Land scarce Singapore?

In land-scarce Singapore, new spaces for homes on the sea and in the air, possibly

A floating island and apartments perched over roads and old buildings are just some of the ideas for how Singapore could overcome its land shortage, as the show Land Unlimited discovers....

Based on the Land Use Plan, an additional 5,600 hectares of land are needed by 2030 to cater for a population expected to grow to between 6.5 and 6.9 million.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/land-scarce-singapore-new-spaces-homes-sea-air-roads-buildings-11327586

Many would take this nonsensical comment that Singapore is land scarce as the gospel truth and would subscribe to all the follow up measures the govt is taking to increase land and building high and low and into the sea.  An analogy to this is the claim that the politicians are underpaid despite their multi million dollar salary that is out of this world. The logic is simple economics. They have unlimited wants and nothing is enough. Give them a billion dollar salary and they would claim not enough.

Singapore is land scarce, based on what logic or reasoning? When there are only 2 persons on the island, Singapore would have excess of land for two on the island. Singapore would still be comfortable with the existing 724 sq km of land if it does not have the megalomaniac desire to grow its population to 7m or more. Similarly, Singapore would have enough water resources if it does not have this wild and flirtatious plan for population expansion just for the reason of economic growth and growth that is unsustainable and a double edged sword that would eventually destroyed Singapore.

There is no need for all the extravagant and expensive building projects to create more land just to bring in more wildlife into the island. Be satisfied, enough, and grow the economy by quality, by higher productivity, not by adding more wildlife into the island and claims that land is scarce, water not enough, and must resort to very expensive solution that would only raise the cost of living in the island. 

The proposed futuristic islands in the sea are well and good, but at what cost and who can afford it? Are they necessary if we don't increase our population to the point of bursting at the seams?

Singapore has plenty of land, more than enough, if we stop this irresponsible and dangerous population explosion scheme. Singapore is not land scarce if the govt does not make unduly demands on the land by wanting to put in another few millions of wildlife here.

Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes

More and more companies flying the deadly Boeing 737 Max 8 planes are starting to suspend flights using these planes. The Americans would not want to be seen to do it for their own selfish reasons as the reputation of Boeing would be at stake. The big question is whether there is a very serious and dangerous flaw in the software or hardware of the Boeing 737 Max 8 that warrants an immediate stoppage of these planes. The two crashes came within months of each other and happened to almost new planes must have sent a red warning to all its operators. Would this be a case for playing safe and ground all these planes pending further investigations or to continue flying and believing that all is well until another crash?

There have been many speculations as to the possible causes of the crashes. One went as far as saying that they are testing if they have full control of the planes and can crash them as and when they wanted. And the two crashes were just part of their testing plans involving third world countries like Indonesia and Ethiopia and any death or loss of properties would be just collateral damages. This allegation is serious but not a total impossibility knowing how cruel and devious the Americans are.

Since the disappearance of MH 370, there have been talks of it being hijacked by someone or some country that were able to take over control of the plane. The need to control planes from the ground took on extra urgency after the 911 incident in New York. Hijackers must not be allowed to take control of planes in mid air and ground controllers cannot do anything about it. Ground controllers must be able to override the pilot in the cockpit and take over control of aircraft. Is this the new normal built into Boeing and American manufactured aircraft?

It is unimaginable that someone would willfully crash the two Boeing 737 Max 8s just to confirm that they have full control of the planes from the ground and could bring the plane down at will. Is this the reason why the Americans have no reason to fear about the Boeing planes crashing but for those operators that were inconsequential to the Americans to be unduly worried that the next crash test would be held at their expense?

From some videos being circulated in the internet, the vertical nose dive of the plane was not normal. It showed that the plane was diving straight into the ground as if controlled and the pilot could not do anything to recover from the steep dive. Not sure if these videos are fakes. If they are genuine, the story behind the crashes is very intimidating, scary and criminal.

Is this fiction or real?

CAAS has taken the initiative to ban all Boeing 737 Max 8 into and out of Changi. This is a prudent decision as Singapore cannot afford a B737 falling out of the sky and into a densely populated area. And what did the American FAA said, as expected, Boeing 737 Max 8 is airworthy. Really?
What would it said and do if the crashes were Russian or Chinese planes? Would they order the ICAO to ban all these planes from all the airports in the whole world? Would the narratives in the western media be so mild or with wild allegations and instilling more fear and making more demands on checks and inspections on the makers of the planes? Two similar accidents killing all the passengers not good enough?

