Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Barack Obama's 30 minute info-ad

Here's some sharing: It was broadcast last night during the Baseball World Series on US TV networks:

Since President Bush's term is ending..

Here's a tribute to his "steady" leadership!

Two nice videos about love..

Robbie William's She's The One



And Clay Aiken's Something About Us

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Friday, October 24, 2008

Something I found online..


Unbelievable McCain Vs. Obama Dance-Off - Watch more Free Videos

:) How to win the Presidential race? Perhaps they should dance instead! ;)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sunday, October 19, 2008

I Love This Bruce Springsteen Song



I wish this song can be played sometime in the future, when the next election rolls around. From some other parties, apart from the obvious one.

Part 4: James Roosevelt, great grandson of President FDR states it as such

In this video: The reason on why we should have social security for our own elderly, that retirees also have in the US and in Australia.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Taking Care Of The Elderly: Why Should We Do it- Part 3

But that's not all.

In fact the minibonds scandal is just a small microcosm of the general problem that we have in Singapore. As proven in the two videos in Part 1, there has been a general shortfall of what we are supposed to do for the elderly in Singapore.

In Asia, we have been told that we are, unlike those in other cultures in some other countries, we actually do respect our elders more; we do take care of our elders more; and in general, we do respect their opinions more, and carry out as such without complains.

In general, that is the truth. But sometimes, like in other culture in other countries, we, as humans, also fall short. We speak about all three, but we do not, at times, practice what we preach.

We all know that we will all grow old. In one way or another, as time passes, we ourselves will pass the batons to the younger generations. We will give that baton to that young baby 20 years down the line. And as such, once we age, we will not expect ourselves to perform the way we can now.

And because of this, its only natural that younger people will take care of the old, as with now where we take care of our parents when they retire, and when our parents took care of their own parents during their time. It means society has a moral obligation to the earlier and later generations, that we have a stake in each others life.

So, if we are to do that, then our actions must reflect that. But somehow along the line, as our own Singapore's Greatest Generation toiled in the early days of Singapore to make Singapore what is now, some of them, now old, have to toil selling tissue paper, collecting cardboards and cans for recycling, and generally begging on the streets so that they can earn $5 to $10 for 1 or 2 daily meals. To them, a plate of char kway teow or fishball noodles with coffee are a luxury.

And that's not all.

Even the better ones, the ones who can rent a HDB flat, often have to choose between the medicine, and the rent, and the food. And if they sacrifice food, they either often go very hungry, or have to wait for charity organisations' volunteers to ring them to give them rice, eggs and milk, and to cook for them. Sometimes they have to choose between the rent and medicine, and hence, they are forced to go out to collect cardboards to pay the rent and to pay for medicine.

And most likely than not, they usually don't.

Let's be honest here: when our elders, even those whom we don't know, are forced to choose between paying for the rent, or paying for food, it affects us even though she or he ain't our grandparents. A retired old man shouldn't be left to fend for himself even though he's now old.

I mean, I know my own grandparents, from both sides, were lucky enough to enjoy a retired lifestyle. My grandparents raised me, taught me certain values that I, as anyone else must have. They also fed me, and took care of me when my parents were away. And as such, they now enjoy retired life. Now my grandma cooks for my cousin, and my dad's sister- my aunt, and for her husband, my grandpa. She now goes to do community service as a retiree in a club for retirees. She enjoys the life she has, and knows how lucky her family, my family and herself are.

But not all elderly people share the same luck. I wish God would give them the same luck that my family has enjoyed as a middle class family. And in such I believe, taking care of the elderly is not just a responsibility; its a right. Its a moral obligation, by God, that we not only respect our elderly through words, but through actions as well.

That's why I don't believe that just because one family, like mine, is lucky, and healthy, we benefit, while others whom hadn't been lucky or healthy, will have no-one else to took to. That's not what our values are about. That's not a receipt for strong social cohesion. That's not we believe as "asian values". That's not we are as a people. It just go against what we believe as a value that says we have a stake in each others lives and in each other's success.

And that's not certainly rewarding the greatest generation for their hard work over the years.

We have to take care of them- and this means that the so-called "Ownership society" and "kiasuism" idea and culture has to be halted. If we are to be really a great country, that we have to seriously start taking care of our elderly, by means of action and not by empty words?

The question is: do we want to? Will the government play their role? Or are we destined to say but not do or do too little? We have time still, but we are running out of time.

And if we do nothing now, it will get worse for the rest of us, and especially our parents, whom most are baby boomers.

