What do you want?

Sinkies are most happy when their property prices keep going up. Sinkies are even happier when they own more and more properties. Sinkies are happiest when they look at their bank accounts and see the number of zeros behind the digits keep growing.
 
Are these what Sinkies are happy about? Would Sinkies be happy to have more babies and children in their homes? The Govt think so but for the wrong reasons. There are different kinds of joy in life. Some want more money and properties, some want more power, some want more children. What do Sinkies want?
 
The way it is going, many will leave this world without having children or maybe one or two. Many may want to have more as having children is another kind of happiness, another kind of wealth that money cannot buy. Many Sinkies spent a lot of money going on holidays, visiting this place and that place, taking photographs of the places they visited. Some choose to stay at home to enjoy their children and grandchildren. Different interest, different joy, different happiness.
The govt also want children but of an unrelated kind. Strangers from all over the world are welcomed just to push up the economy, for economic growth. Is that a really good thing or a foolish thing to do?
 
While the social economic system in the country is designed to make the citizens childless or unbearable to have children, and the Govt could not understand why, and choose to import foreigners for economic growth that brings little or no joy to having your very own children and family, and the joy of seeing them grow.
 
Is there something not right somewhere? What is the purpose of this country if it is not to make the people, the citizens, happy and enjoy a fruitful life of abundance, not only in owning more and more expensive properties, but also having more children and a growing family?
 
Many will end up leaving behind all their material riches, money and properties, with no children to inherit them. When they pass away, it is all over. What is life and what do we live and strive a life time for? Some are contented that they lived well and do not bother after children after they are gone. It is life, our lives, not the lives of foreigners and people that have nothing to do with us. As a country, the Govt should be talking and thinking about how to make lives worth living in this island for its citizens, and having children and happy children must be a major goal in living. What is the point of having so many properties when there is no one going to live in them when the owners die? Oops, we shall invite the foreigners to take over this island and everything there is in it. 

Is that the purpose of it all?
 
I am just rumbling.

My First Skool – Sack all of them

When I first suggested the idea that all the staff in the childcare should be sacked, I thought I was over reacting and a bit harsh. Now with more cases of abuses being revealed, with more children have scratches and signs of abuses on their bodies and with a child having nightmare and unable to sleep, my call is not overreacting.
 
If Yusuf’s case has not surfaced, the poor children would continue to be in living hell, being bullied and abused daily. I really feel very sorry for the children there, daily being harassed by their caregivers without anyone having a clue of what was going on and with all the staff keeping quiet about it. It is not a childcare but a horror chamber.
 
At least two parents have made police reports of their children being abused in the same centre. And you have jokers saying that it was not abuse but mishandling. And you have asses who could not differentiate between disciplinary actions or the normal knocks and tumbles of children. Even disciplinary action is uncalled for at such tender age. How many of the children really know what they are doing and that their behavior is unacceptable and deserved to be punished?
 
The school administration must do a thorough investigation, review all the video recordings to get to the bottom of the problem. How painful it is to subject the children to such terrifying experience? The children need to be counseled and helped to forget this dreadful experience to grow up as healthy and well adjusted children. Hopefully the scar will go away fast. The whole thing is so sickening.
 
When so many cases of abuses are being reported, it only shows that Yusuf is not an isolated case and it did not happen overnight but could be ongoing for too long. Sack everyone of them for allowing the torture chamber to go on for so long and to put so many vulnerable children through such an ordeal. Every child will be adversely affected psychologically seeing how their playmates are being harassed and beaten daily.
 
Can you believe that this is happening in our neighbourhood? And no one seems to be concerned about the harm done to the children except their parents.

Should HFT be allowed in SGX?

Below is part of an article appearing in ‘TABB Forum, Where capital markets speak’, in response to Congressman Markey’s call for an immediate ban on HFT.
 
‘Congressman Markey, in a letter to the SEC on January 18, declared that HFT “represents a clear and present danger to the stability and safety of [US] capital markets and that it should be curtailed immediately.” Direct and to the point.
Congressman Markey backs this assertion with evidence drawn from market events, such as the Flash Crash and Knight Capital, as well as academic studies on the impact of HFT on markets and, therefore, Main Street. If I can synthesize his argument, essentially he states that:
 
1. The speed of HFT disadvantages other styles of trading.
2. HFT exacerbates volatility in the market.
And as a result …
3. ‘Other’ investors are scared away; and
4. Volume traded by HFT is therefore a dangerously high proportion of overall traded volume.
 
While I favor “working with HFT to address perceived dangers,” I have to say I see a thread running through the Congressman’s letter that I both agree with and, like the Congressman, find disturbing:
 
While most HFT is actually just normal-but-very-quick-trading, HFT strategies typically profit from very short-term pricing anomalies between two or more products or liquidity sources. Volatility in the market as well as market fragmentation and the lack of adequate consolidated price feeds in some (many?) markets generate these anomalies and make it easier for HFT strategies to succeed. In fact you might argue engineering volatility -- at the very least, exacerbating it -- is in the interest of HFT strategies.
 
As someone who is primarily concerned about the performance of long-only funds and future planning, this sounds unnerving; but it’s actually OK (just about OK, that is) if the volume traded by HFT is a small percentage of the total market. It’s a faint background noise. However, when HFT becomes a large, or even dominant, force in the market, then ‘other’ investors genuinely do have a reason to stay away. Who wants to play in a market where movement for movement’s sake has overtaken fundamentals? No thanks -- I’ll let the HFTs spar in a zero-sum game or volatility ping pong and stick my cash under the mattress....’
 
The position of Hildyard and some supporters of HFT is that it should not be banned but be controlled and managed. Presumably HFT can be controlled and managed. Below are a few comments to his article.
 
05 February 2013
any part of our industry that has a market share over 50 % is alarming and wrong .Here is where the exchanges board delivers correct governance to balance the correct order of play . Finally an automated kill switch is very simply applied as you refuse his key entry.
wsteetpro
 
05 February 2013
I fully agree. It's a matter of time before the markets go into another tailspin - HFTs produce zero economic output. Just skimming off other market participants. Capitalism at it's best!
Anonymous
 
05 February 2013
if they are using other investors as a profit engine (my perception) then there are real problems with the current market structure. Why would anyone want to invest in something when they know that others are embezzling their money out of the other side of the building?
John Harris
 
05 February 2013
Yes, by all means, let's have more government mandates. We can't have businesses deciding for themselves how to interact with their customers. If left to their own devices, exchanges and other market centers are certain destroy themselves, bankrupt their shareholders, and leave U.S. capital markets with no secondary markets at all....
crammond1964
 
05 February 2013
the problem being that a number of exchanges are lying in the same bed as the HFT ; therefore making a debate rather futile .
Exchanges deny their manipulation and HFT survive off the exchanges ridiculous rebate system .
shamlet76
 
05 February 2013
i think the market is broken. you have phony financials because of the off-balance sheet arrangements, you have market "gaming", which is fraud. shortselling and HFT is dominant. both shortselling and HFT is a capital outflow from the stock market. regulators have disregarded the investors' concerns, which is aiding and abetting shortselling and HFT. banks have become the enemy of their customers. current rules are not enforced. this isn't capitalism. it is a plutocracy.
if HFT was not harming the market, then they should explain where their $ is coming from? we know where it's going to - their pockets.
neither HFT nor shortsellers are investors. they are speculators, traders. but the global economy won't be able to get on it's feet as long as those money movements are taking place. when speculators become dominant, the markets lose.
honestman
 
05 February 2013
It is unfortunate that so many people offering comments have not read even the most fundmental text on direct digital control of processes used in any undergraduate Chemical Engineering curriculum in any accredited university. In something called closed loop control, a computer calculates the difference between the desired value for a process output and the actual value for the process output. Using that difference the computer makes a change in what is termed a "manipulated variable" that afffects the value of the process output. The process output is the price of a share of the stock whose price is being manipulated, the manipulated variable is the quantity of the stock offered for sale in a naked short sale. The computer can monitor the price of the stock as it is sent downward and can enter a buy at the appropriate point to avoid triggering a stock market "time-out" on the stock.
 
To increase the price of a stock, consecutive orders for a large number of shares are placed.
 
A computer program can monitor the effect of the sell orders and decide what action to take. The problem is compounded when large, privileged customers can see the order book and know what orders are out there. To help the manipulation along, rumors and half-truths can be instituted by "analysts".
Ignorance of basic control of chemical reactors is not an excuse for being stupid and saying the same jibberish over and over again in a meaningless diatribe that is full of sound and fury and signifies nothing but stupidity.


There are pro and against HFT camps. The reasons are obvious. The small investors will be outclassed and stand to lose their pants. It is like putting in a few vacuum cleaners to suck clean the small investors.
 
