A tribute : Stephen Loh

First of all , I would like to thank this man for being a good friend and a teacher of mine . He is 1 man who can tolerate our nonsense in sec 5 . The bond he formed with my class is unbelievable , especially for a man who has barely taught us for a year , we also meet often subsequently , to say the least Gary and I .

When the news of his death came , my mind became a blank . I was totally devastated and overwhelmed as I had wanted to meet him in the coming weeks to catch up with old times . I was wondering how did a man like him just died like that . He is simply a good guy

Students told in testimonials that he is a dedicated teacher who gives tuition even after working hours . We also learned that he is frugal through reading the newspapers which says that he is given 28k by his grandfather to buy a car , instead of doing so he used the money to further his studies . However , with us he splurged $400+ to give the class a treat on the last day of his lesson with us . I can never question his generosity .

It is such a shame he left too soon and to die by drowning is the last thing people would expect of a water sports athlete . No amount of tears will bring him back . We will remember the times we had together and I hope he's enjoyed his time with us too . *We will remember you

"Halal Pork" Dissemination

NTUC FairPrice has lodged a police report after it found a picture of “halal pork” allegedly sold by the supermarket chain making the rounds on the internet.

The photo shows a packet of FairPrice’s Pasar brand park bearing a green “halal” sticker. This sticker can be carried only on foods that are permissible according to Islamic law. Pork is considered “haram” or “forbidden” in Islam.

A Muis spokesman said: “We treat the case of the Muis halal certification mark on the packaging containing pork very seriously as the halal mark has been abused.”

As teacher Nurdianna Malik puts it: “Pork is a big taboo in Islam. This ‘joke’ is really insensitive. The Government has tried so hard to promote religious harmony and pranks like this make me sad because they detract strongly from such harmony.” *

It is appalling to learn the pernicious dissemination of ‘halal pork’ on the internet especially in this ostentatious stratum of religious harmony. Government’s effort to elevate harmony must have been hampered by this ruinous action. The culprit should be aware of this potentially harmful undertaking as the abuse of ‘halal pork’ would mean disintegration of religious harmony. Hopefully with the ongoing investigation and subsequent antidote to this bane, any interrelated issue would not arise and shrink S’pore’s unswerving religious harmony.

*an excerpt from thesundaytimes November 25 2007

Concern Over Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect, by definition, is a process by which the atmosphere is assailed by an excess of carbon dioxide. What happens is that carbon dioxide released in large quantities by industries collects at the lower part of the earth’s upper atmosphere. As a result, part of the heat that is reflected by the earth is absorbed by this carbon dioxide and returned to earth as heat. This shield, so to speak, lets the sunlight through to the earth but prevents some of the heat from the earth from escaping beyond it. It is believed that the earth’s climates will change with an increase in temperature by 5 to 9 degrees by about the year 2050. This heat will cause the release of poisonous gases on an unwary earth and in addition melt the polar ice and glaciers throughout the world and cause flooding. The chaos can well be imagined.

Now what is happening that is really alarming is that the destruction of plants continues-especially in the rainforest belt. In addition, factories continue to be built. The anticipated result is obvious. Since oxygen producers are decreasing and carbon dioxide producers are increasing, there will soon be too much carbon dioxide for the plants to neutralize. The full effects of the greenhouse effect may be felt.

This is certainly a cause for everyone’s deep concern and immediate actions must be taken to reverse the damage that is being done before it becomes irreversible. The world cannot speak and thus we have to speak for the world. Now is the time to come forward and heal the world for the earth’s deterioration is mankind’s detriment.

Speak for the Earth…

Britons bullying elderly Singaporean trishaw rider

The recent incident of Britons bullying the elderly Singaporean trishaw rider have caused a furore in the local populace .

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,146519,00.html?

This incident drew strong acrimonious reactions from the net community , I am no exception . One thing that was also brought to my attention was the insults directed at caucasians . The 3 Brits also deny any case of bullying and remains impenitent and these further exacerbate the problem .

Are these actions exemplary of the presumably inherent white superiority mindset of the caucasians ?

