institute that don't want to be named.
How to even consider to swallow the story to believe what was reported."

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lucretius said:

At times I pondered, if Singapore is really a tough place to live. There was this highly decomposed body was discovered in a flat nearby Woodland. When the neighbours were interviewed, one of them recalled the deceased complaining about job, pub bills and other living expenses he can’t afford. The HDB officers came to the flat having the intention to break open and repossess the deceased flat only to found the decomposed body.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Whats more ironic?
The officers did informed the neighbour not to cause any alarm or alert to the deceased family prior to the repossession.
"

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fireopal said:

The police took down the driver's particulars on a piece of paper, then when asked about the offence committed... then came his golden answer in broken English:" Sir, you eat keropok when driving, very danger! later get "Lang Gar" (colloquial for crashed in an accident) .. so i summon you.."

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Amazed by the ingenunity of the Malaysian Police Force... they never fail to think of any reason!"

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The Christian Post said:

It is not a conflict between homosexuals and Christian fundamentalists

Rather, it is a conflict between a liberal and conservative worldview and those who hold the mutually opposing views. One group believes that there are no absolute morals and that every view is and has been socially-constructed and socially-determined. The other side maintains that moral absolutes exist; that there is such a thing as right and wrong, virtue and vice, decency and decadence. ...

The timeless clash between the liberal or anti-moral and conservative camps cannot be resolved unless one viewpoint is utterly conquered.

Recommended by at82: "Apparently one of the side believe that the conflict will NEVER end until the other side is "UTTERLY CONQUERED"..."

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Wayang Party reports live from Suntec City where the AWARE extraordinary general meeting was held.

9.16pm: Constance Singam asked the audience to give the outgoing exco a round of applause which they gamely obliged.

9.15pm: New exco appeared. Josie Lau: “The exco has graciously decided to step down and we wish Aware all the best in its future endeavors.”

9.01pm: Nomination for President: Dana Lam nominted by Constance Singam and seconded by Lena Lim as President. No other nominations. Dana Lam elected as new Aware President. Vice-President is Chew I Jin. Hononary Secretary is Yap Chin Hwee, assistant secretary is Corrina Lim, honorary treasurer is Tan Joo Hym, assistant treasurer is Lim Seow Yuin, committee members - Joanne D’ Cruz, Hafizah Osman, Margaret Lee, Margaret Thomas, Nancy Griffths, Nicole Tan.

Link

Link (TOC)

Conscript said:

All this talk about National Integration and integration of foreigners into Singapore misses the mark. We are talking about welcome others when we treat our own so poorly. What am I talking about?

I am talking about National Service. I am talking about mandatory 2 years (formerly 2.5 years) of conscription of Singaporean male citizens into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

I am talking about the 10 years of reservist obligations comprising but not limited to:

* annual in-camp training lasting 2 to 21 days (in practice but legally up to 40 days under the law)
* annual individual physical proficiency tests (IPPT) for those medically fit NSmen (those who fail to clear their tests are subject to Remedial Training of twice/thrice a week)
* notifying Mindef Notification Centre for any overseas trips exceeding 24 hours
* need to apply for exit permit for trips of 6 months or longer
* annual operations manning or mobilisation exercises than can happen 2-3 times a year

To be male and Singaporean is to serve and f*** off
These obligations are not new. They have been imposed on NSmen since the whole NS system was developed just after Singapore gained independence and as the British withdrew their military forces out of Singapore not long after.

What is new is that the pace of immigration to Singapore has increased tremendously. It has created a truly global city, Singapore Inc, with the implications of a labour market that is competitive in every sense of the word.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "As a fellow reservist, I feel his pain too. Why are Singaporean men so cham? Our only wrong is to be born here in Singapore and get punished by government who embrace foreigners."

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Mr Wang said:

Any job should do? Gosh, that's such shockingly bad advice. It could only have come from a politician with a vested interest in being able to report lower unemployment figures.

The government may like to treat you as a digit, but you don't have to treat yourself like that. Please give your own future a little more tender loving care. ...

Fresh graduates may not realise it yet, but an impressive c.v, (and that means one which has been carefully built over the years) is one of the most important assets you can ever have for your career. And among other things, an impressive c.v. should reflect a clear sense of direction and purpose, with a consistent positive theme running through it. ...

In contrast, a poor, "patchwork" c.v. would show a candidate moving from job to job, without any obvious strategy or plan. After all, he's there just for the sake of having a job, not because he's genuinely interested in it. And his jobs don't build on each other in a helpful way. One year he's a MacDonalds waiter; next year he's a primary school relief teacher; after that he joins the SAF; two years later, he's selling insurance.

Gan calls this "flexibility". But sorry, such a c.v. is not impressive to me at all. It is merely what happens when you take the"any job should do" attitude to your own career.

Recommended by at82: "Now, if you're not that desperate for money, I suggest you consider being more patient with your job search. While you're still searching, use your personal time constructively."

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S-CHIP CEO said:

Let me tell you the story. By the time you read this article, it would reached have hundreds of investors, bankers, regulators and journalists. My purpose was to shed some light on the “dark sides” of the business of S-Chips (Chinese companies listed on Singapore Stock Exchange), so as to help prevent more financial losses in the future hurting the ordinary people on the street. From this angle, I wish to redeem myself somewhat.........