In a small market like SGX, the most fear factor mentioned, ie the dominance of HFT trades in volumes, will kill all the small investors for sure. Can the small investors of SGX survive the overwhelming presence of HFT and the huge volumes they created and monopolised the trading in the market? This unfair trading practice is dangerous to the big markets like NYSE. How can it be safe to a teeny weeny market like the SGX? The small investor will surely be mauled and the market will go ‘bonk’ for sure.
MAS and the Govt must seriously look into the introduction of HFT in SGX and don’t end up in a bigger mess than the Lehman bonds crisis. Knowing the risk, the unfair advantages and dangers of HFT, and to allow it to be introduced into our market is simply irresponsible and inexcusable.
 
If the MAS is adamant in wanting to have HFT in SGX, then it should be well advised to listen to Liquidnet founder and CEO Seth Merrin.
‘Merrin proposes the SEC create "HFT-free zones" to protect retail investors who wish to trade in a separate and slower lane while allowing HFT to continue. Retail investors, he says, should have the option and the opportunity to decide if they want to interact in the HFT zone.’

The rise of the Indian elite class in Singapore

The Indian community used to be one of the most powerful elite class in Singapore during the colonial days. They are second only to the Seranis or Eurasians in power and influence. They were initially transferred from the East India Companies, the unofficial trading arms of the British Empire. And they spoke and wrote English which gave them that special advantage over the non English speaking locals. They were like the extended arm of the British colonial masters.

After the British departed, the Indian elite continued to dominate the civil service and occupied most of the senior positions, in politics, in the judiciary, in the uniform services and in many of the ministries and stats boards.

The dominance of the Indian elite was challenged when the other races took up English education and started to use English as the medium for communication. The public service employment pie was subsequently shared more evenly relative to the racial composition of the population. Even then, the Indian elite still enjoyed a much bigger share of the pie relative to the size of their population.

Today, the Indian elite is entering its golden years in this city. They are everywhere in the top echelon of management, from politics, the govt ministries and to the industries. The Mediacorp has just appointed Walter Fernandez as the Group Editor In Chief. And there is Warren Fernandez, the Editor of the Straits Times and Patrick Daniel as Editor in Chief of the Straits Times. The three of them would have a big say the in content of the Media and wield great influence on what the readers shall read.

In the Cabinet there is the Dep PM and Fin Minister in Tharman, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister in Shanmugam, MEWR in Vivian, and another minister Iswaran in the PM’s office, also Second Minister in Home Affairs and Trade and Industry.

In the judiciary the Chief Justice is Sundaresh Menon and Indian high court judges have always been a part of the bench. Then there are many prominent senior counsels in practice.

The Chief of Army is MG Ravinder Singh.

Most notable is that the Indian elite distinguished themselves in finance. Other than Tharman as Finance Minister, there is Ravi Menon as MD of MAS. And the CEO of DBS, the national bank, is Piyush Gupta. There are many top Indians in the foreign banks as CEOs or in top management, and also in GIC and Temasek, including Dhanabalan as the latter’s Chairman. Their dominance in finance is unchallenged and this will grow bigger over time.

In the academia there are many prominent professors heading many departments. So is the field of medicine. The Indian elites are everywhere stamping their influence and authority in their respective fields.

The field of IT is more or less dominated by Indian professionals mainly from India. There is however a strange phenomenon, that the local Indians are somehow not very good in IT. And there is an increasing community of very rich Indian PRs and new citizens finding residence in the City. And they brought along their businesses, now the biggest group among the foreign investors here.

The Indian community is now a very formidable force to reckon with in all fields of enterprise in the island and will play an increasing role in the growth and development of the country. Not forgetting we had two past presidents in Nair and Nathan, not counting the numerous very rich individuals among them. Singaporeans will have to be better acquainted with this development and acknowledge the bigger role played by the numerically small Indian community. But this is set to change with CECA and the India Indians finding this island a very conducive and good place to do business and bringing up children.

My First Skool child abuse…No, I am innocent

After viewing the video clips on the child abuse at My First Skool Toa payoh, one cannot but feel the pain of the poor child and the parents. Shit, how could such wickedness still happened in this first world city? How could it happen in broad daylight in front of so many adults and none of them feel any sense of responsibility and guilt to care and protect a helpless child? How could a child be left in the hands of a cruel adult while the rest turned to look the other way?

This incident is the same as the intern that was slapped in front of so many colleagues for so long. And the child abuse will continue if the parents did not have the presence of mind to check on the CCTV, or for some reasons the CCTV tape was not shown to them.

There is no point talking about this any more. The sickness of this society must be put right immediately. Every adult in the school must be sacked right away to put a message across that they cannot turn a blind eye to cruelty against children, helpless and vulnerable children. Not only parents must be made to feel safe when they left their children in schools or childcare centres, the children must be protected from being bullied and tortured behind the backs of their parents. How can parents be at ease to put their children in the care of others, supposedly trained and professionals?

The message that everyone in the school must be responsible for the well being of little children must get across. Not reporting abuses is as good as being accomplice to the vicious attack and guilty of the act.

And the torturers of children must be put behind bars, just like employers beating and torturing maids and foreign workers. This City is sick to the core if such cruelties are not nip in the bud and allowed to continue in childcare centres or schools, or in workplace again and again. Even one more case is one more case too much.

Why is it that no Sinkies will ever stand up to right a wrong, to defend the weak or a wicked act? After so many decades of being conditioned, better not to speak up, just obey, just do as being told, do not defy and oppose authority, this is what Sinkies have become. Not my business, and I did not do it, so I am innocent.

The people, a first world and well educated people, must be empowered to look after themselves, their environment and their neighbours and fellow citizens, especially the weak and helpless. But no, they are all kiasi, kiasu and kia tai chee. Don’t get yourself into trouble, into other people’s trouble. In this child abuse case, it is the wrongdoing of the offending teacher, so not their business.

There is a need to empower the people, educate the people to stand up for their rights and to stand up for what is right and against what is wrong. We are turning a nation of people into unthinking and unfeeling robots that only care about themselves and nothing else.

WP bashing – a smear campaign

Some of you may be aware by now of the consistent and daily bashing of the WP by anonymous bloggers in their comments here and in other blogs. I want to declare that I am not a supporter of any political party. The tactic used is the same as that of the Americans attacking their chosen enemies, schemed by the mind benders, to subtly plant negative thoughts into the heads of the innocent readers. No, the readers do not believe or agree with the bashings, but the idea is planted in their subconscious and will eventually influence their thoughts in the most unexpected moment.

These are the works of highly trained professionals and executed by the runners. Everyday without fail, they will post things like WP is sleeping, WP is not doing anything, WP has few good people, WP is incapable of forming the next govt etc etc.

The work is not done by one individual but by a brigade. The line of thought is similar in nature. Just read through the blogs and take notice of such vibes and vitriols. Be aware and conscious about them and build yourself a defence mechanism to ignore and reject such negative ideas consciously. This requires effort to do so. Not doing anything will open one to a long period of idea planting and mind bending and before one knows anything, the idea is imbedded in the some corners of the mind and will affect one’s decision at those critical moments.

Be aware of what you read. Be protected like being protected against the virus. Be vaccinated. The mind game is ongoing all the time.

Another thing that the brigade is doing is character assassination. They would not discuss or engage an issue but just go straight to attack the blogger. Such slimey people are simply shameless things that walked on two legs and calling themselves human beans. There are plenty of them out there, here and in other blogs. And the people who sanctioned their acts, paid for their acts are the bigger devils themselves, though many would put on a pretense that they did not know and are not involved.

Bloggers Contest – World’s apart

The winner of the most popular blog contest organised by the citizens of the city state is none other than TREmeritus with millions of hits daily. Coming closely as first runner up is The Real Singapore. Second runner up goes to LittleSpeck. Actually these are just figments of my imagination.

The real winner of the Spore Blog Award went to Ivan Kwan whose blog, The Lazy Lizard’s Tales, whose article on the Pulau Ubin conservation went viral. Altogether 19 bloggers were honoured in the contest organised by the Singapore Press Holdings. Among the winners were bloggers on travel, lifestyle, parenthood, makan stalls and poetry.

Some of the winners would be blogging on finance and health matters soon. And one blogger commented, ‘It is also fantastic to see older bloggers – it shows that the trend is quite mainstream, no longer confined to the younger generation.’

Sorry uncles Seah Chiang Nee and Leong Sze Hian, not old enough, and not mainstream. And sorry, to be winners of the contest, you cannot blog about social political stuff. Mainstream bloggers don’t blog on such sticky stuff. I am going to set up a few new blogs on kite flying and fighting spiders. Maybe I will get a mention next year.

