Man jailed 7 weeks for shoving a boy bully

His 10 year old son was being bullied in school for months by another 10

year old. One day, while fetching his son home he spotted the bully, shoved

him so hard against the wall that the bully’s rib had a small fracture. For

bullying a boy bully he was sentenced to 7 weeks jail.

This is justice in Singapore, don’t try to be smart and take the law into

your own hand to hit back. In this case the punishment for hitting back is

7 weeks jail. Not sure whether the boy bully got any punishment for

bullying the other boy.

What came to my mind is the bullying by foreigners against Singaporeans

especially the taxi drivers and security guards, being beaten by wildlife

twice their size. The last incident when the big wildlife bully knocked

down a security guard, the guard was lucky not to retaliate after suffering

the blow with his spectacles flying. If he were garang enough to hit back,

or his fellow guards would to hit back, I think they would likely be jailed

if they hurt the wildlife bully.

Thank God, they did what meek Singaporeans are supposed to do, report to

the police and hoping the law would bring justice to the wildlife. How many

meek taxi drivers and security guards have been bullied and beaten by

wildlife and with the wildlife walking away free and getting a tap on the

wrist? How many of the punishments against wildlife attacking meek

Singaporeans got more than 7 weeks jail?

Anyone keeps any records on such matters?

 

Are wildlife treated differently of better when they bullied daft Sinkies?

AI without intelligence

The days of planning ahead of the curve, chasing the next trend and keeping a step ahead of our neighbours were the keys to Singapore's success in the 70s and 80s. From low skill manufacturing, Singapore moved ahead into the service sectors like banking and finance, medical services and of course shopping and retail trade under the name of tourism. Somehow after jumping onto the higher skills industries and services, it seemed that the story stopped right there, or nothing of substance came on to replace the growth sectors of the early decades of rapid economic growth.

For the last couple of decades, Singapore's economy has been in a limbo, ie around 2 to 3 percent growth as against the 5 to 7 percent growth rates of other Asean countries. And this seems to be the big success of Singapore, to claim big credit for such miserly growth rates and echoing the western media to denounce the 6.5 percent growth rate of China as if the Chinese economy is about to crash. Can't imagine what was going on in those silly heads that sneered at a US$13 trillion economy growing at 6.5 percent and praising a US$200b economy struggling at 2 to 3 percent.

And to add insult to injury, the miniscule growth rate was built on immigration, growing the population but not on productivity, and on a fictitious housing bubble with a 99 year lease that is coming to an end sooner than expected when the issue was totally ignored earlier, like the proverbial monkey covering its eyes, not wanting to see or to know.

One big mistake that is showing itself today is the big failure to recognise the importance of computer science, programming, software and artificial intelligence. With a highly educated population that boasted of pursuing a knowledge based economy, about higher education and intelligence, there is no intelligence or no one thought it an intelligent thing to focus our education in computer science and technology. The consequence, we need to import such talents or trained people from third world countries that have the intelligence to educate their people to meet the demands of the 21st Century.

Didn't they know that the computer related industries, the exploitation of information technology and artificial intelligence are very well suited to a highly educated population, an industry that requires little land and space and natural resources to grow as needed in manufacturing? Didn't they know that the 4th Industrial Revolution relies mainly on a pool of well trained manpower, using only the brains to conquer the world?  Are our education system geared and transformed to go in this direction, to build a silicon valley here two decades ago?

The calls to build smart cities sounded so hollow when there are just not enough of such skilled people to take it forward as a national initiative, as the next economic engine of growth. This is an industry that a tiny island like Singapore can compete with big countries without being too badly disadvantage for short of land and natural resources. Software related products do not need large factories and warehouses to store the goods, do not need more natural resources and material to produce more products. The products are all in the air, in the clouds.

We have wasted a whole generation of people educated in the wrong fields and disciplines and are paying the price for it today. Our people are now good only as security guards and taxi drivers and table cleaners, armed with useless degrees and diplomas. The future is about AI but we don't have the intelligence to catch this early enough and are now miles behind even to third world countries. We missed the boats of googles, facebooks, twitters, whatsapp, wechats, alibaba, alipay, blockchains, uber, etc etc, and all the apps that are invading the world like a storm.

Our economy is still largely dependable on shopping malls, housing and rentals, foodcourts, hawker centres to survive. Any new ideas that could match the drive and creativity of the 70s and 80s, when the EDB and associated organisations were chasing new ideas, raring to go with big ideas of growth? Running out of ideas except spending money and resources barking at fake news?

