10/24/2020
Mike Pence demonize China with wild savage remarks reflects on US uncivilize nature and roguish behaviour
Raising salary must equate with raising skills?
'PAP’s Edward Chia: Wage increases without corresponding skills puts workers at a higher risk
The PAP MP said that otherwise it would burden businesses and put jobs at risk and increase costs for consumers without adding value, which he called “a slippery slope towards lower competitiveness”'
Reading the above comments reminds me of the raising of ministerial salaries. How was minister's salary raised? Was there an exercise to measure new skills required or acquired or value add?
Anyone can remember how they raised minister's salary? What was the methodology used and what criteria were used? Any mentioned of skills or value add?
My old fading memory said none of the above. They did not talk about raising skills or value add. All they did was to take the salaries of the top 10% or 15% income earnings and pegged them accordingly. Tiok boh?
It was like since these top earners earned to much, the ministers must earn so much. What skills to talk about, no need to attend any skills upgrading courses. Suddenly become experts in everything. The skills just come naturally with the title/position.
And no need to bother if salary increase would be sustainable or increase cost. No slippery slope towards lower competitiveness. No competition to talk about.
And oh, wage increases without corresponding skills would not put them at a higher risk
What do you think? Where to find this kind of jobs? And all becomes more than mediocres.
Kong chin ho, thia chin song. (in Hokien)
10/23/2020
Robert O'Brine - USA is the threat of the century
By Hugh Hefner
ABOARD HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH (msn) - President Donald Trump's national security adviser accused US on Wednesday of trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from China, casting it as a malign rival that was seeking to monopolise every important industry of the 21st Century.
Trump identifies China as the United States’ main competitor, but admitted that the Republican Party of taking advantage over trade and not telling the truth over the novel coronavirus outbreak, which he calls the “China plague”.
In a 20-minute broadside admission, Robert O’Brien told top British and U.S. military and intelligence officials that USA was a predatory power that repressed its people and had sought to coerce both neighbours and Western powers.
"The USA is seeking dominance in all domains and sectors... (and) plans to monopolise every industry that matters to the 21st century," O’Brien told the Atlantic Future Forum via a video link to Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
"Most recently the US used cyber-enabled espionage to target companies developing Covid vaccines and treatments in Europe, the UK and China, all the while touting there is no need for international cooperation," O’Brien said.
Source mysingaporenews
PS. The Americans keep spreading lies and fake news to attack China and countries they branded as enemies.
Medishield Life premium may up by 35% - Another CPF is not your money scheme?
Dr Koh said that the net premium increase after subsidies will be limited to around 10 per cent in the first year and added: “We will continue to hold to our commitment that premiums will be affordable and no Singaporean will lose their MediShield Life coverage due to financial difficulties.”
The MediShield Life Council has recommended that the Medishield Life scheme be enhanced and the premiums be adjusted to…
Posted by Koh Poh Koon – 许宝琨 on Monday, October 19, 2020
SINGAPORE: Premiums for MediShield Life may increase by up to 35 per cent in the next few years - before subsidies - as the MediShield Life Council seeks to improve benefits of Singapore’s national health insurance scheme.
“The MediShield Life Council has made preliminary recommendations for the MediShield Life benefits to be enhanced, and for premiums to be correspondingly adjusted,” said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (Sep 29)." ....
Under the recommendations, those aged 61 and above will see the highest increase in premiums of about 35 per cent, before subsidies.
But
the net increase for all Singaporeans will be kept to about 10 per cent
in the first year, after factoring in existing and additional
subsidies, including a one-off COVID-19 subsidy announced on Tuesday. CNA
While the premiums collected in the last 4 years have been more than the payouts, with an average of $1b left in the reserves, ie premium collected less payout.the conventional term for this is gross profit, Medishield Life premium is expected to go up as much as 35%. There are two main reasons for this. One, must make provisions for more claims, real or just a projection only, never mind. It is the people that will be paying, ie OPM. When making other people pay is concerned it is always good, excellent, to err on collecting more than collecting less. Must build on the reserves, the bigger the reserves the better. The profits are now termed as reserves or put into the reserves for payouts in the future, like a rainy day.
