Archives 2006

Abbreviations are explained in the column on the right of the screen.

Month	Title, etc		Relevance
Dec 2006	Neither honesty nor religious tolerance needed - the American religious right on gay parenting and Muslims		Pol, Rel, Hom
Dec 2006	Cinema: Borat is boring - meant to spoof American prejudices, but failed		Soc, Med
Dec 2006	Unintelligent toilets - public rest rooms in Singapore are equipped with all sorts of sensors and gadgets, yet...		Sec Oth [urban planning]
Dec 2006	Singapore bans tsunami charity book, part 2 - the government says female nudes are acceptable, male nudes not.		Pol, Med
Dec 2006	Singapore bans tsunami charity book, part 1 - Leslie Kee's "Superstars" is banned by the MDA because of "full nudity"		Pol, Med
Dec 2006	A nonbeliever in the religion of food - fads and favourites in a food paradise		Soc, Per
Dec 2006	The safety limits of globalisation - when markets and corporations are global, how effective are governments that are only local?		Pol
Dec 2006	Bedside reading - some people get worked up over sexual titillation and pornography		Soc, Med
Dec 2006	How to treat citizens better than foreigners - foreign workers will no longer enjoy healthcare subsidies		Pol, Soc, Hum
Dec 2006	There's public consultation and there's public consultation - the Hong Kong government has just abandoned its proposed 5% GST		Pol, Hom
Dec 2006	Blogging and the making of history - the Workers' Party must get better at seizing the moment		Pol, Med
Dec 2006	Atttitudes towards HIV risks and education - do gays and straights hold different opinions? Do males and females see things differently?		Soc, Hom, Oth [HIV]
Nov 2006	Cinema: Indigenes and others - art films from France and Germany that I saw recently		Soc, Med, Hum
Nov 2006	Hate speech law badly drafted - the government wants to broaden the scope of the law		Law
Nov 2006	What our non-crusading media avoids- ranked 146th in the world, some stories are too sensitive to be carried		Pol, Med, Rel, Hom
Nov 2006	Our disgraceful trinity: littering, inconsideration and bad service - do we try to find out the deep reasons why?		Soc
Nov 2006	The niqab and the freedom of religion - is there any logical reason why people speak of the freedom of religion?		Pol, Soc, Rel
Nov 2006	All work, little pay - GST increase to address the low income problem; but there's the demographic problem too		Pol, Soc
Nov 2006	Bad rep costs - the uncounted economic costs of authoritarianism		Pol, Kno
Nov 2006	But if you can't rape your wife, who can you rape? - proposed changes to the Penal Code re spousal rape		Law
Nov 2006	Waylaid by rubbish - half of people cannot analyse or discern information from the internet. What does that mean?		Med, Kno
Nov 2006	Pseudo repeal under cover of smoke? - something's going on about the Penal Code, but what?		Pol, Law, Hom
Nov 2006	An echoless ravine - raising interest in politics among young Singaporeans is an uphill task		Pol
Nov 2006	Quicksand conservatism - the Ted Haggard case once more shows how bankrupt the anti-gay cause is, and not just in America		Pol, Rel, Hom
Nov 2006	A bit of Kenya in Singapore - I met three Kenyans at a stall selling artefacts		Soc
Oct 2006	Temasek Holdings' Tongnoi tangle - the investment company came close to having a scoundrel as its corporate advisor		Pol
Oct 2006	Kim's bomb and Pax Sinica - what the crisis may bring over the longer term		Pol
Oct 2006	New Jersey court orders legislature to provide for same-sex unions - in a split decision		Law, Hom
Oct 2006	Cable TV fined over lesbian sex - even when pixelated and aired at midnight		Pol, Med, Hom
Oct 2006	Co-opting, Singapore-style - what and why does the PAP co-opt?		Pol
Oct 2006	Gay man seeks asylum in US - claiming that he is persecuted in Singapore on account of his sexual orientation		Law, Hom
Oct 2006	Christian Taliban demands censorship - George Lim wrote to the Straits Times saying most movies are "worthless"		Soc