On the other hand it would be nice if TRE or some other lunatic blogging sites could organised a contest for the best blog or best bloggers on the lunatic fringe and we can reveal the fearful and frightening faces of these weird beings that exist in cyberspace. Otherwise no one will know of their existence or their blogs and the hot stuff they wrote. For sure they would not be writing about poetry and the beautiful garden city.

Ravi and Vellama shine through the constitutional haze

Last August a high court judge, Pillai ruled that the PM has all the discretion to call or not to call a by election when a single constituency seat is vacant. It more or less cast a big dark cloud over the constitutional rights of the citizens to be represented by an elected representative. Yesterday, light shone through the dark cloud to clear up this hazy matter. Three Appeal Court Judges, Chao Hick Tin, Andrew Phang and V Rajah, over ruled Judge Pillai’s judgement and re read what the Constitution really meant in a clear and logical way.

The Prime Minister may have certain leeway to decide when a by election is to be held but he must call a by election within reasonable time. A by election must be called to protect the rights of the people to be represented by an elected MP. Otherwise it would lead to the disenfranchisement of the people, an act contrary to the provision of the Constitution. Is not this logical from the very start? Well, judges are human beans too and their interpretations of the law sometimes left much to be desired.

The findings of the Appeal Court Judges in a way vindicated the smear poured over Ravi as an erratic person flawed by a bi polar sickness, meaning he is unreliable and may not even be fit to be a lawyer. This case proved beyond any doubt that for all the harsh accusations of a decent man in Ravi, his cranial faculty is still as sound as anyone learned man, if not better. Ravi pushed a case that was sound from the beginning and almost became unsound, which would also implicate him as being unsound. Now it is very clear that Ravi and his case are both as sound as they could be.

This judgement is a victory of the people, a victory of our judicial system, of sound interpretation of the law, a victory for Ravi and Vellama, two most unexpected individuals that took on the system to demand an explanation and interpretation of the law. And the Courts of Law delivered. And it also tells a story that judges do erred, particularly in the way laws are written and the way words are used.

Temasek Annual Report 2013

‘2009 News--Government will be able to issue more securities like bonds, after Parliament approved raising the limit of its borrowings from $250 billion to $320 billion.

This motion to increase the limit was passed yesterday.

Explaining the need for a higher amount, Second Finance Minister Lim Hwee Hua said the Government is close to reaching the current ceiling of $250 billion, with more securities likely to be issued.

There are $234.7 billion worth of outstanding government securities, she said, and the amount is expected to hit $320 billion in the next five years.’

The above was posted by an anonymous blogger as a comment. It is old news but may still be applicable when the next set of bond is due for redemption and wonder how much it would be.

I am no expert in this kind of numbers and I am not going to dig into them to figure out what is or what is not. Maybe Leong Sze Hian might have more to say on this. I think he must be banging away with his calculator at the moment to make sense of what is being published to day.

All I can say is that if Temasek’s net portfolio value is $215b and (if there is a $234.7b worth of bond expiring, hypothetically), the amount with Temasek would not be enough to redeem these bonds. Or maybe some of the bonds will be serviced by GIC. If Temasek is liable fully for this $234.7b, then the 16% annual return is going to be meaningless right? Anyone knows when will the next bond be due and how much would it be? I am just using the numbers as examples for discussion only.

And in order for Temasek to continue to hold on to this $215b, it needs to roll over the bonds by issuing more bonds to the tune of $320b. And this roll over is going to go up annually, while the value of Temasek’s holding may take a long time to catch up, which technically Temasek is operating on a negative asset basis. Tio boh? Please enlighten me that I am wrong and what Temasek is owning now a large portion of it is net profit, less bond redemption.

Oh, there are some economists here. Please help and explain to the laymen what the numbers mean, can?

Why are the Middle Eastern countries in perpetual turmoil?

The Middle Eastern region, including the north African states, are in perpetual turmoil, armed uprising, mass protest, regime change, civil wars and whatever you can name it, as long as it is about destabilizing a country, you can find it in the Middle East region. In the north you have Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian non state and Israel. In the south you have Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and to the east there are Afghanistan and Pakistan. And to the west, there are Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia etc etc.

There are two common factors in these countries, one is instability and war. The other, you guess.

The countries in Latin America used to be in a similar state with regime change and assassinations of their leaders a regular affair. These countries were also in a state of flux and instability. There were uprisings and rebel groups waiting to over throw the legitimate govts. Today, Latin American is like an oasis of peace. The turmoil and threats of regime change is past.

What are the two common factors that contributed to the peace and stability in the region? One is the absence of interstate conflict and subversion. The other factor, you guess?

OK, the other factor that is common in the Middle Eastern region that contributed to the existing state of constant turmoil and instability is the presence of the Americans. The Americans claimed that they have an interest in the region and thus have the right to put their fingers into the pot to stir shit, to promote regime change, to support rebel forces and insurgents against legitimate govts.

The other common factor that contributed to the state of peace and stability in Latin America is the absence of American interference. The Americans have been booted out of South America and with the door slammed shut in their face. As a result the Latin American countries could live in peace and concentrate on economic development, and to determine their own affairs the way they want it.

South East Asia has enjoyed four decades of relative peace after the Americans were forced to leave Vietnam and the Philippines. Today tension is again brewing in South East Asia with threats of war very imminent. What is the new factor that contributed to this new state of instability? You guess.

Ask why is the Korean Peninsula in a state of perpetual tension and at the brink of war? No it is not the North Koreans. They are just the straw men put up for bashing.

Singaporeans have forgotten how to protest

This seems to be the observations culled from the comments by some bloggers following the epic Egyptian protest and the Hongkie protest this week. I think in terms of public gathering, Singaporeans are more comfortable showing up for a celebration like the Pink Dot Movement or the National Day Celebration.

It is not that protest on the street is not a part of our history or not in our DNA. There were big protests against the colonial govt, industrial strikes, and some quite violent in a way. The students camped in the Bukit Timah campus of Chinese High. These were memories of the past.

The biggest protests in recent past other than the three in Hong Lim did not garner more than 20 people at most and in several cases less than 10. This is quite a phenomenon in our history. Maybe the law that defined 4 as illegal assembly may have conditioned the populace not to be seen in greater than 4 unless it is a govt approved protest.

How then could Sinkies get used to be running down the streets again in protest of whatever they want to believe and protest about? Maybe a little training, a few trial runs or a few practices to get them used to be in a street protest may be needed. Hong Lim is a good place for such training and we had three or so over the few months. The two protests against the 6.9 populations were surprisingly well attended in our context though dismal even to those of our neighbours. Really no fun huh?

And the last call to protest against the haze met with near total silence. Maybe it was the haze and the protesters were there but hidden by poor visibility. Come to think about it, an anti haze protest or something similar could be a good practice round. The Hongkies had a good trial run when they protested against the TianAnMen in what, 1989? I think this is a good idea to start with. Try to protest against something external, like the haze. The temperature would not be so high and people will not be too edgy about it. It may even be encouraged. Have a few runs to get the people to get used to what a protest is like. It can also be fun if grandpa and grandma and the children can come along, like a picnic.

However, not all protests are like a picnic. The latest Hongkie protest surprisingly was like a picnic though the motion was serious and causing the govt some jittery moments. They must have practiced it to an art by now, peaceful protest and both protesters and the govt are quite comfortable and knowing no force will be used against the protesters. Don’t try the Malaysian version 1.01.

The drawback about protesting on external issues is that it may not be attractive enough to draw in the crowd. There are issues too that will make such a protest unattractive. Perhaps the govt could contribute some free chicken rice and free transportation to educate the Sinkies on how to walk the streets confidently for a good cause or at least for the right thing.

Sinkies are now like domesticated animals and have lost their instinct to act naturally, to learn to live off the land, to fight for food, to fight for their own survival and existence. An introduction course to learn how to protest may be good for the Sinkies and country as well. One day we may need this for our own good. It is also a tool that the Govt can apply to exert some pressure in a cause that the official line will not work. There are times when letting the people into the street to do the talking is necessary.

Protesting is a forgotten survival skill in this sanitized and emotionless City when nothing matters anymore. People can get robbed of their life savings and would not dare utter a murmur. It is quite unfortunate really, to lose this survival skill. The discrimination against Sinkies in employment caught the Sinkies totally off guard and not knowing what to do next. Helplessness is the word. The ministers actually thought that the best thing was to plead with the transgressors or recalcitrants by having a chat over coffee, and hoping that things will happen.

