30/11/2012

Watz Buzzing - 30 Nov 2012

Singapore Faces Property Bubble Risk – PM Lee
Forexblog.oanda.com, 27 Nov 2012
Home prices climbed to a record in the third quarter, even after the government introduced six rounds of measures since the beginning of 2010 to rein in demand.
“We have had a property boom, almost a bubble,” said Lee, who previously headed the central bank, served as finance and trade minister and studied mathematics at the University of Cambridge.
“It’s because liquidity is sloshing around worldwide and real interest rates are negative,” he said. “That’s a difficult problem for us on the overall property market.” Full story

Also Read:
  1. Housing Minister Khaw remains nonchalant as public housing prices record new high in Q3
  2. Khaw Boon Wan: Singaporeans should not be upset over HDB flat sold for S$1 million - Property Guru 
  3. HDB flat prices rose to record high in Q3 
  4. HDB selling new 3-room flats in Kallang/Whampoa for $795,000?

Related:
Lee Rues Singapore as Retirement Home Without Boosting Birthrate - BusinessWeek


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No Country For Old Men



For moment, it read like Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong finally got the message. In the context of the disruption 117 bus drivers can inflict on our public transportation, anyone else would experience an epiphany of sorts.

Instead, he was was using Bloomberg's editor-in-chief Matthew Winkler to peddle his "population growth is connected to immigration and economic growth" poison. Winkler had asked if there was anything Lee would have done differently since he took charge of the Government in 2004. His answer - should have addressed the ageing population issues earlier.

Somehow he missed out on the other developments in the human race. People also get married, have kids, grandchildren, all in the natural order of things. Except when the cycle of life is disrupted by unnatural eugenic theories of social engineering that turn a nation on its head.

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Trying to kill a mosquito with a sledgehammer


Link: TRS's response to Ng Eng Hen's lawyers

Lawyer's letter to Yawning Bread, lawyer's letter to TREmeritus, lawyer's letter to radio DJ Joe Augustin, lawyer's letter to Singapore Surf, and now, lawyer's letter to The Real Singapore (TRS). This seems to be the new normal in Singapore, post GE2011.

Instead of countering alleged misinformation and inaccurate blog posts, and comments on social media by putting out accurate information and robustly defending its record with more speech, this PAP Government has chosen to suppress such opinions and remarks by threatening those that made them with lawyer's letters.

Considering the fact that this Government can make use of the mainstream media to correct any of the alleged inaccuracies, which's readership and reach are much higher than any of the blogs or individual commenters; and also the fact that most (if not all) blogs which published such information or opinion, will gladly remove that content, and publish any information the Government sends to them to clarify the inaccuracy which appeared on their blog, the practice chosen by this Government is regrettable.

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Go Sue TRS! Sue!


The Real Singapore is in trouble again, again be happy! TRS has been posting shit for some time and it is about time it gets into shit itself. Again. Shit goes around! TRS is like the old Temasek Review, plagiarise and even post fake news, which is super weak. If they wanted to attract eyeballs and eventually ad money, just go for sex and sleaze. There is no need to fake and copy news, which is just the excuse the PAP wants to focus on in labeling any news sites out there as lacking credibility and sensationalist. BTW TRS is not the only one plagiarising - Temasek Times and Occupy Singapore do it too. Hey, is there one same person behind all these sites? LOL

Meanwhile, the former loaded surgeon turned loaded PAP minister was pissed with a recent TRS article on Mindef where TRS mixed plagiarism and fake news, a TRS first, or at least the first time TRS was found out. The defence minister has sent Davinder Singh, the PAP's elite lawyer-commando-sniper to take out TRS. TRS can't hide, can run and would only die tired.

TRS was recently kind enough to say Alex Tan and Yang Kaiheng are no longer in it. At least TRS has integrity to protect the innocent. Oh? Hmmmm or more like they are nervous that their charade is up and instead trying to pretend they not involved in it anymore? Everything sounds more and more like the old Temasek Review where the doctor insisted that he was no longer involved and had sold it off to someone else which he does not know. Sure. Whatever.

