The "Sideswipe" Column

[Perspective]

Bless you as well. And I do meet it. Retiring for this year unless someone has problems with chicken and duck again.

Why are you uptight about everything? I was referring to my posts often not being understood by Sideswipe and he often replied me as if he wasn't reply, and I don't think using Chicken and Duck to describe that is too far away. He's now seldom seen there, if anyone noticed. Don't have to bring yourself or other people or other issues in. Not everything revolves around you.

Merry Christmas and be blessed.

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

I am in complete agreement with this suggestion. I was at the time it was made and I still am today.

Would you want to be treated by a doctor who gained his qualifications in the 70s when the medical world still believed that the primary cause of stomach ulcers was stress and had not kept up to date regarding developments on the medical world?

Would you want to be flown across the world by a pilot who had not been certified in the last 5 years?

Would you hire a cobol programmer to develop your website?

Since everyone in the forum seems to be on the subject, here's wishing you a blessed pagan holiday.

LEONGSAM, what you and LBH suggest is impractical, unworkable, unfeasible, not tenuous, illogical, unworkable, and unfair.

A degree lasting only 15 years? A diploma lasting only 10 years? Then after that, what next? The person cannot seek alternative employment and has to be stuck at his present post with no prospect of advancement because he no longer has a degree or diploma?

Or, the person has to resign from his job unless he obtains a 2nd degree? So after two decades my Masters or my Bachelors is cancelled and I revert back to high school level? Then how do I change occupations, move up the corporate ladder, use my credentials to qualify myself to my customers, clients, bosses, co-workers, etc?

LEONGSAM, you have to understand the distinction between a degree or diploma (primary certification) and continuing education (or continuing certification). A primary certification is meant to give you the foundation and the competency to do your job.

Continuing certification on the other hand, which is required for many occupations, is to maintain relevancy, which is what you and LBH are after. These can comprise of short courses, taking periodic tests, etc. Medical profession is full of this. Doctors are also required to keep abreast of relevant advancement/research, although I am not clear how this is assessed.

 

[zhihau]

Its the same with Zihau sadly, he now seldom engages in conversations to avoid confrontation

bro,
i'm non-confrontational to begin with, i'd gladly give my piece of mind if it is so required.
a bit sloppy of me as i grew lazy to keep tab of people whom responded to what i've wrote
must also add that my work kept me slightly more busy over the last year & a half.
but once a sammy always a sammy, would still be reading the threads when time permits :p:p:p

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

bro,
i'm non-confrontational to begin with, i'd gladly give my piece of mind if it is so required.
a bit sloppy of me as i grew lazy to keep tab of people whom responded to what i've wrote
must also add that my work kept me slightly more busy over the last year & a half.
but once a sammy always a sammy, would still be reading the threads when time permits :p:p:p

Happy holidays, Zhihau. I've been reading your posts since the old delphi days. Not only are you non-confrontational, you are very fond of peace. Buddhist background, if I remember correctly. Kudos to you on remaining above the fray throughout the various upheavals which spilled over to the new forum, which must have been hard as your real name was always up on the masthead and you also met some people in real life, I believe. Hope you will do well in 2012 and you should enjoy good karma because of your good behavioir :-)

 

[zhihau]

Happy holidays, Zhihau

bro,
wishing you & your loved ones a blessed Christmas too
i'm still counting my blessings, i reckoned the pressure isn't that much despite using my real name is because i'm a nobody :p:p:p

 

[Fook Seng]

I am in complete agreement with this suggestion. I was at the time it was made and I still am today.

Would you want to be treated by a doctor who gained his qualifications in the 70s when the medical world still believed that the primary cause of stomach ulcers was stress and had not kept up to date regarding developments on the medical world?

Would you want to be flown across the world by a pilot who had not been certified in the last 5 years?

Would you hire a cobol programmer to develop your website?

When you wish to make such earthshaking changes to our society please also take recognition that the same arguments can be used for a single term Prime Minister, a single term Minister and single term MP. Many have well past their Used By dates.

