1/18/2016

Australia rejects US plea to fight IS

It was reported that the Australians had rejected the American’s plea for more help to commit more troops and equipment to fight IS. Australians have said they had done enough. The Americans are coercing their allies for greater commitments.  The Australians said they had no more appetite for more it.

How many eager beavers or silly allies will be hopping onto the American bandwagon to send troops to fight the IS which is actually an American red herring, created to destabilize the Middle East in perpetuity? The Americans have enough military power and assets to destroy the earth, all the countries, many times over and cannot fight the IS on its own, needing more commitments from stupid allies? What is the real intent of the Americans to get more silly allies to fight in the ME shadow play?

The current American pretense to want to do more is a result of the success of the Russians who were there with a real intent to destroy IS, and thus exposing the farce of the American game plan. There have been many reports that the Americans forces were attacking the Syrian govt soldiers and positions instead of fighting the IS. And the complicity of the Americans, the Saudis, the Turks and other allies in fighting on the side of the IS are getting more ridiculous. The Americans and its stupid allies are there to remove the Assad govt, not to fight IS.

And this is not the end of the American game plan. They would demand and coerce their stupid allies to commit more assets and soldiers should they be successful in provoking a war in the South China Sea or in the Korean Peninsula. And it will again be you are with us or against us. The Australians knew exactly what the Americans are conceiving and wanted out, not wanting to be dragged in further by the Americans in a war that they did not want and have nothing to do with it.  It is a clear signal that the Australians would not want to engage in more American incited wars, and not in the South China Sea against China.

Who would the Americans coerce next to send more troops and assets to fight in the ME? The Europeans, other than the hardcore British and French, are opting out as well. I think the Americans have several pets in Asean that would be most willing to say yes to more wars.

1/17/2016

554 dengue cases over past week

National Environment Agency
Tuesday, Jan 12, 2016
AsiaOne

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday that 554 cases of dengue fever were reported over the past week, an increase of 96 cases as compared to the previous week….
This may signal a future dengue outbreak unless measures are taken to suppress the Aedes mosquito population by eradicating their habitats, NEA said.

The above is an extract from AsiaOne online.

The full report included a chart showing a weekly peak of 842 cases in 2013 and 921 cases in 2014. So having 554 cases in a week is nothing to worry about as it has not hit the previous peak. And it is not an outbreak. What then is an outbreak, above the two previous peaks?


554 cases in a week translate to nearly 80 cases a day. Tolerable? Of course in percentage terms against a 5.5m population it is very small, like the hepatitis C outbreak recently. There are more than 2m foreigners in the islands, no big deal. Maybe compared to 3rd World countries, this is normal.

A story of a country - posted in TRE by a blogger called BK


Below is a story of what a country means and what it is like to be a citizen of a country that looks after its citizens.


Just wanted to share this amazing story:

How a country prioritises the needs and rights of its individual citizens says a lot about how much it values their contribution to society. And Japan is a living example of such a country.

Some three years ago, the Kami-Shirataki train station in the northernmost island of Hokkaido, Japan, was about to be shut down by Japan Railways —the group that operates the country’s railway network.

At that time, ridership at the train station had dramatically fallen down because of its remote location and even the freight service had ended there as well.

However, when Japan Railways noticed that it was still being used every day by a single passenger: A high-school girl, on her way to school, they changed their minds and decided to keep the station open just for her until she graduates.

While it may sound like an unbelievably strange thing to do, according to CCTV News, it was a decision that Japan Railways made in order for the lone girl student to complete her education

The company even adjusted the train’s timetable according to the girl’s schedule.
The train stops there only twice a day — once to pick up the girl and again to drop her off after her school day is over. The unnamed girl is expected to graduate this 26 March 2016, which is when the station will finally be closed.

And the Japanese government’s this act of making education a priority hasn’t gone unnoticed as social media users are all praise

“Why should I not want to die for a country like this when the government is ready to go an extra mile just for me,” one commenter wrote on CCTVNews’s post. “This is the meaning of good governance penetrating right to the grassroots level. Every citizen matters. No Child left behind!”


PS. This is the type of country worth defending and dying for.

1/16/2016

British expat spared jail for assault against Singaporean student



Below is a post in the statestimesreview, http://statestimesreview.com/2016/01/15/singapore-court-foreign-expat-escaped-jail-term-after-brutal-assault-on-singaporean-student/

A foreign expat from England, Alan Benjamin Maybury, has been excused jail term for his brutal assault on a 19-year-old Singaporean student. At 1.30am on the morning of 30 Nov 2014, the 34-year-old former consultant was travelling in a taxi with his Singaporean wife along South Buona Vista Road. 19-year-old Singaporean polytechnic student Lum Kwok Weng was driving in the opposite direction and lost control of his vehicle when he approached a sharp bend and crashed into the taxi.
Alan Maybury then got out of the taxi and started shouting expletives at Lum Kwok Weng, and began brutally punching the student in the face several times. He was only stopped when a motorist confronted him and called the police. The victim suffered swelling on the right side of his mouth with a visible cut.
However in a weird twist of event, the Deputy Public Prosecutor Mansoor Amir actually spoke on behalf of the aggressor and merely asked for “an appropriate fine”. The Government prosecutor actually faulted the accident for the attack:
“It was the accident that caused the accused’s momentary outburst of violence.”
Currently, all punching-related road-rage assault cases involving Singaporeans as an aggressor have resulted in a jail term. The
Singapore judiciary have always emphasized on a jail sentence to deter road rage incidents, but clearly isn’t applicable in this case. The sentencing of Alan Maybury have fueled discussions of unequal treatment against Singaporeans and preference treatment for foreigners from the Singapore judiciary.