Recommended by at82: "I would advise to treat the story as fictitious but the writer included so many 'juicy details' about KTVs and clubs that makes it so fascinating. On a more serious note, a number of S-chips were so blatantly fishy even for those who are 'amateur' accountants ...why were they allowed to list??"

Link

Spiderman spotted at NUS central library

Was mugging (studying) in school during study week as usual and this happened at around 130am. Is this a NUSSU (student union) 'event' or is it some idiot trying to play the fool... or is it really SPIDEY???? :P See for yourself. Whatever it is, it was cool to relieve some of the stress from us muggers.

Ash Tong said:

As the recession might be hitting Singapore hard, I hope that the HDB will be transparent with how their market pricing model works.

I refer to the 4 room flats in Treetops@punggol project as an example. Treetop@punggol was released April 2008 and the indicative price range for a 4-room flat then was $208,000 to $254,000.

In the October 2008 half annual sale, the price range for Treetops was then listed between $235,000 -$309,000.

In The Half Annual Sale in April 2009, the same development is being sold between $276,000 and $298,000.

The difference translates to at least a 15% price increase. No amenities have been built nearby yet. Neither are there any differences from the master plan for Punggol 21.

Recommended by at82: "HDBs' price seems to defy gravity even as Singapore is facing its worst recession..."

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TOC said:

Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam, the scion of the late politician J.B. Jeyaretnam, has joined and been co-opted into the CEC of the Reform Party. In an interview with The Online Citizen (TOC), the younger Mr Jeyaretnam, an economist by training, expressed his wish that the Reform Party would field him as a candidate in the next general elections.

Recommended by at82: "Who says there is no credible people joining the opposition?"

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Alvinology said:

A simple googling of her name brings me to a page featuring a 2007 list of A*STAR National Science Scholars!

There’s a girl by the same name who was awarded with an A*STAR scholarship to study in Karolinska Institutet in Sweden:

The same Ng Kai Er?

The same Ng Kai Er?

The charged Eng Kai Er was described as a Singaporean studying in Sweden via the Straits Times.com news report…

Putting two and two together. She should be the same person hor? Anyone can verify?

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Astar scholar too stressed and decided to stroll around naked at Holland Village?"

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Wayang Times said:

Do you know that if you see any unhygienic food handling in Singapore, you can simply whip out your handphone and complain using SMS? Send the following SMS message to the National Environment Agency's hotline at 74688.

[service code] space [complain] space [your name (optional)]

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "The simple method of using SMS to complain about unhygienic food handlers empowers all Singaporeans to help NEA look out for irresponsible food stalls."

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Christel Quek said:

But for him to be paid $500k.. that is a really staggering amount. It is beyond the amount for one to enjoy a decent, modest, middle-income lifestyle. It disturbs me that what NCC had raised in less than 24 hours is probably even more than the GDP of some countries. Should the church board lavish upon a servant of God a truly Prince-ly pay cheque?

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Interesting perspective from another christian."

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The Banzai! Effect said:

Shiro went to the first ever Kuro Bara event last Saturday over at Liang Court, Singapore. Didn’t have high expectations for it, but surprisingly it was decent and the turnout for it was quite good.

extract from shiro: Indoor lighting was good enough for casual photo taking, and yes the air-con ftw, so nothing to complain about. The few reasons I went is because quite a number of my friends are going, and the gig I’m going to cover later that night is relatively near, at Substation to be exact.

Recommended by oOgA: "photos are good, take with Nikon D300"

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Mr Brown said:

One of my favourite numbers from the Sing, City! 2 musical composed, written and performed by the Singaporean students University of Pennsylvania.

This song is call Sekali I. Also wins points for the use of "Cockanaden" in the lyrics. Very steady bom pi pi.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Singaporean students overseas still rooted to what's Uniquely Singaporean?"

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Alvinology said:

In the video, a Vietnamese bride can be “purchased” on-the-spot for S$10,000. The girl on the right was only 18-years-old when she was sold to a 35 year-old Singaporean man who went to the matchmaking agency to choose his bride together with his mom.

What’s even more humiliating, the girls were made to visit a clinic in Singapore to get a certificate verifying their virginity before they can be sold.

While both the Vietnamese girls and the Singaporean men who entered into such marriages are willing adults, I wonder how many of such couples end up truly happy.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Exploitation? Why are there not enough Singapore women for the guys here?"

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sgentrepreneurs said:

Local entrepreneur, Leonard Lin has been making waves with his very popular game, BattleStations and has even been interviewed twice by us. Recently, he suffered a possible case of media coverage gone wrong.

Leonard was featured in a My Paper article (13th March 2009) that according to him, painted “a very negative” picture that he disputes.

Leonard’s comments on the article was sent in an email to MyPaper and also made its rounds on Facebook (you have to be logged in to view the note, otherwise, it’s appended at the end of this article) and has gotten many sympathetic responses. Suppose you are the entrepreneur involved, and you feel that your words were twisted to sensationalize the article, how would you feel?

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Bad journalism at work and how it harms our home-grown SMEs."

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Mr LOL said

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Mr LOL strikes again with a funny comic strip on the last of the Mohicans reference made by MM Lee recently"

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