Chong Khai Aik ... passed away 11 May 2007

Here's a small memorial to a boy I've never met, nor know any of his loved ones.

Chong Khai Aik ... passed away 11 May 2007 ... age 9.

Cause of death : severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), aka Bubble-Boy.

Why am I crying ...

Why are tears flowing from my eyes ...

Because ...

Because ...

Because I am so much more blessed ...?

Because my children are so much more blessed ...?

No ...

Anything can happen to anyone ... anytime ...

But two things that can never change ...

The anguish of a father and a mother seeing their young boy slipping away ...

And the young child who knows he will leave his parents for the unknown ...

'Mummy don't sleep, you must accompany me. You must sayang (love in Malay) me'.

last words heard from Chong Khai Aik ... passed away 11 May 2007

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,134097,00.html?

'Bubble boy' cuts his first birthday cake ... and his last

Dying boy cries tears of joy as he finally finds out what it's like to celebrate special day

FOR the first time since he was born, little Chong Khai Aik got to celebrate his birthday.

By Chong Shin Yen

26 June 2007

FOR the first time since he was born, little Chong Khai Aik got to celebrate his birthday. Sitting on a hospital bed, he blew out the nine candles and cut his birthday cake. Three weeks later, on 23 Apr, he slipped into unconsciousness. On 11 May, he died. Khai Aik had been suffering from severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) - a rare genetic disorder better known as the 'Bubble Boy' disease. He was born without an immune system and his body could not fight infections and diseases. Khai Aik's mother, Madam See Bee Choon, 39, said that her son was admitted to KK Women's and Children's Hospital in March for a fever that did not subside. Madam See, a clerk, said: 'With his birthday approaching, he asked me one day, 'Mummy, what is it like to celebrate a birthday?'. NO BIRTHDAYS 'His question brought tears to my eyes and it dawned on me that we had never celebrated his birthday before.' She said that the family did not celebrate birthdays, but didn't say why. She and her husband have been estranged for more than a year. They have another son and a daughter, who are healthy. Madam See said: 'In my heart, I knew we would never get the chance to let Khai Aik celebrate it if we didn't do it this time.' The New Paper first reported on the brave little boy last November. He relied on an oxygen machine to help him breathe, and he hardly left home for fear of infections. He had never gone to school. That was why his birthday party at the hospital on 31 Mar was so special. Those at the party included his elder siblings and his nanny's family. His nanny, Madam Loke Wai Heng, 55, had been looking after him since he was born. Missing from the party that day was Khai Aik's mother, who said she was busy and had arrived at the hospital only after the celebrations. Khai Aik could not contain his excitement and told her all about it when she stepped into his room. Madam See recalled: 'Although he was weak, he had this happy glow on his face when he described how they sang the birthday song for him.' Her daughter later told Madam See that Khai Aik had cried while cutting his birthday cake. It was tears of joy. Madam See said that the chocolate birthday cake - decorated with characters from the children's television show Barney - was chosen by Khai Aik from a catalogue his nanny's daughter had taken from a cake shop. Even during the celebrations, the little boy did not forget the hospital's staff members. 'He told me he wanted to give a big piece of cake for his doctor and some for the nurses,' Madam See said. Along with the cake, Khai Aik had received many birthday presents, which included Lego sets, an MP4 player, soft toys and clothes. 'He was beaming with joy while opening his presents one by one,' Madam See said. Khai Aik was diagnosed with the immune system disorder when he was two, and had been using a machine to breathe since he was three. WATCHED CARTOONS The only places he had been to were his nanny's flat or the hospital. He spent most of his days watching cartoons at his nanny's home. His elder siblings, a 13-year-old sister and 11-year-old brother, would go to the nanny's flat after school. After work, Madam See would take her children home. Her husband does not live with them. Khai Aik's nanny still cannot accept his death. Madam Loke said that Khai Aik was so close to her that he also called her 'Mummy'. She added: 'I knew that with his condition, he would leave us at a young age. But my heart ached whenever I saw that he couldn't do what other kids do.' She recalled the day Khai Aik mentioned that he had never gone out for a meal. 'He told me one day, 'Mummy, I've never been to a restaurant to eat. I wonder what it's like'.' That was close to Chinese New Year and the restaurants were packed. RARE TREAT Madam Loke said: 'It was a big risk to take him out, but we wanted to fulfil his wish. So we took him - and a 5kg cylinder of oxygen - to a Chinese restaurant near Liang Court.' About a month after his rare treat, Khai Aik was hospitalised. A week before he slipped into unconsciousness, he rang up everyone close to him from his hospital bed, asking them to visit him. Madam See said: 'He called his nanny's husband, daughter and son, who dote on him very much, and his aunts too. 'He seemed to know that he would be going soon. He had fought bravely till the end, never complaining.' Recalling some of her son's last words, Madam See said: 'I would sleep in the hospital with him every night and he would tell me, 'Mummy don't sleep, you must accompany me. You must sayang (love in Malay) me'.' But overcome by tiredness, she would drift off after he fell asleep. When she awoke on the morning of 11 May, Khai Aik had slipped away.

Moving blues ...

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_132334.html

We missed our home and our friends immensely when we moved out last year. I was sleepless for a period before the move. I was also unprepared at how the move impacted my daughter.

During the last week of our stay in the house, our daughter could not pack her room and was depressed for a period.

She needed us to help her pack her stuff.

On the day that the movers came, she locked herself in the room and did not want to see the movers move our boxes to the new place. She came out only when the house had been emptied.

As parents, it was difficult for us to watch such an emotional spectacle. She felt that the security of the home had been destroyed and removed from her. To her, it was not just a house but a place where she could feel secure and anchored.

