Do not gloat about generosities

The tsunami and earthquake in Japan have in a way mend some ties between the two countries. China has sent a search and rescue team and offered $5.8 million of aids for reconstruction and relief for the victims of the disaster. There are some views that the Chinese should not gloat over this little assistance given to the Japanese. In terms of aids, the Japanese have given China much much more, hundreds or thousands of millions over the years to help reconstruct the modern China today. Say thank you, China. This is the view of shallow minded individuals who have forgotten all about the history between the two countries. And probably they are expecting China to say a big thank you to Japan for the millions given to China which made the $5.8 m insignificant to mention. Should China say thank you to Japan? I think most Chinese well versed in the history of the two countries will still give a two ups to the Japanese despite the aids. The disaster in Fukushima may look big and dreadful today. But it is an act of God, no ill intent by anyone. Compare to the disaster and death toll inflicted on China by the Japanese Invasion in the 1930s and the Rape of Nankin, the death toll in Fukushima is nothing. The tragedy in Nankin could literally make one go mad trying to relive those dark days. Several hundred thousands of human lives were killed and maimed, not by an act of God, but inflicted on by another( in)human specie. It was brutal murder and atrocities to young and old, woman, babies etc etc. How about throwing babies into the air for bayonet practice? And the Americans prevented the Chinese from asking for war reparations after the end of WW2, and also no war crimes against the Japanese. What the Japanese had given to China was a kind of war reparation but without the negative incrimination of their heinous acts. Should China say thank you to Japan for those aids? No amount of money can compensate for the rape of a country, bombardment and destruction of properties and lives, and unremorseful killings of people. Another count is the huge war reparation that the Japanese extorted from the Chinese during the earlier Sino Japanese War. Of course the war was started by the Japanese, who had superior war machines. And the dying and near bankrupt China had to empty everything that was left in its treasuries to the Japanese. Compare this to the aids Japan gave to China which were excesses that Japan could afford in an era of affluence and high economic growth. Compare to the war reparations that the Japanese demanded from China which was outright cash with no strings attached and the Japanese aid to China with strings attached? The generosity of the Chinese people to come to the aid of the Japanese, though not amounting to very much, is a good gesture of human kindness, to give help in times of adversity unlike invading a country in times of adversity. The Chinese may not have forgotten the barbaric acts of the Japanese when China was weak, but are willing to keep those records in history, never to be forgotten. The Japanese on the other hand have forgotten everything and will even deny that they happened. Who should be thankful to who?

The most lucrative part time job

Anyone looking for a part time job will be resigned to the fact that it comes with no job security and a paltry allowance. But this is not true in the uniquely Singapore context. The part time job of a Member of Parliament comes not only with job security for 4 years, could be a life time, and with a handsome allowance which many CEOs may not even smell. This part time job offers an allowance of more than S$13k per month, with a 13th month bonus, with a productivity bonus or maybe 3 to 4 mths and with a GDP bonus that is 8 months for this year. All in all the total bonus could be something like 12 to 15 mths. Not bad really, for a part time job. And the perks of being appointed as directors or chairman of public listed companies and public companies….Really bee tang. The next best job is a full time job that some may reckon as a vacation in a palace. But this is not true as it comes with really heavy responsibilities. Anyway, it pays S$4m a year plus all the perks of a presidency and, yes, the same number of months of bonuses as an MP. The total payout for year 2011 could be more than S$8m! Where on earth can one find such lucrative part time and full time jobs?

Bad eggs

Here are two samples of half boiled eggs that I ate this morning. Both were placed in the same container of hot water for 7 minutes. Did not feel comfortable and went to the toilet twice after that. One egg is more normal with the egg white fairly well formed. The egg white of the other is loose, powerdery, like diaorrhea but white in colour. Egg white should not be in such condition. The question is, is this kind of egg safe to eat? Is there anything seriously wrong with it? It may not cause immediate harm now, like a little dosage of radiation, but over time, prolonged exposure/consumption, could it lead to a kind of slow death or sickness?

