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I wonder how all the xenophobic idiots who supported "Farhan" feel now?

BREAKING NEWS

Straits Times: TRS sedition trial - Ai Takagi convicted of four charges of sedition

The former editor of a now-defunct sociopolitical website was convicted on four charges of sedition on Tuesday (March 8).

Australian Ai Takagi, 23, pleaded guilty to publishing the inflammatory articles on The Real Singapore news portal and its Facebook page.

She also admitted to another three counts of sedition and one charge of failing to produce financial statements on the website's advertising revenue to the police. These will be considered in sentencing.

How would you label this foreigner who intentionally made up fake articles and spread half-truths to rile up discontent and xenophobia, all solely for the intent of making money without regard to Singapore's social harmony?

To all the xenophobic idiots who supported and believed the rubbish articles posted by "Farhan" and the Real Singapore put out.

Shiok or not?  How does it feel to be shafted by the very foreigner that you so hate? Bitter irony huh.

See more details on how much they made from stirring shit at Mothership.

Mothership: The Real Singapore made AU$474,000 in Google ad revenue in 17 months from Dec. 2013 to April 2015

Former TRS editor Ai Takagi pleads guilty to manufacturing articles for profit

The 23-year-old Australian had concocted "scandalous, provocative and racy material" in a bid to increase TRS' following and garner "enormous" advertising revenue, according to the prosecutors.

Channel News Asia

See how the "alternative media" try to mislead their readers

"Wake Up Singapore" is yet another pseudo-news site that is peddling lies and half-truths. It almost looks like Alex Tan is their Shifu.

Shutdown TRS - "Are you willing to trust Wake Up Singapore for producing sh*t like this?

Where did they get the number about Singapore making $2b revenue worth of tax avenue in 2 weeks? (Our annual budget is actually less than $10b a year)

They keep harping on how the nature reserves will be cleared by LTA for the tunnel that will be constructed when LTA has assured Singaporeans if they go through the nature reserves, nothing will be cleared to make way for it.

Source: LTA - http://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=3&id=7db375f9-8a78-40ac-bc2d-4265d5bd57a0      "

Alex Tan keeps on lying... so what's new? :|

yawn,... if not for the fact that my work has been so busy, I'd probably have dozens more posts on Alex Tan's numerous lies.

Here's one of them.

Pic: Fabrications About The PAP

FAP - "If u or u know anyone who need help, pls visit a social service office near you. If you have financial difficulties with medical cost, make sure to tell the staff u need to speak to a medical social workers at the hospital.

It is irresponsible of States Times' Alex Tan to scaremonger about healthcare cost, especially with misleading claims. The elderly and ill-informed, like Mdm Sin, might delay treatment until it is too late.

Fortunately for Mdm Sim, social workers were able to persuade her to undergo treatment in time, doctors were able to save her feet, she only have 1 toe amputated."

Update 2: Despite clarifications from Mdm Sim's nephew Keith Ng, STR's Chief Liar Editor Alex Tan continues to insist that his article is accurate. Here are the screen-caps of the Facebook comments exchange between them.

Update: In addition to being a liar, Alex Tan is also a certifiable coward too.

Pic: Fabrications About The PAP

Former TRS editor Ai Takagi pleads guilty to manufacturing articles for profit

The 23-year-old Australian had concocted "scandalous, provocative and racy material" in a bid to increase TRS' following and garner "enormous" advertising revenue, according to the prosecutors.

Channel News Asia

Chee Soon Juan gets a "F" grade from Social Studies Teacher

So we have SDP's Chee Soon Juan trying his best to attract some controversy  news coverage attention by selectively showing examples from a social studies text and exposing the PAP's nefarious plot to brain-wash our students to vote for PAP.

Unfortunately for Chee, a Social-Studies Teacher has come forward to grade Chee's article and she has shot him down in flames given Chee a big fat "F" for the article.

Here's the post by Germain Heng (via FB).

==============================================================================

Hi Soon Juan

I am going to take some time to highlight to you some of the observations that you and the SDP have pointed out in your article, MOE Written Textbooks Are Even More Biased And Partisan Towards The PAP (http://yoursdp.org/…/dear_ministers_moe_tex…/2016-02-15-6099).

