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F1 and our future
Singapore Democrats
As the souped-up engines roared and the fancy cars burned rubber on our roads, one in four Singaporeans turned up enthusiastically to watch the racing spectacle, making it a sport for the people with real mass appeal.Yes, that's what happened in 1966 when the Singapore Grand Prix was held at its permanent Upper Thomson circuit. Half-a-million people from a population of close to 2 million thronged the area to witness and enjoy the event in a carnival-like atmosphere. With food and drink in hand, Singaporeans young and old converged on the grassy knolls and whatever space they could find to catch the action that included the vintage and saloon car categories.
Contrast this with the recent F1 race held downtown. Reportedly 100,000 attended the spectacle β half of them tourists. One wonders how many of the remainder are millionaire residents and expatriates. With tickets ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, you can be sure few were locals.
Hotel accommodation around the circuit went for as much as $1,000 for standard rooms with the Government apparently demanding one-third of the revenue. Luxury yachts were available for rent for as much as a million dollars so that tycoons could entertain their guests.
What about the locals? Too bad -- no money, no talk.
The then-and-now of motor-racing is symptomatic of society in Singapore which has become the playground for the rich. There's really nothing wrong with this except that locals serve only as props and backstage hands to put up this grand show so that the PAP can bask in the accolades showered by the foreigners.
In fact, the commercial gain of the race to the average Singaporean was questionable. Businesses in the cordoned-off area were badly hit. Motorists couldn't get around the city area without having to take detours because of the road closures.
What about the jobs created from the race? As with much of everything else, foreign workers were available in abundance to ensure that no crumb that fell off the organiser's and Government's table was left behind.
The casinos are another example. Built by the foreign poor to cater to the foreign rich, Singaporeans are just bystanders cued to ooh and aah at the right moments when the Integrated Resorts are unveiled.
Easy money. That's what the F1 and casinos really represent. They are there for one purpose and one purpose only: To continue attracting the super-rich to this island by bringing in entertainment only they can afford. This way, the PAP can tell us how wealthy we are even as we see our real incomes shrink and retirement savings evaporate.
This is not the kind of economy built on enterprise and diligence. We know we can't compete on the innovation front with a system that is determined to wring the creative life out of every resident living here. So we resort to creating an island where dirty money, vice and thrills for the rich can call home. The PAP calls it "vision".
The question that Singaporeans had better be asking is: Is our country headed in the right direction? Is making money, however we do it, the be-all and end-all of this country? With the economic crisis looming ahead are we prepared for the knocks when we've placed ourselves in the hands of so-called financial movers and shakers?
Even as we build this playground that we call Singapore, we had better start thinking of the shelter we will be needing pretty soon.
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You know, I somewhat agree.
In a survey conducted by the New Paper, an astonishing number of people were unaware or uninterested about the F1 event.
I like this part the most: "Built by the foreign poor to cater to the foreign rich, Singaporeans are just bystanders cued to ooh and aah at the right moments when the Integrated Resorts are unveiled." It's quite true, isn't it?
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Originally posted by Vendettus:
You know, I somewhat agree.
In a survey conducted by the New Paper, an astonishing number of people were unaware or uninterested about the F1 event.
I like this part the most: "Built by the foreign poor to cater to the foreign rich, Singaporeans are just bystanders cued to ooh and aah at the right moments when the Integrated Resorts are unveiled." It's quite true, isn't it?
It was a pathetic sight on the nights of F1 where i saw many tried to peep at the race scenes only to be blocked by men in blue.
99% of the scenes were blocked by barriers.
pathetic. I wonder the next F1 next year, how many more pathetic will come peep at F1. For me, no more. I find that it is just a fad and nothing great really just big engines and smelly burnt rubber bad for health and noise pollution and blocked roads. Its the media that spiced it up. I am glad I have woken up from this spell.
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Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
Really fed up with this fucking PAP fucking government.
Really want to fucking get rid of them.
that would not be possible unless some revolutionary change comes about.Remember based on historical evidence of the last 43 years in a row, the Majority placed them on the pedestal.
Thus, it is clear the issue is people are not interested in socially issue .
If you can, please try to cultivate the people especially the young as the old are either dead or dying off, to be more social-issue conscious. When that happens, a momentum would have started that will take on a life of its own.
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Originally posted by likedatosocan:
It was a pathetic sight on the nights of F1 where i saw many tried to peep at the race scenes only to be blocked by men in blue.
99% of the scenes were blocked by barriers.
pathetic. I wonder the next F1 next year, how many more pathetic will come peep at F1. For me, no more. I find that it is just a fad and nothing great really just big engines and smelly burnt rubber bad for health and noise pollution and blocked roads. Its the media that spiced it up. I am glad I have woken up from this spell.
You mean you even attempt to peek? Oh my goodness.
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Originally posted by likedatosocan:
It was a pathetic sight on the nights of F1 where i saw many tried to peep at the race scenes only to be blocked by men in blue.