NTUC helping out in lowering the cost of living

At least the Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation can look forward to some financial relief in July till June next year. They could get their kopi or teh fixes every Wednesday for 50 cents per cup in NTUC foodcourts and Kopitiams. And for Union Members, this privilege comes earlier, in May. According to the media report, 1.7m people are going to benefit from this. If one person is to pay $1 less, that would be $1.7m less to pay every Wednesday.
 
The NTUC has responded to the fears and concerns of workers’ anxieties about the cost of living. With this discounted kopi and teh, including Kopi O, Kopi C, teh O and teh C, all at 50 cents a cup and one can drink as many cuppas as one like on every Wednesday, the whole day.
 
Think of the savings from drinking kopi or teh for the whole day, it would come to quite a substantial sum. If one just takes a cup of kopi or the each for 3 meals, it would cost only $1.50 a day. And given the price of Kopi/teh at $1.60, that is more than $3 savings a day. OK, for those millionaires and billionaires, please do not take advantage of this privilege just because there is no mean testing, go for your designer drinks at $5 or $20 a cup in the branded coffee joints. This is for workers in the Pioneer and Merdeka Generations. I will still stick to my 3 in 1 at 20 cents a pack. Hopefully they will look into the 3 in 1s and reduce the price to 10 cents per pack. Then it will be some savings for me to count on.
 
Would be nice if every Monday or Friday ‘chap chye png’ would be $1 for two veg and a meat meal. Keeping my fingers crossed that this would be next in the list to lower the cost of living for the oldie workers.
 
Thank you NTUC, you are most kind. Oops, must thank Mary Liew and Ng Chee Meng for this initiative. Every cent counts. It is heartwarming that millionaires could be caring and still think of helping the poor to save a few cents per cuppa.

Andrew Yang for President - Yang2020.com

Andrew Yang for President, not the Singapore President but the President of the USA, POTUS! Wow, is that true, fake news, or wild imagination?

Andrew Yang is the new American sensation for the yang, oops, young Americans. He is in the race out of nowhere, just like where Donald Trump hit the presidential trial, an outsider. No one serious enough would think Trump would be the POTUS then, and likewise no one would think Andrew Yang is gonna be the next POTUS. But don't be too sure.

Andrew Yang and his YangGang brand are starting to stir interest in who is this Andrew Yang. The Americans are waking up to the sound and images of an unlikely Asian candidate wanna be the President of America. Andrew Yang came from a Taiwanese immigrant family, his father an engineering professor who used to work for Ford Motors and GM and with a string of patents in his name. His brother is also a professor and his mother a medical doctor, I think. Andrew Yang was an attorney but gave up to become an entrepreneur.

His campaign cry is about Math, about numbers, using numbers to speak to his supporters. He is also the main candidate that is making full use of the internet and social media to run his campaign and is gaining ground day by day. The young Americans can identify with him. But his most powerful weapon is UBI. UBI is Universal Basic Income for every adult American 18 and above to protect them from the invasion of AI and automation that would make many Americans jobless. Many have already fell victims to unemployment cause by AI and automation and robotics.

Humanity First is his campaign logo. Here is a small 2 minute clips on who is this Andrew Yang.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRLRj6uEISU . Another clip about a rally in Boston, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiX-cs31FSs, a very stimulating 29 minutes rally worth listening on a Sunday morning.

He is fighting his campaign with new media plus the old traditional way of making town hall speeches. We used to call them political rallies, but with so many American influence, town hall meeting is now the new catchphrase.

When jobs run out for generals

First they were first choice for ministers. Then there were offered jobs as top civil servants and CEOs. The latest offer is COO, a level or two below a CEO. What would happen when there is no more minister, top civil servant or CEO jobs for the busloads of generals retiring from the services for one reason or another? Would they become taxi drivers or more appropriately security guard chiefs, more related to their training and experience and still can wear decorated uniforms with medals hanging everywhere?

How many generals are being promoted every year and how many are being retired at the same time? Our SAF general making machine is very productive and producing generals non stop and in great numbers. But not only minister's jobs are limited, top civil servants and CEOs of GLCs are also limited, and so are COOs. There must come a time when there will be an oversupply, just like too many graduates looking for too little jobs and out of no choice they have to end up as taxi drivers or part timers.

When would a general be reemployed after leaving the service as a dept manager or a VP, sounds so much better, still sounds like a president if not of the vice upfront.

And as they said, all govt policies are double edged swords and will cut both ways, only when. The high pay for ministers, for top civil servants, for top GLCs, would eventually kill the system when they cannot find the money to pay for so many of them, or not enough to go round.  The CPF, ever increasing property prices, specifically HDB flats, high medical cost, high influx of foreigners, would eventually take their tolls on this little island economy of paying millionaires and making millionaire employees.

You cannot keep kicking the can down the road. The end is nearer than you think.