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

When you wish to make such earthshaking changes to our society please also take recognition that the same arguments can be used for a single term Prime Minister, a single term Minister and single term MP. Many have well past their Used By dates.

Actually that's not true. Leongsam's and LBH's argument is based on the assumption that what you studied 10 years ago is irrelevant and hence your paper credentials should be nullified. It is of course absurd. Tell me how the basic principles of architecture has changed so drastically in 10 years. Or history, or politics, or economics, or chemistry, for that matter.

The argument for single term PM, etc, is based on other factors like even playing field, denying the incumbent too much of an advantage, prevent abuse of power, etc. The incumbent president in the US can only serve 2 terms, the rule is waived only in times of war (notably WWII when FDR served 12 years).

 

[Leongsam]

When you wish to make such earthshaking changes to our society please also take recognition that the same arguments can be used for a single term Prime Minister, a single term Minister and single term MP. Many have well past their Used By dates.

It's already in place for politicians. In Singapore, the mandate to govern lasts only 5 years. It expires at the end of this period and if the same person wants to be the PM again, he has to seek a fresh mandate from the electorate.

If the electorate decides that a particular politician is past his/her "use by date", they can terminate his/her employment via the ballot box.

Why do I get the impression that many here type with fingers without first engaging brain.

 

[zhihau]

Why do I get the impression that many here type with fingers without first engaging brain.

before the day ends, i think i want to wish you a merry and blessed Christmas. have a good one

 

[Leongsam]

Tell me how the basic principles of architecture has changed so drastically in 10 years. Or history, or politics, or economics, or chemistry, for that matter.

Let's take the architecture you mentioned as an example. It has changed drastically. In the 60s and 70s, architects did not have to factor in "carbon footprint", "resistance to terrorist attacks" and so on.

Neither did they have the range of building materials that are available today which have changed the very foundations of building design.

Architects who graduated 40 years ago are out of date. If they don't keep up to date on the advances in building technology, their designs would be way out of date. The best way of forcing them to embark upon a process of continuous learning is for their qualifications to expire. They are then compelled to get themselves re certified.

Pilots have to this all the time. The medical they go for in January expires in July. The certification they received to fly 747s isn't valid for the airbus A380.

Why should architects be exempt from a similar process?

 

[Fook Seng]

It's already in place for politicians. In Singapore, the mandate to govern lasts only 5 years. It expires at the end of this period and if the same person wants to be the PM again, he has to seek a fresh mandate from the electorate.

What mandate are you talking about? In an exam to obtain your degree you have to pass it all by yourself. In politics you cheat with the help of ours even though you could be a useless bum.

 

[scroobal]

Sam has confused himself by lumping everything together.

Tertiary qualifications reflect one's ability to achieve a certain standard. The degree and diploma recognises the ability. That recognition helps society make much more easier choices for recruitment, promotion and to assign responsiblities.

Accreditation and licensing is a separate paradigm where skills and knowledge must be current. Doctors, lawyers, pilots and even nurses in some countries are required to be carry a current licence to practice. Aircraft, the practice of medicine and law changes, so the need to keep up. A 1st Class in Law from Oxford will recognised for his accomplishment and that will not lose currency in the minds of reasonable people but he still needs to renew his licence if he wants to practice year after year. If he choses to give up his licence to take up sailing, nobody is going to think any less of him as they will remember he has a 1st Class from Oxford. I like to see the clown talk to the 1st class about expiry of his tertiary qalification.

The idiot Lim Boon Heng was referring to tertiary eduction and he was clear about that. When people began to laugh and mock him, he claimed to have been misinterpreted. But never went to explain what he really meatn.

 

[zhihau]

The idiot Lim Boon Heng was referring to tertiary eduction and he was clear about that. When people began to laugh and mock him, he claimed to have been misinterpreted. But never went to explain what he really meatn.

makes me wonder if he really wanted to take Aljunied GRC back

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

The idiot Lim Boon Heng was referring to tertiary eduction and he was clear about that. When people began to laugh and mock him, he claimed to have been misinterpreted.

