The mansion of Dr Michael Lim that was splashed across cyberspace and
the media is a testament of the good life of our rich and famous. The
scale of the mansion and the furnishing say that Dr Lim is very rich and
living a very comfortable lifestyle that the heartlanders and even many
private property owners could not dream of. This is the meaning of
rich. Good for him and his success story.
In the 60s and 70s, the medical professionals were living well and many
lived very well practicing their trades. The opulence in the class of Dr
Lim’s was an exception though some did achieved that level of grandeur
then. No medical professionals was complaining and people could afford
doctors making home visits at very affordable fees.
And the best part, many medical services in govt hospitals and govt
clinics could be had for free or for a song. There was no fear of
unaffordable medical fees and no fear of getting sick and unable to pay
for treatment. There was no fear of being bankrupt by a terminal
disease. There was a nice balance between what the people can afford to
pay for medical services and providing the medical professionals a good
life. Many medical professionals could afford landed properties and the
Mercedes Benzes.
Those were the good old days. Today we have medical insurances, the 3 Ms
and now the 4th M in Medishield Life and the people are still living in
fear of being struck by a serious illness that they cannot afford to
have. Even minor outpatient treatments are not cheap and unaffordable to
many. There is no such thing as FREE! What on earth is that thing
called FREE medical services?
Today, medicine and medical services are all about money and how much to
pay, and about affordability. And many are asking how did we arrive at
this state of affair when medical fees are so prohibitive that you need
so many fanciful schemes and insurance to try to make them affordable
but still unaffordable to many? What have these things got to do with
opulence?
Have we progressed or regressed in this life and death services that the
people cannot do without? Several decades back we were looking in
astonishment and awe at the excesses and abuses of western medicine and
medical services. Today we walked right into the same trap and try to
outdo the western medical industry in everything, especially the
prohibitive cost of medicine and medical treatment. We never seem to
want to avoid the same pitfalls of the outrageous medical practices of
the west. We simply aped everything, lock stock and barrel, fearlessly
doing what the west have been doing.
Would the Medishield Life help to reduce medical cost and the anxiety of
the people? Would medical cost be really affordable or be as affordable
as our property prices under the same definition of affordability
preached by the govt? Or would Medishield Life help to increase and
spread the level of opulence?
How did our medical cost get to be so expensive?
Kopi Level - Yellow
2/28/2014
2/27/2014
A new law on stalking and harassment
This is a law that should be supported given the prevalence of
harassment by dubious people particularly in cyberspace. I am not too
familiar with the incidents on stalking but that is definitely a
violation of a person’s freedom to be stalked by someone everywhere. And
some of the stalking incidents reported were serious in nature.
In cyberspace, incidents of harassment are so frequent that they have become an unacceptable normal. People are harassed constantly and viciously by perpetrators under the veil of anonymity. This has to be stopped. It is ok to disagree with someone else but to constantly hurling abuses at another person for reasons of hatred and grudges or simply differences in opinion is not an act that should be tolerated. Let’s be more civil and discreet with one another. Disagree for as much as you want, have your say and your views, but personal attacks, character assassinations and harassments must not be condoned.
One of the usual tactics that is being adopted, seemed so legal and proper, is to file police reports or threaten another person to file a police report against him. This is harassment of the worst kind. This is abusing the police and making use of the police in harassment. Should the police allow this to happen when many of the complaints were either very minor, spurious or unjustifiable? Should the police issue warning to such vile and wild accusations and charge the complainants for abusing the law, yes, for harassment instead?
I hope the men in blue are reading this and review their protocol and procedures to stamp out such harassments, like the saying, using the police hands to catch snakes. The police are being made use of by unscrupulous troublemakers in many such cases. What have the police to say about this kind of harassment?
There are also misgivings about this new law on harassment and stalking. Let’s hope that the law will be applied judiciously and fairly and not be abused by anyone to settle a personal feud. The law is good but can be bad in bad hands and can be badly abused for objectives that the law was not meant to serve.
Would it be abused or misused against individuals on the wrong side of the equation?
In cyberspace, incidents of harassment are so frequent that they have become an unacceptable normal. People are harassed constantly and viciously by perpetrators under the veil of anonymity. This has to be stopped. It is ok to disagree with someone else but to constantly hurling abuses at another person for reasons of hatred and grudges or simply differences in opinion is not an act that should be tolerated. Let’s be more civil and discreet with one another. Disagree for as much as you want, have your say and your views, but personal attacks, character assassinations and harassments must not be condoned.
One of the usual tactics that is being adopted, seemed so legal and proper, is to file police reports or threaten another person to file a police report against him. This is harassment of the worst kind. This is abusing the police and making use of the police in harassment. Should the police allow this to happen when many of the complaints were either very minor, spurious or unjustifiable? Should the police issue warning to such vile and wild accusations and charge the complainants for abusing the law, yes, for harassment instead?
I hope the men in blue are reading this and review their protocol and procedures to stamp out such harassments, like the saying, using the police hands to catch snakes. The police are being made use of by unscrupulous troublemakers in many such cases. What have the police to say about this kind of harassment?
