In celebration of foreign tycoons

There were many headline news of the increasing numbers of foreign tycoons making Sin City their homes. These are the genuinely super talents that have made it good in life in their own ways and are filled with money and riches, and life was meant for living and pleasure. They are here for the right or wrong reasons but one thing for sure, they will not be here to take away plum jobs from Singaporeans. The only unsavoury sin they could commit would be the buying of a few ethereal priced properties. But this would not have too much negative impact on the general populace as their numbers, and the sale of landed properties is limited by legislation and a thinking Govt, are small and remote, a world of their own. They could in their own ways contribute positively to the economy if that is what the Govt desires. I don’t think anyone has any issue on these tycoons.

What this group of tycoons will not do is to feast on the success of the country built over the last few decades. They would not be parachuted down from nowhere to take over top jobs and be paid millions when the jobs could have gone to the local talents. Many Singaporeans see this as a betrayal. I am still scratching my head as to the number of top jobs going to foreign talents and watching what they are doing and what a local could not do much better.

The paying of millions to foreign talents for positions that were created locally is something that will not be taken lightly by the aspiring local talents. The question is why, after building up this place, the credits and benefits ended up in the pockets of foreign paratroopers and mercenaries. This is not just a matter of envy. There must be many local talents that can fill these jobs or be groomed to take over these jobs. I would faint if, after building up a banking empire like UOB, the top job ended up with a foreigner because no local is deemed good enough. It is plain silly to do so, all the hard works of several generations in building a business empire only to see someone coming from no where to reap the rewards.  What has this foreigner contributed to the creation of wealth and the business to have the good fortune of being paid in the millions, delivered on a silver platter?

We should welcome the tycoons and their businesses and the jobs they created for the locals. Why should we welcome foreign talents who are here for the feast?

How frightening to have your photos on the news

Two young men got the scare of their lives when their photos appeared in several newspaper as suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing incident. Both were middle eastern and fit the western stereotyping of what bombers are likely to look like. And the media were so happy to flash their photos across their pages.

Here are some remarks made by one of the suspects and his family and reported by AP. The two could have been killed or shot at just because of the news and their photographs. They were lucky that two other suspects surfaced. If not, they would have remained the prime suspects and living in fear with life threatening moments. Could they have saved themselves by turning up at the police station? Or could that become worst given the prejudice against them and the notoriety of some policemen in the US. They could turn up in good faith in a police station to clear their names but the whole episode could become a nightmare.

Yes, they were lucky, and right to stay indoors away from the suspicious eyes of people eager to take the bombers down. Thank God they are safe now.

‘REVERE, Mass. (AP) — A teenager said he is scared to go outside after he was portrayed on the Internet and on the front page of the New York Post as connected to the deadly Boston Marathon bombings.

Photos of Salah Eddin Barhoum, 17, and friend Yassine Zaime were posted on websites whose users have been scouring marathon finish line photos for suspects. The two were also on the Post's front Thursday with the headline: "Bag men: Feds seek these two pictured at Boston Marathon."

The Post reported later Thursday that the pair weren't considered suspects, and the FBI has since identified two other men as suspects in Monday's bombings, which killed three people and injured more than 180.

But Barhoum, a track runner at Revere High School, said he is convinced some will blame him for the bombings, no matter what.

He said he was so fearful on Thursday that he ran back to the high school after a track meet when he saw a man in a car staring at him, talking into a phone. He said he won't feel safe until the bombers are caught.

"I'm going to be scared going to school," Barhoum said. "Workwise, my family, everything is going to be scary."

Attempts to reach Zaime were not immediately successful.

Barhoum's father, El Houssein Barhoum, who moved his family from Morocco five years ago, said he is worried his son will be shot and fears for his wife and two young daughters. He said he can't go to his job as a baker in Boston.

"Right now, we are not secure," he said. "So, the news (media), when they put something, they should be sure about the information."

The two could have been killed or shot at just because of the news and their photographs. They were lucky that two other suspects surfaced. If not, they would have remained the prime suspects and living in fear with life threatening moments. Could they have saved themselves by turning up at the police station? Or could that become worst given the prejudice against them and the notoriety of some policemen in the US. They could turn up in good faith in a police station to clear their names but the whole episode could become a nightmare.

Yes, they were lucky, and right to stay indoors away from the suspicious eyes of people eager to take the bombers down. Thank God they are safe now. It must be real scary.

Saving Ubin

The scientists around the world are worried at the destruction of rainforests and their ecology and the ultimate destruction of Gaia. The scientists are also worried about population growth and the consumption and exploitation of livestocks and mineral resources of Gaia as well. Both are destructive forces that could make life of earth difficult for human kind. Without the green lungs to cleanse the air and recycle oxygen and carbon dioxide, to cool the temperature and the cycle of rainfall, and the rapid population growth that is consuming everything at a rate must faster than their replacement rate, Mother Earth will have great difficulties sustaining life forms in the not too distant future.

The first sign of Pulau Ubin going the way of concrete jungle has been put up. We have lost Sentosa to all the ugly man made structures, we have reclaimed Marina South only to be turned into another ugly monster that needs hundreds of millions to maintain when the plants in them could grow in their natural habitat without costing a cent. And we claimed progress and money well spent, a big scientific achievement, a great human feat over Nature.

Pulau Ubin will be dug up and rebuilt for more human activities, more unnatural concrete constructs in the name of progress. Why can’t Pulau Ubin be left alone as another remnant of Mother Nature saved from the destructive forces of greedy men? There is no need to destroy Ubin if we are not crazy about filling our islands with more people. Our so called economic progress is our little contribution to the destruction of Gaia. When the world is trying to save the rainforests, trying to limit the growth of human beans, we are doing the reverse. We want to destroy Nature, we want more human beans disproportionate to the size of our islands. We are over consuming and over populating our islands for our own good.

