Iron Rice Bowl Shield

I have an inspiration. I am inspired by a dream, perhaps a hallucination while meditating. I saw an elderly carrying a shield. The shield was so heavy that it was weighing down on him. He was breathless. And there were angels around him adding more shields on top of him. If they kept on adding shields on this elderly, he would definitely be crushed to death. But the funny thing was that the angels were all smiling. They quipped, the shields were there to protect the elderly, to protect the elderly. The angels were all hearts, to care for the elderly.

Now I got the point. This inspires me to think about another shield, called Iron Rice Bowl Shield. You see, the pioneer generation people have lived through and seen through many happenings in life. Kopi used to be 10c a cuppa. Now $1.10. Go to Starbucks or CoffeeBean it could be $6. A buffet lunch used to be $15. Now it could be $100 or more than $200 per head, just for lunch.

What I am driving at is inflation. Many of the elderly need help to protect them from this inflation beast. If not their CPF savings of a few hundred thousand dollars or a few thousand dollars could end up worthless, like banana currencies. The elderly need kind hearted people to think for them, to plan for them, so that they can continue to enjoy their 3 meals through their golden years. They could not think for themselves.

Here comes my Iron Rice Bowl Shield. Make this a compulsory scheme like all the other schemes. It is for the good of the elderly. Tell them it is free and they will be very happy to join. No need cash, just deduct from their CPF savings. Free!

And give them choices. The basic scheme is called Iron Rice Bowl Economy. Under this scheme the elderly can eat at any hawker stall for the rest of their life, free, no need to pay. They will be issued with a Iron Rice Bowl Economy card. Just show the card and they can eat anything in the hawker centre for free. Perhaps can called the card the Compassion Card.

For those who were once from the middle class, they can opt for the Iron Rice Bowl Premium card. Holders of this card can eat in any foodcourt, also for free, for as long as they live. The ultimate lcard will be the Iron Rice Bowl Luxury card. This is like the platinum card. Holders of this card can eat in any restaurant for free also, and for the rest of their lives.

This Iron Rice Bowl Shield scheme will remove the element of inflation and all the elderly would be able to live without worries on their 3 meals. See how caring and proactive I am. I think for the elderly, I plan for them, to take care of them. OK, I am also an elderly, so I have vested interest in this scheme. I confess. I take care of the elderly to take care of my own rice bowl. So convenient, so simple and so generous and kind and compassionate. My heart is gold.

Ok, there are some fine prints in the scheme. The elderly would by then all be ‘lau kok kok’, not many teeth left. And their appetite would not be too good. So they would not be eating too much. Many would pass away before they can use their Iron Rice Bowl cards. And there are also Exclusion Clauses like no guarantee there will be hawker centres or food courts or restaurants near the homes of the elderly. And there is no guarantee on the quality and quantity of the food. And the ‘lau kok kok’ must find their own way to the hawker centres, foodcourts and restaurants. No home delivery. Only self service.

Other than these few exceptions and exclusion clauses, the scheme is just fine. There is just a little hitch. How to get this to Parliament and get it passed as a compulsory scheme to help the elderly? I know once it gets into Parliament, sure to get passed. This is a very thoughtful scheme. Maybe I should get someone from the majority party in Parliament to propose this and get it passed. If not it would be such a waste. The elderly ‘lau kok kok’ would not be able to enjoy and appreciate this great scheme of mine. And I too would not be able to benefit from it.

Anyone want to help to get this Iron Rice Bowl Shield passed and become a compulsory scheme for the ‘lau kok kok’ that cannot think or no energy to think any more, given up? I promise if this scheme is passed I will think of many more shields or schemes for the good of the ‘lau kok kok’ and to make their CPF savings work for them, make every cent works for them. Every scheme or shield would be free of course, just deduct from their CPF savings. Why not, after all CPF is not their money what?

Just give you a peep to the schemes or shields that I have in mind. CPF Protector Shield, to protect the CPF savings, Golden Farewell Shield, to cover all funeral expenses, Lau kok kok Charity Shield, to donate the money in the minimum sums that the lau kok kok left behind.

What do you think? I caring or not?

The Americans setting bad examples for China to follow

At the lecture in Harvard, Kishore warned the Americans not to set bad examples that would let China to follow, what the Americans can do, China also can, when the Americans can break all the rules and protocols, why not China. And the Americans have been setting many very bad examples and practices that China would do exactly and tell the Americans that they were just following the precedents set by the Americans.
 
The spying of other countries, flying spy planes, drones in the sky and under the sea, by the Americans all over the world, in the coastal waters of other countries, violating the territorial integrity of these countries, like what were happening in the South China Sea and East China Sea would be what the Chinese would do to the Americans one day.
 
