LOLWHUT

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi spent a settled night in hospital after being hit in the face by an attacker, Italy's Ansa news agency said

How much do you want to bet the attack is a Nerazzuri fan?

Going back home in two days. Mightily excited to get myself (re) acquainted with the sights and sounds that makes home what it is. The terrible traffic, the dust pollution, hearing cab drivers engage themselves in a war of words in the middle of traffic jams, the street foods, the bargaining with shopkeepers in the market, the authentic continental food in restaurants, the familiar languages reverberating in the air, the smell of burnt wood, the sights, the sounds...and a catalogue of things that invokes memories, thoughts, left untouched for over a decade now. I miss home and the kind of life I would've had there, if I didn't come here...

I won't say I regret it entirely because the opportunities given to me to succeed in this country are in abundance. Not sure if I'd have gotten similar chances if I stayed home. However, there is certainly an element of home that I miss. The slangs, the inside jokes, the familiarity which takes me a while to get used to every time I go back marks my displacement from home. Sometimes I feel like I'm neither here, nor there. I cannot call this place a home away from home, simply because I do not feel the emotional attachment I feel with Calcutta. At the same time, when I am there, sometimes I feel like an accidental tourist. Like a person without a purpose, just wandering, not sure what he or she is hoping to find.

Lots of packing to do. * groans *

You mean Jesus was gay? REALLY?

Copenhagen climate summit in disarray after 'Danish text' leak

No number of flabbergasted WTFs can be seen as an adequate response to this.

For the sake of this world (and my sanity) I'm going to hope that this is a hoax to stir up tension before the bulk of the talks is underway.

Really now. I understand this is a talk shop where diplomats will hug, shake hands and eat expensive caviar but at least conduct it with some dignity.

Edit: The actual leaked text which I am too tired/annoyed/resigned to read through. I'm just going to rely on The Guardian's summarizing skills and send my best regards to the vitriol and backlash it is going to receive on the internet.

religion is men/women indulging in their inner lust to kill/loot/hurt with a clear conscience.

Turkish honor killing - this is exactly why I, sometimes, loathe religion and people who commit plain-sight murder in the name of religion.

health care? what's that?

Senate's 2000+ pages of Health Care bill.

Perfect time to apply the tl;dr symbol.

So there.

tl;dr

I feel accomplished.

Obamafication.

Mike Tomasky assesses the recent spur of Obama-hate quite accurately in his piece titled, "Hate Obama? You may not be a racist. But you will be white.".

I am personally not a fan of Obama's public health care. My reason is simple - I do not believe that it is sustainable in the long run. Of course the incumbent health care isn't sustainable either, but the alternative, in my view is just as bad. Especially after the government budget deficit is projected to remain over 1 trillion dollars for the next decade. This is going back to the Regan and Bush sr. era, except now there is an ongoing recession; even if the worst bits of the recession is over, as analysts say, the left over effects are still being felt by the main street.

I digress.

I intend to talk about Obama. When Obama won, the headlines from then can be summarized as A NEW DAWN AFTER AN ETERNITY SPENT IN DARKNESS - darkness here being the Bush Administration. I feel we made a cult figure out of Obama even before the man resumed office. We took his campaign rhetorics and went along with it, expressing our awe at the man's (potential) capacity to right the wrongs made by Bush.

So far Obama's delivery in his promises is going less than impeccably. Guantanamo Bay is still operating (EDIT: Guantanamo won't close by January 2010 - Obama) - even though the trail for the perpetrators of 9/11 has been ordered. US troops are still in Iraq; okay granted the crucial bill was passed, and a ray of hope has emerged, it still doesn't guarantee anything. Afghanistan is still a mess. Pakistan is deteriorating.

Politics aside, US unemployment rate broke into double digits last month, jobs are still being lost, companies are still not hiring, and China continues to peg its exchange rate against the dollars. In a nutshell, eleven months after Obama assumed office, the United States is still being screwed.

