8/22/2012
Singapore fund is $1.5B bidder for Paulson hotel group
August 22nd, 2012
Author: Online Press
Aug 20 (Reuters) – The Government of Singapore Investment Corp has bid $1.5 billion for a group of bankrupt hotels owned by hedge fund Paulson & Co, including the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix and La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California….
This seems to be the strategy of our SWF, throwing good money after bad money for high risk and high returns. On the other hand other funds are buying into Sin into good and sound companies like energy, power and the latest, a national icon in F&N.
If, I say if, the source of the funds is from the people’s savings like CPF, money that cannot lose, is this strategy a bit risky and incompatible to the risk profile of the owner of the fund? What if the strategy fails and unacceptable capital is lost and the fund owners cannot be repaid?
If the gamble turns out good, no one is complaining. If the gamble sours, who is to be responsible? This is not enough as the money must be paid. Do the owners agree or give their permission to using good money to take high risk?
USA creating war to save its ass
The Evil Empire, USA is down and out economically and financially. It
is in deep shit. It is trying to struggle its way out not through
logic and hard work but instead it resorts to creating troubles and
warfare throughout the worlespecially in non caucasian or non white
countries.
When the first wave of White men came from Europe especially from
England, France, Spain, Portugal and Holland to invade the Americas ,
they justified their invasions on religious grounds, claiming that the
native Americans were heathens and savages and did not deserve the
resource rich lands of both North and South America which their
Christian God had meant to reserve for white people. In subsequent
savage wars of aggression and conquests across the whole wide world in
Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific island kingdoms not only was
religious grounds invoked but the use of power, force and military
might was their right and prerogative and as they claimed it had the
sanctity and blessing of their Christian God ,Jesus Christ. Killings
of native Americans, Africans,Australian aborigines, New Zealand
Maoris and the wide board of Asian heathens or non believers of
Christianity and Jesus Christ was no sin but on the other hand
blessed by their Christian God, Jesus Christ. White men always quote
Chapters and verses from their Christian holy book, the Holy Bible to
justify their aggressions, conquests, atrocities, killings and
genocide of non white people or non believers of their faith . To the
whites all non believers or non Christians are heathens and devils and
should be condemned to hell while only they the clean and pure white
killers and murderers will go to heaven.
The Evil Empire, USA is determined to create troubles and wars against
China. It is cowardly using its junior Asian gang members as pawns or
proxies as front line trouble makers to create choas and destability
in Asia to contain the peaceful development of China. The Evil Empire
thinks that in curbing China's peaceful development it will preserve
its number one position in the world. It is trying in every way and
means to lure China out to fight thinking it is now or never for it
thinks China now is not as powerful as the Evil Empire and more so
when the Evil Empire doped its silly and selfish junior Asian gang
members to join force with it.
Russia is supposed to be China's friend or ally. What is Russia's
stance now in the face of the Evil Empire's latest move in East China
Sea and the South China Sea? Why is Russia not saying anything or
making any move in support of China's position? Will Russia just fold
its arms and watch the war scenario goes on as it did in the Korean
War ( 1950 - 1953 ) ?
Come what may, China must be solely and highly and powerfully self
reliant to take on the uncalled for aggressors and warmongers and
defeat them totally. China should expedite building up its economy and
armed forces equipped with the latest and most modern military systems
. China should build sufficient ICBMs, long range jet fighters and
bombers, drones and missiles equipped with nuclear weapons, nuclear
armed submarines to position in American coasts and sufficient
warships and aircraft carriers as well as best equipped cyber warfare
systems to disable and destroy the enemies' electronics and satellites
or their cyber networks.
The Evil Empire and the Japanese must know that any illogical
unprovoked attack on China is considered an attack on Chinese people
not only in China but the world over. If that happens Chines people
all over the world must rise up against the Americans and the
Japanese and kill every one of them without mercy. China will have to
join forces with the world's anti American muslims, the Africans and
the Russians to fight off the warmongering evil Americans. President
Obama has no real power but is only a stooge of the White Americans
who will dictate to him what to say and do and he is made use by the
whites to pull wool over the Africans' eyes so that they cannot see or
remember all the evil deeds and atrocities that White men had done to
Africans in the last four or five hundrfed years.
China may not want war but all the same please be fully prepared and
well armed for the Evil Empire in collusion with its junior gang
members may out of desperation force one on China. In the meantime try
to be as patient as possible and not be lured out by the Evil Empire
for a showdown. When the right time comes and Cina is under attack ,
fight without mercy and defeat the evil forces totally and completely.
he Evil White Americans are the scourge and the curse of the earth.
