Wildfilms

From their own description of the blog:

WildFilms is an initiative set up to produce a documentary series based on the Shores of Singapore. Our focus in the production of this documentary is to produce a record of the shores, and compile that record into a form that the general public can absorb. As it is said, you won't miss a thing until you lose it. The Shores of Singapore are being lost now. What are we losing without even knowing it was there? Please note that all members of the team suffer from stupoks. You have been warned.

Check out the photos, especially this worm-creature-thingy. These people are obviously hardcore--one of them, Ria Tan--just allowed herself to be [apologies; I was under the wrong impression] was stung by a sting ray. For the sake of science, she said! I hope she'll be ok.

[Technorati: singapore, conservation, nature]

Factchecking ST

Andy Ho has a piece today in ST Review (Apr 30, 2005) in which the the carnard about CZ's site being hacked into is once again repeated:

That blog required a password and was meant only for his friends. Apparently, one of them - or some outsider who perhaps cracked the password - put his errant posts together and e-mailed them to the PSC and the media.

I've discussed this before, so I'm just going to say this really quick here: no hacking, cracking or what have you was needed for someone to get to the offending posts. How else did I get to see them before they were taken down? And you don't have to believe me either, see what CZ's own friends have to say.

Once again: CZ's privacy was--in my opinion--infringed upon. But it wasn't because someone maliciously hacked into anything. In fact, the discovery was most likely purely accidental.

A small detail, no doubt, but I expect ST to be better than this, seeing that it is the premier newspaper in the land it has had two weeks to get this right, and considering that unlike us Joe Bloggers, it actually can afford to pay for factchecking (hat tip the "friend" for pointing out that ST never claimed to be the premier newspaper in the land).

UPDATE: Ivan pointed me to an article by a friend of CZ published in Today. Reasonably written and engages my sympathies (though in my case, he's preaching to the choir, in a sense). What's more interesting is that a better paragraphed version of what he says can be found on his own blog. Incidentally, he does not believe that CZ's blog was hacked. ADD: The article is now also available on his blog.

UPDATE 2: Aiyahwhatever has a critique of the Ho piece. cH as well. And Singapore Ink.

[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere, media]

The AcidFlask Affair in ether and beyond

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)

* * * * *

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

[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere]

Bunnybear soon bachelor no more

At least some of you, gentle readers, know of Bunnybear, author of the Bear's Haven blog (used to be based in Sendai, Japan). Of those who know that, some further know that he's my younger brother. Well, he's now back in Singapore and getting married 1 May 2005. So here's to him and my new sister-in-law: Congratulations!

Recent events

The past two weeks have been a watershed in the Singapore Blogosphere, but also for this blog, brief as its career may be. The full implications for the former is yet to be fully seen or charted; I will here content myself with some reflections on the latter.

When I first started, my aims were very limited: to track the progress of the continuing tsunami relief efforts by Singaporeans. On hindsight, the seed of later developments have always been there from the beginning: The blog is a journal of my observation and participation in the ongoing transformations of our little country, and an important aspect of my interest in the tsunami relief efforts is precisely it's long term implications for Singapore and the region at large.

The events of the past two weeks have brought unanticipated growth to the readership of this blog, which, coupled with the nature of those events themselves, cannot but induce in me a keenly felt need to blog responsibly. But it has also brought me into contact with a multitude of intelligent and sensitive readers and fellow bloggers, too many to name, and some do not even have real names--but all the more real for that. This is my salute to you: I do not know how many will continue to frequent this blog in the future, but your conduct and speech have certainly reminded me again and again why I love my country. Thank you all.

As some of you may already know, a major change to my life is fast approaching. I do not know exactly how it will affect my blogging habits, but I know that it will. Till then, I take my leave.

ADDENDUM: Some apparently thought that I'm signing off for good--I'll still be around. Can't vouch for the same frequency of postings, but Singapore Angle is here for the long haul.

Church and State

I am very happy to read this--from ST (Apr 28), "Govt does not favour enforcing rules for religious groups" (subscription required):

RELIGIOUS groups cannot expect the Government to enforce rules on their behalf on their community members. Going down that route would mean treading on 'very complicated ground', Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made clear on Tuesday.

'My basic approach is that when a religious group has got rules which apply to its members, the Government should not get involved enforcing those rules on behalf of the religious group,' he said.

I'll say amen to that.

If a religious group G adheres to a doctrine that, say, prohibits the doing of X, then someone A who wants to be a member of G would presumably have to forgo doing X. And if he is not happy (for whatever reason), he should be free to appeal to procedures internal to G itself to have the rule changed. And if that can't be done, he might--if he insists on doing X--leave G, in fact, he might want to leave G.

Obviously, this is simplifying: how things turn out will depend on how important the prohibition to X is to G, whether it is one of the core doctrines, whether there are groups equally recognized to be orthodox G that nevertheless disagree on this prohibition, etc., etc. But let's say that the prohibition to X is crucial enough. So if A insists on doing X, G might, using procedures internal to the group and doctrine, discipline him (e.g., withhold from him religious previledges and benefits up to and including excommunication).

So far so good and consistent with a background commitment to the separation between church and state. What would not be acceptable given the separation between church and state is that G should make use of the coercive powers of the state to enforce the said discipline, OR that A should appeal to the state to intervene on his behalf so that the rules internal to G change.

But there are limits. The rule internal to G--e.g., some prohibition to do X, or requirement to do Y--may turn out to be prejudicial to public order, or worse still, presents a clear and present danger to the safety of the commonweal, or subjects some its members to coercive treatment at the hands of others--in those cases, the state may legitimately step in. Actually, this is not necessarily an exception to the separation of the church and state. Religious groups that subscribe to such rules and doctrines would have been considered illicit from the get go. And so would groups whose doctrine or practice are inconsistent with the principle of separation of church and state--e.g., one whose doctrine precisely requires that the state disciplines the heretic on its behalf (which is tantamount to having the state as an arm of the church).

ADDITIONAL THOUGHT (on the last paragraph above): One might reply--given your formulation, doesn't it follow that the doctrine of the separation between church and state presuppose the falsity of every doctrine that teaches otherwise? Isn't it like assuming from the beginning that either God doesn't exist or that God doesn't want the coercive powers of the political community applied to the heretic? The answer is: yes, but this is not in itself an objection against the doctrine. Note that the doctrine is at least consistent with every religious view that either directly teaches that God does not want the coercive powers of the state applied to the heretic, or that any such application would serve no religious purpose in any case (e.g., because it will not lead to genuine conversion), or indirectly by not teaching that God wants the political community to exert its coercive powers against the heretic. What this means is that, obviously, it is a contingent matter whether a particular person who happens to subscribe to a particular set of religious beliefs will agree to the truth of the separation doctrine--it all depends on what religious beliefs he holds. In other words, the charge that the separation doctrine presupposes the falsity of a range of religious doctrines is an objection against it only if either the separation doctrine is meant to be built upon a doctrine of complete neutrality to religious truth of all stripes (which it is not, or not necessarily), or when the objection is mounted from the presupposition that God does require the heretic to be dealt with by the state (i.e., by begging the question). This raises the further issue: what is the true foundation--if there is on--of the separation doctrine? Can it merely be the outcome of a contingent agreement or overlap between various religious and non-religious doctrines that either teaches or are consistent with either the claim that God does not exist or the claim that God doesn't want the coercive powers of the political community applied to the heretic? Or can it be something deeper?

ADD: An earlier post on a related matter.

[Technorati: singapore]

PM: Not fruitful to keep arguing about casino

From ST (Apr 27), "Casino: Not fruitful to keep arguing, says PM--It's time to move on and make resorts a success, instead of risking rift in society", by Azhar Ghani (subscription required):

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong wants Singaporeans to move on and quit arguing over the casino decision, lest they risk causing friction in society.

'It's not fruitful to continue going over grounds we have gone over already, and continue arguing... and repeating the same arguments,' he said last night.

'Beyond a point, this can be counter-productive because the risk is we may harden views for and against, and polarise our multiracial, multi-religious society. And that is something which I think we should avoid at all costs.'

Instead, Singaporeans, despite differing views, should get together and work on making the intergrated resort projects a success.

Yes, that includes those of you who opposed and still oppose the casino/integrated resort. ADD: Surely a fitting way to conclude the symposium.

[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere, casino, integratedresort]

Chicken Bao!

My wife made chicken bao last night:




And since I'm on the subject of food, check out the Sans Nom ("No Name") brand of (generic) instant noodles, widely available here in Toronto. Look, in particular at the country of origin (second photo).



Also left a variety of ways to eat instant noodles here.

A Sad Day for the Singapore Blogosphere

Last updated 0620 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)

* * * * *

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.

SINGULARITY:

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.

NOTICES AND COMMENTS (this list is being added to):
Key: N--On Nilsinelabore; AN--On both AcidFlask and Nilsinelabore

- AcidFlask is Down by Wows at Singapore Ink
- Acid Flask Implodes Under External Pressure by Ketsugi at Mindless Ramblings of an Ineffectual Preacher
- A Lament by lzyData at Singapore Ink
- Caustic soda neutralised by The Singapore Commentator
- KO by Adrian at A Life Uncommon
- Acidflask by Steve Mc Dermott
- Bites the Dust by YJ at Stupidchicken
- Acidflask - cauterized by Gecko at A Gecko's Tale
- Caustic.soda by acidflask is now down by duh41 at can music save your mortal soul?
- Blog Obituary: caustic.soda by AcidFlask by cH at TSI: Unlimited
- Acid Flask No More by Otterman at Otterman Speaks
- Falling like dominoes by J at Idle Thoughts (AN)
- さらば友よ... それでもオレは信じてる！ by Bean at Monkey See Monkey Do
- How safe are you? and Pop goes the weas... toad at Aemii.com
- By The Physical Poet at The Many-Body Problem
- Disenfranchised and E Pur Si Muove by KnightofPentacles at Singapore Serf
- Blogosphere - The Mindfield by Marilyn at A Crunchy Green Apple
- Litigious Republic at Zuco's Blog
- The Internet is Evil by J Schnorng
- At Evolution 8.0
- It's a small small world by Unknown at Think About This (N)
- By Loupgarou
- Blogicide at Rottentomatoes.com
- This is just an announcement and More news on previous announcement by MrsBudak
- We Were Soldiers Elephants at Jeff Yen's Blog (AN)
- Chill the F--- out at serialdeviant.org(y) (AN)
- Ode to Acidflask by Kelvin Tan
- Incidental by Agent Jaren by Random Coherence
- Bad or sad? Really... and My final say on blog privacy, defamation and bond-breaking by Qizhong at . (AN)
- Defamation by YL at Cookie Monster Lite
- Stepford Blogs by Peiyis at Fantasie impromptu
- Legal action threat hanging over local blogger? at Trompe L'oeil
- PSA by Felumpfus at The F Spot
- Philip Yeo POSSIBLY Threatened to Sue Blogger at Oikono.blogspot.com
- Of phillip yeo, acidflask and bondbreaking by chuan
- Conscience by Girl, Emancipated (AN, and SLMJD)
- At Singapore Official Porn Site
- Is it worthwhile? by Peiyis at Fantasie Impromptu
- Wowbagger at The Tosser citing Bertrand Russell's words on the advantage of cowardice in organisations
- Daily Linkets 3rd May at Simon World

Coverage continues in: "The AcidFlask Affair in ether and beyond"

[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere]

PSC reprimands scholar

Hopefully, this is the end of the affair. From ST Forum Page (subscription required), "Scholar in blog scandal gets letter of reprimand" (Apr 26):

I REFER to the article, 'Scholar under fire for racist blog entries' (The Sunday Times, April 17). The Public Service Commission (PSC) has investigated the issue and Mr Chua Cheng Zhan has given us his explanation.

PSC does not condone the making of racist comments by its scholars. It views this matter seriously and has issued a letter of reprimand to Mr Chua. We note that Mr Chua has taken full responsibility for the comments made on his personal blog and has apologised publicly for his insensitive remarks.

UPDATE: Someone is still unhappy.

Earlier posts on the matter: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Apr 14), The storm over CZ breaks on print media (Apr 16), Anatomy of a blogospheric event (Apr 17).

[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere]

Food blogs international

From Lansing State Journal (Apr 25), "A worldwide recipe swap--For foodies, the blogosphere has no limits" by Lisa Benavides, Gannett News Service:

Like the recipe exchanges that used to take place over backyard fences, food blogs are ways for cooks to brag about their culinary triumphs or ask for advice when a cake falls. Mostly by amateur cooks - some are by professional chefs - food blogs are ways for ordinary people to write about what they cook, what they eat and what they are passionate about.

The major difference is, with the Internet, that backyard fence opens to the entire world.

Take Renee Kho, for instance. She recently raved in a blog about a restaurant she tried, detailing dishes that made mouths water. But it may be awhile before most readers of her blog get there because the restaurant is in Singapore, where Kho lives.

There are hundreds of food blogs on the Internet, some focused on a particular topic (beer or French cooking) others more general ("what I made for dinner tonight").

No matter your level of culinary expertise, you're bound to find a blog that draws you in and keeps you checking back. Many are updated daily, if not weekly, and readers can strike up relationships with other cooks by leaving comments on a particular entry or e-mailing the blogger directly. It's this type of virtual conversation that elevates food blogs beyond cookbooks.

There's more to the article which you can read on your own. Here, I'll just list the blogs she mentioned:

- "Shioka Delicious" (www.shiokadelicious.com)

- "The Daily Bread" (www.gastroblog.com)

- "Cooking for Engineers" (www.cookingforengineers.com)

- "Cooking With Amy" (cookingwithamy.blogspot.com).

- "Too Many Chefs" (www.toomanychefs.com).

Note: Quite a few of the above are inaccessible at the time of posting, but the URLs seem to be correct as they can be found on google search (overwhelmed by traffic?).

While we are at it, I'll also mention a couple of favorites with my wife and I:

- "Makansutra" (www.makansutra.com.sg)

- The Star Online's "Kuali" (kuali.com)

And the more successful outcomes of our own attempts are duely recorded on "Home Recipes" (loykee.blogspot.com).

[Technorati: food blog]

Singapore Sinhala Association to build Singapore Village in Sri Lanka to house tsunami victims

Posted earlier that the Singapore Sinhala Association was looking to launch a Singapore Village project in the south of Sri Lanka to help tsunami victims. They need some S$1 million for the project and at that time has collected $55,000. ST reports today that the project is on, with the bulk of the needed funds coming from the Singapore Red Cross's Tidal Waves Fund. From ST (Apr 24), "S'pore group to rebuild Sri Lanka village" (subscription required):

OVER 500 villagers in Sri Lanka will soon have a place to call home again, after their village was destroyed by the Dec 26 tsunami last year. That's because the Singapore Sinhala Association, with help from the Singapore Red Cross, will rebuild the tsunami-hit village of Sinha in the Hambantota district of Sri Lanka.

The project is called Merlion Gammane, or Merlion Village and will contain some 75 houses, an educational centre, trade vocational centre and a library--for 500-600. The call for help:

If you would like to donate to the Merlion Gammane project, e-mail relief@singaporesinhala.com for more information, make an Internet bank transfer to UOB account 114-311056-2 or send a cheque made out to SSA-Tsunami Relief Fund, Towner Post Office, PO Box 349, Singapore 913232.

[Technorati: tsunami reconstruction, sri lanka]

The Mainstream Media does not get blogs

Reading the ST and wondering if, after all that hullabaloo, they still don't get the present shape of the online community.

About you-know-who--from ST (Apr 24), "Headliners" (subscription required):

The 21-year-old made racist remarks about Indians and Filipinos in his weblog, and got Internet users hot and bothered...

(Filipinos? Huh? [UPDATE: Ok, I recall it now...see the comments]) Anyway, word is that PSC is still investigating. This bit is the clincher:

But bloodthirsty Net users are asking for his scholarship to be taken away. Others want to know if it's safe to speak their minds on the Internet.

I see, so the web reaction is either "we have found a witch, may we burn [him]?" or "I wonder if it's safe to speak my mind on the Internet?" [ADD: Singapore Ink has more to say about the precise reading of the second disjunct.]

There's more--also ST (Apr 24), "Webthreads--A weekly roundup of the most interesting Web discussions by Singaporeans" (subscription required)--on the reactions to the CZ-affair on www.spug.net:

Netizens are now engaged in fierce debate about racism and what should happen to the scholar...'Removing his scholarship is the very least they can do,' wrote escro. ren78 took a softer line: 'Can we not be a little understanding of the fact that even scholars make mistakes?' Lucien, in turn, worried about the underlying racism: 'Will anything change? What does it say about us?'

As for the casino/integrated resort debate at www.sgforums.com:

dragg said it is 'evident we are losing our edge and there are just not enough jobs to go around'. bumbleb said critics 'should at least go through the Government's stand properly and rationally'. ShutterBug said: 'Long after the high-rolling visitors have left our shores, the locals will be mopping up the bill for the broader fallout.'

I see, so the threads at SPUG and sgforums represents the sum of "web discussions" on the fallout of the CZ-affair and the casino debate/decision, eh? Why didn't they say so earlier, so that I didn't have to go through all that trouble for nothing.

UPDATE: JeffYen, the chief moderator of the SPUG forum has a theory that hits the nail on its head:

I think the problem is due to the possibility that the person/s who does the web column in ST has his/her pulse on the forums, only, and is not aware of blogs like this one. [On the other hand, the SPUG] forum is a regular stop for them...

Also, I don't believe that the 'reporters' are interested in getting the real story when they quote the forums. They just take a soundbite and fly with it, to make it as sensational as possible. But, that's nothing new.

I think they would be absolutely astonished by the 2 symposiums, if they have actually seen it...

MSM: they don't get blogs because they don't care, and they don't need to care. shrugs.

Elsewhere, Singapore Commentator links (thanks) and asks some soul searching questions in light of recent pertubations (the infant* affair) in the Singapore Blogosphere:

Personally, though, I am more interested in looking at the issue from another angle: Why is there a lack of serious blogs in Singapore? No, this is not exactly the same question as: Why are Singapore blogs so "infantile"? While the prevalence of so-called "infantile" blogs may crowd out serious blogs, I think the lack of the latter is an issue in its own right.

And I suspect that this may be a more accurate statement of the sentiments underlying the take from Singapore Ink and A Life Uncommon as well. But I'll let the Commentator continue first:

In particular, I think that blogs written by experts on their areas of expertise are especially valuable, because they form the anchors around which other serious blogs can congregate, just as blogs also tend to congregate around mainstream media. However, Gilbert Koh has given one reason why we can’t expect much from one potentially important source: government officers; they can only blog about "infantile" concerns, and maybe poetry (I presume Koh did not officially write poetry for the government).

In the meantime, the lack of such expertise among blogs means that the mainstream media can usually ignore the Singapore blogosphere with little consequence, as they routinely do — see "Blogs as intellectual platforms" and "The Mainstream Media does not get blogs".

