Originally posted by Civilgoh:

I respect his freedom of speech.   He speaks the mind of Singaporeans.

I assure you, that he does not speak my mind.

Viewed within another perspective, one could, of course, say that the party is not the country and he is criticising the party, and not the country.

Many pple also criticise the myammar junta, we often slam the republicans and george bush for their hare-brained iraq invasion, we often criticise UMNO for its racist policies.

Lets just say that his brand of dissent does not sit well with me. A lot of venom, not much substance.

i'm disgusted by this ex-singaporean shooting his mouth off and lambasting the country of his birth on his blog.

Sad to say, but at least CSJ is still here after getting whacked left right and center. We question his wisdom, his approach, even his sanity, but he's still here and if he is to be believed, he's here cos he still believes in an alternative for this country.

We may not agree with his alternative, but at least he's here and willing to stand attacked for his views.

That ex singaporean indian is just a sneaky arm-chair critic who has left the country of his birth to seek greener pasteurs and now nurses a pathological hatred of all that reminds him of who he is and where he came from.

What pathetic b/s. Equating "principles" with CPF money...  So how much are his  "principles" worth?

From his blog:

Gopalan Nair

Determined to find the Truth. Born Singapore, educated Winstedt School 2 (next to Monks Hill in Newton, Singapore) Raffles Institution, National Service, some travel in Europe, then law studies England, return to Singapore, practiced for 10 years, active Workers Party member, stood elections 1988 and 1991 in Singapore, was harassed and persecuted by Lee Kuan Yew for my political beliefs, left for USA, obtained asylum and admitted California State Bar, practice law ever since in Fremont California near San Francisco. Relinquished Singapore citizenship 2005 because I was not prepared to permit Lee Kuan Yew to unjustly retain my CPF funds if I remained Singapore Citizen. On principle, the only correct thing for me to do was to give it up, for my CPF funds. I am an American Citizen as of 2005.

Originally posted by idwar:

Idwar is here.....

So Singapore got the PB island. Malaysia got Middle Rocks which are less than 1km to the south ( 0.6 nautical miles). This means Singapore waters extend 0.3 nm southwards only, to the half way mark to Middle Rocks. Norrthwards Singapore gets 3 nm. as Johore is about 7 km away

It also means Malaysian ships can cut into PB waters to get to Middle Rocks...right of free passage.....without having to ask for permission. 

 

See map.....Sinagpore gets half of middle Channel. Malaysia gets whole of South Channel.....unless Singapore kpkb and starts her nonsense with South Ledge

Right of free passage to where?

Isn't middle rock more of a navigation hazard than anything?

by the way, where are those jokers who said that we'll lose PB?

Originally posted by wheelcamp:

Listened to the CNA live, heard the judge said 12-4 ruling in favour of Pedra Branca to Singapore and 15-1 ruling in favour of Middle Rock to Malaysia. Not sure though. Let's move on!

It was commented that SG had not shown that it had a claim over middle rock, which in all fairness, is true. Our arguments were centered on PB and I guess it shows that the SG team put up a strong case for PB.

I don't agree with the judgement because its potentially another can of worms. But in all fairness, it was a judgement based on sound application of intl law: i.e. because MY has a historical title to the islets in the area, and both countries had agreed for the judgement to be rendered separately, they had to render a judgement that gave due recognition to that context.

MY had shown it had title, so it got the middle rocks. In the same way, it had shown that it never regarded PB as theirs (in fact, they denied it) and SG had effectively controlled the island, we got PB.

South ledge is a low tide elevation so that brings with it its own complications so the only fair way is to split it according to the maritime boundaries of each state.

errrm... what's the purpose of this thread?

why should ST have a big presence in an eastern european arms bazaar?

they did participate btw... as co-exhibitor... probably didn't expect to clinch any major deals there... no point wasting money buying good booth space...

and... errrm... is there a point being raised that i missed?

Originally posted by CX:

Hmmm...

J Robert Oppenheimer

Niels Bohr

And last but not least...

Guess who?

These were all scientific titans and very public figures of their days... they were either nobel prize winners themselves, or who had produced research and made discoveries that were nobel prize winning material... And they all worked on the Manhatten Project.

Its a bit silly to suggest that scientists ought to be locked away like hermits and never see the light of day... They just happen to work in a military-linked lab, but their first and foremost pre-occupation is always their research and their scientific work, which is improved through sharing with fellow scientists at international conferences and scientific journals

just as our scientists read such papers and get useful ideas and directions for their research, it is only reasonable that they give back to these journals and get recognised for their good work through publications.

They do have to seek permission before submitting research for publication and it is considered an achievement in academia to have an article published in a well-known journal.

Hmmm...

J Robert Oppenheimer

Niels Bohr

And last but not least...

Guess who?

These were all scientific titans and very public figures of their days... they were either nobel prize winners themselves, or who had produced research and made discoveries that were nobel prize winning material... And they all worked on the Manhatten Project.