Did the thought of a street protest occur in their minds? Lim Boon Heng did one some years back by marching from the NTUC Conference hall to High Street, if I can remember. The Govt must take the lead if the Sinkies are to relearn how to protest once more. Forget about the picnics in Hong Lim, that is a walk in the park.

4th July – The World in revolt against the American Empire

A world wide revolt against the American Empire is on the card. Today, the major internet players like Reddit, FireFox Mozilla, Wordpress, Google and Wikipedia among the biggies are calling for a mass protest against the American Empire for extensive surveillance on the conversations of individuals, violating their rights to privacy. According to BBC,

‘The Restore the Fourth movement - referring to the US constitution's fourth amendment - said it wants to end "unconstitutional surveillance".

Reddit, Mozilla and Wordpress are among the big web names backing the action, due to take place on Thursday. Almost 100 events have been planned across the US. An interactive map detailing their locations has been published.

The site quotes a line from the fourth amendment which pledges "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures".

As well as the "real-world" protests, many influential websites plan to display messages of protest on their homepages on Thursday, co-ordinated by a group called the Internet Defence League (IDL)….
In reaction to the revelations made by whistleblower Edward Snowden, Mozilla, maker of the widely used Firefox browser, launched stopwatching.us - a petition calling for full disclosure of the US's "spying" programmes....'

In another corner, Bolivian President Morales is calling the European countries to rise and free themselves from the American Empire. His flight home from Moscow was disrupted and harassed by American intervention claiming that he was harbouring Edward Snowden in his plane. In a Bloomberg report, 

‘South American leaders rallied to Morales’s side after the incident, with heads of state from countries including Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay planning to gather in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba today in a show of solidarity. His plane was forced to land in Austria after Spain, France, Portugal and Italy refused to let his official jet fly through their airspace.

The detour was a “humiliation” for the region, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said yesterday. The Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, yesterday issued a statement expressing outrage over the incident, which it said put Morales’ life at risk….’

The European leaders were furious about such unabashed and mischievous surveillance and are up in arms demanding an explanation from the Americans. Germany, the leader of Europe and believing itself to be a closed ally of the Americans is red in the face for being classified as a third grade partner and subjected to intense surveillance in the same level as China and other ‘enemy’ countries of the Empire.

This 4th of July is a very unusual day for the Americans today. The whole world is so disgusted by the obnoxious and insensitive American conduct and is revolting on their feet. They are crying for independence from the American Empire. The Evil Empire has over committed itself in acts that are intolerable and embarrassing to its allies and enemies all over the world. And its boorish handling of the flight of the Bolivian President only confirmed the bad image of an arrogant and irresponsible Empire.

The World is in revolt on 4th of July. 4th of July is the Independence Day of the Nations of the World from the Evil American Empire.
Bigotry? Hahahahah….

Anti mainland Chinese in Hongkong

“They grab degrees, they grab jobs – do HongKongers deserve to be the lower class forever?,” reads the headline of the ad. “We oppose the mainlandisation of HK universities and demand the rights of education and jobs returned to HongKongers.”

“Seventy per cent of students at Hong Kong’s graduate schools are from the mainland,” it continued, “They are allowed to stay in Hong Kong for a year even without a work permit. And they can apply to stay longer once they get a job offer or start their own business!”….

“Let’s look at Hong Kong’s professors – eight out of 10 are from the mainland,” wrote a Facebook user named Anita Wang, “Let’s drive all of them away”…. [Source]: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1250368/hongkongers-raise-money-ad-against-mainlandisation-hk-universities?page=all

The Hongkies are protesting against the invasion of mainland Chinese into Hongkong, taking away university places and employments. This is quite similar to our situation here except that the mainlanders are actually citizens of the same country. If Hongkong were to be swarmed by foreigners like what is happening here, what will the Honkies do?

They would not send 5000 people to Hong Lim like Sinkies do. I think the Hongkong Govt would not last a single day without mass street protests daily if that is the case. Imagine having Indians, Malaysians, Pinoys, Thais, Indonesians, Myanmese and all the Southeast Asian people, Europeans and PRCs in Hongkong, and forming 50% of the population. Imagine the foreigners going in to take their jobs and discriminate against them?

Such thing can only happen in a City where the citizens don’t even think or believe that the island is their country and all only think of is emigrating, running away. And Hongkong did not have national service or nation building to teach the Hongkies that the island is their home. But somehow they know that it is their home and will fight to protect their home and interest.

Only people that have no homes will think of running away from their place of residents. No fighting spirit or dunno what to fight for. Sinkies are really sad, some said daft, some said stupid. When they are being replaced and discriminated by foreigners they can only think of running away. And the foreigners also told them to get lost if they could not compete with them.

The reactions of Sinkies to the invasion of foreigners are expected. They have been told that the foreigners are here to help them. So the more foreigners the better and they have to be grateful for that. And since they are so helpless and cannot help themselves, it is only natural to move out as they are no longer useful or unable to contribute to the City, or unable to make a living in the City.

After reading above you may want to know how contradictory the below statement posted by a blogger in TRE sounds.

• Nathan:

July 4, 2013 at 3:59 am (Quote)

Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China. This is a fact. Their fate is not in their hands. Whereas Singapore is a sovereign state whereby the people have the right of self-determination. We yearn to be master in our own land but instead have been enslaved by our Government. We are determined for real political change but not altogether so.

Housing bubble – Where got?

The 8th measure to curb property prices has been rolled out and everyone is clapping and slapping their backs for the big success in preventing a property bubble. The latest figure shows property prices still creeping up but in smaller increments.

Did anyone see the elephant in the classroom? No, where, where got elephant? A 99 year lease kopitiam is fetching $24m with probably 80 years of the lease left. And it is great value for money. How much was it bought initially? $2m or $3m?

Property prices are very stable after seven curbing measures and with this eighth curbs, everything will be ok. Thank God, there is no property bubble. Property prices are now what they should be, reasonable and affordable, and growing only a little bit at a time as it should be.

Well done.

Singapore’s property prices will never come down. Neither will Singapore face a housing bubble crisis like the Americans or in Japan. We have the most highly paid talents managing the housing bubble, oops, I mean housing prices, and they would not allow a bubble to be formed, thus no bubble to bust. Anyone see any housing bubble? No right.

The undeclared war of the Evil Empire

More evidence of what the US has been doing, spying and attacking other nations through snooping in cyberspace and conducting cyber warfare are surfacing after the revelation by Edward Snowden, an ex CIA agent. The Americans even tagged Germany, their closest ally in Europe in the same category as China, Iraq and of all the Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, as third class partners. Who is friend or foe of the Americans is getting a dose of American reality. The Germans and the Saudis must be thinking that they are sleeping partners of the Americans, without expecting that sleeping in the same bed also means getting screwed at the same time.

‘We can attack the signals of most foreign third class partners, and we do it too… On an average day, the NSA monitored about 20 mil German Phone connections and 10 mil Internet data sets, rising to 60 mil phone connections on busy days,…In France the US tapped about two mil “connection data” a day, Der Spiegel reported…’ This is quoted from a report by AFP/REUTERS in My Paper today.

There is a war going on out there, conducted by the Americans. The amount of resources engaged to conduct this war at such a scale world wide is unimaginable. Nearly every country comes under American surveillance and attack.

Believe me, this information is not fabricated by China or enemies of the Americans. It came from an American and reported by the western media. The Americans are the biggest culprit in cyber warfare and snooping around. And only they can do it. Any other country doing so will be condemned by the Americans and expected to explain to the Americans. They have recently rebuked China for doing so. What hypocrisy!

They can own the biggest arsenal of nuclear weapons for peace. Other countries trying to build one are forbidden, as it is claimed by the Americans that they are building nuclear weapons for war. The evil Empire owns the biggest military forces in the world, the biggest merchant of war and weapons of mass destruction. But the Americans claimed that all the weapons they owned, and the weapons they are selling, are for peace. They provoked and fought wars everywhere for peace. Believe that?

And many unthinking nations believe the Americans cause the Americans said them so. It is war out there everyday 24/7. What peace? Peace is in Asia and Southeast Asia, but not for long. The Americans are coming and they will bring with them a trail of blood and destruction.

Just for giggle

The Zhejiang business tycoon Wang Yao had an untimely death. His wife took his 19 billion estate and got remarried to his driver.


The driver sighed with happiness: "I used to think that I was working for my boss, but now I realize that my boss was always working for me!"

The cruel reality is this: To live long is far more important than to having riches!

Please pay attention to one's health, one cannot be certain who actually works for whom. Just stay healthy!

PS. A qualification. Don't live too long here if one has no money to pay for medical bills. Not many have the chance to work for a rich boss and his wife waiting to give everthing to you.



Nothing in the world is yours, only your health is yours.

