[MyAppleMenu] Dec 29, 2011

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Thu Dec 29 18:59:01 EST 2011

MyAppleMenu
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**** How To Monitor Your Mac's Firewall Logs <http://www.macinstruct.com/node/420>
Macinstruct

Most events logged by the firewall are completely harmless. There's no reason to be concerned about 99% of the events in the log, unless you're experiencing connectivity problems on your Mac.

**** Review: Parallels Desktop 7 For Mac <http://9to5mac.com/2011/12/28/review-parallels-desktop-7-for-mac/>
Jordan Kahn, 9 To 5 Mac

Most of the improvements for speed are noticeable when booting up and switching between Windows and OS X apps. We had IE, Paint, and Windows Media Center open in Windows 7 using Coherence mode, Safari, and Text Edit open on Lion when things started to slow down. With those expected issues aside, it is a major update and certainly takes advantage of Lion to the fullest.

**** Press The Escape Key To Generate Spelling Suggestions In Mac OS X <http://lifehacker.com/5871691/press-the-escape-key-to-generate-spelling-suggestions-in-mac-os-x>
Adam Dachis, Lifehacker

**** So You Were Given A Tablet. Now What? <http://www.chron.com/business/silverman/article/So-you-were-given-a-tablet-Now-what-2425901.php>
Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle

If you want to protect your new prize and get the most out of it, there are some other things you'll want to do.

**** Apple May Hurt Shareholders With Patent War <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-28/apple-seen-hurting-shareholders-with-jobs-s-thermonuclear-patent-war-tech.html>
Peter Burrows, Bloomberg

Now, as rulings start coming in, it might be time for a détente that helps Apple maximize the value of its patents, said Kevin Rivette, a managing partner at 3LP Advisors LLC, a firm that advises on intellectual property. When courts side with Apple and impose bans on infringing products, competitors can often devise workarounds; in cases where Apple doesn’t win import restrictions, it would be better off striking settlements that ensure access to a competitor’s innovation, he said.

**** Hands On: Airfoil To The Rescue For Streaming From Mac To Apple TV <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/12/hands-on-airfoil-to-the-rescue-when-streaming-from-mac-to-apple-tv.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Keira Knightley’s Vagina <http://thenewinquiry.com/post/14919625537/keira-knightleys-vagina>
Kartina Richardson, The New Inquiry

There is no joy in watching another person’s suffering, but the rearing of dark secret sexual power reminds of the mysteries of sexuality — the expanse that lies there untapped and, of course, its inherent relation to birth and death.

**** Between The Lines <http://www.lamag.com/features/Story.aspx?ID=1568281>
Dave Gardetta, Los Angeles Magazine

“L.A.,” says Shoup, “required 50 times more parking under Disney Hall than San Francisco would allow at their own hall.” Downtown already had an oversupply of garages and lots where music fans could leave their cars. “After a concert in San Francisco,” says Shoup, “the streets are full of people walking to their cars, eating in restaurants, stopping into bars and bookstores. In L.A.? The bar next door at Patina is a ghost town.” Receipts that should have gone to the philharmonic’s endowment instead are funding enough parking for nearly every ticket holder to park a car every night downtown.

**** Married Love By Tessa Hadley – Review <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/29/married-love-tessa-hadley-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Alfred Hickling, The Guardian

Tessa Hadley compresses a novel's-worth of detail into each short story.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Not In My Parliament <http://sonofadud.com/2011/12/28/not-in-my-parliament/>
Reinventing The Rice Bowl

There is a system for sectarian/ partisan/special interest voices and it is lobby groups and civil society activists. In a truer democracy, diversity and alternate views would be represented by the balance of MP’s from different parties accurately representing the balance of their constituencies and that balance would keep the government to account. We can keep the government to account in a variety of other ways and one would be to install a parliamentary ombudsman.

We do need to start putting in place the building blocks of democracy if we are ever to develop towards being a fully functioning, fair democracy. The NMPC scheme acts as a kind of apprenticeship and is therefore useful for training up parliamentarians for the alternative Parties. The NMP scheme is more akin to a, ‘bring your son to work day”. And here’s the rub. I’ve yet to see any NMP actually go on to stand for election and fight to gain a mandate of the people or even aspire to become an MP, so it is completely misleading to bill this as some kind of ‘politicisation.’

**** Have A Dedicated Traffic Radio Station <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_749565.html>
Chen Bin, Straits Times

Facebook and Twitter are also good ways to update and share traffic information. Information can be 'crowd sourced' but as a whole, there should be an official portal which can gather all sources and provide timely and accurate traffic information. Radio is in a good position to be this portal.

