Oh, now you want peace talks!
With Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, saying that he would not run for election scheduled for January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suddenly called for an immediate resumption of peace talks with Palestinians and pledged more steps to improve economic conditions in Palestinian areas.
Netanyahu went so far as to send Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Washington with a message that Israel will do all it can to renew peace talks with the Palestinians. Of course Netanyahu still refused to freeze Jewish settlements in the West Bank as is required in the Oslo peace talks but the open “and very public” begging for immediate peace talks is something new for Netanyahu. Desperation sure can make people change their speeches in a hurry.
Now why can’t he do this in the first place? He and U.S Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton cut the legs off the peace deal last week when they argued Israeli restraint is as good as a settlement freeze. Now the politically wounded Abbas has decided to throw in the towel, and Netanyahu is faced with the prospect of war or a new more radical leader than Abbas. Suddenly there’s activity for peace talks.
Unfortunately, it seems this is too little too late. If only he would have done this in the first place. Another miss chance for peace in the Middle East.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Change Your Argument
I’ve said a lot about immigrations in Singapore already, so I was thinking of avoiding the topic for awhile. However when Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke on the issue twice in three days, what the hell!
SM Goh said that new immigrants help sustain and enrich the quality of life of Singaporeans and that Singapore needs new Permanent Residents (PRs) and new citizens, or Singapore will not be able to expand the population.
All good, fine and well. However when he said that “it is possible for new immigrations to become loyal to Singapore, to Singaporean values, and to contribute to Singapore society”; that’s when I have a problem.
It is possible; that’s without question, but when you have a Chinese PR who went back to China, took part in the Chinese National Day parade and then openly said that she is unsure if she want to return to Singapore, that’s a little rich. The vast overwhelming majority of immigrants are here strictly for the money and they own little loyalty to Singapore, which is fair in my view because Singapore is NOT their homeland. I can understand perfectly why that Chinese PR above felt more loyalty to China than to Singapore.
SM Goh also said that he understood how Singaporeans felt crowded out by all the new citizens and PRs, whether in housing, jobs or schools, and that new immigrants were perceived as "taking advantage" of better opportunities here.
I do not understand why the Singapore government continues with this line of argument. First off, the sheer number game tells you there’s not enough new housing of all the new immigrants. Singapore has accepted more than 100,000 foreigners per year while HDB only built like 8,000 flats per year. What else is there left to say on that?
As for new immigrants being perceived as coming to Singapore to take advantage of better opportunities here; of course they are here to take advantage of the better opportunities here! Seriously, why else would they be here? If Singapore didn’t have better opportunities, these new immigrants wouldn’t be here.
SM Goh is right when he said that this is an emotional issue for most Singaporean. That is why the Singapore government needs to come up with better excuses/reasons for the Singapore people. The Singapore government also needs to be honest about the problems the new immigrants are causing. Our housing market is over-heated yet we have a government minister saying “HDB figures showed that eight in 10 first-timers could get a flat on their first try if they were not choosy ; the success rate was 96 per cent for the second try”.
The other problem the Singapore government has is that most Singaporeans believed the government is only saying this stuff now because there is a general elections coming. Once the elections are over, the government will go back to its old habits.
Now that’s a view the Singapore government do not need.
SM Goh said that new immigrants help sustain and enrich the quality of life of Singaporeans and that Singapore needs new Permanent Residents (PRs) and new citizens, or Singapore will not be able to expand the population.
All good, fine and well. However when he said that “it is possible for new immigrations to become loyal to Singapore, to Singaporean values, and to contribute to Singapore society”; that’s when I have a problem.
It is possible; that’s without question, but when you have a Chinese PR who went back to China, took part in the Chinese National Day parade and then openly said that she is unsure if she want to return to Singapore, that’s a little rich. The vast overwhelming majority of immigrants are here strictly for the money and they own little loyalty to Singapore, which is fair in my view because Singapore is NOT their homeland. I can understand perfectly why that Chinese PR above felt more loyalty to China than to Singapore.