They need to be cleanly obliterated from the earthly world.
is in deep shit. It is trying to struggle its way out not through
logic and hard work but instead it resorts to creating troubles and
warfare throughout the worlespecially in non caucasian or non white
countries.
When the first wave of White men came from Europe especially from
England, France, Spain, Portugal and Holland to invade the Americas ,
they justified their invasions on religious grounds, claiming that the
native Americans were heathens and savages and did not deserve the
resource rich lands of both North and South America which their
Christian God had meant to reserve for white people. In subsequent
savage wars of aggression and conquests across the whole wide world in
Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific island kingdoms not only was
religious grounds invoked but the use of power, force and military
might was their right and prerogative and as they claimed it had the
sanctity and blessing of their Christian God ,Jesus Christ. Killings
of native Americans, Africans,Australian aborigines, New Zealand
Maoris and the wide board of Asian heathens or non believers of
Christianity and Jesus Christ was no sin but on the other hand
blessed by their Christian God, Jesus Christ. White men always quote
Chapters and verses from their Christian holy book, the Holy Bible to
justify their aggressions, conquests, atrocities, killings and
genocide of non white people or non believers of their faith . To the
whites all non believers or non Christians are heathens and devils and
should be condemned to hell while only they the clean and pure white
killers and murderers will go to heaven.
The Evil Empire, USA is determined to create troubles and wars against
China. It is cowardly using its junior Asian gang members as pawns or
proxies as front line trouble makers to create choas and destability
in Asia to contain the peaceful development of China. The Evil Empire
thinks that in curbing China's peaceful development it will preserve
its number one position in the world. It is trying in every way and
means to lure China out to fight thinking it is now or never for it
thinks China now is not as powerful as the Evil Empire and more so
when the Evil Empire doped its silly and selfish junior Asian gang
members to join force with it.
Russia is supposed to be China's friend or ally. What is Russia's
stance now in the face of the Evil Empire's latest move in East China
Sea and the South China Sea? Why is Russia not saying anything or
making any move in support of China's position? Will Russia just fold
its arms and watch the war scenario goes on as it did in the Korean
War ( 1950 - 1953 ) ?
Come what may, China must be solely and highly and powerfully self
reliant to take on the uncalled for aggressors and warmongers and
defeat them totally. China should expedite building up its economy and
armed forces equipped with the latest and most modern military systems
. China should build sufficient ICBMs, long range jet fighters and
bombers, drones and missiles equipped with nuclear weapons, nuclear
armed submarines to position in American coasts and sufficient
warships and aircraft carriers as well as best equipped cyber warfare
systems to disable and destroy the enemies' electronics and satellites
or their cyber networks.
The Evil Empire and the Japanese must know that any illogical
unprovoked attack on China is considered an attack on Chinese people
not only in China but the world over. If that happens Chines people
all over the world must rise up against the Americans and the
Japanese and kill every one of them without mercy. China will have to
join forces with the world's anti American muslims, the Africans and
the Russians to fight off the warmongering evil Americans. President
Obama has no real power but is only a stooge of the White Americans
who will dictate to him what to say and do and he is made use by the
whites to pull wool over the Africans' eyes so that they cannot see or
remember all the evil deeds and atrocities that White men had done to
Africans in the last four or five hundrfed years.
China may not want war but all the same please be fully prepared and
well armed for the Evil Empire in collusion with its junior gang
members may out of desperation force one on China. In the meantime try
to be as patient as possible and not be lured out by the Evil Empire
for a showdown. When the right time comes and Cina is under attack ,
fight without mercy and defeat the evil forces totally and completely.
he Evil White Americans are the scourge and the curse of the earth.
They need to be cleanly obliterated from the earthly world.
An industry dying
The rot is showing and starting to hurt. The first to be axed will be the remisiers. Following closely will be the backroom staff, then the dealers and the analysts. Eventually the brokerage will simply shrink to a skeleton crew.
How could that be? With investments in the hundreds of millions for out of this world high speed computers, big funds with their high speed sophisticated machines, and product managers with their sophisticated derivatives and wonderful paper products, and with sales volume chalking up double digit gains, why is the industry drying up, and dying?
There were all kinds of gimmicks to increase sales but mostly elementary. Most of the time it is just barking up the wrong tree. What is the real problem in the stock market? Why are the gimmicks of no lunch break, continuous trading, minimal commission, minute bid sizes, cutting more commission to gain market share, sophisticated high speed computers, more derivatives, all proved unworkable? And don’t forget the setting up of many foreign funds to gamble in the stock market, with their expertise and grand machines, it is simply not working.
Does anyone know? Does anyone want to know? Does anyone bothers to know why the stock market is turning turtle? It is time to set up feedback units and ask the people to come up with the answers. Yes, more feedback is the solution.
