tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2491420362458753452024-03-17T15:02:59.704+08:00News ClipsHere's the News.
All the news worth reading. (To me anyway)
Note that this is a news clippings blog. Articles (mainly from Straits Times) are NOT written by me.
Due to spam comments, comments are now moderated. Please read "This Blog" and "Before you comment".Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3902125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-48126566462120862272024-03-16T23:48:00.005+08:002024-03-17T14:59:26.955+08:00Slowing growth in China and what it could mean for the World.<p><b> WSJ video on persistent deflation in China</b> and how it would affect the Global Economy</p>
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<span><a name='more'></a></span><p>This next video is from <b>Peter Zeihan,</b> who is best described as a "China Pessimist". However, he does provide a good summary of the problems China faces.</p><p>
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</p><p>0:30 How the US traded global security to the world, allowing the world to trade peacefully and grow economically, in exchange for their alliance against the communist world. That was "globalisation" (as Peter Zeihan understood/explains it).</p><p>1:18 How globalisation is "misunderstood". The US saw it as a security deal, and the world saw it as an economic deal</p><p>1:36 The transition from an agrarian/agricultural society to a urban/Industrialised society, the decline of childbearing/childrearing (or the transition of children from being free labour in a farm, to a financial burden in the city.)</p><p>2:05 The shortage of working age adults.</p><p>2:27 The Chinese Urbanisation Experience</p><p>4:52 A Brief History of Post-Mao China</p><p>5:55 Enter Xi Jinping</p><p>7:26 "Reuniting" Taiwan (by force).</p><p>9:13 Best case scenario - Capturing Taiwan "bloodlessly". Still bad for China.</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Peter Zeihan provides an interesting perspective on "Globalisation", the role of the US, and the benefits to the world. Which also means that China in trying to surpass the US, is blind or indifferent to the role that the sole Superpower has undertaken, and has shown no interest in providing the security that would allow <span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">globalisation to take place.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">Zeihan's description of Xi Jinping's ascendance and consolidation of power is also interesting. </span></span></p><p><b>The next video: Economist's Editor-in-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes</b></p>
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<p>China's Growth Target (ambitious? unrealistic?) State of the economy. Risks?</p><p>0:06 China's economy is not in good shape - property bust, slowing growth, deflation, loss of confidence (consumer?), Foreign investments have collapsed.</p><p>0:35 "Ambitious Growth Target", but no signs of how it would be achieved. No Stimulus?</p><p>1:06 China facing Japan-style "lost decade"?</p><p>1:16 Xi Jinping has concentrate power around himself.</p><p>1:47 Xi asserting a lot of control. Ambitious targets. Not clear how this would be achieved. Economy weak, consumer confidence low. </p><p>2:18 China has always (in the past) been technocratically competent in terms of economic policy.</p><p>3:11 That has changed - high levels of youth unemployment. Disillusionment. Sense of loss of confidence. (Pessimism). </p><p>3:36 Focus on National Security.</p><p>3:49 Xi is not focused on or interested in Economics. Doesn't believe in stimulus. Economically illiterate.</p><p>4:26 All of this against the backdrop of tension between China and US. </p><p>5:38 China has become "Uninvestable".</p><br />Finally, CNA asks an academic what direction China's "Two Session" has provided in terms of how China will promote grown in the near future. <div><p><b>China's "Two Sessions" - long on policy, short on details:</b></p>
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<p>So... no concrete details.</p><p>These videos provide a sampling of the range of "China Pessimism" that one might encounter. China is facing <a href="https://youtu.be/dwzPNpEKoM0?si=DP0QApJeQWD64ucx" target="_blank">a lot of challenges</a> - the collapse of the real estate sector, high youth unemployment, turmoil in the leadership, trade spats, the failing BRI, high debts, persistent deflation, an ageing and falling population and so on... </p><p>So the question is, "can China continue to grow, and how?"</p><p>China's growth over the last 40 years has been based on leveraging the huge population, and applying them to manufacturing, being the factory of the world. But in the 40 years since, those factory workers are now 40 years older, and facing retirement with very little pension and social support. And the population is shrinking. And Xi does not seem to have an answer to any of the problems.</p><p>CNA reports that <b>"China's 5% growth target... achievable, says state planner"</b><br />
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</p><p>So... long on policy, high on "irrational exuberance" (a.k.a. "state-mandated optimism"), and short on concrete, realistic details.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-73905958298021814092024-03-15T11:17:00.001+08:002024-03-17T15:02:27.301+08:00The REAL Reason (well, one major reason) why Taylor Swift Chose Singapore<p><b>Infrastructure.</b></p><p><a href="https://www.quora.com/profile/Ruben-Pinatacan-1" target="_blank">Ruben Pinatacan</a> responded to a query (on Quora) about whether the Philippines could have hosted the Eras Tour:</p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">"Regardless of the Singapore’s incentive to the promoter or organiser of the Eras Tour, the Philippines cannot afford to host the Taylor Swift concert because of the costs involved as well as lack of adequate infrastructure to hold the concert. Both Araneta Coliseum or the MOA Mall can only accommodate 9,600 spectators; while Melbourne is 96,000; Sydney is 86,000; Thailand is 51,000 and Singapore is 55,000. Where else the Philippines will hold the tour. The Eras Tour is not cheap after all. The economy is not good and in tatter; and poverty is prevalent all over the country. Just for a note, the Swifty tour in SEA started in Thailand in 2014, but for the coup it was cancelled. The Philippine organisers should have have woken up but for the money issues, they cannot afford. Salceda should wake up to reality that the government or the private organisers cannot afford the tour."</div></blockquote><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Note: In the video below, Philippines does have a 55,000 seat venue, but lacks transport infrastructure to support it. When Coldplay performed in Manila, President Marcos had to take a helicopter to the concert because of gridlocked traffic. So, even if the claim that Philippines does not have a venue with the capacity is disputed, the other points in the response may still hold.]</span><p></p><p>He then answered another query about whether other countries could have hosted the Eras Tour, and considered other issues.</p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">"But these countries have some caveats. In the case of Malaysia, the new Prime Minister was not keen of TS concert due to<span style="color: red;"> <a href="https://youtu.be/pZFBdb2EwGI?si=siK5-MXA9k2USRfR" target="_blank">conservative Islamists</a></span><a href="https://youtu.be/pZFBdb2EwGI?si=siK5-MXA9k2USRfR" target="_blank"> of the country</a>. In the case of Indonesia, the country’s capital is not apt for grab to perform the TS concert coupled with the <span style="color: red;">extremist</span> movement against Western values. As to Thailand, the TS concert was cancelled in 2014 due to the government coup d’état at that time.... As to the Philippines, it has no infrastructures needed to hold a sold out TS concert. The standard concert set up both in the Araneta Coliseum and MOA Arena each can accommodate only 9,600 spectators. As a note, TS concert is not cheap... these mentioned countries need government assistance both on peace and security as well as financial support as needed. Further note, the TS concert is a privately sponsored by promoters and organisers."</div></blockquote><div><br />From: "<a href="https://kol.today247.online/taylor-swifts-singapore-show-will-be-her-only-south-east-asia-stop-revealing-how-super-concerts-can-get-political/" target="_blank">Taylor Swift’s Singapore show will be her only South-East Asia stop, revealing how super concerts can get political</a>":</div><blockquote><span style="color: #800180;">Being able to move large amounts of people in an efficient way is a key focus for the Swift tour, given all the sold-out shows.<br /><br />The <a href="https://heresthenews.blogspot.com/2024/03/foreign-swifties-praise-spores.html" target="_blank">ease for fans to get to and from Singapore’s stadium complex </a>contrasts with the traffic gridlock that greeted thousands of people trying to attend Coldplay concerts in Manila and Jakarta.<br /><br />The Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr even took a helicopter to one of the Manila shows because the traffic was so bad.</span><div><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #800180;">Zachery Rajendran, an integrated events management specialist at Singaporean educational institute Republic Polytechnic, also says a “stable and safe environment” and “cosmopolitan atmosphere” helped put Singapore above neighbouring countries.<br /><br />Last year a Malaysian music festival was cancelled after two members of British band, The 1975, kissed on stage to make a point about the country’s laws criminalising homosexuality.<br /><br />And in Jakarta, protesters cited Coldplay’s support for LGBT rights to try to have their concert cancelled last year, though it went ahead anyway.<br /><br />In 2012, religious protesters successfully forced Lady Gaga to cancel a planned Jakarta show due to safety concerns.</span></div></blockquote><div></div><div>So, infrastructure and social mores or conservatism are all factors. We can't comment on social mores, so lets stick to infrastructure...</div><div><br /><div><br /><div><b>Business Times:Infrastructure woes of Asian Cities</b><br />
