A positive and welcome move by Singapore

Singapore's initiative to bring economic growth into North Korea and lead the communist state into the world community is the most positive and effective way to engage North Korea. An economically strong Korea fully engaged in the world system, economics, trade and industry, and all things, will bring prosperity to its people and harmony in east Asia. North Korea could be like China and Vietnam, communist in political system but capitalist in economic development and trading with the world as another responsible nation. Such a concept is totally in contrast with the wicked and destructive scheme of the US, branding it with all kinds of hostile terms, axis of evil, arms exporter, threatening world peace, supporting terrorism, violation of human rights etc etc. Such outdated methodology was only workable in the past when the Asians were weak and ignorant or under the total domination of the western powers. Today, the picture has changed. There is no SEATO or CENTO and no colonial states. The last two semi colonies of the US, Japan and South Korea, are also trying to break free from the American control. The Asian countries must find their own reasons and meaning of existence in the new world and not be told by the Americans who is good and who is bad. The Singapore initiative is commendable but risked being derailed by the Americans. The Americans will not support it and will get its semi colonies to tow the line. Fortunately Howard has been kicked out and hopefully Kevin Rudd will not dance to the American tune. Maybe Asean can come in to give it more weight. Engaging and welcoming North Korea into trade and industry is better than telling the North Koreans to sign some scrips of paper on intangible and meaningless stuff like Treaty of Cooperation and Amity.

President Wee Kim Wee

I read a post in Sammyboy forum praising Wee Kim Wee as the humble and down to earth president that Singaporean loved. And another forumer saying that no one could get his name wrong as you could read it forward and backward and still got it right. With all due respect to President Wee, let's hope no reporter or msm is going to print his name in the western format with his family name behind his name. Fry the bugger if it is in the local press.

Charity begins at home

'Amid calls by some US lawmakers for wealthy universities to lower tuition costs, officials at Stanford University have said they will no longer charge tuition to students from families earning less than US$100K (S$140K) a year. For students whose families earn less than US$60K a year, Stanford will not charge for either tuition or room and board.... Stanford is now among a small string of top tier schools, including Harvard, Yale and Pomona College, that have taken steps in recent months to help middle class families and, in some cases, households with incomes ovr US$150K.... "We will continue to evaluate international applications on a case by case basis."....' Reuters, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Straits Times. How would these compare to our policies on education? Oops cannot compare apple with oranges.

Wrong place to look for role models

Edison Chen said he was not a good role model. His girlfriends in the videos admitted that they were naive. Why would children all look up to these bad role models and naive girls as role models? There are many good role models in many other professions. The last place to look for role models, you know where. The most naive group of people coming out from this episode are those people who look at them as role models.

ERP, pay according to usage

Thomas Koshy has some great suggestions in his article on ERP rates in Today. The principle he relies on is that the more one crosses the gantry, the more one pays. And for those who cross more, the rate will also be higher. At the other end, I like this best, is infrequent users will be given a kind of waiver for the first time they cross a gantry. The fees not collected is compensated from the high users. As for those in the transport business and need to transport goods and people, try to use buses and MRT to save on paying more ERP charges. And for those unfortunate poor buggers whose travel patterns require them to cross ERP frequently, or have an ERP outside their homes, maybe they can introduce something like a frequent travellers or mileage rewards like what the airlines are doing. Very interesting suggestions, the same principle as using water. The lesser water people used the better. The lesser people use the roads, the better. Why do we need to build roads and rails?