All the fuzz and buzz about trains and dog

These few days the buzz is all about trains and dogs. A forumer sent me this to show his unhappiness over the ill treatment of dogs and animals. Human beans are often oblivious to what they do to the animals and what seemed good or right for the beans could be cruelty to the animals. I hope no one would suggest tying a string over the dogs urinal organ if it go peeing everywhere. It is so easy and convenient for the human beans to do it to the animals.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/dog-disturbances-hdb/1333756.html

I refer to the above.
I strongly oppose to both the debarking methods proposed to be used to debark the dog, ie use of debarking collars or through surgery.
I feel the owners should be trained instead. Give the dogs freedom, and not let them be caged or leashed to a corner of the house. Dog barks because they are bored and stressed. Take them out for regular execise, give them more attention. Treat them like family members.

I suggest that HDB, AVA, and SPCA or other relevant authority make visits to homes reported to have dog barking nuisance, and see for themselves how the dogs are being handled. If dogs are being chained or caged, the owners should be warned, and if necessary, repeat offenders be fined or dogs taken away and owners be charged in court for animal abuse. The law should be changed to provide for the welfare of dogs.

Regards

Chong Kok Keong

America’s four corner fight

The Americans have lost control of the battlefields that they have started. They no longer could pick and choose where to start a fire and when to end a war. They are now reacting to the wars they started. The thinking that they could shut it down and move on to another theatre to start a new war is no longer that easy.
 
Today, the genie of war will follow and shadow the Americans wherever they go once it is out of the bottle. The Palestinian Israelis conflict will forever be dogging the Americans and Washington. It is an unending war of attrition. But the bigger quagmire must be Iraq. No, you can’t leave them alone after messing up the country. The Americans are needed to mend the holes it had created. The genie is growing in strength and demands attention. Obama is now in deep shit, to go back in or to wipe his hands? The latter option will see a more dangerous Iraq than under Saddam. The ISIS will be the dominant power in Iraq and the Middle East, and will be a bigger headache for the United States of Israel.
 
Then there is Syria. The ISIS is there too, fighting Assad. The American supported rebels are also fighting Assad. The fall of Assad would mean ISIS fighting the rebels and the Americans. But there is also the Russian factor. Putin would not allow Syria to fall into the hands of the Americans. Once the Americans move in, Ukraine will flare up and fall into Russian hands. The Russians have moved in and will consolidate its control over Ukraine and the former Soviet Union states. Would the Americans dare to venture into Russian territories?
 
With Ukraine secured, the Russians will move in strongly into Syria to confront the Americans. The Middle East, Palestinian/Israelis conflict and Ukraine will form the three corners the Americans have to fight on. And the fourth corner, the Afghanstan and Talebans/Al Qaeda will raise their presence and drag the Americans back into the region.
 
How would these four corner wars affect the American pivot in East Asia? The temperature in the region is heating up with the Americans increasing their provocations against the Chinese. Can the Americans afford another front? Do the Americans have the money to finance a 5 corner warfare? Do the American people still have the stomach to fight losing wars that are so costly and drag the American economy into the doldrum? Once a theatre is open, there is no way of extricating themselves out like in Korea or Vietnam. The wars will continue to drag on and on and drain on the limited resources of the Americans. Washington must know by now that they are not the chess master deciding on how many boards they want to play. Once the game has started, the opponents will insist the Americans play the game to the end. And there will be no easy quick checkmates.
 
The warmongers are stuck in the quicksand of wars they started.Can the Americans afford to do mischiefs in Asia?

Kopi Level -Blue. Thank you.

In praise of the Singapore Govt

Like it or not, love it or hate it, the Singapore Govt is about the most creative and innovative institution in the whole wide world when creation of value is concerned. Just look at the COE, it is really a piece of worthless paper, but the Govt can sell it to the motorists for $70k to $90k, just for the right to buy a car. The actual market value of a car could be less than half of the COE. The value created is unimaginable. Then there is the ERP, or electronic road pricing. The Govt just erected a few pillars, armed them with some electronics and the motorists just pay and pay, each pass costing a $1, $3 or more. With millions of motorists travelling all over the islands, with a multiples of such ERPs all over the island, the govt are printing money faster than the FED in the USA.

Now what else are they creating value out of nothing or creating extraordinary value from ordinary items? Public housing that was once available for the price of a song is now sold in hundreds of thousands and going higher and higher while the lease gets shorter and shorter. For the price of cheaply designed and constructed public flat with a 99 year old lease, they are selling to the people in terms of $200k, $300k, $500k and more. For the same sum of money, one could easily buy an estate 10 times or more with freehold land in many countries. Here it is like buying concrete containers built one on top of the other, and they sold them to the people as quality housing.

And they branded themselves as super talents, employed in public service and political appointments and marketed themselves to the tune of millions of dollars annually, making a mockery of the salary of the President of America. And what are the skills or abilities, responsibilities or achievements of the incumbents to deserve such remunerations? What did they do to be paid in the millions?

Who can create this kind of value out of ordinary people whose best achievements were mainly academic qualifications?

