[MyAppleMenu] Apr 23, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Preview: Office File Viewing, New Text And Signature Annotation <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/04/22/inside_mac_os_x_10_7_lion_preview_office_file_viewing_new_text_and_signature_annotation.html>
AppleInsider



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** This Waiter Doesn't Need A Tip <http://www.slate.com/id/2291928/?from=rss>
Annie Lowrey, Slate

How restaurants will use tablet computers to replace servers.

**** Longer Sleep For Your Children, And You <http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/longer-sleep-for-your-children-and-you/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Gregory Schmidt, New York Times

For parents looking to hit the snooze alarm on their early risers, Zazoo Kids has developed a digital photo clock that lets children know when it’s time to get up, and when it’s time to stay in bed a little longer.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Smut <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/373bd8c6-6ba0-11e0-93f8-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss>
Simon Schama, Financial Times

The stories have a dark, knowing, shrewdness about erotic mischief, young and old, but then we always knew, didn’t we, that behind Bennett’s tousled owlishness there was a Bit of Lad. The trick of these tales is to sprinkle middle-class, middle-aged life with a dash of dirty – a spot of nookie amid the nasturtiums.

**** At The Perilous Intersection Of Books And Booze <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/books/review/book-review-in-the-rooms-by-tom-shone.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Tom Rachman, New York Times

Tom Shone’s debut novel, “In the Rooms,” is set at this perilous intersection between books and booze, telling the story of a feckless literary agent, Patrick Miller, who finds himself masquerading as a recovering drunk to sign an author at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.



SingaporeSurf
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**** GE: WP's Leadership Renewal "On Track" <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1124362/1/.html>
Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia, Mr Low said he expects to assemble a stronger team after this election.  He said the first phase of Workers' Party's leadership succession, which was to renew the party's executive council, has been completed.

**** SDP To Field Former Colonel <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110423-0000098/SDP-to-field-former-colonel>
Today

Mr Tan Jee Say has raised a few eyebrows during this General Election as a former top civil servant who served as principal private secretary to then deputy prime minister Goh Chok Tong in the '80s. Dr Ang Yong Guan, another Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate persuaded by Mr Tan to go into politics, meanwhile, was flying high in the military around that same period.

**** Importance Of Parties Should Not Be Overlooked <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/importance-of-parties-should-not-be-overlooked/>
Yawning Bread

The SDP has to do what the Workers’ Party long ago learnt it had to do, and which today is a huge asset: work out these issues internally and get everyone to sign on to the party manifesto and party discipline. Never forget that soloists do not make a government or even a shadow government. It takes a team that truly shares the same vision and knows how to pull together. Opposition politics will get nowhere without strong, coherent parties.

**** The National Language <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=6611>
Wong Wee Nam, Sgpolitics.net

Whether it is to teach it as a foreign language or the use of foreign teaching methods to teach the Malay language (I really couldn’t see the difference), the stature of the Malay language is not going to be the same anymore.

Malay is our national language and how can a national language be taught like we teach other foreign languages? When it is taught by those methods, wouldn’t it naturally become a foreign language in the end?

**** Former Civil Service High-flier Says 'Government Has Lost Its Way' <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110423-0000335/Former-Civil-Service-high-flier-says-Government-has-lost-its-way>
Cheow Xin Yi, Today

Tan Jee Say, whom the Singapore Democratic Party unveiled in its second and final batch of candidates, said he strongly advocates Singapore moving away from manufacturing to the services industry but the casino and gaming sector was the "wrong type of services to go into", compared to sectors such as education and healthcare.

"What is this 35,000 jobs in the casino? Nothing. You just spend five years, S$10 billion, you create 30,000 jobs for teachers. These are noble jobs, good and meaningful jobs, to invest in the future of children. Not the casino jobs (of) dealers and croupiers," he said.

**** Spoiling Your Vote? Think Carefully! <http://yeejj.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/spoiling-your-vote-think-carefully/>
Yee Jenn Jong

Do you know where you want Singapore’s political system to go? If you don’t, it doesn’t matter. But if you do wish Singapore to have stronger alternative voices so that your views are heard, then it does matter.

