Archives 1999

Abbreviations are explained in the column on the right of the screen.

Month	Title, etc		Relevance
Dec 1999	Speak good English - it's an uphill task to raise Singaporeans' standard of English		Soc
Dec 1999	Large Malay families and Chinese immigration - we see these all around us, but the media won't touch the subject		Pol, Soc, Med
Dec 1999	Halfway to eternity - the glass door opened, and we rushed back 20 years to when I had a crush on him		Per
Dec 1999	The cat shat - euphemisms, such as "he's confused about his sexuality", don't help. They damage.		Soc, Hom
Dec 1999	A proven ministry -  Patrick speaks of how he was straight for 14 years		Rel, Hom, Per
Nov 1999	International law creeping over sovereignty - 3 examples from Japan, Britain and (perhaps) China		Pol, Law
Nov 1999	On the verandah - an excursion through Aceh to the question of what nationhood means		Pol
Nov 1999	Reengineering our electoral system - Singapore needs a mix of single-member constituencies and proportional representation		Pol
Nov 1999	Book: Self-censorship - Singapore's shame - (author James Gomez) how alternative political expression is suffocated without direct intervention by the government		Pol, Med
Nov 1999	Reflections on Armistice Day - the consequences of the First World War resonate still		Pol, Soc
Nov 1999	Cinema: Earth and Beefcake - two observations about how we stay in our ghettoes		Soc, Kno, Hum
Nov 1999	Gay parades as indicators of civil society - Bangkok held its first parade, but don't hold your breath for Singapore's.		Pol, Soc, Hom
Oct 1999	Beer and beef stew - we often use our own preferences, habits and instincts to measure others by		Kno, Hum
Oct 1999	Duan, wife and son - marriage is a package deal and shotgun ones tend to fall apart		Soc, Hom, Hum
Oct 1999	Press declares homosexuality abnormal - what the press reported wasn't quite what the Beijing judge said		Med
Sep 1999	Altruism in Heaven - generosity and consideration amidst sex and desire		Hum, Per
Sep 1999	Sam and Wichai - Sam's date with his masseur fell apart in a most unexpected way		Hom, Hum
Sep 1999	Education and the Malay community - only 28% of Malay pupils obtain 5 or more O-level passes		Soc, Oth [Education]
Sep 1999	Film censorship: 'Eyes Wide Shut' banned - so that people with closed minds won't be need to open them		Pol, Med
Sep 1999	Parents and siblings -  a collection of letters from (Chinese) family members is published		Soc, Hom
Sep 1999	What's the breadroll doing here? - Asian airlines are stuck between East and West		Soc, Oth [Aviation]
Sep 1999	CNA special assignment: sex education, part 2 - the last 5 minutes of the program was about homosexuality		Soc, Med, Hom
Sep 1999	CNA special assignment: sex education, part 1 - a TV program about sex education in Singapore		Soc, Med
Aug 1999	One in thirteen can't read - 7.8% of adults are illiterate and 3% of Singapore children are not enrolled in mainstream schools		Soc, Oth [Education]
Jul 1999	What shall we do with boys? - precocious teenage boys looking for sex		Soc, Hom, Hum
Jul 1999	Not another drag show! - why do so many gay bars feature drag shows?		Soc, Hom
Jul 1999	Red hair, green eyes, webbed feet - five women talk about their experiences in coming out		Hom, Per
Jul 1999	"(Oh no!), I'm gay!" - seven women talk to Yawning Bread about self-discovery		Hom, Per
Jul 1999	Looking at the moon - it's been 30 years since Man first made moonfall		Oth [Flight]
Jun 1999	Homosexual, but not gay - what's the difference between these two terms?		Soc, Hom
Jun 1999	Why is gay male top of mind when thinking about homosexuality? - musings from Sherlyn's letter		Hom
Jun 1999	Kosovar tail wags Chinese dog - democracy, sovereignty and self-determination		Pol
Jun 1999	The pimp and the cabby - disparities in law and sentencing		Law
Jun 1999	Yagga Yagga - the support group comes to an end after 12 wonderful months		Hom, Per
May 1999	The body hair pilot - how important is the degree of hairiness in your sex partner?		Hom, Hum, Oth [Sex]
May 1999	Birds have feathers, chickens don't - when the personal is the universe		Kno
May 1999	Swimming elephants and the demise of gods - how many religions, if any, will survive the moment when we discover intelligent life in the universe, or they discover us?		Rel, Kno
May 1999	Who killed volunteerism in Singapore? - the Senior Minister says culture determines whether people are active citizens or not		Pol
May 1999	When 'broad consensus' denies social justice - the government says there is a broad consensus of Singaporeans who don't want them to register a gay group		Pol
Apr 1999	When monuments have few descendents - why Angkor is peaceful		Soc
Apr 1999	Where straight men come from - many "straight" men were not born heterosexual, but acquired it.		Soc
Apr 1999	Power 98FM - radio tofu - a radio program asked listeners, what if your son is gay?		Med, Hom
Apr 1999	Creating a Chinese elite - the policy to promote Chinese language and culture comes under attack		Pol, Soc, Oth [Education]
Apr 1999	Flush or be fined - what the flushing law says about our government		Pol,
Apr 1999	HIV and safer sex - Singapore HIV data for 1998 and why our campaigns don't work well		Soc, Hom, Oth [HIV]
Apr 1999	Size - where do condom size specifications come from? Do they fit Asians?		Kno, Oth [HIV]
Mar 1999	When homosexuality is not wrong, but shameful - the demand for conformity to social roles		Soc, Ref, Hom
Mar 1999	The disintegration of a state - given the troubles in Indonesia, let's ask: how do states hold together? how do they fall apart?		Pol
Mar 1999	Foam party in Parliament - an MP makes homophobic and illiberal remarks, a minister replies along the same grain		Pol, Hom
Mar 1999	Book: The Rainbow Connection - my thoughts on reading Kang's book about gay Singaporeans and the Internet		Med, Hom
Mar 1999	A straight Muslim in Bangkok - he saw a very different city		Soc, Rel, Oth [Travel]
Jan 1999	The velveteen rabbit and his friends - a children's book speaks to adults		Hom, Per
Jan 1999	Conserving Chinatown - the Tourism Board's plans don't address the needs, but what are the needs?		Oth [Tourism]
Jan 1999	Quietly, quietly, with cymbals and drums - culture is always in flux, and oftentimes, we don't notice how it's changing		Soc