Until now, it pains us to pass by the property, recalling pleasant memories which are no longer ours to treasure and enjoy. It was an experience that I did not anticipate when we sold the property. Maybe there were too many pleasant memories that we had brought into the house over the years which we were reluctant to disengage from.

Up to this point in my own life, since birth, I've moved more than 15 times in 4 different countries and 5 cities.  It would not be surprising that I kept in touch with no neighbours.

The sense of frustration at having pack and uproot began when the year before my PSLE.  At that time, I was given to understand that the aim was to move to an area with good secondary schools.  I was all set to throw the tantrum of my life when I watched a character from a Japanese serial 锦秀年华 recounted how he drove his fisherman father to death by throwing a tantrum for fish, while a storm was raging.

During my 2nd year in Uni, another move, this time from a property which was bought, not rented.  Until my 2nd year in JC, home was always a rented property.  Business was poor ... so the property had to be rented out for the mortgage, not to mention our university education.

I can't complain, but I finally identified that dreadful sense which returned - I cannot lay myself down in bed too comfortably ... don't put my whole weight down ... we're on the road again ...

When I was getting married, my wife went through her things ... looking through some old notes ... old letters ... old photos ... before throwing them ... because I could not provide her with a nest to call her own.

In less than 1 month's time, we will be discarding more things ... perhaps even her wedding gown ... when we install platform storage to make room for our growing children, and in the process, throwing away things which take up space but unlikely to get used again.

We never really thought of her donning that gown again ... but it was after all the product of our costly lessons incurred during wedding preparations, countless subtle fights with the bridal designers and open fights with each other.

It was not our idea to pass the gown to our daughter for her use, but at the back of my mind, I wish I could see Snowylass try it on in the future ... to know she's finally grown up ...

Meanwhile, there's a tux jacket from my JC prom ... which I was still able to don for my wedding ... which I have get ready to say good bye to.

Just praying that my next move, when it comes, when it comes, will be my last.

Singapore ... a playground for the rich?

http://www.talkingcock.com/html/article.php?sid=2308&mode=thread&order=0

Great Singapore En Bloc Sale?
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2007

by Michael Bloombird

As en bloc sales of condominium estates rage like never before, a developer has made a bid for the entire island of Singapore.

“We think this is very doable,” said HPAPL Properties spokesman Pao Kah Leow. “We believe that the estate of Singapore is less valuable at present, divided as it is into many diffuse, smaller mixed-class units. We believe Singapore would be a much more attractive property if it was transformed into an elite upmarket residential enclave for high net worth individuals.”

If the deal is approved, every resident in Singapore stands a chance to get approximately S$500,000 each.

However, some residents are concerned that if they sell, they will not be able to use the proceeds to get a new home of equivalent size or value.

“That’s a nonsense,” said Mr. Pao. “For that amount, you can get highly desirable properties in Johor , Bintan or Perth.”

Little is known about HPAPL Properties, a newcomer to the field.

“Yes, we’re a newly-incorporated company,” admitted Mr. Pao. “But our principals are experts in real estate development, with around 42 years’ experience in nation-building.”

Still, rumours persist that the amount given to Singaporeans is disproportionately low compared to the amounts the developers will be making from the arrangement.

Mr. Pao declined to comment on the market rumours that HPAPL stands for either ‘Harry’s Partners Allegedly Pay Less’ or ‘Highly Paid Autocrats Plundering Land’.

Plans for the proposed development, tentatively named ‘Elite Towers’, include a private Formula One racing track and gold taps in every bathroom.

“Our prospective tenants desire resort living,” explained Mr. Pao, “preferably of the integrated kind.”

HPAPL Properties hope that residents will confirm the deal and move out as soon as possible, so that preparatory works can commence. “We need them to get out of our Elite preparing phase,” he said.

So ... will Singapore become a playground only for the rich?  A place where the not rich are marginalised?

10 years after the last property crash, en-bloc sales is driving the market crazy again.

About 3 years ago, there was a radio talk on en-bloc sales, after the law was amended to require only 80% vote instead of 100%, with lawyers as invited guests to provide clarifications on legal issues on what the Strata Title Boards looks into when deciding whether an objection is valid.

I was listening to the program while waiting in a queue at a carwash.  Already, my mind was thinking of a few issues that was not mentioned.  Deciding to try my luck, I called during the phone-in Q&A and raised the 2 points.

1. Financial hardship - I pointed out that a recent buyer who has an outstanding mortgage on a property would have grounds for objecting to the sale price, but a buyer who bought the property is not so protected if the purchase price was only a fraction of the current prices.

As an illustration, if 30 years ago, the buyer paid S$100,000 for the apartment deemed as prime property today worth an estimated S$ 2 million, what the STB would deem any price above *his* purchase price as reasonable as it was higher than what he paid for *30 years ago*.

From another angle, the relatively recent buyer who paid more is better protected than a buyer who bought the same property long ago.

The ridiculousness of the loophole is obvious, and the lawyer sheepishly admitted that was how the law phrased it.

2. The sale proceeds from the en-bloc might not enable the seller to acquire a property of similar size in the same neighbourhood.  This has an impact as the location could well have a significant effect on his commuting, transportation cost, and perhaps more importantly, being able to secure a place in a desired primary school within the 2 km radius.

A more equitable offer would be for the developer to pay for the owner to get a satisfactory replacement, and the necessary relocation expenses, and some compensation.

Again, the lawyer did not dispute the logic, but just admitted that the law make no provisions for the evaluation of whether an offer is a fair price.

He added that any changes would have to be passed by the Parliament.

I'm no genius, and I wonder why is it that only now these concerns got reported in the Press.

My personal situation is such that I am tied down by an poor decision more than a decade ago to become co-buyers with my parents in a HUDC, just before the market crashed.  I was very naive then, and did not consider my future properly.  A few years later, after I got a girlfriend, and then got married, it became belatedly obvious to me that living with my parents is no way to form a family of my own.  Several traumatic years on, after my first child was born, a friend availed me to an opportunity to buy a tiny single bedroom private apartment.  And that is where my family had been living in since ... waiting ... just waiting for a proper home ... just waiting ...