Penal Code 377A Aversion

The exchange of emotional words over the gay sex issue has taken its hot position on newspaper and Parliamentary Petition. Gay activists has voiced out their rights through petition that the change in sex law has discriminate against homosexual men. People talk loudly about this issue and a debate continues to persist ceaselessly in a desultory way…

While others may think gay sex is fine, I don’t entirely agree with it. Take a stroll at Changi beach at night and what captures your attention will be a group of man well-dressed with a bag tightly squeezed in between their arms and thick colored make-up that spread across his face. As my own observation attested, people who passed by seems to be disgusted by their unusual dressing. Unsurprisingly, there are also those who keep a low profile but can be very extrovert indoors. My friend once told me what he encountered in the gym. He was sickened and staggered by a gay who seems to react differently from what he knows made up a real male. Collectively, the sudden infusion of gay activists in the society has made every other people remain repulsive to them.

So, if there is an approval of the gay sex issue, it will embolden all this activists to clad in what people believe to be highly beyond ordinary and will definitely disgust the public. Is this what S’porean wish to see in years to come? Additionally, every culture and religion does not condone to this unwholesome side of human. It will open gateways to potential adversaries as religious leaders will strongly averse to the insalubrious gay sex.

Moreover if we procured the grant of favors to Gay Sex then what will other nation thinks of us? Gay sex tourists’ attraction? ( another policy to bring tourist from all corners of the globe to S’pore like the integrated resort?) Or male depicting female-dressing contests?

G53E

Republic Polytechnic : A deviation from the traditional

Problem Based Learning , as practiced in Republic Poly , is pioneered and used extensively at McMaster University , Canada . The defining characteristics of PBL are 1) Learning is driven by challenging , open-ended problems . 2) Students work in small collaborative groups . 3) Teachers take on the role of "facilitators' in learning . 4) Presentation and Q&A .

Is it really effective ? Its supposed objective is cultivating vocal , opinionated and critical thinking minds . I'd say RP is a farce because it failed in their objective . The underlying reasons in which I say so is because Singaporeans' education is based on rote-learning , from primary school till secondary school and other polys and JCs . This PBL way of learning will only work effectively we are brought up learning the same way . I think PBL should be infused into our learning process at the early stages of our lives .

As a student here , I know . Students have to conform to the same routine everyday , 8.5 hours per day . During presentation , students simply regurgitate ( semantically?) . They also lacked inquisitiveness as substantiated by not asking enough questions ( quality ones ) .

Why ? Because technology is so advanced , information can be disseminated by just a click of the mouse . Presentation slides are spread through MSN , it helps students to save the time to do research and brainstorm . Secondly , the timetable is so tedious everyday . For the 8.5 hours spent in school , it is little wonder why students are not asking enough questions during presentation , the last program of the day because of lethargy . And because there is no industry attachment , it is not value-added .

I'm not fully against PBL because it also teaches students to wake up their ideas . There are many ways to analyze a problem . One will have to balance his own sets of ideas and beliefs with other reasons . Maybe I will give another evaluation when I graduate .

Regards

Multi Level Marketing

Multi Level Marketing , in short MLM is being touted as the future of business and will eventually oust the traditional business model . Just how viable is MLM ? To me , it is a form of modern slavery using unethical tactics to entice students and the elderly into investing their monies in MLM .

The MLM-ers target students because of their naivety and their uncertainty in their future . I am compelled to warn people of its pitfalls and the adverse nature of this business model for the fact that they are unregulated by the MAS to provide financial services . They are also the cause of conflict for many friends and family .

I have to warned you of their ploy so don't fall for it ...

How they use psychology:


1) Make you question your future

2) Ask why you chose your dream job

3) Make you think your dream job is
worthless, earns no money, is bad, etc

4 ) Knowing ur morale's been hit down
by
steps 1-3, they assure u there's a way
out. (Builds up trust)

5) Say "doing biz", doesn't work. Benefits
of "starting own biz"

6) Says stuff like $$$ more impt, etc.

7) Gives examples of ppl having few K in
income, car, etc.