Ethical limits and ethical obligation

There two catchphrases will be in everyone’s lips in private conversations for a while. Susan Lim, Singapore’ top notch surgeon, has been found guilty of violating this thing called ethical obligation. In simple terms, she cannot overcharge her patients even if her patient is willing to pay what she asked for and agreed in writings. In other words, a contract is tak pakai if someone in a committee said it breaches ethical obligation. In other words, the community of professionals would set an ethical limit as to how much is fair to charge a patient or can be charged to a patient.

Some professions are feeling uneasy with this ethical thing and are coming out to defend themselves, that they have their own guidelines or ethics not to breach this ethical limit. So they would be ethical enough not to be unethical in overcharging their customers or clients. Heheheh…. On the other hand, what these professionals think may be ethical, but to the party that is paying, it can be damn unethical from their pockets. No? Who is the right person to say something is ethical or unethical? Who is the best person to say the ethical limit has been raped?

Many people are looking at the minister’s pay and wondering, just wondering. If the people think that the minister’s pay is unethically high, does it matter at all? Or would the peers of the ministers, ie, ministers in the same profession across the world, think so, does it matter? Or because the ministers are the only people in the profession in the country, so there is no peer pressure to think otherwise, so no one is fit to talk about what is the ethical limit?

The ethical limit is violated beyond recognition in the US and Europe. The CEOs there are robbing the corporations and their shareholders in hundreds of millions or billions, and no one is asking whether it is ethical or unethical. Our local CEOs don’t do such things. They are all very ethical.

Is this ruling by the Court of Appeal enforceable or recognized in other judiciary systems? Or is this ruling applicable to all professions within the City, including political appointments?

I think many people will have a good time discussing these two catchphrases among themselves and going to be thoroughly enjoying every moment of it.

The unquestioned American Myth

God is planning to destroy all human beans on earth. The world is coming to an end. We must be prepared for that day, to take on God, to defend ourselves so that we can survive his wrath. Anyone wants to challenge this myth?

You need to create an arch enemy, a devil who is bent on destroying everyone to build up a case for your right to pull them by the ears, to herd the world like sheep with no question ask. It used to be Communism, the evil of the world, and then the Soviet Union. Now the enemy of the world is China. China is a bully, is going to conquer the world by military force despite the overwhelming military arsenals of the Americans. If China makes a wrong move, it will be destroyed by the Americans. China’s military hardware is not even close to the Russians. And China is enemy Number One of the world, so say the Americans. And the countries of the world nod their heads, aye, aye.

Where are the Chinese soldiers? Are they in Africa, in the Middle East, in South East Asia, or are they in China? And where are the American soldiers, where are they fighting and conducting wars of aggression in the guise of war of peace. Human rights, or war against terrorism?

China is investing and trading with the countries of the world without sending a single soldier out of its country. China does not go around signing war pacts, called defence treaties, with countries around the world. China does not station its troops all over the world to enable it to strike at any country. China did not send its aircraft carriers to threaten any country. It only has one still on trial. China does not need a military pivot to project its military power. But it is branded as the aggressive nation.

On the contrary, the country that is signing military pacts all over, moving its military hardware and soldiers to all parts of the world to prepare for wars, is called a peace loving nation. And in the name of peace, it is instigating wars, conducting wars, and provoking wars. It is spying on every country, including its close allies, intercepting and attacking their communication systems.

And it is demanding that no country shall have nuclear weapons except itself. It amassed the biggest nuclear weapons that could destroy the world hundreds of times over. And it calls any country wanting to possess a nuclear weapon as dangerous. It calls for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Why not the denuclearization of the whole world? Why not forbid any country from having nuclear weapons, including the USA? Why should it possess all the weapons of mass destruction while others are not allowed to do so?

And its pivot to Asia is for peace. But it needs to move its military arsenal to enhance its presence and deceptive role in Asia. Why, because it has created an enemy for Asia in China. It is trying to force China’s hand, to react to its provocations. The most aggressive and belligerent country in the world is calling itself the most peace loving country and accusing a country that is engaging in trading and economic activities across the world, without any of its soldiers outside its country, without engaging in wars, as the most aggressive country.

And the silly countries of the world believe that without questions, just like they believe that God is the Number One enemy and going to destroy the world in an Armageddon.

Why are the Americans moving back to Asia? For peace, to maintain peace and stability, or for purely economic interests? I quote an AGENCIES report yesterday in the Today paper. ‘Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a stark statement of intent during an earlier ASEAN meeting in Vietnam, declaring that American was back in the region as a Pacific power.’ Yes, the Americans are back for one reason, as the Empire, to rule Asia and Asians. And to mask their intent, they invented a devil in China to rally the stupid Asians behind them. All the Americans need to do is to keep on shouting and instil more fear, violence or threats of war by China. And the rest of the believers will just say amen and throw more money into the hat for tithes.

South China and East China Seas have become the newest and hottest flare points in the world. Why? Who is behind the rising tension? Who is provoking the countries to act and behave like crazy gun totting cowboys?

Would anyone be brave enough to question this American Myth of creating a devil for the believers to believe in? One monster, Myanmar, has survived and now being embraced warmly as a good boy. Funny, Russia is now a good boy too. Even China is a good boy once a while if not because it is growing too big for its own good. Would Iran and North Korea also have their turns as little angels? Actually it is easy, if they only know when to join the Dark Side and bow deeply.

Deep Art Valley quoted this from the Wikipedia and posted in TRE.

‘Proof by assertion, sometimes informally referred to as proof by repeated assertion, is an informal fallacy in which a proposition is repeatedly restated regardless of contradiction. Sometimes, this may be repeated until challenges dry up, at which point it is asserted as fact due to its not being contradicted (argumentum ad nauseam). In other cases, its repetition may be cited as evidence of its truth, in a variant of the appeal to authority or appeal to belief fallacies.

This fallacy is sometimes used as a form of rhetoric by politicians, or during a debate as a filibuster.’

This is exactly what the Americans and the West have been doing. Assertion and telling lies repeatedly and soon the lies become the truths. Every idiot will curse and swear at the North Koreans when they are mentioned because they have been programmed to think North Koreans are bad, just like communists are bad. Conversely, Americans are good, Americans are peace loving people, Americans are killers of Arabs and Middle Eastern people, etc etc.

HongKong - 430,000 protest for one man one vote

The Hongkies were fighting for their rights for one man one vote on the streets. They took this fight very seriously to prevent the gradual erosion of democracy over time by inaction. And this fight is going to be a tough one as the right of one man one vote is a western version of democracy that does not match up well with parent China’s communist system of one man one vote.

Can we learn any lesson from the Hongkies in fighting for our rights? About 5,000 Sinkies turned up at HongLim to stage a protest against the 6.9m population that is seen as suffocating and pressurizing on the limitations of land in the island. The 5,000 was not even a quarter of the 21,000 turnouts for a Gay Party in the same venue.

Mind you, Hong Lim is a safe place designated for such peaceful protest. No one will turn out if it is a street protest like in HongKong. I am quite sure about that. This is best seen by every organizer of events in Hong Lim assuring the people to come as the protest was legal, ie, they would not be arrested. A street protest is illegal, you know what that means.

I think another reason why the number of Sinkies turning up at Hong Lim was so small must be the fact that there are really very few Sinkies left in the island. That must also be the reason why in govt statistics, Sinkies are always lumped together with PRs as locals. I think to really separate the two numbers will scare the wits out of the remaining Sinkies here. How many Sinkies are really left in the island and how many by 2030?

There will be no protest of the size like in HongKong to ever happen here unless it is organized by the Govt of the day, with all the approvals and support, including free meals and free transportation. Maybe there is really no reason important enough for the Sinkies to want to protest as everyone is so happy. Life is only difficult and troublesome when they cannot buy their Hello Kitty toys.

Maybe missing out on Kitty toys could be more nightmarish and a good reason for a big turnout in a street protest. Nothing else could command that kind of emotions and affection.

PS. 17 million Egyptians marched in the streets to demand the resignation of President Morsi. And the march was quite peaceful without rioting. And so was the HongKong protest march, with children and old folks tagging alone.

What is wrong with the $24m Susan Lim charged?

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Singapore Medical Council for convicting Susan Lim on professional misconduct, ie over charging her client. Her bill was $24m for half a year’s special care and attention for her royalty client.

Now for the reasons why the three Judges decided that they should go along with the SMC. I quote, ‘the court opined that a doctor has an ethical obligation not to take advantage of his or her patient, whether monetarily or otherwise…In the circumstances, excessive overcharging would be a breach of this ethical obligation,…A doctor’s ethical obligation to charge a fair and reasonable fee for services rendered is not superceded by a valid agreement between the doctor and his or her patient…in the context of disciplinary proceedings against a medical practititioner, ethical obligations are not only procedural but also substantive in nature.’