Singapore fixed by CNN to be anti China

Singapore is in damage control mode after being complicit by a CNN report that it is a party to the American’s anti China policy in the region. CNN claimed that the purchase of F35 fighter jets was ‘indicative of growing concerns within Asia regarding China’s regional ambitions’. The report ‘also suggested that the acquisition carried a message to China as Singapore will become “the fourth American ally” in the Pacific region to won F35s, after Australia, Japan and South Korea”. It also made it a point to magnify ‘Singapore as a “close and long time US ally” that even hosts a US Navy facility’.
 
With all the praises of how close Singapore is in the American camp and with the American pitching against the Chinese presence in the region, Singapore has been dragged into the deep pit of the American design to contain China, in the camp opposing China. This message to China is what the Americans are putting into Singapore’s mouth to compromise Singapore’s position and forced Singapore into the American camp and unable to extricate itself. With friends like the Americans, who needs enemies?
 
Singapore is now furiously trying to dispute this allegation. Mindef has came out strongly to deny this and that the acquisition of the F35s ‘is for Singapore’s own defence deterrence and not directed against or to align itself with any particular country… and Singapore is not a treaty ally of the US’.
 
After being tarred and feathered deliberately by the CNN as an American lackey, would the explanation by Mindef makes any difference in the eyes of China? Would China really believe that Singapore is not anti China, and not to forget with so many anti China articles in the Singapore media, not only written by foreigners but also written and produced by Singaporeans?
 
How would China view Singapore with all these developments? How would Singapore convince China that it is not anti China? Is there anything that Singapore can do to tell China that these are all white lies, Singapore is innocent?
 
Is Singapore in deeper trouble with China now? As they said, jump into the Yellow River also cannot cleanse oneself. The Americans are hyping this purchase as confirmation that Asean countries wanting the presence of the Americans in the region. It is not so simple as buying 4 F35s. The Americans are exploiting Singapore’s purchase to fix Singapore as anti China.
 
Better send Chan Chun Sing to China as a special envoy of Hsien Loong to explain Singapore’s real position. Not sure if it would make any difference.

The unthinking bananas can only parrot the western narrative

CNA Insider - China's chequebook diplomacy in Cambodia a double-edged sword creating resentment By Desmond Ng and Elizabeth Zachariah

Tensions rise as locals worry about the threat of Chinese-owned businesses and enclaves to their livelihood, homes and rights, as the programme Insight discovers.

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia: Billions of dollars have been flowing from China into Cambodia, turning parts of the once war-stricken country into modern cities. The economy is booming, jobs have been created and the market values of land have gone up.

All of these should make tuk-tuk driver Ngieb Rem a happy man. Instead, he finds himself working harder than before in port city Sihanoukville, as an influx of Chinese tourists has driven out many local and Western holidaymakers.

“We can earn about the same amount, but we’d spend longer hours,” complained the 38-year-old. “They’d surely ride with their own people (Chinese-run tuk-tuk). They won’t ride with us.”

Transformed by Chinese investment, the pace of development in Cambodia has left many locals like him reeling from shock and anger in several ways, as the programme Insight discovers. (Watch the episode here.)

A country that had once struggled to keep up with its Southeast Asian neighbours is now one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. But has it truly prospered from China’s money?

Or will the investments trap it in a debt that would turn it into a client state? (The authors must be thinking this last sentence is a very clever statement to make.  A politically correct statement and music to the westerners. Sooo clever, sooo intellectual! To me totally lack or orignality, just like unthinking parrots of the West.)

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/china-chequebook-diplomacy-cambodia-investments-resentment-debt-11311662

The first thing that came to mind when I read this article in CNA is this, is this article necessary, what is the intent or agenda of this article? Why would our jornalists be writing this kind of article that badmouthed China instead of talking about the benefits that Chinese money is bringing to help the development of poor and developing countries? The thinking process is western, banana like, that everything China did is bad. This is the western narrative to smear anything the Chinese do and our silly bananas just swallowed hook, line and sinker, thinking, oops, they cannot think, that this how to view Chinese investments, they called it FDI, that is being courted by every country. Without the Chinese contributing to their FDI, they were be trapped in their poverty trap, no money, no know how to uplift their economies and the lives of their people.

The West have been writing barrage of articles to smear Chinese development in Africa in the same vein, bad. China has poured in billions and trillions of good money into Africa unlike the colonialists that went there to conquer and loot the countries. The white colonialists simply took everything from the African countries and also Asian countries like the IndoChinese countries and countries in Southeast Asia, includingSingapore. But the westerners and the bananas never say anything bad about the exploitation of the white colonialists.

