Archives 2008

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

Month	Title, etc		Relevance
Dec 2008	Muddy Singapore swallows China workers, part 2 - two more workers had to spend a night in a police lock-up		Pol, Law, Oth [employment]
Dec 2008	Community effort no substitute for government inaction on MSM HIV - as the incidence of HIV climbs among men who have sex with men, clear thinking is badly needed		Pol, Hom, Oth [hiv]
Dec 2008	Educating DBS - the bank proudly announced a credit card promotion benefitting an anti-gay, Christian group		Soc, Hom, Oth [biz]
Dec 2008	Muddy Singapore swallows China workers - government departments are abetting cheating, robbery and kidnap; here's a specific case		Pol, Oth [employment]
Nov 2008	Politics airport-style - anti-government forces seize Bangkok's international airport, but what are they fighting over?		Pol
Nov 2008	The government wants active citizens so that they can harass them - getting even the simplest thing done involves fighting the government apparatus whenever "rights" are mentioned		Pol
Nov 2008	Conversation stoppers - islamists in Malaysia warn off criticism, while our attorney-general files contempt of court charges		Pol, Law, Rel, Hom
Nov 2008	One party good, two parties bad, says PM Lee. Again. - is the government afraid that we may be inspired by American democracy?		Pol
Nov 2008	Screwed by the impotent - Singapore's trade union federation miffed that DBS Bank did not consult them before its retrenchment exercise		Pol, Oth [biz]
Nov 2008	Tea leaves from California's Proposition 8 - some lessons from the failed campaign over gay marriage		Pol, Soc, Hom
Nov 2008	Scary ride down the economic roller coaster - the financial crisis has now turned into an economic one		Oth [econ]
Nov 2008	Bali bombers and the death penalty - moral convictions against abominable reality		Law, Soc, Rel, Kno, Per
Nov 2008	Man killed for exposing himself - but the charges against the accused were downgraded from manslaughter to causing grievous hurt		Law, Hom
Nov 2008	Obama: change we can expect - my reading of this new US leader and his priorities		Pol
Nov 2008	Indulgence towards anti-gay hate speech - the Straits Times and the government are accused of double standards		Pol, Soc, Med, Hom
Oct 2008	Bus commuters caught in terminology jam - the Straits Times said buses were late on only 25 occasions in a six-month period; commuters called it hogwash		Pol, Soc, Med
Oct 2008	From Alexandra Hospital to Washington: The currency of race - racism may be voiced or unvoiced, but we often pass up on countering such attitudes		Pol, Soc, Per
Oct 2008	Fatwas, sermons and religious meddling - Malaysian clerics rule against butch-dressing, Bible quoted in Indian High Court, Catholics in California told to vote against gay marriage		Pol, Law, Rel, Hom
Oct 2008	A troika of news from an economic tailspin - Las Vegas Sands looking for funds, world looking for reserve currencies, shop looking for buyers for its "goods"		Soc, Oth [econ]
Oct 2008	Cantonese Sydney - even though I mixed in unrepresentative company, I was amazed at how much Cantonese was used in Sydney		Soc, Pres
Oct 2008	Academic freedom and the Rascals Prize - academic freedom needs to be fought for; good research needs to be recognised		Pol, Kno
Oct 2008	With recession coming, what social safety nets have we in place? - the social inequity arising from GST has still to be addressed		Pol
Oct 2008	J B Jeyaretnam: The iconography begins - will he mean anything to Singaporeans for long?		Pol, Med
Oct 2008	Blogtv's "Am I gay?" episode - after 9 years, Channel NewsAsia deals with sex education and homosexuality again		Soc, Med, Hom,
Sep 2008	More people on this island, but poorer - Singapore's population grew 5.5%; but it's a different story for our economy		Soc, Oth [Econ]
Sep 2008	Viewer advisories and the laugh test - Singapore censorship policy requires broadcasters to issue viewer advisories before airing offensive content		Pol, Med, Hom
Sep 2008	Is engaging the mainstream media pointless? Part 1 - sharing with readers my personal experience		Pol, Med, Hom
Sep 2008	Burmese patriots "undesirable", says Singapore government - because they held protests against their military junta		Pol
Sep 2008	Facing down a grave security threat: politics - no cycling events for political parties except for their charity foundations; 3 months' jail for insulting a judge		Pol, Law
Sep 2008	Occluded by the Merrill Lynch headlines, an Indonesian riddle - Temasek Holdings' foray into Indonesian telecoms ends with a whimper and question mark		Oth [econ]