LBH should be sideswiped.

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

makes me wonder if he really wanted to take Aljunied GRC back

LBH is logical choice for the job. First he has nothing to lose. Second it gives the PAP an excuse (which we will not buy of course) that they are not fielding 5 worthless idiots because LBH was an ex-minister, ex-party chair, and so on. Thirdly -- and this is something I;ve been thinking abt lately -- they probably want people like LBH as well as some other current party members like Hamilah, Lily Neo, etc, to portray the image that the party is changing with the times. in this sense the (crocodile) tears of LBH would be very handy, it would show someone actually cried at PAP's own policies. Complete wayang of course, but they can spin this up.

 

[scroobal]

I remember the first time this guy made a name for himself for being an idiot. It was the 2002 GE and prior to that PAP got the Toa Payoh Brothel to run a series of interviews with PAP MPs to show that they came from humble background and struggled to improve their lot like most Singaporeans. They started with a few MPs who mentioned things like they were born in a 1 room flat, queenstown, mother was a washerwomen routine etc. The only thing missing was how the father was fisherman and their fishing village was formerly in Shenton Way. Then this clown gave a jaw-dropping interview. He said that on his return from his Naval Architecture studies and placed on scholar programme and together with his working wife found that they have exceeded HDB salary ceiling. He stated that he felt discriminated and struggled to find housing. He then carried on with his "struggle" like Mao's long march. The high salary "struggle" made it way to print and as a cabinet minister no one wanted to check it. The next day old man nearly choked on his banana and luckily he was not into using an exercise bike if not he would have been injured. Naturally everyone got a screwing. The same clown bought a Mercedes which stalled along the causeway shortly after purchase. He made noise but found that in the Mercedes foodchain he was in the bottom quartile and they ignored him. So he called a meeting in NTUC and gave a talk about buying Japanese cars and how unreliable Mercedes was. It has been a comedy ever since. To keep him safe from self inflicted injuries, they made his co-chief birthday party organiser along with Arthur Lim for old man's birthday party and took away NTUC from him.

LBH should be sideswiped.

 

[kingrant]

Hahahaha...I had a good laugh. I have forgotten such a story but thanks for refreshing memories..what a hilarious piece of shit about the guy. Totally a bumbling idiot.

I remember the first time this guy made a name for himself for being an idiot. It was the 2002 GE and prior

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

.what a hilarious piece of shit about the guy. Totally a bumbling idiot.

He said that on his return from his Naval Architecture studies and placed on scholar programme and together with his working wife found that they have exceeded HDB salary ceiling. He stated that he felt discriminated and struggled to find housing. ... ... ... The same clown bought a Mercedes which stalled along the causeway shortly after purchase. He made noise but found that in the Mercedes foodchain he was in the bottom quartile and they ignored him. So he called a meeting in NTUC and gave a talk about buying Japanese cars and how unreliable Mercedes was.

And this is the ex PAP party chair. Amazing! If only the internet was an effective platform in 2001. Lacoste suits him perfectly.

 

[zhihau]

Thirdly -- and this is something I;ve been thinking abt lately -- they probably want people like LBH as well as some other current party members like Hamilah, Lily Neo, etc, to portray the image that the party is changing with the times.

MP Halimah just redeemed herself, SHT can take her place at Aljunied GRC :p:p:p
Dr Lily Neo deserves better than that, she could stand as an independent and she'll get my vote

 

[Leongsam]

Tertiary qualifications reflect one's ability to achieve a certain standard. The degree and diploma recognises the ability. That recognition helps society make much more easier choices for recruitment, promotion and to assign responsiblities.

That might be the case in the pure sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology etc. The degree is a recognition of your basic understanding of the foundation of each discipline.

However, when it comes to professional degrees such as architecture, medicine, pharmacy, computer sciences etc, the course content goes out of date so quickly that an expiry of the qualification should be mandatory.