Last year, some interested agents managed to interest more than 80% owners to try to en-bloc the HUDC.  To me, it was the chance to finally sell, and be able to get a HDB flat of my own ... and have a normal family life, with something to look forward to in the future.

No, I'm not against en-bloc sales personally.

But I'm still very protective of the rights of owners not to be subjected to tyranny of the majority.

One day, I too would want my own dream home ... in a spacious estate with plenty of trees.

I don't want my home to be threatened by greedy people who saw the spaciousness as a profit potential by maximising the plot ratio through en-bloc re-development.

Thoughts from TNP's report on pets ... On Responsible Pet Stewardship

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,133432,00.html?

ANIMALS FOR ADOPTION MAY BE KEPT FOR YEARS

IT'S not a dead end for every animal that passes through the SPCA's gates.

18 June 2007

IT'S not a dead end for every animal that passes through the SPCA's gates. As far as possible, the society tries to find new homes for animals that are suitable for adoption. The animals are selected based on their health, temperament and age, and space available. Ms Deirdre Moss, the SPCA's executive officer, said: 'Priority goes to healthy, younger, friendly animals.' 'People want young, friendly, cute animals - and toy breeds are very much in demand.' Sick and injured animals usually do not stand much of a chance, given the limited veterinary and space resources. The same goes for older animals. Ms Moss revealed that generally, animals aged over 6 years are not likely to be considered for adoption. But selection is made on a case-by-case basis. One dog made the cut despite being less than perfect - a chihuahua with a deformed paw. It will be put up for adoption later this year. Ms Moss said it met the selection criteria and has 'a good temperament'. Once the SPCA selects an animal to be put up for adoption, it will keep it for as long as it takes to find it a new owner. Two cross-breed dogs, Boy and Handsome, who are both 4 1/2 years-old, have been at the SPCA for the past two years, waiting to be adopted. Those interested in adopting an animal from the society may take a look at the adoption gallery on the website www.spca.org.sg. Adoption is free, but potential pet-owners have to be prepared to pay for compulsory medical expenses which include the cost of sterilisation, microchipping, vaccination and deworming.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,133433,00.html?

Lost your pet? It could be DEAD IN 24 HOURS

EVERY day, up to 30 people in Singapore choose to ditch their pets after growing tired of them.

18 June 2007

EVERY day, up to 30 people in Singapore choose to ditch their pets after growing tired of them. But if they think they can ease their consciences by dropping their pets off at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), they'd better know this: From now on, the SPCA will put down some abandoned pets within 24 hours of receiving the animal. This is because of the overwhelming numbers of unwanted animals left at the non-profit organisation's doorstep daily. Last year, about 9,300 animals were received by the SPCA. Of these, only about 1,300 animals, or barely one in 10, were either adopted by new owners or claimed by owners who lost them. The remaining 8,000 animals had to be put to sleep - that's an average of 22animals aday. The SPCA says that some owners go to the society because they think it will help them take care of their unwanted pets. Instead, they are shown a notice informing them that the surrendered animal could be put to sleep within 24 hours of it being turned in. This has not gone down well with some people. Ms Deirdre Moss, 55, the executive officer of the SPCA, said: 'We have been receiving public feedback through the phone and e-mail, questioning our policy of putting animals to sleep.' OPEN ABOUT IT The criticism has not dampened the society's efforts to be open about the policy. It recently ran advertisements in the media publicising it. Ms Moss said: 'We decided to be more vocal about our policy as it is important that the public understands the consequences of irresponsible pet ownership, and what happens to their abandoned pets.' The reason given by Ms Moss for the society's strict adherence: It does not want to be cruel to the animals by subjecting them to overcrowding and exposing them to the possibilities of disease and fights. Mr Teh Kim Yeu, 29, an operations executive, is one of those who object to this policy. He said: 'It's awful to put an animal to sleep when it is not sick or dying. Animals are living things. They should be given a chance to live.' Mr Teh's remark is one that Ms Moss has heard many times. 'People often say animals are living things. No one knows it more than us and we see living things being discarded every day,' she said. She said the society's position is clear: 'We don't want to put animals to sleep. 'But the buck stops at the SPCA and we are forced to play God due to the sheer physical numbers of animals being surrendered or turned in. 'Half the people who come to our counter may be surprised to learn the animals they are surrendering could be put down. 'In spite of that, most of them still choose to leave the animals with us,' Ms Moss said. 'We may be unpopular for this, but the other alternative is to not accept animals.' 'UNREALISTIC' A no-kill policy has its share of problems. It is 'an unrealistic ideal', Ms Moss said. 'How do we keep 10,000 animals? In two years, it would be 18,000 animals.' A no-kill policy would also mean a selective intake, which in turn could have a detrimental impact on donor support. Ms Moss said: 'The public look to us to be an immediate shelter for animals. 'If we suddenly turn away animals from our door in order to have a no-kill policy, we would lose donor support.' SPCA does not receive any government funding. A common suggestion from observers, such as 33-year-old civil servantMalliga Manu, is this: 'SPCA should look for bigger premises, and make effective use of the space.' She suggests the Government look into funding the SPCA to this end. In response, Ms Moss said space is not the answer because if the animals remain unadopted, the number will keep growing. 'Bigger premises does not mean endless space,' Ms Moss pointed out. Although there are plans to relocate to bigger premises in the next few years, MsMoss said that this could become an excuse for people to turn in even more pets, thinking that the society has more space to house them. What, then, is the solution? 'The only way to reduce the numbers of animals being put down is to reduce the numbers of animals surrendered to us,' MsMoss said. The SPCA wants to send home the message that people should give away unwanted animals only as a last resort. Ms Moss said: 'The bottomline is, please find a solution before bringing them to us. 'The reality that we put animals to sleep may upset some, but can you imagine what it does to us, and the vets who are involved in the process?'