Save Ubin. Say No to 6.9m.

Blow up my home, I blow up yours

In my earlier post on the failure of American Intelligence Services to gather prior warnings of the Boston Marathon bombings, the main point was for the Americans to stop their wicked acts of planting the seeds of war everywhere. The Americans could do that, and have been doing that, on the belief that all these destructive and bad things can be done in other people’s territories, far away from the USA. This false sense of security emboldens the Americans to start and perpetuate wars around the world for the last 60 years and still going strong. The new theatre of war and destruction will be Asia, starting with the Korean peninsula, and this will be followed up by Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea.

Before the Americans start a few more wars, the Boston bombing is a stark reminder that when the Americans go around bombing other people’s country and killing other innocent people, the victims will return to the American mainland to do the same. It is better for the Americans to reflect on their evil acts and pull back to avoid more disastrous bombings in the heartlands of America. The victims can hit back and will hit back and will bring the war into the streets of America.

Asymmetrical warfare is the alternative to fight wars against a superior aggressor in its homeland and around the world. The Americans, or any aggressor country that invades another country have to contend with a timeless guerilla war waged by the people of the invaded country, a war without a battle zone, with no battle lines, no enemies in sight. Asymmetrical warfare will take modern warfare to a new dimension, with a small group of men or women it can hold a super power in hostage and its people in fear, disrupt their daily life in every corner of the world. It can drain down the aggressor’s resources and wear down their spirit to fight an invisible enemy that has the advantage of initiative and surprise.

The moral of the story is that any country, super powers and their unwilling allies or coalition, must take note that they can come under attack anywhere, including their homeland. There is no where to hide and no place is safe. It is best to stop starting wars and make friends rather than making enemies. What is the main role of USS Freedom?

The mysterious disappearance of blogger Lucky Tan

I just visited Diary of a Singaporean Mind blog and read Lucky Tan’s last post on 14 Mar. And there were nearly 400 comments left behind by his ardent followers. Some were worried of his whereabout and his well being. Some were speculating that he was FeedmetotheFish. Some continued to post as if Lucky was still there.

What is clear and undeniable is that Lucky Tan has not posted again since that last article on 14 Mar. Lucky simply disappeared from cyberspace. In the case of Fish, his brother came into his blog to announce his peaceful departure from this earthly place. No one offered to say anything on Lucky’s behalf.

Where is Lucky Tan now? What had happened to him? Does anyone out there know anything about him and can keep blogosphere informed and kill the suspense? Someone must know Lucky and his whereabout.

For those who do not know him, Lucky is one of the vociferous writers in blogosphere and has a very big following for his insightful and thoroughly research articles. Many are feeling his absence and wish that he is well and will come back and continue to post and share his thoughts with all in social media.

Lucky, if you are reading this, please say something. Or anyone who knows of what has happened to Lucky, please tell. In the meantime we can all wait and pray that Lucky is well. The Darkside is ominously hiding behind the corner and making people guessing.

Redbean.

Bloggers who have nothing to say

Agree that bloggers blogged for many reasons, but in social political blogs, generally there are three types of bloggers. The first and natural bloggers are those that blog because they have something to say, something they want to share or get it off their chests. Just that, and may enjoy just doing it. The second big group will be those belonging to political parties or are supporters of certain political parties, have political inclinations. The third group are not bloggers or bloggers of the unwilling. These people don’t blog and do not want to blog. They blog because they are paid to blog, like paid workers, mercenaries. They really have nothing to blog about.

The first group is what blogging was designed for. It is a new way of conversation, a way of talking to the world, share views and chit chat with other people, maybe making friends. If every blogger is just a blogger blogging for his interest, things can be quite innocent and the blogging world will just grow for as long as the interest is there.

For the second group, blogger is a political thing, a way to support their parties, to convince others to their political ideas and to gain influence and votes, which is quite natural for political animals.

The third group, the nasties, or bloggers of the unwilling, is the pest in social media. They are not blogging. They are paid to be destructive, to attack bloggers and can be very personal and bitchy. This is the most disgraceful group of people that exists to attack people they don’t know, for no reasons except because they are being paid to do so, like paid assassins. No, assassins will be too honourable a title. They are willing to sell their conscience for a fee. They are like the computer viruses, best to be terminated.

The three groups are just simple generalizations. Some may criss cross over groups as their interests could stray or expand to other areas. Blogging can be a big thing in the socio political platform. Many are blogging for a passion, not being paid, but contributing good stuff to educate and inform their readers. We need more and well informed bloggers to contribute to social media to make it a force to be reckon with, a respectable alternative to the main media, to break the stranglehold of news and views of the main media. Social media is the place where people can speak openly, honestly and freely of what they think, and what they feel of things that are happening around us and what is becoming of the country.

The people who pay for thugs to attack people in social media are just as shameless and despicable as they are the ones behind the shameful act. It used to be just some wild individuals who have an axe to grind to be cursing and swearing at their victims. Now we have people paying thugs to do the same, cursing and swearing at bloggers just because the bloggers have a different view of things.

Boston bombings, failure of American intelligence

What is glaring about the Boston Marathon bombing incident is the total lack of intelligence from the American intelligence services that this was coming. In the 911 case, there were intelligence reports of something big brewing but not this one. There was absolute silence until it happened. Now all the security service personnel are running around like bull arse flies, turning over every stone, opening every letter going to the American President and Congressmen and screaming threats of all kinds. This incident will keep them busy for a long while to come.