That's got to be right; but I'll add these qualifications--the blogs have not actually made such a wave as to become impossible to ignore (a la Rathergate), nor are there rival MSMs that are ready to pounce on a mistake by one of their own when it is exposed by the blogosphere (again, a la Rathergate). This means that in all likelihood, blogs will enter into the mainstream of national discouse through a slow developmental (e.g., as the present generation of mostly younger regular blog writers and readers enters the work force) rather than catastrophic process.

Earlier posts on this subject:

Straits Times and the Blogs (Feb 25)
Straits Times and the Blogs II (Mar 1)
The Blogs and Straits Times (Mar 2)
The Blogs and Straits Times II (Draft) (Mar 3)

[Technorati: singapore, mainstream media, blogosphere, blogging, blogs, blog]

Myanmar may decline chairmanship of ASEAN after all

From ST (Apr 24), "Myanmar may not chair Asean--Yangon indicates it does not want to be an obstacle; is likely to announce by July whether it will forgo its turn", by Salim Osman (subscription required):

JAKARTA - MILITARY-RULED Myanmar has given the clear- est indication yet that it may forgo its turn to be the next chairman of Asean in the interest of solidarity with fellow member countries in the region...

The indication was conveyed during the second round of talks between Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Nyan Win and his Indonesian counterpart, Mr Hassan Wirajuda, on the sidelines of the Asian-African Summit that ended here yesterday.

If Myanmar steps aside of its own accord, it will be the face-saving solution that Asean would like to have as it also spares Yangon the embarrassment of being the source of an international boycott of Asean...

I'm not sanguine, however, that ASEAN "won", especially not given this other report--from the Telegraph (Apr 22), "Burmese regime 'used chemical shell on rebels'", by Sebastien Berger:

The Burmese military dictatorship used chemical weapons against ethnic minority guerrillas this year, an international human rights group said last night.

For earlier posts on Myanmar, see this. A new blog to watch: The Aseanist.

CNN: Email more dangerous to IQ than pot

From CNN (Apr 22):

LONDON, England -- Workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana, a British study shows.

Apparently, by a factor of 10 points:

In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day.

He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana.

Kevin Drum asks the right questions (emphasis mine):

OK, I'll buy that. But what I want to know is this: how did they manage to monitor IQ "throughout the day"? Electrodes? Quickie IQ tests every hour? Remote gigawatt powered MRI machines? And if email reduces your IQ by ten points, I wonder what blogging does?

Indeed.

UPDATE: YC has the lowdown, graphs included.

Whimsy

Steve Mc Dermott, the enfant terrible of the Singapore Blogosphere, has managed to incur the wrath and amusement of bloggers and blog readers alike with his latest, collecting a nice spike in readership in the process to boot. The causa belli: the most popular Singaporean blogs with the highest readerships are "full of infantile sub intelligentia nonesense". [Ed: The writer surely meant "sub-intelligential nonsense", perhaps suggesting that even nonsense comes in both intelligent (or, intelligential, if you will) and unintelligent forms]. Detractors might note that at least he didn't say "unintelligible nonsense", which seems a further few notches down. The responses are many--too many for one weary from recent labors for another effort. But least he be tarred with the same feathers (or worse), the gentle reader is directed to such meagre discourse intelligential as is available here.

UPDATE: Elsewhere, Mr. Brown goes French (hat tip YC and apologies to Blackadder)

[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere]

Web Symposium: Blogosphere reactions to the Casino/Integrated Resort decision 2005

ATTENTION: The symposium is closed. A big thank you to everyone who helped in one way or other to make it a success.

NOTICE (Apr 25): support@google.com still has not gotten back to me concerning the problem with the permalink URL, so, most of the manual trackbacks left on the various blogs would not work. But all the links here should work.

Scroll down to see the entries.

To find out more about what's going on here, and--to participate--see this previous post. This space will be updated as entries are submitted. The hope is that in time, a comprehensive range of views will be represented. Help spread the word!

CONTRIBUTORS (latest additions marked): Han, lzyData, Wows, Molly Meek, Shadow, Merv, Ivan, Redrown, Wandie, Juznuts, Jimmy, Reika, Mr Brown, Jeff Yen, Gilbert Koh, Miyagi, Tripleperiod, Caleb, Moron, Andrea, La Idler, duh41, Willywei, Slippery Lips, Michael Tay, Acid Flask and Ball of Yarn.

Thank you all, and keep them coming! If you have a piece with a point of view contrary to the ones already listed, I am all the more interested. Please help report any bad links.

Keynotes
The Pre-Decision Debate
D-Day and Beyond
Publicity

* * * * *

KEYNOTE

- "TODAY: To IR is human" by Mr Brown at Brown Town, "I also notice that many officials have started referring to the casinos as Integrated Resorts, or IRs. That certainly sounds more moral, I think. It is hard to think of an Integrated Resort as something evil. Integrated, leh." (Apr 22, 2005)

(Note: The categorizing of the entries is still ongoing)

THE PRE-DECISION DEBATE (38 Entries)

- "Molly’s Casino Proposals" by Molly Meek, "Molly just received news that Singapore is seeking proposals for a casino complex despite opposition, since opposition is never good or credible in Singapore, it must be good to ignore opposition." (Nov 28, 2004)
- "Petition politics and the casino gamble" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "The nature of petition politics and how it might play into the decision" (Dec 15, 2004)
- "Casino safeguards announced" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "Some uneasiness about the newly-announced casino safeguards" (Dec 30, 2004)
- "An integrated last resort, mayhap" by AcidFlask at Caustic.Soda (Dec 30, 2004)
- "Open Letter to FACTS: The difference between the stockmarket and a casino" by Han at Wannabe Lawyer (Jan 2, 2005)
- "Daily entry fees for the casino" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "A ST Forum letter, and how daily entry fees may defeat a purpose of the casino" (Jan 8, 2005)
- "Casino: From Britain to Singapore" by Wows at Singapore Ink, "The casino decision may be contradictory and divisive - the key test is how to deal with the losers of the argument" (Jan 28, 2005)
- "Molly’s friend vs. Xeno Boy" by Molly Meek, "In which Molly’s friend, though claiming to be an ardent fan of Xeno Boy, raises some disagreements with his latest entry...or so it seems" (Jan 30, 2005)
- "Casi-Yes or Casi-No" by Redrown at Rebrab Moor "The mootness of motives, reasons and rationale behind opposing a Casino in Singapore" (Jan 19, 2005)
- "Casino Debate: Freedom, Values or a Secret Sin?" by Han at Wannabe Lawyer (Jan 20, 2005)
- "Nature vs. Mature" by Molly Meek, "Just when Molly was about to pop her champagne, she heard news that DPM Tony Tan has commented that it is too early to decide if Singapore should have a casino..." (Feb 3, 2005)
- "Factcheck on Casinos in the US: Tony Tan is wrong" by Han at Wannabe Lawyer (Feb 4, 2005)
- "Decision soon?" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "A decision soon? And whether MUIS is a "special interest group"" (Feb 21, 2005)
- "The casino: Social vs. religious views" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "Delving deep into the socio-religious dimension of the casino debate and policy-making in general" (Feb 22, 2005)
- "Gambling on Gambling" by Ivan at Ivan's Chimera, "A response to Dr Balakrishnan's view that the debate was one of maturity not economics v. morals" (Mar 2, 2005)
- "Referendum for the casino issue?" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "The WP forum, Tan Sai Siong's comments, and the issue of a referendum" (Mar 6, 2005)
- "The contradictions of Tan Sai Siong" by Wows at Singapore Ink, "How a pro-casino voice in the press winds up tying herself in knots and contradictions advocating her case" (Mar 7, 2005)
- "The casino decision: Building up" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "An overview of the anticipation of the mainstream media as D-day approaches" (Mar 13, 2005)
- "The Oxford Singapore Forum 1: Vivian runs from identity to casino" by Wows at Singapore Ink, "Vivian Balakrishnan stresses accountability, fights his corner on the casino in Oxford", (Mar 14, 2005)
- "The old media's take" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "The old media's take on Vivian's comments in Oxford" (Mar 16, 2005)
- "Economic Spin-offs of the Casino" by Molly Meek, "People around Molly are have been making noise about the casino issue saying it’s confirmed, and Molly was like: 'What? What’s confirmed?'" (Mar 21, 2005)
- "A Tentative Decision" by Molly Meek, "It is strange that, in the report, it is said that Mr. Lim emphasized that the government has yet to make a final decision--why didn’t the reporter tell us what the tentative decision is then?" (Mar 28 2005)
- "Intelligence and Integrity" by Wows at Singapore Ink, "A criticism of the PAP's and ST's handling of the casino issue" (Apr 4, 2005)
- "It's out!", "It's out! 2 - WP Casino Statement", "It's out! 3", by lzyData and Wows at Singapore Ink, "Examines the WP Casino Statement, with responses from WP members" (Apr 7-8, 2005)
- "Worker’s Party: An opportunistic bunch of losers" by Han at Wannabe Lawyer (Apr 7, 2005)
- "Why I am not impressed with the Worker’s Party" by Han at Wannabe Lawyer (Apr 12, 2005)
- "Ca-SIN-No Controversy" by Moron at My Daily Bread, "Why.. do people ponder and worry so much over this rather inconsequential matter?" (Apr 14, 2005)
- "The SDA's stand, "The SDA's stand 2", "The SDA's stand: full statement", by lzyData and Wows at Singapore Ink,
"The SDA Casino Statement and responses" (Apr 15-16, 2005)
Is it really evenly split? by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "A critical look at Today's reading of its own casino opinion poll" (Apr 16, 2005)
- "Jumping on bandwagons is hard to do" by Han at Wannabe Lawyer (Apr 16, 2005)
- "Too many reports, too many questions" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "2 days before the announcement, too many reports, ministers' unsubtle hints and general doubt"(Apr 16, 2005)
- "Touble" by Molly Meek, "Now, although it is surprising for Molly to find out that MM reads the Asian Wall Street Journal, she totally agrees with MM Lee's words--If even the paper that once ended up in court with the government could write something so sensible, why can’t Singaporeans be wise and embrace the casino? " (Apr 16 2005)
- "Not Exactly The Best Bet" by La Idler at Idle Days, "Not trying to copy every damn thing that everyone else is doing." (Apr 16, 2005)
- "Fresh, New Twists" by Molly Meek, "The debate certainly takes so many interesting turns with each passing day that, as a blogger, Molly finds it a breeze maintaining readers’ interest in the issue; anyway, the new twist is that Singapore need not simply have one casino. We could have two casinos!" (Apr 17 2005)

Special Panel: Referendum for a Casino (5 entries)

- "Casino Referendum" by Wows at Singapore Ink, "Arguments against a casino referendum" (Mar 16, 2005)
- Referenda in our constitution by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "Examining the constitutional provisions for a referendum on the casino" (Mar 17, 2005)
- "Re Referendum", by Ivan at Ivan's Chimera, "In justification of referendums--a response to Singapore Ink" (Mar 23, 2005)
- "Still Casino Referendum" by lzyData of Singapore Ink, "Replying to Ivan's lighting" (Mar 25, 2005)
- "Re Referendum 2" by Ivan at Ivan's Chimera, "Reply to the response from Singapore Ink" (Mar 26, 2005)


D-DAY, AND BEYOND (30 Entries)

- "Casino Decision", by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "A report of the day's Parliament session and 5 ministers' speeches" by lzyData at Singapore Ink (Apr 18, 2005)
- "Casino Decision: Day 2" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "The second session as reported by the media" (Apr 19, 2005)

- "The Christian, Casinos and Gambling" by Shadow at The Book of Shadow, "Casinos make good economic sense, but of course we've got to deal with those Christians" (Apr 18, 2005)
- "A Casino In Your Future" by Caleb at A Gonzo Journal, "Let me dispel some myths here. Despite popular belief, there is no harm a casino can do to Singapore that Singapore has already done to itself." (Apr 18, 2005)
- "Kaching-apore" by La Idler at Idle Days, "Firstly, saying "I do not think" indicates doubt. Secondly, "I do not think that this would change Singapore" indicates that there is a possibility that Singapore may change and why would it change unless the decision to build a casino goes ahead?" (Apr 18, 2005)
- "High Stakes" by La Idler at Idle Days, "I am peeved that despite a quite clear indication from the masses (as judging from the local rags, blogs and kopitiam talk) that we are not ready for Las Vegas, they have gone ahead, rejecting a public referendum on this because perhaps they know that the public would have been divided, but slightly more opposed to the idea." (Apr 19, 2005)
- "No more bets, no more bets" by Andrea at Serialdeviant.org(y), "... all that was left was to work out how to make it acceptable to the average Singaporean without seeming to have rammed it through insensitively" (Apr 19, 2005)
- "Today’s political analysis" by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "Extracts from a Today article featuring political analysts' reaction to the announcement" (Apr 19, 2005)
- "I blame you, you and you for the $100 entrance fee" by Jimmy at Cynics.info (Apr 19, 2005)
- "Hello, it's Integrated Resort, not Casino, ok?" by Mr Brown at Brown Town (Apr 19, 2005)
- "WTF is an IR?" by Mr Miyagi at My Very Own Glob {Curiosa Felicitas} (Apr 19)
- "Haven't Enter Casino, Lose $100 Liao?!..." by Tripleperiod at Chronicles of ..., "Ramblings with regard to the necessary of the $100 entrance fee" (April 19, 2005)
- "Of Singaporeans and Mongrels" by Ahmad at Ahmad In Taiwan, "I don't know about other "quitters", but this is perhaps the biggest reason why I choose not to return in the near future...It's because I don't feel respected as a citizen of this country, by my own government.'" (Apr 19, 2005)
new: - "oh no!" and "ca-SIN-o" by Willywei, " Don't gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow"(Apr 19, 2005)
- "IR - Do we know/have what it takes?" by Wows at Singapore Ink, "The casino debate and decision gives doubts about whether Singapore can successfully pull off an IR" (Apr 20, 2005)
- "Time to cash in?" By Wandie at Educatewandie, "Now that plans have been greenlighted. It's time to ask yourself, 'is it time to puat giao tan jiat?'" (Apr 20 2005)
- "Singpapore Implements a Tax on Stupidity" by Merv at AtypicalSingaporean, "After the casino decision - What we'll expect to see in the coming days" (Apr 20, 2005)
- "Casino CASIYES" by Molly Meek, "It is a perfect situation: the people makes opinions; the government makes decisions. Together we make publicity." (Apr 20, 2005)
- "Integrated Resorts" by Michael Tay at 'You are the Potter, I am the clay', "With the recent approval of the TWO casinos Intergrated Resorts blueprint, the casinos Intergrated Resorts have been the topic many of us talk about over a meal." (Apr 20, 2005)
- "Bloggers Against Reverse Discrimination" by Redrown at Rebrab Moor, "The ill conceived tarriff for Singaporeans to enter the IRs: A clear example of reverse discrimination" (Apr 21, 2005)
- "Spill the Milk and Start Crying Over it" by Molly Meek, "To Molly’s poor Hong Kong friends: Molly is very sad for you. The world is going to pass you by and you are going to be an obscure little island (or group of islands?) with a bad economy in years to come." (Apr 21, 2005)
- "Casino and Gorilla" by Reika at Educatewandie, (Apr 21, 2005)
- Why Stop at Gambling? Let's Legalize Drugs while we're at it" by Justina at About a Nut, "Thoughts on the Casino Debate, plus some suggestions that would have helped the Shanmugam case." (Apr 21, 2005)
- "The casino issue is really just a big poker game between the government and the gaming companies" by Jeff Yen (Apr 21, 2005)
- "I am being discriminated in my own country" by Jeff Yen (Apr 21, 2005)
- "Integrated Resorts" by Gilbert Koh at Singapore Legal Mumbo Jumbo Demystified (Apr 21, 2005)
- "Beyond money vs morals" by duh41 at can music save your mortal soul?, "Simple points that the redundant and protracted casino debate illustrates" (Apr 21, 2005)
- "Solving the Entrance Fee Issue" by Molly Meek, "Make the IRs tourist-only, thus solving the $100 entrance fee problem; set up a Casino-on-the-Net website, but ban it in Singapore, and if Singaporeans still want to gamble, they have to travel to other countries the site is not banned, thus stimulating the local travel industry...many birds with one stone" (Apr 22, 2005)
- "Casino in Singapore" by Slippery Lips, "When I first heard news that Singapore was contemplating opening a casino in Singapore, I anticipated that there would be objection due to the problems caused, problems that disrupted families, drive crime, depression." (Apr 22, 2005)
- "Some reflections on last week’s casino 'debate'", by lzyData at Singapore Ink, "The real casino debate has been going on among the public--the religious groups and secular groups versus the silent "why not?" people and the odd ST columnist--and internally in the Cabinet; 'real' in the sense of having almost everyone involved, even if not 'real' in the sense of actually getting to make the decision"
(Apr 23, 2005).
new: - "The casino decision aftermath: a side of Singapore still missing" by Ball of Yarn at Trompe L'oeil, " At least 35,000 jobs from two giant integrated resorts--I really hope this also means at least 70%-80% of the promised jobs going to Singaporeans and not so-called foreign talent" (Apr 23, 2005)


PUBLICITY (Thank you!)

- "Reactions to the casino decision" at The Singapore Commentator (Apr 21, 2005)
- "Sites Worth Mentioning" by Justina at Singapore Watch (Apr 21, 2005)
- "Synopsium at From a Singapore Angle" by Redrown at Rebrab Moor (Apr 22, 2005)
- By duh41 at can music save your mortal soul? (Apr 23, 2005)
- "Web Symposium: Blogosphere Reactions to the Casino/Integrated Resort Decision 2005" at Tomorrow.sg (Apr 22, 2005)
- The Apr 25 issue of The Void Deck


[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere, casino, integratedresort]

Blogging and character

Alerted by LaughingCow to this: ST (Apr 21), "A blog on your character" by Tan Seow Hon (subscription required). Interesting read. Starts off with the CZ-affair, and using that to launch into a discussion of the practice of blogging and its ethical implications. This bit about the bloggers' screen personae caught my eye:

Blogging as a form of writing seems to be turning into a whole genre in itself. And since human beings are such copycats, one might allow the 'style' on many blogs to take over one's voice. How many of us have been surprised when we read the blog of a friend for the first time and see a completely different side of the person from the one we thought we knew?

In the case of the Northwestern University student, his apology after the incident is telling: 'I guess I was not myself when I wrote those things. I don't use my own persona when I write on my blog. I realise they were in very poor taste and I deeply regret my actions. I am not like that.'

I won't comment on the last bit, but the general point appears true enough. The phenomenon of multiple personae is not totally unique to blogging (or cyberspace in general). Most of us have take on multiple personae at various points of our lives in different social contexts. Think of the differences that are often exemplified in the way we react with our parents, as opposed to our friends, or how we speak in a classroom setting, as opposed to the food court.

The internet, however, does add to those work-a-day possibilities because our choices are apparently less constrained in cyberspace. There are, frankly, only so many ways in which a person may interact respectfully with one's parents or collegues before consequences (e.g., social pressure) set in. But online, one can in principle always choose to adopt one persona rather than another. Our work-a-day personae, on the other hand, are often not chosen per se but structured and partly given by the social roles, positions, and situations we find ourselves in. Those things are seldom simply chosen. We are already embedded in a thousand links not of our own making in the web of society from the day we are born.