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<p>0:25 Thailand: 6000 capacity venue open in Feb 2024. With plans to open a 5000 seat hall in June, and a 15,000 seat arena in 2026.</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Note: Largest venue in Thailand currently, is <a href="https://novotelbangkokimpact.com/hotel-in-bangkok/concerts-in-bangkok/#:~:text=IMPACT%20Arena%20is%20the%20most,spanning%20over%204%2C000%20sq%20meters." target="_blank">IMPACT</a> with 11,000 capacity.]</span></p><p>0:34 Kuala Lumpur opened 2400 capacity venue in 2022. </p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Note: Stadium Putra/Axiata Arena is currently the largest venue with a capacity of 16,000.]</span></p><p>0:38 In the same year, Jakarta hosted two acts in its 82,000 seat stadium.</p><p>0:44 Hong Kong will open a Sports Park with a combined capacity of over 65,000 seats by end 2024.</p><p>1:00 Philippines has a 55,000 capacity venue, but not the transport infrastructure to support it.</p><p>1:34 Macau open a 16,000 seat venue in 2023. </p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-83680802980485097002024-03-15T09:29:00.000+08:002024-03-15T09:29:03.419+08:00Commentary: Instant noodles have become an economic red flag<i>Cheap and fast but delicious, everyone’s favourite rapid meal tells us about the state of the world, says the Financial Times’ Leo Lewis.</i><div><i><br /></i><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="361" src="https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--z5nqvGo3--/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_one-cms:core:watermark:ap_data-1,w_0.1/f_auto,q_auto/v1/one-cms/core/russia_ukraine_war_economic_impact_60288.jpg?itok=2C1yTlNd" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Instant noodle consumption has continued to grow strongly in a post-COVID world. <br />(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Leo Lewis<br /><br /></div><div>15 Mar 2024 </div><div><br /><br />TOKYO: If the entire (cooked) length of instant noodles sold around the world in a single year were laid out in a line, the resulting 6.2 billion km giga-noodle would stretch well beyond Pluto and into the depths of space. It is a fact as miserable as it is marvellous.<br /><br />Instant noodles sit among the most potent weapons ever devised in the unending struggle against starvation: A product that towers, among processed foods, at the extreme value end of the cost-per-calorie scale and which its makers now proudly classify as a piece of “social infrastructure”. </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />They are <span style="color: red;">a portable, resilient and long-lasting store of nourishment </span>in times of need – from dire to impulsive and all points between.<br /><br />There is a reason that <span style="color: red;">instant noodles have replaced cigarettes as the primary currency of the informal economy in dismally catered US prisons.</span> This ready-to-eat grub, pioneered in the late 1950s to feed a ruined Japan in the protracted aftermath of war, takes the prize for being cheap and fast, but delicious.<br /><br />And yet, precisely because of those qualities, the rising demand for instant noodles can look a lot like a societal and economic red flag – a signal, especially in developed countries, that something has broken or is at least under severe strain. They are an index of the primacy of need over greed in straitened times.<br /><br /><br />AFFORDABLE, DURABLE CALORIES TO INFLATION-HIT MASSES<br /><br />On one hand, if you can suspend judgment on the health risks associated with high-salt, ultra-processed foods, as most instant noodles are, there is something to celebrate in the relentless en-noodlement of the global diet. Particularly so for two Japanese companies, Toyo Suisan and Nissin Foods (whose founder invented the product), which have significant positions in a global market that analysts estimate to be worth north of US$54 billion. <br /><br />In 2022, according to the World Instant Noodles Association, humanity collectively bought a record 121 billion servings of instant noodles – some 17 per cent more than in 2018. In countries as diverse as Nigeria, Bangladesh and Turkey, the surge has been far more acute, with increases ranging from 53 per cent to 425 per cent.<br /><br />That represents instant noodles doing their thing: Rising from the shelves to provide affordable and durable calories to inflation-hit masses.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">The pandemic, with its lockdowns, disruption of food supply and the need for habitual non-cooks to feed themselves, </span>was responsible for driving a good part of the 2020-2021 growth. But noodle consumption, as the sales figures and share prices of the Japanese duopoly testify, has continued to grow strongly in a post-COVID world.<br /><br /><br />A CONCERNING SIGN<br /><br />Where the r<span style="color: red;">ed flags start waving</span>, though, is among <span style="color: red;">consumers in richer countries </span>where – in a term chillingly used by Japan’s instant noodle makers – <span style="color: red;">households have been pulled into a global cycle of “food product down-trading”.</span><br /><br />By the end of 2022, both the <span style="color: red;">US and UK consumption of instant noodles had risen 14 per cent</span> over five years. Japan, having entered an era of inflation after decades of deflation, now eats more of them than it did in 2018, even though its population is smaller.<br /><br />The empowerment of instant noodles as <span style="color: red;">the favourite currency in US jails</span> points (albeit in extreme terms) to the increasing gaps that the food is called upon to fill. In his <a href="https://opentrolley.com.sg/book/9780190055400/orange-collar-labor" target="_blank">2022 book Orange Collar Labor</a>, the academic Michael Gibson-Light uses the testimonies of inmates and staff to describe a prison system that, in part because of financial incentives for private operators to cut costs, <span style="color: red;">no longer provides enough food to sustain an adult.</span><br /><br />The instant noodles, in this environment, become critical units of survival. Much like cash, says Gibson-Light,<span style="color: red;"> a single noodle packet can store value for some time, act as a standardised unit of account and be easily exchanged for services and goods between buyers and sellers</span>. <br /><br />Outside prison, though, noodles are showing their strength in adversity. According to analysts who cover the noodle-makers, the pattern of buying has shifted revealingly in America’s sub-US$1-per packet market.<br /><br />Here, where Toyo and Nissin command about 70 and 30 per cent shares respectively, they ensure that, even when prices do go up, they maintain a cheapness relative to other benchmarks such as tinned soup.<br /><br />US households have become increasingly sensitive to food-price rises and, in many cases as a matter of survival, are meeting calorie deficits with instant noodles. They buy in bulk – either from Amazon or from wholesalers like Costco – to take advantage of noodles’ resilience: Unlike most other food, they can be bought today as a hedge against the risk that even noodle prices keep rising.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">The en-noodlement of the world is not, says a Nissin spokesman, a temporary boom.</span> That is not great cause for joy. For all the resilience of the product, its rise is a signal of fragility.<br /><br /></div><div>Source: Financial Times/ch</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Global instant noodle demand marks record on food inflation</h2><div><i>Shipments grew for 7th straight year in 2022</i></div><div><i><br /></i><img height="360" src="https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fcms-image-bucket-production-ap-northeast-1-a7d2.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com%2Fimages%2F1%2F9%2F6%2F5%2F46565691-7-eng-GB%2Fphoto_SXM2023091200002933.jpg?width=700&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms" width="640" /><br /><br /></div><div>YUKI MASUDA, Nikkei staff writer</div><div><br /></div><div>September 23, 2023</div><div><br /></div><div>TOKYO -- Global demand for instant noodles reached 121.2 billion servings last year, industry figures show, growing for the seventh straight year to hit an all-time high.<br /><br />The number of servings climbed nearly 2.6% from 2021, according to data from the World Instant Noodles Association, headquartered in greater Osaka. The figures are based on estimated shipments in 56 economies.<br /><br />China, including Hong Kong, was the top instant noodle market last year. Indonesia was the runner up, followed by India, Vietnam and Japan.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">In 2020, when people were sheltering due to the pandemic, global demand shot up 9.5%. The gain eased to 1.4% in 2021, then picked up again in 2022.</span><br /><br />Last year, food prices in many countries spiked due to inflation. This prompted consumers to turn to instant noodles, an affordable option.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><img height="361" src="https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fcms-image-bucket-production-ap-northeast-1-a7d2.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com%2Fimages%2F_aliases%2Farticleimage%2F5%2F0%2F9%2F5%2F46565905-1-eng-GB%2Fthe-global-instant-noodles-market-is-growing.png?source=nar-cms" width="640" /><br /><br />The market for instant noodles expanded dramatically in Mexico in particular. Demand soared 17.2% in 2021, and the Mexican market still maintained double-digit growth last year at 11%.<br /><br />In contrast, the market north of the border in the U.S. shrank 1.4% in 2021, then rebounded 3.4% in 2022.<br /><br />Instant noodles are popular throughout Asia, where soup-based noodle dishes are a well-established part of the food culture, but their popularity is also growing in places like the U.S. and Mexico, where no such culture previously existed.<br /><br />"Middle-class consumers who did not eat instant noodles before are now incorporating them into their daily lives" due to inflation, said major instant noodle maker Nissin Foods.<br /><br />Nissin Foods and Toyo Suisan, another industry leader, both saw significant profit boosts from overseas operations in the fiscal year ended March 2023. Both companies plan to set up production facilities in the U.S. by 2025 to meet increasing demand there and in Mexico.<br /><br />"The number of consumers who regularly eat instant noodles is going up, and we will increase our variety of flavors moving forward," Toyo Suisan said.<br /><br />Major instant noodle companies raised prices by about 10% in Japan in 2022 and again in 2023 in response to increased ingredient and packaging costs. A 10% bump two years in a row is unusual, but sales volumes have not decreased significantly.<br /><br />In addition to affordable products, consumers want products that can save them time while providing a high level of added value. Instant noodle makers are working to improve their products by making them more nutritional and using better ingredients.<br /><br /><img height="640" src="https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fcms-image-bucket-production-ap-northeast-1-a7d2.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com%2Fimages%2F_aliases%2Farticleimage%2F8%2F8%2F8%2F5%2F46565888-1-eng-GB%2Finstant-noodle-demand.png?source=nar-cms" width="549" /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-56089507334109521132024-03-13T15:09:00.003+08:002024-03-13T15:09:53.900+08:00Foreign Swifties praise S'pore's transport system & crowd management at Eras Tour shows<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1LAcIpZfZhTkHjpzE92JOt-9_YPMbbvGnLFJxBogNCbYKlRQzAF0Xhu-A-KSC1u-ZiiRlIavRvAcnxhkyJ_XXtvu2eOuhdb1Ji0U520FJscYqkLV-kiEepBxiEydsR_La0LgqP2ASkJs_5fDQaoZ_NIRGYfuYlKOXSnaqK1DhA-BplzdFQeyX-eLr1uw/s1020/TS%20concert%20Tiktok.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="658" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1LAcIpZfZhTkHjpzE92JOt-9_YPMbbvGnLFJxBogNCbYKlRQzAF0Xhu-A-KSC1u-ZiiRlIavRvAcnxhkyJ_XXtvu2eOuhdb1Ji0U520FJscYqkLV-kiEepBxiEydsR_La0LgqP2ASkJs_5fDQaoZ_NIRGYfuYlKOXSnaqK1DhA-BplzdFQeyX-eLr1uw/w413-h640/TS%20concert%20Tiktok.png" width="413" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Screenshot via TikTok/eloicht</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></div><i>An unforgettable experience.<br /></i><br />Hannah Martens </div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator">March 12, 2024,<p style="text-align: left;">As the dust settles after Taylor Swift's last Eras Tour show in Singapore, some concertgoers who flew in from overseas have gone online to share their thoughts about Singapore.