12/20/2020

The next industrial revolution in Singapore is food and hawker centres

The Big Read: With UNESCO listing in sight, will new breed of 'hawkerpreneurs' rejuvenate or erode hawker culture?

Meet Mr Onion: Why this Singapore chef wants you to give vegetables a chance.

Commentary: Lab-grown meat approved for the first time in Singapore – but will people bite?

Above are the headlines in CNA Online news on 7 Dec. Food, food, food, hawker food, Michellin Stars food, lab grown food...these are headline news in Singapore. Looks like food is the future going forward for Singapore and our reporters would be experts in writing about food and chefs, no longer writing about pets, cats and dogs.

What about 5G, AI, new technology, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, leading edge technology, IOT, going to the moon? Oh, lab grown food is new tech. Good. With food and hawker fare as the future, the new frontier to drive Singapore's economy and tourism, the ITEs, maybe tertiary institutions as well, should reorganise their courses to be relevant so that the students on graduating could find jobs in the food industry, as cooks, chefs, waiters and waitresses and the sikit atas wine smelling and wine tasting sommeliers.

More hawker centres and food courts and restaurants should be built to cater for the growing food industry. The listing of hawker centres in UNESCO is a good start. Next would be food courts and 5 star Michellin restaurants and we will have new heroes, entrepreneurs and celebrities like world famous chefs and world famous hawker centre cooks.

This must be the new innovation and creative spirit of Singapore.  When we cannot compete in high tech and science, find out own niche, in food and hawker centres. Graduates should be encouraged to become hawkers and 'zi char' stall owners and make big money. No need to have a degree for sure. And our reporters would have a lot of things to write and report about hawker centres, food courts and best dishes, best recipes, best cooks. There will be so many things to write about, never short of material, and our newspapers could be 40 pages thick, and full of hawker advertisements, more profits for sure.

Perhaps I shall write more about hawker centres, food courts, food and chefs in mysingaporenews too. And now with UNESCO listing, Singapore everyday can talk and write about hawker food and cooks. Other countries can talks about going to the moon, IT, IOT, science and technology, we talk about how to cook good hawker food, where to find the best hawker food, how to attract tourists to see our hawker centres and taste our hawker food.

Singapore will now be world famous for hawker centres and hawker food. Great achievment. Next target, get Orchard Road to be recognised as the best shopping belt in the world. India can take a leaf from Singapore by putting up its Dabbawalla to be recognised as an Indian heritage.  Malaysia can try Teh Tarek as a Malaysian specialty that has gone to the International Space Station.

What do you think?

12/19/2020

Australia's ruthless and brutish anti China policies - Not bad behaviour?

Its ruthlessness in asserting itself far and wide, by fair means and foul, means there will be no going back to the status quo that prevailed before President Xi Jinping emerged in 2013 as China’s most nationalistic leader since Mao Zedong.

Likewise, Beijing’s crude use of trade sanctions to penalise Australia for real or imagined slights signifies that a trading relationship born of mutual benefit risks being subject to persistent, politically-motivated interference.

This is the reality, whether we like it or not. China is done with “biding its time” in line with former leader Deng Xiaoping’s advice in pursuit of its big power ambitions.

It may no longer be correct to describe China as a “rising power”. The power has risen.

Above is by Tony Walker on China Australia chilly relations in the CNA. You can see how blind and how biased this white man is about China, accusing China of bad behaviour but not what Australia had done against China and not the behaviour of the American gangsters against China and the rest of the world. China's firm and assertive actions were actually reactions to the ruthless and brute actions of the Americans and Australians in particular and the West in general. To him Australia is so innocent, a victim of China, not the bully, very well behaved. Really, where have you been, Mars? The bad behaviours of Australia against China are astounding and unpardonable.

The above should read like this: 

Its ruthlessness in asserting itself far and wide, by fair means and foul, means there will be no going back to the status quo that prevailed before President Donald Trump emerged in 2016 as USA’s most nationalistic/dictatorial leader since Roosevelt.

Likewise, Washington’s crude use of trade sanctions to penalise China for real or imagined slights signifies that a trading relationship born of mutual benefit risks being subject to persistent, politically-motivated interference.

 

The last two paragraphs made some sense.  China is a risen power and would not bullied and take the attacks by the Americans or small countries like Australia or Britain or Canada without kicking asses.

The Americans have viciously been attacking China daily with all kinds of ruthless sanctions under all kinds of fake and drummed up charges, and including Australia, have been sending warships into the South China around Chinese islands to provoke a war with China. These, to this white man and many white men, are acceptable behaviours, not ruthless assertions or aggression.