[Incidentally and autobiographically, I think--but I am not the best judge of this--my blog persona pretty much overlaps with my work-a-day persona (though somewhat on the didactic and pedantic--i.e., classroom--range of the usual spectrum). Occupational hazard, I suppose.]

But back to the ST article. This other bit is germane given recent events (my emphasis):

What the incident also brings to the forefront is the reality of blogging - that it is not just the private business of the blogger and his fans. Blogging about real persons - individually or as a group - implicates others. Interesting issues are raised when the subject of the blog is someone the blogger is not actually acquainted with.

Who are these subjects? Public figures - and these days, the category has expanded to include teachers and professors - frequently become the subject of blog posts...

Blogging is revealing about the blogger in another way. As there is no personal contact, blogging can encourage uncivil and irresponsible statements - some of which can easily form the subject of defamation suits.

Hiding behind a blog seems to feed cowardice - some bloggers rant behind others' backs. Perhaps they even hope that those they blog about will chance upon these postings because they say things there which they would not dare to confront others with.

In the end, the question each blogger should ask himself is this: What does your blog say about your character?

Excellent question and not without some implications for the issue of another earlier post. What we need is not some brand new 'blogging ethics'; but more awareness that because behind each persona potentially stands a flesh and blood person, the decency that is expected of us in our interactions with people in the real world are and can never be completely set aside.

UPDATE: Somewhat dismayed to read this. [ADD:] It's not even clear if the perceived offending material is by AcidFlask himself, or left as comments by others. That is an important but sometimes overlooked distinction. The question: to what extent are authors of publically accessible blogs that in principle allow anyone to leave comments be held accountable for their readers' comments? goes far beyond "blog ethics" and deserves its own treatment.

UPDATE 2: Redrown considers a hypothetical scenario. His conclusion brings together two distinct strands in this post--the ethical responsibility of the blogger and the extent to which they can be held accountable:

Powerful People (PP) abusing the judiciary is a commonplace occurrence, but that doesn't make it right. But it also serves to warn normal layman bloggers like you and me about the perils of free speech. This may also serve to warn us that as mere mortal bloggers, we are pretty much susceptible once we accidentally step on PP's toes... Maybe we must band together to protect ourselves. Strength in numbers. Besides watching our words, we should stop our zealous infighting and band together against the real threat. For example, if some other bloggers choose to post, say, racist comments, then what we should do is to settle the issue between ourselves. Eg, post a comment or send an email and highlight one's grievances with him, and see the response. An apology and retraction would suffice. There is no need to take the matter to other authorities – and hence out of our hands – we are feeding one of our own to the crocodiles.

I am extremely sympathetic to the last bit (in fact, it is similar to something I said at the end of a previous post). But I am also not hopeful that it will be put into practice by all netizens: it appears to presuppose a class interest for bloggers and netizens in general. If anything, the CZ affair precisely revealed that there is no such class interest. As the question often comes down to: who exactly are the "we"? [ADD: The discussions continues in the comments.]

FURTHER THOUGHT:

He [the King of BROBDINGNAG] laughed at my odd Kind of Arithmetick (as he was pleased to call it) in reckoning the Numbers of our People by a Computation drawn from the several Sects among us in Religion and Politicks. He said, he knew no Reason, why those who entertain Opinions prejudicial to the Publick, should be obliged to change, or should not be obliged to conceal them. And as it was Tyranny in any Government to require the first, so it was Weakness not to enforce the second: For a Man may be allowed to keep poisons in his Closet, but not to vend them about for Cordials. (From Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, III, vi)

[Technorati: blog ethics]

Defending Singapore: Strategies for a Small State

From the concluding paragraphs of Minister Teo's speech to the Press Club:

Some countries are lucky enough to be located in a peaceful and benign environment, and have not faced any threat or conflict for decades, others live in constant fear of invasion; some have mountains or large tracts of land to buffer them, others have little or no strategic depth; some believe in being self-sufficient and providing their own defence, others have decided to place their defence and, hence, the fate of their countries in the hands of others.

We have decided that we must ourselves provide for our own defence, for if we are not prepared to defend ourselves, we cannot expect anyone else to do so on our behalf. This is a bitter lesson that our fathers and grandfathers learned in the past. Providing for our own defence allows us to chart our own course as an independent sovereign nation, without having to buckle under pressure from larger states, or to become subservient to their strategic imperatives

On a different but all too related note, CyberPioneer reports on the latest gadgets for "Urban Operations" (UO), including a throwable "eyeball" that offers 360 degress rotation! Now if they would only they make them to look like real eyeballs...

[Technorati: singapore, military]

[Technorati: singapore]

Call for entries--Web Symposium: Blogosphere reactions to the Casino/Integrated Resort decision 2005

ATTENTION: The symposium is closed. A big thank you to everyone who helped in one way or other to make it a success.

The background is in the previous post (see also the comments).

Even if you don't have a suitable entry, you can still help by spreading the word, or advertising this on your own blog.

The symposium is in full swing (UPDATE: correct link)

Nowadays, it's hard to find someone in Singapore without an opinion about the proposed Casino/Integrated Resort. Even those who are really without an opinion find themselves oblidged to say that they don't have an opinion, as if the contrary is the default.

In the interest of furthering discussion on this issue of the day, From A Singapore Angle is organising a Web Symposium and inviting all interested bloggers to submit entries that will be collated together (roughly in a manner analogous to this, but voluntarily). By having many points of view gathered together under one list, the hope is that the netizens's search for information and informed opinions will be facilitated.

Entries published both during the pre-decision debate and after the decision was announced in parliament are welcomed.

INSTRUCTIONS

If you have blog posts germane to the topic and would like to enter it for the symposium, you can really help me by sending an email to me with "Web Symposium" in the subject, and the title of the post, the author, the name of the blog, a short one sentence abstract and the date the post was originally published in exactly the following format:

- <a href="URL">"TITLE"</a> by NAME at BLOG, "ABSTRACT" (DATE)

Replacing TITLE, NAME, BLOG, ABSTRACT, DATE with the appropriate infomation. For example (this one is for real, by the way):

- <a href="http://www.educatewandie.com/pivot/entry.php?id=210">"Time to cash in?"</a> by Wandie at educatewandie, "Now that plans have been greenlighted. It's time to ask yourself, '<i>is it time to puat giao tan jiat?</i>'" (Apr 20, 2005)

(A bit of html in the abstract is ok, as in the use of the italics above.) I will cut and paste that directly into blogger and it will eventually appear as:

- "Time to cash in?" by Wandie at educatewandie, "Now that plans have been greenlighted. It's time to ask yourself, 'is it time to puat giao tan jiat?'" (Apr 20, 2005)

Ideally, the abstract should be informative, giving the reader a sense of your position or point of view. And if the entry is a response to another blog entry, it would also be useful to indicate that. For example: "...in response to Jane NetCitizen's economic argument for NOT building IRs."

Once your entry is accepted, please include a hyperlink--something to the effect of:

For the Web Symposium: Blogosphere reactions to the Casino/Integrated Resort decision 2005

somewhere in the entry itself. [UPDATE: I've decided to (manually) trackback after all, so this is not necessary; though still welcomed.]

Looking forward to your participation!

ASIDE: Pretty low tech...yes. But let's see how this goes. Discussions are ongoing for more automated and high tech possibilities.

[Technorati: singapore]

Afterthoughts on a recent blogospheric event and a modest proposal

Note: This post is not about CZ at all, but offers some observations about the Singapore Blogosphere in light of recent events and makes a modest proposal toward the end.

Simon called it "a major dust up in Singapore's blogosphere". Others words used to describe it: "witchhunt", "scary", "over-reaction"...but what is implicit is made explicit in other phrases used: "the power of blogdom", "Never underestimate the power of the internet".

How powerful? I don't know. In fact, I'm inclined to say: not very at the moment. The whole affair "hit the fan" mostly because of an extra-blogospheric intervention: someone (a forummer as opposed to a blogger, to be precise) tipped off old media, which published it (obviously) for its own reasons.

But "not very powerful" is not to same as "powerless".

In fact, I think that the whole affair has revealed the power of the blogosphere in a more specific sense--not so much to influence events, but to make possible the voicing and hearing of a range of opinions among people who care about the outcome in a format that tends to conduce more toward argument and discussion (as opposed to mere expression). This format is comparatively friendly to expressions that are more thought out, less caught up in the heat of the moment or influenced by the need to respond immediately, exegencies as might be experienced in a more traditional online forum. And in some cases at least, the exposure to other points of view may have lead to reevaluation, rethinking, reconsideration, more nuance. I would like to think that my collation helped in that direction.

One inherent weakness of the blogosphere as an engine of civic discourse is its fragmentary nature--many voices, more by way of self-expression than the give and take of discussion (see this and this). (Nothing wrong with self-expression, but just that it should not be confused with discussion.) One way to overcome this structural obstacle is meta-blogging--a simple collation of as many of the relevant posts on the issue as possible will do, a collation that acts as a clearing house for those looking for information and possible positions--'out there'--on the subjects of the day. Already, a reader left a comment asking if I would "have time to compile an anatomy on the SG casino debate process"--the answer is "no", not if I have to do the work of seaching out the entries by myself. I won't have that kind of time.

This is where my modest proposal comes in: I am open to the idea of hosting, and would likely support other bloggers (given topics that interest me) who would like to host web symposiums. That is, put out a call for entries and have the bloggers submit the links (together with a one sentence abstract) to the host, who would then list them. That will still take some work on the part of the host, but not as much as would be needed the way I did the CZ affair. [FURTHER NOTE: This way, it also allows the bloggers to decide whether they want to be heard by a larger audience, an issue highlighted by a passerby who left a comment recently.]

So, Wandie (who left the abovementioned comment), you might have your wish after all, if the Singapore Blogosphere is game.

Are we?

News Flash: it's on.

[Technorati: singapore, blog, blogs, blogging, blogosphere]

Eurofighter out of the running for Singapore's NGF competition--French newspaper says

>From Reuters (Apr 18), "Singapore drops Eurofighter from jet bid" (hat tip Alert5):

Singapore has dropped the Eurofighter combat jet from consideration as it prepares to announce the winner of a 1 billion dollar order, an industry source told Reuters today.

The Rafale jet from France's Dassault and the F-15 from Boeing Co. remain in contention, but the source said his firm had been advised the Eurofighter was out...

French newspaper La Tribune had reported earlier in the day that Dassault and Boeing were the only remaining contenders for an order expected to include 20 jets...

La Tribune quoted several sources close to the issue saying that the island state would announce a preferred bidder at the end of June or beginning of July and would aim to conclude negotiations by the end of the year or early 2006.

UPDATE: It's been confirmed:

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the Typhoon is a "very capable aircraft ... (but) the committed schedule for the delivery of the Typhoon and its systems did not meet the requirements" of the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

(CNA Apr 21)

[Technorati: singapore]

Thoughts on anonymity and privacy

Found this article on the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)". Most of it is about what one must do if one is really serious about remaining anonymous--a must-read for the aspiring anonymous blogger. But the introduction is instructive of the larger picture:

Blogs are like personal telephone calls crossed with newspapers. They're the perfect tool for sharing your favorite chocolate mousse recipe with friends--or for upholding the basic tenets of democracy by letting the public know that a corrupt government official has been paying off your boss.

If you blog, there are no guarantees you'll attract a readership of thousands. But at least a few readers will find your blog, and they may be the people you'd least want or expect. These include potential or current employers, coworkers, and professional colleagues; your neighbors; your spouse or partner; your family; and anyone else curious enough to type your name, email address or screen name into Google or Feedster and click a few links.

The point is that anyone can eventually find your blog if your real identity is tied to it in some way. And there may be consequences. Family members may be shocked or upset when they read your uncensored thoughts. A potential boss may think twice about hiring you. But these concerns shouldn't stop you from writing. Instead, they should inspire you to keep your blog private, or accessible only to certain trusted people.

Now anonymity and privacy in blogging are two distinct things. An anonymous blogger may not be concerned about privacy at all--he may want as many people as possible reading what he writes; he just doesn't want them to know exactly who he is. As the above article points out, this is not just a matter of signing off in a pseudonym, but involves (inter alia) not mentioning any identifying details about oneself, or one's workplace, school, etc.

A blogger concerned about privacy (as opposed to anonymity), on the other hand, wants either no one, or only a select--private--group, to read what he writes. But relevant factors overlap. Let's begin with the blogger whose audience group is exactly one--the blog is strictly personal and meant for the blogger himself or herself. Yes, by all means there are a variety of technical means by which a blog can be made very secure to prying eyes (or the occasional wanderer); but why go through all that trouble to secure it online if no one is supposed to read it anyway, and when it could have been offline in the first place.

More interesting is the blog meant for a select audience of more than one, an exclusive group of friends, for instance. Now there are some very good and commonsense reasons to put things meant only for a select few online--the friends could be in far flung corners of the world, for example. And having a blog implies that one's friends could come read of their own accord, on their own time, rather than have mass-emails stuffed into their mailboxes. I suspect that many if not most blogs are of this nature in their intention--the blogger meant what he or she writes for his or her friends. And most of such blogs are not specially protected by technical means (passwords, etc.). But it is important to keep the nature of the internet in mind: if a blog meant for a select few is not properly protected, it is extremely possible that eventually, someone could wander to it and be non the wiser that it was meant for a select few in the first place.

The above is not meant to suggest that one cannot wish or intend that one's blog be private (whether for oneself alone, or for a select few); it is merely a reminder that what one wishes or intends is one thing, how the wish or intention translates into reality is another.

UPDATE: Some interesting recent posts on the topic: here, here, here and here (warning, CZ appears on some of them, in case you are sick and tired of the whole affair). UPDATE: Almost forgot this one.

UPDATE 2: Another interesting article on this subject. From Wired (Dec 3, 2004), "How Long Is Your Digital Trail?" by Regina Lynn (hat tip: Agagooga).

UPDATE 3: Nilsinelabore asks the crucial question:

If you come across a blog (purely by accident) and what you find is extremely disturbing (and also because he/she is groomed to be a future Mandarin and not some regular Joe/Jane). What would you as a blogger do?

Crucial, because, as Jeff Yen points out (and Nilsinelabore quotes):

For bloggers and online diarists, this has quite a few levels of ethical issues intertwined, and there is no precedent for us to rely on. The judgment that we as bloggers pronounce may one day come back and haunt us.

I'm still thinking about it. But this much seems right. If the 'offending' blogger poses no clear and present danger (he's not about to set off a bomb), or more mundanely, he is not in a position of power over the people he could hurt (e.g., a teacher who blogs about sexual fantasies involving his pupils), then perhaps the best thing to do is to send an email to him first. Give him a chance to desist, before going public on your own blog (or have it sent to a popular blog)...

UPDATE 4: PSC has reprimanded the scholar involved (Apr 26).

ST: Govt OKs casino project

ST (Apr 18; subscription required):

THE green light has been given: Singapore will proceed with the much debated casino resort project, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament on Monday.

UPDATE: Lzydate of Singapore Ink (who was in parliament during the crucial announcements) the has the lowdown.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHT: In case anyone failed to notice, Lzydata--a blogger-journalist--covered a major news event first hand without the mainstream media interposing itself as the middleman. Kudos! Portents of things to come?

Fascinating read, "Taming The Casino Dragon: The only certain thing in life is its uncertainty", by Chia Teck Leng (available on CNA). The author is well placed to know what he is talking about. Writing from jail, he says this about himself:

At the point when I was arrested, I was purportedly the second biggest casino gambler in the world.

Eyeopening...well, at least for someone whose knowledge of casinos come mostly from episodes of CSI. (More about the writer here.)

UPDATE: For more on the casino issue, see the Web Symposium: Blogosphere Reactions to the Casino/Integrated Resort Decision 2005.

[Technorati: singapore]

Anatomy of a blogospheric event

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've conscientiously left trackbacks at just about all of the blog posts listed here, except for a few that I was somehow unable to. If you don't want your post listed here, please feel free to contact me. I'm giving you a veto. (Add: If you found your site listed and wondered how did that happen, go to the end of this post.)

Read this News Flash

What have we learned? What ought we have done better? What does it portent for the Singapore Blogosphere? While chewing on these questions, I made a list of all the bloggers who posted on the event. It is as exhaustive as I can make it now (if you have a blog entry not listed, do leave a comment); but does not cover the ongoing discussions in the comment sections of Wannabe Lawyer's post and SPUG. As far as I can tell, most of the bloggers have been level and sane in their tone (compared to some of the comments and forum postings). The fact that many have chosen not to be anonymous helps--we too are being held responsible for our expressions. [Note: my own stand on the issue has been posted previously, so I won't repeat.]

UPDATE: A few more just found on Technorati and added under "Second Wave". These were not linked to the others, which is also why I missed them first time round. I'll add them as I find them.

UPDATE 2: Incidentally, I think it's time to clarify one misconception. The bloggers (SingaporeSerf, Wannabe Lawyer, Nisinelabore) who first got their hands on the offending posts on CZ's site did not have to do any 'hacking'--there was nothing to hack. (There are rumors that the site was hacked subsequently--after the storm broke--but that's another matter altogether.) While it is true that CZ's domain root directory

http://www.chengzhan.net/

pops a Javascript password prompt, none of the other directories and files are protected. There are two totally obvious ways to get to CZ's blog. One: by going to either of these two URLs:

http://www.chengzhan.net/home.html (which links to the latter)

or

http://www.chengzhan.net/main/blog/12157914.html (which is the blog itself)

Two: least anyone thinks that the blog URL is meant to be a mystery--it is hyperlinked from the blogrolls of (at least) two blogs composed by friends of CZ, neither of which are password protected (still true at the time I am posting this; UPDATE: One has been taken down). So: while I do believe that CZ intended his blog to be read by his close friends, and may even believe that he 'protected' his site by a password, the fact remains that it is not. Anyone could have very easily wandered into his blog.

UPDATE 3: The data below is basically begging for someone to makes sense of it...

UPDATE 4: New items added. Also added a new category for entries that are primarily about privacy, freedom of speech and so on. Some of the earlier added items are relocated there.

UPDATE 5: Afterthoughts on the whole affair, plus a modest proposal.