Bringing childhood book heroes to screen ... aka remaking of my "heroes"

Caught the trailer for the new Nancy Drew movie slated for release in June 2007 (USA).

Seeing Emma Roberts portrayal of my childhood book character provoked some unexpected emotions within me.

My first reaction was ... "Is that how teenagers look like nowadays?  Like adults?".  Or is it just my age ...?

But Emma Roberts was born in Feb 10, 1991, and is indeed only 16 this year, which is the age designated to the original Nancy Drew in her first book Secret of the Old Clock in 1930.

The purist in me had been shaking my head at the ever increasing age-gaps between <Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint> and their screen characters <Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley> in the sequels of the Harry Potter films.  These kids started as 11/12-year olds portraying 11-year olds.  But film-making is a lengthy process, and with each sequel (always set 1 year after the previous movie), the disparity became more and more obvious.

In a way, in retrospect now, it might have been lucky that I did not get to watch the late 1970s television series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, and knew them only from their storybooks.  Thus, it was all up to my imagination from reading the text and viewing the internal illustrations to visualise them.

By the time I started reading them in the 1980s, I count myself fortunate now that some the original versions of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stories were still available in Singapore alongside the revised versions updated to "keep up with contemporary times".

I have to confess though my habit of reading English storybooks were initially spurred by the broadcasting of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series, having known nothing of them until they appeared on TV when I was in Primary 2.  It was not too long after I arrived in Singapore without knowing any English, and picking up the language was a great challenge.  The timing could not have been better ... at least for me who needed a boost to in my English ... and something to talk about with my Singaporean classmates the next day in school.

I had not appreciated it then, but I realised now by the time I was first exposed to Enid Blyton, via a TV serial adaptation of her stories, there must have been several generation of Enid Blyton purists who'd shake their heads at how the screen scripts deviated from the original stories and their settings (The first original Famous Five story was published in 1942, the last in 1963, and the first TV serial in 1978).  For me though, the most significant mystery was when I puzzled over *one* recurring detail in the stories ... how could a girl's swimsuit be so similar to that of a boy's that Georgina Quentin managed to pass herself off as one?

Eventually, I start to out-grow many the childhood books in my teens ... and discover new authors.  But certain series somehow never lose its appeal for re-readings ... such as Three Investigators and Biggles.  As students, we had to borrow most of the books we read, mostly from the libraries.  The bulk of my pocket money went into second-hand book rentals.  It was only after I started working that I rediscovered these series, and my hankering for certain selected series indicated these stories stood the test of time.

I was also overjoyed when I discovered other similar fans through the internet.  We ended up talking about how we loved the series, our progress in collecting the series, and whether we'd like to see the stories come to live on screen.  But aware of how vast the screen versions of adaptations of other series had been, most of us are leery of it actually being done.

Several years ago, I learned that the popularity of Three Investigators has not only continued in Germany, but sustained through continual publication of stories licensed (presumably) and written only in German, while the English series languished and eventually discontinued through what I term as practically-criminal-mismanagement of Random House publication.  And in 2003, a movie is announced, to be produced by Studio Hamburg, slated for release in end 2007.

The age of the 3 Investigators were never definitively stated in the stories, though it was implied they were too young to drive, though a fellow classmate had a license because he was a legal resident of another state.  That would put them around the age of 14 years old ... though somehow, I just couldn't help but feel these actors still look a tat too young ...

Still ... I am hoping to be able to watch the movie.  The 3I might look a bit older in my mind, but what matters more is whether the movie remain true to the spirit of the series.

Peter Jackson didn't do too bad a job with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, so when there's life ... there's hope.

Black Arrow

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Mystery & Thrillers
Author:	I. J. Parker

Not to be confused with Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow, I finally detected some sense in I. J. Parker's initial publishers decision to rearrange the order of publication of the novels she had written.

Rashomon Gate and The Hell Screen were promising, and Dragon Scroll was subtly better, but Black Arrow, was actually the best of the lot, by such a margin that readers would probably be disappointed had the books been published in internal chronological order.

I. J. Parker's website mentioned her original publisher (St. Martin’s Press) switched the orders, and she left them in 2004 and went to Penguin, and she is "very glad that Penguin is committed to the series as it is meant to evolve."

Perhaps I should drop her a note to tell her my theory, and my own review after reading her books published so far.

In internal chronology, the protagonist, Akitada Sugawara, was posted to be governor of a "distant" province of Echigo (越後国). The term distant here is relative as Echigo is part of today's Niigata Prefecture (新潟県), on northeast coast of Honshu but not the furthest north.

In 11th century Japan though, it was a relatively recent addition to the Heian kingdom.

The author designated the Uesugi clan (上杉氏) as its local daimyo, the equivalent of European marquis installed to develop recently acquired border marches. The daimyo's power was balanced by the appointment of the governor by the ruler based in the capital Heian (Modern day Kyoto). The author did not specify on the accuracy of the hierarchy of powers she created. But she did make a note that the historical Uesugi clan only came into existence at a later period, though Echigo was indeed part of their domain. (A double-check with wikipedia confirmed that the name Uesugi was only adopted by a Kajūji Shigefusa in the 13th century, and the clan claimed descendance from the Fujiwaras, a prominent Imperial-in-law clan).

Akitada arrived in Echigo to find the governor's tribunal office and residence in shameful dilapidation. Previous governors had found themselves powerless against the local daimyo.

Akitada also found the official granary empty, giving him little resources to deal with all his problems, most ominously, the seeming ambition of the Uesugi heir apparent, acting daimyo for his indisposed father.