For more than a centuries, the West have attacked, invaded China and bullying China and Chinese all over the world, oppressing and suppressing China, isolating and containing China to prevent China and Chinese from living a better life. Australia is equally guilty of such racist behaviour against Chinese migrants in the past. They expect China and Chinese to continue to be meek, bent their heads and let the West to continue to bully and not to respond, not to look up. And reaction by the Chinese is bad, not acceptable. How can the Chinese talk back and even dare to hit back? This is still the century of white supremacy and white dominance. It is ruled by the evil American Empire.

Look at the mirror and at all the abusive and harsh actions of the Americans and white men against the rest of the world, the wars and destruction and killings in the Middle East and ask, Who are the aggressors, the warmongers, the trouble makers?  The whites still expect and demand that the rest of the world must continue to be controlled, dictated and bullied by the West and must accept this as the world order, never stand up to talk back or hit back. Doing so would be accused of being aggressive and assertive.

But not to worry, the aggressive and destructive behaviour of the white men would be coming to an end soon. The rest of the world, not only China, would stand up and say no to the white men and their bullying. Your control and dominance in the world are weakening and would soon be history. Your utterly destructive and bad behaviour against the rest of the world, your wars, your killings, bombings, sanctions and bullying cannot be tolerated anymore, cannot go unnoticed, unreported.

You are absolutely bad, white men. You are not the good men you claimed to be. You have been fighting wars of aggression against the rest of the world continuously for centuries and blaming others as threats, as enemies, as the bad guys when the white nations are the worse criminals against human civilisations. Your hypocrisy is unparallelled today and the world is going to pull down your mask if you refused to take it off yourself. White men is the biggest threat to the world.

Tony Walker admitted 3 damaging decisions by Australia against China, not bad behaviour?

'Three episodes have been particularly damaging.

The first and almost certainly the most scarring was the decision in early 2019 for Australia to take the lead role in lobbying its Five Eyes partners to exclude the Chinese company Huawei from supplying technology for their 5G networks.

Australia’s decision to exclude Huawei from its own 5G roll-out is one thing, lobbying others to follow suit is another....

The second damaging episode involved Prime Minister Scott Morrison volunteering to lead the charge for an investigation into China’s responsibility for the coronavirus that emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019.

Again, why Morrison took it upon himself to coordinate such an inquiry – when one was in train anyway under World Health Organisation auspices – is unclear....

The third damaging episode involved Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s decision to prevent the Hong Kong-listed China Mengniu Dairy from taking over the Japanese-owned Lion Dairy and Drinks in a A$600 million (US$450 million) acquisition.

In rejecting Mengniu’s takeover bid, Frydenberg overrode advice from the Foreign Investment Review Board and Treasury – both of which had supported the deal.

This was a politically motivated decision to satisfy critics of the sale of Australian assets to Chinese entities. It certainly reinforced a view in Beijing that Australia’s foreign investment approval process is tilted against Chinese companies.'

These are 3 very hostile actions by Australia, but there were many more. Read the 14 crimes or sins committed by Australia against China, all done unilaterally without provocations from China and with China pouring in billions of dollars into the Australian economy. 

PS. Trump is signing another law, cowboy's law, to remove Chinese stocks from the NY Exchange.  Just because they signed it into law so they are respecting and obeying the law? Or outlaws?

Covid-19: With Vaccines Available, What Next?

 1984 George Orwell said... Covid-19: With Vaccines Available, What Next?

While vaccines are being rolled out in various countries like China, Brazil, Russia, UK and USA, there are still infections and deaths occuring increasingly by the day in many countries.

The total world record has hit above 71,115,149 cases and 1,592,783 deaths.

Worldwide daily cases has reached 623,311 infections and 10,210 deaths. This is very serious.

The disease has hit hardest in countries like Brazil, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and Sweden. It is still raging havoc in these countries. There seems to be no end in sight yet.

It is likely that during the next 4 to 5 months, the Covid-19 pandemic will be at its highest. Therefore, to let the guards down now, that vaccines are being rolled out, would be a foolish move of unthinking people.

No country is safe until all countries are safe because it is a trans-border, cross-border, easily imported and easily spreaded and transmitted disease.

Countries like Singapore may have only a few or no community transmissions but the fact that imported cases happen on a daily basis is no good news at all. These imported cases can and will spread the disease if guards are down, if there is a relaxation of the controlling and containment measures, and if we move from prevention to fire-fighting reactive measures again, i.e. Let it happen, then react with whatever protocols in place.