Taking Care of the Elderly: Why should we do it- Part 2

I write the 2nd part in response to the recent minibonds debacle by Lehman Brothers and DBS, both in Singapore and in HK. I heard that many retirees and housewives got burned in the minibonds debacle, and they had lost a sizeable sum of money, much of it either retirement savings or carefully cultivated family accounts for say, the education for their children, living expenses and others.

I spoke to a friend, whom I will call Jim earlier today, as we were discussing this before the start of worship, and I pretty much stated the point about why these people should have their concerns addressed, and why the banks have to be regulated.

My points were simply this: I believe that retirees and housewives may or may not have the understanding of the markets. Much of them invested in such bonds simply because they thought they could earn money, and because friends recommended them to. But because they didn't understand that Lehman was in trouble in the US because of the sub-prime crisis, the bank didn't inform them that there was a risk and that the bank should be obligated to inform them of the risks, and to fully brief them before any investment is made.

Because they invested in the minibonds, most retirees based it on friends' recommendations, and the bank's reputation. But business also means one has to look into the form(current state) of the bank as well. And because they were not as knowledgable, their ignorance, and the bank's silence were the main reasons on why they had invested their entire retirement savings/family savings into something that isn't guaranteed.

Therefore, I believe that in order to recify this: firstly, the government should now regulate these banks. I do believe the banking sector has unofficially went the de-regulation route locally, and that's why the lack of transparency and accountability has led to banks like Lehman Brothers, and DBS to seek cheap money from retirees, without fully informing these small-time investors of the risks involved. Second, the government should also force these companies to return the money even though Lehman has now filed for Chapter 11(bankruptcy) in the US. They should impose quick regulations to force compensation, and to push Lehman and DBS to negotiate in good faith to return most of their money to these burned investors.

Thirdly, we must ensure that whenever retiree investors put it their money, that hopefully, the law may require that retirees do inform their grown-up children or get an adviser from the government or private sources to advise them about the risks involved, and generally to inform them about their options, so that they would be more knowledgeable about their money and where to invest, and how to invest.

We probably can't stop every finger from being burnt in the future, but as long as we reduce ignorance through openness, transparency and honesty, and get in some more regulations, we can help retirees and housewives secure more of their retirement/family savings for their future use.

Taking care of the elderly: Why should we do it?- Part 1.

First a video, highlighting the situation of our elderly in Singapore:



Jon Stewarts talks about "Joe The Plumber"

A parody of John McCain's two sides..



;)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A country's happiness; social cohension; and how they foster patriotism



I have just read through the annual list listing the happiness level of every country around the world on Businessweek, and I must say it has strike a chord with me. And the most important point is that it says that its not just about the money. In short, just like what God and Jesus Christ said in the Bible- and as with all other religious books have aso stated- money cannot lead to happiness; or rather money alone will not buy happiness.

And therefore its not a surprise that Denmark still tops the list. In fact the rank depends on the factors of freedom, social tolerance, individual benevolence and expressions of gratitude, and also religion. In short, those countries whose citizens, and government fosters such an environment, and treat each other fairly, are gonna be ones who will be happier.

While Singapore isn't ranked, I think that Singapore, in general, and Singaporeans are generally not happy citizens. This is because we have a money-obsessed culture, and we are far short on freedom, social tolerance, benevolence. We are also not particularly religious as a people. And our government doesn't help especially when its so overbearing, and so cold.

Its fair to say that we Singaporeans do not have an equal partner relationship with our government. Its more like we have a master-servant relationship, and we do whatever our master tells us to do.

And that simply doesn't help. I will talk about this in quick terms why.

1. Government policy on people strife people's natural instinct. In short, when the government starts taking singaporeans for granted, and treats them badly, there will be no love for them, and less commitment towards the people.

And when a 62 year old man is fined $200 for oversleeping on a park bench- just for that, as if that's a crime in the first place- it emphasises on how overbearing the government has become in society. There's a difference in having law and regulations that's based on common sense, and laws & regulations that's based on a completely ridiculous notion.

2. People do not have a say or share in the country. The government generally says and do, and gingerly rents out the share to the people; but the people have no say nor do they have a share. Why?

I mean, look. In the private sector, Temasek and GIC owns 60% of it. And the rest is dominated by foreign MNCs. So everything is dictated to the people by these entitles. If local people want to set up a small business however, he generally has to go through a huge amount of bureaucracy. Then he has to face massive costs in terms of rent, supplies, and taxes. And then he has to compete with state-owned companies in the same area. If he owns a fruit shop, and then he has to face NTUC, he's sure to lose a lot of business, and at the same time, face high rents, expensive start-up costs and pay more because he's only a single dealer.

And when Singaporeans are shut out of the economy, and have no choice but to be an employee for a state-owned firm or as a lowly civil servant, then they don't feel like they are being respected. Instead of their instincts being respected, they are treated as kids, and as disrespected as possible. And with such treatment, and with people unable to fulfill their dreams, then they will not feel very committed.