Nevertheless, he had at least the foresight to send Genba, one of his trusted henchman, ahead of him and undercover among the locals, assuming the trade of a professional wrestler.

At the beginning of the novel, a murder of a local innkeeper saw the suspicious arrest of three guests of the inn, bringing into open the conflict between the governor and the local administration (constabulary and judge).

Later, there was a party at the Uesugi's castle where Akitada encountered the rich local merchant, a head of the local Buddhist temple, and the local pharmacist. Akitada had to measure these men carefully, despite his physical sickness, to see who would be his foes, and who his allies.

The following days brought news of the daimyo's death. Remembering an unusual occurence from the party, Akitada secretly searched near the castle and discovered the corpse of the daimyo's longtime personal retainer.

Though he faced a rebellious public and murderous foes, his men managed to win him some allies amongst the outcasts.

Slowly, more disparate pieces of the puzzle emerged - starting with a murder from four decades before, to more strange corpses appearing in the tribunal, army deserters and traditional games giving an important clue to the mystery.

The author managed to reveal the pieces in an infuriating way to tantalise the readers and defy attempts to piece them together. I must add though the way in which Akitada managed to get start really cracking the case was a letdown, defeating one of the main villain rather too easily, and then accessing the key information he would need.

After what appeared to be the climatic end which saw Akitada losing one of his most loyal henchman, there was a final revelation which put everything back together into the grand scheme of things, making it a worthy opus to be counted alongside Robert Hans van Gulik's Judge Dee series.

Farewell Party for Yun

Start:	Jul 28, '07 3:00p
End:	Jul 28, '07 5:00p
Location:	TBA

http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/index.php?showtopic=17658

As of June 11, only 7 respondents have indicated their coming.

To do : decide a cut-off date, and announce it.

Those who indicated their interest but not voted : Thomas Chen, Sally, Cameron, ...

AP : Studies say death penalty deters crime

By ROBERT TANNER, AP National Writer

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070611/ap_on_re_us/death_penalty_deterrence

Anti-death penalty forces have gained momentum in the past few years, with a moratorium in Illinois, court disputes over lethal injection in more than a half-dozen states and progress toward outright abolishment in New Jersey.

The steady drumbeat of DNA exonerations — pointing out flaws in the justice system — has weighed against capital punishment. The moral opposition is loud, too, echoed in Europe and the rest of the industrialized world, where all but a few countries banned executions years ago.

What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated argument — whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The analyses say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer.

The reports have horrified death penalty opponents and several scientists, who vigorously question the data and its implications.

So far, the studies have had little impact on public policy. New Jersey's commission on the death penalty this year dismissed the body of knowledge on deterrence as "inconclusive."

But the ferocious argument in academic circles could eventually spread to a wider audience, as it has in the past.

"Science does really draw a conclusion. It did. There is no question about it," said Naci Mocan, an economics professor at the University of Colorado at Denver. "The conclusion is there is a deterrent effect."

A 2003 study he co-authored, and a 2006 study that re-examined the data, found that each execution results in five fewer homicides, and commuting a death sentence means five more homicides. "The results are robust, they don't really go away," he said. "I oppose the death penalty. But my results show that the death penalty (deters) — what am I going to do, hide them?"

Statistical studies like his are among a dozen papers since 2001 that capital punishment has deterrent effects. They all explore the same basic theory — if the cost of something (be it the purchase of an apple or the act of killing someone) becomes too high, people will change their behavior (forego apples or shy from murder).

To explore the question, they look at executions and homicides, by year and by state or county, trying to tease out the impact of the death penalty on homicides by accounting for other factors, such as unemployment data and per capita income, the probabilities of arrest and conviction, and more.

Among the conclusions:

• Each execution deters an average of 18 murders, according to a 2003 nationwide study by professors at Emory University. (Other studies have estimated the deterred murders per execution at three, five and 14).

• The Illinois moratorium on executions in 2000 led to 150 additional homicides over four years following, according to a 2006 study by professors at the University of Houston.

• Speeding up executions would strengthen the deterrent effect. For every 2.75 years cut from time spent on death row, one murder would be prevented, according to a 2004 study by an Emory University professor.

In 2005, there were 16,692 cases of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter nationally. There were 60 executions.

The studies' conclusions drew a philosophical response from a well-known liberal law professor, University of Chicago's Cass Sunstein. A critic of the death penalty, in 2005 he co-authored a paper titled "Is capital punishment morally required?"

"If it's the case that executing murderers prevents the execution of innocents by murderers, then the moral evaluation is not simple," he told The Associated Press. "Abolitionists or others, like me, who are skeptical about the death penalty haven't given adequate consideration to the possibility that innocent life is saved by the death penalty."

Sunstein said that moral questions aside, the data needs more study.

Critics of the findings have been vociferous.

Some claim that the pro-deterrent studies made profound mistakes in their methodology, so their results are untrustworthy. Another critic argues that the studies wrongly count all homicides, rather than just those homicides where a conviction could bring the death penalty. And several argue that there are simply too few executions each year in the United States to make a judgment.

"We just don't have enough data to say anything," said Justin Wolfers, an economist at the Wharton School of Business who last year co-authored a sweeping critique of several studies, and said they were "flimsy" and appeared in "second-tier journals."

"This isn't left vs. right. This is a nerdy statistician saying it's too hard to tell," Wolfers said. "Within the advocacy community and legal scholars who are not as statistically adept, they will tell you it's still an open question. Among the small number of economists at leading universities whose bread and butter is statistical analysis, the argument is finished."

Several authors of the pro-deterrent reports said they welcome criticism in the interests of science, but said their work is being attacked by opponents of capital punishment for their findings, not their flaws.