Its a bit silly to suggest that scientists ought to be locked away like hermits and never see the light of day... They just happen to work in a military-linked lab, but their first and foremost pre-occupation is always their research and their scientific work, which is improved through sharing with fellow scientists at international conferences and scientific journals

just as our scientists read such papers and get useful ideas and directions for their research, it is only reasonable that they give back to these journals and get recognised for their good work through publications.

They do have to seek permission before submitting research for publication and it is considered an achievement in academia to have an article published in a well-known journal.

Originally posted by Hello Kitty:

ar boh, hw cm they got so many tings & so free to kao bei so much?

hmmm.. then u leh? are u highly paid or lowly paid?

Originally posted by edwin3060:

Agreed-- both sides reap good PR from this, which is why they are doing it.

good PR for the brits, maybe... appearing nice to muslims while they're knee deep in turd in afghanistan and iraq...

PR for the Malaysians???

Looks more like a fool's errand to me...

Originally posted by idwar:

 

Hmmm.......the island should be able to take the weight....

oh grow up... the whole point of taking it to the ICJ was to have a matured settlement to the issue through impartial 3rd party arbitration.

malaysia's big boys toys will have no bearing on the verdict now.

should've just spent their time and money on preparing a stronger case. its not as if singapore's arguments were drastically different from its written submissions... it was available for all to read for MONTHS...

hmmm... didn't log in for 1 day and its been so interesting...

to be fair, anyone who has read the transcripts of the ICJ with an open mind would come to an initial conclusion that both sides raised pretty good arguments but this mindless re-hash of the malaysian perspective really makes me wonder just how many malaysians are here trying to start a pissing contest.

i wasn't aware that the malaysian propaganda machine is so "powderful" that it has successfully brain-washed ordinary singaporeans into thinking that malaysian actually "owns" the island and the fight was over before it began.

to give credit where its due, it must be said that the singapore side did a better job of tying it all up, responding to opposing counsel's points and making it neat and persuasive.

did i mention that i especially liked the part when the light-house keeper's account of the sultan's visit to the island was read in full? it makes me wonder why a sultan visiting his "own island" would need to seek the governor's permission and use his boat for that purpose. Won't his orang laut subjects be honoured to ferry such a VIP?

no permission was sought from the sultan to build the lighthouse. but permission was sought by the sultan to visit it. hmmm...

the malaysian arguments were full of holes. if they did not damage their "historical" claim in the process, they certainly looked like clowns grasping at straws.

and that's not even bringing in that ridiculous photo they tried to pass off as "evidence"...

the only saving grace they had was sir elihu lauterpacht who managed to weave together the disparate and fragmented argument into something resembling coherence... i can only imagine how hard the poor old man must have worked to earn his fee for this particular representation...

Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:

"all living organisms guard jeolously wat they deemed belongs to them... even an amoeba would compete to survive... only dead corpse would not protest when its being robbed."

I will try remember that during LKY's funeral. Please dont pass yourself as anything but a coward like your WWII Jap collaborator boss.

? u have a morbid obssession with his mortality then...

We'll all die... sooner or later. In any case, pple die every day so why should one death arouse your interest more so than any others?

Some may mourn his passing more than others but a country is bigger than 1 man.

Tsk tsk... so you bemoan the loss of sports matches and celebrate the death of certain individuals, but do not care one way or another about the territorial integrity of Singapore... Hmmm...

Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:

So if Singapore loses the rock/s, you propose invading Malaysia right? I am giving this non-issue the attention it deserves.

Excuse me, it was PAP minister that bring up China beer girls ok...

Relax no one will call for Walter Woon or Jaya's head to roll if they lose the rock. If you feel alive only if Singapore retains the rock, well good for you loh...

"Pple who care about the sovereignty and honour of the nation,"

Wheres your indigination PAP busses in loser FT athletes...

Agree that it should not be blown out of proportion but while u feel that it is a "non-issue", i view it as current affairs which i've been monitoring for years.

I am alive and I feel alive regardless of the rock. But I am interested in the outcome nevertheless. Is this interest so inconceivable to you? Does it seem more reasonable that EPL fans should lose sleep and wear their team colours and harangue fans of opposing teams of their misplaced loyalty?

Why am I not as upset with loser FT atheletes? The simple answer is that I'm simply not a sports fan. I also do not believe that winning or losing in a sports game makes a country better.

While losing a piece of rock in a strategic location where we have placed important navigation and communication equipment and which control gives us a strong advantage in the extent of our territorial waters and enables us to protect the sea-trade that is so important to us... Hmmm... Not important?

Originally posted by Cowbaycowboo:

well no point arguing wif "frogs in well" mentalities......rock or no rock....jus leave the china gals alone.....they kept our geylang alive ...wooohooo!

So... Pple who care about the sovereignty and honour of the nation, the defence of the nation's border integrity, who basically love the country of their birth are, basically, in your words, "frogs in well" ???

So what makes u so enlightened? U and your cynicism, only caring about the price of rice, paying your bills and the china whores that makes u feel alive?