<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="text-align: left;">One TikTok user, Erika Arana, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@erikas.era/video/7344643892249218310">praised</a> Singapore's transport system and crowd control.</p><p style="text-align: left;">She noted that this trip was "an eye opener to what the Philippines is missing out" and what "Filipino commuters could have if only our transport and government system is as efficient".</p><p style="text-align: left;">Swift played six sold-out shows to about 300,000 fans in Singapore between Mar. 2 and 9.<br />Singapore was the only stop in Southeast Asia for Swift's Eras Tour.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>First world country</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">This was Arana's first time travelling out of her country, the Philippines.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">She pointed out Singapore's efficient transport system and how crowds were managed, and questioned if the Philippines could "accommodate and guarantee the safety of hundreds of thousands of people who travelled from around the world" if it hosted the Eras Tour.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Amazed at Singapore's transport system</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">In the comment section of Arana's TikTok video, other TikTok users also praised Singapore's public transport system.</p><p><img height="226" src="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-12-at-11.40.34%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" />Screenshot via TikTok/erikas.era</p><p></p><p><br /><img height="137" src="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-12-at-11.41.58%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" />Screenshot via TikTok/erikas.era<br /><br /><img height="217" src="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-12-at-11.42.17%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" />Screenshot via TikTok/erikas.era<br /><img height="240" src="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-12-at-11.43.03%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" />Screenshot via TikTok/erikas.era<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Crowd control</b></p><p>Many were amazed at how quickly they were able to leave the concert.</p><div>Another aspect that garnered praise from Arana was the crowd control at the Singapore National Stadium.</div><div><br /></div><div>And she is not alone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Several other TikTok users also put up videos highlighting the "fantastic" crowd control at Stadium MRT station.</div><div><br /></div><div>They noted that were features such as a stage with an emcee who entertained guests as they waited outside the station so that it would not be overcrowded.</div><div><br /></div><div>Swift's songs were also being played, and fans sang along as they waited to enter the station.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another user highlighted her amazement at how quickly she was able to return to her hotel after the concert ended and the high frequency of the MRT trains.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Another aspect that garnered praise from Arana was the crowd control at the Singapore National Stadium.</div><div><br /></div><div>And she is not alone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Several other TikTok users also put up videos highlighting the "fantastic" crowd control at Stadium MRT station.</div><div><br /></div><div>They noted that were features such as a stage with an emcee who entertained guests as they waited outside the station so that it would not be overcrowded.</div><div><br /></div><div>Swift's songs were also being played, and fans sang along as they waited to enter the station.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another user highlighted her amazement at how quickly she was able to return to her hotel after the concert ended and the high frequency of the MRT trains.</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-12-at-11.50.41%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="397" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Screenshot via TikTok/annegellie6</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Firstly, appreciate that visitors appreciate Singapore's efficiency. </span></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Secondly, kudos to the people working that day to give the Swifties, the unforgettable experience. You are the unsung heroes. </span></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Thirdly, kudos also to the organisers - providing DJs to play Taylor Swift songs while they wait, providing water coolers in the auditorium for FREE. US visitor was shocked! in the US, they would be selling water at $2 a bottle to profit even more from the captive audience.</span></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">All in, proving that Singapore deserves to be the only stop in SE Asia of the Eras Tour.]</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-87582199645598376572024-03-03T19:34:00.000+08:002024-03-03T19:34:05.014+08:00PUB partnering UCLA and American startup to build world’s largest ocean-based carbon dioxide removal plant in Tuas<br /><img height="480" src="https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--XiX3g3jU--/f_auto,q_auto/c_fill,g_auto,h_622,w_830/v1/mediacorp/tdy/image/2024/02/27/Equatic_A%20Carbon%20Dioxide%20Removal%20Plant.jpg?itok=vDTwTkTn" width="640" /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">A rendering of an ocean-based carbon dioxide removal plant.<br /></span><br /><i>PUB, Singapore's national water agency PUB, is teaming up with an American university and startup to build the world's largest plant that will remove carbon dioxide from seawater and the atmosphere<br />When fully completed, the plant in Tuas — named Equatic-1 — will be equipped to remove 10 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per day from seawater and the atmosphere<br />This is more than 100 times the amount a trial plant has been able to remove</i><br /><br />SHYNN ONG<br /><br /><div>February 27, 2024<br /><br /><br />SINGAPORE — Singapore's national water agency PUB is teaming up with the University of California (UCLA) and a UCLA-linked startup to build the world's largest plant that removes carbon dioxide from seawater and the atmosphere.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>This comes after a successful pilot of such a plant here that was launched in April 2023 by PUB, UCLA and Equatic, a company spun out of research at the university.<br /><br />When fully completed in 18 months, the new plant at PUB’s research and development facility in Tuas will be equipped to <span style="color: red;">remove 10 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per day </span>from seawater and the atmosphere. <br /><br />This is 100 times more than the existing pilot plant, which can remove 0.1 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per day, PUB, UCLA and Equatic said in a joint statement on Tuesday (Feb 27).<br /><br />A metric ton is the equivalent of 1,000kg.<br /><br />The US$20 million (S$26.9 million) cost of the new facility — named Equatic-1 — will be co-funded by PUB, Singapore's National Research Foundation and UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management.<br /><br />According to the World Bank, the <span style="color: red;">average global annual carbon emissions per capita in 2020 are about 4.3 metric tons.<br /></span><br />This means that at full scale, Equatic-1 can remove as much carbon dioxide as what nearly 850 people emit annually.<br /><br />When the plant has fulfilled its technical demonstrative objectives, Equatic will scale and commercialise the technology globally, with plants designed to remove nearly 110,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of more than 25,000 individuals.<br /><br />TODAY understands that the pilot plant will be dismantled and the new plant built in its place.<br /><br />Equatic is a startup based in Los Angeles, California, and was founded in 2021 by Gaurav N Sant, director of UCLA Institute of Carbon Management.<br /><br />Dr Pang Chee Meng, PUB’s chief engineering and technology officer, said: “We are pleased to further our collaboration with UCLA and Equatic, to develop a solution that has potential synergies with PUB’s desalination plants.<br /><br />"At PUB, we firmly believe that technological advancements, delivered in partnership with academia and the private sector, hold the key to addressing the complex challenges posed by climate change."<br /><br /></div><div>HOW THE PROCESS WORKS<br /><br />The Equatic process activates and expands the ocean’s natural ability to store carbon dioxide by <span style="color: red;">removing dissolved carbon dioxide </span>while enhancing the ocean’s capacity to absorb more of the greenhouse gas.<br /><br />Utilising electrolysis, <span style="color: red;">an electrical current is passed through seawater brought</span> in from the adjacent desalination plants operated by PUB.<br /><br />"The process induces a series of chemical reactions that <span style="color: red;">then breaks water into its carbon-negative hydrogen and oxygen constituents while securely storing both dissolved and atmospheric carbon dioxide in the form of solid calcium and magnesium-based materials for at least 10,000 years,"</span> the joint statement said.<br /><br />This process also produces useful by-products such as solid carbonates, hydrogen and softened water. These <span style="color: red;">solid carbonates could potentially be used in the construction industry for land restoration, cement or concrete.</span><br /><br />The technology was named one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2023 and listed among science website Popular Science’s 50 greatest innovations of 2023.<br /><br />It also won the 2021 Liveability Challenge, a global competition backed by Singapore-based non-profit Temasek Foundation with 450 applicants from more than 60 countries.<br /><br />"If successful, the pioneering technology would allow for the greenhouse gas to be removed and durably stored, while simultaneously <span style="color: red;">producing nearly 300kg of carbon-negative hydrogen daily,</span>" the joint statement said.<br /><br />PUB said that it has set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2045 and takes a three-pronged approach to replace, reduce and remove carbon emissions and close its carbon loop.<br /><br />Besides replacing fossil fuel sources with renewable solar energy and investing in research and development to reduce the energy required in water treatment processes, capturing and removing carbon released into the atmosphere is a key thrust of PUB’s decarbonisation strategy.<br /><br />"This collaboration with UCLA and Equatic is <span style="color: red;">part of Singapore’s broader efforts to source for novel technologies, such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage, which could contribute to mitigating the impacts of climate change," the joint statement read.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-48240385858306267952024-03-03T07:07:00.005+08:002024-03-03T15:35:29.210+08:00How S'pore got Taylor Swift to perform here<i>Deal-making.