Why is America getting such brickbats every now and then, and why is it that the Americans, including Obama, are so innocent, claiming that they did not know why America is a target of terrorist acts? It seems that Obama is probably thinking that he is Angel Obama and so were his secretaries and those of the previous regimes. They are all angels and walking with a halo on their heads. Who would have problems with angels and wants to bomb the homes of angels? It is simply unimaginable and unspeakable. The rest of the world must be insane, the terrorists must be insane to want to blow up such nice American people. They are the most peaceful and peace loving people, spreading love and kindness all over the world, a benign and benevolent super power….really?

One day after the Boston bombing, Obama was up to his antics again to lambast the North Koreans threatening this and that, that he would not tolerate the North Koreans for their provocations. And he also claimed that the North Koreans were still incapable of mounting a nuclear device on their ICBMs, and cannot hit the USA. So, why the hue and cry of threats from this little poor country? Are the North Koreans conducting war games simulating an invasion of the American mainland with Mexico or Cuba or with Canada? No? Are there any North Korean military ships or personnel within 1000km from the American coastlines? No?

Why are there so many American soldiers at the borders of North Korea, conducting war games to simulate an invasion of North Korea? Why are there thousands of soldiers there ratcheting and beating the drums of war? Why are nuclear capable war planes flying around North Korea? Are there for a carnival, American way of making friends or saying hello? Are these acts not provocative, no hostile, not unfriendly? Should the North Koreans sit back, fold their arms and watch the show and do nothing while the Americans and the South Koreans are rattling their sabres in their front yard?

The Americans cannot see how hostile, belligerent and warlike they have been, how provocative and aggressive to other countries. The Americans cannot see the hundreds of thousands of innocents being killed, maimed, children and old people being crippled by their soldiers and their bombs delivered by drones. The lives and suffering and pains of these other people are meaningless. The lives and pains of Americans are real, so painful. Maybe the Iraqis, the Libyans, the Syrians, the Afghans are droids, have no feelings, no sense of pains, would not feel anything when their limbs are blown away by shrapnel from bombs.

The American people must put a stop to their evil and wicked administration in connivance with the arms merchants and manufacturers to create a perpetual state of fear, of wars to server their interests. America is the source of all wars on the surface of the earth. Every war that is fought, or going to be started, is the result of American provocation and initiative. If the American regime and administration do not stop starting war, and refuse to acknowledge that they are the cause of wars, the Americans will continue to be the most hated people in the world, and likely more bombs will be planted in the soils of America mainland, and there will be more 911s and more Boston bombings. Only the Americans can put a stop to this carnage and suffering of its own people by putting an end to their hostilities and acts of war against other people and nation.

The American administration is evil to the core. They acted like an Evil Empire, starting wars every where to sell more arms and to control and manipulate the peoples to become subservient to the evil Empire. They agitate and provoke others and claim to be innocent and others as evil. The Americans may need more bombs on American soil to have a new awakening to their evil and wicked deeds. There are good reasons for the bombs and the bombings. Obama should wipe the stupid and innocent smile from his face and tell the truth.

The free ride is an historical break through

Since the 1960s when many things were free though the country was poor, with very little or nothing in the national reserves, it is a big thing today to have free travel on the MRT even with conditions. In those days, there were free medical and dental for students and the citizens, some enjoy free school fees, some had free food, free tuition by volunteers, free movies, not having to pay to visit Pulau Blankang Mati, free visits to the museums etc etc. Many things were free then.

The free travel on the MRT must have taken many by surprise, and many must still be skeptical and wondering how the Govt will be taking back from them through some other ways.

I was skeptical too when this was first proposed by Janil Puthucheary. I was afraid that it would shift the jam in the train to an earlier hour when school children will be going to schools. My fear will be the hordes of foreign workers jamming the trains for the free ride. I can understand how important it is to them. Every dollar saved is a big deal and plenty of money to them.

The introduction of this free travel comes with some modifications which will target the cause of the morning rush hours, ie, office workers all going one way, to the heart of the city. The administrators have done some thinking and fine tuned the proposal to just address the office crowd going into the city. Commuters not going into the city would not benefit from the free travel scheme. This in a way will not lead to a mad rush when everyone will want to take advantage of the free travel and jam the train in the early hours of the day. Those travelling from the East to the West or vice versa or to other parts of the island will not be affected by this free travel in any significant way.

The solution is tailor made and hopefully it will help to relieve the problems of peak hour travel but not contributing too much to early morning jams for the early birds. The one year trial period should give the administrators time to review and tweak the system further to achieve its aim of freeing the train a little and give the commuters more breathing space.

What is important here is paradigm shift, a change in the thinking of the govt. You don’t need too clever leaders but leaders with ideas to improve the lives of the people. With so much money collected to ease traffic congestion, giving a little back in free travel for a good reason needs not be tabooed. Let the administrators or civil servants work out the details to make a new idea work. There is a separation of roles, with the leaders brainstorming ideas to serve the people and the administrators or civil servants doing the nitty gritty. It should not be the leaders or Govt meddling with the nitty gritty when they don’t really have the time for it, given the spread of their portfolios and the limited time they have on hand. Think housing…think immigration, think 6.9m, think economic growth….

And if this free train ride is successful, it only costs the govt $10m. Quite cheap for a solution to make travelling a bit more pleasant for the commuters. There are many things that the Govt can do to make life better for the citizens without incurring a walloping sum of money like hundreds of millions. What is $10m anyway?

