::Homework Crapbox:: (2017)
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See? Damien-No-Talent-Hirst's so-called artworks are now leaking carcinogenic toxic formaldehyde (ie. methanal, HCHO), no surprise there. It's a disgustingly screwed up world when someone with no artistic talent whatsoever can just dump dead bodies into containers of formaldehyde, call it high-brow art, and earn hundreds of millions of dollars from such nonsense. Any of the thousands of artists on Deviant Art.com, and the hundreds of thousands of artists behind the millions of beautiful artwork available on the internet (Google Image is an excellent tool), are easily billions of times more genuinely talented than Damien-the-Fraud-Hirst.
Damien Hirst artworks leaking formaldehyde gas :
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/damien-hirst-works-leaked-formaldehyde-gas-study-174856991.html -
Woot! Jason Bourne is finally back after (almost) an entire decade since the last movie. Back then, the Jason Bourne movies boasted some of the most realistic mixed martial arts, what more in a realistic spy-intelligence-world genre (ala Michael Western), outside of Donnie Yen movies. In recent years, no doubt contributed by Donnie Yen's rising popularity in America, there've been a proliferation of Hollywood movies incorporating MMA (and in particular BJJ), which is always a welcome sight.
Jason Bourne (2016) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4gJsKZvqE4
Will's Book Channel posted : "The government thought they could abandon him on Mars. They were wrong."
joven arevalo posted : "he seen things, he knows things.. what if he's not coming for us? what if it's something else?" it's not even a secret. he's after jimmy kimmel.
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Jessica Chastain and Jimmy Kimmel Eat A Durian (from Singapore) :
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Over 6000+ visitor comments below the article.
Diana posted : There was actually a girl from the school interviewed and she laughed about it as she was talking about the girl who died. Makes me sick the way today's youth is. That it's actually funny to them someone died. I think the girls responsible should be sentenced as adults for first degree murder. This includes all the cowards who decided to join in to beat up the girl who died.
[USA] - 16-year-old schoolgirl dead after being beaten up by other girls at high school.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/police-girl-15-critically-injured-assault-school-151136358.html -
This photo (used by AllSingaporeStuff.com) may or may not be the author of the opinion piece.
LOCAL GIRL: DATING ANG MOH MEN IS OVERRATED, GO FOR SG MEN BETTER
http://www.allsingaporestuff.com/article/local-girl-dating-ang-moh-men-overrated-go-sg-men-better -
Kim Jong Un will torture the parents if the girls don't return to North Korea, but if the girls do return, they will surely be tortured far worse for the rest of their lives.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/n-korea-offers-send-abducted-defectors-parents-south-113630054.html?nhp=1
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[Hawaii Five-0] - Watch Steve McGarret (Alex O'Loughlin), while bound to a chair as a prisoner, still manage to skillfully kill Eris (Tracy Ifeachor) the poor girl, and then use her body to lure and finally kill his adopted brother & arch-nemesis Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) after a spectacular fight.
Watch from 2:43 onwards : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MVc-u3yFGI
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[Hannibal] - Watch Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen, aka Le Chiffre from Casino Royale) take on Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne, aka Morpheus from The Matrix) in a spectacular fight scene.
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[Middle-East] - As arch-enemies Saudi Arabia (Sunni) and Iran (Shia) continue to vie for supremacy in the Islamic world (where geopolitical territorial struggles for influence, control and power are carried out under the guise of religion), USA and lame-duck (ie. final-term) president Barack Obama is caught up badly in their crossfire.
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/saudi-arabia-vs-iran-much-more-than-a-religious-war/
https://www.rt.com/news/340489-obama-saudi-king-visit/
http://blogs.voanews.com/us-opinion/2016/04/12/can-obama-mend-us-saudi-ties/
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The medical diagnostic guideline for doctors, "When you hear hoof-beats, think horses, not zebras" is really just about simple probability. If you're told that the roulette ball landed on a number belonging to the 1st row, would you bet on red or black?