SM Goh also said that he understood how Singaporeans felt crowded out by all the new citizens and PRs, whether in housing, jobs or schools, and that new immigrants were perceived as "taking advantage" of better opportunities here.
I do not understand why the Singapore government continues with this line of argument. First off, the sheer number game tells you there’s not enough new housing of all the new immigrants. Singapore has accepted more than 100,000 foreigners per year while HDB only built like 8,000 flats per year. What else is there left to say on that?
As for new immigrants being perceived as coming to Singapore to take advantage of better opportunities here; of course they are here to take advantage of the better opportunities here! Seriously, why else would they be here? If Singapore didn’t have better opportunities, these new immigrants wouldn’t be here.
SM Goh is right when he said that this is an emotional issue for most Singaporean. That is why the Singapore government needs to come up with better excuses/reasons for the Singapore people. The Singapore government also needs to be honest about the problems the new immigrants are causing. Our housing market is over-heated yet we have a government minister saying “HDB figures showed that eight in 10 first-timers could get a flat on their first try if they were not choosy ; the success rate was 96 per cent for the second try”.
The other problem the Singapore government has is that most Singaporeans believed the government is only saying this stuff now because there is a general elections coming. Once the elections are over, the government will go back to its old habits.
Now that’s a view the Singapore government do not need.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Comics this week
Nova #31- This issue was quick and the lack of quality shows. Nova’s meeting with Darkhawk was disappointing and a waste. The biggest problem was that Richard Rider went in fully convinced Darkhawk was not a murderer, despite all evidence to the contrary. That doesn’t sit well with me because up to now Richard Rider had been trying his hardest to be a good example of a true Nova Centurion. One meeting with his old friend and suddenly that’s all out the window? And what the hell is wrong with the art? At the end, the art looked like something a kid would draw. I don’t usually mind the art that much, but it was just horrible. Terrible issue!
Secret Six #15 – After the multi-part story of the past few issue, John Ostrander guest-write with a character origin story of Deadshot. The result is a mix bag for me. We have a history of Deadshot's origin from his first meeting with Batman, to an overview of his dysfunctional family, and his guilt as the one who killed his brother. As a origin story, the issue worked very well. However in many ways, it’s kind of anti-climatic after all the crazy stuff that came before. Not bad, but not great either.
Immortal Weapons #4- The series started great with Fat Cobra story; since then it had been downhill and unfortunately for fans, Tiger's Beautiful Daughter continue that downward trend. The biggest problem I have is that Iron Fist is a martial art series. The greatest joy of the series was seeing all these trained martial artists kicking the shit out of everyone. Unfortunately in Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter we didn’t get a trained martial artist but a natural warrior who kick shit without training or any battle experience. Aka, we got another Amazon. I can understand why but if I wanted to read about an Amazon, I'll go read Wonder Woman, not Immortal Weapons. That is sad because the back-story was great. A nation of Amazons attacked their neighbors but was roundly defeated. Facing certain death, they still wanted to fight but their men wisely step back, drugged the women for their own safety and sued for peace. Now the new generation of warrior women had grown up and they want to fight despite the history and odds against their people. That’s a great plot but too bad about the Amazon angle.
Secret Six #15 – After the multi-part story of the past few issue, John Ostrander guest-write with a character origin story of Deadshot. The result is a mix bag for me. We have a history of Deadshot's origin from his first meeting with Batman, to an overview of his dysfunctional family, and his guilt as the one who killed his brother. As a origin story, the issue worked very well. However in many ways, it’s kind of anti-climatic after all the crazy stuff that came before. Not bad, but not great either.