The shop keepers’ rent for a shop space, some as small as 50 sq ft, could be $10k or $20k pm or more. Everything that is of hardly any value, in the hands of these super talents will turn to gold, or at least the value of gold. Our Govt has the Midas touch, in creating value.

And who are paying for these artificially created values? Never mind, the important thing is the talent to create these values that no one else would be willing to pay for but to make Sinkies paying for them happily.

Say what you like, you must take your hat’s off to them. Wonder if they could create the same kind of value in other countries? Obama and all the ex Presidents of the USA have very poor skills in marketing themselves and the values of their jobs. The govts of the world should engage our govt to restructure their remunerations and sell it to their people.

Kopi Level - Green

Developing Singapore into a Smart Nation

There is this article by a Jenson Goh in the Today paper on this topic and titled ‘Developing the “heartware” for a Smart Nation. What does this mean, a nation of smart people or what? According to Yaacob Inbrahim, a Smart Nation starts with the hardware, ie tapping on the potential of infocomm and media. This is definitely not the Smart Nation I was thinking of, a nation of smart people, but more an attempt to tap on the advantages of technology and communication.
 
Yaacob went on to elaborate on the use of big data to understand human behavior and the interconnectivity of all kinds of modern devices to give instant information. While writing this, the thought of traffic lights for human beans in MRT stations came to mind. We need devices like traffic lights to inform the people whether the station is crowded or not and how to make decisions like taking alternative transport if it is crowded. This is what a Smart Nation is supposed to be in its basic form. Never mind if the people may become more stupid and dependent on machines and devices to tell them what to do. Won’t it be nice if the people will react to light signals, green they start walking, red, they stop?
 
Yaacob and his ministry have been thinking, and I think the govt too, and they have come to the conclusion that ‘All problems of a city can be traced to a single factor: Rapid growth, which places massive strain on its support infrastructure. (So) The development of a Smart Nation platform can go a long way in overcoming this challenge.’ Thank God they finally discovered the causes of the problems in this city. And they are going to take actions, to turn this city into a Smart Nation or city, so that all the problems would be solved. I remember the story of putting the cart before the donkey, or was it closing the barn door after the pony has bolted out? Never mind.
 
There is also the element of the people, the heartware. Now which should come first, smart people first before Smart Nation or Smart Nation then smart people? Let mean put it the other way, smart people make Smart Nation or Smart Nation makes smart people? Or it could be Smart Nation makes robotic people. I think it is easy to have Smart Nation first as the hardware can be bought. Having a nation of smart people is a bit more difficult, and to make matter worse, it is not easy to turn a nation of daft into smart people. It is a daunting task, must be. If it is difficult, then perhaps there is also an easy solution to it. Replace the daft with smart people from the world. We can just bring in the best to replace the daft should be easy. We have started in many areas, sports talents, IT talents, finance talents, academics, medical and legal professions etc etc.
 
I think we can dovetail the pursuit of both Smart Nation and smart people simultaneously, just buy the equipment and bring the smart people in. But why Smart Nation? The big data and connectivity of devices could bring instant feedback. Not sure how much it will cost. I thought a cheaper way to get instant feedback is Reach or maybe TRE. Cheap and good, unless these feedbacks are not from smart people or smart machines and devices, so no pakai.
 
The thought of living in a Smart Nation in the morning is quite comforting, something to look forward to. Those not smart people, I mean those that cannot adapt to new devices and technology, please go for classes to upgrade yourself to be smart beans if you want to live in a Smart Nation. And for a start, please get to understand what the three colours of traffic light in the train station meant and what actions to take when you see them.
 
Have a good day dreaming of a Smart Nation.

PS, has anyone installed a GPS at home so that he would not be lost finding his way to the toilet?

Kopi Level - Green

Would you like to work at 85?

The chances of getting a job at 85 are still there. For those who need the dignity of a job at 85, fear not, there are jobs available, provided you are a non graduate. The working life of Singaporean graduates, unless you belong to the immortal class, is about 45 to 55. After that it is self employed as taxi drivers, or if you are lucky, as security guards. I think the working life span of a security guard is about 70.
 
85 is only for those non grads who are prepared to work as cleaners. Maybe a grad could do as well if he does not mine. A job is a job. And if one has a job, what is there to kpkb about. Be grateful for the privilege.
 
Here is a short extract of a letter to Gilbert of Transitioning.org.
 
‘Dear Gilbert,
 
The cleaning companies of Singapore working at Changi Airport use Singaporean old lady for heavy duty work.
 
She is 85 years old and I really felt sorry for her on my departure at the airport.
I asked her why she is struggling with the heavy thrash in the departure hall and she said this is her part-time work for the airport….’
 
Some may think letting a 85 year old to work as a cleaner is not appropriate, not the right thing to do. Some may say the 85 year old is lucky, as she can live a dignified life, earning her keeps and be independent. Not sure how she thinks? Would she be cursing and swearing that she still has to toil at that age? Or would she really be saying, I am proud to be working and don’t have to depend on others for handouts. Or would she be saying she loves to work?
 
What do you think?

Kopi Level -  Green