"Instead of people sitting down and saying 'let's see what the data shows,' it's people sitting down and saying 'let's show this is wrong,'" said Paul Rubin, an economist and co-author of an Emory University study. "Some scientists are out seeking the truth, and some of them have a position they would like to defend."

The latest arguments replay a 1970s debate that had an impact far beyond academic circles.

Then, economist Isaac Ehrlich had also concluded that executions deterred future crimes. His 1975 report was the subject of mainstream news articles and public debate, and was cited in papers before the        U.S. Supreme Court arguing for a reversal of the court's 1972 suspension of executions. (The court, in 1976, reinstated the death penalty.)

Ultimately, a panel was set up by the        National Academy of Sciences which decided that Ehrlich's conclusions were flawed. But the new pro-deterrent studies haven't gotten that kind of scrutiny.

At least not yet. The academic debate, and the larger national argument about the death penalty itself — with questions about racial and economic disparities in its implementation — shows no signs of fading away.

Steven Shavell, a professor of law and economics at Harvard Law School and co-editor-in-chief of the American Law and Economics Review, said in an e-mail exchange that his journal intends to publish several articles on the statistical studies on deterrence in an upcoming issue.

Who has only 1,000 friends ...?

So asked a girl, who together with her sister, racked up more than 16,000 friends worldwide online, as reported in Sunday Times Lifestyle (June 10, 2007).

A paragraph in the same article said older people might "tut-tut" at the notion of such "friendship", but points out that for the younger people, it was not so much about "real" friendship as about belonging to a group.

A comment posted in http://comment.straitstimes.com/showthread.php?t=520 said he'd consider them cyber-pals rather than friends, defining friends as "real people I see face to face", "they are there when I'm in trouble, I can bare my heart out to them and not be afraid or vulnerable. I can trust them to keep a secret, I know they're on my side when I'm doing right, they're not afraid to point out my faults and correct me when I'm wrong."

So is it a matter of the term "friendship" defined more loosely among the younger generations?

I think not quite.  It's more about these younger generations not raised up the same as the older generations.

In Singapore, in general, they have less responsibilities and burdens, more access to IT/TV and money and personal freedom, and less guidance on how to handle them.

Making pals globally is not a bad thing per se.  Especially for Singaporeans are who confined to a little red dot just north of the Equator, it helps develop a global perspective ... to some extent.

One problem with this hope of course is the cyber-pals they befriend are not necessarily the best people to interact with for "developing a global perspective".

Many youngsters are not widely-travelled (limited by their finances, of course), and for folks living in places like the US, their world is equivalent to their own city and state, and sometimes, country.  If you are wiser, you might realise how parochialistic some of these people can be, especially if they are among the ethnic majority of their own community.

One thing noticable about many folks who go to CHF (where I came to know most of my online contacts), especially among those from USA, is that they are either ethnic minorities in their communities/countries (like Gubook, YZB, Mengtzu), or have had extensive interaction with culturally different people (Francois, Kenneth).

Our friends can either help bring us up to "their level", or bring us down to theirs.

In a way, I guess my own character and personality is such that I never felt I had to define myself in such a way to be acceptable to others.  There were times in my growing teenage years when I did feel rather lonely with few friends, but it had never occurred to me to change myself to "fit in".

Eventually, it took a while, but I found friends, who share common interests with me, rather than me having to adopt a new interest.

I still remember how friends were such an important part of my life back during the teenage years.  We didn't have instant communication like today, so contact was mainly through the phone or face-to-face meetings.

For the generation before me, telephone was out of the question as it was too expensive, especially for those living in different countries, so they wrote letters.

When some of my friends went overseas for their university education, I wrote letters too ... until we all got email accounts, at least those of us who were more tech-savvy then.

I kept in touch via letters with my first girlfriend who went overseas for more than 2 years ... and our relationship was ended via letters too.

I just have to remember and understand the physical world has changed, and is constantly changing.

My daughter watched Shrek 2 on TV last night with my in-laws.  While all the adults were laughing at the "in-jokes", Snowylass were clueless about the subtle and not-so-subtle references to the conventional fairy-tales, her exposure to them still limited.

I realise that in her "growing years", a damsel-in-distress would be a very quaint notion.

So how could I be able to be there for her when she grows up and come into contact with these type of things such as online friends, or even worse, pay a toll line to chat with strangers?

Do I insist to her to follow my own experience of making friends?  I think not.

While the physical world change, human nature changes little.  All that we do are to meet some fundamental needs.

I just have to be there for her, so that she'll always know she can talk to me, be able to express herself, her needs - emotional and all.

And hopefully, she'll learn from daddy and mummy what worthwhile friendship really are like.

I have come a long way from making friends with only those I spend considerable time together with in school and church, to sending a gift to someone I've only known on-line.

There are many lessons from my own experiences I hope my daughter can learn from.

And of course, my son too.

Will you remarry if I die ...?

All thanks to the finally-revealed-open-secret of Malaysia's current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi remarrying, wifey asked me "If I die, will you remarry?"

It's not the first time she ever popped this question, of course, but all the previous instances were purely hypothetical ... before we had children ... how will I be able to continue with life ... after we had children ... how should I ensure they are protected ...

I didn't even it coming this time though ...

All she asked me was what I thought about the Malaysian PM remarrying, and I candidly replied it might be good for him.  I had in mind that his children were grown up and he would inevitably get lonely.

At the same time, I also had in mind government heads who became widowed in older age, and showed declines in their minds after that - such as Suharto of Indonesia.

Snowylady then immediately said, "So you think it's a good thing.  Then you would remarry if I were to die ..."

I protested at that.  What's good for the M'sian PM is not necessarily what I want for myself.

I explained that it is my belief that wives are the best people in the world to prevent a guy from keeping inflated images of himself (at this juncture, Snowylass who was supposed to be sleeping but actually listening piped in and ask "What's inflated?")