Immortal Weapons #4- The series started great with Fat Cobra story; since then it had been downhill and unfortunately for fans, Tiger's Beautiful Daughter continue that downward trend. The biggest problem I have is that Iron Fist is a martial art series. The greatest joy of the series was seeing all these trained martial artists kicking the shit out of everyone. Unfortunately in Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter we didn’t get a trained martial artist but a natural warrior who kick shit without training or any battle experience. Aka, we got another Amazon. I can understand why but if I wanted to read about an Amazon, I'll go read Wonder Woman, not Immortal Weapons. That is sad because the back-story was great. A nation of Amazons attacked their neighbors but was roundly defeated. Facing certain death, they still wanted to fight but their men wisely step back, drugged the women for their own safety and sued for peace. Now the new generation of warrior women had grown up and they want to fight despite the history and odds against their people. That’s a great plot but too bad about the Amazon angle.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Pursuit of Gold
In Singapore, there is a legendary swimming club called the Chinese Swimming Club. The club is responsible for crutching out swimming champions for decades in Singapore. At the Chinese Swimming Club’s Centennial Charity Dinner, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng was the guest of honor and he said that the Singapore government will continue to invest heavily in sports.
Personally I feel this is a good thing, but one question I have is what kind of support will the government give to the various sports associations? The Singapore government has been giving money to the various associations, and they demand good results in return for their investments. In theory, this is fine. However in practice, it’s a different situation. Fears of losing government grants, some sports associations have taken short cuts to produce results. Basically, certain sports associations are now so focused on producing results that they are ignoring Singapore youth development.
When there is youth development, certain associations are transporting youths from China instead of training promising young Singaporeans. I have no problem with the Singapore government demanding good results in return for their investments, some accountability is always good, but maybe the Singapore government should also look into not just youth development but Singapore youth development.
Personally I feel this is a good thing, but one question I have is what kind of support will the government give to the various sports associations? The Singapore government has been giving money to the various associations, and they demand good results in return for their investments. In theory, this is fine. However in practice, it’s a different situation. Fears of losing government grants, some sports associations have taken short cuts to produce results. Basically, certain sports associations are now so focused on producing results that they are ignoring Singapore youth development.
When there is youth development, certain associations are transporting youths from China instead of training promising young Singaporeans. I have no problem with the Singapore government demanding good results in return for their investments, some accountability is always good, but maybe the Singapore government should also look into not just youth development but Singapore youth development.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Mass Effect
Mass Effect is a shooter RPG hit by Bioware. The game came with a good reputation with solid reviews all around and it was a hit with a sequel coming out next year.
After playing the game, I can see why it was a hit. First off, Bioware did a lot of work in the setting of Mass Effect. It is a sci-fi setting and Bioware went wild with it. The background of all the alien species; the different spaceships; the detailed history of the races; all made for a very interesting world to play in.
I also found the voice acting to be very good. The game uses a system for conversation that takes a little time to get used to. The game shows you not what your character will say but a short idea of how he would response. It was a little strange at first but fun.
The story was top notch. Although short, the story was tight and it interweave with the history of the setting beautifully. The mysterious story had enough twist and turns within it to satisfied most RPG players.
However Mass Effect is also one of those games which I don’t know if I should recommend to friends. Despite the great many good things Bioware got right, they got one thing wrong. This is a seriously short game.
I hit all the side missions and visited all the planets and systems, and I finished the game in about 20 hours! If you go short through the story without doing any side missions, I’ll be surprised if you can go beyond 10 hours. That is seriously short, even discounting the fact that Mass Effect is supposed to be a RPG.
I went through the game twice and I don’t think I clock in 50 hours on the game. That’s half of one game of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (first time I finish Oblivion, I hit 100 hours). 2 Mass Effects = half of Oblivion!
If I didn’t get the game at a discount, I would feel seriously ripped off.
Another problem is how easy the game was. I hit all the side missions and when I finally tried the final missions, I was at such a high level I walked through the missions. I think I only have to reload the game once at the final mission. Whatever happened to the good old days when games were so tough, you felt like throwing your computer out the window?
Mass Effect is a good game, but way too short and too easy for a RPG.