99% of the scenes were blocked by barriers.
pathetic. I wonder the next F1 next year, how many more pathetic will come peep at F1. For me, no more. I find that it is just a fad and nothing great really just big engines and smelly burnt rubber bad for health and noise pollution and blocked roads. Its the media that spiced it up. I am glad I have woken up from this spell.
You mean you even attempt to peek? Oh my goodness.
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ya know what?
don't fricken politicise everything...
that's what the CSJ and his idiots do.. everything is political to them and somehow, they will twist it into an attack on the MIW... they sully everything...
to such a stage where people forget the real issues.. and when the real issues come up, people are desensitised by the barking and bleating of this bunch of whining charlatans...
sometimes, the best which CSJ can do for the people is to STFU
sheesh...
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Originally posted by yamizi:
You mean you even attempt to peek? Oh my goodness.
yes, i did. So, when Casino opens, I wont give a @#$@#$.Gambling has destroyed hundred of millions of families world wide.
Gambling can be evil.
Let the rich gamble their wealth away and hope not the poor becomes the victims.
People earning 3 millions should gamble it all away, every cent of it.
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Originally posted by likedatosocan:
yes, i did. So, when Casino opens, I wont give a @#$@#$.Gambling has destroyed hundred of millions of families world wide.
Gambling can be evil.
Let the rich gamble their wealth away and hope not the poor becomes the victims.
People earning 3 millions should gamble it all away, every cent of it.
It's all about the values that one should bear with.
Even if the casino is not open, there are people who gamble. It's just making another business legitimate in this sense. It's like betting on horse-racing.
If you can restrain yourself from committing it, then you shouldn't be afraid.
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Ok...let me say it now...SDP and CSJ are basically singapore's version of republicans and fox news, and can't even focus on the main issues.
And luckily the majority of singaporeans don't like the SDP...although there seems to be a rather large amount of people who is pro-SDP.
Oh well, almost every boards has those republican idiots around.
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Originally posted by ray245:
Ok...let me say it now...SDP and CSJ are basically singapore's version of republicans and fox news, and can't even focus on the main issues.
And luckily the majority of singaporeans don't like the SDP...although there seems to be a rather large amount of people who is pro-SDP.
Oh well, almost every boards has those republican idiots around.
then who is the democrats? the current gahmen?
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Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
Singaporeans young and old converged on the grassy knolls
So it was YOU who killed JFK.... well I never... lol
I have to say though I find this kinda thing farely amusing. As a nice little stereotype whenever foreign people are mentioned you're like rednecks with no cojones lol - you manage to completely ignore the fact that 90% of you 'locals' are in fact foreigners in your very recent ancestry, hell before we started settling and created a seperate state the true locals were all those Malays you guys like to get your claws into so much. And 75% of you are actually ethnically Chinese, and god knows from what I see round here you're much worse on them... so when you or your newspapers or whatever go on about the way foreigners are ruining your country I can't help but laugh a lil lol
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Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
F1 and our future
Singapore Democrats
As the souped-up engines roared and the fancy cars burned rubber on our roads, one in four Singaporeans turned up enthusiastically to watch the racing spectacle, making it a sport for the people with real mass appeal.Yes, that's what happened in 1966 when the Singapore Grand Prix was held at its permanent Upper Thomson circuit. Half-a-million people from a population of close to 2 million thronged the area to witness and enjoy the event in a carnival-like atmosphere. With food and drink in hand, Singaporeans young and old converged on the grassy knolls and whatever space they could find to catch the action that included the vintage and saloon car categories.
Contrast this with the recent F1 race held downtown. Reportedly 100,000 attended the spectacle β half of them tourists. One wonders how many of the remainder are millionaire residents and expatriates. With tickets ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, you can be sure few were locals.
Hotel accommodation around the circuit went for as much as $1,000 for standard rooms with the Government apparently demanding one-third of the revenue. Luxury yachts were available for rent for as much as a million dollars so that tycoons could entertain their guests.
What about the locals? Too bad -- no money, no talk.
The then-and-now of motor-racing is symptomatic of society in Singapore which has become the playground for the rich. There's really nothing wrong with this except that locals serve only as props and backstage hands to put up this grand show so that the PAP can bask in the accolades showered by the foreigners.
In fact, the commercial gain of the race to the average Singaporean was questionable. Businesses in the cordoned-off area were badly hit. Motorists couldn't get around the city area without having to take detours because of the road closures.
What about the jobs created from the race? As with much of everything else, foreign workers were available in abundance to ensure that no crumb that fell off the organiser's and Government's table was left behind.
The casinos are another example. Built by the foreign poor to cater to the foreign rich, Singaporeans are just bystanders cued to ooh and aah at the right moments when the Integrated Resorts are unveiled.
Easy money. That's what the F1 and casinos really represent. They are there for one purpose and one purpose only: To continue attracting the super-rich to this island by bringing in entertainment only they can afford. This way, the PAP can tell us how wealthy we are even as we see our real incomes shrink and retirement savings evaporate.