YES! Startups Scheme

I read about this scheme in the Sunday Times. YES stands for Youth Entrepreneurs Scheme. It is a scheme specially designed to help young people to start their own business, and many young entrepreneurs have done that. Started in 2008, the scheme has given grants to 72 applicants worth $3.5m. To be eligible for the scheme the applicants must qualify under the following criteria, • Singaporean/PR, below 26 years old. Parental consent must be sought for those applicants 18 years old and below on the date of application • 1st time entrepreneur • key driver in the company This is a good scheme as it opens up another avenue to the young people instead of applying to become employees. It encourages entrepreneurship, self employment and risk taking. In view of the healthy pool of retirees that are unwanted as employees, and with the understanding that they have another 15 or 20 more years of living to get by, it may be opportune for Spring Singapore to consider setting up a similar scheme for the oldies who still need to earn a living or who may want to try out something new in the new phase of their lives. Life does not end after 55 or after retirement. A new pool of manpower that is self employed and not dependent on applying for jobs and would not stress up the job market. The above criteria may have to be amended to suit the background and experience of the oldies. There are more and more of them coming into the workforce but only to hit the great wall of corporate Singapore that sees nothing good except youth. YES, youth is what living is all about. How about a little thought for the oldies, the yodas? Have another version of YES, Yoda Enterpreneurs Scheme, for the ‘has beens’ may be timely given the govt’s push for the oldies to be independent, resourceful and be useful to themselves and society. There are many campaigns to teach the oldies how to keep themselves alive and active, but unproductive. They are still dependent on their CPF and savings to carry on. Boon Heng may have slipped his mind on how to make the oldies young entrepreneurs again and live life to the fullest, and be useful and creative again. Just make sure they don’t indulge in it in the biological sense.

Singapore has priced honesty correctly

A Singaporean, I presumed, Kanagasabai Haridas wrote to the ST forum with the above heading. I am trying to grasp what is his real message, a statement of approval or a poke at the issue of honesty and corruption in the city state? Kanagasabai mentioned four reasons why Singapore must pay the price to prevent its govt officials from going the corrupt way, by paying them of course. First we are a young country and the spirit or culture of goodness or incorruptibility is lacking. No choice but to pay or bribe. Two, the turnover of ministers in other countries are high. Our ministers remained in the job for a very long time, ie more opportunity and temptation to be corrupt. So the longer they stay in the job, the higher must they be paid to prevent them from becoming corrupt. This is very logical. Three, the candidates came to office relatively poor and wanted to make their fortune. Unlike the example of Hank Paulson who could serve the country out of conviction alone, the case of candidates that have not made their fortune is precarious. He added that in the American case, the candidates could also leave the govt and ended in high paying cosy jobs which Singapore did not have that luxury. More reasons not to pay exceptionally well. Finally he said Singapore leaders could not go on a lecture circuit to make their money after leaving office. This is true. So must make the fortune while in office. The bottom line of Kanagasabai’s position is that money is the main motivating factor and money must be paid to keep a person from becoming corrupt. This is exactly the same as the govt’s position. People may agree or disagree with his version of human goodness and motivation. If he is right, then we should revise our govt’s pay formula and forget about pegging them to the market. Just measure the corruptibility index of the person. Pay the person the amount to keep him from becoming corrupt. This is easier I think. But if this assumption is correct, it will also mean that the corruptibility index will rise over time or will follow the course of inflation. The higher the inflation, the higher will be the corruptibility index, and the more must be paid, or else corruption will be rampant. It is sad if we have to pay people to keep them from becoming corrupt. It defeats the purpose of education, in schools and in religious quarters, or in families. There is no need to teach about ethics, morals and goodness. Having said this, I have to agree that pragmatism prevails. Pay and pay for good govt must be the mantra for a young country that has not developed a culture of goodness, honesty and high morals. It is all about money.

Is it bravery or stupidity?