<br /></i><br />Belmont Lay<div><br /></div><div>February 25, 2024</div><div><br /><div><img height="336" src="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2024/02/taylor-swift-singapore-perform.jpg" width="640" /><br /><br /><br />So, just how did Singapore get American pop queen Taylor Swift to perform six concerts at one shot here from March 2 to 9, 2024, making this country the only Southeast Asian stop of her tour? <br /><br />In the wake of public interest, <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/consumer/taylor-swift-s-team-was-courted-by-singapore-even-before-any-international-venues-were-lined-up-kasm-chief">The Straits Times</a> and <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/taylor-swift-singapore-concerts-stb-grant-economic-benefits-4141056">CNA</a> have shed some light on the process. <br /><br />Here's the timeline. </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /><b>October and November 2022<br /></b><br />In October and November 2022, Singapore had already <span style="color: red;">started soliciting the sporting and entertainment world to hold their events here. </span><br /><br />This is according to Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) chairman Keith Magnus, who spoke to ST. <br /><br /><br /><b>December 2022<br /></b><br />In December 2022, the Singapore government <a href="https://mothership.sg/2022/12/sport-hub-sport-singapore-handover/">took back the Sports Hub</a>, a 60,000-capacity venue. <br /><br />Magnus, who is chairman and chief executive of investment banking firm Evercore, took over the corporate entity to manage the <span style="color: red;">S$1.33 billion Sports Hub in Kallang </span>that month. <br /><br />The corporate entity was established by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Sport Singapore (SportSG). <br /><br /><br /><b>Early 2023<br /></b><br />In early 2023, Magnus said <span style="color: red;">a "team from Singapore" went over to Los Angeles to meet leaders from the sports and entertainment world, </span>ST reported. <br /><br />It was not revealed who the people in the Singapore team were, however. <br /><br />But this <span style="color: red;">meeting occurred when Swift</span>, arguably the hottest property in pop for a few years now, was <span style="color: red;">about to embark on her The Eras Tour in the United States. </span><br /><br />No international venues had been confirmed for her concerts at that time. <br /><br />The trip to LA served as "a catalyst" to figure out what major events could be done in Singapore. <br /><br />A few months after the LA trip, <span style="color: red;">the Singapore team and concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) worked to "deliver Asia" to Swift, </span>it was reported, without divulging details or what this phrase means. <br /><br /><br /><b>June 2023<br /></b><br />In June 2023, <span style="color: red;">the Singapore dates for The Eras Tour were <a href="https://mothership.sg/2023/06/taylor-swift-singapore-concert-eras/">announced</a>. </span><br /><br />Three more concert dates were added <a href="https://mothership.sg/2023/06/taylor-swift-singapore-six-shows/">subsequently</a>, as Swift will hold six shows altogether. <br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Specifics of deal not divulged</h4><div><br /></div>On Feb. 16, 2024 Thai prime minister <a href="https://mothership.sg/2023/07/thailand-pita-swift-democratic/">Srettha Thavisin</a> said AEG told him that the Singapore government offered <span style="color: red;">subsidies of up to S$4 million for each of Swift's concert, if she agreed not to perform elsewhere in Southeast Asia. </span><br /><br />The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and MCCY then issued a <a href="https://mothership.sg/2024/02/spore-govt-clarifies-taylor-rumour/">joint statement</a>, which said <span style="color: red;">the authorities supported the upcoming concerts in the form of a grant, but stopped short of saying how much was involved. </span><br /><br />Magnus did not elaborate on the specifics of the deal, nor the grant amount when asked, ST reported. <br /><br />He did say that there was <span style="color: red;">“certainly an understanding that it was an only-in-Singapore event"</span> and "that’s how it was branded”. <br /><br />This was in response to the query if an exclusivity clause was part of the agreement with Swift’s team. <br /><br />CNA reported that the STB declined to answer queries on whether the grant had been given out in the past and which acts it had been given to, citing business confidentiality. <br /><br />
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<br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">What would concerts bring to Singapore's economy?</h4><div><br /></div>So, what benefits do mega-selling concerts bring to Singapore? <br /><br />From January to April 2024, the National Stadium is expecting to host more than 900,000 visitors for concerts alone. <br /><br />ST <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/geography-convenience-and-political-stability-why-music-stars-like-taylor-swift-come-to-singapore">reported</a> that the temporary influx of travellers for concerts at the National Stadium brings with it economic growth, cultural enrichment, as well as global recognition, citing the views of Zachery Rajendran, programme chair for the diploma in integrated events management at Republic Polytechnic. <br /><br />Coldplay’s concerts, it was reported, would have contributed S$96 million of revenue to Singapore’s gross domestic product. <br /><br />Swift's concerts will likely bring more. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-45553613750231040042024-03-02T14:26:00.005+08:002024-03-03T06:59:33.613+08:00'Sour grapes': Bilahari Kausikan applauds STB's 'Swift' deal, says S'pore can't hold back if neighbours 'slow'<i>He did not use any Taylor Swift puns.<br /></i><br />Fiona Tan<div><br /></div><div>March 01, 2024</div><div><br /></div><div><img height="336" src="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2024/03/sour-grapes-bilahari-kausikan-taylor-swift.jpg" width="640" /><br /><br /><br />"Sour grapes," Bilahari Kausikan said in a Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bilahari.kausikan/posts/pfbid02TnHHodxQKEoryn8gmhSX5LNEHhjv5H3hJxBXoajYW9J2oNJwuRPEJLEoZP3nimcjl">post</a> on Mar. 1, 2024. <br /><br /><span></span>The former Ministry of Foreign Affairs permanent secretary and current Middle East Institute chairman was seemingly responding to other Southeast Asian countries and their public outcries to Singapore's <a href="https://mothership.sg/2024/02/spore-govt-clarifies-taylor-rumour/">deal</a> with American pop star Taylor Swift. </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><h4 style="text-align: left;">Southeast Asia tour (Taylor's version)</h4><div><br /></div><div>In case you did not know, Singapore is the only Southeast Asian country where Swift will be performing during her global Eras Tour. <br /><br />The Singapore government said it is supporting Swift's <a href="https://mothership.sg/2023/06/taylor-swift-singapore-six-shows/">six</a> shows in Singapore through a grant, but did not go into the specifics. <br /><br />In a <a href="https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1911549/salceda-questions-singapores-exclusivity-on-taylor-swifts-concert">media statement</a> on Feb. 28, Joey Salceda, a representative of Albay province in the Philippine House of Representatives, criticised Singapore over a supposed deal preventing Swift from performing elsewhere in Southeast Asia, saying that's not "what good neighbours do" and claimed that Singapore "hurt" the Philippines. </div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Bilahari: Other Southeast Asian countries "slow" and "inefficient"</h4><div><br /></div>"Sour grapes," Bilahari said in a post after Salceda's remarks. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">"Whenever I hear calls for Singapore to be more 'sensitive' to others in Southeast Asia, it really means be as inefficient as they are." </span><br /><br />Noting that Singapore is a small city-state, Bilahari said we cannot afford to be inefficient, but have to be better, faster and more creative than the competition instead. <br /><br />He added: "What’s to have stopped any Southeast Asian country from negotiating an exclusivity deal with her if they had thought of it?" <br /><br />Bilahari further lambasted the detractors, "The point is <span style="color: red;">they did not think of even inviting her to perform in their countries until they found out she was performing in Singapore.</span>" <br /><br />"So are we supposed to hold ourselves back just because some of our neighbours are slow? And <span style="color: red;">do you think she would have agreed to even perform in Singapore if our infrastructure, connectivity and security was not world-class?" </span><br /><br />Since Swift has many fans in Southeast Asia, Bilahari said Singapore's deal with Swift "will be worth millions more than what was paid to secure exclusive rights" and commended the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) for securing the deal quickly and creatively. <br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Salceda: Singapore's grants at the "expense of neighboring countries"</h4><div><br /></div>Salceda asked the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ask the Singaporean ambassador to the Philippines about a supposed exclusivity deal between Singapore and Swift, the <a href="https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1911549/salceda-questions-singapores-exclusivity-on-taylor-swifts-concert">Inquirer</a> reported. <br /><br />Salceda referred to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's claim that the Singapore government "financially supported" Swift's concerts. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>What the Thai PM said</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180;">Srettha <a href="https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/2743369">said</a> on Feb. 16 that the global concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) told him on Feb. 12 that the Singapore government is offering up to S$4 million (US$3 million) in subsidies for each of Swift's concerts, if she agreed not to perform elsewhere in Southeast Asia.</span></div></blockquote><div><br />STB and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) cleared the air on Feb. 20 and <a href="https://mothership.sg/2024/02/spore-govt-clarifies-taylor-rumour/">said</a> in a joint statement that <span style="color: red;">they worked with the producer of Swift’s concert, AEG Presents, for Swift to perform in Singapore and the shows are supported through a grant</span>. <br /><br />Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong revealed to <a href="https://mothership.sg/2024/03/spore-proactively-courted-taylor/">Mothership</a> how Singapore closed the deal with Swift. <br /><br />He said he and a team from MCCY, SportsSG and Kallang Alive Sports Management (KASM) <span style="color: red;">met with Swift's promoter in Los Angeles in Feb. 2023, before Swift announced any international dates. </span><br /><br />"We saw an opportunity, we negotiated quickly with them, and we closed the deal quite quickly." <br /><br />Salceda claimed that Singapore's actions were at the "expense of neighbouring countries" and that the Philippines "should not just let things like this pass". <br /><br />He asked the <span style="color: red;">DFA to formally protest against the supposed grants given by the Singapore government</span> in exchange for Swift not to perform anywhere else in Southeast Asia. