Christmas Island was sold against the interest of Singapore. But then, what could the residents of the island do when they were still subjects of an Empire, and the colonial masters said so? Under those circumstances, when the people had no control over their destiny, you can’t really blame anyone for selling out the island. Under those circumstances, it is not right to accuse Lim Yew Hock for selling the island, or a traitor to the people of Singapore. The people then were not owners, mostly stateless. One only becomes a traitor to the people if the people own the land that was sold away.
Christmas Island can still be sold without selling it the way it was sold, lock, stock and barrel, to another country. Say the residents of Christmas Island, a tiny little piece of rock, decided that they could build properties and sell them to foreigners. In no time every piece of land will be sold to the rich foreigners and the foreigners became de facto owners of the island.
Another way of selling the island against the interests of its inhabitants is to bring in more foreigners to populate the island in the name of progress. When the foreigners become the majority in the island, they will literally inherit everything in the island from its original inhabitants.
Sure, in the name of economic progress, Christmas Island could be the next cosmopolitan city island in the world, the perfect playground for the rich and famous. What about its poor inhabitants? Squeezed out of the island and lost the island forever, to a bunch of new owners.
Selling out in another form. At the end of the day the island will have new owners, belong to other people forever, no longer own by the islanders.
9/10/2011
9/09/2011
Big time rollers
Below is a list of the bets we have placed over the years. This list is, my guess, only a small portion of the total bets we have placed everywhere. It only shows how much money we have to play. I only wish they could let me have $50m to bet on their behalf. I don’t think I can do any worst.
Micropolis $630m
Suzhou Industrial Park $150m
Thai Danu Bank $500m
Dao Heng Bank $1.83b
Virgin Mobile US$700m
Pacific Internet Amount not available. Share price dropped from US$90 to US$2.97 in 2000
Air New Zealand $100m
Shin Corp US$3.8b
ABC Learning $400m
Barclay Bank US$4.5b
Merrill Lynch US$5b
Bank America US$4.6b
Macquarie Telecom Bought 15m shares at $3/share and sold 14m shares at 18c/share.
UBS US$10b
Stuyvesant Town US$575m
Citigroup US6.9b
Micropolis $630m
Suzhou Industrial Park $150m
Thai Danu Bank $500m
Dao Heng Bank $1.83b
Virgin Mobile US$700m
Pacific Internet Amount not available. Share price dropped from US$90 to US$2.97 in 2000
Air New Zealand $100m
Shin Corp US$3.8b
ABC Learning $400m
Barclay Bank US$4.5b
Merrill Lynch US$5b
Bank America US$4.6b
Macquarie Telecom Bought 15m shares at $3/share and sold 14m shares at 18c/share.
UBS US$10b
Stuyvesant Town US$575m
Citigroup US6.9b
Causes of low fertility rate
The govt is complaining about low fertility rate of Singaporeans. One way to overcome this is to send them to the animal farm and learn from those with 4 legs, and fertility rate guarantees to go up. The life style of animals is simply to eat, sleep and have sex, as and when please. Now, that would be a wonderful way to live if human beans can afford to do so.
Human beans are not just animals and have many preoccupations and pursuits in life. That doesn’t mean that they will be less productive. What then are the causes of low fertility rate?
1. Spending too much time trying to get an education.
2. Spending too much time trying to earn money to pay back the loans.
3. Spending too much time trying to make enough money to buy a decent place to put in a family.
4. Spending too much time worrying got money to support a family and children.
5. Spending too much time worrying where to put a maid in a 3 or 4 rm flat.
Do govt policies help or hinder the procreation instinct of the people? Many worry if they can afford to start a family when buying a home is going to leave them with nothing much to spare. A 3 or 4 rm flat is just too small for a family of 4, or worst with parents and a maid. With both spouses working, a maid becomes a necessity and needs a place to sleep. With school going children, a car becomes a necessity to bring the children around. And school transportation is not cheap.
And these are only the few basic things that are essential to starting a family. Basically, the cost is just too prohibitive. It is no longer eat and sleep, have sex and live off the land. The stress to survive and live better is burning out the virility of the young people.
The govt policies on housing, transportation, cost of living, education and paper chase, and the competition from foreigners, etc etc, all becomes hindrance to procreation and starting a family. Bet the govt does not have a clue that they are the biggest problem to procreation and low fertility rate.
Why all the screaming for higher fertility rate? Actually it has nothing to do with raising fertility rate, unless they are bringing in the studs. What is the real agenda? The low fertility problem is endemic in the system.
Human beans are not just animals and have many preoccupations and pursuits in life. That doesn’t mean that they will be less productive. What then are the causes of low fertility rate?
1. Spending too much time trying to get an education.
2. Spending too much time trying to earn money to pay back the loans.
3. Spending too much time trying to make enough money to buy a decent place to put in a family.
4. Spending too much time worrying got money to support a family and children.
5. Spending too much time worrying where to put a maid in a 3 or 4 rm flat.
Do govt policies help or hinder the procreation instinct of the people? Many worry if they can afford to start a family when buying a home is going to leave them with nothing much to spare. A 3 or 4 rm flat is just too small for a family of 4, or worst with parents and a maid. With both spouses working, a maid becomes a necessity and needs a place to sleep. With school going children, a car becomes a necessity to bring the children around. And school transportation is not cheap.
And these are only the few basic things that are essential to starting a family. Basically, the cost is just too prohibitive. It is no longer eat and sleep, have sex and live off the land. The stress to survive and live better is burning out the virility of the young people.
The govt policies on housing, transportation, cost of living, education and paper chase, and the competition from foreigners, etc etc, all becomes hindrance to procreation and starting a family. Bet the govt does not have a clue that they are the biggest problem to procreation and low fertility rate.