**** Affordable Housing Is Govt's Primary Role <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_660051.html>
Amy How, Straits Times

While some worry about their flats becoming a less valuable asset, others want only a roof over their heads. What then should the national priority be? The primary role of the Government is to provide affordable public housing. There is no need for the Government to compete with the private sector in this role and divert from its prime function.

**** Worried About Promotion Of Gambling <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_660023.html>
Lee Seck Kay, Straits Times

Gambling in the heartland is getting out of hand, and we should be concerned. It's not uncommon to see queues at 4-D/Toto outlets that are longer than those at supermarket cashier counters. If indeed selling false hope to the desperate and gullible is what we must do, let's do it discreetly and without promoting the devil-may-care attitude to gambling that we see all around. Let's keep gambling activities out of the malls and supermarkets, and away from children.

**** Rising Cost Of Living Is Making Life Tough <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_660027.html>
Kortia Kang, Straits Times

In a meritocracy, a person is rewarded through hard work, but there are many more people who work hard but remain at the bottom of the economic pyramid and must struggle to make ends meet.

**** Mah Bow Tan Is "Proud" Of The Asset Enhancement Policy <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2011/04/mah-bow-tan-is-proud-of-asset.html>
Gilbert Koh, Mr Wang Says So

Now, as the AE makes HDB flats more and more expensive, what does that mean? You will be forced to use more and more of your CPF money to pay for your HDB. In turn, that means you have less and less money for your retirement.

That is why older Singaporeans are often said to be "asset rich, cash poor". They have a roof over the heads, and it might even be a very nice roof. But they have little money to meet their everyday needs, and many of them will have no viable option to monetise their home.

**** PAP Manifesto 2011 – A Statistical Analysis <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/pap-manifesto-2011-a-statistical-analysis/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen

My analysis of the Department of Statistics’  Average Monthly Household Income from Work among Resident Employed Households By Deciles, indicates that for the last five years, real incomes only increased by about between 1.4 and 2.9 per cent per annum among the different categories. Against this, HDB prices rose by about 11.1 per cent per annum for the same five year period, from 2005 to 2010.

A total of 115 900 jobs were created last year. Local employment (Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs)) grew by 56,200 and foreign employment grew by 59,700. This means that the rate of change of growth in foreign employment over the previous year’s was about four times more than that for locals over the previous year’s 41,800.

**** The 2011 PAP Election Manifesto: Old Wine In Old Bottles? <http://singapore2025.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/the-2011-pap-election-manifesto-old-wine-in-old-bottles/>
Singapore 2025

The need to question the PAP on how it plans to deal with a whole range of 21st century problems affecting Singapore cannot be more pressing – cost of living, galloping HDB prices, integration of foreigners etc. – issues that have made the headlines over the last five years – all appear to have been met by a 2011 PAP election manifesto that does not differ from the ones that have come before it. As far as the future of Singapore is concerned, the PAP’s 2011 election manifesto does nothing more than to reiterate the Workers’ Party conviction: Never has the need for a First World parliament to hold the PAP to higher standards of accountability and transparency, ever been so urgent.

**** 不应质疑陈硕茂的参选动机 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl110423_014.shtml>
é™ˆåŠ æ˜Œ, 联合早报

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**** Impressive! <http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/04/impressive.html>
Chua Chin Leng, My Singapore News

One thing that stands out, the new candidates are standing head to head with the PAP slate. But the most startling of all is Nicole Seah. At 24 she seems young, but not when she speaks. She is every inch a mature and able politician in the way she carries herself and how she handles the press. I am impressed.

**** Chiam: The Importance Of EQ <http://atans1.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/chiam-the-importance-of-eq/>
Thoughts Of A Cynical Investor

Chiam has shown that in politics, “So long as there is EQ, and steely determination all things are possible”, something that both KennethJ and Goh Meng Seng should take heed of.

**** Flat Prices: Enhancement Or Inflation <https://chaptertworeload.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/flat-prices-enhancement-orinflation/>
Aaron Ng, Chapter Two: Reload

To put things in clearer perspective, from 2006 to 2010, wages increased by 18.8% based on MOM’s data, while housing prices increased 70.2% in the same period based on HDB’s data. That means average housing prices have outpaced average wage growth by almost four times since the previous general elections.