The first posts (Apr 13/14):
- "Shanmugam Murugesu" by KnightofPentacles at Singapore Serf
- "A future Singapore bureaucrat" by Nilsinelabore (no longer available to the public)
- A comment left by Nilsinelabore at Caustic Soda
- "Everything that is wrong with our scholar selection process" by Han at Wannabe Lawyer (since modified); picked up on the same day at the SPUG Forum

Early blogosphere follow-ups (Apr 14-16)
- Stop Talking Cock by Ivan at Ivan's Chimera
- "PSC Scholar? What a joke!" by Kevin Koo at I am but a Sojourner for Christ
- "Our proud PSC scholar" at Tomorrow
- "Disappointed" at The Spoke
- "Killah rages against the machine" by Ivan Killah
- "PSC and a scholar of theirs" by Lzydata at Singapore Ink
- "Javascript weasel" by Gecko at A Gecko's Tale
- "An ethical conundrum for the Internet age" by Tym at Tym Blogs Too
- "Racism, Singapore Blogging" by Karate Kid IV at Girl, Emancipated
- Kureshi on Exiled Heaven
- Agagooga at Balderdash.
- "Missing the bigger issue", by Merv at Atypical Singaporean
- "Racist bastardism" by Faz
- "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" by Huichieh at From a Singapore Angle
- "The Witch Hunt" by Juznuts
- "It's a scary blogosphere" by Lzydata at Singapore Ink
- "Over-reaction - Blogosphere vs. Individual; China vs. Japan" by Wows at Ty Crooked Stairs

- "How much does attention cost? Too much, I'ld say" by Nafic/Cherf (a friend of CZ)

Second Wave (Apr 16/17+)
- "The storm over CZ breaks on print media" by Huichieh at From a Singapore Angle; this is a primary reference post as it contains the text of the Sunday Times article
- "From anonymity to public apology - a PSC scholar (CZ)" by Nilsinelabore
- "The Witch Hunt is over - He got burnt at the stake" by Juznuts
- "The power of blogdom" by AcidFlask at Caustic Soda
- "PSC scholar under fire" by Chris at The Spillover Ink
- "Never underestimate the power of the internet" by Kevin Koo at I am but a Sojourner for Christ
- "The Scholar Firing" by Wows at Singapore Ink
- "News break~" by Yang at Crossroads of Life
- By Manthu at Inner Sanctum
- "Once bitten, forever shy" at A Life Uncommon
- "Racist psc scholar?" by LCT on Somewhat Blue
- "In Support of the Racist Blogger" by Jeremy at Convex Set
- "The Scholar Firing (cont'd)" by Wows at Singapore Ink
- "Cz-ed" and "Racist? Maybe not. Handling it with 'Satire' would have been better" by Justina at Singapore Watch
- "It's hit the fan, but may turn out to be a good thing: 'Scholar under fire for racist blog entries'" by Ivan Chew on Rambling Librarian
- At Queer Singaporean in pain
- By Xue at Random Musings From London
- "People who live in glass houses should never throw stones" by Angelkitana
- "Who's the f---ing stupid one", by Whatever
- "Local blogsphere, meet mainstream media: Scene one, take one" by Jeff Yen (he is the moderator at SPUG)
- "Racist comments by scholar provokes witch hunt" at Singapore Commentator
- "An Open Letter to Chua Cheng Zhan", "The Dust In His Eyes And The Beam In Yours" and "More thoughts about the racist PSA asshat scholar" by Caleb on A Gonzo Journal
- "Publically Stupidified Concepts" by Azrael at Insaintly Yours
- "PSC-ism" by Anthony at Almost Infamous
- "Racist PSC Scholar - The WitchHunt Part 1" and "Racist PSC Scholar - We are our own prophets" by Marilyn at A Crunchy Green Apple
- By Weeleeum at The Universe Declares your majesty (a friend of CZ)
- By Agagooga at Balderdash.
- " of blogs, bloggers and bastards" by Christine at f*! ass+ablishmen+

Second Wave II (these are not linked to the previous group)
- "In Defence of Cheng Zhan" and "Postscript" by Shaun at Alpha: A Beginning (a friend of CZ)
- "Scholar under fire" and "Scholar's personae" at Restless Dreams
- "I hate Sundays. Sometimes." at Stoned.Nerd
- At I Raced Against Time
- "No ice cream for me" by Evelyn at Hiatus
- "Racism" at Jiatong's Quantum Blog
- At Tandoori Chick
- "Racism still prevalent?" at Bitch Central

Primarily on Blogging, Privacy, Freedom of Speech
- "On Blogs" by J at Idle Thoughts
- "Should a blog be private? What can we learn from this?" by Kevin Koo at I am but a Sojourner for Christ
- "Blog privacy revisited" and "Further thoughts on blogging and CZ" at Mindless Ramblings of an Ineffectual Preacher
- "Time to stop posting too personal stuff and urm overly biased opinions on your blogs!" by Dotdotx
- "Of blogs private limited?" by LancerLord
- "The perils of the singapore blogosphere" by Klem on Thinking Aloud
- "Zen and the Art of Blogging" by Anthony at Almost Infamous
- "A Blow To Free Speech" by Tedbasser at It's Time to Rock
- "I was happier when bloogs were obscure" by Serialdeviant

UPDATE: The latest here.

ADDENDUM: A new post on a related topic (note: CZ is not mentioned).

ADDENDUM 2: Some of the bloggers whose postings ended up here expressed surprise at how I managed to find them. Look: nothing especially diabolical here. I have access to no more resource that you have. You are found either by google or technorati, or because a post I found links to you, or because you linked to me.

UPDATE 3: PSC has reprimanded the scholar involved (Apr 26).

[Technorati: singapore, blogosphere]

The storm over CZ breaks on print media

Continuing from here; looks like someone really forwarded the whole deal to PSC and ST. From Sunday Times (Apr 17, subscription required), "Scholar under fire for racist blog entries--PSC scholarship holder studying in US removes offending remarks and says sorry; his shocked family here also apologises. PSC investigating issue", by Jeremy Au Yong.

...DELETED...

[Notes: The offending posts by cz are quoted on Ivan's here. As for the supposed security of CZ's site and allegations of hacking, see update #2 here.]

UPDATE: Wows of Singapore Ink has extended comments. Whatever happens now, I'm praying that PSC (and the public at large will not over-react).

UPDATE 2: The tread on the SPUG forum where most of the action was (not pretty...).

UPDATE 3: AcidFlask has another extended roundup. He closes with this:

...is cheng zhan going to be singapore's analogue of eason jordan [nyt], who was forced to resign after being cauterized in the american blogosphere? let's see what psc will do. then again, with the decision on the casino issue due tomorrow, it might just blow over.

The thought did cross my mind ("scholargate"). But if this is how it's going to turn out (and I hope it doesn't), let's hope that next time, it will be a more worthy target.

UPDATE 4: I've complied a listing of the blogospheric reaction here.

UPDATE 5: The latest here.

UPDATE 6: PSC has reprimanded the scholar involved (Apr 26).

[Technorati: singapore]

Ex-Punter weights in on the Casino Issue

Fascinating read, "Taming The Casino Dragon: The only certain thing in life is its uncertainty", by Chia Teck Leng (available on CNA). The author is well placed to know what he is talking about. Writing from jail, he says this about himself:

At the point when I was arrested, I was purportedly the second biggest casino gambler in the world.

Eyeopening...well, at least for someone whose knowledge of casinos come mostly from episodes of CSI. (More about the writer here.)

UPDATE: For more on the casino issue, see the Web Symposium: Blogosphere Reactions to the Casino/Integrated Resort Decision 2005.

[Technorati: singapore]

Man charged with attempted bribery only kidding

Continuing from here, the former SAF scholar was charged with attempted bribery and sentenced to eight weeks' jail (CNA Apr 15). The revelation--he was just kidding:

Mr Shashi Nathan, Defence Lawyer, said: "I think it was established to the court that although an offer was made, it was in essence an empty offer. An offer that could never have gone through.

"It also played out perhaps his real intention in commiting this offence, clearly an offence of corruption was made out, but it also shows that really he was mischievous and the mischief got him into the postion that he was."

Eng's lawyers added he was not instigated by any person or company to secure the contract.

Mr Shashi Nathan added: "It would have been impossible for him to receive any benefit from this offer. In his mind, at the time when he made the comment, the project had already ended. Really it's silly why he even did this.

[Technorati: singapore]

Singapore remains committed to help rebuild Aceh

From CNA (Apr 15), "Singapore remained committed to help rebuild Aceh: DPM Tan", by Yvonne Cheong:

SINGAPORE : Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan said Singapore remained committed to help rebuild Aceh in its recovery and reconstruction phase, which will take several years. He said the recent tsunami and earthquake tragedies had strengthened the strong bonds between Indonesia and Singapore.

Dr Tan was speaking at the launch of the Indonesia-Singapore Friendship Association (ISFA) on Friday. He also welcomed the proposal by the association to conduct free Bahasa Indonesia classes which will be open to the public.

Dr Tan said: "Moving forward, we must build on what has been achieved and find new ways to broaden the base of our relations. Closer people-to-people interactions would allow us to forge an even stronger partnership between our two countries. The ISFA can play an important role in this regard."

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

I've tried to hold off for as long as possible concerning the uproar over the young blogger who spouted certain rather repugnant remarks in his blog. The thoughts expressed are reprehensible, and would have been a serious concern if the person involved is actually in a position of responsibility. But he is not. In fact, he is just a youth. Let this not become a witchhunt. But you say: he's a PSC scholar and one day, he will be in the elite. That day has not come, and frankly, if he keeps this up, he won't be in no elite that we need to worry about. Think of it this way: are we concerned to shame him (and possibly even ruin his future), or is the hope that he will change his heart? Ladies and gentlemen of the Singapore Blogosphere, I plea for calm.

UPDATE: Added more comments at Wannabe Lawyer's.

UPDATE 2: Case closed, for now.

UPDATE 3: Excellent longer discussions of the affair by Lzydata at Singapore Ink, and Wows by (also of Ink) on his own blog.

UPDATE 4: The storm has broken in the pages of print media.

UPDATE 5: PSC has reprimanded the scholar involved (Apr 26).

[Technorati: singapore]

A Singapore Imprint

Singapore Commentator pointed to a piece by Koh Buck Song in ST (Apr 14; via ST News@Asiaone) in which the writer calls for "a Singapore Imprint"--an "intellectual periodical" and "print forum for intellectual trends and world affairs":

A RECENT forum raised the question of whether Singapore qualifies as a great global city. The conclusion was mostly mixed, but the consensus seems that it is not, and that there is still room for improvement.

The topic has sparked much discussion. Someone summed up the key issue by saying that 'Singapore has a big brain but a small heart'.

I suspect the candid views of the forum panelists must have made for sober reading in some quarters, given Singapore's massive investment over the years in hardware. For me, the more obvious shortfall is in software. The country's 'brain' is big, but it focuses on only some things and has few places to express itself.

Crucially, Singapore is lacking in one major area - it has no intellectual periodical to speak of, let alone one that makes an impact outside these shores.

The model I have in mind is a print forum for intellectual trends and world affairs. To take an example from the United States, it would be something like the New Yorker magazine and Foreign Affairs journal rolled into one.

Singapore Commentator points out the glaring omission: "Significantly, blogging was not mentioned as an avenue for expressing intellectual views" argues that "or Singapore, the Internet in general — and blogging in particular — is a viable alternative as an avenue for airing intellectual opinions." Lzdata of Singapore Ink concurs: "I look forward to the time when we find that periodical, or maybe constellation of blogs, that lives up to the description."

The fly in the ointment, as far as I can tell, is that while there seems to be a lot of talent in the Singapore blogosphere, a large part of it is not directed toward expression of the intellectual sort at all, if impressions mean anything. Secondly, a constellation of good bloggers still won't be quite the same as a good publication (think "edited") in presenting a focus (or name) that readers can easily point to (as opposed to a more diffused, "hit and miss affair" that is often the case with blogs).

Singapore Commentator mentioned the "intellectually vibrant blogging community in the United States"--yes, there are some very impressive blogs in the US, but they at best complement or supplement the major perodicals (the list under "magazines" in Arts and Letters Daily is indicative), not rival them. In many cases, the blogs comment on the commentaries offered in the perodicals. It does help, though, that many blog writers are also writers and contributers for the perodicals.

Incidentally, this other bit in the ST piece caught my eye:

Currently, about the only platform in this country that offers an expression of Singaporean intellectual life on a regular basis can be found in the Review pages of this newspaper. But this cannot be enough. There is nothing like a magazine of international standing to carry the right credibility.

I don't even know whether to cry or to laugh.

In the meantime, don't forget to take a glance at this ...

ADDENDUM: Rather than end the post on a negative note, let me add something. Despite what I said above, I do think that there is a lot of potential for an online instrument (not necessarily a blog) to achieve what Koh is talking about. (I just don't think the Singapore blogosphere in its present stage is quite up to it yet.) Koh's piece included a list of desirables for the Imprint:

First, iconic quality. The publication's global reach would project Singaporean 'soft power' by contributing to the world's discussion of a range of key issues, from tackling terrorism to protecting polar ice caps, from integrating South-east Asian nations to developing cultural sensitivity...

Second, intellectual depth. The idea here is not to be stuck in the swamp of academic jargon, but to do two things - make the profound simple and the simple profound...

Third, to gain true iconic status, independence is crucial. The publication's impartiality must be so clear, and its international influence so far-reaching, that Singapore might never again be placed just above Iraq in global surveys of the media environment.

Finally, inclusiveness, which means a mature, moderate meeting of minds, both mainstream and maverick. This means doing what the best magazines do - drawing out the essence of the most intellectual topic and connecting to current debates in fresh, insightful ways that are accessible to the widest audience possible.

Are we--the PAP government included--ready for this (see especially the third point)?

FURTHER THOUGHT: I was thinking through the points listed by Koh and wondering if there is enough talent and gung-ho among the Singapore bloggers to make a small start. At the height of the ST paid subscription uproar (that's like so long ago in blogosphere time), Trowa Evans of The Police State made an interesting suggestion concerning an online magazine. But we'll need people (editors, web people) who can commit full time, or at least quite a bit of time, to the enterprise--while most bloggers blog as a hobby.

Developing...

[Technorati: singapore]

Terse and at Large blogs about Nias

Terz of Terse and at Large is at it again. After his soulfull accounts of Meulaboh (see the archives for January and Febuary) from the perspective of a Mercy Relief volunteer, he was once again in the thick of it in Nias, before stunning us once again with some excellent photography, posted at the Mercy Relief Secretariat in Medan. So far, only Part One is up. I'm looking forward to the rest.

TODAY: flyers to plead for convicted father's life

Acidflask passed this one along; from TODAYONLINE (Apr 12)

Shanmugam, 38, was sentenced to death after being caught with more than a kilogramme of cannabis at the Tuas Checkpoint on Aug 29, 2003. He has asked the President for clemency after his appeal was dismissed.

On their lawyer’s advice, the boys made their public appeal, hoping that members of the public would join their cause.

Said Krishnan, a Secondary 3 student: "My parents are divorced and my father has been looking after us. My mother remarried, lives somewhere else and doesn’t see us anymore. If he is hanged...we will become orphans."

The twins’ grandmother, Mdm Letchumi Murugesu, has been looking after them since Shanmugam was imprisoned. According to the twins, Mdm Letchumi is unemployed and relies on handouts from the Singapore Indian Development Association to pay the bills.

Said Gopalan, also a student: "My grandmother will not be around for much longer to care for us. What’s going to happen to us after that?"

It's a pretty sad story and you can read more on AcidFlask. I am not philosophically against the death penalty as long as it is properly and fairly carried out--and even AcidFlask himself says that "yes, the evidence is overwhelming for demonstrating his guilt", though he argues that there are "mitigating factors for clemency". You will have to decide for yourself.

The main concern now is the children (and the mother): is there anything that can be done for them in the event that Shanmugam is no longer with them?

UPDATE: The most sensible thing I've read on the whole issue so far on Gilbert Koh's Singapore Legal Mumbo Jumbo Demystified.

[Technorati: singapore]

Casino decision made, but not made public yet

From ST (Apr 13; Subscription required):

KUWAIT CITY - THE Cabinet reached a decision on whether Singapore should have a casino last Saturday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong revealed here yesterday.

He kept mum about the final verdict, but said he welcomed the opposition to the casino idea as a sign that Singapore had moral ballast.

Speaking to the Singapore media at the end of his four-day visit to Qatar and Kuwait, he said: 'I gave my view to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before I left. There was a meeting last Saturday where they took a decision on the casino.' The decision will be announced in Parliament next Monday.

In the meantime, Han of Wannabe Lawyer makes mincemeat of the Worker Party's take on the issue; also check out the posts on Singapore Ink.

ST (Apr 18; subscription required):

THE green light has been given: Singapore will proceed with the much debated casino resort project, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament on Monday.

UPDATE: Lzydate of Singapore Ink (who was in parliament during the crucial announcements) the has the lowdown.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHT: In case anyone failed to notice, Lzydata--a blogger-journalist--covered a major news event first hand without the mainstream media interposing itself as the middleman. Kudos! Portents of things to come?

Fascinating read, "Taming The Casino Dragon: The only certain thing in life is its uncertainty", by Chia Teck Leng (available on CNA). The author is well placed to know what he is talking about. Writing from jail, he says this about himself:

At the point when I was arrested, I was purportedly the second biggest casino gambler in the world.

Eyeopening...well, at least for someone whose knowledge of casinos come mostly from episodes of CSI. (More about the writer here.)

UPDATE: For more on the casino issue, see the Web Symposium: Blogosphere Reactions to the Casino/Integrated Resort Decision 2005.

[Technorati: singapore]

[Technorati: singapore]

Singapore water technology

Continuing on a theme I talked about some time ago (here and here)--from IHT (Apr 9), "How Singapore turns local heroes into global stars", by Miki Tanikawa:

While Singapore has been known for technology manufacturers like Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Creative Technology, the maker of PC sound cards, engineering services companies like Hyflux have come to the fore recently.

Leveraging its technology in water treatment and desalination, Hyflux has profited from demand for basic infrastructure services in countries like China, Thailand and India, where Hyflux has built water-treatment facilities and desalination plants.

Singapore is in fact home to a string of competitive water-treatment companies that are active in Asia and beyond, including the Middle East. These include Dayen Environmental, Darco Water Technologies, Sinomem Technology and Eco Water.

Why is such a small country so big in water treatment? "For a very mere fact that we are having a water shortage problem ourselves, we do recognize the potential" in the business, said Kerryn Tay, an analyst with GK Goh Securities in Singapore.

Absent freshwater lakes in the country, securing clean fresh water is a matter of national security, analysts said - one reason that the Singaporean government is promoting Singapore as a water hub.

Singapore has long purchased water from Malaysia but has become more conscientious about water supplies because the two governments have not agreed on price terms for the raw-water sales, Tay said. The Singaporean government is now promoting private-sector research and development in the field.

Hyflux shares got a lift in October after it announced a three-year, 672 million-dollar contract with Istithmar, a holding company in the United Arab Emirates, to build water and waste-treatment facilities in the region. In fact, Tay said, "the share price looks a bit stretched at this point."

(The article is not really about the water, but blue chip companies in Singapore.) Unfortunately, only I could only find the websites of Hyflux and Eco Water. Hyflux is the company that made the headlines two years ago with this bit of innovative technology:

...the Aquovate™ Technology extracts the safest and freshest drinking water harmlessly from the atmosphere by continual re-circulation through Hyflux’s advanced membrane technology and UV purification.

Cool...

[Technorati: singapore]

China wants to buy French Mirage 2000-9 fighters

That is, if the EU is willing to lift its arms embargo on the PRC. From ST (Apr 12; subscription required):

HONG KONG - CHINA intends to buy 210 advanced Mirage fighter jets from France once the European Union lifts its arms embargo on the mainland, according to a Hong Kong newspaper report. Such an acquisition would give China a vast military edge over its rival Taiwan.