Because of the impossible ideals we built around Obama, making him nothing short of a miracle worker, the current state of the world and primarily the US economy is breeding discontent with the Obama administration. We are beginning to doubt his capability - which, I am not questioning, but simply reiterating that thanks to our sky high expectations, whatever Obama does henceforth is not going to be enough. Unless one day we wake to find that unemployment rate has gone down to its natural level, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has miraculously ended, China is allowing the Yuan to float against the US $ etc. Basically, Obama has to deliver us Utopia to silence the critics.

Of course the racial factor will ALWAYS be there. I'd like to give USofA the benefit of the doubt and assume that the race factor is a small proportion of people - mostly prevalent in the white conservative camps. Someone mentioned a very valid point last night on BBC's World Have Your Say. Because Obama is African-American, and because race has been such a highly debated, and controversial issue in the USA, a lot of people voted for Obama simply because he was black. Similarly, a lot of them voted for McCain just because he is white. The speaker actually went on to explain, if instead of Obama it were Hilary Clinton running for presidency, a lot of the feminist advocates would vote for Hilary just because she is a woman. And the alternative is true too.

What I am trying to highlight here is that the post-Obama euphoria is subsiding. And people are beginning to realize that Obama is not a miracle worker. That Iraq and Afghanistan will take time to be mitigated; that the financial crisis will also take time to level out and for the US economy to start growing sustainably again.

Obama needs time.

Whether he gets it or not will most certainly influence the future of world politics.

More edits: Veto of Iraq's Election Law Could Force Delay in Vote, and China Holds Firm on Major Issues in Obama's Visit. More backlash in the horizon? It'd be a shame if Obama is ousted from office even before his first term as President reaches its half way mark. Give the guy some time, world at large. Please?

Wish me luck, as you wave me goodbye. Cheerio, here I go,on my way...

Obama Says U.S. Seeks to Build Stronger Ties to China. You know what they say; If you can't beat them, join them. Does this mean the world at large will gradually accept China's pegged exchange rate? (Point of note/amusement): Some kook confidently said to me before that China has a floating exchange rate because...well his uncle thinks so.

Though I object heavily to the article's sweeping generalization that ASEAN is just an economic group. It is more than than that - it was formed to regionalize South East Asia with the aim of promoting regional security and strengthening cultural ties. Economics has hardly been the driving factor behind a significant portion of ASEAN's four decades worth of history.

If it were, the Asian Financial Crisis would not have dented Singapore's economy as badly as it did; when the Baht fell, the Rupiah fell, the Ringgit fell, it was a "Beggar thy neighbour" attitude that prospered in the region. Anyway, I am not nitpicking here - as someone who is studying ASEAN as part of her university coursework, I oppose to blunt generalization of its function as just an economic group. Oh and for posterity's sake - ASEAN is not the Asian version of the EU.

A caveat (of some interest): ASEAN members never interfere with the internal politics of their member countries; which is why it's credibility has been repeatedly questioned over its stance on the crackdown that happened in Myanmar two years ago.

I'm curious to see what they achieve out of APEC Summit this weekend. The securities have locked down major roads leading up to the central business district here in the name of housing so many important leaders, including the man touted to be the most powerful in the world. Despite my cynicism towards the USofA, I am a fan of Obama. I believe he has a strong character that was seriously lacking in Bush. Though I must say, so far, after resuming office for nearly a year he hasn't made as much progress as he had been projecting during the presidential campaign. However, Iraq's recent passing of the election bill and the recent decision to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - the mastermind behind 9/11 in court (in the process of shutting down Guantanamo Bay) injects some optimism among those beginning to question the validity of Obama's campaign promises. The healthcare bill - I am not certain how durable it is going to be in the long run; from the little I have learned in Economics, government sponsored bills are not sustainable in the long run. Granted I have not actually seen the bill properly - though if you scurry around the NYtimes website, you'll find a copy up for download somewhere. I came across it the other day, but my misfortune that I forgot to at least save a link for it.