I have vested interest in this as I am a Social Studies Teacher. These are purely my views that do not represent my fellow colleagues. I will respond to those portions pertaining to the Social Studies text. I cannot comment on the history portions as that is not my training. I will draw reference from the said Social Studies textbook (ISBN 978-981420884-0). Please also note that a new textbook and curriculum is currently being taught to the 2016 batch of Secondary 3 students.

Example 2: Photos and illustrations

You have pointed out a series of pictures which you have claimed to be slanted towards the PAP, most notably found on pages 26 and 147 of the Social Studies textbook.

In the former, the context of the picture is with regards to the need of government leaders to mingle with the community in order to learn of their concerns, and not so much as to point the student towards voting for the PAP.

The latter, found in the chapter Bonding Singapore, was used as an exemplar of how a GRC team has to be made up of a member of the minority race, in this case Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, in order to contest in an election so as to ensure minority representation in the legislature.

Example 3: Principles of governance
The picture, found on page 33, is a summary of what PM Lee Hsien Loong said in the National Day Rally Speech in 2004. I hardly will call reporting what he said as skewed, although it might have been watered down in order for our students, aged 15-16/17, to digest. Even you cannot deny the fact that it was your leadership that has allowed you to take the reigns of the SDP back in December 1996.

As with you highlighting Ministers and MPs like Phey Yew Kok, Tan Kia Gan, Wee Toon Boon, Teh Cheang Wan, Choo Wee Kiang, and Michael Palmer, their transgressions have been covered extensively in the papers, both the Straits Times and other platforms. I highly doubt if there are any restrictions on the students’ own reading.

Example 4: Representative democracy
Again, you have conveniently left out the context of the section, which is, I quote: 2.1 What is the system of government in Singapore? (page 26). Your argumentation and interpretation of what makes up ‘Representative Democracy’ is not the focus of the chapter, but the system that Singapore has adopted.

Example 5: The Pledge

This is found in page 134, also in the chapter Bonding Singapore. I doubt I have to elaborate any further.

Example 6: Healthcare

I hardly see this (page 72) as a rallying cry to support the PAP government. Rather, it is important for students to understand why government policies (or suggested policies), PAP or otherwise, needs support or else their legitimacy is lost. You of all people should know since your own alternative healthcare policies obviously did not get much support, as evidenced by the vote-share that you garnered.

Example 7: Foreign talent/low birthrate

You have missed the point of the quote (page 52). It was written to explain a way to boost population numbers. Even you cannot dispel the fact that no one country has monopoly over talents. Even the US has attracted talent from Singapore to work in their industries. I am disappointed that you did not point that out, given your extensive network.

Example 8: Media

You have pointed to the lack of discussion on the importance for dialogue and debate without resorting to violence. You might want to read a chapter earlier (Chapter 4: Conflict in Multi-ethnic Societies), where explicit effort was made to show how violence begot even more violence in both Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland, and how both countries suffered because of it.

And with regards to your often quoted gripe about the free press in Singapore, if there weren’t, yoursdp.org shouldn’t be in existence, together with many of the alternative news sites which claim to be neutral. We must remember that freedom comes with responsibilities, and this must apply to speech and claims made. You should know, since you seem to have a knack for misquoting statistics. Again, I don’t have to belabour this point.

Example 9: Self-help groups

The quote on the above, found in Chapter 5: Bonding Singapore, is presented in the context of the need for such groups to exist. The purpose of the text is to provide content for the basis of the Structured Essay Question. Critical analysis of the source is covered in the Source Based Questions, which allows students to analyse assertions made by political leaders and its reliability.

Your selective quote did not include the following paragraph (page 148), which goes on to explain how the different SHGs bring individuals of different racial backgrounds together, as is the lesson objective of this chapter.

Example 10: People's Association

Again, the content of this (page 149) is in the context of the aforementioned Chapter 5, which has nothing to do with politics.

Soon Juan, please do not politicise a subject that I truly love teaching. Social Studies is a subject meant to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_studies). It DOES NOT serve as a political tool for students to make an electoral choice, PAP, SDP or otherwise.