PS. I feel very disgusted. Soon would it be no dogs and Singaporeans allowed on the streets.

ISIS threat to hit American establishment worldwide

On 13 Dec 15, I posted an article War of Words and in one para I mentioned that the ISIS was threatening to hit American establishments world wide, ‘The most effective warfare today has turned out to be the War of Words. ISIS have just warned the Americans to withdraw its troops and involvement in the Middle East or else  they will hit at every 7 eleven stores around the world, or at any MacDonald or Kentucky fastfood outlets, or every Apple stores, Coffee beans, Starbucks or any American brand establishments worldwide.’

The attack on a Starbuck in Jakarta would make govts around the world take the threats of ISIS more seriously going forward. There will be more demand for security officers all over the world to protect American establishments. There will be more worries about patronizing an American outlet like Starbucks or MacDonald. How would this going to affect the business of such establishments?

Taking it easy, ignoring the threats would be compromising on security and safety of the customers and the staff. The threats have been carried out. Would it be repeated again, somewhere in some corners of the world?

Things are going to be very messy and life is going to be very inconvenient. Singapore better not take such threats lightly. The Indonesians learnt a bitter and painful lesson for not taking the threat seriously. Chinese New Year is around the corner. Would our security checks and patrols be stepped up? Do we have enough manpower and resources to provide such security covers? In an open society like Singapore, with so many American and western establishments it is not a small job to do.


Take heed.

1/15/2016

Obama has a lot to learn from Singapore

I went through Obama’s final speech before his Presidency expired and found many similarities and many shortcomings with Singapore. There are really many things that Obama could learn from Singapore and before quitting his Presidency on a high note. Alas, it is a bit too late now. Let me just mention a few points and maybe the next American president could pick up the cue from Singapore’s success.

The first point, Obama felt that ‘many Americans feel frightened and shut out of a political and economic system they view as rigged against their interests.’ How can the American political and economic system be rigged against the Americans? I only know that the American stock market system is highly rigged and they knew but not doing anything, allowing the cheats to cheat the innocent investors with their super computers. It is a crime that many silly countries are copying without thinking of the consequences. As for political and economic system, the Americans need to look no further. Come to Singapore and learn from our unrigged, fully transparent and fair system. Obama also called for an end to gerrymandering. This one he can also learn from Singapore, definitely no gerrymandering here. Then the American system will become fairer and more transparent.

Losing jobs and continuous training are also affecting the Americans.  Obama also told the Americans that they must retool and retrain but ‘they shouldn’t lose what they’ve already worked so hard to build in the process.’ This one I am not too sure if the Americans should learn from us with our many good lifelong training systems and SkillsFuture stats board helping the people to be retrained to be taxi drivers and security guards and many well paying jobs. I pass on this one.

Oh, one thing the American system is different from Singapore, they have unemployment payments which we don’t have. This one maybe we have to learn from the Americans.  Obama also wanted to raise minimum wage and strict immigration laws. Yes, the Americans should have more lax immigration policies like Singapore and let in more immigrants for more growth. No wonder their economy is not growing. Donald Trump would disagree and I can understand him.

Obama also advised the Americans to get more involved in politics. This one is the same as us. We also want our Singaporeans to get more involved in politics of the right kind, not the Hong Lim Park kind or the opposition kind. We need to vote and support a one party system, a ownself checks ownself system, the best kind of political system in the world that brought us from 3rd world to 1st World. The proof is in the pudding. We have proven that this system of one party ownself checks ownself works very well.

The Americans must come more often to learn from Singapore even if the Oracle is no longer around. We have many super talents that are paid in many millions not for nothing. They are really super talented and can offer the American presidents many good advices. It is a wisdom to learn from people earning more money than you. Talent and wisdom are measured by the money one commands and earns.

Investing CPF monies in Singapore stock market is bad

The proposal by the SBF for the two govt funds to invest in the local stock market to revive it before it goes into comatose is a good idea to some and bad to others. There is a debate going on with two sides offering differing views. I am of the view that investing CPF monies in the local market is bad for several reasons, some of my reasons are the same as those mentioned and I have a few to add.

Investing in the moribund stock market is a big risk. Don’t forget the foreign big funds have their super computers plugged into the SGX system and to trade against everyone. If Temasek and GIC were to put more money in the local market, would they also lose their pants like the other investors?