Ban Ki Moon should strongly condemn US organised crimes of war of aggression and terrorism against other countries

Ban Ki Moon should strongly condemn US organised crimes of violence, terrorism and wars of aggression against other countries


Ban Ki Moon, the secretary general of the United Nations  condemned the Boston Maraton Explosions as an act of senseless savage violence and terrorism. And he is right and no body will dispute with what he said because any decent person will see this as obviously so.And he is also right to empathise with the victims. But he is very hypocritical and there is something very wrong with him. Did he ever condemn the endless acts of mass terrorism and violence conducted by the Evil Empire via CIA and the Pentagon against other innocent countries. The Boston Maraton Explosion is child's play compare to the senseless mass killings of thousands of innocent people carried out by sorties of American drones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and  some other countries. The trouble thing is that when the Americans kill they never regret and show remorse but simply brush off their killings of innocent peoples as collateral damages. The little acts of terrorism in America may be carried out by small disparate groups of dissatisfied people which could be the Americans themselves who feel the great injustice of the American state. On the other hand American acts of violence and terrorism and mass killings of other peoples and countries are carried out by the American government. The American state will always justify their rights to do do evil things in organised state terrorism and senseless and endless wars of aggression against other countries. The American state started with mere thirteen small provinces. But right from the beginning of its independence from its forbears, Imperial Britain , it has never stopped its well organised acts of violence and terrorism and wars of aggression against other states and countries. It is through its wanton wars of aggression and annexation that America reach its present size. The present American state organised crimes of acts of violence and terrorism and wars of aggression is a historical extension of their dastardly acts of murder and genocide of more than eighty-five million or ninety-five percent of the native American Indians. By far they have been carrying out their killings and wars of aggression with impunity and they think they can continue to do so without retribution. Hope this time they will be mercilessly wrong for as the saying goes, "Push the tiger against the wall and it will fight back." Ban Ki Moon should not pretend to be a good man. He should condemn all American state organised terrorism, drone attacks and uncall for wars of aggression against other countries .  Ban Ki Moon should know that time is running out and unless he stops the Americans from creating and fomenting the Korean tension he must know that not only Korea will be totally destroyed but the resultant nuclear wars will destroy the whole world and humanity.

Southernglory1

Can there be a better solution to the transportation problem?

The roads are congested, too many cars and too few roads. In order to ease the congestion, either the roads be increased or the number of cars decreased. All solutions lie in this two permutations. Car ownership, COE, ERP, ARF, parking, petrol taxes etc etc revolve around limiting usage or cars on the road. All the solutions implemented and suggested, including those of Prof Paul Barter, are workable for the same reason and logic. People who want to drive must pay for the convenience.

Is there any better way? No way. The only solution is to control the car population which is directly related to the population and size of the island. If the population continues to grow, 5.5m now and 6.9m in 2030, what would the situation be? It can only be worst. Car ownership and driving on the road is going to be more costly. This is guaranteed.

You need more space or lesser cars. If the population can be reduced to 4m, the strain on the roads will be lesser and the percentage of car owners versus the population can be higher. Bring down the population or increase land space and roads. There is no other solution other than increasing the cost of car ownership or usage. There is nothing clever about it. No matter how one tweaks the formula, it is still about paying and paying. The difference is who and how to pay.

Singapore’s changing demography

The population of Singapore used to be 75% Chinese, 12% Malay, 8% Indian and 5% Others or thereabout, plus or minus here and there. What is the racial distribution today? Assuming that this racial mix remains fairly unchanged, the distribution will be 37.5% Chinese, 6% Malay, 4% Indian and 2.5 Others. How so? Coz the other 50% has gone to foreigners, either PRs or transient workers. And what is the racial mix of the 50% foreigners? My guess, 50% from India, 30% from China, 10% from Philippines and 10% for the rest of the world. I don’t have the official data and this is just a guesstimate. Add this to the whole population mix and we will have (37.5 + 15) 52.5% Chinese, (4+25) 29% Indians, (3+5) 8% Malay if the Pinoys are categorized as Malays, and 5% for the rest of the world. I think this mix can be seen in the trains or buses and can be confirmed by a random check on the commuters inside a train cabin or inside a bus. I stress again, the numbers are educated guesses.

What does the new mix imply or how would it affect the social and cultural pattern of the population? Let me just look at one specific area, language or lingua franca. Singapore has been selling itself as a destination for education with English as a predominant language. English is our lingua franca and foreign students can come here to be immersed in an English speaking world. This is particularly attractive to the PRC and Korean students and also students from Asean who wanted to become more proficient in English. The students could get not only a quality education but also learn a useful English language by interacting with the locals.

This advantage has changed. When the foreigners are a minority, they could turn everywhere, every corner to find a Singaporean to talk to, in English. Now this is becoming a rarity. For every Singaporean they met, they will meet another foreigner. Even in the schools and universities, the number of foreigners is increasing. It will mean that foreign students will have lesser opportunities to learn the English language, in particular the PRC students, many will end up speaking Mandarin and not English. This could also apply to students from other countries when they too find it difficult to associate or communicate with Singaporeans in English.

When Singaporeans are a minority or near minority, the Singapore culture, way of life and even the English language will have lesser room to express itself. The only people that could benefit from this demographic shift are actually the Singaporeans. Singaporeans will now be more international, having been exposed to more foreigners, integrated with more foreigners, and could even learn some Tagalog, Hindi and perfect their Mandarin. It would be reversed integration in a way as the dominant Singaporean way, culture and language will no longer be dominant anymore. Singaporeans are no longer the dominant or outright majority people in the island.