The whole basis of the Judges’ argument is based on two words, ‘ethical obligation’. Is there any other profession where ethical obligation is just as important and immoral for the profession to violate? I think in sports, the sportsperson can actually demand any amount he wants as long as there are willing buyers to pay for it. Ethical obligation is not an issue like in football, golf or boxing. The sportsman can make tens or hundreds of millions over an hour or a few hours of play time.

I can’t think of any other fields where ethical obligation should be an important consideration and will be upheld by the courts of law. Otherwise many who are pocketing millions should be in court and be put behind bars. But no actually. I don’t think anyone will be put behind bars for just a breach of ethical obligation. Maybe suspended from the profession like suspending a driver from driving, or a fine could be added in.

Striking rich for selling a HDB coffee shop

There is another good piece of news that someone out there has made a fortune through HDB’s generosity. A coffee shop in Hougang is sold for $23.88m! Wow, so easy to make a fortune. Buy a shop from HDB, sit it out and when the time is ripe, sell it and retire rich and happy.

For every one to make it rich this way, someone else must pay for it right? The buyer of the coffee shop, the Broadway Group, is not going to throw the $24m away for nothing. How is the group going to recover the money back and with profits of course?

Your guess is as good as mine. Someone, or many people, will have to pay for the windfall. It has to be. The stall holders are worried that their rent will shoot through the roof through. I say, no worry lah, just past the cost to the consumers mah, easy what.

Singapore soldiers in Afghanistan

‘TRINKOT (WNA, 23 Jun): Maj. Gen. Ravinder Singh, Chief of the Singapore Army, visited Afghanistan yesterday and met with the ISAF leadership and his forces in Uruzgan, the alliance said in a statement

Singh called on Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and expressed his appreciation to ISAF for the support rendered to Singapore troops during their six years in Afghanistan….’

The full article above was posted in TRE and there were some discussions as to where Singapore soldiers were serving in Afghanistan. Some were not comfortable with our involvement in the American affair and feared being dragged into the war of terrorism and becoming a victim by association with the Americans. Some called it a price to pay for the protection the Americans were giving to us and allowed us to live in peace in a region that can become troublesome for all the wrong reasons and for the slightest unseen provocations.

We should be grateful to the Americans for offering us the protective umbrella. The question is how far should we go to reciprocate the goodwill? Would our offer of allowing the Americans to use our military facilities here be good enough for what they did for us? Or must we go so far as to send our soldiers to fight or support the American military adventures everywhere? This contribution to the American adventure is not so safe as it seems as it opens us to attacks by the American enemies as we will be seen as American accomplice participating in the same evil deeds. Our hands are tainted by the blood of the victims of American aggression.

What is the value of our offer of military bases? I think this is not a small matter knowing how important it is to the American to have a friendly and ready base to operate from. We are probably the most dependable ally the Americans can count on in the region. Is this not enough? We are helping the Americans to project their power to protect their interests in the region. This is not a small contribution and in many ways worth much more than dragging us into Afghanistan and compromising our safety and security.

Do we have other options other than the Americans as our protector? Can another superpower offer us the same protection without forcing us into a difficult and dangerous situation? We are serving the American strategic interest with the facilities we offered them. Our participation in Afghanistan is peanuts to the Americans. They don’t really need us there except to implicate us and fix us up, so that we cannot detach ourselves from their bloody acts of war.

Do we have the bargaining power to negotiate with the Americans on how far we should go with them? Do we have an alternative power to replace the Americans without our arms being twisted like what the Americans did to us?

Basically, what choice is there for us? Yes, standing on the head of the Americans means we can talk louder and punch above our weight. Is that worth being compromised in dicey situation that we are in now? If we are not with them we are their enemy!

The Philippines slams China

This piece of news is hot in the media.

‘BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: The Philippines accused China on Sunday of a "massive" military buildup in the disputed South China Sea, warning at a regional security forum that the Asian giant's tactics were a threat to peace.

The statement by Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario ensured that the growing row over rival claims to the strategically vital and potentially resource-rich sea would again be a key focus of the annual four-day Asia-Pacific talks.... ‘Source. CNA Online.

I think the news should be rewritten as ‘The US accused China of a “massive” military buildup in the disputed South China Sea,... What is real behind this gungho screaming by the Philippines is quite obvious. And read further the message is quite clear. What does the Philippines meant in its warning that ‘China’s tactics were a threat to peace?’ Who is going to disrupt peace or start a war? Yes who, China or someone else?

Could it be the Philippines trying another killing of Taiwanese fisherman act? Would the Philippines dare to re enact that scene with Chinese military boats or ships as the target? What is likely going to happen?

Can anyone imagine the Philippines in their rickety warship firing at the Chinese surveillance ships?

China is not going to let this American lackey to push her around and has sent the first warning as reported by REUTERS. ‘China's state media warned on Saturday that a "counterstrike" against the Philippines was inevitable if it continues to provoke Beijing in the South China Sea, potentially Asia's biggest military troublespot.’

China needs to send a very firm no nonsense message to the Philippines and the Americans. It is prepare to strike if the nonsense is not stopped. Any weakness or backtracking by China would only embolden the Pinoys and the Americans. China has no other option but to dig in and take the provocations by the horns.

Is the Philippines trying to punch above its weight, propped up by the Americans and the Japanese?

Singaporean helping Singaporean

Below is an extract of a letter by a Steven Sum stationed in Suzhou, China. Having heard the plight of Sinkies here, he has made a job offer for a Singaporean to work with him. Salary reasonable and accommodation provided. Here is part of his brief posted in Gibert’s Support site for the unemployed and underemployed.

I work for a British company in China , in Suzhou to be exact.

We are looking for a Laboratory Engineer (designate lab supervisor).

I can’t offer much as this job was designed for a Malaysian (mainly due to cost factor) but I thought why not help my Singaporean brothers who may need a job.

If anyone who is willing to accept a monthly salary of around 15k rmb (~ S$3k) and willing to relocate to Suzhou China , I am interested.

Apartment for single accommodation will be provided. We will also provide 2 return air-tickets from Shanghai to Singapore for each calendar year worked.

Annual leave is 15 days on top of Chinese National holidays which is 12 days now.

I need a diploma holder from Mechanical, manufacturing, production engineering or equivalent.

Work is straight forward. Mainly to perform laboratory testing (usually mechanical testing) of Personal Protective Equipment to international standards (e.g. EN, ASTM, etc….)

Training will be provided until qualification to test is obtained by the employee.

The person must read and write in English. Must speak Chinese and moderately able to read/write in Chinese.

If you know of someone who might be interested, please ask him to write to me with full CV and expected salary

Thank you.

With best regards,

Steven Sum

The best part is that training will be provided. In Singapore, the employers are looking for instant trees. Did they know that they can train their new hires on the job? Or must the applicant be fully trained to fit the job or else they will look to the world for someone that will fit?

Thank you Steven Sum.

When you employed a butler

How many of you have the good fortune of employing a butler? The common folks or even the HDB rich are quite used to employing maids to take care of their household chores, and pay a pittance for them. At that kind of price, it is only normal not to expect too much. But no, some Singaporeans believe their money is very big and want to get their money’s worth. They want to work their maids from 5 am to 12 midnight, 7 days a week. Some may even be thinking of 24/7 and 365 days in a year. They are paying and they expect the maids to work. And if the maids are lazy, they may iron them or starve them for being unproductive.

For the privilege class who can afford a butler, the situation is quite different. They pay good money for the service of the butler and expect a service quality that the maids cannot do. They expect the butler to do everything in the house, including thinking and planning ahead for the needs of the master. They do not want to waste their time bothering on the nitty gritties of living. With a butler, a talented one as they are supposed to be, for the money they are paying, it is only right that the paymaster can expect the quality of service they are paying for. And so does the butler. He demands the high pay and knows that he has to live up to the expectation of his masters.

For every price the quality of service will come with it. It is only right that the paymasters have a lot of high expectations from the butler. Can any paymaster be blamed for blaming everything on the butler if the bulbs are blown, the tap doesn’t work, the rubbish not cleared, the fridge is empty because yesterday was a holiday and the butler forgot to top up the fridge? Or is it not right to blame the butler when the kitchen caught fire and no fire extinguisher can be found? Or can the paymaster blame the butler when there is haze and no mask is available in the house?

Or should the butler tell master, why don’t you do a bit of work yourself, go to the shop and get your own mask? Or can the butler tell the master he did not buy because the master did not tell him to do so, like a HDB mum will order the maid to go and get one?