What I think many people did not know or could not see, but not Temasek and GIC, is that they are managed by very expert people and they should know better where to put the people’s life savings. They must have reckoned that investing in the local stock market is more dangerous than investing in foreign countries, including hazy dazy and funny 3rd World stock markets. Of course the returns are higher as well in these funny countries and their stock markets. Not sure about the risk element. But after considering the two, it must be worth it and safer to invest anywhere else than in the local market.

This principle is the same like investing in foreign students, giving billions of dollars as scholarship to foreigners instead of to Singaporeans. Foreigners are the best. Foreign talents are the best including replacing our locals in jobs, top jobs. This is a very consistent policy. Foreign degrees from God knows where are better than our world class university degrees.

So, in the same line of thinking, any foreign company or stock market must be safer than our local stock market. Our stocks, degrees, our everything, is overhyped, over priced, over paid. Go overseas, everything is cheap and good. Investing in our local companies in the stock exchange therefore must be a bad idea, poor returns, higher risk and over priced. Investing in 3rd world stock markets is the best. No risk, did I hear people saying no risk in 3rd world stock markets? Or did I hear investing in American stock markets is safe? What about investing in top American and European banks, safe or not?

I have put up a very clever and solid case to invest everywhere except our stock market.  I rest my case. I also support giving more scholarships to foreigners, giving more jobs to foreign talents.

PS. Please forgive me for not knowing what I was writing. I think I must have taken something funny or I am thinking like our super talents. Did they say go with the flow?

1/14/2016

Data theft – Singapore is so bless

Australian steel giant BlueScope is suing a software development manager based in Singapore for downloading 40 gigabytes of sensitive documents ‘of very substantive commercial value’. Dumb Australians, how could they trust a foreigner with access to commercially sensitive information without any safeguard? This is like being caught with the pants down. They deserved to have their sensitive documents stolen for being so lackadaisical in the protection of sensitive documents. Even if they are successful in the suing the ex employee, the damage is already done and is oo late for their own good.

Singapore is so bless. With so many thousands of foreigners here working in the IT industry providing all the IT support to govt and big commercial corporations, and have access to confidential and commercially sensitive information, we don’t have such problem. No theft of such nature has been reported. This could mean a few things, the foreigners here are of the highest quality in honesty and integrity, or our system of control is so good that they are unable to steal information even if they wanted to. Forget about the part that they have stolen but no one knows. This is a Singapore miracle, to steal information under our nose and not caught, oops, no information has been stolen when our legs have opened so wide for so long. It only proved that we have placed our trust on the right people. This is what they called, good judgement of people and character. An uniquely Singaporean trait.

Or perhaps Singapore is just simply blessed with all the good lucks and nothing bad will happen to us even with the millions of foreigners here, and the thousands of foreigners handling all the sensitive information and documents that were of great commercial and security values.

It would not happen in Singapore. Only stupid Australians will allow such things to happen to them. We are the best in information security and protection.

The oil rig industry in a tailspin

The crashing of oil prices to below $31 from its dizzying height of more than $120 per barrel is going to take its toll on many blue eye boys, I mean blue eye companies.  Never mind if this is a war against shale oil production or green energy production, oil prices have come down to earth.

The first casualties are the rig builders, the darlings of yesterday with order books to the brim to last another 20 years of growth. Overnight the orders turned into smokes and according to some analysts the oil rig companies are facing bankruptcies! The reports are talking about Keppel Corp and SembCorp Marine, two of our blue chip companies whose stock prices have fallen by 40 or 50%..

If the reports are real, or close to the truth, then someone will be looking for buyers of these companies just like NOL. The wheel of fortune is really spinning hard and fast. Maybe they should look at China to be the Yellow Knight. China has just saved Najib from his 1MDB investment flirtation. Don’t sneer, China has very good reasons, economic reasons, to want to buy up the half completed oil rigs for a song. At least the oil rig builders need not file for Section 11.

Look, China is developing the oil fields in the South China Sea and would need a lot of cheap oil rigs. And since we are able to sell them cheaply, China may be interested to pick them up with the companies thrown in. But just be careful should China raise the issue of hosting American spy planes and ships to harass them in the South China Sea. This would drag in politics from an otherwise clean economic deal.
Would anyone be sending a team to China to invite the Yellow Knight to save the day? The Singapore Discount or Singapore Sale is on again for oil rigs or oil rig builders. Would these companies be renamed Keppel Corp(China) and SembCorp Marine(China)?

1/13/2016

Green men and green potatoes

Someone is reported to have encountered green potatoes in his fridge. Luckily not little green men.  The first remark he got from a ‘doctor’, dunno from where, quack or qualified from our world class medical school, the potatoes turning green could be due to Agent Orange. Why Agent Orange turns purple sweet potatoes not to orange but green, I really dunno.

It is a frightening thought if Agent Orange is among us, in our supermarket, in our food chain. If you have seen those children in Vietnam and the US affected by this
Agent you will flip if you discover that you have taken food that may be tainted.

In this case, not to worry. AVA has assured the public that the green colour ‘could be due to a “natural occurrence, when the water soluble pigments in the cooked sweet potatoes are exposed to air”.’ I dunno how long Vietnamese agricultural food, like vegetables and fruits and meat have been in our system and been consumed by the people here, so far no cases of Agent Orange deformities has been reported. So must be safe to eat food from Vietnam.  The AVA is also reported to have assured the public that food imports, including Vietnamese sweet potatoes, are regularly tested for chemicals and other forms of contaminations.