As they said, or joke about, Singaporeans need not have to leave the island to see the world. Hop into a train and he will be in a sea of international citizens. If they want a little more of India, go to Little India. And there is China Town and Geylang, and Beach Road to be in Bangkok or Orchard Road to be in Makati, or Botanic Garden to feel more like in the Philippines. Singaporeans can save a lot of money from travelling when the world is at their doorstep.

The demographic change has a lot of tangible benefits for the Singaporeans sure. Singapore is truly an international city and Singaporeans are international citizens.

Free travel on MRT on week days

A one year trial for free travel on the MRT will commence on 24 June. Everyone travelling early on the train will definitely love it. It is so unbelieveable that things can be had for free in this no free lunch City. I just hope that it will not cause more problems than solving problems. Keep the fingers crossed that the trains will not be jam packed by foreigner workers early in the morning just for the free ride.

Commuters must exit from 16 stations in town to enjoy the free ride. The stations are,

‘Bugis, Chinatown, City Hall, Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut, Lavender, Orchard, Outram Park, Raffles Place, Somerset, Tanjong Pagar, Bayfront, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Marina Bay and Promenade…Commuters who exit at these stations between 7.45am and 8am will be given a discount of up to 50 cents off their train fare. The Government will be funding this one-year trial.

Boston Marathon Explosion

2 dead and more than a hundred injured when two bombs blew up at the finishing line of the Boston Marathon yesterday. It may be due to gas containers blowing up in nearby kitchen, nothing related to terrorist acts, so nothing to worry about. Police are still investigating.

The chilling truth is that it is coming home. The 911 did not deter the Americans from continuing to start wars and conduct military aggression against other countries in foreign soils. The Americans think that it is their right to conduct wars and terrorism in other countries and they are safe at home. The war is coming home. Terrorist acts are coming home.

Now there is no where to run and no where to hide. Would the Americans start to rethink of their crimes overseas, regime change, wars on WMD and think that they can do it repeatedly with impunity? Or would they be more retrospect and introspect and top meddling with other countries affairs, stop killing the innocents of other countries and brush them off as collateral damages.

The dead and injured at the Boston Marathon are also collateral damages of American war atrocities across the world. Take the message, read the message, terrorism is coming home to roost. No where is safe. Basketball matches have to be cancelled, baseball matches have to be cancelled, football matches, theatres etc etc have to be cancelled. Life is not going to be the same anymore.

Make car driving ‘tougher’

I am floored by the brilliant suggestion of Adjunct Associate Professor Paul Barter of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy that in order to improve the road conditions, one way is to ‘make driving less attractive and restrict it as a transportation option while making alternatives, such as public transport, more desirable than driving.’ Why can’t our super talents think of such a wonderful idea, and why is it that we always need a foreign talent to tell us the obvious?

Make driving tough, unattractive, difficult and expensive, higher COE prices must be one of them, or can make it more palatable by other similar schemes. Make price of cars more expensive also can. Erect more ERPs, make parking even more expensive, send the Traffic Cops to issue more summons, etc etc. Now, all these added together would definitely make driving less attractive and make the roads freer. How come it takes so long for the Govt to come up with such a solution really baffles me.

The same philosophy or mentality can be applied to other problems facing the country. Housing is a big problem. Everyone wants to buy bigger and bigger homes. The solution, make home ownership less attractive. Raise property prices, more taxes on more properties, higher stamp duties, more taxes on profits, etc etc, will definitely make the people stop buying properties and instead opt for rentals or just staying with parents.

What else can be made less attractive? Schools, branded schools, make it very difficult and expensive to be enrolled in branded schools. That will keep the demand for such schools low. Additional conditions like parents must be multi millionaires, millionaires would not do as many Singaporeans are already millionaires, or make them put upfront a million dollar deposit. That would surely work.

I think this concept has many applications and will definitely be very effective as well. I am skipping hospitalization as the concept has already been in practice and people feared being admitted to hospitals. But given the long queue, hospitalization charges can go higher to cut down the queue and waiting list.

Let’s do it, make everything less attractive when the demand is too high and causing problem. The criteria and conditions for running for Presidency is one good example, no big demand for it. Can also apply to running for MPs. Then there will be lesser hassle as many would not qualify or cannot afford to put down a big deposit to lose.

British empire manipulates situations to wage global wars: Mike Billington

Netizens can view more of international affairs at the blog :  Press  TV

Press  TV  conducts this interview with Mike Billington

British empire manipulates situations to wage global wars: Mike Billington

Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:15PM GMT

Interview with Mike Billington

Download | Embed

View of London and of Obama and not necessarily the US military by the way; is that they need a war, they need a war especially with Russia and China to prevent an alliance of the Russians, the Chinese and the US, which is the only alliance that could break the power of a London-based financial empire.”

Related Viewpoints:

• Jewish Mafia tied to death of America

A prominent analyst tells Press TV that the London-based empire is after waging war between the US on one side and Russia and China and other Asian nations on the other side to maintain its financial power.

The US’ arms sales to China’s and North Korea’s neighbors appear set for significant growth amid regional security jitters. Washington’s provocative decision comes as territorial disputes between China and Japan over a disputed group of islands in the East China Sea are raging. Meanwhile China’s Foreign Ministry has warned about infringement of its sovereignty by Japan with regards to the islands.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Mike Billington, wit the Executive Intelligence Review from Arlington to shed more light on the issue at hand. Billington is joined by two additional guests on Press TV’s News Analysis program: Chris Bambery, political commentator from London and Linh Dinh, writer and political analyst from Philadelphia. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Mike Billington, our guests have mentioned the US in a number of occasions so let me introduce the US in this scenario. It just came out last week, US arms sales to Asia set to boom, that is what the headline read. White House to boost security partners armed might, economic rewards for the US to lead to enough US sales in South and East Asia to more than off set a slowdown the European arms-buying.

