http://rot.blogsome.com All is not well beneath the shiny surface. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:54:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en So LKY admitted that the bilingual policy was a mistake. How did he find out it was a mistake? Only because, it seems, he learned from his daughter “late in [his] life” that “language ability and intelligence are two different things”. So we can conclude that: The early bilingual policy was made ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/11/18/lee-kuan-yew-and-bilingualism/ This statement must surely elicit hysterical laughter from the many Singaporeans now waiting in line for their “affordable” public flats: HDB flats will remain affordable to the vast majority of Singaporeans. Also: HDB flats are not merely roofs over one’s heads, but also comfortable homes that we can raise our families in as ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/11/12/affordable-resort-style-housing/ Am I the only one who finds JTC’s housing scheme that is “specially for foreign talents” offensive? Why should locals who are just as talented and just as willing to pay for such housing be excluded? http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/08/19/housing-for-ft-only/ An astute commentator on Twitter spotted this rather odd question posed by Goh Chok Tong: How do we bond students going abroad to Singapore, physically if possible, and if not, at least emotionally? As the astute commentator remarks, there’s something not quite right about the order in which the ‘bonding methods’ are ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/08/12/bonding/ Accompanying the State’s Times feature of Goh Chok Tong’s warning against “religious enclaves” is a list of the “Ten challenges ahead for S’pore”. Second on the list is “How to convince Singaporeans their lives will get better?” Anyone find this a little strange? Why is it not “How to make ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/08/03/yes-propaganda-is-getting-challenging/ Minxin Pei in Think again: Asia’s Rise: Even when you look at autocracies credited with economic success, you find two interesting facts. First, their economic performance improved when they became less brutal and allowed greater personal and economic freedoms. Second, the keys to their successes were sensible economic policies, such as ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/07/03/89/ Many Singaporean students shy away from studying the humanities and social sciences because of the perceived lack of financial returns in doing so. Another push factor is the perception that those are the less ‘prestigious’ options — that only those whose grades weren’t good enough to get them into other ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/06/06/the-perception-of-the-humanities-and-social-sciences-in-singapore/ MP Lim Biow Chuan: Are we happy with the values of the young Singaporeans who have gone through the school system? Do they bear the positive traits that we want to see in the future generation of Singaporeans? Are the scholars that we produce, the GEP students, the top tier students ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/05/26/inducing-gratefulness/ That’s the message I get from how the Citizenship and Population Unit is rewarding foreigners for giving their opinions on life in Singapore. The Citizenship & Population Unit, Prime Minister’s Office (CPU/PMO) is conducting an e-survey for A*STAR’s foreign researchers to know you better and introduce global talents like yourself to ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/04/30/foreigners-your-satisfaction-matters-locals-not-so-much/ To all the Singaporean students out there who might want to do a PhD: You should be aware that it is actually possible, and, if you aim low enough, not terribly difficult, to do a PhD in a US university without having to pay anything out of your own pocket. In ... http://rot.blogsome.com/2009/02/21/public-service-message/