After playing the game, I can see why it was a hit. First off, Bioware did a lot of work in the setting of Mass Effect. It is a sci-fi setting and Bioware went wild with it. The background of all the alien species; the different spaceships; the detailed history of the races; all made for a very interesting world to play in.
I also found the voice acting to be very good. The game uses a system for conversation that takes a little time to get used to. The game shows you not what your character will say but a short idea of how he would response. It was a little strange at first but fun.
The story was top notch. Although short, the story was tight and it interweave with the history of the setting beautifully. The mysterious story had enough twist and turns within it to satisfied most RPG players.
However Mass Effect is also one of those games which I don’t know if I should recommend to friends. Despite the great many good things Bioware got right, they got one thing wrong. This is a seriously short game.
I hit all the side missions and visited all the planets and systems, and I finished the game in about 20 hours! If you go short through the story without doing any side missions, I’ll be surprised if you can go beyond 10 hours. That is seriously short, even discounting the fact that Mass Effect is supposed to be a RPG.
I went through the game twice and I don’t think I clock in 50 hours on the game. That’s half of one game of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (first time I finish Oblivion, I hit 100 hours). 2 Mass Effects = half of Oblivion!
If I didn’t get the game at a discount, I would feel seriously ripped off.
Another problem is how easy the game was. I hit all the side missions and when I finally tried the final missions, I was at such a high level I walked through the missions. I think I only have to reload the game once at the final mission. Whatever happened to the good old days when games were so tough, you felt like throwing your computer out the window?
Mass Effect is a good game, but way too short and too easy for a RPG.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
APEC Rejections
This is why I don’t understand why Singapore bothered to hold summits like for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). With only a few weeks to go before the summit, Singapore has again turned away potential protestors from entering Singapore.
This is no surprise as everytime there is such a summit in Singapore, the Singapore authorities start rejecting people from entering the country for no reason. This time 2 Falungong followers were denied entry into Singapore despite the pair having made frequent trips to Singapore before. Now they may say that all requests to enter the country would be treated fairly, but it is something no one believed and the evidence is against it.
I just don’t understand why the Singapore authorities are so afraid of a couple of civil groups. I mean everytime they start to reject people from entering Singapore ahead of events like the APEC summit, it make Singapore look very bad. Has everyone forgotten about the embarrassment a few years ago when Singapore rejected people from entering Singapore for the IMF meeting? Has nothing been learned about the incident?
I guess not.
This is no surprise as everytime there is such a summit in Singapore, the Singapore authorities start rejecting people from entering the country for no reason. This time 2 Falungong followers were denied entry into Singapore despite the pair having made frequent trips to Singapore before. Now they may say that all requests to enter the country would be treated fairly, but it is something no one believed and the evidence is against it.
I just don’t understand why the Singapore authorities are so afraid of a couple of civil groups. I mean everytime they start to reject people from entering Singapore ahead of events like the APEC summit, it make Singapore look very bad. Has everyone forgotten about the embarrassment a few years ago when Singapore rejected people from entering Singapore for the IMF meeting? Has nothing been learned about the incident?
I guess not.
Monday, November 2, 2009
EPL this month
October is over, and it had been a month of surprises. Here are the winners amd losers of the month.
Top Teams this Month
Chelsea- Like an unstoppable machine, Chelsea had taken over the top in the EPL. There had been a few bumps along the road but it will take nothing short of a miracle to stop manager Carlo Ancelotti’s men from claiming the title.
Sunderland- Forget the beachball incident! Sunderland deserved their win against Liverpool and even before that, they should have gotten more than a point at Old Trafford. The one danger I see for them is who will score for them if striker Darren Bent do not score. Outside that, manager Steve Bruce is enjoying life.
Man City- Who would had thought that of all the teams in the EPL, Man City would be the team with the least losses. Man City may have bought a lot of attacking talent in the off-season, but manager Mark Hughes has also made his team very difficult to beat. The biggest problem for Hughes is how he is going to keep everyone happy, already Robinho is making noise about leaving the club. If Hughes can manage that, Man City may just challenge for a Top 4 spot at the end of the season.