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An incredibly beautiful and emotionally touching soundtrack from the 10th Naruto animated movie "The Last: Naruto the Movie", titled "Naruto and Hinata" (love theme)
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Philippines braces for pre-election assassinations
"Sometimes, after the killing, it took days or months before we'd learn about what kind of person, good or bad, that our target was,� a hit-man (ie. assassin) said in an interview.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/philippines-braces-for/2725024.html
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"Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel." - Damn. If only every country were willing to sign peace treaties with every other country. If only if were that simple. Wouldn't it be nice.
Israeli fighters scramble to intercept undeclared airliner :
https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/israeli-fighters-scramble-intercept-undeclared-074206248.html -
Watch 0:30 to 0:40. Would you naively fall into skeptics' claim that that's nothing more than mere pareidolia?
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The crew of the Mary Celeste disappeared, while the crew of the SS Orang Medan were all found mysteriously dead (with no visible cause of death).
SS Orang Medan on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EertveLRW8E
SS Orang Medan on MysteriousUniverse.org : http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/death-ship-the-ourang-medan-mystery/
SS Orang Medan on the Central Intelligence Agency's website : http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/5829/CIA-RDP80R01731R000300010043-5.pdf
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[Malaysia] - Child marriage used to cover up rape
Mohd Nadzri Abd Rahman said the system had failed a 14-year-old girl when her father permitted her to be married off to her rapist, who was also the owner of the restaurant she worked at. “The 14-year-old girl got pregnant after being raped. Fearing prosecution, the rapist and his wife fled to Thailand with the girl victim and he took the girl as his second wife. It was only during an in-camera interview session that she revealed she was forced to marry the man who had raped her, and that her father knew this and encouraged the marriage,� he said.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/child-marriage-used-cover-rape-232400477.html
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A cube in a cube in a cube. Quite a feat of design and engineering!
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Oogachaga wrote in to Straits Times, "Rethink what we teach teens about sex education" :
http://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/rethink-what-we-teach-teens-about-sex
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The Christian Science Monitor's analysis on "Why Al Qaeda thinks ISIS has no future".
https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-al-qaeda-thinks-isis-no-future-120004041.html
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[Singapore] - Poor foreign worker squats on wet floor at bustop to eat his lunch because he's afraid of dirtying the bustop seats and being scolded by Singaporeans.
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A Mandarin Gardens condo owner posted :
Just got back from Mandarin Gardens Condo AGM.
Indians have bought abt 40% of Mandarin Gardens apts and have become arrogant in the condo. At last year's AGM, all Singaporeans didnt want to stand for Management Council positions, leaving it to foreigners to take control. Eight indians were voted in with one American and one Briton in the MC.
The Indians are power crazy, lawless and turned havoc. They thought they own Mandarin Gardens and can do what they want. They
1. attempted to transfer money from the $9m sinking fund to the management fund
2. organised Deepavali celebrations from codo fund to let indians enjoy
3. organised a sports day for indian children
4. allowed indian children to run wild in the condo
5. attempted to kick out Thai Pan Restaurant and replace it with an indian restaurant
6. spent abt $200k on the fish pond without discernable results
7. proposed to have a cricket pitch for indian kids
8. allowed indian kids to play football on well landscaped fields to the detriment of aged singaporeans, small; children and the well kept grass
The American sounded out their misdeeds to the Singaporean owners. The Singaporeans were furious. At today's AGM, singaporean owners turned up in force and badly defeated the Indians by voting in 9 Singaporeans, one American and one Briton. The Indians were taught a humbling lesson. The Singaporeans reclaimed Mandarin Gardens for Singapore.
I believe the same situation is happening in Waterside Condo, Melville condo and Singapore in general. Singaporean owners can reclaim WaterSide, Melville and Singapore for Singaporeans if we unite as what we Mandarin Gardens owners did today. -
[Australia] - A woman of mixed ethnicity / race / ancestry, received a racist message on Tinder from a racist Aussie guy, "I was just looking [at] your insta photos and just curious, but have you ever thought about bleaching your skin?? You’d look so much prettier if you were whiter!�
https://sg.style.yahoo.com/post/143299017343/a-mixed-race-woman-outs-tinder-date-who-suggested -
Nicholas did not start out poor.
