Cannot withdraw CPF nor use it for studies

Silly report on CPF:

Some 13 per cent of students who had drawn on their parents' CPF savings for their tertiary education have not been able to pay back the money despite the CPF Board's enforcement efforts.

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"To prepare for an ageing population, we should not expand the use of CPF for education," said Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen.

Yes yes, don't send your children to uni otherwise you will die old and penniless.

Isn't the whole point of university education to break the poverty circle and increase income?

Another Silly policy.

Enough places in local universities for Singaporeans: MOE

Silly report on university places:

The number of university places should not be expanded too quickly so as to ensure quality, according to the Education Ministry, when asked by Parliamentarians if there were enough places in the local universities for Singapore students.

The three local universities will provide 14,685 places this year, a 10 percent increase from the previous year.

University places for foreign students are over and above those set aside for local students.

The universities do give priority to local students. And for our students who can qualify based on the requirement of each discipline and each faculty would have been given admission. Beyond that, the universities would want to ensure there are also sufficient foreign students to provide diversity.

23,000 foreign students applied and only 987 or 4.3 percent were given places.

If there are zero foreign students next year, there will be 987 extra spaces for local students.

Does that mean the quality will drop? Obviously no.

I think we can safely say that the top 14,685 or 1 million students in the world are brighter and more qualified than the top 14,685 Singaporean students. Does that mean all our university places should go to foreign students?

Our local universities are for educating Singaporeans. If their results show them to be in the top 14,685 of their cohort, then give them a place.

Want to set aside places for foreign students?

OK, then expand intake at the same time so that local students are not forced into polytechnics, private or overseas universities.

It'll be Silly to slow down intake expansion and allow more foreign students at the same time.

Silly Mr Wang says "Time For Another Example"

Mr Wang is a Singaporean blogger. I used to think he was a smart guy, being a lawyer and all.

Until his recent incarnation as a Sillyporean - he believes that thoughts can affect reality.

Now, after seeing some photographs on the Internet, he also believes that thoughts and emotions can change water molecules.

Or words written on a card placed under a beaker of water.


The above is a crystal sample taken from Fujiwara Dam. No special thoughts had been directed at the water.


This one is a crystal sample taken from the exact same source, Fujiwara Dam. However, the water had been prayed over, before it was frozen and the crystal sample was taken.


This crystal sample is taken from water that had been subjected to the words "You Make Me Sick, I Will Kill You".


Whereas this one above had been subjected to the words "Love & Appreciation".

Yes, those of you who are familiar with pseduo-science would recognise the photos of Masaru Emoto.

Here're the facts about Emoto:

• These are actually not photos of water molecules, but ice crystals.
• He picks and chooses which photos to represent which particular words. So for "Love", he will select the most beautiful photo and ignore all the ugly ones. Vice versa for "Hate" etc.
• He has never been able to replicate his "experiments" under a double-blind condition.
• He kept quiet when challenged by the Randi Foundation, which is an organisation dedicated to exposing pseudo-science and fraud.
• The appearance of the crystals are actually affected by the rates of freezing than its content. So it doesn't mean that "ugly" crystals come from polluted water.

Some useful links if you wanna find out more:

• Is Masaru Emoto for real?
• Audiobook review: The hidden messages in water by Masaru Emoto
• Science fiction
  

Now, Mr Wang admits that:

Masaru Emoto, however, graduated from a rather obscure university and isn't particularly well-known for academic brilliance or rigour. In fact, his experimental methodology has been criticised for lacking various technical controls

So why does he still believe in Emoto? Who knows, probably he just wants to.

What a Sillyporean.