Singaporeans have a new destination to visit to collect money

SINGAPORE: Every few weeks, 79-year-old Tan Mui Sng heads to the reverse vending machine at the void deck of her Serangoon housing block with a trolley and bags of empty containers in tow.

The retiree returns dozens of containers each time, earning a few dollars in deposits — the result of hours spent scouring her neighbourhood for discarded drink cans and bottles....

"For this one, there's much more money," she said in Mandarin, adding that she used to earn S$0.50 (US$0.39) for every 1kg of containers she sold to the rag-and-bone man.

She has lost track of how often she has used the reverse vending machine, but estimated earning more than S$10 from returning containers.

Under the scheme, consumers have to pay a refundable 10-cent deposit on eligible beverage containers, comprising pre-packaged plastic or metal containers with volumes between 150ml and 3,000ml. CNA

Singaporeans now have a new destination to visit other than the church. There are many reverse vending machines being placed in housing estates for Singaporeans to visit regularly to deposit their plastic and metal containers, and be rewarded with 10c or 15c per container. Oops, locals and foreigners can also do the same. They will not only be doing a good deed to save the world, to green the world, but also be rewarded with a few dollars or a few cents, depending on how many containers they brought along.

Retirees like the one mentioned in the above quote would be very happy to do so, doing some good deeds and getting some pocket money, and also as a form of exercise. If 50% of the 6m residents do it once a week, you can imagine the traffic flow, 3m trips a week or 12m trips a month or 144m trips a year. Additional positive effect of these visits is that the retirees and those without an income could actually generate some income by working a bit harder scouring for discarded containers.

Who are the real people paying for this and for the machine, the staffing and system management, the consumers of drinks, beers and whatever that have recyclable containers of course.  The whole system and movement of millions of people are all paid by the consumers of plastic bottles and metal containers. Please don't remind these consumers that they now have to pay more for their drinks because of this great scheme. For many, especially the millionaires, what is paying a few dollars more? For those who are living from pay check to pay check, sorry lah, just pay more visits to these machines to get your money back or absorb the higher cost.

Singapore being one of the richest country in the world, many would not be bothered to make such trips for a few cents or a few dollars. Small change. One thing will change, the lifestyle of Singaporeans and how they would allocate time for this ritual as part and parcel of life in the island. How long will this fad last? For the happy retirees, this will be a part of their lives, collecting metal containers and plastic bottles and to visit the shrines to earn some pocket money. It can be a happy daily ritual.

Terminators tells us about the future and Hollywood fantasies

If the Terminator movies tell us anything about the future, it is something to expect with the development of AI. Forget about the big tech companies talking about self-regulation. Where making money is concerned, self-regulation does not work in that environment.

Of course, in those movies, humans eventually trumped the robots. It is to be expected in order to be able to come up with more sequels, more versions and more money to be made. James Bond can never die, right?

I am surprised that social media sites are trying to explain how magic is done, knowing that all that is just unreal stuff, sleight of hand, staged sets and using close participants masquerading as audiences. Just like Hollywood movies which we know is unreal, just entertainment make-believe stuff. There is a saying that crazy actors act in movies while the dull of mind audience soak up the foolery as if they are reality.

Superman, batman, wonder women, green lantern, incredible hulk, fast and furious and avengers - just keep the sequels coming. As old actors died or fade away, the role passed on to new actors, but the main theme is immortal.


Anonymous

India is the manufacturing hub for making Indian workers

India is going to be the manufacturing hub for producing Indian workers for the rest of the world. This is one sector that India will succeed beyond imagination. Just like making Indian workers the backroom workers for companies in the West, which is now in tatters in this era of AI.

The problem now befalling India is that countries are pushing back over the influx of Indians taking over jobs in the West and bringing their uncivil behavior along as well. Habits do not change just by being outside India. The Indian mentality is that others must do as the Indians do at home, and not the other way round. They think the caste system can just be implanted anywhere in the world. Well, people are waking up and telling them to fxxk off.