Sep 2008	At Malaysia's Freedom Film Fest 2008 - Islam and the freedom of expression, in this grassroots-organised event		Pol, Rel, Soc, Hom
Sep 2008	The Mr & Mrs Tan gambit - the issue of internet regulation begs much bigger questions		Pol, Law, Med
Sep 2008	150,000 Singaporeans live abroad - coming and going is hardly unusual nowadays; not having a Freedom of Information Act, though, is unusual		Pol, Soc
Sep 2008	Between cowardice and the rule of law - the Attorney-general once more reiterates that no one is above the law, but what about Section 377A then?		Pol, Law, Hom
Sep 2008	The panic of the anointed - what would our clergymen think of tinkling penises?		Pol, Rel, Hom
Sep 2008	In Jurong GRC, more wanted a by-election than not - helping out with a street survey, I made some interesting observations		Pol, Soc
Sep 2008	AIMS' proposals progressive but can be improved - the group "Bloggers 13" responds to a government- commissioned panel's proposals for reviewing internet regulation		Pol, Med
Aug 2008	The first fruits of civil disobedience - you won't hear our mainstream media acknowledge what really led to the latest policy changes		Pol
Aug 2008	Babies wanted, but only in traditional families, the traditional way - we're desperate for babies, we're even more desperate to safeguard conservatism		Pol
Aug 2008	Singapore shows Burmese dissidents the door - quietly, our government lends the Burmese generals a helping hand		Pol
Aug 2008	Feeling a little silly in a football tabloid - the New Paper wanted a short piece from me, but the result was like fish out of water		Pol, Med
Aug 2008	Demonstrations to be allowed in Hong Lim playpen - and political films permitted, with censorship		Pol
Aug 2008	Side-stepping the death penalty - three men escaped the death penalty when the prosecutor played fast and loose with facts		Pol, Law
Aug 2008	Sodomy law makes you look foolish - Wong Kan Seng talks about the Chan Mun Chiong case. More on Malaysia and India		Pol, Law
Aug 2008	Cirque de Singapour - it's audacious, but seriously, why not?		Oth
Aug 2008	Lording over all the Rios - for transgenders, petty tyrants are too often encountered		Soc, Hom, Hum
Aug 2008	Give me dogs over religionists anytime - mental health consequences are raised by the anti-abortion brigade to support their campaign		Law, Soc, Kno
Aug 2008	Straits Times redesigned, part 1 - fresh new look for the print edition		Med
Aug 2008	Straits Times redesigned, part 2 - the online versions are still quite a mess		Med
Aug 2008	Boys should dance - anatomy, the Olympics, the classroom and the perversity of sexism		Soc
Aug 2008	The state should pay for maternity leave and provide childcare - in a modern economy with both parents working, the social contract needs to change		Pol, Soc
Aug 2008	Malaysian politics can make you stupid - the slippery slope from sodomy to sexual assault to rape		Kno, Hom
Aug 2008	More changes to electoral system in the offing? - Goh Chok Tong said in a recent speech, "the status quo cannot last forever"		Pol
Aug 2008	Punitive approach not the best, says drug policy advocate - Ethan Nadelmann argues for a harm reduction strategy		Pol, Soc, Kno
July 2008	Those other ones affected by homosexuality - families of gay people have nowhere to turn to, don't know where to begin		Hom
July 2008	Escalator and other paralyses - inertia is a Singapore national characteristic in more ways than one		Soc
July 2008	Of airports, nudity and an insult to men - Changi's Terminal 3 was officially opened last week, complete with body scanner		Soc, Kno, Per
July 2008	Singapore's religious rightwing trains its sights on abortion - following the anti-gay, anti-abortion campaigns in America		Soc, Rel
July 2008	Stolen star shines an unflattering light - it's the YouTube age, even for politics, said the minister. And how!		Pol, med
July 2008	Does the Attorney-General know what's in the law books? - he intends to prosecute those who sexually abuse minors under Section 377A		Law, Hom
July 2008	Where's the line between serving the state and serving the party? - the Straits Times interviews Attorney-General Walter Woon, allowing him to explain his "human rights fanatics" remark		Pol
July 2008	Sodomy, corruption and Malaysia's Penal Code - new allegations against Anwar Ibrahim show how sodomy laws corrupt politics		Pol, Law, Hom
July 2008	Regulate, not ban, the sale of human organs - criminalising what desperate people are going to do anyway is not the best policy solution		Law, Soc
July 2008	Thursday morning at the Novotel - musings about identity and symbols over coffee		Soc, Rel, Hum
