'There is about 5 to 6 per cent slums in more developed countries so to have zero incidence is an achievement worth celebrating,' said Professor Banji Oyeyinka, director of the monitoring and research division.
Well, I am proud of it. There are two primary reasons for this. One, anyone can buy a house, or rent one, and 90% of Singaporeans live in state built properties. The low interest loan (2.6%) comes from the government. Two, bankruptcy act forbids anyone to take away the house.
I am pretty proud of this.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
National table tennis coach Liu Guodong, who helped deliver Singapore's first Olympic medal in 48 years, on Thursday revealed this detail of the two-year deal offered to him by the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA). $6300/mth not including housing.
Liu, whose contract expires at the end of the year, has rejected the deal, dismissing it as insulting and insincere'.
In China, where table tennis is the national sport, national coaches can expect to earn over US$10,000 (S$15,000) each month - inclusive of rewards and bonuses,' said the source. 'Even coaches of provisional teams can earn about US$6,000 (S$9,000) per month.'
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Sport/Story/STIStory_294096.html
Given the level of publicity and need for national pride in sports and arts, this somewhat looks like a low point. How much is our talents worth to us? As one of the NTU professor like to say in class,
"If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys loh."
Perhaps that's the message for us.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Decline of US? In what?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7645743.stm
While John Gray sees US as in a 'decline,' "The era of American global leadership, reaching back to the Second World War, is over.."
I remembered the fascination I had of American since I was young. Disney, US army, Microsoft, and other large corporations. Our world's sole superpower. The one nation that ripped the world of bad countries. The one nation that produced great products. The one nation that treasured and loved talents. The one country that we can rely on in times of regional stability... was all these in the past?
The rise of China is indeed phenomenal. Even when China has only had their space walk forty years after US. Forty years is a long time, but it seems just like yesterday. Perhaps because forty years after, there was no more space walk on Mars, Venus, or deeper phenomenal travels towards the unknown. Although there is no doubt the US is capable of innovating better than any countries: Google, Apple, just to name a few recent sons. While China had produced similar ones thereafter, such as Baidu. They were just similar, and I have a strong suspicion that Chinese companies are continually looking for sustained US product leadership, or er... 'copyship.'
"A boss says go, but a leader says lets go." That quote reminded me of the recent war in the gulf. US had shown strength in taking unilateral actions. And the 'if you are not with us, you are against us,' mentally had certainly shifted its leadership image towards the end of a boss. Not to mention the democratically establish national propaganda news network Fox. I had since the gulf war looking at at least 3 different news networks in US, Europe, and China (or Aljazeera depending on the issue), in order to get a better sense of the world. And no doubt many countries chose to maintain silence in the time of lunacy. No one can bear the burden of the world. Yet, instead of getting these to be friends and work together, US continued to provoke countries with different regime as itself - Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, China, and recently Russia. Even in numerous occasions, sing the popular tune of the 'Crippled UN.' The world leader had long shifted its position from one that say 'lets go,' to one that say 'go.' Our leader had turned into a boss. Meanwhile, China continued to show promise in its economy, and recently intrigued the world with how it held the Olympic. And Russia, unintendedly, poked the EU and US by interfering with a former soviet country - Georgia. But again, the inability of US to act, ascertained its stretched prowess, and entanglements in its internal politics.
Today, I am not sure if there is any country that can bear the burden of world peace and stability. The only leader seemed to have faded and performed the opposite of increasing conflicts and instability. While new world powers are rising, their moral stand point and prowess are not tested. The recess of the US appeared to create a void in leadership.
Yet, I do not see that this is an end of an era. US is known to adapt quickly. Indeed, we do not see new ideas coming from the conservatives in US, only continue indulgence in its idiocyncratic beliefs. But there is a new hope in the liberals, and the coming of a new leader. The main challenge of US, apart from recovering from the war torned economy, is the rebuilding of confidence among the new world powers. That US is again one leader to be trusted and followed. Its the world's broker, military and commercial leader. That it rekindles the minds and dreams of children all over the world.
While John Gray sees US as in a 'decline,' "The era of American global leadership, reaching back to the Second World War, is over.."
I remembered the fascination I had of American since I was young. Disney, US army, Microsoft, and other large corporations. Our world's sole superpower. The one nation that ripped the world of bad countries. The one nation that produced great products. The one nation that treasured and loved talents. The one country that we can rely on in times of regional stability... was all these in the past?
The rise of China is indeed phenomenal. Even when China has only had their space walk forty years after US. Forty years is a long time, but it seems just like yesterday. Perhaps because forty years after, there was no more space walk on Mars, Venus, or deeper phenomenal travels towards the unknown. Although there is no doubt the US is capable of innovating better than any countries: Google, Apple, just to name a few recent sons. While China had produced similar ones thereafter, such as Baidu. They were just similar, and I have a strong suspicion that Chinese companies are continually looking for sustained US product leadership, or er... 'copyship.'
"A boss says go, but a leader says lets go." That quote reminded me of the recent war in the gulf. US had shown strength in taking unilateral actions. And the 'if you are not with us, you are against us,' mentally had certainly shifted its leadership image towards the end of a boss. Not to mention the democratically establish national propaganda news network Fox. I had since the gulf war looking at at least 3 different news networks in US, Europe, and China (or Aljazeera depending on the issue), in order to get a better sense of the world. And no doubt many countries chose to maintain silence in the time of lunacy. No one can bear the burden of the world. Yet, instead of getting these to be friends and work together, US continued to provoke countries with different regime as itself - Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, China, and recently Russia. Even in numerous occasions, sing the popular tune of the 'Crippled UN.' The world leader had long shifted its position from one that say 'lets go,' to one that say 'go.' Our leader had turned into a boss. Meanwhile, China continued to show promise in its economy, and recently intrigued the world with how it held the Olympic. And Russia, unintendedly, poked the EU and US by interfering with a former soviet country - Georgia. But again, the inability of US to act, ascertained its stretched prowess, and entanglements in its internal politics.
Today, I am not sure if there is any country that can bear the burden of world peace and stability. The only leader seemed to have faded and performed the opposite of increasing conflicts and instability. While new world powers are rising, their moral stand point and prowess are not tested. The recess of the US appeared to create a void in leadership.
Yet, I do not see that this is an end of an era. US is known to adapt quickly. Indeed, we do not see new ideas coming from the conservatives in US, only continue indulgence in its idiocyncratic beliefs. But there is a new hope in the liberals, and the coming of a new leader. The main challenge of US, apart from recovering from the war torned economy, is the rebuilding of confidence among the new world powers. That US is again one leader to be trusted and followed. Its the world's broker, military and commercial leader. That it rekindles the minds and dreams of children all over the world.
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