Surprise Team this month
Manchester United – The surprise of the season has to be how Sir Alex Ferguson had been getting away with saying the stuff he says. Sir Alex has been ranting and raving about referees and the league is allowing him to get away with it. Frankly, Sir Alex’s ranting has worked as referees had been helping Man Utd in certain matches (7mins injury time anyone?) this season, so I fully expect more of the same from him.
Disappointing Teams this month
Portsmouth- They got a new owner and went on a mini spending spree and then…things got worse. The new Arab billionaire owner turned out to be no billionaire at all, and he openly said he is in this only for the money. Manager Paul Hart has a sense of humor about the whole thing and his team is fighting for points on the field. Portsmouth is miles better than they were at the start of the season but until they sort out their off-field problems, they will be in trouble.
Liverpool- Yes, I know they beat Man Utd but before that they lost 4 in a row and I’m not convinced Liverpool is out of the woods. The depth of the team is in question and Rafa Benitez had to play an 80% fit Fernando Torres against Man Utd because Liverpool had no cover for him. Rafa need to get a striker to cover for Torres in the transfer window. Till then, Liverpool fans will need to pray Torres stay fit.
Hull City- Manager Phil Brown looked certain to get the sack sooner or later. The club is in great danger as they are not able to get wins and worse, they are unable to beat the teams around them. The poor finances doesn’t help and it’s hard to see how Hull could beat the drop if they are unable to get reinforcements in the transfer window
Top Teams this Month
Chelsea- Like an unstoppable machine, Chelsea had taken over the top in the EPL. There had been a few bumps along the road but it will take nothing short of a miracle to stop manager Carlo Ancelotti’s men from claiming the title.
Sunderland- Forget the beachball incident! Sunderland deserved their win against Liverpool and even before that, they should have gotten more than a point at Old Trafford. The one danger I see for them is who will score for them if striker Darren Bent do not score. Outside that, manager Steve Bruce is enjoying life.
Man City- Who would had thought that of all the teams in the EPL, Man City would be the team with the least losses. Man City may have bought a lot of attacking talent in the off-season, but manager Mark Hughes has also made his team very difficult to beat. The biggest problem for Hughes is how he is going to keep everyone happy, already Robinho is making noise about leaving the club. If Hughes can manage that, Man City may just challenge for a Top 4 spot at the end of the season.
Surprise Team this month
Manchester United – The surprise of the season has to be how Sir Alex Ferguson had been getting away with saying the stuff he says. Sir Alex has been ranting and raving about referees and the league is allowing him to get away with it. Frankly, Sir Alex’s ranting has worked as referees had been helping Man Utd in certain matches (7mins injury time anyone?) this season, so I fully expect more of the same from him.
Disappointing Teams this month
Portsmouth- They got a new owner and went on a mini spending spree and then…things got worse. The new Arab billionaire owner turned out to be no billionaire at all, and he openly said he is in this only for the money. Manager Paul Hart has a sense of humor about the whole thing and his team is fighting for points on the field. Portsmouth is miles better than they were at the start of the season but until they sort out their off-field problems, they will be in trouble.
Liverpool- Yes, I know they beat Man Utd but before that they lost 4 in a row and I’m not convinced Liverpool is out of the woods. The depth of the team is in question and Rafa Benitez had to play an 80% fit Fernando Torres against Man Utd because Liverpool had no cover for him. Rafa need to get a striker to cover for Torres in the transfer window. Till then, Liverpool fans will need to pray Torres stay fit.
Hull City- Manager Phil Brown looked certain to get the sack sooner or later. The club is in great danger as they are not able to get wins and worse, they are unable to beat the teams around them. The poor finances doesn’t help and it’s hard to see how Hull could beat the drop if they are unable to get reinforcements in the transfer window
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