1984 George Orwell

12/18/2020

Lakshmi Vilas Bank - Is DBS India responsible and liable to the crimes of LVB

 Takeovers and mergers in the business world is not something new.  All the sops have been developed for donkey years and any banker handling a takeover or merger would not have to sweat the small stuff to get this done effectively without compromising the interest of the taking over party. All liabilities of the other party would be on the table and any liabilities to be taken over would be clearly spelt out, no hidden liabilities, and if any, would not be the responsibility of the taking over party. This is elementary.

When DBS India was ordered to take over LVB, non voluntary, it has all the rights to refuse unless all the liabilities are taken care of by the Indian govt. There is no reason for DBS India to want to volunteer to take over a failed bank and to assume all its liabilities, known and unknown, including crimes committed by its management. DBS India does not have to do national service for the India in saving failed banks and customers. I am sure DBS India would have absolved itself of all unknown liabilities.  With so many legal experts in their payroll, so many takeover and merger experts in the bank, this basic fiduciary duty must have been taken care of before accepting the deal to protect the bank from unseen losses. Or did they not? Then why not? It cannot be right?

What had happened after the announcement and after paying $460m, we are seeing a long queue of creditors lining up to take DBS India to court and to pay up for the debt and misconduct and crimes of LVB. And DBS India did not say no, none of its business but is seen engaging the claimants as if it is LVB and it has taken ownership of LVB's misconduct and crimes. Can this be true? Would Singaporeans be interested in this commitment? Any question in Parliament by the govt or the opposition MPs on this? Or is this less important than pets and dogs and dog poo?

Did DBS India make it a pre condition with the Indian govt that it should not be liable for LVB's liabilities and crimes if it is to take over the dying bank and pay a ransom for it? It cannot be that DBS India would be so happy to assume all liabilities and crimes of LVB and be responsible for them. What is the true position of DBS India on this? Were these considered before accepting the takeover?

It would be utterly ridiculous for DBS India to take over lock, stock and barrel, including liabilities and crimes of LVB, and the Indian govt now simply fold its arms and say it is now DBS India's baby.

What was the $460m for? Paid to who and paid for what? Why should an innocent party pay for the crimes of a rapist?

What do you think?

12/17/2020

Over 1,000 Chinese researchers have left the US to make China greater than America

'Over 1,000 Chinese researchers have left the US in addition to the 1,000 students and academics who had their visas revoked after they were deemed security risks.  Since Chinese researchers are the biggest foreign contributors to US science, their departure will push American science further down the league tables.' Source 'Here Comes China'

The forced expulsion of Chinese researchers, scientists and scholars from America by the Trump Administration, known for being brainless on what is important and what is not, is a repeat of the days of McCarthyism in the 1950s. The evil and anti Chinese Americans are again repeating the same hate campaign against China and anything Chinese. The scale of this purge is unparalled in the history of the USA except during  WW2 when they were persecuting the Japanese for the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Trumpism is very similar with McCarthyism, raising fear of the Chinese Peril to rid the Chinese from racist America.

The implication of this purge to the future of American science and technology is going to be more pronounce and impactful than in the 1950s. In the 1950s, America's loss was the father of America's Rocketry in Qian Xuesen, a prominent rocket scientist in Caltech and head of several depts in the Air Force and Navy. On the contrary, it was the biggest gain for China when Qian became the father of Chinese missile progamme and was credited for detonating China's atomic and hydrogen bombs and also China's Space Programme. Qian was instrumental in China's great leap in nuclear and space technology today.  Without Qian's contribution, no one is sure how far behind the Americans would China be today.

A wrong and silly witch hunt by the racist hate Chinese Americans was a blessing to China then. Today's silliness would have thousands of times more impactful in favour of China than in the 1950s. Several thousands of China's best brains are forced to return to China and would be a big loss to the Americans. The 1950s American Administration was foolish enough to lose Qian despite repeated warnings not to let him return to China. But they were dull enough to think that he was worth 14 American prisoners of war in China in exchange.

Trump and his clueless gangsters did not know how much they are going to lose out with the expulsion of the Chinese scientists and researchers. Among them could be several Qian Xuesens in the making and their combined contributions to China's advancement in science and technology would be far more significant than just one Qian Xuesen that made it possible for China to catch up with the Americans in nuclear and space technology, starting virtually from nought.

China must be very thankful to the foolish Trump for repeating the same horrendous mistake of not keeping the Chinese top brains in America to contribute to America's science and technological advancement. Without Qian, The American Space Programme could not progress further and had to abandon their man mission to the moon for good. China is now going to leapfrog the Americans in putting man on the moon and setting up a moon station to exploit the resources on the planet.

And the few thousands of Chinese experts returning to China would have their works cut out for them, to overtake the Americans in the field of science and technology. Clown Trump and his circus did not know what they have done to undermine America's superiority in science and technology over China.

Well done, clowns.