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[The Thai's PM statement is second hand information, and is based on what he heard, was interpreted(?), and on what he understood. However, STB and MCCY was asked directly if they gave a grant for exclusivity. The simplest way to answer this is a "yes" or a "no". They answered indirectly. Which hints that there is perhaps some <span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">truth to this "exclusivity" clause. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">BUT... from other news story (below), it would seem that Singapore pro-actively approach Swift's team about performing in Singapore, sold what Singapore could do for the tour, and offered a whole package to make Swift's Team bringing the show to Singapore easier, and probably less logistically onerous?</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">Maybe Swift was only going to Japan and Australia, skipping SE Asia. Until Singapore approached the team, showed them that Singapore was a world class venue, and would not be logistically onerous. The Singapore delegation sold Singapore as a viable tour stop and the Swift team seized the opportunity. And then they decided that Singapore would be the only stop in SE Asia.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">I look forward to Edwin Tong's reply in Parliament on Monday.]</span></span></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Govt subsidies for Taylor Swift's exclusive Singapore deal 'nowhere as high' as speculated: Edwin Tong</h2><i>CNA understands the figure Singapore paid is closer to US$2 million to US$3 million for all six shows, instead of per concert as reports suggest. </i><div><i><br /></i><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="361" src="https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--8pRaSV_3--/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mediacorp/cna/image/2024/03/01/taylor%20swift%20edwin%20tong.jpg?itok=onSswCPr" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pop star Taylor Swift and Singapore's Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong. <br />(Photos: AFP, CNA/Marcus Mark Ramos)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Abigail Ng<br /><br /></div><div>01 Mar 2024</div><div><br /><br />SINGAPORE: How much did Singapore pay to be the only regional stop for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour?<br /><br />It is "nowhere as high" as reports have suggested, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong told CNA in an interview on Friday (Mar 1). <br /><br />Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was quoted as saying last month that Singapore had brokered a deal to pay the pop star up to US$3 million for each of her six concerts – in exchange for keeping the shows exclusive to Singapore in Southeast Asia.<br /><br />CNA understands the figure is closer to <span style="color: red;">US$2 million to US$3 million in total for all six shows.</span></div><span></span><div><br />Mr Srettha said he had heard about the arrangement from concert promoter AEG. <span style="color: red;">The company has not responded to CNA's repeated requests for comment.</span><br /><br />On Feb 20, the Singapore Tourism Board said it "supported the event through a grant", but did not reveal the size of the grant or any conditions attached to it. <br /><br />Mr Tong said on Friday that concert promoters know "exactly what they're doing" when they choose where to hold shows and where not to. <br /><br />"What I'll say is this: The numbers that you see online – it is nowhere as high as what is being speculated."<br /><br />He added that he will speak more about this in parliament next Monday. <br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"NOT JUST ABOUT A GRANT"<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">"With every promoter, they make their own calculations," Mr Tong said. "They decide whether they want to come, how many nights they want to come, where else they want to go.</span><br /><br />"The truth of the matter is (it's) not just about a grant or a deal, but<span style="color: red;"> the overall package."</span> <br /><br />He added that the promoters are experienced and know exactly what they want out of a venue, and there are factors that Singapore cannot control.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">"They have to assess whether or not the overall package in Singapore is good enough for them to want to play here, and for how many nights,"</span> the minister said.<br /><br />Swift will be playing six sold-out shows in Singapore, her only stop in Asia, aside from Japan. More than 300,000 tickets have been sold, with many fans travelling from other countries to watch the concerts.<br /><br />Mr Tong said <span style="color: red;">he requested that Swift's Singapore shows be at the end of any particular segment of her tour.<br /></span><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[This request does not suggest an exclusivity clause.]</span><br /><br />"I felt that if there was a real demand, and it was popular, then I wanted to see whether we could extend the number of nights. And in the end, it turned out well.<br /><br />"We had three nights to start with and when we opened up the ticket sales, it was obviously very popular and so we had the option of a further three nights. So that's why, six nights in Singapore," he said.<br /><br />CNA previously reported that demand for flights and accommodation around her concert dates <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/taylor-swift-singapore-concerts-stb-grant-economic-benefits-4141056">increased by up to 30 per cent</a>. One analyst said her shows could generate as much as A$1.2 billion (US$779 million) – the estimated economic value that she brought to Melbourne.<br /><br /><br />A COMMERCIAL DECISION<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Fans in Southeast Asia were disappointed when the singer-songwriter announced that Singapore would be her only stop in the region.</span> After news about a deal emerged, a lawmaker in the Philippines also expressed disappointment.<br /><br />Representative Joey Salceda reportedly said "this isn't what good neighbours do" and called for his country to register its opposition with Singapore's embassy.<br /><br />Other countries in the region are also <span style="color: red;">said to be stepping up their game</span> when it comes to attracting international performers to their shores. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Mr Tong said the bottom line is that Singapore hustled a deal that works for the country. He said he had not spoken to authorities from neighbouring countries, but stressed that the Taylor Swift decision was a commercial one.</span><br /><br />"We have to look at this as – what's in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans. In our calculations, <span style="color: red;">it is important for us to anchor the show here."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">["Anchoring the show here" would suggest that there was no exclusivity clause.]</span><br /><br />Neighbouring countries could pursue deals as well, he added. “Who’s to say that they have not or had not, or will not in the future?”<br /><br />If international acts such as Taylor Swift or Coldplay chose not to perform in Singapore, the questions would then be on why they did not come and whether the country was losing its attractiveness.<br /><br />"I did ask myself that question too, when the opportunity came up for Taylor Swift and the others," he said.<br /><br />"And so we work hard to ensure that that question ... won't be asked of us, at least for now."<br /><br />The questions could also come from his three daughters who are big fans of the singer.<br /><br />Mr Tong described himself as an “accidental Swiftie” who became interested in her music because it was always playing in their home.<br /><br />“The songs really grew on me. Lyrics were great, melodies were good and they all told a story,” he said.<br /><br />“And yes, I’ll be going to the concert with my girls.”<br /><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-22253620379939189372024-03-01T06:20:00.001+08:002024-03-01T06:20:55.170+08:00Israel's response to Hamas attack has 'gone too far', but severing ties would not help Palestinians, says Singapore<br />
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<br /><br /><div> SINGAPORE: Israel's military response to the Oct 7 Hamas attack has "gone too far", but severing diplomatic ties with the country would not resolve the situation nor reduce the suffering of Palestinians, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said in parliament on Thursday (Feb 29).</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />Dr Balakrishnan was responding to MPs' questions on the Israel-Hamas war while laying out his ministry's budget spending plans for the year.<br /><br />While the war has evoked strong emotions among Singaporeans, he urged them not to let the issue affect the country's harmony or cohesion.<br /><br />"Whilst we may feel a diversity of emotions on this, the worst thing would be to let this quarrel polarise and divide us as Singaporeans," he told parliament. <br /><br />On Oct 7 last year, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Gunmen breached security barriers with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza, killing about 1,200 and kidnapping scores of civilians. <br /><br />Israel has responded by relentlessly bombarding Gaza and sending in ground troops, killing and displacing Palestinians. More than 30,000 people have been killed in the territory since the war began, according to its health ministry.<br /><br />Singapore condemned the attack and recognised Israel's right to self-defence, similar to how Singapore would invoke the same right should the country have been attacked, said Dr Balakrishnan, echoing what he previously stated in a parliamentary speech. <br /><br />In his last parliamentary speech in November about the conflict, Dr Balakrishnan stated that Israel must accept a Palestinian state, just as Palestinians should accept Israel's right to exist. <br /><br />On Thursday however, the minister said: "Unfortunately, Israel's military response has gone too far.<br /><br />"The catastrophic situation in Gaza demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the unbearable suffering of the civilian victims and to enable humanitarian assistance to reach them immediately."</div><div><br />SEVERING TIES NOT "CONSTRUCTIVE"<br /><br />Singapore has made its position clear, including at the United Nations where it voted for two UN General Assembly resolutions on the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations, said the minister. <br /><br />Addressing calls for Singapore to sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its actions, Dr Balakrishnan said this was not the right way forward. <br /><br />"We manage our international relations by remaining engaged with the international community and maintaining ties with as many countries as possible," said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that this was in Singapore's national interests as a small country. <br /><br />Breaking ties with a country whose actions Singapore disapproved of would not be "constructive" nor would it change the situation on the ground. <br /><br />"Nor ... will it influence Israel to suddenly change its policies or will it necessarily immediately reduce the suffering of the Palestinians."<br /><br />He noted that none of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, or Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan, had broken off ties.