"The difference is that the United States' aims are to spread democracy and openness," said the female interviewee, when asked by the BBC reporter on what the difference was between the US using "information warfare" vs. the Russians doing the same thing. (For context, this was a radio programme on the suspected Russian interference in... Continue Reading →
Are you what you write? (or, Machiavelli the playwright)
I just watched a documentary on Niccolò Machiavelli. You may know him as that scheming, deceitful, and generally rotten guy who wrote the political bible The Prince. So infamous is he that his name has become an adjective synonymous with evil. Just see what Merriam-Webster has to stay about being "Machiavellian": suggesting the principles of conduct laid... Continue Reading →
On Facebook’s French Flag – Or: If one needy person, charity is done; if ten, none.
About a month ago what is now known (at least on Wikipedia) as the November 2015 Paris attacks happened, with more than a hundred people killed in mass shootings and suicide bombings. I vaguely remember first seeing reports on this on Facebook, thinking it was some sort of joke. It was unreal; classified in my... Continue Reading →
Roy Ngerng, CPF, and the Widow who Lost $1m
Current affairs currently in my head, in a nutshell: Roy Ngerng criticises Singapore's CPF, likens it to schemes of questionable legality. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sues him for defamation. Many citizens think this is a bad move. See also: Catherine Lim's open letter Among criticisms, Ngerng says government should make it easier for... Continue Reading →
On Immigration (In Europe)
I'm currently reading a book called Reflections on the Revolution in Europe, by Christopher Caldwell, which talks about how immigration (and Islam) has affected Europe. Early on in the book Caldwell writes that though Britain has generally been against mass immigration, it has been without much conviction, which could be due to a sense of... Continue Reading →
Now under the Worker’s Party
The results for the General Elections for Singapore are out, and living in the Aljunied area means that I'm now officially under the Worker's Party. I had guessed it'd be like that, sharing George Yeo's sentiment that this was a tide that they'd be unable to stop. Whether or not this result will turn out... Continue Reading →
“Freak” Rain Every 50 Years?
At lunch yesterday, a colleague of mine told me about the previous day's rain that had caused flooding in the Bukit Timah area. The damage, he told me, was quite substantial, with some of the major casualties being the cars caught in a basement carpark (with water levels up to waist-height). He was surprised that... Continue Reading →
Maslow's Needs in Politics
I read an article that discussed the reasons for McCain's drop in the polling numbers. It offered me no real new insights, but reiterated the fact that McCain's campaign went downhill with the Dow. While Wallstreet suffered an economic meltdown, McCain suffered its political equivalent. As Dan Schnur (one of the authors of the article... Continue Reading →
Maslow’s Needs in Politics
I read an article that discussed the reasons for McCain's drop in the polling numbers. It offered me no real new insights, but reiterated the fact that McCain's campaign went downhill with the Dow. While Wallstreet suffered an economic meltdown, McCain suffered its political equivalent. As Dan Schnur (one of the authors of the article... Continue Reading →
Take the Gloves Off!
I cannot imagine what it's like to be McCain. He's virtually behind on every poll; his negative campaigning, in the hope of destroying Obama's credibility, may have backfired and destroyed his own; and his supporters are angry and not afraid to show it. These supporters urge him to "take the gloves off" -- but if... Continue Reading →
Donn, fragments 