He had a job that paid $2,500 a month and was a strapping man until he took ill suddenly in 2008.
"My potassium level had fallen really low a couple of times that year, and I had to be warded and given potassium chloride from a drip.
"The pain was excruciating," he recalls.
It was then that Nicholas was diagnosed with diabetes, a condition that had gone undetected for two years.
By the time it was discovered, he had already suffered nerve damage.
The chronic disease that cost him his sense of touch also took away his confidence to teach and face the world.
"No one would give me, a sick man, a job. My self-confidence and emotions took a tumble," he says.
"The condition got worse and I lost the use of my left hand. I've no feeling in my hands - I can't retrieve coins from my trouser pockets because I can't feel them."
Getting up from a chair or the toilet seat is a long-drawn-out process.
STRUGGLE
"It takes me 10 to 20 minutes every morning when I go to the toilet because I struggle to get up. The pain I encounter every day cripples me, both physically and mentally," Nicholas says.
He could not work because of his condition, and it took a toll on his mental well-being. He is also now no longer on speaking terms with his family. Without support, Nicholas became depressed.
"I tried applying for a rental flat, and the Housing Board officer advised me to approach the CDC (Community Development Council).
"I guess I ticked all the boxes because I got on Public Assistance without any hitches," he says.
Nicholas says that out of the $450 he receives a month, he has a little more than $200 left after paying all his bills.
"It is still a struggle. I've to make sure I spend only between $7 and $8 a day to survive," he says.
"Every morning, Willing Hearts delivers food packs. I usually have that for lunch - sometimes for both lunch and dinner. I add water to make the food into porridge for dinner," he adds.
Willing Hearts operates a soup kitchen that cooks and distributes about 4,500 meals to the needy every day.
Fully run by volunteers, its beneficiaries include the elderly, people with disabilities, low-income families, children from single-parent families as well as migrant workers here.
Nicholas says his Medisave ran out in 2013 and he now depends on help from both Changi General Hospital and the CDC for his medical expenses.
Every day is a struggle for Nicholas.
When asked what he fears most, he says: "Tomorrow."
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Mr Willie Yeo, 65, is wheelchair-bound and needs financial and medical help.
But his poor elderly neighbours are his priority.
"Whenever my friends, who remember me, take me out for a scrumptious meal at a grand restaurant, I would tar pau (pack in Hokkien) food back for my neighbours," he says.
It is no wonder that he earned the nickname "Robin Hood" among his neighbours at the rental flats in North Bridge Road.
Mr Yeo, a divorcee who lives alone, says he lost his job because of his many health problems.
"The bank foreclosed my flat in Yishun, and I was forced to sell it. I made only $15,000 from the sale, which went to paying back money I had borrowed," he says.
"I used to be a roving salesman more than 10 years ago, selling beads for making jewellery.
ILLNESSES
"I would lug between 20 and 30kg of beads from one place to another and travelling only by public transport," he says.
He believes that was the cause of his degenerative wear and tear of his right ankle, which resulted in metal pieces being attached to his right foot.
Mr Yeo has a litany of other problems.
"I have diabetes and hypertension, and I suffer from fatty liver. I also have asthma and testicular cancer.
"I recently underwent radiation treatment for prostate cancer. I go to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for a check-up twice a month. That's why the nurses all know me well," he says with a chuckle.
He is also recovering from a fractured right shoulder - believed to be due to osteoporosis - and suffers from pain in his knees.
While his medication is covered by Medifund and the hospital's endowment fund, Mr Yeo is no longer on Public Assistance since he started collecting his Central Provident Fund in 2013 after he turned 62.
"So I withdraw $540 each month, and I sell tissue paper to earn another $300 to supplement my income," he says.
Some people have rebuked him for selling tissue paper and that has depressed Mr Yeo.
"I hope people understand that we didn't ask to be sick and to be thrown suddenly into poverty.