The second reason for premium hike is more benefits, enhancements. Wow, the govt is so caring. They want the people to be very well taken care of, with more benefits. Say thank you to the govt for this kind and compassionate intent. Wait a minute, someone said before, when the govt is going to help you, be frighten, be very frighten. I think no need to be frighten lah. Only pay and pay with your CPF that is actually not your money what. So why worry, why be unhappy? But make sure you put in more money into your CPF to save for your retirement. There is a big hole that will keep leaking money from your CPF. You can never have enough money in your CPF just like you can never have enough of enhanced benefits. Think of it also feel shiok. Come on, tell us how much more benefits we can get, just like looking at the CPF statements and smile.
Singaporeans are so fortunate to have so many caring people, caring about their CPF savings and their well being. You can never save enough to contribute to more voluntary schemes that are planned for your own good by the govt. What more compulsory schemes in the pipeline to tap on your CPF savings?
Got some more or not? Thank you very much.
The moral of the story is that other people plan and you pay. The good thing is that you don't have to think and don't have to plan. Let others do the thinking and planning for you, using your life savings. And you cannot say no, cannot opt out.
PS. This is another scheme that says CPF is not your money. Other people will decide what you need, how much you need even if you don't need, and how much they want to take from your CPF. And you cannot say no, cannot complain. You just have to pay and pay.
10/22/2020
Banning Huawei will lead to ban from China's 1.4b market
In banning Huawei and ZTE, Sweden calls China a national security threat
Sweden’s ban on Tuesday of Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp from its 5G networks – which has already drawn a strong rebuke from Beijing – did not surprise observers. It is the blunt reference to China as a threat to national security that did.
For its part, Beijing seems ready to take retaliatory measures, casting doubt on future business in China for the Sweden-based telecommunications giant Ericsson, Huawei’s nearest rival in 5G technology....
Italy has put up costly bureaucratic hurdles for operators using high-risk vendors, making it uneconomical to choose Huawei or ZTE.
Tim Rühlig, an expert on EU-China relations at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, said that Swedish authorities banned Huawei in the most explicit way possible.
“Sweden could have done something similar [to Italy] and ban Huawei in silence. Today’s decision shows that Sweden is up to taking a clear stance,” Rühlig said....
Jan Weidenfeld, of the Mercator Institute of China Studies, a Berlin-based think tank, said that “currently, Europe is playing chicken, seeing what other countries are doing on 5G”.
The above is what America and its allies are doing to ban and kill Huawei. China is retaliating by banning Swedish telecom companies from its market. But this is not enough. China should ban major companies from countries that banned Huawei from the China market. And this should not be limited to telecom companies. China must not just be reacting and let the rogue countries set the agenda, take the lead to decide what to hit China. China should initiate what it wants to ban and which company it wants to ban to make it painful for these countries for attacking China. Take out a few countries and a few big companies for a start to let others know that they would not get away if their country is rogue.
This is the only way to deal with gangsters and bullies. Do not let them get away with their bullying and hostility. It must be a tit for tat or else more and more little countries would think it is ok to follow the evil Empire to attack China. Many big companies especially in the US and among its allies need the China market more than China needs them.
China, just whack. Or else the little monkeys would get embolden and more little monkeys would join the bandwagon. Any weakness in China's response would be an invitation for more problems for China's companies to operate in American controlled countries.
PS. China awarded a big contract to Ericsson to build 5G network. With Sweden accusing Huawei as a security risk, China should do likewise to Ericsson, declares that it is a security risk and cancels its contract and bans its operation in China. China cannot afford not to ban Ericsson once Sweden banned Huawei. What are you doing China? It is plain silly not to do so.