What is at stake, 10,000 jobs? That is inconsequential. It is the whole finance and banking industry, the financial centre, the companies that needed to raise funds in the stock market that are at stake.
When the financial crisis hit the US, they scrambled for more liquidity, more Quantitative Easing, to provide money to support the industry. What was being done here? Squeeze the liquidity, cut the commission to the barest. Has anyone forgotten that the industry needs the commission to pay for the overheads, to pay for the salaries of all the staff, the fund managers etc? The industry cannot survive without the oil to lubricate the system.
Does anyone know that when commission was 1% we had the best bull run in history? What more tricks are up in the sleeves to save the dying market that no one wants to talk about? How did the industry ended up in this pathetic state? Self inflicted, ignorance or tidak apa, leave it to the experts? Bring in the gods and all will be fine.
Do not over react
This was an old joke of LKY’s time. When he opened his mouth, everyone jumped and tended to over react. Unfortunately this state of affair is still continuing till today. The Stop at Two policy lingered on for too long waiting for the man himself to say stop, but he was too busy and did not do so. So no one dared to push the button, or no one intelligent enough to see the problem coming.
In a way, the housing fiasco was also a case of over reaction, but with a clear agenda. With a surplus of more than 10,000 units of unsold flats, a happy problem, turning into a disaster that building another 50,000 units over the next two years would not be enough. In the meantime a property balloon has been created that cannot be pricked but pricked it must. Whichever way, to prick or not to prick, some parties would be hurt real bad.
Back to the population ‘crisis’. There is a shortage of babies according the economist’s formula for growth and sustainability, but not a shortage of several millions after exploding from 3m to over 5m over a decade! How can that be? And if the population has grown so fast, should there not be a huge surplus instead, like the surplus of HDB flats. Why is it that after flooding the island with 2 plus millions and there is still a huge shortage? Unbelieveable!
The last few years have led to a population explosion that has strained the whole infrastructure built for a much lesser population. The population increase over the last decade is more than what the normal growth needed for at least 10 years or 20 years of babies. No?
With a 3m population at 2% growth or 60,000 a year, a simple extrapolation will mean 600,000 in 10 years. Even compounded it will give a number less than 1m. We now have 5.4m or an increase of 2.4m! Is this not enough, not an over reaction, that we needed less but imported more than what we needed?
Then why the hooha that the growth number is still not enough? The trick is the bigger base and a statistical formula that says no matter how big is the population, you need so much percentage of growth to be sustainable. Now the base is bigger, so with the same percentage, more and more babies are needed. Even when the population hits 10m, they would insist on a 2.1% growth rate. They forgot why French caps were invented.
And the latest message, just multiply without a care of how many. Now, if the daft Sinkies really follow the edict, and every family just reproduce 4 or more, what is going to happen? Would it lead to another over reaction, another population explosion to be followed by another Stop at Two policy? No need to bother with whether the infrastructure can support, the number of jobs needed to create, the amount of food needed to be imported and the energy and water resources needed to support a 6m or 9m population.
Over reaction without thinking and without planning? No? No? In a financial crisis, or when there is natural disaster like flood or drought, when there is a food shortage, the bigger our population, the bigger is our problem. Even with money the producing countries may not have enough or want to sell them. Forgotten about the wisdom of keeping trim and fit? Are we over reacting again?
8/21/2012
National conversation a red herring?
There were 3 letters in the ST forum page today. In fact the whole forum, all 3 letters, were on the housing angst faced by the people. Just wondering how many letters have been written to the ST on this painful and frustrating problem the people are facing. Would the ST think it is proper, for the sake of transparency, to reveal how many letters have been written to the forum on this issue alone? Or is it so embarrassing that it is better not to tell?
Now, would these letters be regarded as feedback to the govt? Or would they be thrown away, disregarded, or nobody wants to know as they are not things that wanted to hear or to know? Or they have not been put into the proper hole called Feedback, so no need to bother?
The fact that the ST devoted the whole forum to this issue is a sign that it deems it important enough, or it is another way of saying that they have received too many letters on this issue and must air it, like it or not, for the policy makers to take note.
Is it feedback or not feedback? Or is this part of the so called national conversation that is expected? Would there be any response to these letters, as part of a dialogue? Or would the national conversation be a conversation if it fits into the agenda. Things outside the agenda not counted. Who is to determine or initiate the national conversation and the platform or venue? Can so many letters to ST forum be a starting point for a conversation? Or would they end up in the rubbish bin of the political wilderness, not something that should be talked about, just like the cost of building public flats, a taboo topic. You can have transparency in everything but not this state secret.
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