Anyway I choose to avoid Vietnamese food products exposed to water and soil in Vietnam. I can’t shrug off knowing that the kind Americans had poured millions of tons of chemicals to fertilize the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War, and Agent Orange was the most popular of the human fertilizers.

My advice of women conceiving babies is best to avoid food from such sources.  Foetus are highly susceptible to all kinds of chemicals. Just a personal opinion.  It is safe or else AVA would not have allowed them in, just like the millions of foreigners, all very safe. And all have passed the stringent test, including checks on their degrees and certificates. All very safe, food, vegetables, meat and migrants.  The Europeans are also welcoming the migrants happily and in big numbers, though not as big as ours, and all very safe. They only need to integrate them like the way we do and all the teething problems will be over in due time.

Dunno if European countries are importing food from Vietnam or from Fukushima.

MOE, MOM and WDA restructured

The double reporting of WDA to MOE and MOM has been straightened out with WDA now reporting to MOE under Ong Ye Kung. Ong Ye Kung will not be the Coordinating Minister for MOE/MOM/WDA and SkillsFuture training to make sure MOE is training graduates with the right skills for the industries and not ending up skillless, got talent and a lot of knowledge but no employers want to employ them.

The above was yesterday’s news. Today, MOE is overseeing Pre-employment training(PET) and continuous education and training(CET) under a new stats board called Skills Future Singapore(SSG).  The Workforce Development Agency will now become Workforce Singapore, a new stats board under the MOM. It would retain the former role of WDA, ie employment facilitation, career services and industry engagement.  These two stats board would solve the problems of employment faced by Singaporeans trained with skills not wanted by employers.

I really hope it is so simple, train the people with the right skills and the employers would happily employ them instead of foreigners. I am sure anyone with a little commonsense would know the real reasons why our talented young graduates are not employed but foreigners are in demand. And it is not just cheap labour. Cheap labour could be one of the reasons, but there are other more sinister reasons that dumbasses would not want to see.

I bet, even if all our graduates are trained with all the skills employers need and willing to accept competitive pay, they will still be passed over just like what is happening today. I was going to suggest that Ong Ye Kung send an army of teachers and civil servants to the 3rd World countries to find out why they are producing the right graduates with the right skills and talents that our industries and govt agencies are so happy to employ. Of course this is just a red herring when stupidity is the reason.

I am asking the same question aloud once more. Why are 3rd world half baked education system able to produce the workers that a first world city needs? And why are our students paying for a very expensive education, educated in world best universities and did not have the skills ‘OUR’ employers want? If the 3rd world countries are doing the right thing, then I would suggest that everyone in MOE and the world class universities be sacked. They are not doing the right thing, producing unfits, dysfunctional graduates that cannot be used by the industries. And we should send a team of educators to the 3rd world countries to learn from them, from their cheap education system, teaching little but producing the right graduates for our system.

Of course the half baked 3rd world education systems are no match to our world class super expensive system. Then what is wrong? I bet on one knows. That is why they are still scratching the wrong balls without addressing the real problem. If they know what is wrong, dare to face the truth, and stop being stupid, there is no need to waste time setting up two new stats boards to engage in shadow play.

Yes, they said stupidity has no cure. Anyway, let’s hope Ong Ye Kung knows what is happening and could save the day like Boon Wan saving the housing problems by simply building more flats. The reason or solution to Singaporean graduates and PMEs being sidelined and unemployed is so basic and easy, as easy as building more flats. No need to muck around and fighting with shadows. Tiok boh?

Super expensive world  class education producing dysfunctional graduates not fit and not wanted by the industries? And everyone is running around like bull arses flies, looking so busy, and scratching the wrong balls.

And they forgot to set up a COI to study what is wrong!

1/12/2016

Monster ship, monster aircraft

What kind of ship or aircraft would deserve the title ‘monster’?  The images I have of monster ship or aircraft are those of alien space ships in the movie Independence Day and Star Wars. These are not only huge but really deadly. Back on earth, what kind of ship or aircraft could come near to these monster space ship? What about the aircraft carriers of the mighty American naval fleet? Are they big and monstrous enough, with nuclear weapons and thousands of fighting men and machine? What about the B 52 bombers aka flying fortresses with the nuclear bombs hanging under their bellies? Would these be fitting to be called monster ship and monster aircraft?

According to an ST article on 11 Dec by a China Correspondence, Teo Cheng Wee, titled ‘China builds second ‘monster’ ship’, the monster ship he referred to is a mega coast guard ship of 12,000 tonnes. Wow, 12,000 tonnes, so big, so monstrous. Can’t blame children, anything bigger than a bus must be a monster. Children have very limited knowledge of how big the world is. A coast guard ship of 12,000 tonnes is a monster.  If I were a teacher I would give him full mark as children need to be encouraged for their innocence.

