2019-07-08 02:00
This blog (and the accompanying newsletter) will be on hiatus till end-August / early-September! Continue reading → Read More
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2019-07-07 14:24
A short review of Sandra Cisneros's "The House on Mango Street". Continue reading → Read More
2019-07-06 02:00
In Hong Kong, on the 22nd anniversary of the Chinese handover, thousands marched through the city and some tried to storm the legislature. And in the country's largest mass demonstration sin… Read More
2019-06-29 02:00
President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea, sharing a symbolic handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the demilitarised zone. "With no ti… Read More
2019-06-27 02:00
A short review of Andy Weir's "The Egg". Continue reading → Read More
2019-06-25 02:00
Planning a visit to the city of Seattle, Washington? Here are some recommendations. Continue reading → Read More
2019-06-24 05:00
A short review of Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour". Continue reading → Read More
2019-06-22 02:26
Planning a visit to the city of Portland, Oregon? Here are some recommendations. Continue reading → Read More
2019-06-22 02:00
Despite recent bids to save the 2015 nuclear accord - which the United States withdrew from last year - Iran said it plans to exceed limits on its stockpile of enriched uranium next week. Ir… Read More
2019-06-20 02:00
A short review of Amor Towles's "A Gentleman in Moscow". Continue reading → Read More
2019-06-15 02:00
Hong Kong protestors gathered in multiple demonstrations to oppose a controversial extradition bill to China, leading to its indefinite suspension, while there were advances to same-sex righ… Read More
2019-06-13 02:00
A short review of Grady Hendrix's "Paperbacks from Hell". Continue reading → Read More
2019-06-11 02:00
The excellent report of the diverse residential experiences within Singapore’s only integrated housing block which mixes rental and purchased units (ST, Jun. 6) highlights both the pot… Read More
2019-06-08 02:00
The centre-left Social Democrats won the majority of the seats in the parliament of Denmark. And despite opposition complaints of voting irregularities in Thailand, Prime Minister Prayuth Ch… Read More
2019-06-06 02:00
A short review of Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow's "The Last Lecture". Continue reading → Read More
2019-06-02 06:31
Notwithstanding the propositions that improving the absolute well-being of Singaporeans and achieving relative equity or equality within the country are not mutually exclusive policy objecti… Read More
2019-06-01 02:00
Austria had its first female chancellor, the fallout from the European elections continued, and United Kingdom (UK) parliamentarian Boris Johnson has emerged as front-runner to replace Prime… Read More
2019-05-30 02:00
A short review of Rob Reich's "Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better". Continue reading → Read More
2019-05-30 02:00
A short review of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". Continue reading → Read More
2019-05-28 05:40
A short review of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper". Continue reading → Read More
2019-05-28 02:00
While well-intentioned, the question of how the government can build trust with the younger generation (ST, May 23) and its emphasis on “consensus” as an answer still result in d… Read More
2019-05-25 02:00
Accidents and natural disasters led to deaths in China and India, while attacks or riots in Indonesia, Nepal, and Tajikistan left many dead as well. In China, there were strong winds and an… Read More
2019-05-22 02:00
If doubling the national volunteerism rate - from 35 per cent in 2016 to 70 per cent in 2023, articulated by Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth Grace Fu in June last year - remains a… Read More
2019-05-18 02:00
Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison was granted his first full term in a surprise election victory, while Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi - based on initial exit polls - is also… Read More
2019-05-18 02:00
A short review of Daniel Golden's "The Price Of Admission". Continue reading → Read More
2019-05-14 02:00
While "the proportion of older Singaporeans who could meet their monthly household expenses and have some money left over increased by about half to 30 per cent from 2009 to 2017" (ST, May 1… Read More
2019-05-11 02:00
A short review of Emily St. John Mandel's "Station Eleven". Continue reading → Read More
2019-05-11 02:00
In Panama, centre-left candidate Laurentino Cortizo beat his centre-right rival by two percentage points, in South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to retain power, albeit in his part… Read More
2019-05-07 02:00
Unfortunately, absent from the call "to educate our people to be a little more thick-skinned, to not be so easily offended by mere words or opinions" (ST, May 4) is an evaluation and specifi… Read More
2019-05-06 02:00
In Asia, the imperial succession in Japan was marked by its first abdication in more than two centuries, while in Thailand a three-day coronation - after the king married the deputy head of… Read More
2019-05-05 02:00
A short review of Chimene Suleyman and Nikesh Shukla's "The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America". Continue reading → Read More
2019-04-30 02:00
Implicit in the focus on adult and lifelong learning is the desire to raise labour productivity levels in Singapore, though in this pursuit of greater economic competitiveness and a stronger… Read More
2019-04-27 02:00