What is the point of paying the butler so much and still cannot depend on him to take care of all his living needs? I am sure many will just sack the butler. They will tell the butler, ‘You are the butler and that is your job. Go and get the job done. No excuses. Pay you so much to sit on your fat arse and play dumbo?’

Why is the Govt insisting on using 24 hr PSI?

For all practical and commonsensical reasons, the people want a current PSI number to make decisions on their daily activities. For all the nonsensical and unbelievable reasons, the Govt keeps on telling the people that the best reading of the PSI is the 24 hr one and 3 hour is second best. They are not going to give to the people the current PSI that the people want. Why?

I only have one explanation. It is like reporting on the average income of the population or workers. Average income of workers is $3,000 or thereabout. They are not going to report about the last 10 percent’s incomes. They are not going to report on the top 10 percent’s income or the top 1 percent’s income. The answer is obvious. No explanation needed. The real and current PSI can be alarming and the Govt does not want to alarm the people. Neither should the people earning $3,000 a month need to know about people earning $100k or $300k a month.

And this is a Govt that takes pride in telling the people that they will listen to the people. Or did I hear wrongly? Why is it that everyone is screaming their heads off for a current PSI but the Govt does not seem to hear what the people want? The people will not see the current PSI on the TV screen. It is like pornography.

Another possible reason, the Govt knows what is good for the people and that a 24 hr PSI is good for the people. Be thankful, be very grateful.

Xinjiang riots has the murderous thumb print of CIA on it.

Xinjiang riots a lesson for West
Updated: 2013-06-28 08:33
By Shi Lan ( China Daily)


At least 27 people died in riots that rocked Shanshan county, about 250 km from Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Wednesday.

The Shanshan riots were one of the innumerable acts of terrorism since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, which led the US-led West to label terrorism as the biggest threat to national security. But it's a pity that the Western powers still use double standards when it comes to terrorist attacks on China.

The US and its allies have spent astronomical amounts fighting the war against terrorism. But even more than one decade after the US launched its "war on terror", terrorism is far from dead. On the contrary, it is still taking the lives of innocent people from Asia to Africa, and from Europe to America.

So there is something wrong with the global anti-terrorism policy, and what can be done to fix that? One obvious deficiency is the lack of global consensus on the fight against terrorism.

Of course, the concept of terrorism varies from country to country. It depends on the circumstances and strategic goals of countries too. Nevertheless, three factors can always be used to determine whether a person's or group's action can be defined as terrorism: The use of violence or force, targeting of governments and people, and creating an atmosphere of terror to realize the objective of changing a government or society. The three key factors to define terrorism highlight its political goals, violent action and the damage it causes to society.

Different countries have different definitions for terrorism and adopted different policies to deal with it. Every country that suffers a terrorist attack has its own immediate threat to security and the right to decide its own course of action. But despite their differences, all countries agree that terrorism is evil and has been threatening the stability of global society and, hence, they have to cooperate to fight it.

In central and eastern Asia, for example, the countries that have suffered most because of terrorism have agreed that terrorism, extremism and separatism are the three evils threatening their national security and territorial integrity. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's member states reached a consensus since the organization's inception to fight the three evils. That is a good example of regional coordination to fright against terrorism.



But even with mutual understanding and the facts being clear, some voices still differ on the issue. Most of these voices come from the West, especially the US, which distort the truth by claiming that the separatists and extremists - who would be condemned as terrorists for committing the same crimes in their own countries - are "heroes fighting for freedom and independence".

Such double standards have hurt the fight against terrorism, and helped the evil cause of terrorists.

People in Xinjiang have suffered many terrorist attacks perhaps because of the region's strategic location near Central Asia, where uncontrolled groups exploit the complicated ethnic situation to plow their evil trade. With Xinjiang making tremendous economic progress in recent years thanks to the immense support from the central government and coastal provinces, some terrorist groups fear their survival and thus launch more attacks to check the march of development.

Worse, some of the Xinjiang terrorist groups get support from the West which loves to call their usurpations acts of "independence and religious freedom", complicating the situation further. The result is deeper fear and greater misunderstanding among Xinjiang residents.

Because of the double standards adopted by the US-led West, the cost of Washington's fight against terrorism has been soaring without much success in rooting out the evil. The US has led the invasion of two countries, Afghanistan and Iraq, since the Sept 11 attacks but, far from being cornered, terrorists have responded with more attacks.

Even after May 2011 when US troops shot dead al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, who was believed to have masterminded the Sept 11 attacks, attacks against American citizens and troops have not ceased. Just two months ago, explosions in Boston claimed three lives and injured many more.

A deeper look into history will show that the US has also been a victim of its double standards. In the 1980s and 1990s, the US supported terrorists in Afghanistan against its ideological enemy, the Soviet Union. One of those the US supported was Osama bin Laden. In fact, some terrorist groups threatening Iraqi people today were also supported by the US to fight former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Terrorism is evil not only because of the violence it unleashes on people, but also because it has a political agenda to overthrow governments and thwart development. So it's time the US-led West gave up its double standards and coordinated with the rest of the international community, including China, in the fight against terrorism.

The author is the vice-director of Institute of Central Asia Studies, under the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.

Uighur terrorists actions incited and supported by the Evil Empire

I refer to the recent Uighur terrorists actions in Xinjiang in which scores of innocent people mainly ethnic Hans were killed.

The hidden hands of the Evil Empire are definitely involved in the turmoil in Xinjiang. Until the Evil Empire sincerely and openly declare that it will not support the Uighur terrorists and close down the Uighur separatists office in USA and other cities of the Western countries the incitement to choas and terrorist actions by Western supported terrorist Uighurs will never end. The White or European Americans managed to solve the native American problems by genocide through systematic mass massacre . May be the Evil Empire is hinting to China to learn from them how to solve the Uighur Terrorists problem. Native Indian American survivors of the massacre were put in concentration camps and so China should take a leaf from the  The Evil Empire and deal with the surviving Uighur terrorists similarly. Of course we Chinese are too civilised to do the way of the barbaric white men.
Just round up all the Uighur terrorists and their supporters and legally sentence them to the gallows or the firing squad and leave without a shadow of doubt that China will not tolerate any terrorist acts from any quarter.


Southernglory1

21,000 turn up at Gay Party in Hong Lim

This is surely a very big number for a non govt event or an event organised by the public. It sure beats the 2,500 or 3,000 turn out at the first population protect rally at Hong Lim in February. That was what we were to believe as the right number.

I scrutinised the two photos of the crowd in Hong Lim yesterday and the crowd at the first protest rally and found that they were not much different, at the most a 10 per cent variant. And the first crowd was conveniently tagged at 2,500 with some reports claiming it to be as low as 1,500. And this gay crowd is claimed to be 21,000!

Holy cow, I thought photos don’t lie. So either the first protest number was wrong or the gay party number is wrong. With the two photos as evidence, I kinda think the crowd at the gay party was over stated and that at the first protest rally was understated.

What is interesting is that photos can also tell lies or people with cock eyes can be so screw up in their number guessing game.  Was there an agenda?

Crocodile feeding in Sungei Buloh

A couple of shots taken yesterday at Sungei Buloh Wetland. This guy snapped his jaws so hard that pieces of the fish splattered all over, out of its mouth. There are a few of them at the river next to the entrance and there is no need to trample deep into the park to see them. Timing is crucial and they are normally seen at low tide. The best is one or two hours after the published low tide when the water starts to flow back in, bringing along the fishes for the hunt.

I was there one afternoon when the tide was high and everyone was desperate looking for the crocodiles. Every little movement or shadow in the water would attract attention and finger pointing, 'There, there, the croc is there.'  A little girl in her father's arm was bewildered by the antics of the adults. She was so exasperated and shouted, 'There, there, over there' and pointing to another direction. The daddy asked her where. She said inside the triangle.

There was a triangle sign hanging in the observation shed with a picture of a crocodile in it.

The plight of Singaporean PMETs

Thanks to the internet, the pathetic plight of Singaporean PMETs are getting an airing that otherwise would not be heard. A blogger, SNG’s article in Gilbert’s Transitioning Org blog, dedicated to jobless Singaporeans, is being reposted in TRE. Another article of a graduate Singaporeans who had to hide his degree qualification just to get a temp job and was asked to leave when he applied for a permanent position was also posted in TRE. They discovered that he had a degree and not just a diploma.

Some may denounce him for lying. But why must he lie about his higher qualification? Isn’t that something to be proud of, to be added in the CV to enhance the chances of an application and higher pay? How can the situation become so ridiculous that I can’t even laugh? Singaporeans hiding their higher qualifications in order to get a lower grade and lower paying job? If this is the case, the call for Singaporeans not to pursue university education may be the result of this new reality. And there is no need for more universities unless to cater for foreign students.