That is, to say the least, an understatement. We are talking about the potential transfer of advanced European military (aviation) technology to the PRC. The Mirage 2000 is not exactly the in latest generation of modern fighter aircraft, but it is still an extremely good aircraft. (Incidentally, if the Chinese are serious about this, it may indicate that they are not as confident of the superiority of the fighter aircraft they currently possess as they might appear to be.) Even if technology is not directly transferred, rest assured that if the Chinese get their hands on equipment such as the Mirage 2000, they will see to its reverse engineering.

According to the Hong Kong Commercial Daily, China has been negotiating a deal, estimated to be worth 12 billion euros (S$25.4 billion), with France's Dassault Aviation since the end of last year.

But the deal will be held up if the EU's arms embargo, imposed since 1989, is not lifted soon despite the strong urging of member countries such as France and Germany.

If the deal were to go through, 30 Mirage 2000-9CS would be delivered to China at the end of 2006, while 60 would be handed over annually from 2007 to 2009.

The report also said that 40 Chinese fighter pilots would start training in France from June aboard Mirage 2000-B jets.

Predictably, the Taiwanese are worried:

Some observers noted that the new purchases meant that China would have three times more Mirage fighters than rival Taiwan. Taiwan's current Mirage fleet would also lag in terms of capabilities as its 2000-5Ei fighters are less advanced than the 2000-9CS China is eyeing.

According to this report from the Taiwanese government's web portal:

The ROC Air Force will feel the pinch if China acquires French-made Mirage 2000-9CS jet fighters, the chief of staff at the ROC Air Force General Headquarters said Monday... As Mirage 2000-9CSs are newer than the Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters that Taiwan acquired in the 1990s, Peng said the Mirage 2000-9CSs are believed to outperform the Mirage 2000-5s in combat capabilities and range. If China does obtain Mirage 2000-9CSs, Peng admitted that the ROC Air Force will face great pressure... With a view to upgrading air defense capabilities, Peng said, the military has considered procuring a new generation of warplanes after acquiring 150 U.S.-built F-16 jet fighters and 60 Mirage 2000-5s in the 1990s. Noting that new warplane procurement requires a careful evaluation of a number of complicated elements, Peng said the military is still collecting information and data about the procurement plan. "We are mulling whether to buy U.S.-made F35s or F-18s or to upgrade our F-16 fleet now in service, " Peng said, adding that the military must also consider whether the United States would sell its most advanced warplanes to Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the EU takes a step back from the brink; from Bloomberg (Apr 11):

European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the EU should consider the impact on Pacific Rim security before deciding whether to end a 16-year-old ban on weapons sales to China.

"What I think is right is for people to pause and reflect, taking into account every point of view, not just that of the U.S. and that of China, but some of China's neighbors as well," Mandelson said in an interview in Brussels today. "We also have to reflect on whether we have the right arrangements, the right conditions in place for supervising future arms sales if the present embargo is lifted."

UPDATE:

I've been trying to track down the source of the news as ST's "according to a Hong Kong newspaper report" is rather vague. Right now, the item is not widely reported in the English media, yet. A search on Google in Chinese for "幻影2000 210" (i.e., "Mirage 2000" and "210"--for the number of planes the Chinese are reportedly interested in) turned up a number of items. According to this report from PhoenixTV.com, the item was first picked up by various HK newspapers from "numerous" mainland web sources (据香港商报援引海内外多个网站报道). Though some of the reports (including the one from PhoenixTV) characterize the sources of the information as "reliable" (据可靠消息), others are careful to note that the item is "unconfirm" (未经核实消息). So much for that, but what are these mainland web sources? Tracking them down has so far proven to be a much more intractable task.

What does this imply for the reliability of the news item? It's hard to say. To begin with, it is not in-itself implausible for China to be interested in the French aircraft--primarily for what they might learn (i.e., steal) by reverse engineering various advance components. For example, the fly-by-wire system of the Mirage alone is generations ahead of what the Chinese are able to produce on their own. But whether true or not, "leaking" this piece of "news" sends a certain signal to the Europeans as they continue to deliberate on whether to lift the arms embargo on the PRC.

Trial begins for possible military procurement scandal

From ST (Apr 12; subscription required): The trial of a man accused of offering $500,000 to a senior defence executive for information about a helicopter deal began behind closed doors yesterday. for background, see this.

RSAF Chinooks return from Nias

The 3 RSAF Chinooks involved in earthquake relief in Sumatra have returned from Nias. From ST (Apr 12), "Daddy's home" (subscription required):

Lieutenant Alistair Gorrie, 27, has said goodbye thrice since end-December to his five-month-old son Ethan. The Chinook helicopter pilot has been gone for weeks at a time on each trip to the tsunami-stricken areas of Phuket and Medan, and more recently Nias island in Indonesia, which suffered an earthquake of magnitude 8.7 on March 28. ... He was among the 73 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel who arrived home yesterday evening in three Chinook helicopters at Sembawang Air Base. ... While there, the helicopters ferried 870 civilian and military rescue personnel working for Singapore organisations and other rescue teams from countries like Hungary, Russia and the Philippines. The helicopters also evacuated 70 casualties from Nias to Medan for further medical treatment and assisted in ferrying Indonesian armed forces and authorities. Working along with SAF's military transport planes, the C-130s, the Chinooks airlifted about 95 tonnes of aid supplies like food, generators and medical supplies to areas that were difficult to access.

(UPDATE: MINDEF Press Release here.)

Elsewhere, "S'pore team marks 100 days since tsunami"; from ST (Apr 12; subscription required):

ALTHOUGH it has been 100 days since the tsunami ravaged Banda Aceh, few have forgotten its horror.

Mr Yatiman Yusof, Senior Parliamentary Secretary in Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, led a 23-member delegation, including religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Organisation, in a memorial ceremony in Banda Aceh on Sunday to mark the 100th day.

The ceremony was held in Masjid Banda Raya, a mosque which withstood the force of the Dec 26 tsunami.

Before the event, religious leaders from Singapore held a special prayer service next to a mass grave.

The Singapore delegation distributed two containers of food supplies, said charity organisation Mercy Relief, which helped make the trip possible.

About 500 children's playpacks were also distributed in an orphanage and a boarding school.

'Our support is all encompassing and goes beyond providing basic needs, medical services and physical infra- structure,' said Mercy Relief executive director Hassan Ahmad.

'As a close neighbour, we want the people of Aceh to know that they are constantly on our minds and in our prayers,' he added.

Singapore charity groups are still working in the quake-affected areas of Indonesia.

Mercy Relief, for instance, has volunteers in Meulaboh and Medan.

Red Cross Singapore has a four-member nursing team in Meulaboh providing basic medical care.

Japanese matchmakers for Singapore

From Japan Times (Apr 9), "Singapore turns to Japan's matchmakers as birthrate sags":

Japan might assist in Singapore's efforts to set up matchmaking services, sources said Friday.

Officials from the Singaporean Ministry of Community Development and Sports met with representatives of the Japanese matchmaking services industry in Japan in late March. They proposed setting up a joint venture between Japanese and Singaporean firms or having Japanese firms start up matchmaking businesses in Singapore, the sources said.

Looks like SDU, like so many other things in Singapore, is looking to foreign talent...

[Technorati: singapore]

Selfish and unselfish voting

Economist tend to make two assumptions about voters--one, that their motives are egocentric, not sociotropic (i.e., they vote on the basis of their economic self-interest); two, their beliefs are rational, not subject to systematic bias. Now the political scientists, on the other hand, think that there is good evidence against the first assumption. If they (the political scientists) are right, then both selfish and unselfish voters exist, where the former would choose policies best for themselves while the latter would vote for policies best for society. In that case, unselfishness results in a a better overall result. But what if the second assumption is wrong as well? Bryan Caplan asks:

But what happens if people have systematically biased beliefs about policy - for example, if they underestimate the social benefits of the market mechanism? How does bad cognition interact with voter motivation? ...The gist of my answer is that if voters have systematic biases, unselfishness is worse for society than selfishness.

Looks to be very interesting...if I can just get round to reading the paper (.pdf file).

One more month...

...and my life changes forever...well, at least until she* goes to college (*probable; based upon an ultrasound done at week 20).

UPDATE: Just been reminded that there is no "until" clause to this sort of things (except, maybe "until I pass on"). Meanwhile, preparations continue apace:



UPDATE 2: Wifey posts on this same topic.

Graded by software

From their website:

Qualrus is a qualitative analysis software program that uses an array of intelligent computational strategies to assist with coding, and qualitative data analysis.

Geekish, but not especially exotic. But check under Applications:

Teachers can use it to grade student papers and provide feedback to students
reviews

From CNET's news.com (Apr 7):

Ed Brent, professor of sociology at the Columbia, Mo., university, spent six years developing the program, which is called Qualrus, and has been testing it on his pupils for the past two. It works by scanning text for keywords, phrases and language patterns. Students load papers directly into the system via the Web and get nearly instant feedback.

How can a cold, mechanical computer comprehend the art and nuance of writing? The program is actually quite sophisticated, Brent said. It's not enough to just throw keywords into an essay willy-nilly. The program analyzes sentence and paragraph structure and can ascertain the flow of arguments and ideas. It gives each work a numeric score based on the weight instructors place on various elements of the assignment.

The computer-generated scores count for about a third to a quarter of students' final grade for Brent's class. Students have challenged the scores, but if they don't use the right lingo in their papers, they're out of luck. "In sociology, we want them to learn the terms," Brent said.

Interesting...but also worrying. Not that the idea of a computerised grading system is in itself worrying--the SAT, GRE and all sorts of standardise tests are already automated. The question is whether writing can be graded this way. In a way, Brent gives the game away--the program is all about the key words. But knowing how to use the terminology of a special disciple is hardly the same as "good writing", nor, ipso facto, can what the program does be counted as grading writing after all. As Ken "Caesar" Fisher puts it in his Ars Technica report of the story:

...that's what this looks to be: a very basic attempt to see if someone is saying the right kinds of things. This is, of course, not synonymous with good writing. Good writing works to convey a message in an effective, compelling manner. And more importantly, good "grading" means you get your paper back with loads of comments, preferably typed, with hand written notes all over your work. When I grade written work, for instance, students get a typed, single-spaced page of comments for roughly about every 5 pages (doubled spaced) of comments. Of course, I'm teaching in the Liberal Arts, where writing is extremely important, and students aren't really being asked to just vomit back memorized data. However, I would be massively disappointed to turn in written work only to get an "89" back, with no comments.

Hear, hear! Fisher continues:

I suppose part of the problem is using writing to test for basic knowledge. It seems to me that grading for "terminology" could probably be done using one of the more objective models such as multiple choice, True/False, etc., where there is little room for computational error.

That's right. But the real worry is something that should be very familiar to anyone who went through Singapore's school system:

Another aspect of this that is depressing is the fact that writing is one of those areas of learning where students can really express themselves and formulate their own sense of style and argumentation. I worry about a day in which writing, too, is taught with a computer-aided test in mind. Don't we do that more than enough already? And I'll tell you what. My fears aren't totally irrational. My home state of Indiana is now using computerized essay grading for state-wide English tests, and there are already plenty of concerns about "teaching to the test."

But that's not my deepest worry. If a computer program can grade, presumably we could imagine another program powerful enough to generate 'writings' that will--yes, you guessed it--score high when graded by the former program.

In the meantime, amuse yourselves with this, generated completely by a computer program (reload to get a new sample each time).

UPDATE: YC links to an amusing article from MIT's Tech Review, "Two Very Funny Fake Papers":

About once a month I get an invitation by email to submit to conferences like the "World Multi_Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics."

Well, I’m not the only person who has been getting them. Jeremy Stribling (a grad student at MIT) was so sick of getting these invitations to submit that he wrote a "fake research paper generator" (using statistical models), he submitted the program’s results to the conference, and it was accepted!

Life is stranger than fiction.

A Philosopher on Bull----!

Since nilsinelabore mentioned the book, I thought to include the links here--Harry Frankfurt, a professor (emeritus) of philosophy at Princeton, and his recent book:

Before anyone runs aways with strange notions of what the book is about, Frankfurt is concerned to analyse the phenomenon--distinguished from lying--of a lack of concern for the difference between truth and falsity. As he puts it in a video interview:

The motivation of the bull----er is not to say things that are true or even to say things that are false...but, he's serving some other purpose. And the question of whether what he says is true or false is really irrelevant to his pursuit of that ambition.

Frankfurt thinks that this is a much more insidious problem than lying--because it underminds respect for the truth. The liar at least believes that he know the truth, but wants to keep it from others, with implies a backhanded bow to the importance of the truth.

Incidentally, the interview does a good job with giving the gist of Frankfurt's argument in the text--and for anyone too busy to read a 25-page essay, it's a good place to go for some cliffs notes. My favorite parts from the interview:

On why there is more bull---- today than ever before: The increase in the amount of bull---- in contemporary life as compared with, say, a hundred years ago is because of the intensity of the marketing motive in contemporary society...we're constanting marketing things, selling products, selling people, selling candidates, selling programs, selling policies, and once you start out by supposing that your object is to sell something then your object is not to tell the truth about it but to get people to believe what you want them to believe about it. And this encourages a resort to bull----.

On the connection between democracy and bull----: I think that the tendency to bull---- is encouraged and promoted by the fact that it's a widespread view in a democratic society that a responsible citizen ought to have an opinion about everything. Well you can't know very much about everything...so, your opinions are likely to be based upon...bull----.

On the connection between education and bull---- (or as the interviewer puts it: Are we more likely to be twits here in Princeton University than in some other parts of the country?): I think it is not only that highly educated people have the linguistic and intellectual gifts that enable them to create bull----, but also, I think that a people who are highly educated acquire a kind of arrogance that leads them to be negligent about truth and falsity. They have a lot of confidence in their own opinions, and this may also encourage them to produce bull----.

If the interview is still too much for the busy modern person, there's a funnier version from the dailyshow. Yes, a real-life academic philosopher on Jon Stewart's Daily Show:

It's the idea that you consider this so...I can see it in your head: you're really thinking. And that is, on Comedy Central, unheard of.

(Incidentally, the essay is really a reprint of an essay that is included in an earlier collection, The Importance of What We Care About, which is also the format in which I encountered the essay).

UPDATE: I just recalled this: Frankfurt is drawing upon the work of Max Black in his delightful essay, "The Prevalence of Humbug" (published in various forms, including one in the collection: The Prevalence of Humbug and Other Essays; but one version is available here). My favorite section of that essay is reproduced here:

Academic Humbug (Veblen)

Any survey of the varieties of humbug should include specimens of the pretentious verbiage that infests scholarly writing. I reproduce the following from Thorstein Veblen's book The Theory of the Leisure Class (part only of an extraordinarily long paragraph) for the pleasure of resuscitating H. L. Mencken's commentary on it.

In an increasing proportion as time goes on, the anthropomorphic cult, with its code of devout observances, suffers a progressive disintegration through the stress of economic exigencies and the decay of the system of status. As this disintegration proceeds, there come to be associated and blended with the devout attitude certain other motives and impulses that are not always of an anthropomorphic origin, nor traceable to the habit of personal subservience. Not all of these subsidiary impulses that blend with the bait of devoutness in the later devotional life are altogether congruous with the devout attitude or with the anthropomorphic apprehension of sequence of phenomena. Their origin being not the same, their action upon the scheme of devout life is also not in the same direction. In many ways they traverse the underlying norm of subservience of vicarious life to which the code of devout observances and the ecclesiastical and sacerdotal institutions are to be traced as their substantial basis.

Here we have garrulity laced with jargon. Mencken says that Veblen "achieves the effect, perhaps without employing the means, of thinking in some unearthly foreign language -- say Swahili, Sumerian or Old Bulgarian -- and then painfully clawing his thoughts into a copious but uncertain and book-learned English." As to the long passage he quotes, Mencken concludes that Veblen is trying to say "that many people go to church, not because they are afraid of the devil but because they enjoy the music, and like to look at the stained glass, the potted lilies and the rev. pastor." Mencken says that "this highly profound and highly original observation" might have been made on a postage stamp, thereby saving a good deal of wasted paper.

Armed escorts for the passage through dangerous waters

The modern day bao biao (保镖; i.e., armed escort) for the passage through pirate infested waters. Introducing--Background Asia Risk Solutions (BARS):

Moving through the world's major shipping routes is becoming increasingly dangerous. Sea robbery, kidnap, armed assault and the threat of maritime terrorism are putting new pressures on owners, masters, crew and companies.

BARS addresses these threats by providing armed piracy suppression operations in South East Asia and beyond.

Headquarted in Singapore with other offices in Sydney and Hong Kong, the company made news print today. From ST (Apr 8), "Ship owners using hired guns--Guards provide anti-pirate security for vessels in regional waters", by David Boey (subscription required):

THE Indonesian word 'sekuriti' painted in big white letters on the side of an armour-plated vessel, works as well as the armed guards on board in deterring pirate attacks.

In the nine months that the men from security company Background Asia Risk Solutions have been escorting tankers and oil rigs through the region's pirate-infested waters, the only weapon that has been fired is a flare gun.

The 60-man security team has yet to encounter pirates, though it has warned off several boats with loud hailers, flares, or spotlights, when they strayed too close to their client's ship.

'When boats see we have well-disciplined, well-equipped teams, they usually move on and leave us alone,' the company's managing director, Mr Alex Duperouzel, told The Straits Times...

[Technorati: Malacca Straits]

A Kurdish president for Iraq

Two years ago--nay, one year ago--today, who would have imagined. Elsewhere, a certain Mr. Hussein is "clearly upset". This is almost surreal.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, some are saying that this is a sellout of Iraq's Arab identity. Actually, others have wondered before whether the "Arab identity" thing is inflated anyway.

Pirates tried to board a Japanese tanker

Pirates tried unsuccessfully to board a Japanese tanker in the Singapore Straits; EagleSpeak has the lowdown.

UPDATE: From MINDEF press release (Apr 7):

In response to a media query, a MINDEF spokesman said that the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Police Coast Guard (PCG) had been immediately alerted by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) after the Master of the Yohteisan reported the incident to MPA.

As the incident had taken place in Indonesian waters in the east-bound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Straits, the RSN immediately informed the Indonesian Navy. The Indonesian Navy then dispatched raider boats to the scene to investigate. An RSN ship was also deployed to the area to render assistance if required.

Besides alerting the RSN and PCG, the MPA had also immediately broadcast an anti-piracy warning to vessels in the region.

Singapore takes a serious view of the recent series of attacks against commercial shipping in the Malacca and Singapore Straits. These incidents highlight the need to find more ways by which enforcement agencies can cooperate to take action to enhance the security of regional waters, while respecting the sovereignty of the littoral states.

[Technorati: Malacca Straits]

NYT belatedly pontificates about Myanmar/Burma

...in an editorial, "Taking On Burmese Generals, at Last", published Apr 6 (Olorin alerted me to this). For earlier posts concerning Myanmar/Burma on this blog, see (more recent followed by less) this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this.

100 days since the tsunami

It's 100 days since the tsunami...

