August 27, 2007 20:06 PM
Singapore Police Reject Permit For Opposition Party's Cycling Event
By Jackson Sawatan
SINGAPORE, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- Plans by Singapore's main opposition party, the Workers' Party, to hold a cycling event in conjunction with its 50th anniversary, hit a dead end after its application for a police permit was rejected.
The mass cycling event was to be held on Sept 9 at the East Coast Park, a popular beachside park located along the east coast highway here.
Party chairman Sylvia Lim raised a question over the issue in Parliament today and was told that such activities "have the potential for public disorder and mischief, and may disrupt community life."
"Police requirement is that such party activities be held indoors or within stadiums, so that any law and order problems will be contained. This policy applies to all political parties," Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee said in reply to Lim's question.
Ho said the East Coast Park was a recreational park for Singaporeans and their families and not meant to be used by a political party to promote its cause.
The Workers' Party was set up in 1957 by David Marshall, the first chief minister of Singapore.
It has two representatives in the Singapore parliament, namely its secretary-general, Low Thia Khiang who is MP for Hougang and Lim as the non-constituency member of parliament (NCMP).
NCMPs are appointed from among the best performing opposition losers in a general election.
-- BERNAMA
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The nightmare of the iron rice bowl
The nightmare of the iron rice bowl
Originally posted by Ernie25:
Originally posted by Ernie25:
I ORD on 1/1/07 after a 6yrs bond with the SAF as a infantry Leader or as a NCO. Join Army because of the JPSDS (join poly scheme) program to finance my studies.
After my 'O' levels which was about 10yrs ago, I got a job in the factory as a machine operator earning 1.5k from 3-11pm. Few months after leaving the Army (had some savings) , I started looking for some jobs as sales co-ordinator and other sales post but was only offered $1.5k due to the lack of experience. A company I went to from the refer of a job agent said that the job market value from the job agent is only $1.5k-$1.6k for fresh ploy grads where I was asking for 1.8k (I didn't show them my education background). It is sad as in the factory job I had which need no experience or education can land me on a $1.5k where now after 10 years a job with my diploma land me on a 1.5k also. I thought that only a sales job can land me back to where my pay was at but the so call market rate made me very disappointed.
A friend of mine who left the RSAF 10years ago had a job of a tech for $1.5 with his poly dip and now another friend of mine also a dip holder just got a job also as a tech for 1.8k. To me its like our average chicken rice have rised from $2 to $3 for the pass 10yrs and the starting pay have not increased 33% but lower.
It sad to me that after having a last drawn pay of almost close to 3k that I was push down to getting 1.5k by the employer. Some may say that who ask me to sign on in the first place, but there is little choice at that time for me in order to make ends meet. Some guys was laughing at me when I said I was offered 1.5k as a diploma student, they said that they have yet to hear 1.5k for such a long time.
If you guys have notice that I had only gone through a 6 yrs contract and not a 10yrs PP plan. Some friends had advised me to go through for another 4yrs with it at the end i will get a bigger sum of money. My greatest fear came true as in last year, many at age 30+ and 40+ warrants were given golden hand shakes. Although they did get a sum of compansion but how long are they going to surive with all their commitments and pay cut if they work outside. Moreover if I do not get the PP2 which is the fear of most young regulars now the age of me coming out of the force will be even older.
Have anyone seen under performing regulars getting PP2 and performing regulars not getting, this maybe personal views. BUT there is some rumor that someone asked CPC the reason and they said 'we need good people to be on the top and some to be on the bottom, if everyone we take are good than who is going to be on the bottom?'.
8-9yrs ago when the PP1 was introdued everyone in the force was offered the chance to convert from contact to PP1 or 2. I didn't believe in the 10years PP1 and was called in for an interview. In interview I spoke to a captain or a major which I can't remember, he said that PP2 will be offered to most people if they don't make major mistake and maintain performance during their service and ask me why I won't want to take up the plan. I reply that I believe that I be earning better when I go out from the force and that 3-5k is not enough for me. He looked a bit angry and told me that he believe that he will can get about 1/2 a million in his account when he leave the force at age 45.
Today I feel a bit pettiful for the young officer that his 1/2 a million may not be as good as he think, due to the last 10 years the performance of the fund was not doing that well and he maybe the next one been offer the golden hand shake.
