[MyAppleMenu] Dec 8, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Q&A: Controlling iTunes Remotely <http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/qa-controlling-itunes-remotely/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
J.d. Biersdorfer, New York Times

**** Become A Customer Support Hero With Replies For Mac <http://smokingapples.com/software/become-a-customer-support-hero-with-replies-for-mac/>
Ankur Gupta, Smoking Apples

**** Tackling Keyboard Shortcut Woes In OS X <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57337941-263/tackling-keyboard-shortcut-woes-in-os-x/>
Topher Kessler, CNET

**** Big Screen, Powered By iPhone <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/technology/personaltech/epsons-megaplex-is-a-home-theater-powered-by-iphone-state-of-the-art.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=technology>
David Pogue, New York Times

The world is teeming with charging docks that also play their music. It shouldn’t have taken so long for someone to create a dock that also plays the photos and videos.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** How Do Writers Choose Pen Names? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/07/writers-pen-names?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Alison Potter, The Guardian

One of the fun things about being a novelist is inventing names for your characters. You can let your imagination run free, stripped of caution and compromise. But what happens when you have to choose a pen name? Suddenly, it's personal and heartfelt, challenging your identity and family history.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Can We Be Forgiven? <http://kirstenhan.me/2011/12/08/can-we-be-forgiven/>
Funny Little World

After charging the offender, prosecuting him at his trial, then fighting against his appeal, just how likely is the AG going to say, “You know what, I was wrong to demand the death penalty in court, this person doesn’t deserve to die after all, let’s pardon him”?

How is this not a blatant conflict of interest, and an unacceptable taint on our clemency process?

**** Public Tender For New Radio Frequencies Draw Five Bids <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111207-0000175/Public-tender-for-new-radio-frequencies-draw-five-bids>
S Ramesh, Today

A public tender to allocate two new radio frequencies - FM 89.3 and FM 92.0 - has received five bids at the close of the tender exercise on Tuesday.

**** Cashing Out Of Singapore Incorporated <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7238>
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net

Our cabinet ministers today can leave political office anytime and retire very, very comfortably in foreign lands in which many of their children hold dual citizenship.

The younger generation has no such privilege. They must continue the struggle, on their own.

**** Online Gaming Industry: To Regulate Or Not? <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111208-0000071/Online-gaming-industry--To-regulate-or-not?>
Teo Xuanwei, Today

It would be better for governments to license and regulate the online gambling industry than to turn a blind eye to the growing number of online punters worldwide, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report released yesterday argued.

**** Govt Moves To Curb Foreign Home Ownership <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111208-0000075/Govt-moves-to-curb-foreign-home-ownership>
Tan Weizhen, Today

To curb excessive investment demand on private homes, the government is imposing additional stamp duties - over and above the existing tax - on certain categories of property purchases from today. 

The imposition of the additional stamp duties surprised analysts and industry players, with the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (REDAS) criticising the timing of the cooling measure which comes as the Singapore economy is headed for a slowdown next year.

**** NParks Should Share Dead Specimens <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_742314.html>
Ken Mar, Straits Times

What is the rationale for the National Parks Board (NParks) to reserve animal, insect, bird and fish carcasses in the parks and reserves exclusively for the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research?

**** SlutWalk Singapore Puts Feminism In Focus <http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2011/12/07/slutwalk-singapore-puts-feminism-in-focus/>
Chun Han Wong, Wall Street Journal

The Association of Women for Action and Research, or AWARE, recently scored a win on this front, persuading the law minister to recommend repealing the statute permitting victims’ sexual histories to be used against them. But observers say the gender stereotypes that underpin such laws remain hard to dislodge.

**** Pinoys Warned Against Bringing Live Bullets Into Singapore <http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/12/07/11/pinoys-warned-against-bringing-live-bullets-singapore>
abs-cbnNEWS.com

Most of these Filipinos reportedly use the bullets as talismans or amulets. Many have been apprehended and detained, but were subsequently released with a warning.