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Website turned down Ng Eng Hen's lawyer request for particulars?

Hardwarezone Forum


(Click on image to enlarge)

Full story


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The Paramountcy of Opposition Unity

The question of opposition unity is an indispensable element in facing the PAP in GE2016. In the last General Election in GE2011 there was a three-cornered contest in the Punggol East SMC. Ii was a straight fight between PAP and the opposition in all the other constituencies which showed a credible unity among the opposition. In GE2016 there should not be any three-cornered contest to show complete unity among the opposition.

The possible entry of Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party, into the fray in 2016 will be a welcome development since his bankruptcy has been annulled leaving him free to stand in elections again. That he has stressed the importance of opposition unity in the next GE in 2016 is a timely reminder to opposition parties to sink whatever differences they may have in the larger interest of the public, the electorate sympathetic to them.

It is mind-boggling if there cannot be complete unity in the opposition camp in facing the PAP in GE2016. The present prognosis of the political situation is assessed to be in favour of the opposition because of the iniquities of the PAP policies and the opposition parties should not overlook this golden opportunity to nurture this favourable development to their political advantage when GE2016 comes around.This has not escaped the attention of the PAP leadership who are working strenously  to try to salvage the unfavourable situation by introducing such novelties as the National Conversation in order to appease the Singaporeans' wrath.

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Getting all worked up

Odd that we get emotional when we’re ranked No. 1 emotion-less country. I mean, why do we even care that we don’t wear our heart on our sleeves, tear our hair out and breathe fire? We are a cool, calm and collected nation.

Underneath, we are a cauldron of burning passion. I mean, just look at the sex scandals we’re been exposed to so far

In any case, Gallup is asking all the wrong questions about whether we smiled yesterday and all that. It should be asking this:

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OPINION: A First Class Degree From Oxbridge - So What? - Julian Tan

Huffington Post UK, 12 Nov 2012
Life at university is about finding that balance between work and play. Indeed, mastering the art of doing this is a tricky and delicate affair, and very few people ever manage to do it.

But quite honestly, very few people even try. Many, like me, get so thoroughly absorbed into the work at university that it is the only thing we see and value. We score brilliantly (or die trying) in the written exams and forget that academic results are not everything.

University is a place of learning and learning takes place in all shapes and forms, often beyond the classroom. Full story
 

Related:
A Response to 'a First Class Degree From Oxbridge - So What?' - Huffington Post
 
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PG for court hearings

What is the case all about between Ng Boon Gay and Cecilia Sue? Is it a case about promiscuity or about corruption? So far the case is more about detailed sexual acts, explicit, implicit, lewd, perversion, and nearly everything there is to make an X rated movie sell. The corruption part seems to be less important and superficially treated. It is like a violent movie with all the gore and blood with little care to the plot.

I think the censorship board should be called in to snip some of the scenes from being published in the main media or people may think that it is an evening paper or some wanbao.

Should the media also be rated for certain news like PG, under 18, under 16 like in the cinemas or on TV?


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The Mother Of Gag Orders

"Minister says cannot say", was how one Nanyang pupil presented it.

It is still amazing that 51 adults have had their lives ruined, some sent to jail, others with careers hanging in limbo, and yet not a single soul has dared leak the identity of the under aged slut who caused so much pain. The school kids are not guarding anything similar, just the name of the top scorer for this year's Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results. It must be real stressful for a youngster to be placed with so great a responsibility. Ironically, the 48,333 Dragon Year born students who took the test aren't acting very dragonish.

The adults, especially those running the lucrative private tuition business, are taking the gag order more seriously.  The last thing they need is to be black balled by the Ministry of Education.  They probably have to whisper the information to enquiring parents on a need to know basis, they can tell you, but they will have to shoot you aftwards.

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