In SNG’s case, he managed to work 17 months out of 36 months, and not that he is not qualified and lack experience. He has worked overseas as an expat as well which means he was good enough. And now finding a job here is so difficult for him.

And we have more than a million foreigners happily working here, maybe nearer to two millions if PRs are included. And many more foreigners are happily rushing here as jobs are plenty and easy to get except for Singaporeans. What the hell is going on?

What is happening? Dunno leh. Maybe Singaporeans are really daft. Maybe the local universities, despite their world class rankings, are teaching craps or producing crappy graduates. Maybe Singaporeans are basically unemployable because they are Singaporeans and companies, organisations, institutions and even ministries are finding it more beneficial to hire foreigners or PRs.

I have only one conclusion. Singaporeans are simply disease. They carry a disease that made them unemployable. Or if they are employable, at most up to 50 or maybe lower, about 40. After that their mind will shrivel and their intellect and ability to work just diminished and no longer productive. They should then be despatched to the lepers colony till death comes.

So it is paramount that the City must import more foreigners to boost up the City’s productivity and to replace the diseased Singaporeans.

The haze poll is working fine at the moment

75 have voted. 65 said the govt is reactive and 10 said dunno or blur. The result is quite expected. It would be worst if 65 voted blur and 10 voted reactive.

Being reactive means still trying to do something, whether right or wrong or effective or ineffective is another thing. And don't try to explain this away as not the right thing or the people are misguided. This is the perception of the govt and from the way things are happening daily, you can see that the Govt is reacting on a day by day basis.

The big plan, the proactive part, the thinking ahead to prevent things from getting to such a stage, are totally absent. They may argue that there is a haze plan and every reaction is part of the big plan. How many would believe so?

The distribution of the mask, the PSI, PM 10 and PM 2.5 are all hot issues with everyone contradicting and disagreeing with everyone. It is just like a circus in town.

We still have a few more days for the poll to run and the numbers are still coming in.

Thanks for the feedback.

SMRT free ride trial run

Five days into the free ride scheme for early commuters and things are running smoothly. The number of early commuters has increased slightly but still bearable.

Two factors could contribute to the situation at the moment. One, more trains were added to reduce the waiting time. At times train would arrive at 1 or 2 minute intervals. This frequency helps to get the commuters moving at a faster rate.

The second factor waiting to happen is the presence of student commuters. They will join the crowd on Monday and the picture could change. Whether having more trains and higher frequency could cope with the 300,000 students in the system is yet to be seen.

The strange thing or miracle that has happened these few days is that the trains could be spaced out within a 2 min interval, with some arriving within one min. Now why would I call this a miracle?

How many of you still remember a couple of years back when the jam problem first surfaced and there was a call for more trains on the track. Then some wise guy claimed that in order for the train to increase the frequency for a separation of 2 min interval it would need a sophisticated monitoring system that would cost a few billion bucks. Now it seems that without spending a few billion bucks, the train can still run with a 2 min separation. Is this strange or the public has been hookwinked? Or has SMRT already bought and installed that multi billion dollar train management system?

Another small miracle is that with higher passenger loads, the jams could be reduced or at least minimized by increased frequencies. Why was this not possible or not done in the past? Let me guess. High profits and sardine packed trains go hand in hand. To increase the comfort of commuters by having more trains running and higher frequency are incompatible with higher profits and higher bonuses. Can this be an explanation for the jam packed trains? Just thinking aloud. 

Monday is just around the corner and if not delayed be the reappearance of dense haze, the system will be put to the real test. It would be more crowded for the early birds and the students. It is only a matter of how crowded would it be. This week was a good break for the SMRT to sort out the details and fine tuning for the free ride to prove itself. This free thingy would not have been even considered under the previous regime when profit was everything.

Testing out a new poll on haze

The last time I put up a poll, the result was unmanageable as the votes kept changing and even went missing. I have just put up another poll to have a feel of the perception of the people on the Govt's handling of the haze situation and see if the poll function is working.

Cheers.

Philippines the most powerful American colony

It was only a couple of decades back that the Pinoys exerted their independence and national pride by kicking out their colonial master, the Americans, from Subic and Clark Air Base. Today the Pinoys are reasserting any kind of independence and national pride by willingly offering their military bases to the Americans again and also to invite their WW2 invader, the Japanese, to base in the Philippines. Both the trigger happy cowboys and the blood letting samurais are welcomed with open arms by the equally trigger happy Pinoys.

And the Pinoys can now claim to be the most powerful American colony in the world and are ready to go to war with China. They are now the point man of the Empire, with unlimited supply of military weapons. And the Japanese have also vowed to fight beside them.

Japan is now on a military expansionary path towards Asia and SE Asia. It is pushing ahead with its remilitarization and with the connivance and blessing of the Americans. They are burning their pacifist constitution and shedding the mask of being a decent and non aggressive military power. Japan has rearmed and will resume its military past that it has never given up.

The East and South China Seas are about to go up in flames. And the Chinese are prepared for it. China has announced its interests in the South China Sea islands as non negotiable and will go to war if necessary, even against the combined forces of the Empire, Japan and the most powerful American colony.

The American pivot and intrusion into Southeast Asia is going to bear fruit. How many SE Asian countries will be drawn into this coming war? Wherever the Americans make their presence, be sure war will follow.

Building a Singaporean banking core

Since Tharman came out to speak about building a banking core of Singaporeans, very little has happened really. And from the few skimpy reports, I think the whole thing will be a wash out or at least a big hazy wayang. It fails from the word go.

Just read the comments and reports and what the banks are claiming that they will be doing and how happy they are with the 75% locals in their employ. And no one can escape the dreaded word locals. Yes, a Singaporean core is all about the locals, so they want you to believe. Now, this mischievous word is going to be used very mischievously to undermine the interest of Singaporeans. You all know what it means when someone utters the word local. It is about PRs more than about Singaporeans. People using locals to include Singaporeans and PRs are betraying the citizens of this island. And there is another easier way to betray Singaporean, ie hand the joker a pink IC and lo behold, he is a genuine Singaporean and no question asks.

It is comforting to hear Foo Mee Har urging the Govt to introduce further measures. She had been there and knows what is happening. ‘One way is to put in place a robust labour market test, whereby employers have to show evidence that they have exhausted the local candidate pool before they hire foreigners. The UK, Australia and Hong Kong already have labour market tests in place,’ she said. I say, put her in charge of a task force to build this Singaporean core.

If the Govt is serious in building a Singaporean core from Singaporeans born and bred here, there are many things that it can do. It is all about the intention and the will to do it.

We are all watching the show, be it a wayang or a serious attempt to promote the interest of Singaporeans. We will vote for it in 2016.

Saving Rebecca Loh

I wrote about her case a while back. Many sympathised with her in this cruel, unforgiving and shamelessly rich city. Some assholes even chided her and more or less had her condemned to death for dropping her ‘special needs’ son, Gabriel, to his death.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam has just written another plea for Rebecca and is reposted in TRE. Again, instead of opening out our hearts to this wretched poor woman, another asshole attacked KJ for trying to capitalise on her pathetic case for political objective. But there are also many ordinary folks out there who could feel the pain of this woman in desperation. Rebecca is crying, alone in her cell. Can you hear her?

I am equally lost as to what can be done to save this poor woman from the punishment that would likely be passed against her for taking the life of her son. The law is the law. The judge is there to uphold the law.

Maybe everyone can only wait for the judgement of this case and then make a plea for clemency from the President.

It is so sad, and unforgivable, for a case like Rebecca to slip through the social net. Everyone that came to know her, in contact with her, before the incident, could not possibly fail to see her despair. Or they might have felt it but could not find a way to help her.

Many are crying for Rebecca and the late Gabriel. Rebecca could have stopped crying. She is the living dead, the day she let her hand go on Gabriel. There is nothing for her anymore, unless the conscience of the people extends her a helping hand. The billions or trillions in our reserves are as good as fool’s gold or monopoly notes, that despite so much money there, not a cent could be spared to prevent the tragedy of Rebecca and Gabriel. And there are many Rebeccas and Gabriels out there, lost and waiting for help. Would there be a glimmer of hope, that a few dollars from these precious billions or trillions could find their way to them?

We are the richest country on earth and we are so busy paying millions and millions to the successful and undeserving. And they are still asking for more. But we cannot spare a few dollars for Rebecca and Gabriel.

While everyone is busy with the haze, queuing to buy N95, queuing to buy that condo, or queuing overnight to get a Hello Kitty, would they spare a thought for Rebecca? Would Singaporeans cry for Rebecca?