Why all the screaming for higher fertility rate? Actually it has nothing to do with raising fertility rate, unless they are bringing in the studs. What is the real agenda? The low fertility problem is endemic in the system.
9/08/2011
A fatal HR Consultant mistake
One of my area of expertise as a HR Consultant is compensation and salary review. And I conduct my salary review as meticulously as possible, and make recommendations from market data available. Some of my clients who were less partial and wanted objective works were quite happy to accept my recommendations. Some who were partial reluctantly accepted my work, but I knew that that would be the last job from the client.
Doing compensation analysis and compilation of data may be time consuming and taxing, but a piece of cake for someone who is comfortable with details. And understanding the data, making sense of the data, is not difficult to a clear and analytical mind. The results can be very objective and rational and makes a lot of sense.
The problem is that the clients that commissioned the survey may have certain expectations, agenda, and wanted certain results. Here is my fatal mistake. I never ask the clients what they wanted to achieve, or their expectations. I brought along my own sense of discipline, professionalism and integrity in the execution of my work. I forgot that in the real world, idealism and sentimental reasons may not put bacon on the table.
See, now I am no longer a HR Consultant. No more compensation and salary survey jobs for me.
Doing compensation analysis and compilation of data may be time consuming and taxing, but a piece of cake for someone who is comfortable with details. And understanding the data, making sense of the data, is not difficult to a clear and analytical mind. The results can be very objective and rational and makes a lot of sense.
The problem is that the clients that commissioned the survey may have certain expectations, agenda, and wanted certain results. Here is my fatal mistake. I never ask the clients what they wanted to achieve, or their expectations. I brought along my own sense of discipline, professionalism and integrity in the execution of my work. I forgot that in the real world, idealism and sentimental reasons may not put bacon on the table.
See, now I am no longer a HR Consultant. No more compensation and salary survey jobs for me.
Just dig a hole
All it needs is for someone to dig a hole that is big enough. It could be an accident, but more often than not, due to bad judgments or bad policies, and a big hole is dug. This would lead to a series of attempts and more bad policies and decisions to cover the big hole. And what it gets is more holes, or the big hole getting bigger.
Our problem with the CPF savings getting out of our reach is one good example. The hole was dug by someone, somewhere, some times back, and no matter how they tried, it is getting bigger and bigger.
Our population fracas too is another big hole started with population control to population decontrol and influx of foreigners.
Our housing problems, some still living in their dreams, will eventually sink everyone, when the bubble bursts. It started with under building or not building to squeeze the supply. But supply there was as seen from the recent policy of ramping up the building programme. Maybe they are holding back the supply to push up prices to increase revenue, or to save for the private property market. There is no way to bring down the prices anymore without causing a bigger hole.
And the uncoordinated flooding of the island with foreigners added to the frantic craze to chase properties. And it started a process, one silly policy or scheme leading to more silly policies and schemes, and all ended up in a bind. All these were unnecessary. It all started with a big hole or a bad policy to start with.
The high cost of living too, started when money was stuffed into the pockets of many people in some quarters, when ramping up property prices was seen as good, a blessing.
The congestion, high demands for goods and services, cars, properties, space, hospitals, schools, roads etc etc, all started with one big bad policy.
Today, they are starting to dig another one, oblivious to all the problems that it is already causing. The experts see that there is no other way except to grow the population for economic growth and viability. If the same kind of thinking is pervasive, the world’s population will be 10 billion in no time. If every country is growing its population relentlessly, then what?
According to these experts, population growth is the answer to everything. Yes, fully agree. It will lead to rapid economic growth, rapid consumption of goods and services, resources and all things. It will lead to rapid destruction of the earth and rapid death. Try imagine how a glutton eats himself to death, growing to enormous size with an equally big appetite to eat more and more. When the world is furiously competing for limited resources to feed its growing population, one thing will surely happen.
Our problem with the CPF savings getting out of our reach is one good example. The hole was dug by someone, somewhere, some times back, and no matter how they tried, it is getting bigger and bigger.
Our population fracas too is another big hole started with population control to population decontrol and influx of foreigners.
Our housing problems, some still living in their dreams, will eventually sink everyone, when the bubble bursts. It started with under building or not building to squeeze the supply. But supply there was as seen from the recent policy of ramping up the building programme. Maybe they are holding back the supply to push up prices to increase revenue, or to save for the private property market. There is no way to bring down the prices anymore without causing a bigger hole.
And the uncoordinated flooding of the island with foreigners added to the frantic craze to chase properties. And it started a process, one silly policy or scheme leading to more silly policies and schemes, and all ended up in a bind. All these were unnecessary. It all started with a big hole or a bad policy to start with.
The high cost of living too, started when money was stuffed into the pockets of many people in some quarters, when ramping up property prices was seen as good, a blessing.
The congestion, high demands for goods and services, cars, properties, space, hospitals, schools, roads etc etc, all started with one big bad policy.
Today, they are starting to dig another one, oblivious to all the problems that it is already causing. The experts see that there is no other way except to grow the population for economic growth and viability. If the same kind of thinking is pervasive, the world’s population will be 10 billion in no time. If every country is growing its population relentlessly, then what?
According to these experts, population growth is the answer to everything. Yes, fully agree. It will lead to rapid economic growth, rapid consumption of goods and services, resources and all things. It will lead to rapid destruction of the earth and rapid death. Try imagine how a glutton eats himself to death, growing to enormous size with an equally big appetite to eat more and more. When the world is furiously competing for limited resources to feed its growing population, one thing will surely happen.
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