I mean how do you see that? Is not the US in a sense fanning a rise of militarism in the region? And on the other hand why does not the US want to enforce diplomacy between the two countries?

Billington: Well, I think that you have to look at to this historically first of all. That you are dealing here with a classic British policy.

Remember that the British successfully manipulated Japan into launching two world wars. One, when they went to war with China over Korea in 1894 which led ultimately into World War I, and then in the 1930’s when British and their allies in the US around JP Morgan and his friends financed and pushed Japan into the Manchurian invasion and what ultimately led to World War II.

And it is certainly the hope of Wall Street and London and Obama, the puppet to the Wall Street-London crowd, that they can push Japan into a confrontation with China now, whose purpose is to break up any alliance between the United States and China and with Russia as well.

Keep in mind that we are in the midst of the biggest financial breakdown crisis in the history. The entire European and American financial system is bankrupt, they are printing money at unprecedented rates, creating a hyperinflation and the view of London and of Obama and not necessarily the US military by the way; is that they need a war, they need a war especially with Russia and China to prevent an alliance of the Russians, the Chinese and the US, which is the only alliance that could break the power of a London-based financial empire, which is now in the state of total collapse, and replace it with a development-oriented creditary system.

Now the view from London, as you know, from the economists in the Financial Times is that they are going to be successful in manipulating this war calling the new Japanese government of Shinzo Abe, rightwing, anti-China and so forth.

I do not believe that. I think that it is possible but it is highly unlikely. Remember that this entire incident was started by Mr. Ishihara, the former mayor of Tokyo, a British asset who views Russia and China as Japan’s enemies, who wants nuclear weapons to counter them and who intervened here, in a peaceful situation to buy these islands; the government then foolishly, under the previous government, stepped in and had them nationalized, but it was Ishihara, a puppet of this global financial crowd, who launched this confrontation, precisely to stir up this confrontation with China and to try to drive the United States into a confrontation with China, which unfortunately, this idiot president that we have here in Washington [President Obama] is following London on every step, pushing for an encirclement of China as he is with an encirclement of Russia with ABM systems and military policies in Syria and Iran, which are aimed at provoking a war with Russia, a war that will likely be thermonuclear.

Press TV: Mike Billington, let us cut away the fluff here. If you were to give us a timeline in terms of a confrontation that may occur; how quickly do you think that this may happen? Given the fact that I would think that the US also needs to ..., well they have said, the Pentagon Chief, Leon Panetta, defense policy in the region calls for the US military to expend military-to-military relationships well beyond the traditional treaty allies.

He is referring, I assume, to the Association of South East Asian Nations [ASEAN]. So what about looking at it in terms of Taiwan?

Billington: Not only the South East Asian Nations [ASEAN], the irony here is that the US military headed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dempsey are probably the leading force that can prevent this war.

They do not agree with Obama, they do not agree with Wall Street or the city of London and your previous speaker [Chris Bambery] who identified the London-Wall Street axis is exactly right.

This does not serve British interest, it does not serve the American interest as nations. It serves the interests of the empire, the financial institutional empire, which has always been historically known as the British Empire or the Venetian Empire but the timeline is extremely short because we are looking at a situation where if Obama continues with his colonial regime change policy with Tony Blair and Cameron backing it up full steam by launching a war against Syria or perhaps even before Syria Iran; this will provoke a war with Russia.

This could be literally in weeks and if it becomes a war it is going to be a thermonuclear war and if it is a war with Russia, the likelihood is that they will immediately be at war with Russia and China.

So it is in that light that you see the placing of these X-band radar systems, second one in Japan and the one that they plan to put in the Philippines. The upgrading of the ABM systems and a ring around China, claiming falsely that this is a defense against North Korea just as they claim falsely in Europe that the ABM systems are [in] response to Iran, when in fact those systems have only one purpose which is to prevent a counterstrike from Russia or from China and therefore it is very serious strategic threat to both Russia and China.

So we are sitting on the brink. If this president, Obama, is not removed through impeachment or through forcing him to resign now, on the grounds of his very, very serious crimes in Libya, in allying himself with the al-Qaeda forces in Syria and in Libya; removed and prevented from pushing this imperial British line of warfare, so that we can get down to the business of the implementing of a new world financial system around the Bretton wood’s approach with a Glass-Steagall [Act] so that we can begin working with our true allies, Russia and China as great nations, with whom we can work to develop the world, as Franklin Roosevelt [32nd President of the United States] wanted to do and as the best of the US military leadership and intelligence leadership wants to do.

This is not American interest that are pursuing this insane war policy nor the hyperinflationary bailout of the British-American banking system.

This is an empire, which is the enemy of the Americans as much as it is an enemy of the British people and China and Russia. This is what is at stake and it is very, very short-term. This could be literally any day or any week if these wars are kicked off through an attack on Syria or Iran or perhaps, even to start in Asia as it has [had] in the past.

MY/JR

Related Interviews:

• ‘US economy will collapse like Greece’

 

The hammering of North Korea continues

Everyday, without fail, the western media will dish out hated mails and articles about North Korea, calling it mad, crazy, unpredictable, belligerent and all kinds or negative adjectives. Actually who is the crazy and mad one? No one dares to say so. Kishore Mahbubani, the one that is supposedly seen as very harsh in his comments on the West, also shied away from calling a spade a spade, avoiding naming the devil in the rising tension in the Korean Peninsula. The Americans are the war mongers, the mad and crazy bastards that are pushing the two Koreans towards war.