There are also misgivings about this new law on harassment and stalking. Let’s hope that the law will be applied judiciously and fairly and not be abused by anyone to settle a personal feud. The law is good but can be bad in bad hands and can be badly abused for objectives that the law was not meant to serve.
Would it be abused or misused against individuals on the wrong side of the equation?
China’s meekness as a super power is courting trouble
China has never learnt from its past mistakes. It is a super power that
is afraid to use its clout and allowed pesky little countries to climb
all over its head and kick its ass. Look at the USA or even India, who
dares to trifle with them knowing for sure they will be whacked?
China is being threatened and provoked by the Japanese daily and not doing anything. The worst case is to be provoked and threatened by the Philippines. The Pinoys are threatening to use force against China if its fishing boats are attacked by the Chinese. So what can China do? It did sprayed water at the Pinoy fishing boats in the Scarborough Shoal or Huangyan Island. And this has angered the Philippines govt.
Why is China behaving so meek to the Philippines? In the past, the Pinoys had towed many Chinese and Taiwanese fishing boats into Manila Bay from the area and demanding fines and ransoms. The Pinoys even fired and killed a Taiwanese fisherman. Neither Taiwan nor China could do anything.
The precedents set by the Pinoys should be used to China’s advantage. China should simply tow Pinoy fishing boats to Hainan and fined them for fishing in Chinese waters. There is no need to go further and shoot at the fishing boats like the Pinoys. Is China acknowledging that the Scarborough Shoal/Huangyan Island is a disputed territory so it has no right to do so? This kind of meek behavior is unbecoming of a super power and little pesky countries like the Philippines would see it as a sign of weakness and would continue to tease China, even threatening to use force against Chinese ships.
When is China going to learn to behave like a super power, to be respected or if not feared by little irritating countries? The inaction or meek reaction will only embolden little pests to continue taunting at China. It is time that China put a stop to the pomposity of little countries like the Philippines to make them behave and know their proper place in its relationship with a super power. If the Pinoys were to try the same act to the Indians, they will be whacked until their butts bleed.
A super power must behave and act like one to avoid trouble from trouble makers.
A super power must behave and act as a super power or it will be plagued by constant irritations from little pests. China cannot be nice to trouble makers and think they will go away.
China is being threatened and provoked by the Japanese daily and not doing anything. The worst case is to be provoked and threatened by the Philippines. The Pinoys are threatening to use force against China if its fishing boats are attacked by the Chinese. So what can China do? It did sprayed water at the Pinoy fishing boats in the Scarborough Shoal or Huangyan Island. And this has angered the Philippines govt.
Why is China behaving so meek to the Philippines? In the past, the Pinoys had towed many Chinese and Taiwanese fishing boats into Manila Bay from the area and demanding fines and ransoms. The Pinoys even fired and killed a Taiwanese fisherman. Neither Taiwan nor China could do anything.
The precedents set by the Pinoys should be used to China’s advantage. China should simply tow Pinoy fishing boats to Hainan and fined them for fishing in Chinese waters. There is no need to go further and shoot at the fishing boats like the Pinoys. Is China acknowledging that the Scarborough Shoal/Huangyan Island is a disputed territory so it has no right to do so? This kind of meek behavior is unbecoming of a super power and little pesky countries like the Philippines would see it as a sign of weakness and would continue to tease China, even threatening to use force against Chinese ships.
When is China going to learn to behave like a super power, to be respected or if not feared by little irritating countries? The inaction or meek reaction will only embolden little pests to continue taunting at China. It is time that China put a stop to the pomposity of little countries like the Philippines to make them behave and know their proper place in its relationship with a super power. If the Pinoys were to try the same act to the Indians, they will be whacked until their butts bleed.
A super power must behave and act like one to avoid trouble from trouble makers.
A super power must behave and act as a super power or it will be plagued by constant irritations from little pests. China cannot be nice to trouble makers and think they will go away.
The troubling fate of Sinkie PMEs – A sad story of Mr Tan
‘Mr Tan was let go by a prestigious MNC company located in Science Park
some years ago. Until today, in his late 40s, Mr Tan cannot secure any
permanent job. He tried to find a job in his industry but was consider
too old. He went to try other sector to be a property or insurance agent
and did not meet any success.
Mr Tan shared his struggles. He is paying off his debt and had to cut down extensively on their family lifestyle. Gone are yearly holidays and meals in restaurants. He sold off his car to pay off some of the debt and started taking taxi course. This is the ONLY protected industry in Singapore from FT invasion.’
Please read the story of Mr Tan in TRE under the title ‘FT converts to S’pore pink IC but ostracizes S’poreans
How long would Sinkies be willing to bear and endure such discrimination by foreigners in their own country? When would Sinkies put an end to their pathetic plight and suffering from unemployment in the hands of foreigners? It seems that the story of Mr Tan is a familiar one and many affected Sinkies suffering from the same fate simply swallowed their pain and misfortune and turned to taxi driving which some jokers claimed was a good alternative, that they could become their own boss. And foreigners happily kept coming in to replace Sinkies one by one with impunity. This is a crime against the citizens.
Boh cheng hu!