I am going to put the following point as a place holder:

Due to my inability to sleep without listening to the radio, I have developed a long standing habit of listening to BBC radio on 88.9 FM. Thanks to the time difference, at exactly about 2 a.m. local time they air the BBC World Have Your Say. I am a huge fan of the debates that go back and forth for the hour - some of the arguments are enviably well thought-out and effortlessly executed. Others are just plain stupid. Every time I formulate my own argument and post it on their blog, the show ends. IT IS NOT A MERRY COINCIDENCE. Yesterday they were discussing about Depression and should sufferers be more forthcoming with their conditions. I had a lot to say on this issue - I do suffer from it, and while my case isn't serious enough to seek intense medical help, I have had to drastically adjust my life, my schedules to cope with it. I do just fine - I don't need pills or therapy anymore. Granted the episodic outbursts cannot be helped (it's like epilepsy; the medicine helps to keep it under control, not fully cure it), I have done just fine for five years now.

I don't like advertising my condition to people - I don't want them to treat me differently. I certainly oppose the idea of conveying a very weak and fragile state of my mind. I am neither; I am tough as a diamond and to be denied opportunities or given leeway because people pity me is not acceptable to my conscience. It can even be annoying at times, when, unintentionally, I divulge into people that I do suffer from depressive episodes from time to time. The first response, quite naturally, I get is, "You are depressed? Why we had no idea!" Of course you don't. Most sufferers of depression you see appear perfectly normal in plainsight. There is a clear distinction between emo/gothic/punk and those who actually have clinical depression.

Anyway, back to my comment about World Have your Say, WHO DO I HAVE TO SHAG/MURDER/DEFENESTRATE (not necessarily in that order) TO GET MY COMMENT READ OUT ON AIR? I'll try tonight. Wish me luck, as you wave me goodbye. Cheerio, here I go,on my way...

It's a pig, no it's a man...no it's....H1N1

(Youtube is not entirely about music videos and stand up comedy. Once in a while, you come across some informative or practical - for real life usage)

Despite its pandemic status, I have successfully managed to ignore it so far. Three scares and two false alarms later, I remain unconcerned by placing blind trust in my immune system. (At a time like this, I appreciate my parents' enthusiasm, almost two decades ago, to get me an overwhelming number of vaccine shots; despite my kicking and screaming and ear shattering wails) However, my mother's diabetic. Contracting the virus will not do any lasting harm on me - considering I avoid the unnecessary complications - but it might endanger my mother. That scares me, more than the question of my own well being. Singapore, even though many like to vehemently deny, is a hotzone. Being extra precautionary is not a sign of paranoia. People need to understand this; I need to understand this.

(This video post serves three purposes. 1) Provide some basic information on the H1N1 strain. 2) For your viewing convenience, dear imaginary reader and 3) a placeholder for future references.)

ETA: Fed Plans to Vet Banker Pay to Discourage Risky Practices

The officials emphasized that the plan was not intended to make pay packages more socially equitable but was part of a broader effort by the Fed to shore up the stability of the banking system. That effort has included tighter supervision of lending and trading practices and higher requirements for capital held as a cushion against losses.

So the FED is going to let the banking hierarchy get away with making millions, on tax payers' money? At least they are increasing the reserved requirement ratio - the amount of capital they expect, by law, the banks to hold back before they lend out the rest of their liabilities. The problem however is that the banks aren't lending! There have been very little long term investment to kick-start the upward movement along the business cycle. I only have 3 basic level economics courses under my belt - I have recently embarked on my sophomoric journey this academic year - in university and even I can posit that the way Fed's going, it is going to take a long time before any sign of progress is made. After exhausting its monetary policy, perhaps the government should look to making changes in its fiscal policy - except with a trillion dollar debt per year for the next decade, their hands are pretty much tied. America needs to increase their savings rate; they need to push it up beyond the 10% that is hypothesized (the actual rate is considerably lower).

your last hurrah...yen

If this is the Yen's last hurrah, I wonder what the implications might be for Singapore.