If anything, the North Koreans are cornered, provoked and trapped in a corner. They are far from being mad or crazy. They know very well that the only protection they have against the mad and evil Empire is the threat to nuke the Americans when forced to. And as for the South Koreans, if they are stupid enough to be pushed into war with the North Koreans, they got themselves to be blamed for their own idiocy.

Now what did Kishore said and why didn’t he call a spade a spade? In his article in the ST last week, he talked about the basics of diplomacy, talk to your enemy. And he named all the countries doing just that except one, the evil Empire. The Americans refused to talk to Iran and North Korea and is brandishing military weapons and threatening war with the two countries. To the Americans, because of its monopoly in superior weaponry, it refused to talk to anyone. It only know one act, to blast whoever they called as enemy. Now, who is the mad one, the crazy one that only thinks of nothing but to go to war?

Come on Kishore, the North Koreans are not mad or crazy as the West, especially the Americans would want the world to believe. They are being pushed to a corner and have no other ways out but to fight. They are forced to fight by crazy and mad people in the USA who would not allow them to have their own nuclear arms. The USA have been threatening, seriously, premeditated, to strike at both Iran and North Korea for possession of nuclear capability. Can anyone beat that, the most powerful military powerful fearing a nascent nuclear power to blow up the USA and for what reasons really beats me. Only the crazy Americans can think that other countries are ruled by mad leaders when in fact the lunatics are residing in Washington.

In a way, the mad and crazy people tag could also be hung on the two Koreans for going to war at the instigation of the Americans and start to kill their own kind.

Number and quality of doctors in Sin

The statistics given by Amy Khor in Parliament has stirred many emotions among Singaporeans on the number of doctors and the quality of doctors in the island. I did not have the details on how the numbers and ration were arrived. We have now 1 doctor to 520 of the population. Is the population based on 3.3m citizens or 5.4m or should it include the medical tourists? Anyway how the data are collated and computed and the implications are not what I want to comment here.

Our medical services are on par with the best in the West. And we used to have an added competitive edge in pricing lower than the West. It was the equivalent of CBF, cheaper, better and faster or cheap and good. Many medical tourists find it value for money, for equivalent quality to the West but at bargain price. But this is changing.

Other than our infamous case with the royalties in Brunei, our medical fees are catching up with the West for many reasons. One is our cost of living. Higher rental, higher property prices, higher prices of luxury cars, and higher everything, which means that the medical professionals would have to charge higher too to enjoy all the good things in life. And for those who are studying medicine here and aspiring to earn big money, the cost of a medical education is also so much higher, and many times more overseas. All these add to the eventual fees to be charged to the patients.

Everything should be fine when the patients are willing to pay and can afford to pay, and the quality of medical services remains high. What can go wrong is a compromise in the quality with the influx of foreign trained doctors and specialists. Our local doctors are top notch, professionally and in academics. They are the crème al crème of their cohorts in schools. Everyone got more than straight As to be even considered for medical school, and many were rejected. That speaks quality. The very best became doctors.

Are the foreign additions of the same quality? I am prepared to say yes on paper, as these should be the criteria to judge them and their professional resume. Fingers crossed that this is well and the integrity of the medical profession is not compromised.

I think at the top level, the specialists, the problems of fakes and quacks are lesser as many would have proven themselves before attaining their positions and recognitions. The problem is at the lower level. At the GP and junior specialist level, medical professionals are flooding the industry from everywhere, presumably the medical council would have done their due diligence to have their professional qualifications and expertise verified and spelt good and okay, on par with our top notch doctors.

There is no doubt that our first world quality control and checks would be able to keep the quacks and cheats and the not so good out of the system. The third world fraudsters should not get passed the barriers and the scrutiny of our super talents. If these are in, then the quality of our medical services will definitely be affected. By right the cost of medical fees should be lower with medical professionals coming from third world countries. Relatively, the cost of producing a third world doctor, their cost of living, cost of education, etc, etc are much lower compare to the cost of producing a top notch doctor in our system. Their return on investment is pretty high when the cost was low while the returns from fees in a first world city are exceptionally much higher.

How this is working out I dunno and they may be paid exactly the same as our top notch locals who came from a top notch system both in quality and tuition fees. The foreign doctors are getting paid for more than what they are worth. Are the Singapore patients getting value for money? Now this exposes some mismatch and misgivings won’t it?

There are reasons to pay them the same for the same job. But the input in the production of our local doctors and those of foreign doctors, especially from the developing countries will show a vast difference in the cost, and the quality as well. To the foreign doctors, the return is very good. They would be earning their comparative income if they stay at home country, low tuition fees, low medical fees to charge. To the Singapore locals, the return is not so good as it would take something like half a million to train one of our very best local doctors through our system.

We are not comparing apple with apple are we? Some oranges may be as good as apples, but many will likely to be lemons and charging the price of apples. Are we being fair to our top notch locals and also our local patients paying medical fees fit for top notch doctors but not getting top notch doctors to treat them?

Singapore is the Promised Land...for foreigners

While many PMEs are moaning for being let off, unemployed, underemployed or having to drive taxis as a last resort, the picture is totally different from the foreigners’ perspective. To the foreigners, from the third world to the developed world of Europe, America and Australia, Singapore is the place to be, Singapore is where fortunes are made.