I would strongly suggest you study the Social Studies curriculum in its entirety, and not make accusations against the textbook that I teach from out of context. The subject gives more than sufficient flexibility for teachers to deviate from the text, to train the mind of an active Singapore, and global, citizen. My fellow professional colleagues will attest to the rigour and commitment that we put in to sharpen the minds of our nation’s future. My own students can attest to the skills that I have imparted to them to be as critical of what is presented to them, as your source has allowed me to do.

By Germain Heng (via FB).

==============================================================================

Well, what else can I say? "Character is permanent"

Stupid RFP requirement put up by someone equally stupid

Seriously.. the person who approved the RFP for release is either a dumbass who has never dealt with publishing/creatives, and/or is a totally Kiasi/Kaisu person who has an equally dumbass boss who keeps on changing their minds.

Personally, I think the dumbass boss scenario is more likely. Unfortunately, like any organization, the Civil Service has its fair share of morons who somehow manage to get into managerial positions.

In any case, apparently this little teh-oh storm has caught the attention of the Min. of Finance 'cos someone has made a complaint to them.

Which ultimately means... "Somebody's gonna get hurt real bad"...

So, while the responsible person puckers up their ass for a whooping, its good to know that our Civil Service does respond to such idiotic actions from within its ranks.


Read more below:

Mothership: GeBIZ Invitation-to-Quote/ Tender doc: This is why modern slavery exists in S’pore

Mothership: Ministry of Finance says it is looking into ‘Unlimited Changes’ requirement on Invitation-to-Quote/ Tender doc



Update:
So MrBrown came up with a few memes to show how GeBIZ would be like if it was in a Star Wars movie... heheee

See more here.

Pic: MrBrown

[Defending the Lion City] Which Map of Singapore do you look at?

Worthwhile Endeavour, Meaningful Journey, Wonderful People

By YC Choy via FB, Sunday, January 24, 2016

SAF Sharing Session

23 Jan 2016

MAJ Choy Yong Cong

Good afternoon distinguished guests, fellow soldiers, parents, and students, 

First, let me express my gratitude for the privilege to share my experience here today. I’ve heard you are the best students in your cohort. It is rare that you have so much talent, ability, and drive congregated in one room. As I look at all of you, so young, so carefree, with the world at your feet, and the possibilities ahead of you, I wish I were 17 once again. For the parents, I congratulate you (in advance) to have raised such good children… and I’m sure they will remain good to you in the future. Indeed, I am humbled to be in all your company today.

I am humbled because my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. When I was around your age, I had bigger problems than thinking about what to do with my life. My father had left the family, kicking my mum and me out of the house, and leaving us without a home. My mum had to work day and night to make sure we had a place to stay, food on the table, and that I could focus on my studies. All she said was: 不管怎么样, 尽力就好。No matter what happens, always try your best. But I wasn’t always the best student around. I was often late for school, climbing over or under the gate to avoid getting caught. My only saving grace was that I took my mum’s advice – I worked really hard. 

Along the way, I met many kind-hearted people who paved the way for me to be here today. My teachers gave me so many second chances when they could have easily condemned me. Unlike you, I was never a top student or invited to scholarship tea sessions. But when I entered the Army, I met mentors who recognized my ability and potential, and pushed me for a scholarship. Indeed, one of them is here today – his name is Jin Kiat – and he has seen me mature in the past 12 years – hopefully for the better. As the story goes, I was offered the scholarship, I took it, and as they say, the rest is history.

WHAT IS THE SINGAPOREAN WAY OF LIFE?

I share this personal story because people often ask me – what are you defending? What are you protecting? And I say, it is the Singaporean way of life. But what is our way of life? Does it matter if we are the 14th state of Malaysia, the 35th province of Indonesia, or the 51st state of America? What is it? Yes, it is the food we love – the Chicken Rice, the Nasi Lemak, and the Murtabak. It is the places we love – our Marina Bay, our hipster cafes, our homes – the Bukit Timahs and the Ang Mo Kios. It is the people we love – our families, our friends, our girlfriends/boyfriends. But most importantly, I think it is because Singapore is a land of meritocracy, of opportunity, of compassion. It is where my mum could say, I may not be able to fulfil my dreams, but if I sacrifice enough, maybe my children can. It is where someone like me, from a poor background with no connections and no money, can still do well through ability and hard work. It is where you meet teachers, officers, and leaders with a heart of gold, who care for their people more than they care about themselves. This is our way of life – this is what we defend.