Classical-pop violinist Vanessa-Mae encourages people to keep donating to the relief effort:

The Singapore native, who lives in London, will perform songs from her latest album, CHOREOGRAPHY, in Bangkok, Thailand, later today (05APR05), but she fears the 26 December (04) tragedy is already slipping away from people's memories.

She says, "People are starting to forget about this (the tsunami). The aim is to carry on the giving process, even months after, years after, because these people still have to live the rest of their lives with this disaster.

"It's our responsibility to spread the word... It's not just the impact in January and February, but in the ensuing months, to help people rebuild their lives."

From Thailand, the 26-year-old beauty will travel to Singapore and Australia as part of a regional tour.

Elsewhere, the Singapore Sinhala Association trys to needs S$1 million to launch a Singapore Village project in the south of Sri Lanka to help tsunami victims:

The project entails building 75 houses for displaced families around a community hub containing an educational centre, a trade vocational centre and a library. Other infrastructure needs will also be catered to, such as sanitary and sewage facilities, water storage, power needs and roads.

Under the project, an Emergency Warning System for the area will also be developed and community participation in disaster prevention improved.

Housing priority will be given to families who have lost their main breadwinners, to the disabled, to those below the poverty line and to women who are the heads of households.

Work on the project is expected to start in the first week of May, and a major portion of the funding is coming from the Singapore Red Cross Society.

So far, about S$55,000 in donations has been collected.

If you wish to help, you can contact Nishantha Nalaka at 90228672 or email relief@singaporesinhala.com.

Work continues...

Sumatra earthquake relief update (Apr 4-Apr 6)

As early as Mar 31, it was reported that "the United States has reassigned its hospital ship, the USNS Mercy, and cargo ship, the USNS Niagara Falls, to a humanitarian mission in Indonesia, namely to help earthquake victims on Nias and Simeuleu islands." Unfortunately, as of Apr 5, "USNS Mercy was not expected to be fully operational for several days as most of its medics were still arriving from the United States."

In the meantime, some parts of Nias are only just receiving relief:

LOLOFITU MOI, Indonesia : After subsisting on bananas for a week, young Yesmen Halawa was ecstatic when the first of tonnes of aid directed to quake-hit northwestern Indonesia made it to his village in three lumbering trucks.

The International Organisation for Migration convoy crawled up mountain roads pitted with deep, 1.5-metre-wide (five-foot) potholes Monday to be the first aid team to reach the people of Lolofitu Moi on Nias island since the powerful March 28 earthquake.

Singapore's relief continues apace, with the Chinook helicopters playing a key role (as earlier predicted).

Also, from the Singapore Red Cross press release (Apr 4), "Braving The Rain To Send Relief Supplies To Nias":

Singapore Red Cross sends about S$1 million worth of relief supplies to the island of Nias today, Monday, 4 April 2005. The barge carrying these relief supplies is expected to arrive in Nias on Wednesday, 13 April 2005.

Put together by the SRC and Mercy Relief, the shipment comprises of 10 units of water treatment plants, water, food, medical and pharmaceutical items. While some of the items were donated by NTUC Fairprice, the rest were bought with the tsunami fund which had been raised earlier.

"Our doctors and nurses are helping to treat victims in the SAF field hospital. However, there is still a pressing need for nurses here. Due to the shortage of oil, most of the vehicles are not moving. Many people are using their bare hands to dig through the rubble," reported Mr Sahari, liaison officer from Singapore Red Cross who is there with the team from SRC and Mercy Relief since 30 March 2005.

On 6 April, another medical team of two doctors and four nurses will depart for Nias to continue the emergency relief work at the SAF hospital. They will take over the baton from the first team of two doctors and two nurses who will return to Singapore in the afternoon.

Elsewhere, the black box of the crashed Australian helicopter has been recovered, and the bodies of the none dead returned home.

Woman power in Communist North Korea

From Asia Times (Apr 6): SEOUL - A defector from the North, a typical tough Korean auntie with trademark permed hair, smiled when asked about "men's role" in North Korean families: "Well, in 1997-98 men became useless. They went to their jobs, but there was nothing to be done there, so they came back. Meanwhile their wives went to distant places to trade and kept families going."

Bloggers harassed in Malaysia

From Asia Times (Apr 6): Malaysian web loggers, or bloggers, are finding out the tough way that the truth hurts - especially when the toes of the powers-that-be are tread upon.

Singapore-Russia military cooperation

From Interfax (Apr 5), "Singapore to intensify military cooperation with Russia":

KHABAROVSK. April 5 (Interfax) - Russia and Singapore are close to establishing military cooperation ties, Singapore's ambassador to Russia and Ukraine Michael Tay Cheow Ann told the press in Khabarovsk on Tuesday.

"Know-how may be the point here, not weapons or military equipment," the ambassador said.

The ambassador said he will initiate a visit by Singaporean experts to Khabarovsk, where corporations making fighter jets, submarines and military vessels are located.

(For more info on Khabarovsk, a city of 700,000 and headquarters of the Far Eastern Military Command situated near the Chinese border, see this and this for instance.)

My guess: it's the Russian militar-industrial complex that we are interested in, R&D and production processes perhaps? In any case, something going this earlier connection.

[Technorati: singapore]

Study says TCOs of Linux and Windows comparable; how to give Microsoft the boot

A week ago, I posted something on open source software--how MINDEF and NLB have implemented FOSS on their computers, and how not to be too hasty about making a leap from the development culture behind the software and the culture of the users. The latest--from Reuters (Apr 4), "Study Shows Microsoft, Linux Neck-And-Neck", by Reed Stevenson (hat tip: Slashdot):

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Most U.S. businesses say there is very little difference between the cost of maintaining a Windows versus a Linux-based corporate computing environment, according to a new Yankee Group study released on Monday.

The main cost difference, said Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio, is determined by the amount of time it takes to develop applications or ensure the security of servers, the networked computers that store data, crunch numbers and serve up Web pages.

"What we found is that costs are not really dependent on the underlying functionality in the core operating system," DiDio said.

In the independent study, 88 percent of respondents said that the quality, performance and reliability of Windows was equal to or better than Linux.

Linux, which can be copied and modified freely, unlike proprietary software such as Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, has been locked in competition for the last several years against Microsoft's Windows Server software for a share of the corporate market.

In most cases, both Linux and Windows are growing at the expense of Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Unix-based servers, which were instrumental in the growth of the Internet during the 1990s.

iDio said that most companies -- whether large or small -- rarely take the huge step of replacing one operating system with another. Instead, they usually add a mix of Windows and Linux server software to expand functionality.

"Server operating systems are largely commoditized," DiDio said, adding that many companies were not tracking their operating costs closely enough to base their decisions on total cost of ownership, or TCO, the main cost metric when comparing Linux and Windows.

There's more, but I'll leave the readers to click through for themselves. The puzzle for me is: how exactly did the survey work? What were the questions? Are all of respondants the surveyed users of one, or both systems? And if the former, how many say that the one they are using is the more that has betterquality, performance, reliability and whatever. Without these details, it's hard to evaluate the purported findings.

That said, I do think there might be something to the claim that the TCOs for both systems coming out to be about the same, and if so, it might mean that the advent of Linux--i.e., real competition--has finally made Microsoft more serious about making it's products better. Maybe. In any case, there's a heated discussion going on in Slashdot's Slashdot">forum that I will only recommend for the seriouly insomnaic.

On related note, Parts 1 and 2 of ExtremeTech's "Giving Microsoft the Boot", by Dave Salvator is out, and still waiting for Parts 3 and 4. From Part 1:

To give you all the angles, we'll devote a four-part series of articles to going Microsoft-free. This time we'll compare what you gain and lose by ditching Windows, detail requirements of four PC types you're likely to use at home, and show how you can test the non-Windows waters without tossing that OS completely. In Part 2 of this series, we'll show you how to build your home server and medium-duty client. In Part 3, we'll build a Linux-based gaming system, show you how to set it up for dual-boot. And finally in Part 4, we take on this series' most challenging project—the Linux-based home-theater PC.

No: I promise not to fiddle with my PC until my dissertation is done (sigh).

UPDATE: The latest here.

Teaching in English

Just read nilsinelabore's posting of the article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Teach Impediment--When the student can't understand the instructor, who is to blame?" by John Gravois.

The core of the article (which should be read in full anyway) is roughly this--American student complains that non-American Professors and graduate teaching assistants speak with a funny accent and is thus incomprehensible. The linguists weigh in and wonders if they should just listen more carefully:

In 1988 Donald L. Rubin, a professor of education and speech communication at the University of Georgia, began toying with an experimental model that would occupy him for the next several years: He gathered American undergraduates inside a classroom and then played a taped lecture for them over high-fidelity speakers. The lecture -- an introduction to the Mahabharata, say, or a discourse on the growing scarcity of helium -- was delivered in the voice of a man from central Ohio.

While the undergraduates sat and listened, they faced an image projected onto the classroom wall in front of them: Half the time, it was a photograph of an American man ("John Smith from Portland"), standing at a chalkboard and staring back at them. For the other half of the testing groups, the slide projected before them was that of an Asian man ("Li Wenshu from Beijing"), standing at the same chalkboard. The two figures were dressed, posed, and groomed as similarly as possible.

Now for the interesting part: When the students were asked to fill in missing words from a printed transcript of the central Ohioan's taped speech, they made 20 percent more errors when staring at the Asian man's image than they did when staring at the picture of "John Smith."

What did that mean?

"Students who expect that nonnative instructors will be poor instructors and unintelligible speakers can listen to what we know to be the most standard English speech and the most well-formed lecture, and yet experience some difficulties in comprehension," Mr. Rubin says. "All the pronunciation improvement in the world," he says, "will not by itself halt the problem of students' dropping classes or complaining about their instructors' language."

I'll leave the reader to ponder the significance of this most interesting experiment on his or her own. Let me change the subject a little.

The above brings to mind my own experiences in UC Berkeley. In my first year there as a graduate student, I learned that some of my professors and classmates understand me better when I speak more slowly and make a conscious effort to enunciate. In other words, for the sake of communication, I would have to do more than would have been sufficient in Singapore.

I started work as a Graduate Student Instructor only in my second year (standard department policy), and once again, I learned not to take for granted that my students would, as a matter of course, understand me without effort on my part.

At the beginning of each semester when faced with a new class, I would introduce myself, etc. And each time, I would half-jokingly (but also half-seriously) tell the students that just as my name "in English" is a colonial Anglicization of a Chinese name rendered in a southern dialect (Hainanese) as spoken in Southeast Asia, so likewise my spoken English has many background influences. Therefore, I will make an effort to speak slow and clear, and it's your responsibility to stop me and make me say it again if I am not comprehended.

And to be doubly sure--I make it a point to punctuate my section discussions (or "tutorials", as they are called in NUS) with questions that are aimed at testing the student's comprehension of what I said. I learn to study their faces and body language to help in determining if they really understood. (In fact, I attend the lectures mainly to observe the student's reactions to the professor's presentation, taking note of the specific points that seem to confuse them.)

From experience, the student's in-class feedback--by way of their own questions, or by way of how they answer my questions--is absolutely the most critical element. A 'right answer' need not imply perfect comprehension, but 'wrong answers' often speak volumes about just exactly what is it that the student does not grasp. Most of the time (but not all), it is not the language (i.e., English) or the accent that stands in the way of effective communication in class as it is about the instructor taking active steps to secure the students' understanding beyond telling them such and such. And that is the hardest even if most rewarding thing to do, something that I only became more more confident of over years of practice.

Berkeley students are especially conscientious about their post-semester feedback forms. I'm glad to note that I can only recall one student leaving the comment:"Mr. Loy speaks with an accent and it was a bit hard for me to understand in the beginning..." (or something like it). As far as I can tell, the students and I got along fine (search for "Loy" on this page).

Still on copyrights

In respectful response to Wannabe Lawyer Han's post (which, obviously, should be read in full first):

First, not being Lockean, I don't believe in a natural right to property. In fact, I am in complete agreement with the economic justification for property rights as put forward by Han:

We ask ourselves, what system of ownership of property is the most beneficial and least destructive to people and property... Furthermore, individuals are best able to calculate the costs and benefits that accrue to themselves in relation to usage of property, hence private property rights also allow for the most efficient usage and allocation of property.

So far so good. Not only that, I also agree that, as a corollary, property rights are not absolutes--they are not an end in itself but means to an end. (There are significant Rawlsian tendencies in my own thinking...) And from this, it follows as a matter of course that Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are not absolute or excluded from limitations.

But this is where the dispute begins, isn't it? From the mere fact that property rights in general are potentially subject to limitation, it does not follow that IPRs are subject to specific sorts of limitations, and where IPRs are subject to limitations, we need to know what the relevant grounds of those limitations are going to be. This is not even unique to IPRs--the same questions can be asked for every specie of property rights.

And here's the rub: it is entirely possible that two persons who agrees with each other on everything until this point may nevertheless fail to agree on the specific limitations that are appropriate to IPRs, a specific specie of property rights in general. They may agree--as in fact I do with Han--that limitations are appropriate to IPRs, but nevertheless disagree on the degree of those limitations--which is also the case, I suspect, between Han and myself. I do not think that the present copyright regime is perfect--it can sure do with a lot of improvements--but that's not the same as a critique of copyrights tout court.

Why might two persons (who are already agreed on so much) disagree on this? Perhaps because they have different takes on the larger economic consequences of the different possible degrees of limitations being proposed. So perhaps one thinks that an overly aggressive limitation of IPRs will dampen certain sorts of innovation by X degree (which can be lived with, all things being equal) while the other think that it will do much worse. That's certainly one possibility.

But I suspect that often enough, it's because deep down they disagree ideologically, or philosophically on the underlying grounds that justify those said limitations, on how rights when in conflict are to be balanced against each other, on what makes for an 'acceptable' level of this or that. Han's own formulation of the relevant ground confirms my own reading of the issue:

In fact, I would argue that ‘intellectual property’ rights should be even more aggressively constrained, for the simple reason that the ownership of ideas and expression of ideas fundamentally infringe on the human right to freedom of expression.

In other words, the issue is not purely economic, but an ideological or philosophical commitment to a "human right to freedom of expression", which (the ideological or philosophical dimension of the dispute), by the way, was exactly the lesson I learned from Henninger.

Unfortunately, this crucial point is not really developed by Han--I would certainly loved to see more it it. The rest of the argument are somewhat more economic in nature. Perhaps I'll say more about it in a future post. But for now, since I mentioned the bugbear himself, let me go on to a specific argument he made. Henninger close his column with this paragraph:

Some who will spend hundreds of dollars for iPods and home theater systems won’t pay one thin dime for a song or movie. So Steve Jobs and the Silicon Valley geeks get richer while the new-music artists sweating through three sets in dim clubs get to live on Red Bull.

Han replies:

This statement is so devoid of economic reasoning that I find it laughable Henninger writes for a supposed business newspaper. Comparing iPods to music and movie is like comparing Henninger to an economist.

Consider:

While production of iPods and music/movies both have initial startup costs (fixed costs), where both diverge is at the point of production. The marginal cost of producing 1 more unit of iPod is X, while the marginal cost of producing 1 more unit of song/movie is zero. Yes, that’s right, it costs zero to replicate a song or a movie file.

This is the fundamental difference between a physical object, and an idea/expression of an idea. And this is the precise reason why the fact that “information and data can essentially be replicated infinitely” is relevant. It is not possible to give iPods away for free because of marginal costs of production. Producers of music and movies bear no such costs to produce an additional unit of music or movie. That they have chosen to confine their product to a physical medium (CDs, DVDs, Cinema) is irrelevant.

But has he answered Henninger's implied argument? I am not persuaded. Let's see what Han and Henniger might agree on first. They would agree that the production of iPods and music/movies both have initial startup costs (fixed costs). They would also agree that while the marginal cost of producing 1 more unit of iPod is X, the marginal cost of producing 1 more unit of song/movie is zero (well, I'll put it at 0.000000X, but that's not essential).

Han says that while it is not possible to give iPods away for free because of marginal costs of production, producers of music and movies bear no such costs to produce an additional unit of music or movie. Yes...so?

First, it is not possible to give iPods away free not only because of the marginal cost of production--if I'm in the business of making mp3 players to feed my family, then I'd jolly well better make sure that the revenues cover both fixed and marginal costs. Otherwise, I am not in the business--even if I might still be producing mp3 players for other reasons, say, for the love of mankind, or just for the fun of it. If Han agrees that there are fixed costs to the production of music and movies--and books, and articles, and software, and so on--then why isn't the recovery of these costs a legitimate issue?

This is what I think Henninger is driving at: there are costs to the production of both iPods and the music they play. If it is right for makers of the one to charge such and such so as to recover those cost, why isn't it kosher for the makers of the other to do likewise. That in one case, the costs is a combination of fixed and marginal, while in the other case, it's all or almost all fixed doesn't seem to be enough of a relevant difference.

[I think this is Henninger's take: People who buy the iPods but download the music for free do the inconsistent only because it is just so easy to do the latter without penalty, and not because they would not have paid anyway. At one point he said:

I suspect most nonpaying downloaders acquired the habit because the opportunity came up so fast and was just so darn easy. Other than life itself, nothing in history that is so pleasurable has been available in such quantity, so easily for nothing or next to nothing, without health effects. If this were not true, half the nation wouldn't have white earphones grafted into their ears.

It is interesting to contrast this with something Matt Yglesias said that I will cite below.]

In fact, I made a similar argument in the comments to Han's original post using patents as my case example. (As another commenter pointed out, patents are not the same as copyrights--but--he also concedes, the cited consideration also apply.) And essentially the same argument is made in my earlier post.

But I'll let Han continue:

If consumers wish to buy the physical product, it is their choice. But where marginal costs of production is zero, how is it justified for them to force consumers to pay (via civil and criminal provisions)?

First, a minor point. The point of copyright enforcement is presumably not to "force consumers to pay". I don't download, I don't pay. I download, I pay. Those who do not want to pay could consider doing without--just as most of us do without expensive private jets. We don't think that someone without a private jet and couldn't and wouldn't pay for one is thereby entitled to one--even as we think that if there are those who would (and could) pay for such items--"it's their choice". So what exactly is the difference? Again, it's all supposed to be in the marginal cost.

Earlier, Han cites an argument by Matt Yglesias (Han's highlighting):

With rivalrous goods, theft can never be a Pareto-optimal exchange (i.e., it always makes the property owner worse off)… Intellectual property isn’t like that at all… with intellectual property, unlike with physical property, the socially optimal amount of infringing is non-zero.

Pareto-optimal instances of infringing use — which is to say instances that make some people better off, and no people worse off, than they would have been had the infringing not taken place People “steal” a file that, had they been unable to “pirate” it, they simply wouldn’t have bought. In a case like this, the infringer is made better off, and the copyright holder is no worse off than he would have been had the infringement not taken place. Indeed, the copyright holder may benefit through, e.g., higher concert ticket or merchandise sales or because the infringer exposes the work to a broader audience, some proportion of which winds up paying for the work. But — and it’s important to keep this in mind — the case for infringement in these cases where there’s no crowding out of purchases does not depend on the notion that the holder may reap some spillover benefits. The infringement itself, as long as it’s not a crowding infringement, is a benefit to society just on its own.