3. Singapore society has a long way to go. Let's face it: after years of government policy that forces us to look after our own self-interest, we have become a bo-chap society, one which doesn't care much for other people. Instead of having a do unto neighbours, as you do unto yourself attitude, we have not become that.

And a society that only looks after its own individual self-interests and not of others is not a cohesive society. And a non-cohesive society weakens the social fabric of any nation. To have a cohesive society is to understand that we have a stake in each other's lives, and that what we do affects others. And so, if we see an old woman being unable to pay her rent, pay for her daily meals despite working hard all her life, that affects us even if she's not our grandmother. And if we see a person being rounded up and put behind bars, without an access to the due process, that affects us even if he's not a friend of ours.

That's why government has a role to play: we can start reforming the current approach to reflect that society has a role to play, and that we have a role to play in each other's life and that we must take care of each other. This means that the government must liberalise their policies, and stop being overbearing. They have to extend all opportunities(social, economic, and political) to all of us, not just the favoured few. They must reduce the current pay levels of the government itself, so that there's no more Swiss-Somalia levels. The government must start respecting all of us as people. They must de-politicise the judiciary and start approaching the issue of law as one that is pragmatic and not ideologic, and which takes account of the level of crime, in consideration to the level of punishment that is needed. The government must also treat us like equal partners, and not as servants or kids to be whipped.

And most importantly of all, the government must give all citizens their dignity back as a people. And then the people must respond as well. That if they do this, then surely, we wouldn't need superficial efforts like NDP, or National Education, or NS or emptily reciting the Pledge everyday just because we have to.

In the end, when we as people are committed to each other, that we have a proper set of values that all of us share, and that the government finally treats us as equal partners, then we have a cohesive society, and that helps people feel more committed, more ready to show patriotism when the hard times come around.

Update on Aussie PM's plan to help families; Australian Senate passes tax cut for Medicare

Here's a further update on PM Rudd's A$10b plan for people who are vulnerable to an economic downturn:



Rudd's A$10b golden goose

And the Australian Senate- the Upper House- has decided to cut the taxes for 250,000 people for their Medicare coverage.

250,000 set to get Medicare tax cut

Last but not least, PM Rudd lambasts executives and their excessive pay, and proposes that executive pay be subjected to the amount of profit and job performance. This is in addition to the fact earlier that PM Rudd, upon taking over the government in January, had froze the wage levels of his government, and froze all wage increases for his ministers.

This is very important, considering there's no such thing in Singapore. We all know how excessive the wages are for the government in general over there, and the amount the rich get every month. Its a sign of government and private sector greediness, and it points to the fact on how corrupted politics and business have become in my home town.

Rudd's executive idea is to force a fine tuning

Aussie Prime Minister takes further action to reduce Australia's chances of a recession..



Rudd moves to protect economy

While PM Rudd is doing the right thing- the argument is whether is it fast enough or not- at least he's doing something now, even though Australia still isn't in any recession as yet.

And get this: low and middle income families will get $1000 per child, for child care. 4 million pensioners, seniors and carers- including those on disability support and war veterans- will get $1400 each. Carer allowance receipts will get $1000 for every eligible person in their care.

There's also aid for first time home buyers. This is amazing.

I wish the same could be said for my own country. I mean, in Singapore, its a case of "we are rich government people so we can spend as much as we like. And the rest of you guys, sorry its time to tighten your belts and cut spending! And at the same time we are increasing public transport and uilities costs for all of you. And btw this recession is your fault, not ours..I mean why did you tell us to build this casino?"

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Monday, October 13, 2008

Australian PM announces A$700b guarantee for bank deposits for 3 years..




Somthing important from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd:



PM Rudd said that he had to act quickly and decisively

A solid thumbs up for decisive leadership, even though Australia's still not in a recession.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

The ad about taketh and giventh..



View this in the local context of GST, living expenses and the inadequate GST rebates in the beginning of the year.

Listen to what Sen. Obama says from 1:38 to 1:50..



As I said in the previous posts, its switch and bait. One hand taketh, one hand giveth away.

In the end, you're worse off when the giveth is less than the taketh.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

In contrast, at least the Aussie Federal government is doing something..

Even though Australia isn't in a recession as for now. PM Kevin Rudd is now in a series of meetings with economical experts outside and inside of his government to see how can they sort it out.

Reports from Sydney Morning Herald:

PM Rudd meets with great minds within Australia to sort out crisis

Truth telling

I write this in regret from news back home.