In the same week China organised the second Belt and Road Forum, the sentencing of four Occupy leaders in Hong Kong marked the end of years of prosecutions against those involved in the 2014… Read More
2019-04-25 02:00
A short review of Han Kang's "Human Acts". Continue reading → Read More
2019-04-23 02:00
“But while the process of finding love has become easier and more efficient, the old adage of ‘easy come, easy go’ could describe how romantic relationships are formed thes… Read More
2019-04-20 02:00
The week started with a major fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France resulting in the collapse of its iconic spire, and ended with eight bombings in church and hotels in Sri Lanka… Read More
2019-04-18 02:00
A short review of Maggie Nelson's "The Argonauts". Continue reading → Read More
2019-04-16 02:00
Planning visits to the Japanese city of Tokyo? Here are some recommendations on what to eat. Continue reading → Read More
2019-04-13 02:00
The past week in Brazil was marked by deaths and violence as well as political uncertainty surrounding President Jair Bolsonaro. The collapse of two buildings, following heavy rain and flash… Read More
2019-04-11 02:00
A short review of Daniel James Brown: "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics". Continue reading → Read More
2019-04-09 02:00
Planning visits to the Japanese city of Tokyo? Here are some recommendations on where to go. Continue reading → Read More
2019-04-07 21:33
From a policy perspective - and with the intent of helping all elderly Singaporeans age gracefully and successfully, notwithstanding the varied and non-dichotomised definitions of success … Read More
2019-04-06 02:00
There were electoral and political surprises in Algeria, Turkey, and Ukraine, as long-term leaders witnessed challenges to their tenure. In Algeria, despite announcing that he will not seek… Read More
2019-04-04 02:00
A short review of Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". Continue reading → Read More
2019-04-01 05:58
Put otherwise: Little is said about our biases attached to being at the top or being "special", and the extent to which we are comfortable with confronting and questioning our privileges. Co… Read More
2019-03-30 02:00
As more than one million people in the United Kingdom (UK) gathered in London to call for a new Brexit referendum, Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal was rejected for the third time. I… Read More
2019-03-28 02:00
A short review of Anna Rosling Rönnlund, Hans Rosling, And Ola Rosling's "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World - And Why Things are Better Than You Think". Continue read… Read More
2019-03-25 00:42
Notwithstanding the broader historical discourse surrounding the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) and the implications of developing bilingual and elite Chinese students, better and more divers… Read More
2019-03-23 02:00
Special counsel Robert Mueller, after nearly two years of investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, completed his investigation. Attorney General William Bar… Read More
2019-03-21 02:00
A short review of Tara Westover's "Educated". Continue reading → Read More
2019-03-16 02:00
A series of parliamentary votes in the United Kingdom (UK) has added to the Brexit turmoil; the Boeing 737 Max 8 has been grounded after an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after ta… Read More
2019-03-14 02:00
A short review of Atul Gawande's "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End". Continue reading → Read More
2019-03-12 02:00
Having concluded the "Bridge the Gap" youth discussion on inequality and the class divide in Singapore in mid-July last year - and hence, in very overdue fashion - here is the executive summ… Read More
2019-03-09 02:00
There are six ongoing measles outbreaks in the United States, and 2018 saw the highest level of measles cases in Europe in the past decade. In the United States, despite refutations of the p… Read More
2019-03-07 08:00
A short review of Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House". Continue reading → Read More
2019-03-06 02:00
While class- or school-based integration is not guaranteed by "putting students of different learning abilities and socio-economic statuses in the same classroom" (TODAY, Mar. 4), Singapore… Read More
2019-03-04 05:30
Your cheat-sheet to developments around the world in 2018, and what to expect in 2019. For almost two years on a weekly basis, I have been summarising news stories across six regions - Afric… Read More
2019-03-02 02:00
As President Donald Trump's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without a joint agreement and his former longtime lawyer testified in front of a House committee, India a… Read More
2019-02-28 02:00
A short review of Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Refugees". Continue reading → Read More
2019-02-24 22:46
The new Caregiver Support Action plan, which seeks so strengthen government support for senior caregiving (ST, Feb. 21), sidesteps two important, related, and fundamental challenges to careg… Read More
2019-02-23 02:00
A fire in a Bangladeshi slum killed at least 110 people, and in India at least 150 died on a tea plantation after drinking toxic bootleg liquor. In Bangladesh - where millions live in squali… Read More
2019-02-21 02:00
A short review of James Comey's "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership". Continue reading → Read More
2019-02-16 02:00
Amidst political turbulence, Spain is set to organise its third election in less than four years. And even though early general election was called for April 28, the political gridlock… Read More
2019-02-14 02:00
A short review of Kenneth Paul Tan’s “Singapore: Identity, Brand, Power”.