Anonymous

Good news - NATO and the European escalating war with Moscow

 NATO threatens to close Kaliningrad. Putin threatens to use nuke. This is about the best news since the Ukraine War. The primitive white savages cannot hide their animal instinct and craving for wars and killings. After Ukraine, they are going to open another front against Russia. This is good. Be your true self. Stop lying and demonising China and Russia as threats wanting to invade America and Europe. Just start more wars to show to the world how war crazy and blood thirsty the white savages are.  They are still craving for Empires and war of conquest, to rob, steal, plunder, loot and kill to colonise countries.  Russia is their primary target, so easy to take over with the combined forces of NATO, all 30 plus countries against solo Russia. Sure to win this time.

The white savages still believe in might is right, to conquer and rule over the coloured people, to be the masters of the world, by force, by military might. All the evidence is there, recent evidence, and only the very dense and blind cannot see. The invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Libya, the countries in the Middle East and Africa, Venezuela, Cuba and many Latin American countries, the take over of Queensland, were the living proof that might is right and the whites, especially the AngloSaxons, will readily use it to conquer and take over countries. Lunatic Trump proudly told the UN General Assembly of world leaders, he is going to annihilate the Iranians. If not restrained, this mad man will nuke Iran soon.

No wars in the world were fought without the white savages directly or indirectly involved in them. The good thing, many Global South leaders have seen the ugly truth and primitive behaviours of the white savages and keeping their countries free from wars incited by the white men. Let the white savages fight all the wars they want and kill among themselves. Leave the Global South in peace.

Go NATO Go! Start more wars in Europe. When will the Arabs and Muslims throw the American and Israeli terrorists out of the Middle East to live in real peace? Iran is going to be the bridge too far and will expedite the decline of the evil American Empire.

Singapore belongs to Singaporeans

Is this difficult to understand? Sometimes it does. In the USA, Trump believes he owns America and he is the emperor and his family is the royalties. Singapore belongs to Singaporeans ie Singapore citizens. Singapore does not belong to foreigners, not to PRs or anyone that happens to be here and calling himself or herself a local. Anyone thinks differently, that Singapore belongs to everyone that happens to be here, citizens, PRs, Work Permit holders, construction workers, foreign workers and foreigner students?

What does it mean when we say Singapore belongs to Singaporeans? It means Singaporeans are the real owners and must have a say in what is happening to Singapore, physically, demographically, socially, politically etc etc. One thing that is very clear, Singapore does not belong to anyone or political party that happens to be ruling Singapore. Ouch.

Whoever or which ever be the ruling authority of Singapore, they must know that it is only temporary, as a caretaker of Singapore for 5 years. After the term expires, the people decides who should be the next caretaker of Singapore. Am I right or wrong?

If Singapore belongs to Singaporeans, Singaporeans must have a say in major and critical issues, existential issues. The mandate as a caretaker of the island does not give all encompassing power to the ruling party or people to do everything they please. It is not a blank cheque.

For instance, the size of the population of Singapore, its demography and composition, the number of foreigners allowed in that would mess up the lives of Singaporeans for good or bad, the amount of land that should be deforested and mowed down, just like no one is allowed to cut down a tree without a permit, Singaporeans must have a final say. And of course how Singapore is to be cut out and shared by Singaporeans, not share with foreigners or freely converted new citizens. And this should include the wealth and assets of Singapore, how they should be used, how not to throw or give away to foreign entities under whatever guise.

So far, Singaporeans, the citizens, have been bypassed, like non existence, in many critical issues. No need to ask the Singaporeans, no need their permission, no need for referendum. What is a referendum? 

Singaporeans must speak out on what are considered red lines, existential issues that must be reverted to the real owners of the island to decide. Maybe the opposition parties may want to table this for discussion in Parliament. Maybe the ruling party may want to do this as well. Identify the critical and existential issues that needs the consent of Singaporeans. No? Singapore is not a little kingdom that belongs to some royalties. It is a republic and the citizens have a share in the island, the land, the wealth and assets and the opportunities to live, with all the rights as citizens, not to be told to share their rights with foreigners, non citizens, PRs etc. Not all locals are citizens.

What do you think?