About 60 years ago, the colonial govt was running the island as their prized possession and fed themselves handsomely while throwing a few crumbs to a small group of local elite. A group of young men was driven enough to want to take over the running of the country from the colonial govt for the good of the people. They could not stomach the disinterest of the colonial govt while they took care of their self interest and the excesses of the elite. They fought valiantly to wrestle the island from the British and eventually founded a new nation. They saw a bad situation and turned it around.
Today we are seeing quite a number of citizens being forced out of their comfort zone by foreigners into a corner with no jobs. And the foreigners exploited their haplessness to the fullest, to replace them in good jobs by bringing in more foreigners with impunity. This unhealthy state of being is becoming intolerable to many citizens, even those looking from the sideline.
Would this pathetic situation be good enough to spawn a few good men to stand up for the good of the people, to take back the country and run it for the good of the people before the country is taken over by the foreigners? Would there be people driven enough to want to change this despicable fate of the PMEs?
Ask yourself, when would you be next to be replaced by foreigners?
Kopi Level - Green
Mr Tan shared his struggles. He is paying off his debt and had to cut down extensively on their family lifestyle. Gone are yearly holidays and meals in restaurants. He sold off his car to pay off some of the debt and started taking taxi course. This is the ONLY protected industry in Singapore from FT invasion.’
Please read the story of Mr Tan in TRE under the title ‘FT converts to S’pore pink IC but ostracizes S’poreans
How long would Sinkies be willing to bear and endure such discrimination by foreigners in their own country? When would Sinkies put an end to their pathetic plight and suffering from unemployment in the hands of foreigners? It seems that the story of Mr Tan is a familiar one and many affected Sinkies suffering from the same fate simply swallowed their pain and misfortune and turned to taxi driving which some jokers claimed was a good alternative, that they could become their own boss. And foreigners happily kept coming in to replace Sinkies one by one with impunity. This is a crime against the citizens.
Boh cheng hu!
About 60 years ago, the colonial govt was running the island as their prized possession and fed themselves handsomely while throwing a few crumbs to a small group of local elite. A group of young men was driven enough to want to take over the running of the country from the colonial govt for the good of the people. They could not stomach the disinterest of the colonial govt while they took care of their self interest and the excesses of the elite. They fought valiantly to wrestle the island from the British and eventually founded a new nation. They saw a bad situation and turned it around.
Today we are seeing quite a number of citizens being forced out of their comfort zone by foreigners into a corner with no jobs. And the foreigners exploited their haplessness to the fullest, to replace them in good jobs by bringing in more foreigners with impunity. This unhealthy state of being is becoming intolerable to many citizens, even those looking from the sideline.
Would this pathetic situation be good enough to spawn a few good men to stand up for the good of the people, to take back the country and run it for the good of the people before the country is taken over by the foreigners? Would there be people driven enough to want to change this despicable fate of the PMEs?
Ask yourself, when would you be next to be replaced by foreigners?
Kopi Level - Green
2/26/2014
Consider local contractors for MRT projects
Chin Kee Thou wrote in the Today forum pleading to the authority to
consider local contractors in the award of contracts. We have been in
the train business for about 40 years and there should be enough
expertise to do it ourselves. Why continue to award contracts to
foreigners, to be forever hoping for the transfer of know how to our
local boys. China opened up for less than 40 years and they are building
bullet trains on their own and many other things without the need for
foreign talents. Or shall we wait to recruit train experts from the
recently commissioned Mumbai LRT to run our trains as they would then be
deemed as foreign talents and better than our no talent locals even
after so many years of running our train system?
Actually I am crossing over, or bought over by this craze for foreign talents. I think I am getting the disease. We really need more foreign talents or we will sink. Let’s have more of them. We have foreign talents in DBS and the bank is getting better and better. No bluff. And our stock exchange is so vibrant, the best in the world.
And we have quite a number of foreigners in the stats boards. Ok, let’s open up the ministries to foreign talents, and to make it more palatable, any position that is equivalent to the premier admin service the employee shall be given the pink IC to be seen as one of us. We can start by replacing our permanent secretaries, deputy secretaries and assistant secretaries with foreign talents.
I think all our senior civil servants will love the chance to work with foreigners as their bosses, more oomphs and creativity. They have been the ones pushing for this policy and they would not oppose it for sure. Let’s start with SPH, MHA and Mindef.
What do you think?
Actually I am crossing over, or bought over by this craze for foreign talents. I think I am getting the disease. We really need more foreign talents or we will sink. Let’s have more of them. We have foreign talents in DBS and the bank is getting better and better. No bluff. And our stock exchange is so vibrant, the best in the world.
And we have quite a number of foreigners in the stats boards. Ok, let’s open up the ministries to foreign talents, and to make it more palatable, any position that is equivalent to the premier admin service the employee shall be given the pink IC to be seen as one of us. We can start by replacing our permanent secretaries, deputy secretaries and assistant secretaries with foreign talents.
I think all our senior civil servants will love the chance to work with foreigners as their bosses, more oomphs and creativity. They have been the ones pushing for this policy and they would not oppose it for sure. Let’s start with SPH, MHA and Mindef.
What do you think?
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