What a joke !!...

This must be the biggest joke (The Straits Times, Friday 26 Oct 2007).

I can't believe that this is happening in a "First World" country. The MC and the Chairman must be "educated" people and yet they can "dream" of such draconian laws and by-laws.

We are talking about a condominium, supposedly owned by the "rich and educated" - well, I guess not. At the end of the day, the dog owners living there have themselves to blame.

Here's a thought : after reading the article, try substituting "dog" with "children" - and you'll know how I feel...

What you gonna do, AVA?

The complaints against us at "our" training ground is getting out of hand.

To cut a long story short, the issue now is that the Town Council did not give their permission for us to train there. Fine. Permission is between us and the CC.

Someone from AVA actually asked us for alternative training ground should the CC "revoked" it's permission for us to train there.

I find this a little amusing : Shoudn't AVA step in and offer some assistance?

With AVA advocating Responsible Pet Ownership, and training your dog IS part of being a responsible pet owner, shouldn't AVA have done something here?

This is what I find so ironic : on the one hand, AVA wants dog owners to train their dogs. On the other when we are kicked out of a place to train, the ball gets thrown back to our court and we're asked what we are going to do.

So I'm asking AVA back : you are not practicing what you preach. So all this advocating about training your dog as part of being a responsible pet owner is merely paying lip service?

We need a voice. AVA can be that voice.

But from the looks of it, I don't think we will ever be getting that voice, or any voice.

Afterthought : Maybe AVA can take the RPO campaign a little further. In addition to going to schools to sell the "snake oil", for a start, work with Singapore Sports Council & SKC and promote agility as a sport, and if I may push the envelope a little, promote obedience as a sport also, like badminton or swimming, etc. A family thing.

While I understand educating the young ones are important (that's why the school visits), educating grown ups are just as important, especially those "averse" to dogs (to quote from AVA) and what better way for them than to see the interaction, team work and joy in agility & obedience training.

Maybe, that's wishful thinking on my part.....

First World country.... or are we??...

The following articles all follow a common theme. Two of them are from The Sunday Times (30 Sep 2007). As I am not able to get a link from the site, I'm reproducing them here (sorry if it's a bit lengthy) :

Article #1 (Think - an editorial triggered from this article on the same day) :
Punish bad pet owners
Pets are being cruelly tossed out - again. Readers would recall that rabbits that were welcomed as bunnies by families in the run-up to the Year of the Rabbit were being abandoned within months. They were getting to be a handful as they grew. The cuteness was wearing off. This was a case of indecently treating animals as playthings. The heads of these households were complicit in not teaching the children about the responsibility that comes with keeping pets. This time it's dogs. The shame of it all is that it is chiefly about money. A sharp increase in the punitive fines to force dog owners to observe minimum standards of care for their pets is resulting in more dogs being thrown out. This is a damning comment on the screwed-up values that some people subscribe to. Mandated health checks and licensing of pets are the norm in any country that counts itself as progressive.

Sending the dogs to the SPCA and ad hoc animal shelters does not remove the stain that a refusal to pay requisite licensing fees and have compulsory veterinary checks attaches to their owners. But there's a saving grace in that the animals were placed in proper care. Inexcusable is the habit of abandoning the dogs to their own fate. Some have been found wondering in parks and on the road. Some were tied to trees and bus shelters. The law on animal cruelty should treat these pet owners no differently from abusers charged with torturing cats. Cruelty to animals is only slightly less reprehensible than subjecting old people and very young children to physical and psychological abuse. Animal-rights activists here frequently make the point that unless values and habits of common decency are second nature to the people, a nation of gorgeous infrastructure and high per capita income cannot think of itself as having entered the big leagues.

Article #2 (Inbox - letters to forum) :
Not First World behaviour by Larry Quah Chai Koon
Recently, I was at a roti prata restaurant for lunch. After our food arrived, a group of about 15 youngsters, not more than 21 years old, entered the restaurant and occupied two tables next to ours.
They started talking very loudly among themselves as soon as they sat down.
Desiring to finish my lunch in peace, I told the group that the restaurant was a public place and that they should not behave as though it belonged to them.
I also said they had to respect others' right to some peace and comfort, and tone down.
In most developed countries, including Japan, which I visited recently, most people would not behave in this way, out of respect for others.
Our country has evolved over some 40 years and our education system should, by now, have imbued in our young some semblance of acceptable social behaviour. The behaviour of this group of youngsters indicates otherwise.
It is thus little wonder that when I go to the movies, I also invariably hear mobile phones ringing and some people engaging in loud conversation, much to the annoyance of other movie-goers.
As we progress as a nation towards First World status, certain acceptable social norms must be upheld. However, the bevaviour of this group of youngsters suggests we may sadly be heading the wrong way.

Article #3 (The Straits Time Forum - 02 Oct 2007)

All these articles laments on the sorry state Singaporeans are in where compassion, consideration for others and common sense are concerned.

What's the use of being First World or World Class when people are inconsiderate and/or behave boorishly and show total lack of concern & compassion? I consider this a failure in progress.

We may have the hardware and infrastructure to be the best in the world but so what? It's software (or heartware - a term coined by SM Goh Chok Tong) that will work with the hardware to make it First World.

From the looks of it, our software is no where near First World.

Live and let live...

A complaint letter to The Straits Times Forum confirmed what I have always believed :

People are less tolerant nowadays .

I mean, think about it : how big can the fuel tank of these models plane be?

Big enough to cause a huge explosion and kill hundreds of people?



I don't think it's a major catastrophe if 2 of these planes collide. No one is going to die - unless the plane debris fall onto some unfortunate person (then again, the probability of walking under a HDB block and be hit on the head by killer litter is higher).

I really don't see what's the issue here. Hey, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. In other words, avoid that place if you think it's dangerous. Then again, I pity this guy. If this is bothering him, I think there are lots of other places that are far more dangerous - like walking under a HDB block, or pumping petrol where if there's an explosion, it's far worst than 2 model aircraft colliding! He should stay at home and not go anywhere. Even then, firing (no pun intended) the gas stove is just as deadly.

I think it's very selfish of this chap to complain and "urge the authorities to take appropriate action to prevent a serious accident". As if Singapore is not a "nanny state" enough, we don't need "good samaritans" like him to make it a more "stifled" place. Cut the crap, please...

LIVE & LET LIVE, MAN...

Hmm... maybe his real grouse is the illegal parking... hmmm...

Equine flu

So now it's equine flu.

I ask again : what "hygiene practices" are we "compromising"?

Swine Virus

First it was Mad Cow Disease where cows were infected.
Then came Bird Flu where chickens/poultry were infected.
Now Swine Virus where pigs (no prize for guessing right) are infected.

So again I ask : what "hygiene practices" are we "compromising"?