Some foreigners including Singaporeans are staying put in the Fukushima Prefecture. They claimed that they were not fair weather residents who would run at the first sign of trouble. They sneered at those foreigners fleeing Tokyo/Japan. There was a sense of pride, bravery and commitment, that they will not abandon Japan just because they were foreigners. The issue is whether the place is safe. The Japanese authority has been repeatedly trying to calm nerves with statements that the radiation fear is low. Tokyo is safe, water level is also safe now, amidst more cases of radiation spreading in food and vegetables to harmful levels in Tokyo itself. PM Naoto Kan in his grim message also acknowledged that the situation in Fukushima is grave. What is the difference between safe and grave? Evacuation order was given to those staying within the 20 km radius of the ailing nuclear power plants. The Americans ordered their citizens to stay clear of 80 km. Between these two safety limits there must be something not told or said. Or the Americans are just plain chicken and the Japanese have a higher tolerance for radiation? The cases of severe radiation levels on the Fukushima workers are surfacing. Japanese travelling abroad are also found to have unsafe level of radiation. How safe is Fukushima and Tokyo and the surrounding areas? Key point to note, no high govt officials are seen visiting the area. Today’s ST headlined, ‘Signs of breach raise radiation fears.’ The 3rd reactor, the most dangerous one, is apparently found to be leaking. How much and how severe will this leakage be as time goes on? What are the consequences of those exposed to the radiation continuously by choosing to stay in Fukushima when they don’t have to? Many things are not told for sure. Many things are better not said for fear of creating panic. Is it responsible or irresponsibility to try to calm nerves and allow people to continue to be exposed to the radiation hazard in the surrounding area? Is it grave or safe?

A little bit of frightening news

Many must have missed this piece of frightening news today. It was hidden somewhere in the article by Salma Khalik. Her article in ST talks about the challenges Singapore is facing to be among the best in health care. Then inside she quoted Boon Wan saying that he wanted to transform health care here ‘to be among the best in the world.’ Frightening isn’t it? Still don’t get the idea? You want the best, it means the best medical professionals, the best equipment, hospital facilities and supporting staff. Can you afford it? Are you willing to pay for it? Please, please Boon Wan, leave the best only to the private hospitals and A and B+ wards in govt privatized hospitals. The rest, please keep it good more than enough. The patients can only afford that level of medical services. But if it is free, by all means. And please don’t force them or mean test them to go for the best. Let them have a choice on how much money they can afford to part, not you decide how much they should part. The same goes to the best public transport system in the world. You want good, comfort, the best, you must pay for it. You want world class transport, make sure you got world class wallet. And world class people would not want to sit in the train with not world class commuters. I read somewhere this morning that one sikit atas aka high class woman called a radio station to complain that the low class HDB dwellers are spoiling the atmosphere of Holland Village. Only high class people with high class taste, mannerism and not complaining like low class HDB dwellers are allowed in Holland Village. This is the perfect complain awaiting the perfect answer and perfect solution. Gantry points will be up around Holland Village and patrons must pay $20 for entry to the Village. This shall ensure the cheapskate and bad manner Ah Sohs and Uncles from going there. Hit their pocket hard and they will stay away. World class, high class, there is a BIG price to pay for.

But the Americans are such peaceful people....

'Chinese paper condemns Libya air strikes 2011-03-21 15:18 BEIJING - Chinese official newspaper People's Daily on Monday stepped up opposition to Western air attacks on Libya, accusing the United States and its allies of breaking international rules and courting new turmoil in the Middle East. The paper likened the assault on Libyan sites to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and suggested it followed a pattern of Western overreaching in other countries' affairs. "The blood-soaked tempests that Iraq has undergone for eight years and the unspeakable suffering of its people are a mirror and a warning," said the commentary in the People's Daily. "The military attacks on Libya are, following on the Afghan and Iraq wars, the third time that some countries have launched armed action against sovereign countries," it said....' We all know that the Americans are such peace loving people. And they did all the invasions of Arab countries to maintain peace for the world. Their next target for war, oops, I mean for peace, is North Korea. Then there will be peace in Korea, like in Iraq, with many infrastructures flattened and many Koreans bite the dust. All for a good cause. Long live the peaceful American Empire. Yes, we believe America is a peace loving country. Not like China! So belligerent and aggressive, fighting wars everywhere! Where, where? Don't worry, the silly Asians and Africans will believe that America is the best thing that happens to them and to the peace loving people. In the meantime, Arabs, please don't complain. It is all for your own good and the good of the world.