Oct 2006	What a clean and cultured place we have - or so we think		Soc
Oct 2006	Gay sex is for straight men - 10% of married men in New York were having gay sex		Hom
Oct 2006	Headlines matter - FEER banned and how does Singapore gain from that?		Pol
Oct 2006	Short Circuit 2006 - for the record, part 1 - how the first showcase of queer short films in Singapore came about		Med, Hom
Oct 2006	Short Circuit 2006 - for the record, part 2 - personal comments about 5 of the short films shown at the queer film showcase		Med, Hom
Oct 2006	When hip hop is scary - 12 members of parliament want to appear "cool" to win votes		Pol
Oct 2006	The apology that wasn't - Lee Kuan Yew said Malaysia and Indonesia want Singapore to be like their compliant Chinese minorities		Pol
Sep 2006	Volleyball team does Singapore proud - at the Gay Games in Chicago this year		Soc, Hom
Sep 2006	From selective wisdom to selective folly: why the future does not belong to bloggers - the lunchtime talk at SMU		Soc, Kno
Sep 2006	What we've yet to see, hear or speak of - unequal age of consent struck down in Hong Kong, campaign against "unnatural sex" law in India		Pol, Law, Hom
Sep 2006	Lessons from the Thai coup d'etat - the risks to a viable democracy		Pol
Sep 2006	Who owns the street? - the Substation's Street Party was killed by the police		Pol, Soc, Kno
Sep 2006	Minister tries to explain censorship of gay expression - and gets himself into a twist		Pol, Med, Hom
Sep 2006	Tell the people that others are singing our praises - how we delude ourselves about what a wonderful and efficient place this is		Pol, Med
Sep 2006	Frontline: Hong Lim - Opposition politician, prevented from marching to Parliament, camps out at Hong Lim Green		Pol
Sep 2006	Noisy when people throw stones at tinpots - even the World Bank chief broke diplomatic silence to say "enormous damage has been done" to our reputation		Pol, Law
Sep 2006	Why I was such a bitch on Tuesday - I refused to provide the Straits Times with my comments		Pol, Med, Hom
Sep 2006	Silence serves us poorly - allowing HIV and AIDS to strike those who are close to us		Soc, Hum, Per
Sep 2006	Peaceful streets - why aren't Singaporeans clamouring for freedom of speech and assembly?		Pol, Soc
Sep 2006	CNA: fifty-dollar men - a program about male prostitution illustrates why Singapore's creative industries cannot take off		Pol, Med, Hom
Sep 2006	The case of Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi - the facts of this drug case; would you have convicted him?		Law
Aug 2006	Cinema: Singapore Dreaming - good acting, solid direction, an absorbing film that shows what film-making in Singapore now needs		Med, Per
Aug 2006	Selling immigration - the government's lack of political skills makes this an uphill task		Pol, Med
Aug 2006	On the front bench - the 5-minute speech I gave in the old Parliament chamber		Pol, Hom, Per
Aug 2006	Nice pineapple tarts - 15 people tell their personal stories in a newly published book, 'SQ21'		Soc, Hom, Hum
Aug 2006	How NOT to succeed in the conventions business - the World Bank and IMF agree to hold their summit meeting in Singapore next month, then we piss them off		Pol, Law
Aug 2006	Immigration, public opinion and seizable offences - throwing your sons out while inviting guests in		Pol, Law, Hom
Aug 2006	Taxi problem is not a taxi problem - but a symptom of faulty central planning of transport as a whole		Pol, Oth [transport]
Aug 2006	Apathetic youth, idols, buzz and a paedophile - four bits of news tonight		Pol, Law, Soc, Med
Aug 2006	PAP wins by a landslide - even gays voted for them during Indignation		Hom
Aug 2006	Mahathir's mirror - Singapore politics reflected in Mahathir's campaign against Abdullah Badawi		Pol, Med
Aug 2006	Singapore government takes hostages from foreign press - leading international newspapers and magazines to deposit $200,000 each		Pol, Med