I affirmed to Snowylady that I never wish to be separated from her, and if I don't have any more concerns for the children being grown up, I'd want to join her.

She reminded me suicide is wrong.

Frankly, I don't know ... I just hope should such a time ever come, the LORD will just take me soon after her.

Weird Chinese swearing/insults ...

Though I don't personally swear, I do learn quite a few phrases in sunny Singapore, not just in Mandarin, but also Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay, and English.  The only local language I never seem to be able to pick up any swear words is Tamil.

Maybe it's just me, I don't know why, but I might over-analyse the swear phrases, trying to make sense where perhaps there is none.

The first Chinese swear phrase which I thought was cute is "死字不会写", which I heard in Mandarin and Cantonese (死字唔識写).

When I tried to think about it literally, it was like ... ??!!!!!

But as time went on, I heard the phrase "你知道...字是怎么写吗?" applied in a variety of situations, delivered in a none-too-flattering way.

It's an indirect yet no-so-subtle insult.

And it is a very unique feature of the Chinese language that I do not think can be found in any other language.

But there is one particular insult/swearing which I found to exists in Chinese, English and Malay -

...没死过?!

... never die before, izzit?!

... tak tau mati?!

Again, it does defy being made sense of literally.

The perplexing part is it makes the speaker sound like he/she knows what it is to have "died before", which of course is not true.

After some consideration, my conclusion is that the phrase originated from the Chinese language, and actually came from a longer sentence, abbreviated usually in the interest of delivery impact.

The full phrase I believe it came from is "没死过的家伙, 想知道死是怎么样的吗?"

In English, it would be translated as "You are curious to have a taste of death?".

The Brits already got a near equivalent in "tired of living", which is not as colourful and nowhere as expressive, but contains basically the same message.

In fact, that is actually closer to the more prosaic Chinese swearing/insult 活得不耐烦.

Language is an amazing thing.  A recent newspaper report indicated that as non-native English speakers far outnumber native English speakers, professionals no longer adhere to Queen's English as the standard in business communication but accept the official vernacular version according to their locality.

As one said, they are not in the business of promoting correct English, they are in the business of making money.

There may be an official place for Singlish after all, but I digress.

Back to the amusing study of Chinese swearing and insults, I hope to identify a few more such oddities in time to come.

In truth though, these oddities are only odd when one applies a certain frame of mind, a particular perspective, in the approach, and in the minds of many others, they probably don't find it odd at all.

Reuters: Hello toilet, goodbye WC for Beijing games

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070606/od_nm/olympics_beijing_names_dc

So the Chinese decided to standardise the term and use toilet instead of the quaint WC ...

But there's more to go ...

But a rather more vexing question has been what to do about menus to help the hundreds of thousands of tourists, athletes and reporters expected to flood the city, many of whom will not speak a word of Chinese, let alone understand Chinese characters.

An initial list had been formulated and sent to experts for approval, the Beijing News said.

All restaurants and hotels rated three star and above will have to use the standard names once they come out, it added.

Linguists are struggling about the best way to translate popular dishes like "ants climbing the tree" -- spicy fried vermicelli with finely chopped pork -- into English accurately yet preserving the original meaning, officials have said.

They are hoping to avoid confusing visitors with the mish-mash of translations now on offer. One well-known Beijing restaurant chain has dishes called "It is small to fry the chicken miscellaneous" and "mixed elbow with garlic mud."

Man, I loved that dish 蚂蚁上树 ... unfortunately, the only place I knew it was served in Singapore was the Chinese restaurant that operated for decades on 2nd floor at Bras Basah Complex, then named Esquire Kitchen 大人餐厅.

Some years back, it changed name, owner and menu ... :-(

What watch do you sport?

 

I've been asked to do this before, and I flunked miserably ...

1. Take off your watch and put it out of sight.

2. Without looking at any references, draw the face of your watch.

3. Then match it with your watch.

4. If you got more than 1, do it for all.

The watch is something that I look at most often in the day, but I just can't remember the precise details of how it's supposed to be.

Show me the picture of 2 watches, even closely related ones, and I can tell which is mine.

But ask me to draw from memory, and it's almost a blank.

Maybe it's because I buy digital watches instead of the conventional clock-faced watches with hour and minute hands.

Maybe it's because I'm a geek and prefer Casio G-Shocks, lots of small details on the face of the watch.

And maybe it's because I'm a guy, I translate what I see into functional object details rather than visual details.

Saw an advertisement once that claims the watch is the most defining accessory for a man, that it reveals the most about ourselves, a lot more than our clothes.  After all, we change our clothes daily.

My wife got several watches, and what she puts on depend on what she wears.

I'd have been happy with only 1 watch, though I got 3 watches now.

The first is a Tag Heur I received as a teenager, but never wore until years later.

The second was the Casio MR-G I bought not long after I started working, after I lost my Casio databank watch at a gym.

 

The third is a Casio GIEZ, bought by Snowylady as a birthday present.  It should be apparent why it is the watch I usually wear nowadays.  Good watch too, if a little high on battery consumption, and no timer feature.

The Afghan

Rating:	★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Mystery & Thrillers
Author:	Frederick Forsyth

Frederick Forsyth is one of those author who would take a couple of years to produce a new book, longer when he was just beginning.

As the Chinese idiom went, 慢工出细作. All his works have hitherto been excellent and enjoyable to read.

It is unfortunate then his latest, The Afghan, failed miserably.

In summary - an extraordinary stroke of luck enabled Western intelligence to stumble upon a key-phrase indicating a major plot by Al Qaeda terrorist. To learn more, Mike Martin was persuaded out of retirement to infiltrate the ranks of the enemy by impersonating an Afghan who was detained at Gitmo for 5 years.

Mike Martin was the hero of the earlier nove, Fist of God, and given a background to explain his being able to speak Arabic like a native Iraqi. Being an Afghan is another matter, but it was the best the Occidentals got.