Big changes in PAP policies

2 out of 6 candidates introduced so far are new citizens. Both became citizens in 2008. After Janil Puthucheary comes Foo Mee Har, from Ipoh. If this is the general trend, then we can expect 1/3 of the new PAP candidates will be new citizens, not local born. Foreign talents are showing how dependent Singapore is for their contributions in the private and now the public sector. With the dearth of local talents, this is the natural thing to do. Evolution, Singapore style or we will go the dodo way. The next big change in PAP policies is to field lesser Chinese educated candidates. But Kan Seng quickly assured the Chinese educated group that their interests will still be important and that national decisions will be based on national interest. What is he trying to say? Hopefully national interest and the interest of the Chinese educated will coincide and not contrary. Over time this has to be the way to go. Either there are now no more Chinese schools or the proficiency of the students from the SAP schools is just not good enough. Or maybe there are no worthy talents from the SAP schools, or maybe the students from SAP schools are not willing to serve. Or maybe there is no more Chinese educated community to talk about. So gradually evolution will take place. A third change is the passing of the baton. We are seeing more ‘tai zi’ and ‘gong zi yeh’ stepping forward to fill the shoes left behind by their fathers. 3 out of 6 so far are children of the first generation of PAP founders. And more are on the cards. This must be the year of the princelings. Or is it the year of the foreign talents? I must say that these are important developments in the evolution of PAP politics. It will not cause any revolution for sure.

Killing Fields

For those who remember, the infamous Killing Fields of Kampuchea where millions could have been killed by the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime of children soldiers. What's left in the Killing Fields were stacks and stacks of skulls and bones. A new life has taken over kampuchea, thriving, while the memories and skulls of the Killing Fields, and the pains, live on as part of Kampuchea's gruesome past of a political regime gone badly wrong. More photos at www.artofrar.blogspot.com.

Way to cleaner, safer future

An interesting front page article in mypaper today by M D Nalapat, a professor of geopolitics, Manipal University, India. This is the first time someone pointedly argued that all the craps about regime change in the Middle East and the world is about oil. Saddam Hussein was murdered by the Americans because of oil. Gaddafi is next in line, also because of oil. And the Americans are in every corner of the world guarding their oil interest and scheming for regime change to secure oil for its huge appetite. Nalapat said, ‘Not many people know that the US Dept of Defence consumes close to 500,000 barrels of oil a day.’ Shit, and govt’s of the world are telling their citizens to save on using plastic bags. And Greenpeace is attacking everyone across the world for destroying the environment. Mind you, the 500,000 barrels of oil a day is only for the Dept of Defence. What about the other uses? The wasteful consumption of petrol by private individuals in their energy guzzlers, 6 to 7 litre cars, jetting down the freeways and the big trucks, could consume another big chunk of the world’s little precious oil that is left. Nalapat went on to claim that nuclear energy is safe and the way to go. Another controversial statement. For big countries with big space to host the nuclear plants and the ability to abandon site in case of a nuclear accident, and the population can be moved away, maybe still a viable option. Please don’t encourage those people living in a small piece of rock to have one. Abandoning the nuclear plant is abandoning the whole piece of rock for good. No option, no way out. Nice food for thought.

I want to write a book

I have been thinking about writing a book on the housing fiasco over the last ten years. There are plenty of materials to write about and it is also of great public interest. I thought about it but decided not to. For everything that needs to be said were all public knowledge. How the fiasco started, how it was continued and how it was solved or presumably solved were all very subjective? Whatever I write will be a very biased one sided view, my view on the issue . So what is new other than flattering my little ego? Yes, there are things that the public still wanted to know but will not be told. Some hard truths like the cost of building a flat, the nitty gritty that goes into the formula to come out with the cost of building a flat will be such a highly guarded secret that it will never see the light for at least another generation. If such a vital piece of information cannot be written, why would anyone bother to read my book? So I quietly shelf my plan for my great book.

Celebrating Singaporean - Tharman Shanmugaratnam

'WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday named Singapore's finance minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, to head its key policy-steering panel, the first Asian to head the advisory committee.' Though this is only an advisory committee, it is still a rare honour bestowed on a Singaporean. Next target, head of the IMF. That will be something, but unlikely as it is reserved for an American, I think.