**** 公共服务须贤廉并重 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl111229_001.shtml>
吴泽阳, 联合早报

新加坡的这一建国历史说明，真正有公共服务心态的人才是不会以金钱为重的。当我们在为政治人物的薪水要减多少而辩论的时候，我们应该扪心自问：“我们这一代有做得比先辈更好吗？政治人物每个月的薪水拿得心安理得吗？”我认为良好、合理的薪资只不过是一种生活的保障，而不应该是一种让公职人员暴富的途径。

新加坡民主党在11月底便提出了一份薪金建议报告，里面提到新加坡人口的第20百分位数（20th percentile）的月收入是1400元。民主党的建议是将部长的薪水定在这个水平的30倍，即4万2000元。本人觉得这个建议很合理。第一，4万2000元的月收入在新加坡生活已经十分宽裕，是属于最高收入的10%的人群（2010年统计局数据）。第二，这种锁定低收入工作者工资的做法，有助部长在制定政策时能切切实实地为低收入人群着想；在不牺牲低收入人群的利益的前提下，为新加坡的发展制定公平的政策。

**** 24小时营业方便食客却干扰了居民 首家餐馆营业时间遭限制 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp111229_004.shtml>
林妙娜 黎远漪, 联合早报

这是首家被限制营业时间的餐馆，而这项限制是环境局和该区基层组织顾问与基层领袖共同商议的结果。

**** Singapore's Counterterror Success <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204720204577126101696193594.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
Ali Soufan, Wall Street Journal

The Singaporean government understood that developing programs to counter terrorist recruitment efforts is a crucial part of any counterterrorism strategy. Otherwise law enforcement and intelligence operatives can be drawn into a never ending "cat and mouse" game if terrorists are allowed to continue hijacking local grievances for support and recruits. While in some countries investing money and effort on rehabilitation programs is seen as being soft, the Singaporeans see it as an important weapon. They understand that it goes hand-in-hand with intelligence and law enforcement work, and is an important (if forgotten) tool.

The impact of the program on the community has been positive. The Muslim community feels it is part of the effort to protect Singapore from outside terrorists and corrupters. The threat from JI has diminished. Together with colleagues, as part of a study sponsored by the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies, we looked at Countering Violent Extremism programs around the world and found Singapore's to be very effective.

**** Slower Train Speeds Will Stay For Now: SMRT <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111229-0000072/Slower-train-speeds-will-stay-for-now--SMRT>
Today

**** Temasek Looking To Sell Majority Stake In Pakistan Bank - Report <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/28/temasek-pakistan-idUSL3E7NS5KV20111228>
Kevin Lim, Reuters

Singapore state investor Temasek is looking to sell its 88.6 percent stake in Pakistan's NIB Bank after heavy losses, the Business Times reported on Thursday quoting a source.

**** Domestic Workers In Singapore Open To Mistreatment <http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/stories/201112/s3399117.htm>
Radio Australia

**** So, Who Is Going To Solve #Sgflood? <http://kirstenhan.me/2010/07/21/so-who-is-going-to-solve-sgflood/>
Funny Little World

We pay our ministers good amazing salaries and put our trust in them to run this country and serve the needs of the people. When troubles arise, we deserve to know that they are stepping up to the plate and doing the jobs they have been entrusted with. We deserve to hear their apologies for having let us down the first time ’round, and assurances that they are learning from their oversight and fixing the problem.

**** Hard Truths Or Hardly True - Ministerial Salaries? <http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/348-hard-truths-or-hardly-true-ministerial-salaries?>
Andrew Loh, Publichouse.sg

But whatever one may think or feel about the matter, it is also true that money does play a part, perhaps not an insignificant part, in how one decides whether to step up to public office – especially at a time when Singaporeans are more demanding and the challenges tough and daunting.

**** Committee Of Inquiry Appointed For SMRT Disruptions <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111229-0000124/Committee-of-Inquiry-appointed-for-SMRT-disruptions>
Today

Chief District Judge of the Subordinate Courts, Mr Tan Siong Thye, has been appointed as chairman of the COI. The other members are Professor Lim Mong King, Professor, School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University and Mr Soh Wai Wah, Director of Prisons.

The COI's seven terms of reference include to establish the cause or causes "and any other contributory factors for the two incidents, including factors that may have endangered public safety", make recommendations to minimise the recurrence of such incidents as well as to improve the management of similar incidents.

**** Liat Towers To Build Anti-flood Curb <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1173917/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

iat Towers is planning to build a 60-centimetre curb over a drain that runs along the side of the building as a last resort to keep water out of its basement.




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