June 2008	Orchard Road: boom, bust, stuck and shut - Singapore is good at building shopping malls, but other issues aren't well tackled		Soc, Oth [urban planning]
June 2008	Key concerns about internet deregulation emerge at forum - racial and religious speech, political videos and how would community moderation work?		Law, Soc, Med
June 2008	Did unbridled capitalism leave people vulnerable to oil and food price rises? - why after 50 years of economic growth, are millions of people so easily tipped into hunger?		Pol, Oth [econ]
June 2008	Norway legalises gay marriage - complete with equal parenting rights		Pol, Law, Hom
June 2008	Rainbow rising in the Western sky - gay equality to get support of UK embassies; how the Straits Times deals with news about pride parades		Pol, Soc, Med, Hom
June 2008	Gopalan Nair's quickie press conference - an inside peek into how news is generated		Pol, Law, Med, Per
June 2008	Pity that Youthquake 2 didn't make it to the Richter scale - low turnout, but the forum series is an important program for the Workers' Party		Pol
Jun 2008	The Singapore Democratic Party: method or madness? - people often say: how can they ever win?		Pol
Jun 2008	We duds at the pinnacle of evolution - just by using our transport system, it's hard to believe we humans are smart		Soc
Jun 2008	Whose misbehaviour diminishes us all? - political theatre in Singapore courts as SDP leaders and supporters are charged		Pol, Law
Jun 2008	Attorney-General says "human rights now a religion" with fanatics - and insists that human rights is a political question, not one of law		Pol, Law, Hom
Jun 2008	Necessary conditions for economic growth and the varnished truth - the story about an independent commission's work was tweaked into an "I told you so" for the Singapore government		Pol, Med
May 2008	The second Burmese conversation - what do the Burmese themselves think of recent events: the cyclone relief efforts and the referendum?		Pol
May 2008	The displacement of reason - the full text of the (long) talk I gave at a Catholic forum on homosexuality		Rel, Hom
May 2008	From Azerbaijan with camp - the wonders of Eurovision 2008 and American Idol Season 7		Oth [music]
May 2008	Where are we now with stem cell research? - private funding has dried up, it's another decades-long investment with public money		Med, Oth [research]
May 2008	We're prepared to listen, says government - while sending all kinds of signals that they'll clobber you		Pol
May 2008	Cuba holds anti-homophobia event - while at a Catholic forum, a frenzied attempt is made to prove homosexuality an illness		Pol, Rel, Hom
May 2008	The unnatural afterlife of the Section 377A debate - Prof Douglas Sanders, who was banned from speaking here last year, is speaking here this week		Pol, Law, Med, Hom
May 2008	Long term investments or long shots? - the GIC invests for the very long term, but the news in the short term can be unnerving		Pol
May 2008	Burma should be suspended from Asean - time to stop pussyfooting around their failure to do their best for cyclone victims		Pol
May 2008	Gay marriage victory in California Supreme Court - the state is the 2nd in the US to offer same-sex marriage		Law, Hom
May 2008	Hong Kong broadcasting regulator's decision overturned by court - while our MDA acts like some moral policeman run amok		Pol, Law, Med, Hom
May 2008	Here's proof: Section 377A being enforced - a man has just been found guilty under the anti-gay law after the prime minister suggested that gay citizens have nothing to fear		Pol, Law, Hom
May 2008	In the eye of the cyclone stands immobile the junta - a bad situation is made worse		Pol, Oth [disaster]
May 2008	The pigeons are already among us - why we should free up regulation of socially-sensitive speech		Pol, Med
May 2008	Guilty until proven innocent: the case of William Ding - how homophobic panic can pervert justice		Law, Hom
May 2008	Packable politics and its press - detention escapee question is packed away on command; would the investment in UBS be next?		Pol, Med
May 2008	HIV hits new high. Solution: punish - even as HIV incidence climbs, the government has no new ideas		Pol, Oth [HIV]
Apr 2008	China and (inter)nationalism - the Chinese view of the international order is out of step with the times		Pol
Apr 2008	Watch it! Part 2 - TV commercials with a gay angle that isn't negative		Med, Hom
Apr 2008	Rice price as capitalism's vice - the current problem of high food prices is not just a matter of supply and demand		Pol, Oth [econ]