I am wondering what would this correspondent describe the American aircraft carriers and the B 52 bombers. Maybe he can’t find a word big enough in his vocabulary to describe such monsters. What would be bigger and more deadly than a monster coast guard ship of 12,000 tonnes? What to call an aircraft carrier or a B 52 bomber? A super yacht or a super flying bus?

Any suggestion? Why would a correspondent describe a teeny weeny 12,000 ton coast guard boat with a few anti aircraft guns as a monster? Never seen ship bigger ship than this? The sight of such a big ship must be very impressive to children.

Signs of desperation to collect more money

A suggestion that the govt is desperate for money would be simply brush aside as hogwash. How could the govt be short of money when they could throw parties and spent millions, hundreds of millions without a blink of the eye, spending billions on scholarships for foreigners, etc etc? And the national reserves, probably a trillion dollars, and the regular pumping by the people into the CPF in the billions every month, the COEs and all kinds of schemes to collect more money, the govt has plenty of money, even with the big losses in HDB flat subsidies, the govt got so much money that it can be described as ‘chiat buay leow’.

But why is the govt introducing such unbelieveable schemes to make the citizens pay and pay like it is desperate for money? The stock markers all over have fallen and a lot of billions must have been wiped out recently, easily 20% of any fund. But many of the schemes to collect more money from the people were conceived before the collapse of the stock markets so have nothing to do with the losses in equity investments. Anyway such investments are long term.

The Medishield Life, with a stroke of a pen everyone must pay from birth to death, to this insurance scheme must reap in a lot of money. How many insurance agents could sell insurance to 3.5m people in one go? That is not all. The CPF still demands the contributors to top up a Basic Healthcare Sum of $49,800 to be locked up for life. If 2m members the sum will come to be nearly $100b of the CPF contributors money stuck in the Scheme. For what and for who?

And that is not all. Citizens who are living overseas, paying their own insurance schemes overseas, some may not even return and been overseas for decades, must also contribute to the Medishield Life Insurance Scheme! Like this, you think desperate or not? Many of our citizens may not even return here to benefit from the Medishield Life. Why must they be made to pay for it, for life? There are many children born overseas by parents that are PRs to their host countries. These children who are still Singaporeans, must also pay for Medishield Life without stepping into the island. Like that, right or wrong? Can or not?

And they taking away free parking in schools from the teachers? What about the police and soldiers in the camps? What about grassroot leaders having free parkings, want to take away also? In remote corners of the islands, more and more of such parking spaces would be turned to pay parking.

What do you think, desperate of not?

1/11/2016

Are you sensible or unthinking?

Many still believe that the North Korean leaders, or just one man, Kim Jong Un, or his father and grandfather, are mad, irrational, ruthless etc etc, all because the western media, especially the Americans, have been saying so. It is like MacDonald is the best burgers! The Kims and North Koreans have their own way of life and beliefs, whether you agree or disagree, it is their own business. Are you better off or they are better off is subjective. Remember the islander who has nothing but spent his lazy life doing nothing under the clear blue sky, without much money or possession and without a worry as long as he gets his 3 meals?

 

One thing for sure, the North Koreans and the Kims are not stupid or irrational. They have been living in peace since the end of the Korean War. Otherwise, with the daily provocations by the Americans and the South Koreans, they would have been at war for the last 60 plus years.

 

Now they have tested their H bomb. So? The Americans are crying wolf, to frighten everyone, and the unthinking would also believe that the North Koreans are going to drop H bombs on everyone. How silly!

 

Even if the North Koreans would have 10 or 20 bombs and have the delivery system to fly the bombs, ask, would the bomb be able to reach their destinations and not be shot down? Two, if they were to succeed in landing one single bomb on anyone, what would happen to North Korea? How many bombs would the Americans land on North Korea? Only a really mad person would think of attacking anyone with nuclear bombs and be obliterated by a counter attack. The huge American arsenal of nuclear weapons have stopped anyone from foolishly thinking that he can send a bomb and to get away with it, and to live another day. The Russians or Chinese too would not dare to strike anyone with nuclear weapons and invite a total destruction to themselves. The smaller nuclear power countries too know this unbalance of power. The Americans too would not dare to use their nuclear weapons on Russia or China as a retaliation would be equally disastrous.

 

The only country that could possibly dare to nuke any country would be the Americans by virtue of their monopoly of nuclear weapons. Even then, if they strike, it would be at small nuclear powers that have no second strike capability, ie, they cannot hit back. The US is really the most dangerous military power, a monster waiting to destroy the world with their 7000 nuclear warheads that give the Americans a false sense of superiority and confidence.  No one, especially those unthinking, would want to ask why the Americans need to have 7000 nuclear warheads. They did not want to know.

 

No other countries, not even if it is ruled by a mad man, would ever think of nuking another country to invite their own destruction. The firing of a nuclear weapon would have to go through many levels of command and someone down the line would be sensible enough to stop the process. The most likelihood of a nuclear war is a rogue commander of nuclear weapons, like the American fleet. There are so many of them floating around the high seas. The Americans too have many levels of control to prevent such a rogue from mischief.