I never regrat for spending my 6yrs in the SAF, after all they paid full for my 3yrs of study in poly. Anyway I did enjoy the job sometimes esp when I'm getting paid better than most of my schoolmates. But the idea of not having a iron rice bowl in the force and maybe broken after the 4yrs is too much for me to bear.
In my memory there was a CDF or COA who visited my camp for some Q&A some years back . A question was ask by a platoon sgt,
'Sir, is there a scheme for the specialist for a degree course which we can take and be sponcer by the SAF.'
'no, we do not need degree specialist in the force, a poly diploma is enough for the specialist.'
'Sir, can we go on unpaid leave?'
'no, its like you can't go for unpaid leave and leave your appoint and have someone replacing you. When you come back where is that person going to go? Just like me I have a masters but I always wanted to go for my doctorate. Someone must take out my place in my absents but when I come back what the person going to do?'
As it been years back I can't remember word to word but thats the idea of the conversation. That point of time maybe the force don't really need a degree specialist but it be always good for anyone to upgrade. We have so many people waiting to be a platoon sgt and we can replace him anytime with someone after his tour. A senior officer is not so easily replaceable esp when he is a COA or CDF even after his tour.
Pls excuse me for many spelling and grammar mistake, had not been practicing much after leaving school. Now I had found a sales job with a even lower basic pay as what was stated above but with very high commission. I hope that some people can learn from my story. PLS DO NOT ASK ME WHERE I GET MY RUMORS FROM AND WHO TOLD ME WHAT. If you think that its just another story I made up then just forget it and treat it as some junk.
SM Goh praises PM Lee for addressing tough issues
SM Goh praises PM Lee for addressing tough issues
NAZRY BAHRAWI
nazry@mediacorp.com.sg
THE issues may be sensitive and the medicine unpopular, but ageing and the widening income gap are serious long-term problems — and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was courageous to address them at the National Day Rally, said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
At a dialogue with some 100 Marine Parade grassroots leaders last night, he said: "In my view, the PM was being very brave in tackling the issues … Issues like ageing or deferment of your draw-down age from 62 to 65 are very sensitive and unpopular."
While a greying population and the income gap are "serious problems", he added, they "will hit us only (in) 10, 15, 20 years' time".
So, another leader might hesitate to bring up such issues — especially if this might lose him votes, said Mr Goh.
"In most countries, the Prime Minister will look at the current election: 'What are the programmes or measures that will get me the most number of votes?'" he added.
"Very few prime ministers will address issues that (extend) way beyond their political life … but this is not the way Singapore operates. It is not the way in which Lee Kuan Yew operated, and not the way I operated, and I'm very happy to say, not the way Lee Hsien Loong operates."
Mr Goh and MPs from Marine Parade GRC spoke with grassroots leaders for nearly two hours behind closed doors. MP Lim Biow Chuan later told reporters there was concern over the deferred draw-down age from 62 to 65 for the Central Provident Fund (CPF) minimum sum.
Dr Mohd Faizal Ibrahim said that while some found the measures "bitter" to swallow, "they understand the broad purpose, that some of these measures are critical so that we are better-prepared to face future challenges".
In a separate interview, which Channel NewsAsia aired last night, Opposition MP for Potong Pasir Chiam See Tong said: "Well it's a fact that people are growing older. So, the Government will have to delay in the paying out — there's no other way ...
"CPF is not inexhaustible. I mean if it's too long, people don't save enough money in the CPF, they just don't have enough for their old age, as simple as that."
NAZRY BAHRAWI
nazry@mediacorp.com.sg
THE issues may be sensitive and the medicine unpopular, but ageing and the widening income gap are serious long-term problems — and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was courageous to address them at the National Day Rally, said Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
At a dialogue with some 100 Marine Parade grassroots leaders last night, he said: "In my view, the PM was being very brave in tackling the issues … Issues like ageing or deferment of your draw-down age from 62 to 65 are very sensitive and unpopular."
While a greying population and the income gap are "serious problems", he added, they "will hit us only (in) 10, 15, 20 years' time".
So, another leader might hesitate to bring up such issues — especially if this might lose him votes, said Mr Goh.
"In most countries, the Prime Minister will look at the current election: 'What are the programmes or measures that will get me the most number of votes?'" he added.