"Who doesn't want to be healthy and earn a proper living?
"Perhaps that's why I throw myself into helping my neighbours out. I feel happy when I see them happy," he says.
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He was once a cook - and a good one too, he says.
Then the 54-year-old, who wants to be known only as Mr Lee, suffered a heart attack and stroke six years ago.
He says he lost his job, his family and a roof over his head.
The bachelor was living with his mother in her flat in the east of Singapore, but he felt like a burden as he was jobless and sick, so he left.
"I felt that I was a disappointment to her. If I were not living there, it would be out of sight, out of mind," he says, tears welling in his eyes.
Homeless for the last three years, Mr Lee has been sleeping in parks and sometimes at an uncle's place.
"He recently suffered from a stroke, so by staying over, I can help to keep an eye on things," he adds.
Mr Lee gets his meals from charity Willing Hearts, which runs a soup kitchen.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
"Previously I went to a Chinese temple in Geylang for vegetarian food. Many homeless people I've met take their meals there.
"But I developed gout and have to stay away from bean-based food, so I stopped going to the temple," he says.
For his daily hygiene, Mr Lee says he goes to a public pool for his showers.
"I don't go in free of charge. I use the voucher given out by the Government for SG50. I also swim once in a while as a form of physiotherapy.
"I am hoping to get back my health so that I will be able to look for a job," he says.
He told The New Paper on Sunday that his Public Assistance fund of $400 a month "will dry up by the end of the month".
"I can't simply wait around for handout," he says.
He was advised to claim insurance as he suffered his heart attack while still working, "but I don't want to, because that would mean if I win, then I cannot seek help from any government agencies any longer".
He does not have a clue how much money he can claim from his insurance.
Mr Lee hopes to return to cooking for a hawker stall, even though the stress may be too much for his heart to take.
"I am working on getting healthy because that is the only skill I know, but I am worried no one will hire a sick man," he says.
"Then again, tomorrow is another day," he adds in a chirpy voice before riding off on his bicycle, with his worldly possession contained in the basket behind him.
About the study
To design solutions for the poor and get low-income Singaporeans to help lead the study, the researchers formed an advisory committee made up of 10 men and women from low-income communities.
The Centre for Culture-Centred Approach to Research and Evaluation then launched an online campaign to raise awareness on poverty here.
Research assistant Naomi Tan says: "This is where we argue that the community members, in this case the low-income, are in the best position to identify and define the problems they face and the corresponding solutions that would actually be impactful and relevant to them."
What does it mean to be poor
The study found:
Low-income Singaporeans either live in interim or public rental housing. Some are homeless.
They have a monthly household income of $1,500 or less. Some are on Public Assistance, which ranges from $450 to $1,180 each month and has a set of eligibility criteria.
They are unable to afford healthcare as they do not have enough savings or do not earn enough.
Some of the elderly, despite having children, are struggling to get by.
They suffer from food insecurity, so they eat cheap but non-nutritious food.
They cut down on the number of hot meals a day, worry if there is enough food in the house and are choosing to not spend their limited cash on healthier foods
Challenges faced by the poor
Although the resources to help are available, the poor do not know how to get information on what they are eligible for or how to get to the relevant agencies.
Another significant hurdle is the submission of an application that is according to the requirements set out by the agencies.
Many from the low-income group find the stringent conditions tedious and frustrating.
Stigma and alienation from relatives and the community at large hinder the poor from seeking the help needed.
The Government has set up safety nets, such as Medifund, for low-income individuals who face health problems.
Despite these efforts, they still cannot afford healthcare due to insufficient savings or a low wage. -
FrenchBriefs posted :
it seems like the biggest taboo in Singapore is being poor, not being a rapist or molester. the minute a disaster befalls u and u fall into destitution, u become an outcast and leper to relatives and family, the government and society turn their backs on you....any resemblance of cordiality before that are lost. i know a man who was once a multi-millionaire businessman, after the company went belly up, wife divorced him and took the kids, now he lives in a park, has medical problems and depends on the kindness of strangers to survive.