 

Stop believing and screaming about the North Korean threat. Their quest to possess nuclear weapons is for deterrence, to prevent the mad Americans from nuking them, thinking that with the American’s overall superiority, the Americans can hit the North Koreans and the latter cannot hit back. After nuking Japan, the Americans had on many occasions tempted to nuke Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. You don’t hear of other countries even dare to flirt with such a thought.

 

It is good that the North Koreans possess a few pieces of nuclear weapons to deter a nuclear attack on them. North Korea is now safer from a nuclear attack and this would bring peace in the Korean peninsular. It is like the American gun laws. If everyone knows the other has a gun in his pocket or car, they would be less trigger happy to shot at one another. The IS terrorist threat is a different ball game.

 

Leave the North Koreans alone and stop behaving like silly brats, jumping and screaming that the North Koreans are going to drop a nuclear bomb on you. The North Koreans did not even know that you exist. The only sure way of inviting the North Koreans to send you a nuclear bomb is to continue to provoke them militarily like the Americans and the Japanese are doing. Keep threatening the North Koreans and your wish for a nuclear attack would come true.

 

The most dangerous and mad were those that would authorize flying nuclear armed B52 bombers to threaten another country. The most insane politicians were those that attacked an embassy with cruise missile in peace time when there was no hostility or threat. Another equally devious politician would be those that authorized the sinking of the South Korean naval ship Choeonan killing tens of South Korean naval officers hoping to provoke a war between the two Koreans. Other equally sinister and evil acts of hostility were the hijacking of MH370 and the downing of MH17. Any of these incidents could trigger a world war if the victim countries reacted with force instead of restraining themselves.

 

And who do you think are these irresponsible rogue leaders? Definitely not Kim Jong Un. Compare to these evil men and women, Kim Jong Un looks like an angel.

Basic Healthcare Sum

According to the CPF’s definition, The Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS) is an estimate of what you need to save up for your basic subsidised healthcare needs in old age, and will be set at $49,800 from 1 January 2016 for all CPF members.

 

With effect from 1 Jan 16, the Medisave Minimum Sum of $43,500 in the CPF will be converted to a new scheme called the Basic Healthcare Sum and this would be fixed at $49,800 for life. There shall be no further increases unlike the Medisave Minimum Save when the principle of moving target was applied, ie, it can go up and up at the discretion of whoever deems fit. Hopefully this $49,800 jail house rock payment would not be raised again but there is no guarantee that this would be the case.

 

So it seems that the ransom to be paid to the govt is settled as far as the $49,800 lock up sum is concerned. But does anyone want to know why is there a need for this Basic Healthcare Sum when everyone is already covered by a Medishield Life Scheme? Is it not that the Medishield Life Scheme is to provide basic healthcare protection for the citizens, from birth to death? Why is there another need to set aside another $49,800 in the Basic Healthcare Sum to provide for basic healthcare needs? Is this not double coverage, double payment for basic healthcare protection?

 

Another question, why is this new change imposed regardless of the age of the CPF contributors? What happens is that someone at 30 or whatever age, will have to top up his Basic Healthcare Sum to $49.800. A person in his 60s, 70s, 80s or older, would also be expected to have a similar sum of $49,800 locked up. Is there anything wrong, illogical about this? Those who have passed their CPF age would have many computations of higher contributions frozen when they hit 55 or whatever the cut off point. Why is this Basic Healthcare Sum be applied retrospectively to everyone regardless of age? I hope I am wrong on this, but no qualifications on this so far.

 

Shouldn’t those who are already withdrawing their CPF savings under the older regulations be left untouched or their Basic Healthcare Sum be at $43,500 at most? What kind of thinking or reasoning is behind this? What’s wrong with collecting more money? With the Medishield Life Insurance Scheme, there should be no need for the Basic Healthcare Sum.

Let’s return to the concept and purpose of Medishield Life.  What is MediShield Life? Below is CPF’s definition:


‘MediShield Life, similar to MediShield, is an individual basic universal healthcare insurance scheme which helps to pay for large hospital bills and expensive outpatient treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy for cancer. It targets Class B2/C wards and subsidised treatment in public hospitals….

MediShield Life provides better protection for all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents for life, regardless of age or health condition.’

Should not the Medishield Life protection be enough for the CPF contributors?  What the hell is this Basic Healthcare Sum for? It is definitely not another health insurance scheme and there is no mention of the benefits that it is supposed to provide. It is just like a protection money to be held at ransom.

 

Can anyone enlighten on this Basic Healthcare Sum and why should there be such a big sum of money to be retained when everyone is already covered and protected by the Medishield Life Insurance scheme?

How much more or how many more insurance schemes should the people be made to pay for? Paying Medishield Life for life not enough, still need to have $49,800 lock up for life? What are its uses and what would happen to this sum of money after the CPF contributor passes away? What kind of interest rate is this sum getting?