"Very few prime ministers will address issues that (extend) way beyond their political life … but this is not the way Singapore operates. It is not the way in which Lee Kuan Yew operated, and not the way I operated, and I'm very happy to say, not the way Lee Hsien Loong operates."
Mr Goh and MPs from Marine Parade GRC spoke with grassroots leaders for nearly two hours behind closed doors. MP Lim Biow Chuan later told reporters there was concern over the deferred draw-down age from 62 to 65 for the Central Provident Fund (CPF) minimum sum.
Dr Mohd Faizal Ibrahim said that while some found the measures "bitter" to swallow, "they understand the broad purpose, that some of these measures are critical so that we are better-prepared to face future challenges".
In a separate interview, which Channel NewsAsia aired last night, Opposition MP for Potong Pasir Chiam See Tong said: "Well it's a fact that people are growing older. So, the Government will have to delay in the paying out — there's no other way ...
"CPF is not inexhaustible. I mean if it's too long, people don't save enough money in the CPF, they just don't have enough for their old age, as simple as that."
Temasek loses £150m on its July investment in Barclays
From The Times
August 27, 2007
Temasek loses £150m on its July investment in Barclays
Nick Hasell
Temasek, the Singapore investment vehicle that has emerged as a possible buyer of Nasdaq’s stake in the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has lost £150 million on its investment in Barclays in the space of a month.
The state-backed fund took a 2.1 per cent interest in the bank in late July as part of an equity refinancing to support Barclays’s €68 billion (£46 billion) bid for ABN Amro, the Dutch bank.
However, amid the turmoil in the world’s financial markets, shares in Barclays have fallen by 15 per cent from the price that Temasek agreed to pay, cutting the value of its holding from £970 million to £820 million.
Barclays closed at 611p last week, coming under fresh pressure on Friday after the resignation of Edward Cahill, who had run the bank’s collateralised debt obligations division.
Temasek paid 720p a share, with a commitment to invest a further £1.5 billion at 740p a share should the proposed merger with ABN Amro proceed. China Development Bank invested at the same time on the same terms and is sitting on a £220 million loss on its £1.5 billion stake.
It emerged this weekend that Temasek had expressed interest in the 30 per cent holding in the LSE being put up for sale by Nasdaq, potentially marking its first foray into Britain’s financial services sector beyond banks. Aside from Barclays, it has built a 15 per cent interest in Standard Chartered, the emerging markets bank.
However, Nasdaq, which has appointed UBS to handle the auction, has said previously that it would not sell its LSE stake to a single bidder. Under UK listing rules, ownership of a 30 per cent stake would automatically trigger a bid for the entire company.
The Nasdaq holding is expected to draw wide interest, with the New York Stock Exchange, now merged with Euronext Liffe, and Borse Dubai expected to enter the fray. The governments of Dubai and Singapore regularly compete for the same assets, most publicly last year in the struggle to buy P&O, the ports operator, which eventually was won by Dubai Ports World. Deutsche Börse, which launched a bid for the LSE three years ago at £1.3 billion, is also seen as a contender.
This month Temasek reported the value of its portfolio as $108 billion. Since 2002 it has stepped up its plans to diversify its spread of assets, with a target of allocating one third of its portfolio to Singapore, a third to the rest of Asia and the remainder to developed countries. At present 78 per cent of its assets are within Asia, including Singapore.
For the 12 months to March 31, Temasek reported a total shareholder return of 27 per cent. Aside from this month’s setback on its Barclays stake, it has run into difficulties closer to home. Last year its $3.8 billion investment in Shin Corporation, of Thailand, the telecoms operator once owned by Thaksin Shinawatra, the country’s former prime minister and now the owner of Manchester City Football Club, lost about one third of its value.
Temasek could not be reached for comment.
August 27, 2007
Temasek loses £150m on its July investment in Barclays
Nick Hasell
Temasek, the Singapore investment vehicle that has emerged as a possible buyer of Nasdaq’s stake in the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has lost £150 million on its investment in Barclays in the space of a month.
The state-backed fund took a 2.1 per cent interest in the bank in late July as part of an equity refinancing to support Barclays’s €68 billion (£46 billion) bid for ABN Amro, the Dutch bank.
However, amid the turmoil in the world’s financial markets, shares in Barclays have fallen by 15 per cent from the price that Temasek agreed to pay, cutting the value of its holding from £970 million to £820 million.