A rousing reception for Janil Puthucheary

Cyberspace has a rousing welcome for Janil Puthucheary but not the kind that he would have liken. Crossing to the side of his father’s political enemies, breaking a promise to his wife, and quitting his country of birth were the reasons that did not go down well with bloggers. This may be a bit unfair to a talented man who has stepped out to be counted, to sacrifice and to serve the country, and the very people that are not happy with him. Quitting Malaysia could be easy as the opportunities here are much better for him to practise as a doctor. How he convinced his father to join the PAP must be tricky. How he convinced his wife to forgive him for breaking his promise to her could be even trickier. Look at it this way, the lure of politics must be a very strong calling for Janil to step into the ring. The temptation of chasing a good cause, a national calling to serve the people of his adopted country, must be so powerful for him to resist. Assuming he got elected, assuming he goes on to become the Prime Minister of Singapore, his will be the greatest story ever told of a foreign talent making it good in Singapore. He will become a national hero of sort, a role model for all foreign talents seeking their fortunes here. STB could use him as the poster boy to attract more foreign talents to this island, a place that truly appreciates foreign talents without any biases, but recognizing everyone according to his merits. And once a citizen he can pursue his dream to the highest office in the island. The task of attracting more talents here will become a piece of cake, with PM Janil Puthucheary. Just a good bedtime story.

New Citizens Party

The PAP is the first to announce a new citizen, Dr Janil Puthucheary, as a candidate for the GE. Though he is just 3 years as a new citizen, he is no stranger to Singapore. His father, Dominic Puthucheary, was a founding member of PAP but joined the Barisan Socialis and ended up as a political prisoner. The family left to become Malaysians. Janil Puthucheary is a kind of homecoming, and a healing of political rift. The other opposition parties are also heard to be considering putting up new citizens as their candidates. This is good news as new or old citizen, they are all citizens with equal rights under the law. The better part is that there are many talents among the new citizens that are much better than the old citizens. With this abundant pool of foreign talents turned citizens, I am sure there will be enough of them to form one or two new parties to contest in the election. And being hungrier and adventurous, more entrepreneurial, in the same mould as the founding members of PAP and Barisan Socialis, they will be a great asset to the political scene. Singapore politics needs new blood and a heavy dose of fresh air to give it a new life. The staleness in the air is getting a bit nauseating when political parties need to scrap the bottom of the barrel for talents. The vibrancy, the new mindset, the never say die attitude of the new citizens should carry the country forward in the 21st Century. There is no longer the need to depend on lazy and has beens Singaporeans that are complacent and waiting for the sky to fall on their laps. Singapore will benefit from the drive of the new citizens and their enterprising spirit. NCP or New Citizens Party, maybe one or two, will be nice to have. Come on, new citizens, it is time to serve the country, to sacrifice for the country that have treated you so well.

War Games in Libya

The Americans and its European allies are conducting war games in Libya. In this case it is live firing with real ammunitions. The gamers are firing their cruise missiles, known as Tomahawks into Libya to test the weapon’s accuracy and effectiveness. It is also a cheap way to use up old and expired items and to replace them with new inventory. The American weapons industry is yet again given another new lease of life with more orders for new weapons and ammunitions. This is much more lucrative than the war games at the Korean peninsula where limited live ammunitions were fired. Of course things will be rosier if the Korean peninsula could turn into another big live firing exercise area. Who is fighting who? It is the Europeans and the Americans attacking an Arab country. The US, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Norway and the UAE are in. Where are Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt? Without the participation of the major Arab countries other than UAE, the West is going to look very bad. This is going to be ammunition for the Arabs to be more anti West and anti American/British in particular.

I slept with the Merlion

Anyone with the money can sleep with the Merlion. Yes, this is true. It is a nice message. Everyone is welcome to sleep with the Merlion. This should be the message or logo for Singapore. Forget about Uniquely Singapore. We welcome everyone with open arms, with loving hospitality. Come, sleep with me. This must be the most exciting experience awaiting our guests.