8 ) Introducing you to the slave world of mlm,
where few succeed






Credits to redstone*

The Press Corpse

A song lyric that you can probably draw parallel to local media .



The (Downing Street) memo says…
…We gotta work to make the facts fit the false charges
Pull the wool over the eyes of the filthy masses
Stab the people in the back for the corporate choice
Roll the propaganda out using The People’s Voice

We don’t want to talk about it…

The press scribble scribble every half-truth spoke
Then shoot it round the country like an April Fools joke
Hype the nation for a Desert Storm love affair
Wave the stars and stripes like you just don’t care!

They talk it up all day, talk it up all night
Talk until their face turns blue – Red white and blue!
But when the truth escapes the night and crawls into the day
We find the picture still askew

They don’t want to… talk talk talk talk talk about it
They want tiptoe, walk around it
Wave the flag and mindlessly salute
They don’t want to talk about it
They want tiptoe, walk around it
Wave the flag and cowardly salute

And on the TV screen…
…Diversion and aversion is the flavor of the day
Was it WMDs? Or Democracy?
Blame it on MI-6 or the CIA
The White House Press Corpse only has one thing to say…

“We don’t want to talk about it!”

The White House boils over, “Al Jazeera got it wrong!”
The Press Corpse jumps onboard singing the White House song
While over in Iraq thousands are dead because of lies
The spineless war drumming-press corpse have taken lives

They talk it up all day, talk it up all night
Talk until their face turns blue – Red white and blue!
But when the truth escapes the night and crawls into the day
We find the picture still askew

They don’t want to… talk talk talk talk talk about it
They want tiptoe, walk around it
Wave the flag and mindlessly salute
They don’t want to talk about it
They want tiptoe, walk around it
Wave the flag and cowardly salute

Fires fueled on endless lies
Black shrouds coat desert skies
A nation’s viewpoint blurred and led
As embeds report what they’re fed.


The Press Corpse , Anti-Flag

Education = Employment?

It is true that the better educated in many, if not most societies, are able to get better and better paying jobs. Hence at least in practice, it does not seem that more often than not education does enable people to gain employment. By gain employment is meant that they have the option to choose a desired employment while less educated and uneducated have to be satisfied with whatever employment is left to them-often manual labour. Here it needs to be clarified that not all educated people-educated in the sense of schooling- are able to get whatever job they want.

Mankind has come a long way. Hundreds of years ago, it has been established that education was a means of making a person a better person. It was something that constantly improved a man. If education mainly aims to teach a means of living, then we are reducing the whole world to a population of craftsmen. In fact, if all is desired is that education should be a means of living, there is no need for people to spend so much time in school.

Education is most of all for refining an individual. It is to teach him/her to write, read and calculate. Subsequently, it is to make him expand his mind and to know a whole lot of things which will make him wise and appreciate of the achievements of the human race. Education is to enable a man to lead to higher life. An educated man is expected to be able to discuss intelligently about world affairs, listen to good music, read good books, watch plays and most of all take an interest in the world.

Untitled Part 1

All thanks to Lee Kuan Yew , Singapore have became the affluent country it is today . He almost single handedly led a war-torn Singapore into economic prosperity and immense wealth .

During Lee's tenure as a PM , his administration tackled problems such as mass unemployment and housing shortage . The transport system also begun to consolidate and Singaporeans put aside their racial differences for the common good . With everything in place , Singapore thrived .

But all this came at a price in the form of absolute compliance from the people . Singaporeans have became so docile they don't dare question the Government . This results in growing resentment of the people not having the freedom of speech ...

First post !!!

The Dissident Layman is created by 2 individuals who knows nothing much about politics . We hope that this blog will be a platform for us to expand our views and broaden our minds to this sophisticated and highly convoluted society . We also bear in mind that this tiny little dot is undergoing globalization and we also strive to keep our posts concise and innocuous .

Our upcoming posts shall focus on the political apathy in today's Singaporean teens and the POSSIBLE causes of it . The posts will be highly subjective and the reasoning hypothetical . However we will need your support to establish ourselves as credible commentators .

Thanks for reading .