Barclays closed at 611p last week, coming under fresh pressure on Friday after the resignation of Edward Cahill, who had run the bank’s collateralised debt obligations division.
Temasek paid 720p a share, with a commitment to invest a further £1.5 billion at 740p a share should the proposed merger with ABN Amro proceed. China Development Bank invested at the same time on the same terms and is sitting on a £220 million loss on its £1.5 billion stake.
It emerged this weekend that Temasek had expressed interest in the 30 per cent holding in the LSE being put up for sale by Nasdaq, potentially marking its first foray into Britain’s financial services sector beyond banks. Aside from Barclays, it has built a 15 per cent interest in Standard Chartered, the emerging markets bank.
However, Nasdaq, which has appointed UBS to handle the auction, has said previously that it would not sell its LSE stake to a single bidder. Under UK listing rules, ownership of a 30 per cent stake would automatically trigger a bid for the entire company.
The Nasdaq holding is expected to draw wide interest, with the New York Stock Exchange, now merged with Euronext Liffe, and Borse Dubai expected to enter the fray. The governments of Dubai and Singapore regularly compete for the same assets, most publicly last year in the struggle to buy P&O, the ports operator, which eventually was won by Dubai Ports World. Deutsche Börse, which launched a bid for the LSE three years ago at £1.3 billion, is also seen as a contender.
This month Temasek reported the value of its portfolio as $108 billion. Since 2002 it has stepped up its plans to diversify its spread of assets, with a target of allocating one third of its portfolio to Singapore, a third to the rest of Asia and the remainder to developed countries. At present 78 per cent of its assets are within Asia, including Singapore.
For the 12 months to March 31, Temasek reported a total shareholder return of 27 per cent. Aside from this month’s setback on its Barclays stake, it has run into difficulties closer to home. Last year its $3.8 billion investment in Shin Corporation, of Thailand, the telecoms operator once owned by Thaksin Shinawatra, the country’s former prime minister and now the owner of Manchester City Football Club, lost about one third of its value.
Temasek could not be reached for comment.
Monday, August 27, 2007
What the...
Man Embarassed by Penis Size Secretly Gets His Brother to Have Sex With Girlfriend
Manfred Schuh was so embarrassed about his penis size he got his brother Walter to step in and have sex with his girlfriend. Manfred, 26, insisted on turning off the lights and going to the bathroom. Walter would then enter the room and have sex.
The girlfriend found out after 2 months when she turned the light on. "She apparently had no idea. Both men look similar as they are brothers, and the older brother made a point of not speaking when he was impersonating his younger sibling," said police.
Manfred, from Germany, is said to have feared losing the 24 year old girlfriend if he did not "perform well."
Source: www.metro.co.uk
Manfred Schuh was so embarrassed about his penis size he got his brother Walter to step in and have sex with his girlfriend. Manfred, 26, insisted on turning off the lights and going to the bathroom. Walter would then enter the room and have sex.
The girlfriend found out after 2 months when she turned the light on. "She apparently had no idea. Both men look similar as they are brothers, and the older brother made a point of not speaking when he was impersonating his younger sibling," said police.
Manfred, from Germany, is said to have feared losing the 24 year old girlfriend if he did not "perform well."
Source: www.metro.co.uk
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Anime distributor Odex had "no right of civil action" against illegal downloaders
Odex had "no right of civil action" against illegal downloaders
By Loh Chee Kong, TODAY | Posted: 25 August 2007 0158 hrs
This is because it was just a sub-licensee and not the copyright owner or exclusive licensee for most of the anime titles sold here.
This is the rationale behind the court's surprise dismissal of Odex's bid to get Pacific Internet (PacNet) to disclose its customers' identities.
The judge's 13-page grounds of decision was released on August 24.
District Judge Earnest Lau also noted that Odex was also in no position to initiate criminal prosecution.
On August 23, the judge ordered the company to pay legal costs of more than $7,000.
The judge also expressed unease over the hasty manner in which Odex tried to go after some 1,000 PacNet subscribers.
In particular, he was not convinced of the investigation method it used to uncover the IP addresses and pinpoint the alleged wrongdoers.
Industry observers had expected the court to rule in Odex's favour.