Like Japan, Singapore has a excellent national savings rate - which is never fully disclosed and for the right reasons. From as far as I know, most of it is used to service public investments abroad. Singapore in that sense is cushioned for the time being, relying on its negative public debt (it is negative I think. I will check and edit this post should it turn out differently) to further expand on its infrastructure and prepare to fundamentally change the economy to suit the changing needs of multi-nationals. Sometimes I wonder how differently Singapore would have coped if it A) Never separated from Malaysia or B) Had adequate landmass, labour pool and natural resources.

I am currently studying, as part of a university requirement, a module on Singapore's history - one part political, one part social and one part on its economic history. One of my readings proclaimed (by Linda Low) that the government, on hindsight, did not have a grand plan in the eve of 1965 (right before merger). They improvised, made it up as they went along, guided by a group of highly motivated individuals in the process - I'm talking about the first generation PAP leaders - the links of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Dr. Goh Kheng Swee and Mr. S. Rajarathnam.

As a foreigner here, I have heard many locals complaining about the limited liberty they have here to express themselves. Some tell me they are not allowed to openly critcize the government, while others posit that PAP's unicameral politics is turning many youngsters apathetic towards Singapore politics. I don't hold an opinion on what they say to me, because first of all, I am an immigrant. My areas of concern lie more with the Manmohan Singh government, Indian National Congress and India's economic performance. However, on occasions I feel the need to point out to these people that not everything the government did or is doing has been out of line. Think about it, dear imaginary reader, post 1965, with the loss of a common goods market (that many envisioned Malaysia to provide), high unemployment arising from post war population boom, and absolutely no natural resources at its disposition, the government did turn Singapore into a first world country (with third world privileges). It takes meticulous planning, or improvisation in this case to pull off something like that. In their haste to critcize, which by the way is a common mentality here, the government, most of the people I come into contact with overlook this.

I should stop typing and finish off making note cards on Singapore's Education policy through the last half of the century.

Also, in a context not remotely related to the ongoing financial meltdown (hello Japanese government debt, which is almost as impressive as that of the US of A), the price of cockiness is almost cathartic. Funny too, to add on to the list. I hope Liverpool's defeat against Lyon is going to temporarily shut up the small fraction of their obnoxious fanbase whom I loathe - the ones who need to remind the rest of the football world about their five European cup triumphs. (By contrast, even the most hardcore of Real Madrid fans I have had the fortune of running into, do not need to boast or continuously remind everyone about their 9 European Champions league triumphs.

Though I am not generalising. The majority of the Merseysiders are polite - and indulge in civil rivalry with other fans. It's always the handfuls isn't it? Stupid black sheeps of the flock. No matter. I am just going to watch and snicker from the sidelines as they try to comfort each other by...yep, you guessed it. By reminding themselves how glorious their club used to be (yes they were, but overdoing it loses the appeal - clearly they missed the memo).

...lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds...

How Plagiarism Software Found a New Shakespeare. I strongly believe that my twitter dashboard is a maze of wonderful things (at a 99% confidence interval rate) waiting to be unearthed. This was one of them. I find the concept truly fascinating - precisely so because of the (over)emphasis the academia places on Plagiarism and plagiarism detecting softwares. I've heard my Professors harp on the seriousness and consequences of plagiarism for over a year. While it doesn't apply to me directly (at least not at this point in time), I have always wondered the depths to which students will venture to, in order to get that perfect A+ without doing an ounce of work. Finding Shakespeare while trying to catch cheats, is a delightful composition of irony which I hope will assist to further expound on this chance discovery.

ETA: I take back what I said about my twitter dashboard - I now reduce the confidence interval to a 95% after a this post about Why Jews are liberals came up. I clicked with the hope of reading a (adequate) explanation to this direct, slightly controversial question asked by none other than The Gaggle (Newsweek). Duly disappointed and would like to claim back the 5 minutes of life wasted on reading it. Thank you very much.