THE TWO MAPS OF SINGAPORE

If we believe in that, then the next question becomes, how do we defend Singapore? What do we have to do? A wise man once told me, when it comes to the matters of defence, which map of Singapore do you look at? Do you look at this map of Singapore – a beautiful, sunny island, a city in a garden?

Or this?

A map of Singapore as a little red dot, dependent on the outside world for our livelihood? In a neighbourhood that has always been a little bit unpredictable – now more so with ISIS and the threat of terrorism? And, further afield, where the politics between the big powers – US, China, Japan – are being played out? Which map of Singapore do we look at? 

I spent the last year in the United States Marine Corps, attending a course where representatives from many different countries were present. One fine day during the course, the Malaysian officer, the Indonesian officer, and myself were in the same room, ready to give a briefing to the Americans. When the American officers came in – and these people will eventually become top generals in the US military, or even top politicians – I thought they would come talk to me, because we speak the same language, we watch the same Hollywood films, and we are culturally more alike. But interestingly, many of them gravitated towards the Indonesian officer – even though he did not speak good English, nor did he have common topics to share with the Americans. They all know that Indonesia is a big country they have to partner with, but they do not know much about Singapore. Often, the first question they ask me is, why is it that you speak such good English? But over time, once I prove to the Americans that I was capable and reliable, I became the “trusted partner”. Eventually, I also emerged as one of the top students, which gave more credibility to the brand of Singapore. But the lesson here is an important one. It is the nature of international politics seen at close range – big countries do not have to do anything and others still have to take them seriously, yet small countries like us have to punch above our weight just to stay relevant. This is the unfair reality of our world. 

But even as we stay relevant, small countries like us cannot depend on others for our own defence. Another thing I learnt in the US was, in 1975, the Indonesians invaded East Timor. As you can see here, the Americans recommended a “policy of silence” because they have “considerable interests in Indonesia and none in Timor.” Effectively, the US gave the green light for the invasion. The stories illustrate two simple but essential points for Singapore: we must always strive hard to stay relevant, yet we must have the ability to defend ourselves, and never be reliant on the good faith of foreign powers. 

BRINGING EVERYONE TO THE FINISHING LINE

So what is it like to be a leader in the Army? A few years ago, I was a Commander of Bravo Company in 4th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment. 4SIR for short. These were my soldiers, 120 young boys and citizens from all walks of life, coming together for two years, serving the nation and building lifelong bonds. This photo was taken at the end of our final evaluation exercise in the two years. It was after eight days, seven nights out in the field, going through all types of attack and defence missions, walking over a hundred kilometres, climbing many times the equivalent of Bukit Timah hill. It was a very difficult exercise. But along the way, none of these citizen soldiers gave up. In fact, in my whole Battalion of 500-odd soldiers, none of them gave up. “Sedikit-sedikit jadi bukit, boleh?” One step at a time, they understood why they were doing it, they wanted to do it well, and they gave it their best. And at the end of the exercise, before we took this photo, as my soldiers walked past me one by one, I gave each of them a pat. I told every single one of them that it was over, we have done it, and I was very proud of them. There were tears in our eyes. Partly because we were so tired, and so glad that it was all over. But also knowing we have achieved something together. 

4SIR Bravo Company - for our mission and men

It was then, it struck me. As a leader, achieving the mission is important. But that is not all. It is not about reaching the finishing line first. It is about bringing everyone to the finishing line. That is what a leader does.

LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND

Another story is about brotherhood. I had one soldier, let’s just call him Randy. Randy was a cheerful, playful, and motivated soldier – one of my best. But outside of camp, he mixed with the wrong company. One day, we were informed that he was caught for drug possession, and would be charged and put in the detention barracks. I will never forget the day the police came and put him in handcuffs, in front of my very eyes. But the bonds and brotherhood we make in the Army mean that if something happens to one, it matters to all of us. You leave no man behind. And we didn’t. I knew that Randy had a complicated relationship with his mother, and she was very upset that he did something wrong. But we knew that they love each other deeply. So we took the time and effort to talk to his mother and consoled her. To see both of them reconcile in the end was particularly heartening. 