What this argument at best shows is that for those who would not have paid for the product anyway, their "pirating" does not hurt (and might even possibly benefit) the producer--as long as those who would have paid for the product continue to do so.

Think of it this way: suppose I as a producer spent millions of dollars producing a movie. Now, I am doing this to make a financial return. If ordinary cinema goers pay for tickets to watch the movie, I can still make a financial return on my initial investment (I'm simplifying--no action hero figures and other merchandizing, etc). And if, on top of that, those who in any case would not pay to watch the movie "pirate" it as a VCD, then I might arguably end up with a broader audience, etc.

So far so good...but what if before my movie even hit the box office it is "pirated" in the best DVD quality and as a result even those who would have bought tickets did not--then I'm in trouble. Let's skip the moralizing--calling what they do "stealing" does not help anyone (least of all me, the producer who has sunk millions of dollars in a project and will see little return for it). And if this becomes a regular occurrence, you can bet that I would get out of the movie industry and become a "pirate" myself--since that's where the money is.

The cogency of the Han/Yglesias argument depends on two interlocking claims about the relevant buyers and "pirates". That the "pirates" would not have purchased the product ("at full price") anyway; but more importantly, that there will continue to be people who could and would pay for the product so that the fixed costs of production (not to mention R&D) can be covered--even if IPRs are not enforced. I am especially not optimistic about the second.

I think what the argument as a whole points to is that the smart producer will find ways to ensure that while those who would and could continue to pay for the product, those who couldn't or wouldn't are given special deals. I take it that that's part of the point of student editions of popular software packages. Better still, lower the price of the product so that it becomes pointless to "pirate", so that even would be "pirates" find it worthwhile to become "legit" buyers. That's not a fundamental critique of IPRs as much as it is a critique of the business practices of certain corporations whatever the issue is with IPRs.

Secondly, I don't think the issue is about whether piracy is "stealing" at all. Rather, it is about the economic incentive structure of an IPR regime--both to buyers and producers. If IPRs are not enforced, why is it economically rational for those who used to be willing to pay full price to continue to do so? ("Because it's right" just doesn't cut it, for obvious reasons.) And why would it be economically rational for me, the movie producer, to sink millions of dollars into producing the movie when the chance of a return is so low? [See below for UPDATE--turns out that Yglesias did discuss the problem I mentioned.]

As Han himself would admit

No one is saying that the profit motive no longer matters.

That's right. On this score, let me also quote this bit that actually comes earlier:

Will people stop making music if they cannot sell through the labels? Will bloggers stop blogging because they don’t get paid per article? Do we despair of human ingenuity such that we cannot imagine new and alternative ways of monetizing our talents?

The real question we must ask ourselves, is whether stronger copyright laws truly benefit the real providers of creative fuel for artistic works, the musicians, the songwriters, the singers etc. Keep in mind, who the true copyright owners are. I provide the evidence, you be the judge.

The answers to the first question is: "Of course no"; the second: "We probably shouldn't". As for the real question: "By all means any IPR regime had better benefit the real providers of creative fuel for artistic works, the musicians, the songwriters, the singers, etc., and not the evil corporation, etc.--and that's a problem with the way the present IPR regime is applied, not with the fundamental idea underlying it (at least those ideas I alluded to above)."

Let me emphasise again: I do not believe in the unicorn of natural property rights and ipso facto, natural rights to intellectual property. IPRs are justified (at least partly) by their economic effects and can be limited by other considerations (e.g., rights and liberties). I agree precisely with Han (citing Matt Yglesias) that:

the issue in play here is that the purpose of intellectual property laws is "to encourage innovation and creativity, and not to create and preserve asset titles for corporations and individuals".

I would add: "Amen!" followed by: "How else could it be?" [Further question: how do we balance the right to freedom of expression with the social benefits of innovation and creativity?]

I do not think that the present IPR regime should be strengthened (or weakened, or whatever)--I have no particular take on such matters. My gut feeling is that it should probably be weakened in some areas, more flexibly applied in others, but I'll have to trust to the lawyers and economists to work out the details; my bone is with the broader philosophical picture.

Furthermore, I believe that anyone who wants to be in the ideas business not for profit should be allowed, nay, encouraged to do exactly that. And even if there are no IPRs, people will still continue to be creative--the human race did fine for a long time before the coming of IPRs.

My main contention: IPRs make it possible for someone to make a financial return on his investment into coming up with something the production of which involves high fixed costs, but the reduplication of which involves negligible costs. In other words, IPRs created financial incentives of a certain specific sort where none existed before. The corollary is that weakening IPRs will obviously not dampen creativity across the board--it will only dampen creativity in a very specific realm, i.e., those who would have gone into the ideas with high fixed costs business expecting a financial return looses their financial incentive to do so. Now it is entirely debatable how important is this specific realm in the total economic picture, and I am certainly open to arguments, though my gut feeling is that it is probably more important--to the modern global economy and to the present rate of improvements to our standard of living--than might appear at first sight.

That said, I hope it is amply clear that it is not as if I disagree with everything that Han wrote. In fact, I wonder if any disagreement is due to the fact that while I think his strongest case is for a more nuanced, more flexible application of IPRs, something I could wholeheartedly support, he presents his arguments as if against the very notion of an IPR itself.

Furthermore, like him, I have no illusions about present copyright holders. All successful enterprises want the market to be stacked in their favor while all still trying to capture a market share want the market to be as free as possible. So, it is not surprising that present copyright holders would have protectionist tendencies and would desire to hold on to their monopolistic powers for as long as possible.

But, again, this is not a problem with the notion of an IPR itself even if it calls for a better, more socially responsible implementation of such rights.

UPDATE: Ivan, who left various comments on both Han's and my posts on this matter has made a few interesting points that I though should be cited here.

First, in a comment (left for my previous post on this matter), Ivan also points to a suggestion that has been floated, "to champion the dissolution of music/media distribution giants like bmi, emi, sony warner etc, and establishing smaller individual distributions that are more connected to the artiste". This relocates the IPRs to the artistes from the big corporations. Would that help?

Second--he didn't quite say this--as suggested by his comment to Han's post, I wonder if most (if not all) of his concerns would be met by a stronger, better defined legal framework for fair use?

UPDATE 2: My comments on the Han/Yglesias argument turns out to have been anticipated in Yglesias' original post--in his discussion of "crowding":

Which isn't to say that willy-nilly infringement is a good idea. Obviously some -- and perhaps most -- infringement really does crowd out purchases. But not only is it the case that much file sharing is non-infringing, much infringing doesn't crowd out, and eliminating non-crowding infringement would be bad. The purpose of the copyright system is "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" and the total elimination of infringement is not a policy goal that serves this end. Curbing infringement to some extent does, but even this needs to be weighed against the other costs. It's also important to note that the balance is different from medium to medium. There really would be very few films made without the possibility of generating windfall profits, and certainly many films that exist now would be totally impossible to make without such a possibility, because the fixed costs are too high. Music, I think, isn't really like this. The industry would be very different if it somehow became totally impossible to make money by selling recordings, but people would still write and play rock songs even if live shows and merchandizing became the only way to generate income.

Note to Han: should have included this bit because it makes your argument much more sensible. In other words, the claim is not that all IPRs in general are such that infringement does not crowd out purchases and is hence socially optimal; rather, that in the specific case of a particular industry--music--most instances of infringements (i.e., via filesharing) do not crowd, and furthermore, and eliminating non-crowding infringement would be bad. I wouldn't know enough about the music industry (or the practices of filesharers) to really agree or disagree, but my gut feeling is that this does sound right--at least to some degree. A residual worry remains, however, as to how a legal framework can be nuanced enough to tell the difference between the good vs. the bad sorts of infringements (and whether any sort of enforcement will of necessity have to ignore the analytical distinction between them). But I'll leave that issue to others.

Letters on why the word "elite" is still cool

Remember this? Well, there are two responses to Dudley's letter in today's (Apr 5) ST Forum page. They are, for the most part, sensible, but I still prefer my own diagnosis of the underlying confusion in Dudley's letter (beyond that, there's always Acid Flask's more extensive take). But, for completeness' sake, I'll post the letters here.First, "Snobbery? That's not what PM Lee meant", by Justin Tan (subscription required):

I REFER to Mr Dudley Au's letter, 'Singapore should get rid of the word 'elite' ' (ST, March 30).

In it, he argued that the term 'elite' was not compatible with the city Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong envisages for Singapore. I believe that Mr Au has misunderstood Mr Lee's speech.

Mr Au questions the need for an elite class to rule the non-elite. But he goes on to acknowledge that the most capable have to lead if our country is to progress. In that sense, he is in complete agreement with Mr Lee.

In fact, Mr Lee wants to expand the number of elite, to make it an inclusive group that people can aspire to be part of, and then for this group to offer its talents and resources to our nation.

Mr Au further questions if the elite can be where it is today without the support of the non-elite.

Indeed, I would be worried if our Government took the people's support for granted and viewed its position as unassailable. But that is precisely why we have elections. Our Government is accountable to us and, by and large, it has proven itself worthy of our trust.

Mr Au claims that one does not need the word 'elite' to do a good job. But aren't people who do a good job - great artists, musicians and successful entrepreneurs - the elite of their respective fields?

Yes, they are rich and famous, and deservedly so. We dream of emulating them, and society progresses when it provides equal opportunities for all.

Why should we get rid of the word 'elite', as Mr Au proposes? If he thinks that it smacks of snobbery and exclusiveness, then he has misunderstood Mr Lee's intention to expand the elite.

Everyone has different abilities - 'elite' is just a term to classify the best people in a particular field.

An elite will always exist in society. We can get rid of the term if it offends sensibilities, but that is as unrealistic as saying that everybody has equal capabilities.

Actually, the term elite even as it was used by PM has a broader sense than ruling or governing class. It includes all those who in virtue of their social, economic, professional, etc., standing, possess more influence than others. In fact, the letter itself does presuppose this more expansive understanding of the term in various places. But I'll let that slide.

Second, "Letter belittles serious elite issue", by Kenny Yap (subscription required):

I REFER to Mr Dudley Au's letter, 'Singapore should get rid of the word 'elite'' (ST, March 30).

I am so glad that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has redefined 'elite' in Singapore's context to include people who thrive in their respective fields of work, regardless of class, pedigree or academic results.

His aim was to remind the elite to remain inclusive, look after the less fortunate and contribute to the growth and well-being of society. These are the key issues that we should be discussing about.

I am rather repulsed by Mr Au's use of the human anatomy analogy to make a mockery of the concept of 'elite'. In the real world, it is not so simplistic. Society can function effectively only when there are good leaders in all sectors.

Past experiments in countries that tried to bring everyone down to the same level have led to chaos and brought untold miseries to people.

If everyone starts thinking that they can hold others hostage by behaving like the 'anus', as Mr Au has mentioned, then society would have to endure the waste.

It is clear that he has missed the main messages behind Mr Lee's speech and his letter belittles a very serious issue.

It is not about the word 'elite' but rather our attitude towards diverse groups of people with different talents from all walks of life. Mere cynicism does not help bring about a timely debate on a very significant issue.

[Technorati: singapore]

Myanmar issues sidelined at Asian Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting

From AFP (via Pakistan Daily Times, Apr 4), "Myanmar sidelined as emergency issue at IPU":

MANILA: A Philippine-led move to pressure Myanmar to free Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was sidelined Sunday by Asian legislators attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting here.

Parliamentarians from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met with their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea to discuss a host of issues they would be presenting to the IPU for debate.

IPU officials however ruled that rehabilitation efforts in countries devastated by December's deadly tsunamis should take the spotlight rather than issues relating to Myanmar, said Filipino Senator Aquilino Pimentel.

...

While the Myanmar issue has not been tabled as an emergency issue, Pimentel said legislators from several ASEAN countries had agreed to back the Philippines in pushing for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release as well as calls to strip Yangon of its turn at the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006.

"So more or less the major players of ASEAN will support the thrust that Myanmar may not necessarily be entitled to chair the ASEAN in 2006," he said. "That is how it is shaping up."

Tint Swe, an exiled member of the NLD [National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi] said the four-man Myanmar delegation to the IPU was disappointed at the decision, but said they remained hopeful it would still be raised in the plenary session later in the week.

He said major world powers "just want to forget about Burma (Myanmar). So it is a setback to us."

He said that "like a tsunami, there is also a disaster in Burma. The regime is very is very rigid and oppression is going on."

On copyright

From Wannabe Lawyer:

Copyrights are artificial monopolies created by government statute. Ideas and expression of ideas are inherently non-rival and non-excludable. While physical items such as CDs or DVDs are actually capable of being scarce, information and data can essentially be replicated infinitely. Would cinema operators raise the price of their tickets if VCD pirates were still openly selling their wares? I think not.

I am no lover of the present copyright regime, but let's be careful here. One: of course copyrights "are artificial monopolies created by government statute". Two, and again, of course "ideas and expression of ideas are inherently non-rival and non-excludable...information and data can essentially be replicated infinitely." The question is: what's all that got to do with the justifiability of copyrights?

Suppose I come up with an idea and wants the world to hear of it and I don't even care if they know that it's my idea--I trumpet the idea as much as possible and have as many people repeat it, copy it, propogate it as possible. If that's what I want to do, copyrights have nothing to do with me.

But what if I'm in it at least partly for the potential profit, or just to make a living, and--this is the crucial bit--while the idea can be replicated infinitely at very little cost, coming up with the idea involves genuine cost to me. If there is no copyright to protect my idea such that I am able to make a financial return on it, a return that outweights the cost of coming up with that idea, then--on the beginning assumption that I'm in this for the profit, my incentive to pay the cost and come up with the idea disappears. Note: in saying all this, I (as the person who seeks to profit from coming up with ideas) am not saying that what I am doing or wanting to do is inherently moral, or that people who decry what I do necessarily evil. The question for us all is: do we want to do without the profit motive in the realm of ideas (even while keeping another option open for those who are not in the ideas business for profit).

Surreptitiously (hat tip: Austin Bay, who has further comments), there is a column in the Wall Street Journal (Apr 1), "Can Justice Scalia Solve the Riddles Of the Internet?" by Daniel Henninger (subscription required), now available free on WSJ Opinion Journal. It's about the ongoing hearing in the US Supreme Court on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer v. Grokster, about which you can read more here (WaPo, Mar 28). Henninger frames three "conundrum":

Conundrum #1: Has the Internet, the most powerful information pump the world has ever known, drowned the incentive to create in words or images?

Conundrum #2: Has the Internet effectively displaced the antique notion of the profit-motive with a newer, unstoppable reality that everything on the Internet is, if it wants to be, "free"?

Conundrum #3: How is it that millions of Americans who wouldn't cross the street against a red light will sleep like lambs after downloading onto their computers a Library of Alexandria's worth of music or movies -- for free.

The answer according to Henninger:

It may seem quaintly old school to suggest that people should stop downloading culture without paying simply because it's the right thing to do. But that may be the best option available.

For starters, if "the people" don't solve this problem themselves, Congress will, and you won't like the solution -- unless you enjoy the tax code. Try Googling "Chapter 17 Federal Code Copyrights." Then click on any of its 13 chapters or any of Sections 101 through 1332. It can get worse.

The hacker community may find fun in being on the run constantly from the copyright cops hired by Bertelsmann and Sony, but most people will find it tiresome. I suspect most nonpaying downloaders acquired the habit because the opportunity came up so fast and was just so darn easy. Other than life itself, nothing in history that is so pleasurable has been available in such quantity, so easily for nothing or next to nothing, without health effects. If this were not true, half the nation wouldn't have white earphones grafted into their ears.

But the real core of the issue is not legal but philosophical:

...most downloaders would likely concede that in a royalty-free world the incentives for the next Dylan diminish. Even writers gotta eat. But this means one has to buy into the validity of eeeek, "profit." I would push this even further; it requires a moral or at least philosophical commitment to the legitimacy of profit. Absent that, there's no hope.

New business models like iTunes and techno-fixes such as micropayments matter a lot, but the unshakable reality is that digits and microchips are not like any previous reproducing technology. If you can digitize it, you can grab it, for free.

No matter what the Supreme Court decides about Grokster's 15 minutes of fame, this is a philosophical issue for the long run. The Web isn't just a technology; it's become an ideology. The Web's birth as a "free" medium and the downloading ethic have engendered the belief that culture -- songs, movies, fiction, journalism, photography -- should be clickable into the public domain, for "everyone."

What a weird ethic. Some who will spend hundreds of dollars for iPods and home theater systems won't pay one thin dime for a song or movie. So Steve Jobs and the Silicon Valley geeks get richer while the new-music artists sweating through three sets in dim clubs get to live on Red Bull. Where's the justice in that?

If there are people out there who are willing to manufacture mp3 players and let anyone who wants one have it for free--good for them. The question is do we want to take the next step and insist that every would be maker of mp3 players do likewise?

Sumatra earthquake relief update (Apr 3-Apr 4)

From CyberPIONEER (Apr 2):

Indonesia’s Vice-President Mohammad Jusof Kalla visited the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medical centre on 2 Apr, underlying the close bilateral relations between Singapore and Indonesia. His visit preceded a shift in the kinds of treatment being administered to the people of Pulau Nias, as more and more people flocked to the SAF medical centre to receive free treatment.

The number of emergency cases had fallen from 70 in the first two days, to fewer than 20 on 2 Apr. "We are moving into a stage of primary healthcare cases like cough, flu and fever," explained the SAF medical team leader, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) (Dr) Steven Thng.

SAF continues with its relief operations; from CNA (Apr 3):

[RSAF] Chinook helicopters have evacuated 67 casualties to Medan for further medical treatment. The SAF medical team has also treated 496 patients since it started relief operations there on March 31.

Unfortunately, food shortages continue; from CNA (Apr 3):

NIAS ISLAND, Indonesia : Humanitarian aid is pouring into the Indonesia islands of Nias and Simeulue, two areas of North Sumatra both affected by last Monday's earthquake. But destroyed road links and poor distribution are hampering aid from reaching the people in some areas.

An ounce of rice, three packets of instant noodles and eggs -- these are what residents in Nias have been receiving each day. People living in temporary shelters have to rely on the camp coordinator for their food supply.

"It has been two days since we received new rations," one quake victim said. "They gave us a bit of rice, eggs and three packs of instant noodles," another said.

UPDATE: Form ST (Apr 4), "S'porean brings hope to orphans in Nias--Former seaman who built orphanage now seeks to repair damage caused by earthquake", by Tanya Fong (subscription required):

GUNUNG SITOLI (SUMATRA) - THE work of Mr Michael Christian - the only Singaporean resident on Nias - might not have come to light if the island had not been hit by last week's earthquake.

The former merchant seaman runs Tomorrow's Hope, an orphanage housing 140 underprivileged children and young people in this disaster-stricken corner of Indonesia. Six of the children became orphans after last December's tsunami.

The 48-year-old Mr Christian told The Straits Times: 'Our place is on a hill and although the children were shaken by the earthquake, none of them were hurt.'