Aug 2006	Clown show from our state censors - the play 'Smegma' is approved, then banned, then banned with a different reason		Pol
Aug 2006	The fear and lunacy that is arts censorship - a poem can be printed but not read; exhibits that are banned for no good reason at all		Pol
Aug 2006	Political apoplexy and police priorities - what the police got up to when they heard of IndigNation and why		Pol, Law, Hom
Jul 2006	Racial Harmony Day  - a newspaper thought it newsworthy that our teenagers couldn't read race and religion the Singapore way		Soc, Med
Jul 2006	Israel attacks Hezbollah in Lebanon - thoughts about militias and statesmanship in the Arab Middle East		Pol
Jul 2006	Sauce for the goose - journalist Andy Ho warns of political videos to come		Pol, Med
Jul 2006	Honour and the control of others - how sexist and patriarchal ideas make men look stupid		Soc, Hom
Jul 2006	Gay marriage defeated in New York court - on what grounds? the key arguments explained		Law, Hom
Jul 2006	When the puppet speaks to the master - a striking headline in the Straits Times		Pol, Med
Jul 2006	Singapore buys Malaysia, Malaysia bombs Singapore - are we still for free speech?		Pol, Med
Jul 2006	Flags and monuments - unfortunately, flying the flag around National Day doesn't mean what it is supposed to mean		Pol, Soc
Jul 2006	Much ado about citizen journalism - a feature story in the Straits Times that seemed oddly out of focus		Med
Jul 2006	The inutility of speaking truth unto power - the government took a blogger to task for "sarcasm"		Pol, Med
Jul 2006	Income inequality widens markedly - one in three households had less income in 2005 than in 2000		Pol, Oth [econ]
Jul 2006	The troubles of Joo Chiat - zoning and urban planning issues, and what really goes on in the district		Soc
Jun 2006	Homosexuality and the problem of scale - as gay invisibility among humans and animals start to fall away, there needs a rethink of the place of homosexuality in nature		Hom, Kno
Jun 2006	The Straits Times as an educational tool - it's a sad day when poor English creeps into the premier newspaper		Soc, Oth [lang]
Jun 2006	Keeping Singapore safe for families - think critically for a moment about our sex industry		Law, Soc, Hum
Jun 2006	Goh Chok Tong admits that GRCs are meant to skew - so that "capable" people get an easy ride into office		Pol
Jun 2006	How George W Bush feeds Muslim cynicism - survey finds gulf between Muslims and Westerners; Bush does his part		Pol, Soc
Jun 2006	Religion in defence of male privilege - a woman head of a major church faces controversy. Nikah Misyar. Criticising religion.		Rel
Jun 2006	Lee Hsien Loong not impressed by democracy in Australia - because they have a two-party system		Pol
Jun 2006	An appalling standard of English - and why we need to hire teachers from abroad		Soc, Oth [edu]
Jun 2006	Stomping its way to.... where? - it's baffling why the Straits Times thinks a portal like Stomp can help reverse its fortunes		Med
Jun 2006	Football fan-dom part 3 - sports passion, nationalism and regimentation		Soc
Jun 2006	Football fan-dom part 2 - following the World Cup is so much fun		Soc, Hum
Jun 2006	Football fan-dom part 1 - why do so many men follow sports, especially soccer, avidly? Why men?		Soc, Hum
Jun 2006	Courts must pay attention to the quality of justice - at what point does entrapment become illegitimate?		Law
Jun 2006	Yet another exploitative story by the New Paper - 61 words about a court case, 745 more about gays, drugs and sex		Med, Hom
Jun 2006	Interpreting the IPS voter survey - how much and where is the support for opposition parties?		Pol, Kno
Jun 2006	The propaganda of lies, the propaganda of spin - shaping information and the national agenda in China, Singapore and the US		Pol, Med, Hom
Jun 2006	IPS post-election forum, part 2 - the afternoon's proceedings		Pol, Med
Jun 2006	IPS post-election forum, part 1 - the morning's proceedings		Pol