<br /><br />On whether relations with Israel have been affected by Singapore's position, Dr Balakrishnan said it maintained good ties with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. <br /><br />"All sides know that Singapore will always speak our minds. Not provocatively, but because these are dearly held principles that we uphold and that we will continue to maintain these positions, guided by Singapore's long-term national interests and our unique circumstances," he said. <br /><br />He also cautioned against thinking of the conflict along religious lines.<br /><br />"Religion is actually a veneer covering the heart of the conflict. What is the heart of the conflict? It's an age-old conflict, a fight over land, over identity, over power," said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that the issue went back centuries, even thousands of years. <br /><br />"The Israelis and Palestinians are both Semitic tribes who have been fighting over the same sliver of land for such a long time."<br /><br />He added that it was not possible for Singapore, as an outsider, to determine which party had a stronger historical claim. <br /><br /><br />MORE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR GAZA<br /><br />Singapore will donate a third tranche of aid for Gaza through Jordan, Dr Balakrishnan said. <br /><br />"We will continue also our long-standing support for the Palestinian Authority's capacity-building efforts through our S$10 million Enhanced Technical Assistance Package," he said. <br /><br />"We do all this because we look forward to the day when there's peace, and that there is a functioning, capable Palestinian state, and that the Palestinian people get the peace and progress which they so richly deserve."<br /><br />The minister said he appreciated that many Singaporeans felt deeply about the situation in Gaza, but reiterated that foreign policy could not be driven by sentiment or affinity to any external group. <br /><br />Since as early as last October, Singapore authorities <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/israel-hamas-conflict-events-public-assemblies-applications-reject-speakers-corner-police-nparks-3852891">have warned against holding events and public assemblies</a> related to the Israel-Hamas situation. <br /><br />The Singapore Police Force and the National Parks Board have <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/israel-hamas-war-speakers-corner-anti-semitist-muslim-police-3899776">turned down applications</a> for such events at Hong Lim Park, citing public safety and security concerns.<br /><br />More recently, the police have investigated a slew of events related to the war and <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/police-investigating-israel-hamas-war-events-feb-2-orchard-istana-singapore-airshow-4120531">warned off calls to protest at the Singapore Airshow</a>. <br /><br />Even <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-schools-israel-hamas-war-teachers-dont-impose-personal-views-moe-4146306">teaching the subject at schools has raised concerns</a> among Singaporeans. <br /><br />Foreign policy should be based on Singapore's core interests and acting consistently in accordance with the principles that safeguard its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, said Dr Balakrishnan. <br /><br />While a variety of opinions was "healthy" and provided the basis for making "collective decisions as a country", Singaporeans should always find the middle ground, compromise and arrive at a consensus, he added. <br /><br />"Our diversity is both a strength but also, (the) same windows of opportunity also provide windows for (external) influence and for discord and divisiveness. This is not a bug. This is a design feature of Singapore," he said.<br /><br />"And so long as we remember that we do not, we must not, allow centrifugal pressures to threaten our harmony and our cohesion, we can continue to take advantage of our diversity."</div><div><br />SINGAPORE SHOULD NOT SEVER TIES: PRITAM SINGH<br /><br />In clarification questions, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh asked how Singapore moved forward with foreign policy when the government of another country took a "diametrically different position" from its own, such as in the case of the Israel-Hamas war, where the Israeli leadership does not believe in a two-state solution. <br /><br />Seeking his own clarification, Dr Balakrishnan asked if Mr Singh agreed that Singapore should not sever diplomatic ties even when it had a fundamental disagreement on policy with the other country. <br /><br />Mr Singh replied: "My query on diplomatic ties – I'd rather be in communication with a party rather than not be in communication with the party. <br /><br />"But the point I think was about how you respond when the other party actually takes a diametrically different position from your national position." <br /><br />Mr Singh then agreed that Singapore should not sever ties. <br /><br />In response, Dr Balakrishnan said he could not recall Singapore having broken off ties with another country. <br /><br />"Will a performative gesture of formally breaking ties, will that necessarily be helpful?" he asked. <br /><br />It would be better for Singapore to keep channels of communication open, he said, adding that while Singapore had to take action to signify disapproval at times, such action would be "restrained" and be focused on outcomes. <br /><br />Singapore ministers and diplomats had access to all the countries in the Middle East, he added. <br /><br />"We don't agree with everything that every counterpart in Israel and Arab countries state. But they listen to us. They respect our positions, they work with us to deliver assistance," Dr Balakrishnan said. <br /><br />Similarly, Member of Parliament Nadia Ahmad Samdin (PAP-Ang Mo Kio) asked how Singapore's foreign policy and its position for a ceasefire informed domestic policies across the ministries, such as the Ministry of Education on educating students and the Ministry of Home Affairs on permits issued. <br /><br />Dr Balakrishnan replied that he could not speak for the other ministries, but that his ministry accepts that differences from foreign counterparts are "in the nature of things". He reiterated that taking a consistent, principled base would help Singapore operate internally and externally amid diversity. <br /><br />In his reply, Dr Balakrishnan underlined Singapore's stance that hostages taken on Oct 7 should be released "completely, immediately and unconditionally".<br /><br />"We are simply taking (the) stand, (the) principle (that) terrorism is wrong. Hostage taking is wrong, please release the hostages immediately. Do not use any excuse, historical or whatever to cover for that."<br /><br />At the same time, Israel should recognise that there was a limit to pursuing self-defence and that "two wrongs don't make a right", he said. <br /><br />"At the end of it all, remember despite all the diversity in the world ... we're all human beings, and we must feel something for innocent civilians."</div><div><br />Source: CNA/wt(kg)</div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-82407736377223932712024-02-29T07:50:00.000+08:002024-02-29T07:50:19.286+08:00Singapore to acquire 8 F-35A fighter jets<p> </p>
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<section class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodearticlefield-content clearfix"><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="text"><div class="text-long"><p>SINGAPORE: The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will buy eight F-35A jets, continuing its build-up of a “next-generation” force to serve the country’s security needs.</p><p>The aircraft are expected to be delivered around 2030, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said during the Ministry of Defence’s (MINDEF) budget debate in parliament on Wednesday (Feb 28).</p><p>This is on top of RSAF’s existing order of <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/f35-fighter-jet-mindef-saf-rsaf-air-force-military-defence-3302941">12 F-35 jets of the “B” variant</a>, expanding its full fleet of the fifth-generation US-made fighter aircraft to 20.</p><p>Once operational, the F-35 jets will put Singapore’s air force in the “premier league”, he said.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><span style="color: red;">The purchase is timed to capitalise on a “window of opportunity”. F-35 prices are now more competitive amid a healthy order pipeline for the jets globally, </span>said Dr Ng, who did not reveal the cost of Singapore’s F-35A purchase.</p></div></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><section class="block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix"><figure class="figure block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix" data-img-id=""><img alt="" height="640" loading="lazy" src="https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--NTdMhBAA--/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mediacorp/cna/image/2024/02/28/rsaf_air_force_future_fighter_jet_fleet_f-35_f-15sg.png?itok=uIm60xdy" typeof="foaf:Image" width="499" /></figure></section></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="text"><div class="text-long"><p>Overall, MINDEF’s expenditure will hit S$20.2 billion (US$15 billion) in the 2024/2025 financial year, up 2.5 per cent from the previous year, he told parliament.</p><p>But Dr Ng pointed out that despite nominal increases in defence spending, its share as a percentage of gross domestic product has fallen because it has been outpaced by economic growth.</p><p>Around 20 years ago, Singapore was spending about 5 per cent of GDP on defence.</p><p>In the current and upcoming financial year, the defence budget has held steady at 3 per cent, even though <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/budget-2024-small-surplus-s08-billion-expected-balanced-fiscal-position-4128916">total government spending</a> as a percentage of GDP has risen.</p><p>MINDEF expects its spending to stay “in this range” over the next decade, barring conflicts and wars, said Dr Ng.</p><p>He added that the fall as a percentage of GDP was not because SAF cut back on what was necessary to defend Singapore, but because of sustained spending to build a strong military over the long term.</p><p>“So today, we are reaping dividends of the sums we put in steadily over the past 20 years. And if we continue to invest wisely, we will reap more dividends in the future,” he said.</p></div></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="referenced-card"><h4 class="h4 h4--related-block"><span style="color: red; font-weight: normal;">Dr Ng opened his speech by referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars. He also sketched the consequences of the trade war between the United States and China, which could grow to more areas in the name of national security.</span></h4></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="text"><div class="text-long"><p>“I can assure this House that surprises and unintended consequences are in store, some linked, others completely out of the blue. When the ambient temperature of geopolitics rises, sparks and fires will arise from multiple sources,” he said.</p><p>“So, I have reversed my assessment for today’s generation in Singapore and elsewhere. The risk of regional and even global conflict in the next decade has become non-zero. I do not make this assessment lightly.”</p><p>He stressed the importance of a strong SAF to deter aggression and adventurism.