1/10/2016

The Legend of Bruce Lee


The interest in the story of Ip Man and the movie Ip Man 3 led me to google for more Ip Man stories in the net. And I stumbled onto this gem, Legend of Bruce Lee, 50 episodes starring Danny Chan. There are many versions of Bruce Lee’s life done by many producers using many different actors. I rate this 50 episode serial as the best in many aspects. Though there were many dramatizations, many of the characters were real and most important is the spirit of the serial. It dealt with how a rebellious young Bruce Lee grew up in an era of racial discrimination, prejudices and western stereotyping of Asians and the Chinese people as a civilization and how he overcame these difficulties to carve a name for himself.

The serial boasts a Bruce Lee lookalike, good fighting choreography and serious dialogue on his motivation and how a young man made his dream come true despite all odds. In the course of his pursuit he broke many rules and norms and humanly imposed prohibitions. He created his own style of kung fu, Jeet Kune Do, taught foreigners kung fu that was forbidden then, broke down Hollywood’s door, western discrimination and oppression of Asians and promoted inter racial tolerance.  The serial also touched in depth Bruce Lee’s philosophy on martial arts and the need to develop martial arts as an international art form to its highest form.

His best and loyal disciples were Japanese, Filipino, black and white Americans, including Hollywood stars. He called among his friends, Mohammed Ali, James  Coburn, Steve McQueen, Chuck Norris, David Carradine, the one whom Hollywood used to steal his role as Grasshopper in the serial Kung Fu, and his closest friend/disciples in Taky Kimuira and Dan Inosanto.

Bruce Lee’s achievements in his short span of life were to kick open the doors of Hollywood for Asian actors, broke down the discrimination and stereotyping of the inscrutable, meek and talentless Asians in general and Chinese in particular, took Hong Kong’s martial art movies to a new height, brought together the martial arts of different schools and from different countries, introduced Chinese martial arts in the westernized name kung fu to the world. In short, he promoted racial understanding, integration and goodwill among the people of the world.

His other notable achievements were an undying spirit to innovate and to defy established conventions, to strive for perfection and personal growth, a never say die attitude of discipline, perseverance and hard work, all great personal virtues to be emulated.

Media Corp should acquire and screen this serial to promote racial tolerance, understanding, harmony and integration among the different ethnic groups here.  It is a serious production with very serious acting and dialogue and philosophy and the development of martial arts. Would Singaporeans be privileged to view this serial in Channel 5 other than the soap operas? It is definitely a positive change, an educational and historical production much worthy than many of those shown in Channel 5. It would definitely boost its ratings and viewership with this well produced serial.


Bruce Lee made Wing Chun and Ip Man famous and familiar names in the international arena of martial arts and movie making.

1/09/2016

China taking a tough stand against terrorism


A new anti terrorism law has been passed by the highest legislature in China, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. This timely and necessary law is well received by countries around the world that are also facing the threats of terrorism. Unfortunately and expectedly, the USA is at their worst behavior again, attacking and criticizing China on everything, even this law against terrorism.
What are the real issues or non issues that the Americans are raising? The points being flagged by the Americans are, one, technology firms are required to help to decrypt information on terrorism if demanded by the Chinese authority. Two, there is a provision to limit the media from making reports related to terrorist attacks that are cruel or inhuman.

Why are these two provisions so difficult to the Americans that they have to react so negatively and totally dismissed the spirit and intent of the anti terrorist law?  The first objection to require technology firms to decipher information suspected of terrorist related activities is only proper and necessary. The Chinese authority is not demanding that the technology firms revealed their encryption codes but to produce the decrypted information. Why is this so difficult to comply? If the technology firms are not involved with unlawful or espionage activities they have nothing to fear. And it is only right that such demands be handled professionally. The US govt would similarly make such demands to any technology firms operating in the USA.

No foreign firm operating in any country is allowed to operate freely and not to cooperate with the local govt to tackle terrorist activities and threats.  How is this law more compromising than the sweeping American law to monitor and eavesdrop on the communications and phone conversations of its citizens and leaders, including foreign leaders?

The second objection is even more baseless. It is only decent for the mass media not to air inhuman or cruel terrorist acts and risks them being imitated or copied by other potential terrorists. The Americans themselves have banned reports or references to how they dealt with terrorists and the activities in Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.


It is time the Americans act and behave more responsibly in this war against terrorism and cooperate with other nations and not to pull the rug off the feet of countries fighting the terrorists. The American’s attack on China’s anti terrorist law is bizarre and shameful and speaks poorly on America as a world leader.

PS. I want to preempt Veritas from going tangentially off course and stick to the issue of terrorism.

1/08/2016

SBF’s paper is about growing our own timber and protecting our own interests

The gist of the paper’s recommendation is about growing your own timber in three areas, growing the stock market, growing local enterprise and to add wings on them, growing local talent with more scholarships. In the last part, there are plenty of scholarships for foreigners, so this call must be read as fine tuning the scholarships for our children and to target them at the industries, not for foreigners to go home after a few years here.

There was also the exasperating talk about allowing more foreign workers as the restriction on foreign workers was targeted at this lower level where there was a real shortage since Singaporeans did not want such works. For some queer reasons, perhaps someone thought the need to fill up the Singapore’s equivalents of Chennai Business Park and Mumbai Financial Centre (MBFC) with foreigners should have priorlty over having more low level workers and thus the cut is at the worker’s level and not at the PME level.