Continue reading → Read More
2019-02-12 02:00
The perspective that it is necessarily deleterious if Singaporeans raise questions about or challenges to National Service (NS) policy - for instance, "if people start to question now whethe… Read More
2019-02-09 02:00
In the Philippines, there were fights against suspected militants and against a surge in measles cases, which was later declared as an outbreak. Earlier in the week, government troops killed… Read More
2019-02-07 02:00
A short review of Jeffrey Archer's "Tell Tale". Continue reading → Read More
2019-02-05 02:00
The eagerness of employers to justifiably reduce the disproportionate reliance on grades for their hiring practices overlooks the important point that there is also no perfect, bias-free ind… Read More
The Weekly Global Roundup: Successes And Failures At Reconciliation (January 28 To February 2, 2019)
2019-02-02 02:00
France and Germany signed the Treaty of Aachen and in Afghanistan the Taliban and the United States said they agreed in principle to a peace framework, as the celebration of Australia Day re… Read More
2019-01-31 02:00
A short review of Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman". Continue reading → Read More
2019-01-26 07:54
The seemingly templatised response of the government to the deaths of national servicemen - the fourth training fatality of the Singapore Armed Forces in the past 18 months, including actor… Read More
2019-01-26 02:00
Venezuela is back in the news for three immediate reasons: Growing popular protests against the government of President Nicolás Maduro, the declaration by an opposition lawmaker of th… Read More
2019-01-24 02:00
A short review of Denis Avey And Rob Broomby's "The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz". Continue reading → Read More
2019-01-22 02:00
The stiffer penalty regime for private security officers, who can now "be punished by a fine not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months" (ST, Jan. 18) if caug… Read More
2019-01-19 02:00
The Brexit deal offered by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) Theresa May was defeated by a vote of 432 to 202. The majority of 230 against the prime minister is the biggest governmen… Read More
2019-01-17 02:00
A short review of Jesmyn Ward's "Sing, Unburied, Sing". Continue reading → Read More
2019-01-16 02:00
What stood out in the summarised experiences of more than 300 business undergraduates at the Singapore Management University - published in two volumes and which highlight many of their anxi… Read More
2019-01-12 02:00
The government shutdown in the United States - the third to happen during President Donald Trump's tenure - became the longest on record, and it is set to continue, leaving nearly one millio… Read More
2019-01-11 02:00
The argument that less-privileged or disadvantaged Singaporeans should be respected as individuals with agency who are capable of making decisions for their households, rather than as people… Read More
2019-01-10 02:00
A short review of Celeste Ng's "Little Fires Everywhere". Continue reading → Read More
2019-01-05 02:00
In the same week China landed a lunar probe on the moon and Canada said that 13 of its citizens have been detained in China, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Taiwan to follow the "one… Read More
2019-01-03 02:00
A short review of Min Jin Lee's "Pachinko". Continue reading → Read More
2019-01-01 02:00
Absent from the recent efforts to increase the diversity of students at Singapore's independent schools - through which students from low- or middle-income families will enjoy fee subsidies… Read More
2018-12-29 02:00
The Middle East continues to be marked by unrest and violence, with protests in Tunisia as well as attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. In Tunisia, the death of a journalist - who set hi… Read More
2018-12-28 02:00
I review my 2019 resolutions, and look ahead to 2019, with six resolutions for the coming year. Continue reading → Read More
2018-12-27 07:32
An understanding of Singapore's workaholic culture - given that "Singapore residents in 2015 worked the second longest week in developed cities around the world" (TODAY, Dec. 22) - is not co… Read More
2018-12-27 02:00
The 15 books I enjoyed the most, in 2018. Continue reading → Read More
2018-12-21 22:30
President Donald Trump and his administration had a busy week: In response to the Las Vegas shooting last year, the sale of bump stocks is now banned; the Senate passed a sweeping, bipartisa… Read More
2018-12-20 06:37
A short review of Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea". Continue reading → Read More
2018-12-20 02:00
A short review of Katherine Dunn's "Geek Love". Continue reading → Read More
2018-12-14 22:30
Following two weeks of uncertainty and unrest in Europe, events surrounding France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) continue to dominate the global discourse. In France, a shooting in S… Read More
2018-12-13 02:00
A short review of Ken Liu's "The Paper Menagerie". Continue reading → Read More
2018-12-11 02:00
Given the medical and economic costs associated with diabetes - and the alarming statistic the one in four Singaporeans already has diabetes or is at high risk of contracting it - few would… Read More
2018-12-07 16:05
Following the uncertainty last week, there is continued unrest in Europe, with major protests in France, Brexit challenges in the United Kingdom, and worry about the use of cyberattacks to m… Read More
2018-12-06 02:00
A short review of Brian Wood’s “DMZ (Book Four, Book Five)”. Continue reading → Read More
2018-12-04 02:00
That job seekers "need to identify and learn the right skills to capitalise on job openings as hiring picks up" (ST, Nov. 30) is incontrovertible, yet what is less clear is what these "right… Read More
2018-11-30 16:05
At a special summit, the 27 remaining European Union (EU) leaders signed off the Brexit agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lifted his th… Read More
2018-11-29 02:00
A short review of Constance Singam and Margaret Thomas’s “The Art of Advocacy in Singapore”. Continue reading → Read More
2018-11-27 02:00
The recent focus on ground engagement among politicians and civil servants - to "go out and engage stakeholders and Singaporeans" (ST, Nov. 22) and to develop and nurture "a consultative rel… Read More
2018-11-23 16:05
A landmark ruling in Cambodia found two Khmer Rouge officials guilty of genocide, while disagreements between China and the United States - with different narratives of the disagreements, as… Read More
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