Jun 2006	The Mbeki Syndrome - South Africa has the highest HIV prevalence of any major country. What can we learn from that?		Soc, Hom, Hum
May 2006	Merapi, bird flu and creationism - many people in this world do not subscribe to scientific rationalism		Soc, Kno
May 2006	Opposition parties' poor bet - no good reason to oppose casinos		Pol, Soc
May 2006	Gay equality: from First world to Third - Massachusetts, China, and New Paper "exposé" in Singapore		Pol, Soc, Med, Hom, Oth [edu]
May 2006	Legislator wants to "manage" political expression on the internet - because there was "unbalanced" coverage during elections		Pol, Med
May 2006	The misuse of the state - Lee Kuan Yew says (again) that a multiparty system is not necessary for a democracy		Pol
May 2006	Indonesia: fundamentalism on the march - what drives religious fundamentalism?		Pol, Soc, Rel, Hum
May 2006	The last communist in the cinema - history is still alive		Pol, Med, Hum
May 2006	Did CNA act unprofessionally? - a blog claims that the TV news channel doctored its pages before showing them		Med
May 2006	Flat-footed and worse - how well did our mainstream media acquit themselves during the elections?		Pol, Med
May 2006	Lesbian brains, lesbophobia and the path to the divine - lesbians react to hormone-derived smells in unique ways		Hom, Rel, Kno, Hum
May 2006	Race and ethnicity: the Singaporean perspective - a new way of looking		Soc, Kno
May 2006	The deadly embrace of politics - how the Enernorth and Ahmad Khalis cases may undermine trust in Singapore law and the media		Pol, Law, Med
May 2006	A post-election scolding from old Lee - perhaps it's just compulsive behaviour		Pol
May 2006	Chikus and me - one evening I realised I was an adult		Hum, Per
May 2006	Some quick thoughts about the election results - The PAP will have 82 seats out of 84 in the next legislature		Pol
May 2006	Retreat and own goals - the PAP's missteps this election season		Pol
May 2006	Don't open the papers! Screaming banshees! - the James Gomez (non)-issue in the electoral campaign		Pol
May 2006	The GRC election quiz - what are the rules for GRC elections?		Pol
May 2006	Reviewing the gay question before the polls - which MP or candidate has been homophobic?		Pol, Hom
May 2006	On Hougang field - a huge election rally		Pol
Apr 2006	11% of Singaporeans have had gay sex - according to the 2005 Durex survey		Soc, Hom, Kno
Apr 2006	General election 2006: the manifestos - are you an engaged Singaporean? do you know what each party stands for?		Pol, Per
Apr 2006	How religious nuts will damage our economy - kissing in KL, Crazy Horse, casino and "shamanism"		Pol, Soc, Rel, Kno
Apr 2006	Blogging during elections 3 - 'Today' newspaper got it wrong, you can blog		Pol, Med
Apr 2006	Homo sapiens singaporiensis - a talk I gave to a group of students on the topic of "Singapore - our home?"		Soc
Apr 2006	Democracy, liberalism and values - a long response to a reader's email		Pol
Apr 2006	In the beginning, corruption may be popular - Lee Kuan Yew says, "you will never eliminate the opposition." Yes, but...		Pol
Apr 2006	Heresy in the Tree of Knowledge - the Gospel of Judas and the inerrant Bible that says homosexuality is offensive to God		Pol, Rel, Kno, Hom
Apr 2006	The serene backbenches - do our Members of Parliament speak up?		Pol
Apr 2006	James gets in the way - rare are ads with even the slightest hint of homosexuality		Pol, Med, Hom
Apr 2006	How we misread the Thaksin crisis - seems like the Singapore establishment was sure Thaksin would prevail		Pol, Med
Apr 2006	Singapore as a force for good and evil - how this little place impacts society and politics in this region.		Pol, Soc, Hom
Apr 2006	Blogging during elections 2 - the government explains the law on blogging and podcasting		Pol, Med
Apr 2006	The PAP and the idealism of nuns - why MPs who "serve the people" may not be good for Singapore		Pol
Apr 2006	The emperor's heirs - cultural cross-fertilisation; cultural conceit		Soc