Reviewers at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk provided a long list of internal errors made in the book, inexcusable given the amount of research that went into other parts of the book.

One glaring error would be the presence of the HMS Ark Royal at the 1982 Falklands War.

But even if these minor inconsistencies are addressed, there is still a major plothole in the second half of the book - namely, the role given by the terrorists to the Afghan whom they took for their own.

As mentioned by an Amazon reviewer, there was absolutely nothing for him to do, nor reason for him to be on the ship intended as the terrorist weapon.

From the cover, I was expecting a lot more on Mike Martin's infiltration of the terrorist group.

As the number of pages began to thin, I could see that there would be quick ending to follow the final revelation of the terrorists' plans.

The only word I have for it is - disappointing.

On Fansub Anime ...

On June 01, 2007, the Straits Times carried an article warning fansub downloaders that the Japanese companies are taking the issue more seriously now.

The article lead to some responses in the ST forum.  While acknowledging the offence of piracy, the letter writer made a couple of points. http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_126252.html

1. Most fansub anime downloaded were not available commercially outside Japan.

2. Only a small fraction of Japanese anime attracted enough commercial interest outside Japan to be distributed with voice-dubbing or translated captioning.  Through fansub, more Anime titles became popular and actually attracted commercial interest - and when available legally, fans bought the legal soundtracks and videos.

3. Quality of fansub translations is not necessarily inferior to commercially subbed (yeah, some of these companies are just out to make a quick buck).

4. Fansub communities has a certain level of self-regulation, removing fansubbed versions and stop fansubbing when the titles get licensed in the US (where the core of fansub community is based).

For myself, it was only a few years ago I too downloaded fansubbed anime via the internet.  From my experience, I do confirm that his points are factual, while making no judgment whether it makes piracy permissible.

While under the law, there is no difference between one who handles non-licensed videos for personal profit as opposed to other reasons, there is a better approach for the Japanese animation companies to take.

Unlike piracy in China where pirates simply copy and sell (without subbing), ahead of commercial release, fansubs provide availability where none is available legally.

The Japanese animation companies might consider working with fansubbers to harness their skills to reach a wider audience commercially instead.

Imagine you got a piece of excellent article.  Instead of licensing to certain companies to translate and distribute it in overseas market, you have hordes of fans who compete with each other to produce quality translations on your behalf.

On the other hand, of course, professional translators and distribution contracts provide certain guarantees you cannot get from fansubbers.

It doesn't take too much creativity though to combine both approaches.  Allowing the fansubbed release of the first few episodes of an anime title will give an indicator of the market response to distributorship.

The digital age is here to stay.  While companies can maintain their moral and legal right to be outraged at piracy, handling the issue the "traditional" way will not win them their battle.

So it's their call - what matters more to them?

Did they? Did they not?

Brought the kids to the National Library (Central Branch) last Saturday afternoon, so that wifey can have some time to go to the Book Fair, not for herself (don't have that luxury anymore) but to scout materials for her school library which she was arm-twisted to take charge of last year.  She did find some useful stuff, but was also disgusted at some sales staff trying to market reference books un-updated for more than a decade ...

Snowylass' idea of visiting the library is having daddy or mummy sit with her and read her the books she picked out.

Snowylad's idea of visiting the library is to find the most challenging books to pick out.  His idea of challenging is that the books must be tightly shelved to defy his muscles for at least 10 seconds before budging.

When I first started bringing him to the library, he'd be satisfied after his conquest and leave the books on the floor.  Now he has progressed to brandishing his conquests, walking around to see who witnessed his achievements.  Thankfully, he's also learned to follow my instructions to put those books to the reshelving units.

So it was I had to do double-duty, reading a story to my daughter, while continuously scanning the surrounding to be aware of what my son is up to.

He's also quite friendly when he sees (younger) babies, and daring when he sees older kids playing horsie (it's that convertible seat in the children's section at Central branch NLB). I do worry that he has no idea that the rocking horse could rock onto his little toes.

Due to the June school holidays, we get double borrowing limits, so this trip was quite fruitful ... for the kids.  I only managed to find a Kiasu Krossover 3 comic book for myself - I didn't even realise the Kopykat gang managed to produce one more volume - my time for scrouring bookshops have been sharply curtailed since becoming a father.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find that book when we got back.  Searching my car ... calling up the place where I brought the kids for tea ... turned up nothing.

It would have been easily missed if it dropped from my tote-bag ... which was carrying 16 other books, all for the kids.

Finally called the NLB yesterday when I found the borrowing receipt.  Using the item's call number, the staff was able to inform me that the book was "returned" to the library ... someone helpful found and did me a good deed? ... and borrowed out again ...

I keep replaying in my mind how I could have dropped it yesterday ... it was "impossible" ... I was only carrying the overstuffed bag of books, diapers, kids' jackets and water-bottles, carrying Snowylad who still knows no danger at the roads ... calling to Snowylass who keeps falling behind because she insisted on carrying the big book "There might be giants" and kept it open at the last read page ...

I ought to be thankful that the book was found and returned to the library ... though it means I have to find it again.

Still, I wondered at how quickly it was borrowed out.  From personal experience, returned books can be notoriously tardy at being placed back at their shelves.  Many times have I checked their availability at the library's website, only to find the books were still not shelved back.

I thought it could be possible that someone actually saw me drop the book in the library itself, but instead of informing me, preferred to bring it to the counter to have it checked-in and borrow it himself/herself.

I think though this feeling arose because I was feeling sore ... sore that the kids got their 16 books and I didn't even get my single ...

In all honesty, there was enough time after my losing it on Saturday afternoon for the book to be returned to the bookdrop, and then reshelved by the staff.

Gotta just hum to myself "Always look on the bright side of life ..."