**** Ex Table Tennis President Charged With Corruption <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1170100/1/.html>
Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia

The ex-president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) and former MP Choo Wee Khiang has been charged in court with corruption.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said from 2005 to 2007, it received several anonymous complaints against Choo, alleging that he had charged his personal airfares, expenses, phone bills to the Association and received gifts from Chinese coaches and players.

**** The President’s Power To Grant Stays Of Execution Revisited <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/12/the-president’s-power-to-grant-stays-of-execution-revisited/>
Ghui, The Online Citizen

If the President is to have the discretion to grant pardons, make it a proper one and if not, remove it from his mandate altogether. As it stands, it is a murky middle ground that serves no real purpose.

**** Shooting Ourselves In The Foot <http://www.adasiaonline.com/2011/12/shooting-ourselves-in-the-foot/>
AdAsia

The URA completion sends the wrong message to the business community: we don’t need to use a trained designer who has studied design and probably been in practice for several years, and we don’t need to pay professional fees to create a good logo or any other piece of design or communications. Anyone can do it!

**** CCS Reiterates That Price-fixing Among Businesses Is Illegal <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/12/ccs-reiterates-that-price-fixing-among-businesses-is-illegal/>
Competition Commission Of Singapore, The Online Citizen

CCS does not comment on individual cases because every CCS’ determination or finding is possible only after a thorough investigation of the detailed circumstances of each case.  Neither does it comment on whether it is investigating a case.

Having said that, CCS reiterates that price-fixing among businesses is illegal and opens them up to investigations and possible financial penalties under the Competition Act. Businesses are, however, free to determine their own prices independently.

**** The PA Helping PAP Win Aljunied? <http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/302-the-pa-helping-pap-win-aljunied?>
Andrew Loh, Publichouse.sg

Singaporeans do not require change which moves mountains. We only need change which places the interests of Singaporeans first and foremost.

And the PA is a good place to start. It has no business helping or seen to be helping a political party fulfill its political agenda.

**** Jumping On The Financial Bandwagon Part 1 <http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/perspective/special-feature/5069-jumping-on-the-financial-bandwagon-part-1>
Singapore Democratic Party

Given what happened in 2008 and, more important, the inability to provide a meaningful remedy for the ills of the global financial system, is it wise for us to get even deeper into it? Remember that we lost billions of our CPF dollars through the GIC and Temasek Holdings in taking these high-stakes bets that bankers play.

That bandwagon that we jumped on could be headed straight for the edge.

**** Property Moves: Smart Or Dumb-dumb? <http://singaporegirl.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/property-moves-smart-or-dumb-dumb/>
Food Fuels Me To Talk...

**** PA Will Openly Campaign For PAP <http://www.raviphilemon.net/2011/12/pa-will-openly-campaign-for-pap.html>
Ravi Philemon

The PAP has absolutely no concept about fairness and no guilt-feelings whatsoever in using the institutions of the State for its own political advantage.

**** Jakim Declares Book On Lee Kuan Yew Haram <http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/jakim-declares-book-on-lee-kuan-yew-haram/>
Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

Federal Islamic authorities have declared haram a book in which Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew urged Muslims in Singapore to be “less strict on Islamic observances.”

According to procedure, the list of books declared haram is sent to the home ministry for further action but it is unclear if the home ministry has followed suit and banned the books.

**** NTA’s Action <i>Is</i> Shameless Price-fixing: CCS, Take Action <http://rogerpoh.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/ntas-action-is-shameless-price-fixing-ccs-take-action/>
SpotlightOnSingapore

If the Competition  Commission of Singapore (CCS) fails to take any action, a precedent will have been set. Then we may have other associations calling upon their members to increase prices.

**** NMP Applications Close, At Least 20 Names Submitted <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1170211/1/.html>
Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia

The spillover interest from Singapore's recent watershed General Election translated into a healthy number of people coming forward to submit their names for the NMP post.