The Americans were screaming out their lungs in the seizure of the spy drone in the SCS by China and making an ugly scene out of it. This was what China was expecting and wanting the whole world to know what the Americans are doing and what the Americans are claiming as rightful, permissible under international law. Soon China will be sending its drones and spy planes all over the seas around Diego Garcia, Guam, the Marshall Islands and around Hawaii, claiming that the Americans said these are permissible things under international law and under freedom of navigation and the Americans have no reason to object or protest.
 
There are many other offensive and unpalatable things that the Americans are doing and China would be exposing them one by one, like the drone incident to draw out American protest and to be used as precedents and justifications for China to do the same to the Americans when the time comes.
 
The Americans are setting all the bad examples and practices as a hegemonic Empire thinking and claiming American Exceptionalism as the unquestioned and unchallenged Number One super power. The Americans would be tying their hands and looking silly when the Chinese let them have a taste of their bitter medicine, their bad behavior. Just keep doing silly things and the ball will come around.

PS. I have several articles written and ready to post over the holiday. So no sweat. And a Happy Chinese New to everyone.

Terrex – The end of a drama all for nothing

All the chest thumpings and megaphone yellings ended up all for nothing. It was simply a commercial affair and Hong Kong was just following its law, abiding by its law and going through the due process of its law. Now that the investigation is over, the Terrexes would be returned according to Hong Kong law. Now everyone can have a really good sleep with no nightmares.

Eng Hen is going to celebrate ‘chap goh meh’ with the 9 terrexes, just perfect for a table of ten, including Eng Hen. On the surface this seems to be what the case was all about. Singapore China relations remains intact, China and Singapore are still good friends. So everything back to normal, Singapore can continue with
Starlight in Taiwan.  The One China Policy is also a non issue. Now the loose cannons can continue with their anti China antics and more anti China articles can appear in the media again. Dunno can still tell China to abide by international law, abide by the kangaroo court rulings on Chinese islands and protect freedom of navigation in the SCS or not?

It was all a bad dream and nothing more. All worked up for nothing.

The whole issue got nothing to do with Singapore or the Singapore govt. Hong Kong may take criminal actions against someone, and that someone or organization is surely not Singapore. Thank you Hong Kong, for abiding by the rule of law, some people were worried that you would misbehave and trample the rule of law. Singapore should have faith in the Hong Kong govt from the start that it would be duly and legally handled by the almost same laws that the two cities have in common.  Hong Kong is lucky, if not returned, maybe the next step will see Hong Kong at the ‘UN backed’ Tribunal at The Hague with our world best lawyers handling the case. Or a Japanese would be there to handpick the lawyers for Singapore if Hong Kong refused to attend.

Time to forget the incident and celebrate Chinese New Year.

America will become great again not through wars but by doing the following things right

Trump and America must be brave enough to recognise the fact that USA is inherently wicked historically and must be willing and sincere in amending its wild and savage hawkish traits of aggression and invasion of other countries. USA must first and foremost denounce and renounce its practices of the insidious militant doctrines of aggression which have through centuries caused great suffering and death to millions of people of other countries attacked and invaded by US. America must openly and publicly announce they will no longer practise the ( 1 ) Doctrines of Christian Discovery, ( 2 ) The Doctrine of Manifest Destiny, ( 3 ) The Doctrine of American Exceptionalism and ( 4 ) Neo-Conservatives principles of Wars of Aggression.

US must sincerely atone for its never ending massacre and genocide of Native Americans and build a cenotaph in every one of the fifty states in memory and honour of the memory of millions of Native Americans both men, women and children who died a wanton death at the merciless guns and cannons of the ravaging invading savage white invaders from Europe.

US must also apologise to the lynching and killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent defenseless African Americans and likewise set up memorial halls in all the fifty states in honour and memory of the unfortunate dead

Next US need to sincerely apologise to the Chinese Americans whose ancestors came to help and build and develop America's infrasstructures like railways,roads and mines but were later mercilessly slaughtered and lynched by savage white ruffians on countless occasions with the connivance of US government.

Last but not least US must sincerely apologise and show contrition to the merciless and endless slaughter of Mexican Americans. US must atone for its past injustice to the Mexicans by building a Mexican American National Park with a cenotaph in the centre of the park in all the fifty states in memory of those unjustly killed.

America must practise what it propounded regarding human rights and democracy. US government must grant the right of native Americans to a separate independent Native American state. Likewise it must also grant the rights of African Americans and Mexican Americans to have their own independent states and nationhood.