Such figures suggest much more than enhancement of asset value; there is a strong hint of inflation of asset value.

If housing policy is a central plank of the PAP’s long term electoral strategy, then it has to explain why, in the period under its watch since the previous elections, housing prices skyrocketed relative to wages, as well as what the PAP intends to do about the situation. The argument that increase in public housing prices are due to strong economic fundamentals is a tough one to swallow when government data showed that wages had not increased at a similar pace.

**** Mr Mah, Housing Minister Or Property Agent? <http://thetwophilo.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/mr-mah-housing-minister-or-property-agent/>
Thetwophilo's Blog

At the heart of the present runaway galloping prices of HDB flats is this blurring of the line between HDB housing and private property development. To date the govt has done precious little to positively address the plight it created for thousands of families esp. low income families caught in the vicious grips of unemployment, reduction in wages, high inflation  ultimately affecting their ability to service the mortgages.

**** Welcome Home, Prodigal Son, Unless You Are Chen Show Mao <http://nofearsingapore.blogspot.com/2011/04/welcome-homeprodigal-son-unless-you-are.html>
No Fear Singapore

**** Random Discourse – Workers’ Party Manifesto On Public Transport <http://www.nowhere.per.sg/?p=1590>
The Lycan Times

The fact that we have complained, ranted and whined over this so often in the past few years showed us that the PAP has failed in providing a solution. All the PAP is capable of, is raise fares – i.e. throw money out of our pockets – at the problem even when it has been ineffective. At most, such measures worked only for a few weeks before everything returns to ‘normalcy’. But before that, the main stream media would have overwhelmed us with glaring reports of the purported ‘effectiveness’ and ‘success’ of these harebrained measures.

I must say I have enough of this bullshit, and I am open to any ideas – even radical ones such as those of the WP – other than the ineffective PAP ones which not only failed to solved the problem, but had in fact worsen the situation by increasing the burden of our wallets.

**** Killing Sacred Cows: On Singapore's Democratisation <http://reveyel.blogspot.com/2011/04/killing-sacred-cows-on-singapores.html>
Self-Contained

In the long run, therefore, a functioning, robust democracy in Singapore that delivers the bread and butter while safeguarding society against arbitrary government will put more responsibility on its citizens to accept and respect dissenting views, keep the standards of public discourse high, make government accountable for its actions, and learn to give credit to government where credit is due. Such a system will require more constant vigilance by a conscious citizenry than ever. I wonder if Singapore can have its cake and eat it.

**** The SDP Promise: GST, A Burden On The Poor <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4744-the-sdp-promise-gst-a-burden-on-the-poor>
Singapore Democratic Party

The PAP government has not been straight with the voters of Singapore. Its claim that subsidies more than offset the burden of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been shown to be false in previous analyses on this website. If it were true, then the PAP is essentially saying this: We tax you, then we give you back the money we receive from the tax to help you pay the tax.

**** Another Social Media Boo Boo By PAP MP? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/another-social-media-boo-boo-by-pap-mp/>
The Online Citizen

"It’s a creative feature which they added and we are working as a team to achieve that."

**** GE: 2 Party Political Broadcasts On April 28 And May 6: MDA <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1124423/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

Eligibility for Party Political Broadcasts will be determined by the number of candidates fielded by a recognised political party under a recognised party symbol. 

Since the 1980 General Election, political parties that field a minimum of six candidates under a recognised party symbol are eligible for air-time.

**** Opposition Ready To Form Govt By Next Election: Chiam <http://www.straitstimes.com/GeneralElection/News/Story/STIStory_660249.html>
Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times

It may not be prepared to take over by the May 7 polls, but the opposition could form an alternative government by the next election, said opposition veteran Chiam See Tong on Saturday morning.

**** Singapore's Top Election Issue <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2011/04/singapores-top-election-issue.html>
Gilbert Koh, Mr Wang Says So

Goh Chok Tong talked about the rising cost of living and posed this question to Singaporeans - "Which party do you think can solve this problem?". But here are the better questions to ask yourself. In the first place, which party caused the problem? Which party is the problem?