This is not the kind of economy built on enterprise and diligence. We know we can't compete on the innovation front with a system that is determined to wring the creative life out of every resident living here. So we resort to creating an island where dirty money, vice and thrills for the rich can call home. The PAP calls it "vision".
The question that Singaporeans had better be asking is: Is our country headed in the right direction? Is making money, however we do it, the be-all and end-all of this country? With the economic crisis looming ahead are we prepared for the knocks when we've placed ourselves in the hands of so-called financial movers and shakers?
Even as we build this playground that we call Singapore, we had better start thinking of the shelter we will be needing pretty soon.Good article... I went to town during one of those days and road blocks everywhere made me waste lots of petrol...
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Originally posted by Agenda:
then who is the democrats? the current gahmen?
Nah....we don't have one. In some ways, the PAP is leaning right on certain issues...but they do lean left on other issues.PAP is definetly more left than the Republicans.
Hell, even by the world's standards, the democracts are not considered liberal. Just because Obama's belongs to the democracts does not mean I like Democracts as a whole.
Look at Nancy Poleski for example, another idealist who have no damn idea how the world function.
We don't need to be happy with democracts in singapore simply because there is a republican like party here. (Looking at how the republicans attacks other party, they are basically how the SDP and some of their supporters attack the PAP, we don't like you hence you should suffer...those kind of mentality.)
Perhaps a party that is liberal. ( the SDP can't be considered liberal, as you must realise screaming human rights and democracy can't be considered to be liberal) If anything , SDP is somewhat libertarian (as they seems to be more interested as an anti-government orgainzation than wanting to be the government)
However, don't be liberal until you allowed legal use of drugs and so on, as there is no point in allowing people to do stupid actions ( Society is basically a bunch of kids, and if a kid do a stupid action, you stop him from harming himself and others. Which is why we need the government to be a little socialist at times)
Other than that, they can be liberal about certain sexual issues, and tear down those stupid laws about sex. Great...you cannot own pornography yet at the same time, you can watch it? What kind of stupid law is that? Unnatural sex? Who the hell even enforce that law anyway, and who even follows that law?
Perhaps demostrations that is tightly regulated ( come on, look at the movie Money not enough 2, and the post of some members here. They can't even tell the difference between a riot and a peaceful demostration)
Liberal in a sense that they are more willingly to be more open to a certain extend, somewhat socialist ( screw free market and expecting people to be smart...people aren't smart) , is willingly to go nuclear for energy usage, re-industralise the economy ( we can't be too focused on teritary economy, once the spending power of the US economy has collasped, or the world hits a global recession or even great depression, hard to save the economy when we are too focused on teritarty economy)
Again, emphasis the importance of education, and the need for everyone to get a degree at the least. ( We don't need a population of dumb people, or a population where it is ok to be dumb. If that's the case, we are basically following the ugly part of the US, the southern states, and the republican base. )
Emphasis the importance of science, and allows students to talk about politics in class, this is an age of internet( not the 1960s) , its better to let the students grow up with knowledge of the politics, and be concerned. Tell me how many people in secondary schools or even Polytechinc is even concerned about politics, beyond hating the PAP.
Hating PAP for no other reason, other than they are the PAP is bad...just like the Republicans base.
Most importantly, don't just talk about social issues. Don't give me those coffee shops talks, about the fact that raising tax and etc is the only issue people can talk about.
Come on, don't ever let singapore politics become something like the US...where people can be blinded into supporting a certain party, simply because one party offered more tax cuts. Be flexible, if the people is not doing so well, lower the tax, when people income and etc is rather high or decent enough, raise the taxes.
( Don't be frightened of losing votes simply because you raise the tax when the economy and the people are doing well...since when can humanity overcome their desire of greed, and not knowing how much money is more than enough for them. Same thing as wanting a bigger house even though you don't need a bigger house...why do you need a 2 storey house when you only have a family of 3? )
Energy policy, economic policy, trade policy, and if necessary, go against the rising demand for more religion influnence in politics ( I'm looking at you chrisitans, as you guys did want singapore to have a more religious influence in politics) . Come on, christians in singapore, just because other ('liberal') countries is doing something stupid does not mean we have to follow them.
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Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:
Good article... I went to town during one of those days and road blocks everywhere made me waste lots of petrol...
Dun worry lah, Uncle, I try not to organise trip for IMH patient on such day anymore, sorry for the inconviences caused.Anyway, does anyone knows that F1 is in financial crisis too, they make a lost of 75millions this year, and is also not getting sponsors to help them out. I hv doubt that they will come here again as they seek to reduce races and try to concentrate back on their core tracks in Monte Carlo and other parts of Europe. As Ferrari boss said, singapore is a circus track, and after racing, back luck fall in.
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Dun worry lah, Uncle, I try not to organise trip for IMH patient on such day anymore, sorry for the inconviences caused.wow, your delusions are getting worse everyday... but please don't stop bumping up my threads... you are the only loyal coolie I have remaining, it seems....
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