TR EMERITUS

As Chiam See Tong goes under the spotlight for wanting to contest the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC in the next coming election (unless there are boundaries changes), his age and health conditions were under heavy scrutinization by the media and netizens alike. However, it seemed that the media had conviniently forgotten about Mr Teo Chee Hean and his words of wisdom as well as action that rocked the nation. Sleeping Beauty Teo Who would had forgotten how Mr Teo Chee Hean slept while his DPM Wong Kan Seng was speaking - and that in the full glory of the television screen. While Mr Teo may be potrayed as being deep in thoughts, had Mr Chiam been caught doing the same, it would be headline news with the caption: Chiam too old for his seat. Teo's Words of Wisdom Spotted on the Young PAP's Facebook were the quotes: "You cannot watch the PAP and know if the elections are coming. Once the elections are over, we already start working the ground. It becomes so boring and so routine the media never reports on it. I don't know when the elections will be. I can only tell you that with each passing day, the elections come one day closer." Mr Teo actually labelled ground work as 'boring and so routine'. Does that mean that 'Meet the People Session' and even Community Projects are just 'wayang' tools for the MPs and Ministers alike? This coming out from the mouth of a PAP stronghold holds a lot of work. As if the statement holds minimum weight, would Mr Teo agree that none of the Oppositions' community work had gone notice by the media since the PAP was in control? Had Mr Teo also turn petty because the media highlighted the walkabout done by the SDA and RP? Of course, his statement holds some truth as well as he correctly pointed out that "once the elections are over, we already start working the ground". Work the ground they did in the last election when electricity bills are ever-increasing, houses become more unaffordable and transportation fees increases. Thus, I urge readers to vote wisely and not put someone who sleeps and find ground work 'boring and routine' into the Parliament. Vote for people who can talk and make OUR views heard in Parliament. The Choice is Yours! Contributed by: Joel Kong  Read More →

[email protected] Human beings are weird creatures. They like to work together in groups, then make other groups their enemies and pick a fight. This animal instinct has not changed since the dawn of time. As Europe prepares for El Clasico this weekend, TR Sports take a global tour and pick up the top 8 football rivalries in modern club football. _________________________________________________________________________________ 50% opinion, 50% facts – based on recent events between the two clubs _________________________________________________________________________________ 8 ) Arsenal – Tottenham Hotspurs (England) As both clubs are based in North London, these two very successful English clubs will inevitably become rivals, as fans fight for bragging rights over their neighbours. The hatred for each other intensified in the summer of 2001, when Sol Campbell, a product of the Tottenham academy, opted to join Arsenal on a free transfer. This sparked much reaction from the Spurs’ fans and Campbell had become a booing target ever since.  7) Fenerbahce – Galatasaray (Turkey) The top two most successful clubs in Turkish football have a strong sense of hatred against each other. Galatasaray was formed by well-to-do students and draw fans from the middle-upper class of the Istanbul population. Fenerbahce tend to draw fans from the working class. It is often said that when these two sides meet, the streets of Istanbul will be times quieter than usual. 6) Catania – Palermo (Italy) This is known Derby di Sicilia (Sicilian Derby) and for the home of the mafia, it is not surprising that both set of fans had been extremely violent against each other over the years. The most unfortunate incidents of all happened in 2007, when a policeman was killed in a riot which broke out on the streets of Catania after a fiery game. Since then this fixture is the most policed game on the Serie A calendar. 5) Liverpool – Manchester United (England) – Current United club captain Gary Neville once said, “I was brought up in a street where I was told to hate Scousers.” The town cities are just 45 km apart and economic rivalry in the 1960s had became a football rivalry over the years. Before the end of this season, the two most successful clubs in English football have 18 titles each. Liverpool had struggled much over the past two decades or so and they can only hope that either Chelsea or Arsenal do them a favour this year but stopping United. 4) Barcelona – Real Madrid (Spain) They call this the El Clasico in Spain and the strong rivalry came about because Madrid and Barcelona are the two largest cities in the country. Historically, Real Madrid had represented the ruling central Spanish government, while Barcelona is the de facto symbol of Catalonia nationalism. It is no surprise that both clubs are also the top two most successful in Spanish football. The match this coming weekend will no doubt be the most watch in years, as it is likely to determine the winner of this year’s La Liga title. Given the amount of talent available to both sides, there is no doubt that this upcoming encounter will be a cracker of a game. 3) Celtic – Rangers (Scotland) – The Old Firm derby is one of the world oldest derbies, dating back to 1888 according to most sources. What is interesting is that the Old Firm is more than a football rivalry – it often pits religious and political attitudes against each other. Celtic have strong Irish roots and a majority of their fans are Catholic. Their supporters tend to be Republicans, deem to be against the central British government in London. On the other hand, Rangers fans are usually Protestants and tend to be Unionists. At the height of football hooliganism in the UK in the 1980s, fights between both set of fans are common and since 1996, there had been eight deaths linked directly to Old Firm matches. 2) Millwall – West Ham (England) When a few films (Green Street / Football Factory) used this rivalry as a backdrop to their plots, you know it has to be intense. The last time these two sides met in August 2009, there was a widespread riot outside Upton Park as the police found themselves unprepared to deal with violence not seen since the 1980s. A man was stabbed and the pitch was invaded as well. The next season might be an interesting one as West Ham is now struggling in the top flight while Millwall is having a sensational run in League One – could they both end up in the League Championship next year? The London police are probably wishing this scenario will not happen…. 1) Boca Juniors – River Plate (Argentina) The class divide in the Argentine society is evident here, with the working class supporting Boca and the upper-class rooting for River Plate. Both set of fans go to great lengths to taunt each other and violence is very common whenever these sides met. In 2004, British newspaper The Observer named this derby game as the number one in the list of “50 sporting things you must do before you die”, cementing this match as the perhaps the most intense rivalry in the world of football today.  Read More →