Who's the frog here? excuse me for saying "uncle", but its ok if u're apathetic... there are some of us who cares.

Originally posted by Hello Kitty:

who cares abt hw u look at me.

i oly look at the facts & figures.

it's true dat toopid ppl like u r neber valued at werk.

u expect the whole world to empathise & shed tears wif u?

it's still ok if u're useless but u r sollie abt it & act like it leh.

bt nt whn u're dumb yet refuse to acknowledge it & stil yaya leh.

ha... the things u say... are u angry with me? angry with TS? or angry with YOURSELF?

are u in the same position as TS? but dun dare to admit it and wants to make yourself feel better by making her look worse with your admonition?

the rest of us are comfortable with what we've achieved to the extent that we know it didn't come easy. we've had our hard knocks, we take it, we learn and move on.

u? you call everyone who disagrees with u a loser so i guess u're the only "winner" here lor... carry on mewing kitty...

Originally posted by Hello Kitty:

u're not eben fit to.

u're a loser, remember?

u can take your callousness and mean heartedness and stuff it up your kitty arse.

the only loser i see here is one who's trying desperately to make others look bad so the poor kitty can look better.

pathetic...

Originally posted by Hello Kitty:

oh, so u're another one.

too bad u r so toopid.

u hv oly urself to blame.

i'm stoopid for trying to talk reason to you.

Originally posted by Nikar 3:

 

another method is you can have sex with me, i'll care for you and pamper you. i always love SG chinese girls.

PLEASE! what are u? some pervert?

so much for giving constructive advice...

you are the one that's looking at things through a skewed perspective.

i think everyone is being honest and fair, while at the same time, trying to be encouraging.

you just try to slam pple and for what? to make yourself feel better? to show that u're superior?

i agree that we need to be honest with TS and she needs to buck up if she feels that she's weak in some areas, but its the journey to discover what she's weak in and improve.

just scolding pple is not helping. having been through bad job experiences myself, i know for a fact that its not as simple as u say. i was lucky to have friends who encouraged me and gave me good advice.

unfortunately for TS, she has you.

guess what... it happens to everyone starting out in life got degree also liddat...

my first job was a disaster... the boss was this nasty @rsehole who conveniently made me take the rap when the whole team farked up cos one of the team member was high-priced "foreign talent" and he couldn't touch him even though he was the one that made the mess in the first place. as they say in cantonese "eat dead cat" lor...

the next one was a terrible job match and i had a big argument with my boss which nearly got me fired...

the list goes on and on...

frankly, if money was a problem and u're not sure what u wanna do yet (frankly, admin/hr sounds very broad to me...) just walk into a job agency and ask for a temp / contract position. It'll give u some experience and u may get lucky and find a company who wants to retain u as a perm. (not to mention that they pay u at the same time...)

i agree that its sometimes very unfair. bosses expect a lot from the staff these days and are quick to write off pple as "stupid", "incompetent", etc...

there's a lot of pressure to perform so u really have watch yourself, work hard and when in doubt, ASK ASK AND ASK AGAIN.

pple can find u tedious if u keep asking questions, but they'll find it harder to blame u if u follow their instructions exactly and something bad still happens.

u mentioned mis-comm with one of your bosses and i think its fair to point out that maybe u didn't ask when u didn't fully understand? 

keep trying. sometimes, its just "job-fit" and "boss-fit" and u can only trial and error to find the right match.

the only part i liked about the HK budget was the waiver of duty on alcoholic beverages

shiok man...

Originally posted by maurizio13:

I don't know about the 2 minutes you mentioned, but it's very very rare that a train comes within 2 minutes of each other during peak hours. It's at least 4 to 5 minutes wait.

And THAT's supposed to be a bad thing? 4 to 5 mins / train is a bad thing???

Originally posted by maurizio13:
With SMRT jam packing the trains like sardines in a can, I can definitely not deny that SMRT has become extremely efficient in it's services.
[/b]

Isn't operating a half empty train a waste of time, energy and money?

They're increased frequency but the trains are still jam packed. Logically, the conclusion is that there are really A LOT of pple during peak hours and its not really the operator's fault.

I work around town (newton area). The Woodlands line is ALWAYS packed, even at around 7+, 8... and train frequencies are like, 2 - 4 mins.

The train only eases up around the Bishan - AMK - Yishun area, where most pple live.

My thinking is that they should probably come up with "express trains" to service the high-volume stations. That way, the large volume of pple can be moved quickly to the more "popular" stations while those who are going to the other stations will not have to endure the crowds of pple who are going to the more "popular" stations.

But even that may not solve all the problems. Frankly, with the congestion and all, companies should really explore more flexible hours and work-from-home arrangements. Commuting is becoming a very inefficient and painful affair.

Originally posted by Saltiga:

"No smelly pus$y allowed" sticker

rubbish lah! turn the situation around... if a guy went shopping for underwear, can he try the briefs??? obviously not!

its a hygiene issue lor! its usually the sweatiest part of the body... and what if kena infection? gross...