This is especially after it had successfully forced two other Internet service providers, StarHub and SingNet, to hand over the data of those suspected of illegal downloading.
In its letters of demand, Odex is asking for $3,000 to $5,000 compensation and also hinted of criminal prosecution should the subscriber refuse to pay up.
But the judge said under the Copyright Act, "only the copyright owner and the statutory exclusive licensee … have the right to take action against copyright infringers".
He added that Odex appeared to be the exclusive licensee for just one title, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed.
Odex said it would be appealing against the judgement. - CNA /ls
By Loh Chee Kong, TODAY | Posted: 25 August 2007 0158 hrs
This is because it was just a sub-licensee and not the copyright owner or exclusive licensee for most of the anime titles sold here.
This is the rationale behind the court's surprise dismissal of Odex's bid to get Pacific Internet (PacNet) to disclose its customers' identities.
The judge's 13-page grounds of decision was released on August 24.
District Judge Earnest Lau also noted that Odex was also in no position to initiate criminal prosecution.
On August 23, the judge ordered the company to pay legal costs of more than $7,000.
The judge also expressed unease over the hasty manner in which Odex tried to go after some 1,000 PacNet subscribers.
In particular, he was not convinced of the investigation method it used to uncover the IP addresses and pinpoint the alleged wrongdoers.
Industry observers had expected the court to rule in Odex's favour.
This is especially after it had successfully forced two other Internet service providers, StarHub and SingNet, to hand over the data of those suspected of illegal downloading.
In its letters of demand, Odex is asking for $3,000 to $5,000 compensation and also hinted of criminal prosecution should the subscriber refuse to pay up.
But the judge said under the Copyright Act, "only the copyright owner and the statutory exclusive licensee … have the right to take action against copyright infringers".
He added that Odex appeared to be the exclusive licensee for just one title, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed.
Odex said it would be appealing against the judgement. - CNA /ls
Friday, August 24, 2007
Games Mart, Xedo, and KYSing….
Games Mart, Xedo, and KYSing….
The recent victory of PacNet (or PI) over Xedo seems to have taken the Internet by storm, and I have heard many talk of people wanting to jump ship once their current contract expire.
Personally, I not only approve what these fellows intend to do, I will actually encourage them to do so! Because on a more personal - and selfish - level, I really don’t mind some of these downloaders go choke up PI’s bandwidth so that I can have smoother surfing on SingNet or Starhub. Hiak hiak hiak.
Anyway, from an unverified source, I was told that XYSing KYSing of Xedo (and his fellow director), were also directors of a defunct company called Games Mart. (And my own searches on ACRA confirmed this. ACRA reports found here: Odex | Games Mart)
This source informed me that back around 1999, Games Mart Pte Ltd was caught for counterfeit goods (primarily Sony Playstation stuff), and 2 of their directors and an employee were subsequently charged.
These two directors - names omitted as unverified - were found guilty and sentenced to 15 months of jail, along with an employee named Jason, who was sentenced to 10 months. (I have so far failed to verify this and I am not sure if any news on this court case can be found on the Internet to support these unverified claims. It does not seem likely I could get my hands on the court reports like these cases of people getting sued by the Public Prosecutor here and here.)
Personally, I would really like some solid verification of the Games Mart case, and I would appreciate anyone who would point me in the direction of a reputable source of such information. I am personally quite upset with the fact that some people had actually told me that they wouldn’t take blogs and forum comments into serious considerations, but would take note of whatever single-page piece of shit Xedo had currently put up on their site. If that is a testimony of just what low esteem Blogosphere is held by people, then there is really no point for any attempt at Blog journalism, because those people with serious content are discredited in one broad stroke!
Anyway, what I did find in Google, was a brief mention in the comment section of a blog by someone of the moniker of Beowulf that some anime released by Xedo were actually released previously under Games Mart.
While I am not attempting to imply anything here, but it appears that the bad quality of Xedo products has gone a long way back.
And though this really does not justify the very act of downloading anime ‘illegally’, it does explain why some of the people are downloading fan-subs and not buying Xedo products in spite of their attempts at lowering prices.
Food for thought: Is it not necessary to consider these facts, when the argument that downloading is hurting sales is presented in court by Xedo? After all, it appears that there is a long history of people who did want to get their copies legally not getting what their money’s worth.
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