Excellent article on the hijab

Excellent article even with a cursory reading. Hope to come back later and read it carefully. It is a very long article.

I like her conclusions:

1. The best garment is the garment of righteousness
2. Whenever you dress, be sure to cover your bosoms
3. Lengthen your garment

Can't agree more!

Multiple Lines of Assistance

Looks good, so many lines of assistance. By the way, I can't find a line for public transport. I am interested because Lui Tuck Yew rued that only half of the transport vouchers were given away. I think it is across lines.

What most of us endeavor to do is not to use any of them. This is the best way to make sure we have enough for those who really needs them. However all of us get the long red line which is the most costly. It wouldn't make sense unless all the layers above also get to enjoy everything that is offered at the base. This is where we must focus our worries on. It is the place that trapped the poor in place no matter how you try to help them.

At the end of the day a poverty marker using income is only useful if the government would use it. This government is unwilling and I think the issue at its core is getting people out of the vicious cycle of poverty and preventing the at risk from falling into it. What matters is results. Everything else are means.

Looks like the government is doubling up on poverty alleviation. At this point it probably makes more sense to work with than quarrel with them. Our focus ought to be on results.

Waiting for a cab and low TFR

I might be wrong but if I consider many such similar situations out there, I must be right often enough.

My guess is the husband had taken the car. He is likely to be a high powered executive. The car is parked in some basement car park now in town. Meanwhile the wifey is waiting out in the rain with a brolly and her kid for a cab.

Had most of them been like my brother who takes the bus to work and leave the car for the family etc, more women would be happier keeping home. But people are selfish and this is more visible for those with power. The man of the of the house usually has more power and his self love shows through more clearly. Sure most men love their families but they love themselves even more. Now as we multiply this across millions of people, guess what? Women prefer to have the same power as men. Get a good education and then a good job. Earn their own keep and own their own rides. Along the way if having children amounted to returning to their mothers' lives, thanks but no thanks. This is clearest in Japanese society.

Easy for LKY to blame the women in Japan, Korea and Singapore for not wanting kids but that is only a small part of the whole picture. Truth is we are all responsible.

Many rich societies will learn the hard way and there are always some lessons that must be learned this way; that having too few kids will lead to huge regret. In the same vein the Americans will get tired of divorce and try harder at keeping their marriages. Some day after bitterly regretting our choice, a new generation will have many kids. Likewise the greatest generation will reappear under the right conditions. History does not repeat itself but it sure rhymes because we always innovate ourselves out of cul de sacs.

Without cheaper energy and better technology we cannot have another chance to have more babies in the distant future.

Cleaning BBQ pits

Saw this chap cleaning the barbecue pits in Area G yesterday. When I passed here again sometime later, he had only moved to the next pit. Pretty tough task.

First 3D printed metal gun

Remember the first flight by the Wright brothers? They are doing much better with the first 3D printed metal gun. Imagine what might come a a few years from now.

The printer which made this gun is too expensive for the home at the moment but I don't believe it will stay this way forever.

I wonder what all these mean for public security. What about 3D printed bombs? This is strengthening the hands of terrorists and I was trying not to be imaginative.

PMO site hacked.

A day after the PM declared that the government would spare not effort to hunt down the hackers, they had struck back. They threw some stones against our wall and left enough evidence that they were here. They would loved to score a bigger hit but that is not to be.

Won't be surprised if they are identified and perhaps caught soon.

95 year old Billy Graham: Form vs Substance

Wake up this morning, the trusty alarm clock has stopped working; first day of the A levels for my daughter, turned on the computer and found this.

The guy is already 95 years old and still had to put out this message. A nice cap of form vs substance when I caught the line between wearing the cross and living it.


This is an old message that need to be told again and again. They still need a 95 year old to tell it eh? Those that come after struggle to cut it like he had. He could have been the ultimate prosperity gospel preacher but no, he chose to stay true.

Update: 9:25am

I should have anticipated this. I just got this as an email from among those Christian friends I have across the Pacific. The irony of it all is that while plugging for this message there is also from them so much religiosity, gay hating, exclusiveness....a loveless Christianity. Very frustrating.















Update: Nov 12

Six days later, not even half a million views. Indeed the age of Billy Graham has passed. To me he preached the true and right Gospel but I can't say the same for many who received it which land us with the church scene today. Now forget about the talk, people need to walk.