US must also apologise to the natives of Hawaii for its massacre of hundreds of thousands of Hawaiians who resisted American invasion in the 1890s to 1905. US must renounce its illegal and illegitimate annexation of Hawaii and forthwith promise to acquiesce to the desire of native Hawaiians for their independence. In the same manner US must renounce its occupation of Guam and grant the people of Guam its independence. US must surrender Puerto Rico and Diego Garcia to the original inhabitants .

Lastly US must return all the lands it had illegally and illegitimately taken from Mexico from 1840s to 1890s. The lands taken from Mexico through military might include the states of Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California. Trump does not need to build the illegal great wall and US can save billions of dollars if it just give back to Mexico her former territories.

US must stop cheating and defrauding other countries through manipulating the deceitful US petrol dollar. This US petrol dollar should be more appropriately called the dirt dollar as it is no longer backed by oil or any other resources.US just print any amount of paper money and using it to exchange for other countries solid intrinsic assets.These fiduciary issues are used to cheat other countries of their wealth and resources.

US must stop manipulating the world's stock markets through the cheating process of derivative trading and using the immense power of the hedge funds to wipe out other countries finance and economy. The CEOs and directors of big American stock markets and banks like J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and others reward themselves with hundreds of millions of dollars annually. But when their operations in the derivative and hedge funds go awry resulting in steep losses of billions of dollars they still pay themselves the same millions for it is always the company ending in bearing the losses.In other words the share holders, the ordinary men in the streets will ultimately have to bear the losses. Criminal wrongdoings by CEOs and directors of banks and big business are never penalised and brought to justice.

American banks and huge American concerns must stop money laundering at the expense of third world countries.These American companies and banks will always work hand in glove with corrupted third world government presidents and ministers in taking unnecessary huge loans of billions of dollars for purported big projects usually exaggerated hundred of times its worth. Loan money usually flow back to US companies which operate the projects while the president and local elites get huge side benefits worth millions of dollars. In the meantime the huge loans is intentionally used to bankrupt the borrowing country which is then obliged to follow American dictates and requirements. The few local elites become rich while the people and the country remain poor at the demand and calling of the American government which always demand the use of military bases and buying of American military weapons as well as obliged to support America whenever required and demanded.

If Donald Trump and the American government can sincerely and faithfully carry out the above stated objectives it will enhance the good image of America and make America a great nation again.

The United Nations must oversee that US grant independence to the native Americans, the African Americans and the Mexican Americans as well as independence for Hawaii and Guam.

Failing to carry out the above stated objectives will make Trump's calling to make America great hollow.

Southernglory1

Friday, 27th January,2017

Asean unity is important to all Asean states

Singapore has been shouting and screaming its heads off in every occasion and opportunity to tell the Asean members that the unity of Asean is vital for the survival of small states. Somehow this seems to be like a lone voice in the wilderness. I have yet to hear another Asean country head coming out to echo this same concern. China is dividing up the Asean countries. So, why aren’t the other Asean countries panicking and shouting back at China for doing so? The fear of a disunited Asean seems to be the concern only of Singapore. Or at least none of the Asean country is voicing this fear. Why?

Is it that the other Asean states are not small states but big states or mid size states and so did not share the same fear as a small state like Singapore? The next smallest state in Asean must be Brunei, though its physical size is also much bigger than Singapore. Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and the rest of the Asean states are not small states. This could be one of the reasons why they are not joining Singapore as the chorus boys and girls to hype this fear of a disunited Asean.

A corollary to this point is that these are bigger countries, or at least some, have aspirations to be regional powers or leaders in the region, leaders of Asean. How would they take it when a little red dot keeps climbing on top of them to shout to the world as if Singapore is the leader of Asean? Would they feel embarrass or feel that Singapore is usurping their roles as the natural leaders of Asean and thus feel offended. Could this be the reason why they refused to join in the shouting game as if the one that shouts the loudest is the leader and let Singapore shout for as loud and as long as it wants, alone, a voice in the wilderness?

Is Singapore sensitive to the aspirations of the regional powers, the bigger states in Asean to let them take the leadership role instead of trying to be the leader, acting as the leader, trying to call the shot and to set the agenda? Has Singapore really taken a look at what it is doing and whether the other Asean states are behind Singapore? Maybe they also share the same concerns of Singapore but just did not like to be led by Singapore and thus just keep quiet and refuse to say anything?

Maybe it would be wiser for Singapore to share and communicate more with the other Asean states, say its peace behind closed doors and let the bigger boys to front out, to take the lead and still getting the message across if the intent is to get the message across like in the NAM. It is good to know one’s own place and not to be ‘boh tua boh suay’ even among equals technically. The leaders and people of Asean too have their pride and do not want a little red dot to lead them around, acting like the top dog of Asean. Got to be sensitive I think.

What do you think? Would the Asean leaders fall in and allow Singapore to lead them in the charge in the international stage using Asean as a vehicle?