Many of these foreigners would never have dreamt of the good life in their own countries. Many of these countries would not have given them the opportunity to be rich within a handful of years. Many would be just the average workers, like the average Singaporeans, struggling for a life time to make ends meet if they remain in their home countries. Even the westerners, many would be having a hard time finding good jobs in their home countries.

Singapore is the Promised Land to many of these foreigners. Many will only have to game the system and after a few years, could retire and go home very rich. Singapore is where sweet dreams are made and great hopes could turn into reality for the foreigners.

On the contrary, many Singaporeans would no longer see their dreams of a better middle class life style coming to fruition. They did not have the comparative advantage that foreigners have, the option of going home where the cost of living is significantly lower and the exchange rate of a Singapore dollar in their favour. And there is the great salary that they can never dream of having if they remain in home countries.



This is about the greatest irony that Singaporeans are facing. They face higher cost of living and education in some of the best universities but having to compete with third world products and losing out. While third world or even first world talents could make their fortunes here, many Singaporeans would not be able to do so because of the high cost of living. To the foreigners, landing a job in Singapore is as good as having made it. For Singaporeans, it is just a long haul to service high debt and high cost of living.



What do you think? Why like dat one? The citizens of the Promised Land finding it difficult to cope and downgrading their expectations of the good things in life while the non citizens are all full of hopes and dreams of a better life with their third world qualifications. They will go home, buy big houses, land and cars and starting their own businesses. The foreigners are here to fulfil their dreams. Singaporeans are losing their dreams.

The unhappy young and their broken Singapore Dream

The Singapore Dream was like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to many older Singaporeans. To many older Singaporeans, the PMEs, this pot is now missing. Someone has shifted it and they could not see anything there. The only people seeing this pot of gold are the foreigners replacing them in their high paying jobs. The Singapore Dream has to be modified to mean the foreigner’s Singapore Dream. To the older Singaporeans, the Dream has become a bad Dream, a nightmare in the making.

Are the young Singaporeans seeing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as well? They better be. They have paid heavily to grow up, invested heavily in themselves, with some parents selling their homes, emptying their savings, to get them a good education. Would they be able to land a job that makes the return on their parent’s investment worthy and economically meaningful? Would their income be enough to pay for the little public flat that is now the only achievable and realistic dream? Would they be able to buy that elusive car, like the Americans needing a horse in the good old cowboy days? And would they still have enough in their savings when the time comes for retirement? Given the extremely high cost of living and inflation, every young Singaporean today must need to earn an income that is equivalent to three times their need to cover housing, medical and retirement.

The young Singaporeans are going to be the new breed of highly in debt Singaporeans never seen or heard before. They will incur debt for their education and another 30 year of mortgages that could be in several hundred thousands or more. They will be indebted to the CPF, to pay a ransom to be kept by the CPF meant for their own good and retirement. Then there is a huge debt to bring up a family with a couple of kids.

The life of the young Singaporeans, excluding the rich scions of old rich, ministers and top professionals, will be one of working and working to pay and pay and at the end of it, nothing to compare with the foreigners whose dream will be to return home to be a rich land lord or owning their own businesses. The Singapore Dream of the young Singaporeans is to have the blessing of working till their die, no breaks, to be able to pay for all the debts that are predictable and designed into the system and into their lives.

Every year about 50,000 young Singaporeans will come of age and start to hang a millstone over their neck, to start their new lives as adults. The new citizens coming in too will have to hang the same millstone over their necks unless they are really super talents and can afford the expensive housing and lifestyle here. The group of highly in debt young and new people cannot afford a major economic crisis or a personal crisis in their lives. They will be heavily in debt and their lives will be in ruins should it happen. Without an income is simply unacceptable with the kind of debt in their hands. They are the new debtors of a Singapore economic miracle formula based on high inflation, and high cost of living and increasing debt of the young people.

Hail the new Singapore Dream, small flat, no car and a big debt to service for a life time. This is the standard copy of the life of the new average young Singaporeans. Are their parents worried and want this to be the Dream of their children? Anyone can see why the Dreams of FTs and young Singaporeans are different, one full of promises of wealth and another on the brink of becoming a nightmare?

A mansion for US$242m

A 85,000 sq ft mansion in the heart of Singapore has an asking price of US$242m. It has a 2 storey house, maybe 10 rms at the most, an antique tennis court and a swimming pool, and the rest is just empty land. The most expensive property sold in the US according to Times, was a Dallas mansion for US$135m. And that came with a 42,500 sq ft 5 storey house, 3 swimming pools, guest house and 25 acres of landscaped greenery.

Now what can US$242m buy? I think the Buckingham Palace would go for under $200m, minus its occupants and the treasures in it. This is how the land owning class in Singapore made their money, with high inflated prices of properties that they were bought by their parents or grand parents and inherited as heirlooms, no estate duties. The children and grandchildren just sit on a pot of gold that is growing bigger by the day. And this is supported by a govt that only wants to see property prices going one way, up, up and away. Falling property prices is just inconceiveable given that more than 85% of the residents are owners of some properties, or at least a 99 year lease public housing flat.

The game of inflating the balloon of property prices is most welcomed by the residents. They cannot think of anything else. Anything else like a drop in property price can be suicidal as many are up to their necks in mortgages, except the old rich. Singapore is now worth its weight in gold. And all the rich foreigners are rushing in to park their good money and ill gotten money in properties, a sure bet asset that will not lose its value. The more tycoons coming into the island, despite regulations against foreign ownership of landed properties, the higher will property price appreciate. Soon all Singaporeans including those living in 99 year lease public housing could sell their properties in the millions. No fear of a decreasing lease life that will expire to nothing. What a great formula to generate wealth without working.

They say when something is too good to be true, be careful.