If you are an intelligent person, you know the answer. Vote wisely.

**** Ng Challenges Opposition To “Form Next Govt”: Don’t Be Daft <http://rogerpoh.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/ng-challenges-opposition-to-form-next-govt-dont-be-daft/>
Spotlight On Singapore

Who’s to be blamed? Obviously the ruling party which passed laws against freedom of speech and assembly to ensure that the playing field is in their favor all the time. But now this appears to have backfired as resentment builds up against the ruling party.

**** Has The SDP Changed? <http://www.straitstimes.com/GeneralElection/News/Story/STIStory_660038.html>
Tessa Wong And Zakir Hussain, Straits Times

**** An Email From A Moulmein Resident About PAP's Lui Tuck Yew. <http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/2011/04/paps-lui-tuck-yew-not-connecting-with.html>
Singapore Election Watch

At this point, Mr Lui shot me a look of pure anger, waved his hand about in the air, declaring, "We could spend all night talking about me!", pointed to the newsletter and snapped, "It's all in the the newsletter!" He then swung round and stormed off.

**** LHL: SM And MM Paid Millions To Do Nothing Really <http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/2011/04/lhl-sm-and-mm-paid-millions-to-do.html>
Singapore Election Watch

**** Kuan Yew To Go For Record 11th Term <http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2011/4/23/columnists/insightdownsouth/8535561&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star

The election (Polling Day: May 7) is shaping up to be one of the hottest in decades that threatens to shake up the powerful PAP that Lee co-founded. A gradual build-up of public unhappiness is contributing to this.

More worrying for 59-year-old Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the prospect of losing the hearts and minds of youths, who are less accepting of his policies. Some analysts believe that this is one of the reasons why his father, MM Lee, wants to stay on despite his health.

**** Why ANY GRC Or SMC Should Go To The Opposition... <http://thinkformesingapore.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-any-grc-or-smc-should-go-to.html>
Think For Me, Singapore

I believe that politics and religion should not mix. But, there are some issues, that intertwine. The 22 "Marxist Conspiracy" detainees were not mixing religion and politics. For that matter, they were not even mixing political ideologies. They were simply the voice for the less privileged people who, were supposed to represented, but were not.

**** Close Encounter Of The Nasty Kind <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/04/close-encounter-of-nasty-kind.html>
Singapore Notes

Notice there's enough evidence in the missive to suggest that the belligerent rear Admiral is still on the war-path with anyone who refuses to be cowed by his omnipresence. Note also his strategy when confronted by an adversary, "The pragmatic way to deal with this is simply to disengage at an opportune moment."

**** Help By Doing What Nick Did <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4752-help-by-doing-what-nick-did>
Singapore Democratic Party

We call on our supporters especially those in the Bukit Panjang and Yuhua SMCs and the Holland-Bukit Tmah and Sembawang GRCs to do what Nick did - turn on the video for your parents and grandparents, and anyone else who do not use the Internet regularly, to watch.

The advent of the new media tools have changed things. The have allowed the SDP to communicate directly with the public. We have put it much effort in our online outreach and the consequences have been far reaching.  But we need to translate our effort into votes and in this regard, we depend on our readers and supporters to help us spread our message far and wide, and to persuade voters to come to our side instead of the PAP's.

**** Vote For Change <http://www.insanepoly.com/blog/?p=1254>
Insane Polygons

If we continue to let fear, cowardice, greed and selfishness rule our decision, it may be a decision we may regret for the rest of our lives. Look around you and see how far singapore has fallen under the adminstration of Lee Hsien Loong and the PAP. Look around you and see how much the lower classes has suffered in these 8 years. If we continue to let this fiasco unfold before us for another 5 years, we may reach the point of no return, a point in which all the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers would have gone to waste.

The path we have travelled for the last 2 elections has led us to this state- an expensive, overcrowded city with declining standards of living for the average singaporean. Meanwhile instead of spending money to help improve our lives, the government would rather spend millions and millions on events for the rich like F1 and the YOG and developments like Sentosa Cove.

Is this what you want for yourself and the generation after you? A life of work, servitude and misery just so our PAP overlords can live it up like kings and princes looking down on us with an occasional insult or condescending rebuke.