</p></div></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="text"><div class="text-long"><h3 style="text-align: left;">FUTURE FIGHTER FLEET</h3><p><span style="color: red;">RSAF acquired its first four F-35B jets in 2020, and these are on track to be delivered in 2026. The eight F-35B jets acquired in 2023 are projected for delivery in 2028,</span> according to Dr Ng.</p><p>MINDEF may have to deprioritise other projects to enable the F-35A purchase.<strong> </strong>“But we’ve done our calculations, and we think that this is the best time to put the order for the F-35As,” he said.</p><p>The Singapore government does not give detailed cost figures for the acquisition of planes, submarines and army platforms as these can provide an indication of capabilities.</p><p>But the price reportedly averaged around US$82.5 million for F-35A jets to be delivered from 2023 to 2025, according to a US government spokesperson.</p><p>F-35 costs vary according to the exact package that is negotiated, and this differs from country to country, Lieutenant-Colonel Zhang Jianwei, head of the Next Generation Fighter Project Office in RSAF’s Air Plans Department, said at a media preview on Monday.</p></div></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="referenced-card"><div><div><div about="/commentary/paya-lebar-airbase-singapore-defence-f35-jet-2929401" class="media-object" role="article"><div class="media-object__content"><div class="media-object__body"><div class="list-object"><h6 class="h6 list-object__heading"></h6></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="text"><div class="text-long"><p><span style="color: red;">The “B” variant of the F-35 is specially designed to take off at short distances and land vertically. It enhances Singapore’s resilience against attacks on the country’s runways,</span> said LTC Zhang.</p><p><span style="color: red;">In contrast, the “A” variant of the F-35 takes off and lands conventionally, but can carry more fuel for greater endurance, as well as heavier weapon payloads.</span></p><p>The F-35 jets will replace Singapore’s ageing fleet of F-16s, which are slated for retirement from the mid-2030s.</p><p>The RSAF’s future fleet of fighters will comprise the F-35A, F-35B and F-15SG jets. Together, they can perform the “full suite of missions required to defend Singapore skies”, said LTC Zhang.</p><p><span style="color: red;">The F-15SG jets, which became fully operational in 2013, will do the “heavy lifting” as they can carry even greater payloads,</span> he said.</p><p>Asked whether RSAF foresees acquiring other types of aircraft, LTC Zhang said the plan is to operate a diversified fleet of the F-35A, F-35B and F-15SG.</p><p>“But we constantly review our needs against what is available on the market,” he added.</p><p>Singapore is one of four countries in the Indo-Pacific to acquire F-35s, along with Australia, Japan and South Korea. Globally, F-35 users include Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom and other European powers.</p></div></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="referenced-card"><div><div about="/singapore/submarines-bmws-closer-look-navys-newest-custom-made-german-submarine-807561" class="media-object" role="article"><div class="media-object__content"><div class="media-object__body"><div class="list-object"><h6 class="h6 list-object__heading"></h6></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="content-wrapper"><div class="text"><div class="text-long"><p>On other military hardware, Dr Ng said the navy will launch its fourth and final submarine in Kiel, Germany later this year. All four submarines will be operational around Singapore waters by 2028.</p><p>He also gave more details on SAF’s use of autonomous vehicles. The navy’s unmanned surface vessels turn fully operational this year and will patrol the Singapore Strait alongside existing vessels.</p><p>Navy ships will have close-range unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, by the second half of 2024 to extend their surveillance range.</p><p>Drone usage will also filter down to army soldiers, supporting soldiers on foot for last-mile surveillance.</p></div></div></div></section><section class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodearticlefield-source clearfix"><div class="source__block"><div class="source source--with-label">Source: CNA/dv</div></div></section><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Next we will need to get MALDs (Miniature Air Launched Decoys) as well as unmanned Loyal Wingman drones. The F35s are "quarterbacks", and they need "runners", and "scorers" - either F15EX (missile trucks), or Loyal Wingman Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA, Drones), or MALDs (miniature decoys) to provide extra protection for the "Quarterbacks". In a pinch, the F15SG can be both missile trucks, and "decoys" or distractions. </span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">In war games, opposing forces facing stealth platforms were often distracted by HUGE radar returns from non-stealth aircraft like the F15, which leaves the stealth planes unnoticed (as intended). </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">As for those who ask, "why need so much weapons? Who is our enemy?" Singapore's prosperity is dependent on Peace. Russo-Ukraine war is NOT good (for Singapore). If China tries to reunite Taiwan forcefully, it is NOT Good (for Singapore). If the US then intervenes militarily in a China-Taiwan conflict, it would be even worse for Singapore and the World. If any of our neighbours decide we are a small fish, a little red dot, easy to swallow, and tries to swallow Singapore, it is not good for Singapore. Even if we can repulse their attack. Singapore wants to be seen as SO POWERFUL that no opposing general in his right mind will want to attack Singapore. THEN we would have won, without needing to fire a shot in anger. This is why we don't keep our defence purchases secret. We proclaim it. We advertise it. We make sure EVERYBODY knows we have it. And KNOW how much Singapore outclass them in defence. If we appear weak, we will look like Ukraine (to Putin), or Kuwait (to Saddam). </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">And this is not a new strategy, We have been <a href="https://sghistoryunauthorised.blogspot.com/2023/10/singapores-first-tanks-and-story-behind.html" target="_blank">doing this since 1969</a>.]</span><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-14749120357694097182024-02-24T13:13:00.007+08:002024-03-01T23:23:08.317+08:00STB gave grant for Taylor Swift concerts, event likely to generate major benefits for S’pore economy: Govt <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="426" src="https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/styles/large30x20/public/articles/2024/02/20/11157307.jpg?itok=0_2TeUki" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Taylor Swift will hold six shows at the National Stadium from March 2 to March 9. PHOTO: EPA-EFE</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Sarah Koh and Elaine Lee</div><div><br /></div><div>FEB 23, 2024<br /><br /><br />SINGAPORE – The <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/life/taylor-swift-adds-3-dates-to-her-singapore-concert-bringing-total-to-6-shows">upcoming Taylor Swift concerts in Singapore,</a> which are likely to generate significant benefits for the economy, got the support of the authorities in the form of a grant.<br /><br />In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said in a joint statement that tourism sectors such as hospitality, retail, travel and dining are likely to benefit from the event, just like they have in other cities the pop star has performed in.<br /><br />More than 300,000 tickets have been sold for the concerts in Singapore, with <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/airfares-hotel-bookings-surge-in-march-2024-as-taylor-swift-fans-flock-to-s-pore-for-her-six-shows">a large number of fans travelling in from other countries,</a> they added.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>The statement said: “Singapore has much to offer as a destination for large-scale international events, with our strategic location, quality infrastructure, safety, efficiency and diverse cultural offerings.<br /><br />“The Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) will continue to actively bring a range of diverse lifestyle and entertainment offerings to the Sports Hub.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">On Feb 16, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he was informed by concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group that the Singapore Government offered subsidies of up to US$3 million (S$4 million) for each concert – in exchange for Swift agreeing not to perform elsewhere in South-east Asia during The Eras Tour.</span></div><span></span><div><span style="color: red;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254); color: #2b00fe;">[This is the Thai PM giving 2nd hand info from the promoter. It could be a miscommunication or misinterpretation. Maybe he ask the promoter to bring the tour to Thailand and the promoter said SG provided grants, can Thailand also provide grants? And this was interpreted as "SG paid Swift so that she won't bring tour to other countries in SE Asia." ]</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);"><br /></span></span>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sdmBqmkIdiM?si=JR24SF1XJXbzTE-i" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<br /><br />Several foreign media outlets, including the Bangkok Post, reported that Mr Srettha made the comment during the iBusiness Forum 2024 in the Thai capital Bangkok.<br /><br />The American singer, who <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/grammys-taylor-swift-wins-album-of-the-year-grammy-breaking-record">won her fourth Grammy Award for Album of the Year</a> earlier in February, will hold six shows at the National Stadium – which is part of the Singapore Sports Hub – from March 2 to March 9.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Singapore is Swift’s only stop in Asia apart from Japan.</span><br /><br />The joint statement on Feb 20 said that in the case of Swift, MCCY and KASM recognised that there will be significant demand from Singaporeans as well as fans across the region for her to perform in Singapore, and worked directly with AEG Presents for her to do so.<br /><br />“STB also supported the event through a grant,” it added. MCCY told ST on Feb 21 that it is<span style="color: red;"> unable to provide details about the size of the grant or the conditions attached to it due to business confidentiality.</span><br /><br />Since the Government <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/government-takeover-of-sports-hub-was-smooth-termination-sum-payable-reduced-by-100-million-edwin-tong">took back the Singapore Sports Hub,</a> KASM – a wholly owned entity under MCCY – has been working “to make it more accessible and vibrant for all Singaporeans”, the statement said.<br /><br />It added that KASM works with event organisers to create a “uniquely Singapore experience” for Singaporeans and visitors, and “makes use of its strong global relationships, and the multidisciplinary experiences and expertise of the KASM team”.