China is now seen as a first mover in Africa and taking advantage of this move to gain influence in Africa by investing in infrastructure development. Why is China the first mover and not the Europeans that were there colonising the continent for the last few centuries? Why the colonialists did not have first mover advantage to gain influence in Africa. Because they were there to exploit the Africans and after taking all they wanted, they left the African countries like the skin of squeezed oranges. China only moved into Africa recently, and into Cambodia, Laos and Vietnem to invest, not to conquer and to loot.

Hey bananas, can you tell the difference between colonialism, conquest and looting vis a vis foreign direct investment, FDI, invited by the countries that needed the money and know how to build their countries left in a pathetic state after centuries of colonialism, exploitation and wars?

The only light in this article is that Singaporeans can write if given a chance, but are not given the opportunity to write about Singapore but about other countries. And Singapore news and interests are written by foreigners in our editorial pages. We give foreigners the right to write about us and to influence our people's thinking with foreign agenda and the end result is how bananas think like in the above article.

Why aren't our local journalists, shit, I am using a bad word, I mean Singaporean journalists, be given a bigger role in writing about Singaporean affairs, not about dogs and pets and hawker foods, or children formula milk powder,but serious political and economic issues in our main media? Use the talent of our journalists expeditiously to foster good relations with our neighbours not to parrot the western narratives.

It is in the interest of Singapore to stop badmouthing China to please the West or to speak and think like the West to smear China. It is for our own good to shut up and go quietly doing our things and not being busybody unless Singapore wants to make an enemy out of China. In that case, keep doing this kind of things and have more anti China articles written by the West and our very own bananas in our main media, written or visual.

When are the bananas going to grow up and remove the colonial yoke and western coloured lenses and start to think for themselves.

PS. The more Singapore media publish this kind of anti China articles, the more would China distance itself from Singapore. The latest report by CNN on why Singapore is buying the F35s is the American way to undermine Singapore's position vis a vis China and the USA. Singapore is cooked.

More instant trees needed in Singapore football

'But Singapore-based AFC Pro Diploma holders have, rather ironically, moved on to other Asean countries, probably because of a lack of home-grown appreciation, such as Micheal Wong (Technical Director, Laos), V. Sundramoorthy (Head Coach, Laos), P. N. Sivaji (Technical Director, Hantharwady United FC, Myanmar) and Robert Lim (previously, youth development in Thailand & Vietnam). Other prominent names out of town are AFC “A”-Licence holders Aidil Shahrin (Head Coach, Kedah, Malaysia) and Stephen Ng (Head, Youth Development, Brunei)...

Another former national coach, who declines to be named, says the “top-qualified coaches should be pushed to the S-League clubs which is the pinnacle of Singapore football”. He adds: “The answer is not always with foreign coaches as we’ve experimented with so many from Trevor Hartley, Micheal Walker, Burkhard Ziese, Jan Poulsen, Barry Whitbread, Raddy Avramovic, Bernd Stange, Slobodan Pavkovic and Michel Sablon”.

Jan Poulsen, the ex-Denmark coach who was with the Danes’ Euro 1992-winning team, says: “Basically I agree with Vincent Subramaniam. In order to get football to progress you must have a good infrastructure, good coaches, a good youth development structure (competitive leagues) and a common philosophy – the Singapore way...'

Oops, I think the above is from thenewpaper or Today.  Misplaced the source.

What is the Singapore way? More Singaporeans or more foreigners, more instant trees? By the look of it, the Singapore way is about replacing Singaporeans with foreigners. They are now looking for another national coach. Are they going to bring in another foreigner to do the same again? For so many years, have they not wasted enough money on the foreign myth, that a foreign coach could turn Ah Meng into a football star? Stupidity is about repeating the same mistake over and over again.

Very likely until today they still have no clue why the Singapore football is in the current state of affair, going no where. And they are desperately hoping that a foreigner could tell them what is wrong and how to turn half baked footballers into world beaters.

Bet you, another foreigner is likely to be on the way here to collect his big fat pay for another few years and Singapore football would be where it is from today until he left laughing to the bank.

The football fraternity are completely lost in coming out with a solution other than repeating the same old trick over and over again. In this case, perhaps you need to bring in a bunch of system engineers, completely clean heads, with no historical baggages, to take a fresh look at the problems and try something new. The same old heads and minds would not be able to see through the veil they covered themselves and no breakthrough is likely to come about.

Maybe a super talent politician could do the trick. It is possible to spend a few billions, like buying the F35s, to buy a complete international team to win football matches. Or at least it would awe the competition that we have the best money can buy.