Mar 2006	Politicians should be judged by their public statements - the case of PAP candidate Denise Phua		Pol, Hom
Mar 2006	Not feelin' good - reading between the lines after another gay party is cancelled		Pol, Hom
Mar 2006	She with the brass knuckles - Irene Ng's hardline response to a Straits Times letter		Pol
Mar 2006	What rules the public domain? - is religion a private matter? why must societies be organised rationally?		Pol, Soc, Rel, Kno
Mar 2006	First 3 PAP newbies don't deserve the gay vote - homophobic and confused, ready to let religion override our secular constitution		Pol, Hom
Mar 2006	Is the Temasek-Shin Corp deal a loser? - is the political backlash fatal?		Oth [biz]
Mar 2006	Topless Vietnamese woman falls to her death - why morality laws should be scrapped		Law, Soc
Mar 2006	Will it kill us to have 20 opposition MPs? - what should voters look for in opposition candidates?		Pol
Mar 2006	Deaf tourists and dud names - how visitors get lost in our city		Pol, Soc, Oth [tourism]
Mar 2006	No escaping the death penalty - are you in favour of sending murderers to the gallows?		Law, Pol
Mar 2006	At 9:18, I remembered - how will we remember the people we love?		Hum, Per
Mar 2006	Electoral boundary changes: as opaque as ever - no convincing demographic reasons behind them		Pol
Mar 2006	Looking at the Other - awareness, recognition and "all of them look alike"		Soc, Hum
Mar 2006	The sounds we make, the questions they raise - Tan Pin Pin's documentary 'Singapore GaGa' captures a side of our city we seldom think about		Soc, Med
Feb 2006	Life in glass houses - the ethical and moral challenge posed by information technology		Soc, Hum
Feb 2006	Stop building a pantheon - why having Senior Ministers is a bad idea		Pol
Feb 2006	Who is mentally ill? - homosexuals or religious nuts?		Soc, Rel, Hom
Feb 2006	Brokeback Mountain: a Singaporean conversation - a collection of things straight folks are saying		Med, Hom
Feb 2006	Danish cartoons and the doggiesite - how and where do we draw the line?		Pol, Rel
Feb 2006	Here's proof that homosexuals can change! - the controversial 2001 study by Robert Spitzer		Hom, Kno
Feb 2006	The limits of choice - some people have some choice whether to go gay or straight		Hom
Feb 2006	Fools and fraudsters: sexuality education in Singapore - the reasons for the mess		Rel, Oth [Edu]
Feb 2006	Danish cartoons stir controversy - religious tyranny versus freedom of speech		Pol, Med, Rel
Jan 2006	What our electoral system brings in - Lee Kuan Yew admits that the PAP uses GRCs to bring weak candidates into Parliament		Pol
Jan 2006	Blogging during elections - do you know that it's against the law to write favourably about any party or candidate?		Pol, Law, Med
Jan 2006	Racially integrated neighbourhoods? - the Worker's Party said we should scrap racial quotas for flats. Meanwhile in Texas...		Pol, Soc, Hom
Jan 2006	The 3 layers of the Liberty League issue - a more structured overview of the case		Pol, Med, Hom
Jan 2006	Spread your legs or be caned - why do we make so many distinctions between male and female?		Pol, Law. Hom
Jan 2006	On Pulau Tekong - and why free speech is essential to our future		Pol
Jan 2006	Government gives $100K to a religious and anti-gay group - breaching 3 of its own criteria for grants		Pol, Rel, Hom
Jan 2006	Obviously, Soros was right - billionaire George Soros said Singapore does not qualify as an open society		Pol, Med
Jan 2006	Prostitution and the documentary 'Child sex tourism' - how should we approach these 2 problems, prostitution and child sex?		Soc
Jan 2006	Deja vu: just a few busts and arrests - despite the gay confetti in the UK, elsewhere police continue to raid and harass		Law, Hom
Jan 2006	Rethinking 'Chinese diaspora' - why do we think Chinese migrant communities constitute a diaspora?		Soc
Jan 2006	Why our whistles don't toot - whistle-blowing and freedom of speech and assembly		Pol, Law