The orphanage was set up after Mr Christian received a letter in 1996 from a church associate in Jakarta. Mr Christian was a pastor in a church in Singapore at the time and the letter was a plea for help to set up a children's home on the Sumatran island.

He sought help from the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Singapore, raising $80,000 for the home. It was finally completed in 2003.

The quake damaged one of its three buildings and Mr Christian must now try to raise funds for repairs and rebuilding.

Tomorrow's Hope, which is a registered society in Singapore, costs $3,000 a month to run. It depends on donations.

Many of the ethnic Chinese businessmen in Nias who had contributed to the home were killed in the earthquake.

Run with help from six local staff, the home makes sure that all its kids are healthy and educated.

Mr Christian pointed out: 'Life is very different here. The children have needs, not desires. Basic necessities such as food, water, shelter and education are not always met here.

'By finding them (the children), I found myself. They are part of my family. I do miss Singapore, but my life is here.'

Looking back, Mr Christian never imagined that he would now be working so selflessly for the good of others in need.

'I never thought I'd end up doing this,' he said. 'Especially with a surname like that, and doing things which were rather un-Christian-like when I was a seafarer.'

He recounted how he was somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean when he felt 'a calling' and there and then decided to pursue a more spiritual life.

Mr Christian met his Indonesian wife in Singapore in 1998 while he was in the midst of setting up Tomorrow's Hope. She was working as a nurse at Mount Alvernia Hospital when she was introduced to him as a possible translator for the children's home.

They were married in 2001 and now have a three-year-old daughter.

Security in the Straits of Malacca

(A big hat tip to Eaglespeak!) The latest from the ONI WorldWide Threat to Shipping, Mar 30 report:

Between 28 Feb and 14 Mar, there have been three serious incidents involving crew kidnapping for ransom in the Strait of Malacca. Heavily armed pirates boarded ships and seized the master and one or two senior crew and took them ashore. Pirates have not stolen any property and their sole aim has been to kidnap the crew.

Local media indicates Malaysian authorities believe these three incidents to be the work of the same pirates. Indonesia tends toward blanket condemnation of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for most incidents in the northern Strait, and a GAM spokesman felt it necessary to deny involvement in the latest incident on 16 Mar.

Also on 16 Mar, a Malaysian Marine Police spokesman rejected Japanese plans to have a Coast Guard patrol vessel operate in the Strait.

ONI NOTE: Malaysia and Indonesia continue efforts to improve safety in the Strait of Malacca. Malaysia recently announced they will start 24 hour radar surveillance of the Strait (see 14 Mar WWTTS) as well as considering adopting Britain's maritime counter-terrorism and pre-emptive intelligence tactics to help check threats to maritime security (12 Mar WWTTS). Japan has agreed to provide Indonesia a high speed patrol boat to help crack down on pirate activity. Indonesia and Malaysia continue to cooperate by launching joint operations to locate pirates and kidnapped crew, despite recent tension between the two countries over an ongoing territorial dispute in the oil rich waters of the Sulawesi Sea, just east of Borneo.

The recent attack on the Japanese tug (IDATEN) is somewhat unusual in that it is the first in which the kidnapped crew have not been local mariners, which may have affected their relatively rapid release. Regardless of whether the case represents GAM involvement, the fact that Japanese mariners have been kidnapped has instantly given this hijacking far more prominence than any of the previous ones and will increase pressure on Malaysia and Indonesia to accept outside assistance, with the perceived risks to their sovereignty.

Malaysia's 16 Mar rejection of Japanese Coast Guard patrol plans comes as no surprise.

Other more recent attacks; from AFP (Mar 31)

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Pirates attacked a Japanese-owned bulk carrier in the Malacca Strait and robbed the ship of its cash before escaping in a boat.

And from Radio Australia (Mar 31):

Three crewmembers of a tugboat have been taken hostage by armed pirates in waters off the Malaysian state of Sabah. Malaysia's Star newspaper reports that a group fired on the Malaysian-owned "Bonggaya 91" and the barge it was towing, before boarding the vessel in the Sulawesi Sea near the Sabah district of Semporna. The gunmen fled with three of the six Indonesian crew and the tug's radio communication set. There's been no demand for ransom. It's the second kidnapping in Malaysian waters in two weeks.

As reported earlier, the Japanese wanted to send its coast guard to help patrol the Malacca Straits. An Indonesian perspective on this turn of events--from Tempointeraktif (Mar 29):

Japan’s desire to send its military forces to assist in the security of the Malacca Straits, according to Koesnadi Kardi, Head of the Education and Training Board at the Ministry of Defense, is due to its own interests. "This is because almost 90 percent of Japan’s oil import trade traffic from the Middle East travels through the Malacca Straits," said Koesnadi in Jakarta yesterday.

"For a long time now, Japan has wanted to mobilize its forces to help in the patrols, but we have always refused," he said. "We welcome Japan’s help in forms other than military forces, the reason being the sovereignty of Indonesia," said Koesnadi.

...

Indonesia being at this crossroads makes its position very strategic and responsible in terms of security for transportation traffic. "If we fail, we can be sure that America and Japan will mobilize their forces within Indonesian territories," said Koesnadi.

Malaysia is saying the same thing--from AP (Apr 2):

Foreign governments will want to get involved in providing security in the Malacca Strait if piracy in the busy shipping lane isn't curbed quickly, Malaysia's deputy prime minister said Saturday.

Najib Razak's comments came a day after armed pirates stormed a Japanese-owned bulk carrier in the strait, stealing cash from the vessel's safe in the fourth pirate attack there since late February.

"I believe that the international community will pressure us if we cannot (stop the piracy)," Najib was quoted as saying by the national news agency Bernama. "The pressure from them will mount."

...

Najib, who is also defense minister, didn't specify what nations would want to get involved in safeguarding the waterway. But the United States last year proposed a plan to send an elite U.S. unit to help secure the strait.

Malaysia and Indonesia rejected the plan, though Singapore--a strong U.S. ally--embraced it.

Signs that the littoral countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) are on the verge of doing something more effective about the piracy problem in the Straits of Malacca?

UPDATE: From AFP via CNA (Apr 3):

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has requested closer cooperation from neighbouring Indonesia in the fight against growing pirate attacks on merchant ships in the Malacca Strait, a report said Sunday.

"We have requested for more cooperation from the Indonesian government in this matter," Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times newspaper.

[Technorati: Malacca Straits]

Sumatra earthquake relief update (Apr 2-Apr 3)

MINDEF has put up its webpage for the earthquake relief effort, complete with photo gallery.

A piece of good news (CNA Apr 2) in the midst of gloom:

GUNUNG SITOLI, Indonesia: Rescuers on the Indonesian island of Nias pulled a survivor from beneath the rubble almost five days after his two-storey house collapsed on top of him during a massive earthquake.

Hendra Ho Keng, 40, emerged battered, bruised and crying in pain from suspected broken bones after Indonesian, Mexican and Singaporean teams used chainsaws and boltcutters to break down the piles of concrete.

But the rescuers said there was no sign of Ho Keng's wife and two children who were buried with him in the Nias city of Gunung Sitoli when the magnitude 8.7 quake struck late Monday, killing hundreds and causing huge damage.

Elsewhere, confusion continues to plague Australia's relief efforts:

At the main aid hub of Sibolga on the north Sumatra coast, lack of transport and bad weather added to the long delays that have pushed Australian relief efforts back to four days after the magnitude 8.7 earthquake hit the region.

At the town's military airport on Friday night, emergency workers were unable to fly life-saving rescue equipment including concrete cutting equipment and jacks capable of freeing trapped survivors to Nias because RAAF transports landed with only an hour of light left due to a fuel leak in Jakarta.

To add to rescuers' woes, one of the three pallets of emergency supplies consisted of disposable nappies, instead of the critically needed food, drugs and water supplies.

Australian helicopter involved in Nias relief operations crashed

From AP (Apr 2), "Australian helicopter crashes in quake-devastated Indonesia; nine dead":

CANBERRA, Australia - An Australian navy helicopter crashed on the earthquake-devastated Indonesian island of Nias, killing nine people, the defense department said Sunday. Two others were rescued but were seriously injured.

The Sea King helicopter crashed Saturday afternoon near the town of Gunung Sitoli, off the west coast of Sumatra, a defense statement said.

The chopper was from an Australian navy transport ship that arrived Saturday from Singapore after a three-month relief mission in Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh.

The two survivors were rescued by a second helicopter from the ship, HMAS Kanimbla, which has a floating hospital, according to the statement.

"They are in a serious condition with leg fractures and other injuries," Kanimbla Commander George McGuire told Australian Associated Press.

McGuire told the AAP that the helicopter was ferrying an emergency medical team to a remote village as part of relief efforts when it crashed.

McGuire said the transport ship was headed toward the crash site on the southern tip of Nias, which was struck by a deadly earthquake on Monday.

The crew on the Kanimbla cried and bowed their heads in shock in the ship's mess room when McGuire broke the news, AAP reported.

Singapore vs HK bloggers

From Simon World, "Lions versus Lychees (Updated)":

Singapore and Hong Kong are well known rivals. Usually Hong Kong has the upper hand. But when it comes to blogging Hong Kong is, let's be honest, woefully behind Singapore. Singapore blogs have bigger readerships, are more diverse and more interesting.

Why?

There is a whole exchange between Mr. Brown and Simon, which should be read in full. The comments are interesting too. But I'll quote Simon's own conclusions:

1. The language factor is key. Hong Kong is dominated by Cantonese speakers with English quickly being relegated to the third language after Mandarin. Much to the elite's chagrin English proficiency is decling in Hong Kong. Thus those that feel most comfortable in writing in English are expats or "international Chinese". The downside to this is my inability to read Chinese excludes me from much of what happens locally in both the media and out there in the real world. On the other hand in Singapore English is a primary and commonly used language.

2. The nature of blogs in the two places is also shaped by the social and political environment. That's what Mr Brown was getting at and I can only agree. I have nothing against personal diary style blogs and indeed enjoy reading many of them. but the potential for blogging as a new medium and political tool is vast and only just starting to be realised.

3. Blogs themselves often reflect their setting. Singapore seems a more collegial place compared to the individuality of Hong Kong. And so it is with blogs.

I don't read enough HK blogs--English or Chinese--to be able to arrive at a comparison. The greatest part of my own blog reading is either American or Singaporean. Even Simon World, which I follow regularly, is not read primarily as a HK-centric blog as much as an Asia-centric one. And really, a proper comparison of the relative proportions of political vs. personal blogs will have to take the language issue into consideration. HK'ers, from my own experience, do not use English as their primary language. In comparison, a very large proportion of Singaporean Chinese do (which is a reason why other Chinese--mainlanders, Taiwanese and Hong Kongers--often fail to understand us Singaporean-Chinese...but I'll leave that for another day).

That said, the general observations about Singaporean blogs appears true enough, but I'm not totally convinced by the political explanation of why there are so many personal-journal type Singaporean blogs. It might explain why there are fewer blogs of an explicitly political orientation. Blogs are not inherently political in nature.

Vietnamese instant brides on display in trade fair in Singapore

From Asia Times (Apr 1), "Singapore fair puts brides on display", by Tran Dinh Thanh Lam:

The Thanh Nien daily translated a March 14 article carried by the Singapore paper Today describing how Vietnamese women were "put on display" like products at a trade fair booth at the Golden Mile Complex trading center in Singapore.

The booth was set up by Blissful Heart Marriage Center, and according to director Francis Toh, the "Vietnamese were there to give potential clients an idea how Vietnamese girls look and [to] give them a feel of the on-the-spot selection process".

A Singaporean man was seen distributing leaflets to passersby, promoting luxury cruise packages at a cost of S$13,800 (US$8,365). For an extra S$9,800 (US$5,940), a single man buying a luxury cruise could choose a bride on the spot to accompany him on his trip.

"It was like a TV advertisement, and it was so humiliating," the Thanh Nien daily reported, quoting a Vietnamese employee at a computer firm in Singapore.

In recent years, an increasing number of Singapore men, unable to find love at home, have sought their brides in Vietnam, China and Indonesia. Many are convinced that foreigners make better wives because they are perceived as more domesticated, less arrogant or materialistic compared to their Singapore counterparts.

Quynh Mai, who runs a hotel business in Singapore, said that Vietnamese women were also put on display in other places in the city-state, such as the Fulushou and Orchard Point trading centers.

Braema Mathi, president of Singapore's Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), said the practice of displaying Vietnamese women as brides was humiliating. "I think putting women from any country up like this, almost advertising themselves as brides, is repugnant."

Sumatra earthquake relief update (Apr 1-Apr 2)

There seems to be a downward revision of the death toll. According to this AFP report:

A total of 424 people were confirmed dead on Nias and 31 in Aceh province from Monday night's 8.7-magnitude earthquake in Sumatra - which had barely recovered from the Dec. 26 quake-driven tsunami, said Col. Zainuri Lubis, a local police officer compiling a list of the dead. The government said the final death toll will be about 500, lowering earlier estimates of 2,000.

The damage to property on Nias:

1,936 houses were damaged or collapsed in the quake along with 122 shops, 11 mosques, 83 churches, one Buddhist temple, 30 government buildings and 78 schools.

The report also says that operations have shifted from rescue to relief, as also stated in this CNA report:

NIAS, Indonesia: Search and rescue efforts to find survivors in earthquake-stricken Nias seem to have come to an end as heavy equipment is being brought in to clear the rubble.

The Indonesian authorities say chances of finding survivors trapped after four days are slim.

Search and rescue efforts have been difficult as most of the buildings in the town of Gunung Sitoli collapsed inwards, which leaves little room to escape for those trapped at the ground floor.

The Singapore Civil Defence Team has so far rescued one survivor and extricated nine bodies since they arrived in Nias on Tuesday.

More on the work of Singaporeans from this CNA report:

SINGAPORE: While Singapore Armed Forces' Chinook helicopters continue to airlift aid to earthquake-hit Nias and evacuate casualties to Medan for medical treatment, the Singapore Red Cross is sending about S$1 million worth of relief supplies to the island.

The supplies will set sail on a barge on Monday and will arrive on Wednesday. The shipment includes water treatment plants, water, and medical and food items to fill at least 30,000 family packs. A pick-up truck will also be on the barge.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said at an event on Friday that Singapore's Relief Mission is working very closely with Indonesian counterparts on the ground. The Defence Minister said, "The most critical area is transportation, because Nias is an island. The normal facilities, like the port, (are) not in working order.So until then, Chinooks play an important role. And of course, medical facilities.

"Right now, rescue is critical - time is of the essence, both in rescue as well as medical...It's not the numbers that are so important, but it's being able to be there, that's the critical issue in any situation. It's timeliness and being able to deliver the kind of assistance, whether its logistics, rescue at that point in time, at that critical moment."

(Also in this ST report, subscription required)

On the environment front, the coastline of Sumatra has changed once again. From this ST report (subscription required):

JAKARTA - THREE months after Sumatra edged slightly towards Sri Lanka, the latest quake to hit the region has again altered the landscape. Anecdotal evidence from Nias and Simeulue, close to the epicentre of Monday's 8.7-magnitude quake, points to substantial change on shorelines around the islands.

In some areas, the land has tilted, exposing large tracts of beach that were once below the water line and thrusting coral reefs up into the air, while dipping other low-lying coastal areas into the sea. Photos shot by Australian surf camp operator Brian Williams show a wide strip of white sand in Simeulue's Gusong Bay, which people say was not there before.

But there is much worse news. From this report:

AS if earthquake-ravaged Indonesia doesn't have enough to worry about, now scientists warn that a Sumatran super-volcano might blow its top at any time.

If it does, the blast will toss hundreds of thousands of cubic kilometres of rock and ash into the atmosphere, dwarfing the eruptions of Krakatoa, Mount St Helens, Pinatubo and any conventional volcanic explosion of the past tens of thousands of years.

"These super-volcanoes are potentially the greatest hazard on Earth, the only greater threat being an asteroid impact from space," said Ray Cas, a vulcanologist with Monash University in Melbourne.

Professor Cas said a "major tectonic event" could be enough to trigger a deadly super-volcanic eruption.

The likelihood that the Toba – the largest super-volcano on Earth – will erupt has increased significantly due to geological stresses generated by the recent quakes.

Worse, Toba sits directly atop the faultline running down the spine of Sumatra. That is where seismologists say a third quake might strike.

Because of the increased risk, Professor Cas called for increased monitoring of Toba.

Interesting article...

...and easily the most impressive piece I've read from a left of center perspective for a while (hat tip: Arts and Letters Daily). There are lessons that can be drawn for Singapore too, but I'm going to bed now.

Sumatra earthquake relief update (Mar 31-Apr 1)

The situation appears grim from the reports. Since the earthquake of Monday, the Island of Nias has been hit by some 700 aftershocks: 48 aftershocks following the initial earthquake late on Monday (Mar 28), a further 628 over the next two days and 51 in the first eight hours of Thursday (Mar 31), magnitude varying between 4.1 and 5.5 on the Richter scale. More than 620 people had been confirmed dead, 600 of them on Nias. This is much less than the initial figure of 2,000 given on Wednesday by Vice President Yusuf Kalla.

As of Wednesday, the relief personnel from the SAF, SCDF have also been joined by rescuers from Norway, France and Spain. There are now some 160 relief workers from Singapore on Nias: 40 in the medical teams from the Singapore Armed Forces, Red Cross, Mercy Relief and City Harvest, 40 SCDF officers and 79 SAF personnel (CNA Mar 31):

Over 90 patients have been treated by the SAF medical teams at the medical relief centre. 45 casualties have also been airlifted from Nias to Medan for further medical treatment on 3 Chinook helicopters, while another 3 SAF C-130 transport planes have arrived in Medan with much needed emergency supplies. The Civil defence teams working in the rubble have rescued a 50 year old and extricated 7 bodies.

Material is on the move as well, and plans are already afoot for other assistance:

1500 tonnes of medical supplies, food and water will depart Singapore for Nias on Monday.

Mercy Relief is also thinking of long term plans to rebuild the lives of the quake victims - 2 modern vessels each costing US$150 000, have been commissioned to be built for Nias fishermen.

Other local organizations are also looking at how they can help.

The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre is holding a meeting with the various NGOs on friday to assess the needs of the quake victims and coordinate relief efforts.

The Indonesian embassy is accepting collections for the people of Nias and Simuelue.

"I know the government already sent some medical teams. We really appreciate and thank you for that. Also, we welcome any Singaporeans who want to donate or help the Nias people. Learning from the tsunami, we prefer to receive any donations in cash or cheque rather than donation in kind," said Widya Rahmanto, spokesperson for the Indonesian Embassy.

Mercy Relief has also contracted with Indonesian shipbuilder PT Pal at the latter's shipyard in Ujung, Surabaya, to build two 16m the wood-and-aluminium motorised fishing boats as a gift from Singaporeans and corporate donors for the fishermen on Nias. Either other similar boats are also in the works to for fishermen in tsunami-wrecked Aceh within the next two years (ST, Apr 1; subscription required). The price tag: $2.48 million; Mercy Relief and the Tsunami Relief Fund Committee, a body comprising local NGOs, will bear the building cost.