Who is paying for the flood damages?

I shouldn't be asking this question as the answer is obvious. Someone's slip and well, it was just a slip. Maybe it is not a slip, just an insurmountable act of god. The insurance premiums for the shops and houses are going up. And the insurers, would they be content with just those affected by the floods? For safety measures, they will apply the new premiums to as many insurees as possible. I am not suggesting that more bonuses could also be bundled into the premiums. The building owners too will have to upgrade their structures and services and all the cost will go the way of the tenants as well. The shopkeeper will know what to do. They are not going to bear the cost for sure. The price of their goods and services are going to go up. Not sure how the owner occupied properties are going to spread the cost or pass the buck. In general, all the consumers will have to pay for this act of god that no human feats can overcome. And some silly buggers are comparing how lucky we are by looking at China and other countries. For one, their wrath of nature is many times for formidable than ours. Our rainfall is like a tropical thunderstorm. Yes it is a tropical thunderstorm that we have lived with for many generations. What is all this nonsense about typhoons being in the picture? And for a little piece of rock and we can't deal with it? Nevermind, just bear with it and with the higher cost coming our way. Maybe we need to import more super talented FTs to help us. Just make sure they don't recommend that when it is going to flood, move to higher grounds.

Asean should censure the US

It is heartening for Asean to ignore the American pressure to impose sanctions against the North Koreans on a drum up charge by a kangaroo court that the North sank the Choenan. The fact or the truth is still in deep water and both the Americans and South Koreans are afraid to let an independent international team to investigate the evidence which they claimed were facts. This is a real slap on the face of Hilary. She and Gates were the most vocal at the Asean Summit in Hanoi, trying to drag Asean to condemn North Korea without giving Asean a chance to verify the truth. They kept shouting that the North Koreans were provocative when they conduct war drills at the North's doorstep and wanted to freeze some 100 North Korean bank accounts overseas. With such outright provocations, instead they are pointing the fingers at the North Koreans. Asean should pass a resolution to censure the US for their provocative acts against North Korea. Further, they are trying to incite the Asean countries against China by offering themselves as the mediator to the counter claims to the Spratleys and Paracel islands. The countries involved in the disputed islands have more or less reach some kind of understanding or agreements. The Americans would not accept that and want the issues to be blown up and raise tension between Asean states and China. Such stirring of shit is the standard operating procedure of the US to get other countries to be at each other's throat. How clever of the evil empire.

Do we need million dollar FTs?

Do we need to employ multimillion dollar FTs to tell us that if we don't take lunch break our productivity will go up by 10%? You pay me half of that and I will raise productivity by 40%... by extending trading hours by 4 more hours. How about that? And all our workers need just add another 2 hours of work and our economy could grow by another 10%. And Swee Say please don't worry about quality of work life. No need to talk about CBF. Just work 24 hours better still, more productivity. What is the problem with the stock market that such a desperate measure is even thinkable? Is the market doing roaring business? Running out of ideas or didn't know the real problems facing the market? Why are so many retail investors losing their pants and losing faith in the market, and no longer in the market? Is the market fair to small traders, a level playing field for all investors? Are there parties that are having extra advantage and wiping out the small investors? Are the hedge funds and big funds operating like trawlers, scoping up everything and destroying the market in the process? I don't believe that none of the supertalents knows what is really wrong with the market. I also believe that some will know that scraping lunch break is a silly idea and would not do any real good to the market if the flaws in the market are not removed. If they don't have any idea, just ask Obama or see what he is trying to do to save the American stock exchanges.

FTs without the local losers

What would this country be without the local losers? One thing for sure, no more soldiers and uniformed personnel. No one will be buying the overpriced HDB flats. And no one will be fighting with the FTs for train and bus seats. And no complaining about govt policies.

Notable quote from Remy Tan

What a country needs is not just talent, but also commitment and loyalty....Remy Tan Remy Tan wrote to the ST commenting on the Wharton and Harvard couple who decided to move to Singapore because Singapore benefits them but then changed their minds because of xenophobic postings in the blogs. I can agree with Remy Tan's comment but with some qualifications. What he said is only true if it is a country. If it is a hotel, then what is needed is more talents and not commitment or loyalty. And this is the exactly what is happening to the MNCs. All the executives are creaming off as much as they can from the organisations knowing very well that at some point in time they will have to leave. There is no need for commitment or loyalty to any organisation or country. It is one's own pocket and interests that matter. Are we building a country or are we turning it into a hotel? A hotel always places the interests and comfort of its guests first. The staff are there only to work and collect pays. If we go the direction of the hotel, then what we need are talents and more talents and more talents. No need commitment nor loyalty. The latter are foolish ideas to con the fools.