NaturalNews Insider Alert

NaturalNews Insider Alert ( www.NaturalNews.com ) email newsletter (Unsubscribe instructions at bottom) Dear NaturalNews readers, As of right now, the situation remains desperate in Japan, with a confirmation coming this morning that the food near Fukushima is now radioactive. Efforts to cover the spent fuel rods with cooling water have failed again and again, and now there is concern that at least one of the fuel rod storage pools may be cracked, meaning it cannot hold water. Thus, there's no way to cover the fuel rods no matter how much water you pump in (and the pumps aren't even operating yet anyway...) The official government explanations about radiation exposure in Japan are an insult to intelligence. A few days ago, they would say things like "The amount of radiation people are experiencing is only equal to that of a chest X-ray." Today with the irradiated food, they now are comparing your exposure to "the amount of radiation you might get from a CT scan." What they don't tell you is that a CT scan emits up to 600 times more radiation than a chest X-ray. What's next on this scale? Are they soon going to announce that people are only exposed to "the same amount of radiation as a miscalibrated mammogram?" And folks, the radiation exposure in Japan is constant radiation, meaning it's like getting a CT scan that just keeps scanning 24/7 (if you're close enough to the Fukushima plant). This isn't one limited dose that turns off in two seconds, it's an ongoing radiation avalanche that keeps coming. The mainstream media has all but abandoned accurate reporting on this issue, almost as if they were all ordered by the White House to just stop talking about Fukushima (because it was scaring people). Here's my story on that: http://www.naturalnews.com/031748_mainstream_media_nuclear_catastrophe.html There now appears to be a total information blackout on the true status of reactor #4, reports Ethan Huff: http://www.naturalnews.com/031758_Fukushima_nuclear_reactor.html A Japanese Mayor has gone public with his own accusations that the Japanese government abandoned his people and lied to them about the real situation: http://www.naturalnews.com/031747_nuclear_fallout_disinformation.html Mark Sircus brings us a timely update today on the worsening situation in Tokyo: http://www.naturalnews.com/031757_Tokyo_radiation.html

Notable quote by LKY

“85% of Singaporeans are living in HDB flats and we intend to keep the values of these homes up. It will never go down,” said MM Lee. If there is one thing that will defy gravity, it will be the price of HDB flats. Wonder how this will be managed if it is subject to market forces and the world economy. Wondering what will the price be if the lease expires. But the formula is for the govt to buy back before the lease expires at market price to knock down and rebuild. And as long as the price of new flats is up, the resale or buy back price can only go up. Sounds good. There is another assumption, that the CBF workers's salary will be able to keep pace with the rising prices. _________________

Say No to destructive growth formula

The growth formula built on population expansion will destroy the earth. The obsession for growth based on high consumption of goods and services to obtain economic growth numbers will also lead to the depletion of raw materials and limited fossil energy sources. It is crazy to leave the world to crazy economists who only believe in growth in numbers and numbers while mother earth is being eaten up, destroyed, without any conscience. High consumption is greed, gluttony for no good reason. Why should a car be built to run on 7000cc engine, why should one person owns ten or twenty cars, ten houses, yachts, and many wives and tens or hundreds of children? Having wants and greed are good to some extent. But when these become wasteful and leading to the destruction of earth, it must be stopped. Imagine if every country just keeps on producing more people to generate more economic activities, more consumption of produces and resources, and of course energy, it will lead to an earlier death of mother earth. There must be a rethink. There were plentiful of land and resources available to humankind when the world’s population was a few hundred millions or less. Now we have several billions to share the space, air and food supply and resources. We are consuming everything at double quick time. It is time to consolidate our resources and improve the lives of people with more production/growth but lesser consumption. Stop wasteful production and wasteful consumption. The free willing economy where the fittest survive and enjoy everything they want in abundance, without any care to how their wasteful consumption is destroying the earth must be stopped. The crazy idea of growth and growth without thinking about the consequences must be stopped. At a micro level, this little rock is overpopulated, over consuming the limited resources. And the crazy thing is that it is claiming progress and claiming that without growth, life will be a misery. Life will come to a standstill and the system will break down. Yes, under the current belief that economic growth is everything, things will change. The formula is a bigger cake for more people. More people, more economic growth, more demand for space, water and energy. Can this be change to smaller cake for lesser people? There must be a freeze on population growth in the world and in every country. Mother earth is under stress. The food chain is under stress. The resources are being depleted. Fossil fuel is being drawn down to a dangerous level. Ya, the savior is nuclear fuel. Everyone is looking towards nuclear energy as the panacea to sustain economic growth and energy consumption. This will eventually lead to a catastrophic destruction of lives and everything on earth.