作者:冀居·谢 紧接着李显龙的讲话，哼哈二将 马宝山和 维文左右夹攻，看来“政府将抑制组屋套现”是势在必行了。 股市术语，不能套现的东西就必然被套牢，学台湾张老师话哉：好的老师带你上天堂，不好的老师带你住套房——今后新加坡政府要选择做“不好的老师”。 私有财产因为政府的干涉，而成为不能套现之赘，那还算是私有财产吗？这是他们必须回答的第一个问题。 维文医生说其他国家的福利养老计划听起来都像是庞氏骗局（Ponzi Scheme），只有新加坡的才是真的。基于什么呢？ 1.  现收现付（pay as you go）制度是把现在纳税的钱用来养老人，当社会还年轻时，这个制度的收入会比支出高。但当现在的年轻一代老去时，是否会有足够数量和足够努力的年轻人缴税来养这些老人？我国自1955年开始推行的公积金制度，是建立在“每一代人都必须要为自己这代自给自足”的信念上，虽然新加坡也为小部分低收入者提供额外援助，但基本原则不变，这才是唯一能为将来建立可持续安全网的途径。 2.  到了2030年，我国每五个人口中，就有一个超过65岁。老龄负担系数（old age support ratio，即15到64岁人口对65岁以上人口的比例）也已从1990年的11.8减少到去年的8.3。 说得似乎成理，不过好像忘了把政府应该扮演的角色算计在内。政府是否应该抑制物价，保证国人的消费水平？政府是否该为我们不断下降的生育率负起政治责任？政府是否为那一小部分水平线以下的人制定更好的社会安全网？ 维氏骗局还隐瞒一点，就是新加坡人口实际上是不断地增加，一直会增加到600万以上，所以缴税的人口是只会多不会少，即使他们不成为新加坡公民，他们也在缴消费税。 更可笑的是，这个政府是号称世界第一流的政府，他们领取世界第一流的薪水，做的只是重新分配国人上税的工作而已吗？要国人“自己顾自己”吗？我们还有世界一流的主权基金和政府投资公司，为国家赚进千亿的储备，怎么他们都在图像之外，只有在帮忙执政党竞选分猪肉的时候，才出现在主画面？ 我的这些疑问，始于罗杰斯今年初提出公共交通系统完全免费的建议。老实说，这个建议作为一般人恐怕是连想都不敢想的课题，可是一个国际商业奇才提出这样的一个构想，我肯定他一定是研究过其中的明细，知道这是一个“非不能也，实不为也”的问题。试想想，要是这个计划行得通，其实解决了很多很多的社会问题。首先生活费显著降低、有效地抑制通货膨胀、同时吸引更多人乘搭公共交通、拥车证迟早成为历史。陆交局可以花更多时间来规划公共交通，而不必在有限的土地为建设上天下地的快速公路而头痛，至于环保的那一套根本就是多说的。 维文说钱的问题必须从钱的来源去追朔，其实是把大家引导到一个错误的方向，至于是不是故意的，这个可就说不准了。 来源：大马论坛  Read More →