At the same time, we continued to engage Randy throughout. We asked him why he did what he did, and tried to resolve the root causes. We updated him on the unit’s progress, what his platoon was up to, and gave him an image of the unit where he still belonged, so that he could look forward to being released. He kept asking about how the rest were doing, and said that he was disappointed he could not join the overseas exercise. And on the day of his release, a group of us, both his commanders and his buddies, we picked him up and asked him what he wanted to eat. He chose KFC. So we bought a whole bucket and ate together, like a family. We constantly reminded him not to fall wayward again. He returned to the unit, and did not get into trouble again.

As a leader, these are the bonds you build and experience. The promise that one soldier makes to another – that you leave no man behind, that you will be there for him, and that you will even fight and die for him. 

THE DOORWAY OF OPPORTUNITY

The last story is about making a difference. As a commander we hold these monthly parades, you know where the Sergeant Major walks around to inspect the uniforms and the drills. But we also took the opportunity to recognise the soldiers who have done well. So once a month my Company would have this “Soldier of the Month” award. It is pretty much D-I-Y: we designed the “certificate” on Photoshop, we would go to Popular to buy those certificate paper, add some simple citations, then print and laminate it. It was a very simple gesture. So once we gave it to this soldier, because he had done well in a previous exercise and showed a lot of vigour and commitment. But after the parade, he came up to us, and said, “Sir, thank you so much for this”, in a very sombre tone. And I said, “Why? Don’t worry, it is no big deal, you deserve it.” And his reply is forever seared in my mind. He said, “Sir, you don’t understand. This is the first time that anybody has recognised me for something I have done.”

He was right. We do not understand. You know, all of us in this room are very privileged. Along the way, we either had good families, good teachers, or did very well in a system that we could succeed in. In the Army, I have seen soldiers from all walks of life. Some of them are a lot less fortunate than all of us in this room. For us, we have a huge stack of certificates and we chuck them to one side. To some, it may mean everything. Many of you have your parents with you today, and they are here because they care about you and your future. For some of them, they don’t even have people who care about their lives.

In the Army, there is a chance to make a positive difference in their lives, to make them better men, better sons, better fathers. There is a chance to give them a close-knitted family they might never have before. There is a chance to make them feel good about themselves, and believe in what they can achieve, if they put their heart to it. As once said, when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back, and you give others the same chances that helped you succeed. No matter what you end up doing in the future, I hope you will remember our responsibility to the larger society. 

A SENSE OF FULFILMENT 

I’ve spoken to many young people like yourself, and the question I always get is: how do you know if this is what you want to do at the age of 18? I do not have a precise answer, but let me say this. If you listen to the stories and you can feel a sense of purpose and excitement, or you feel your heart beating a little faster, or you feel a little bit touched, then give it some thought. While young, we all want to be successful. But I’ve learnt that success is not about how much money you make or how high the ladder you climb, but the difference you make in society and the people around you. The good officers here – kudos to all of them – will tell you about the benefits and privilege the scholarship brings. But I will also tell you that it is a hard life – you will be challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally. You will be asked to solve intractable issues of our time. In the field, you will be deprived of food, water, and sleep. You will spend time away from family, lead difficult soldiers, and feel helpless as you hear about the broken families and financial hardship of your less fortunate soldiers. But at the end of it all, the sense of fulfilment you get when you see people from all walks of life come together as a band of brothers, when they are united in a single purpose, when they come up to you and say that “Sir/Mdm, thank you for making a difference in my life” – that feeling is priceless. 

Defence is a serious business. “It is not a game of cards, it is your lives, and mine.” It is the umbrella in which all other beautiful things in society – our dreams, our aspirations, our love for others – can happen. But from my experience, in the pursuit of defence, beautiful things happen, too. So I urge you all to walk with us – in this worthwhile endeavour, in this meaningful journey, and with many, many wonderful people. 

Thank you very much.

By YC Choy via FB, Sunday, January 24, 2016