Apr 2008	Upholding our 'fine city' reputation - another TV station is fined for "promoting" homosexuality because a reality show had a gay couple in it		Pol, Med, Hom
Apr 2008	The great hunt: more management failures than guards' lapses - Wong Kan Seng was both detailed and fumbling in explaining Mas Selamat's escape		Pol
Apr 2008	Prosecute or nothing - what's rotten about the regulation of speech in Singapore is not just about this rule or that rule, but the entire way it's done		Pol, Law, Med
Apr 2008	Watch it! Part 1 - the gay (and racial) minorities are either unrepresented in advertising or ineptly so		Med, Hom
Apr 2008	Political activism, cyber or otherwise - thoughts after a forum featuring Malaysians Nathaniel Tan of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Steven Gan, the founder of Malaysiakini		Pol
Apr 2008	Lee Hsien Loong calls on world to kowtow to China - the protests around the Olympic torch relay are counter-productive, he says		Pol
Apr 2008	Ban-happy Singapore - more fines and bans by our state censors, in their attempt to stop the world		Pol, Med, Hom
Apr 2008	The mathematics of elections 2 - data from the last 4 general elections support the "homogenising effect" theory of GRCs		Pol
Apr 2008	Why the Films Act should be trashed - the law's becoming a sick joke		Pol, Med
Apr 2008	The children we leave behind - by our rigid habits of thought, we perpetuate a legacy of hurt children		Soc, Hom
Apr 2008	Cinema: Lion City - Singapore's first Chinese-language production is precious in its own way		Soc, Med, Per
Mar 2008	Hotel Singapore now officially gay-friendly - Kerry Sieh, a gay scientist, is wooed to Singapore		Pol, Hom
Mar 2008	Improving the Internal Security Act - the wide discretionary powers need oversight		Pol, Law
Mar 2008	What to do with the Tibetan question? - as protests erupt in and around Tibet, it's time to clarify our own position		Pol
Mar 2008	Cinema: Slam and Bangkok Love Story - 2 films, one very good, the other very bad		Med
Mar 2008	The mathematics of elections - what would Singapore's parliament look like if the PAP suffered a vote shift like Barisan Nasional did in Malaysia?		Pol
Mar 2008	Street work ain't for us - Singaporeans don't seem to be as  entrepreneurial as some migrants		Soc
Mar 2008	Any lessons from the Malaysian general election for us? - or is Singapore entirely different?		Pol
Mar 2008	The great hunt: bunker chaos - trying to make sense of why information about Mas Selamat Kastari's escape come out in dribs and drabs		Pol
Mar 2008	Sex is all around, get over it - condoms, kamasutra chocolate and lots of "filth" on TV and film		Soc, Hom, Med
Mar 2008	The great hunt limps along - an alleged terrorist has vanished for 6 days. Is someone hiding him?		Pol
Mar 2008	Be meek and be dispossessed - bad service and bad behaviour persist because we don't speak up		Soc
Feb 2008	Of airports and demonstrations - what makes the news, or not		Pol, Med, Per
Feb 2008	From my mailbox 1 - the survey of emigrants; TV censorship and the non-people who are gay		Pol, Rel, Med, Hom
Feb 2008	Slam the odds - two guys from Singapore were crazy enough to make a feature film in China		Med, Per
Feb 2008	Daydreams of a way station - how are we going to be among the great capital cities of the world when we're bleeding talent?		Pol
Feb 2008	Media silence and the cultivators of hate - preferring to tell a story about an inexplicably senseless killing to another, but explicable, one.		Rel, Med
Feb 2008	Safety on trial - we're too hesitant about making provision for bicycle paths		Soc, Oth [urban planning]
Feb 2008	It's my gay uncle who takes me to school every day - and gays are a threat to the family?		Hom, Kno
Feb 2008	Inflation has hurt poor more than rich - as revealed by the latest statistics		Pol, Oth [economy]
Feb 2008	Keeping schools safe from religion - wrong to make a school canteen all halal		Pol, Rel
Feb 2008	January potpourri - news bites from around the world		Law, Hom
Feb 2008	Are planned bus and rail improvements enough? - will the hassle and crowding really disappear?		Pol, Oth [urban planning]
Feb 2008	A reason to complain - what the ban on the Complaints Choir signifies		Pol
Feb 2008	Inside and outside the human zoo - gawking at hill tribes, and being gawked at		Soc, Hom
Jan 2008	Coming and going and coming back to haunt us again - Johann S Lee publishes his second novel, after Peculiar Chris		Soc, Hom, Oth [book]
Jan 2008	The healthcare funding gap - is there a healthcare safety net or not?		Pol
Jan 2008	Seelan Palay's 5-day fast - to draw attention to the detention without trial of 5 men in Malaysia		Pol