The sick stock market is now spoken openly. The difficulties to raise fund from our stock market with its life hooked on life support is telling. Stock prices and trading have run to a stand still though computer trading still showed a little misleading life in the market. The reality is best felt by the businesses that found raising money is a dying stock market near impossible. How’s that for the truth?

The call for the revival of the stock market is loud and clear. GIC that is investing the people’s savings should apportion a greater percentage of its investment to support local businesses by supporting their prices in the stock market. Did someone said the CPF money belongs to the employers and not the employees? Shouldn’t the employers that are contributing to the CPF’s biggest share be looked after by the money they contributed?

But before the GIC pump in more money back into the local stock market, they better understand what is the real problem of the stock market. Why is it dying? If it is suffering from Aids, please do not try to scratch its balls. It would not help. The Aids is the killer, not the itching. Unfortunately no one wants to see the problem as it is. The elephant in the room is very difficult to notice.

Investing CPF money in other stock market is exactly like hiring foreigners instead of hiring Singaporean. Here they are spending money to grow foreign companies in foreign stock markets and neglecting our own stocks in our own market.

Similarly, giving scholarships to foreigners and not to Singaporeans achieved the same effect, growing foreign timber and neglecting our own timber.

So, would this serious paper, with so many heads putting so much effort into it, count or mean anything?  When would there be a change of mentality, to grow our own timber, to start our charity drive at home?

By the way, would they even acknowledge the problem faced by the local businesses? Would they acknowledge that the stock market is failing? Who said so? The market is the pink of health, the best market in Asia, the Number One stock market in Asia. What is the SBF talking about a moribund market?

Someone must be talking nonsense or someone must be stupid and cannot see the real stuff, or just listening to the good stuff. No problem, all is fine.

Die, die, North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb

The world woke up in fear to know that the North Koreans have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. The North Koreans are going to bomb the whole world, or at least they will bomb South Korea, Japan and the USA. Quick, get ready to invade North Korea and destroy its nuclear problem before they build the bomb.

Today’s paper front page headline yesterday read, ‘N Korea H-bomb test claim sends shivers through Asia’. Japan going to boost up its military budget and raise its military alert to Red. It is going to the UN to condemn the North Koreans.

The Today paper also had an interesting comparison on the number of nuclear test by the respective nuclear powers. USA had 1.030 tests, Soviet Union had 715 tests, France had 210 tests, UK and China had 45 each. Now how many frightening tests did the North Koreans made that are sending shivers to the world? 4!

Talk of crying wolf or telling ghost stories to frighten the children? Who is more frightening? Who has more nuclear war heads to destroy Mother Earth? The Americans have more than 7000, China got 200, the North Koreans may have none to date.

So frightening man! The Koreans are so frightening man? Talking about the unthinking that want to believe in lies and propaganda from the Americans, Japanese and the western media. And though Japan did not test any, officially, how many nuclear warheads did the Japanese possess? They have many tons of weapon grade nuclear material in their arsenal.

Who is the greater fool? Oh, wait a minute, the North Koreans is going to nuke Singapore. Believe this as your own peril. For whatever reason I dunno. One thing for sure, if the Americans and their gangsters kept labeling countries as evil and kept provoking them instead of engaging them and bringing them to work as a member of the world civilization, they will get the enemy they painted and created. It will be a self fullfiling prophecy. The USA or Japan will be the likely candidate for the North Koreans to test their nuclear weapons when cornered.
Which country has attacked another country with nuclear weapons?

1/07/2016

Singapore’s ‘moribund’ stock market needs to be revived

A lagged stock market, dying stock market, a moribund stock market, all in a mouthful, to describe the pathetic state of the Singapore stock market in the main media is unexpected, unprecedented. Talking about a moribund stock market is kind of a taboo. There seems to be an unwritten code of conduct that no one should whisper about how bad the stock market is faring today. The media only reported about how healthy the stock market has been, kicking, alive, making a lot of profits, derivatives volumes increasing, the best regulated stock market in the world. 

Today something changed. The truth must be spoken. It cannot be kept wrapped for any minute longer. The Singapore Business Federation submitted a 36 page economic strategy proposal to Heng Swee Kiat while he is still fumbling with his team to chart the course to take Singapore forward. The Federation is wasting no time. Time is crucial, the situation is serious and no more mucking around for another year to wait for another report. Actions need to be taken now. And the report ‘is backed by 28 trade associations and chambers and some 70 top level executives, including Singapore Press Holdings chief executive Alan Chan’. What the SBF is saying is that the dismal state of affairs of our economy has reached a point of BTH, ‘beh ta han’ already.

For the proposal to come out today, mind you, such a big committee cannot come out with something overnight. They must have spent many hours, days and months looking into the problems and to come up with their recommendations. What the proposal is saying is that things are bad, real bad and the govt must act on it quickly and seriously.

When Alan Chan’s name is quoted it means serious business. This is a very serious statement from the business associations and chambers and top honchos.  Things are bad and must be made good. This is the truth, the reality, face it squarely and do something, now.

I will write something more about the recommendations later.