From a Singapore Angle

Last updated 0635 hrs May 6 -0400
The AcidFlask Affair covered on From a Singapore Angle: Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

update: Plea addressed to my fellow bloggers (1310 hrs May 6 -0400)

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IMPORTANT REMINDER: The author of this blog neither endorses nor takes responsibility for any information or opinion expressed by any third party in any comments, trackbacks or links external to this website.

CAUTION: I want to highlight something that Ivan posted as a caution for anyone perusing this list of links:

I’d like to point out that with the exception of Acidflask and Mr Philip Yeo, nobody knows that exact nature of the proceedings much less conclude that it’s the "Gahmen agencies against ex-scholars". It might even be possible that Acidflask himself does not know of the exact nature of the offending post or if it was in-fact due to a comment placed on his blog. All we can do is speculate, and i must stress that speculation is at best guess-timation – inaccurate.

That's right: please take what you read on the internet with a good dose of salt. Sit back and think before jumping to conclusions or judgments--especially about people or character.

FURTHER WARNING: The author of this blog cannot vouch for the...decency...of the language used in the sites linked below. Click on them at your own risk.

OTHER BLOGS: Nilsinelabore becomes friends only (hat tip: Wows) | Gilbert of SLMJD takes his bow but promises to be back in a different incarnation | another one goes private in light of recent events. I have no inside information, however, about the motivations of this one who calmly announces that he is folding (hat tip: Knightofpentacles) | Events motivated the starting of a new blog | update: Another one goes private

LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO DEMYSTIFIED: must reads by Gilbert of SLMJD, The Law of Defamation, Acidflask's Case, See What I Mean, and some strategies for minimising blogger defamation lawsuit risks.

ON THE WIDER REPERCUSSIONS: Singapore Ink calls for calm and works over the problem concerning comments. | Another one on Ink. | Elsewhere, Convex Set explains some. | Cowboy Caleb goes biblical musing upon the power of the blogs. | Justina is apparently dishing out some advice on blogging: vagueness--it seems--the solution is. | Ivan pens some much needed words of moderation. | Rebrab Moor reflects on self-censorship and notices the poliferation of disclaimers, likewise Trompe L'oeil. | A new blogger weighs in with rather cryptic remarks, and later talks about a major disturbance in the force | Felumpfus first declaims before he disclaims | Kailin finds the turn of events tragic | Off-Kilter ponders "to d or not to d?" | HZH, well he vents | The enterprising Bean Blog steps in to fill a need for e-talisman

TROLL HUNTING, AND THEN SOME: Mr Miyagi minces not his words replying to a troll | My own comment | Mr. Brown provides some much needed merchandizing | Singapore Ink has a temperate response, mentioning an even more temperate one by Wannabe Lawyer | Cowboy Caleb says something that I shan't repeat here | No need to fight, there's more than enough--everyone gets one

FORUMS AND GROUPS: A thread discussing this issue found on Rice Bowl Journals. | Another one on Delphiforums. | Singapore Review notices with two notices.

PRINT AND OTHER MEDIA: Reporters Sans Frontières shows support--and I want to comment on that. I'm sure they meant well; but that does not override my ambivalence about such things. RSF is free to do what it wants to do. But please understand that the Singapore Blog Politic is not some banana republic that can or ought to be used for the purposes of outsiders, sentiments with which I am sure Acid Flask agrees. At least, I think Acid Flask would understand where I am coming from. | Wannabe Lawyer picks up the story while Singapore Ink questions the accuracy of the statement and concludes that it is more harmful than helpful--a thought with which I concur. I've reiterated this point in the comments to Ink's post. | The RSF statement has been picked up by various sites, and referenced in an nzherald.co.nz article. | The story made the pages of the British based Index on Censorship. | The mysterious Wowbagger prognosticates on the effects of the newfound publicity and claims to know what started it all | RSF makes adjustments to their statement:

Old version (from Singapore Ink):
Writing under the pseudonym of Acid Flask, he criticised Yeo and the A*STAR scholarship system. He also agreed to his remarks being reproduced in the online Electric New Paper.

New version (RSF):
Writing under the pseudonym of Acid Flask, he criticised several government policies, including the A*STAR scholarship system and Yeo's justifications of them. He also agreed to his remarks being reproduced in the Electric New Paper.

The Blog Herald joins in by quoting the RSF statement. | The RSF statement--together with a by now familiar disclaimer--is picked up by The Internet in Asia published by the Singapore Internet Research Centre at Nanyang Technological University; the said publication also references some blogs (including this one) and spells it mueve instead of the usual muove.

update: Convex Set is not happy with RSF's reporting sans clue

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