It seems that while other politicians overseas are speaking the truth and wanting to sort it out, ours aren't. Instead of speaking of the truth diplomatically, they have instead resort to false assurances, and misleading statements to "assure" Singaporeans.

But its their bad economical leadership that has put Singapore and its citizens in the current recession in the first place.

Why?

1. The market burst more than a year ago, in August 2007. Instead of taking early counter-measures, they have instead went on their plan for F1, IR and the Flyer. And then they continued to put even more money into destabilized American banks, which would, in the end, cost them more money.

2. Their efforts to loose up the local credit market, so as to 'boost' demand for HDB flats and private property, has instead created a dangerous property bubble. Of course, it was portrayed as a boom, and a good permanent boom. But inside, many young couples were borrowing a lot of money through banks and CPF, with high interest rates they couldn't afford to pay. And then they further mortgage their flats to buy a car which is also overpriced.

And now as the property bubble starts to burst- and it has already affected the freehold side- the people who borrowed on collateral might find themselves unable to pay for the loans they have taken out- and the interest.

The banks are also in trouble, because of this.

3. Instead of telling the truth after Aug 2007, a certain so-called "Father of Our Nation" said that the credit crunch would sort itself out by the end of 2007, and even said that Singapore was on the cusp on a golden period for the next five to ten years.

Its not even looking from a glass half full view; its completely false and virtually a lie. He is not stupid, and yet he gives out such stupid statements. Falsehoods and virtual lies should not coming out from such people. Its extremely wrong.


In the end, Ladies and Gentlemen, we cannot expect people who have created this domestic crisis to protect us from this crisis. Its like you're a Gotham City resident, and then trusting the Joker- who creates this chao to spite Batman- to cut the crap and protect the city.

And everyone knows that you can't trust the Joker; its illogical.

And in fact, the government is not even protecting the people. They have implied that if you can't afford it, you're dead. And worse, they have rubbed salt into the wounds by increasing everything from public utilities, the ERP to public transport. And so now as more ordinary people face wage cuts, and retrenchments, the government wants to collect more money from you.

In the end, what's the point of all the help they give in the GST rebates and what not, when they take back more away from you at the end of year? Its like early in the year, they give you $500. And then by 31st dec, they take back $5000. As Sen. Obama had said earlier this year: its nothing more than bait-and-switch.

Beware of such politicians who cannot show economical leadership: the bread and butter of politics in the first place.

Nice...I love this video..

Sunday, October 5, 2008

A mother's promise: Barack's Biography



This is a great video. Made me a bit more emotional than usual.

Sunday Worship, God Bless

Something from Hillsong...

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Something for the weekend!

Nothing political. Just music to chill. Have a good weekend, people!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

In the Context of all things...

Its clear America needs new leadership. And in the context of this video, do we need new leadership in the countries we belong to?

I think we know the answer.

Disappointed at the Melamine scandal and JBJ's death..

As I write this, I'm incredibly disappointed at the lack of professionalism and accountability of the AVA, which has put the lives of many babies in Singapore at risk.

Its incredibly shocking to hear that AVA didn't withdraw the milk powder until a week later, and it put a lot of risk on mothers who may not have known because of many reasons, including being too busy.

And when the AVA shown such negligence, it shows how incompetent and complacent the AVA has become. Let it be for social reasons, or because of ignorance, or just plain "I don't give a damn" attitudes, such negligence should not have happened in the first place.

I call the AVA to be held accountable for their actions, as they have put many children at risk in Singapore by such unprofessional behaviour. If there's no accountability by the authorities on their parts, then its safe to conclude that even the authorities don't even care about the people anymore.

JBJ:

In the shocking days after JBJ's death, I would like to convey my sincere condolences to the family of JBJ in this trying times. They have my entire sympathy and I hope they won't be too angry at this arupt, sudden, and permanent departure.

Its now up to us, the younger generation, to assume the mantle of leadership and to pick up the fight he has started for all of us. Its with his legacy in our minds, we will do so.

Rest In Peace, JBJ.

Trek to Weir Dam and Mundaring..yesterday

Hey man, I just wanna post some pictures I took of our hike in the hills outside Perth city yesterday. Pictures say pretty much everything really, and I appreciate the scenery as many of us did as well.

An exhausting hike nonetheless, but we were all good, despite the swing in the mood of the overall weather.



A picture of Arthur Wright, our mentoring/business comm lecturer/tutor-cum-guide..



The whole group...



Finally..

American Election Update- it involves the financial meltdown as well..

These are the videos from youtube...



Barack Obama speaks about the crisis in Nevada...



Obama For Seniors want more senior citizens to vote for Obama to secure their futures, especially their social security.



Who said McCain was the right about the Iraqi war, or different from President Bush?