Media Freedom

Another bit of news reported and later shamelessly amended by The Straits Times, truly an independent and free newspaper.

Before

After

Can you spot the differences?

More ERP gantries - Government stupidity or greed?

Pasting below the contents of an email that I have just sent to: raymond_lim@mot.gov.sg; janice_quah@mot.gov.sg; mot@mot.gov.sg; cindy_lim@mot.gov.sg; soffy_hariyanti@mot.gov.sg; harold_lim@mot.gov.sg; lok_hong_leng@mot.gov.sg; neo_lay_yiing@mot.gov.sg; jasmine_tan@mot.gov.sg; verene_cheong@mot.gov.sg; evelyn_quek@mot.gov.sg; nazrana_zainuddin@mot.gov.sg

Rather than implementing ERP across the board like what you are doing, you should conduct an in-depth study of what exactly causes the slowdown on the roads and expressways or take a drive around the roads of Singapore.

You would find among other things that:
1. "clever" drivers who continuously zigzag their way through the expressways and other roads cause a significant slowdown behind them as other drivers have to slow to avoid the inconsiderate ones.
2. vans and lorries that jump without much warning into the middle lane of expressways slow down other people behind them.
3. motorcycles that can be seen in virtually every lane of expressways slow down bigger vehicles behind them because the motorcycles often drive in the middle of the lanes, thus overtaking a motorcycle ends up being as much work as overtaking another car.
4. the right-most lane is often not the fastest as vehicles have to use these lanes when they have to turn right into smaller roads. Not all roads in Singapore have a special right-turning lane and often that lane is too short.
5. the biggest slowdowns every morning along the TPE happen:
- from Exit 10 to slightly after Exit 9 due to merging from "clever" drivers who find it faster to take Exit 10 and rejoin the traffic further ahead
- and right after Loyang mostly due to poor road planning as the entrance to the PIE is way too close to the Loyang exit, thus ending up in a big slowdown with drivers along the TPE seeking to join the PIE and drivers from the Loyang exit worming their way to join the TPE towards Changi Airport and the ECP.

Lion Love

Fun Bit 002 - Tom Gay Cruise a Nazi

News: (extracted from an AFP article)
German historian Guido Knopp has compared a speech by Tom Gay Cruise to the Church of Scientology with a call to war by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.

Mr Knopp, an expert on World War II history, said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper: 'Tom Gay Cruise's manner calls to mind Goebbels'. The historian was commenting on a video recording of a rousing sermon Cruise delivered to fellow Scientology members four years ago that was recently posted on the Internet.

The Mission Impossible star is seen asking fellow members of the church: 'Should we clean this place up?' Mr Knopp said it was bound to remind Germans of Goebbels' notorious call for 'total war' issued in Berlin on Feb 18, 1943.

'It is possible that the way in which Cruise speaks is common in many empowerment circles in the United States,' he said. 'But the scene in which Cruise asks if the Scientologists should clean up the world and they all respond 'yes' will remind any German with an interest in history of Goebbels' infamous Sports Palace speech.'

Fun:
When will this stupid idiot Tom Gay Cruise learn that his Scientology crap is causing him tremendous damage? Or is the fact that they cover up his gay penchant enough?

I Am Legend sucks

I wasted 90-100 minutes of my life last night watching I Am Legend. Boring movie with a pretentious title to boot, Will Smith only went into this one for the money.

If this movie had been released during the summer, it would have struggled to make even half of what it has made so far. But since it was released in the shit-but-profitable December dumping ground, it made tons of $$$. Like that other piece of crap Night At The Museum did in 2006.

No mistake about it though, this movie is not worth anybody's time and certainly not worth the increasingly expensive cinema ticket price. Good thing I didn't pay a cent to watch it. Now if only I could get those 1.5hrs of my life back.

Fun Bit 001 - Abe's shit

News:

Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe said earlier this week that he quit the post because of severe diarrhoea.

Fun:
So we can finally all agree that he was shit.