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/life/more-than-950000-queue-virtually-for-coldplay-s-singapore-concert-tickets" target="_blank">Coldplay add Jan 30 show after selling more than 200,000 tickets for 4 Singapore gigs</a></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Mr James Walton, sports business group leader at Deloitte Asia Pacific, said it is not uncommon for cities and venues to secure exclusive arrangements, although it is not often that he sees countries strike such an exclusive deal, “the reason being that<span style="color: red;"> most acts want to reach their entire fan base as much as possible, and so tour as many locations as possible”.</span><br /><br />Bidding wars have occurred in the past – for example, between the Singapore Grand Prix and the National Stadium over acts that were touring in Asia around the same time of the year, and both were trying to get the acts to perform at their venue, he added.<br /><br />In 2023, the Western Australian (WA) government announced that the state had secured exclusive domestic rights to two Coldplay concerts in Perth and called it “a massive coup”. It declined to reveal how much it spent to lure the British band to the city, but its Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti told Sky News Australia: “This is just another form of creating jobs and growing the WA economy.<br /><br />“Tourism is a big job creator… so this is all about making sure we build our tourism product. We give people a reason to come to WA to experience WA and maybe come back.”<br /><br />A country-exclusive touring set can sometimes occur out of necessity due to the dates available, Mr Walton added.<br /><br />He also noted that <span style="color: red;">there are benefits for both parties</span>, including higher prices for the host stadium due to the exclusivity, and <span style="color: red;">convenience for the performer, who can also get tax incentives, and cut down on travel and logistics costs and stadium set-up costs</span>.<br /><br />Mr Joshua Loh – who is course chair for Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s diploma in tourism and resort management – said it is not uncommon to offer financial incentives in exchange for anchoring major events that can help boost tourism and brand cities as vibrant lifestyle destinations.<br /><br />“Usually, the returns for the destination, in terms of tourism receipts from the major event, would significantly outweigh the financial incentives disbursed,” he said.<br /><br />Dr Seshan Ramaswami, marketing associate professor at the Singapore Management University, said Singapore is drawing more than just tourists with its efforts to establish itself as a city with world-class recreation and entertainment infrastructure capable of hosting significant events.<br /><br />In the longer run, he said, it can attract foreign talent, especially in the creative industries, and companies to consider Singapore as their Asian or global base.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">In 2014, Swift cancelled her sold-out Red Tour concert in Thailand in June that year,</span> reported the Bangkok Post. The official cancellation notice on her website said this was <span style="color: red;">“due to recent events in Thailand”.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: red;">The Thai army had taken control of the country and imposed a curfew and martial law</span> following <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thailand-coup-thai-army-chief-announces-military-coup-troops-take-protest-leaders-away">the May 22 military coup that year.</a><br /><br />AEG and Swift’s publicist Tree Paine have been contacted for comment.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[So... Straits Times asked STB and MCCY point blank... and instead of giving a straight answer that "No, Singapore DID NOT pay Swift to perform exclusively in Singapore", they answered obliquely - that SG has provided Swift with a "grant". </span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">So I wondered, why would a highly successful concert tour require a grant? What was the purpose of the grant? At what point was the grant provided? Because concert tours are usually planned quite far ahead - tickets for the Mar 2024 concerts were on sale in July 2023! So plans would have been made a year ahead or even earlier. If the tour was intended to go to Thailand, it would also have been announced then. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">If SG wanted exclusivity,</span><span style="color: red;"> they would have to negotiate more than a year ahead.</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Which is not impossible for a govt that plans very far ahead. But would US$3m a show be sufficient for Swift to give up other cities? It is clear "profit". Whereas, to put up a show in another city will involve logistics and costs, and booking a venue, etc. And then you get just a percentage of the takings. It sounds plausible and the non-denial from STB and MCCY makes it likely. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">But at the same time, I think there are other considerations and the way this unfolded, I am more inclined to think that there are other factors considered by the concert promoter/organiser. And then there was the 2014 cancellation due to the military coup. Maybe the organiser have to ask themselves, "would there be another coup in the next 12 months or so?" With Thailand, chances are better than fair.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">They would have had to book the venue almost a year in advance (if not earlier), and they would have had to scout for viable locations, consider crowd control, security, logistics, and whether there might be a coup, and then they would have to cancel the show, etc. So if the Thai PM wanted Swift to bring her concert to Thailand, he would have had to ask the promoter about a year in advance. So my last question is, Would Swift have agreed to give up other cities for a US$18m "grant"? Or more accurately, would Swift agree to give up SOME of her fans for $18m? </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Honestly, I don't know.]</span><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><b>[Addendum </b>- found this a few days after I posted the above <b>:</b></div></div></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2024/02/24/taylor-swift-wooed-by-singapore-before-other-international-dates-were-lined-up-kasm-chief" target="_blank">Taylor Swift wooed by Singapore before other international dates were lined up: KASM chief</a></span></h3></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">SINGAPORE: In early 2023, a team from Singapore flew to Los Angeles to meet leaders from the sports and entertainment world, as American pop star Taylor Swift was about to embark on her United States tour.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">At the time, no international venues had been confirmed for the superstar’s The Eras Tour run.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">A few months later, the Singapore team, working with concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), promised to “deliver Asia” to Swift, thus setting in motion a deal for an unprecedented six-day run of concerts at the National Stadium in Singapore – the only South-East Asian stop of her tour.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">The Singapore dates were announced in June 2023.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Swift will hold six shows at the 60,000-capacity venue from March 2 to 9. More than 300,000 tickets have been sold for the concerts in Singapore, with a large number of fans travelling in from South-East Asia and the rest of the world.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">“KASM (Kallang Alive Sport Management) initiated the idea (for the tour to come to Singapore) and led the discussions... </span><span style="color: red;">We were the proactive ‘tip of the spear’ for the Government in these discussions that were had,</span><span style="color: #800180;">” said KASM chairman Keith Magnus, speaking to The Straits Times on Feb 23.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">“Once the discussion had progressed and we saw the opportunity of holding an only-in-Singapore event, we then thought it made sense to take a whole-of-government approach and brought in other relevant agencies to really have Team Singapore bringing in Team Taylor.”</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Magnus took over the corporate entity established by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Sport Singapore to manage the S$1.33 billion facility in Kallang in December 2022.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">When asked </span><span style="color: red;">if an exclusivity clause was baked into the agreement </span><span style="color: #800180;">with Swift’s team, he said </span><span style="color: red;">there was “certainly an understanding that it was an only-in-Singapore event,</span><span style="color: #800180;"> (and) that’s how it was branded”.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">On Feb 16, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he was informed by AEG that the Singapore Government offered subsidies of up to US$3 million (S$4 million) for each concert – in exchange for Swift agreeing not to perform elsewhere in South-east Asia during The Eras Tour.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">The Singapore Tourism Board and MCCY then issued a joint statement saying that the upcoming concerts got the support of the authorities in the form of a grant, but stopped short of saying how much was pumped in.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">When pressed, Magnus also did not elaborate on the specifics of the deal, nor the grant amount.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">He is confident that moving ahead – whether a concert is a Singapore exclusive or otherwise – the Republic remains a draw for artistes.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Coldplay, for instance, played six shows in Singapore as part of its Music of the Spheres World Tour earlier in 2024, compared with two days in the Philippines and two days in Thailand.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">“It’s now a proven model that if you are an artiste and you want to be in Asia to cater to the Asia fan base, you really just have to come to Singapore, play here,” he said.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">He added that “fans are able and willing to travel to Singapore to have a great experience and participate not just in the concert, but a broader offering of what the country has to offer”.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">The enormously popular tour is currently making a stop for four days in Sydney, where Destination New South Wales projects more than 100,000 visitors will flock to the Australian city, generating an economic benefit of A$80 million (S$70.7 million).</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Swift’s seven shows across Australia’s two biggest cities from Feb 16 to 26 could generate A$1.2 billion in economic value in Melbourne alone, according to the city’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">The Singapore team’s maiden trip to Los Angeles was a catalyst for KASM “to understand and see what was possible on the global stage with marquee events”, said Magnus.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Calls had already gone out to draw the sporting and entertainment world to Singapore in October and November 2022, even before the Government took back the Singapore Sports Hub, according to Magnus.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">“We had already begun making calls around the world, signalling that Kallang was going to be beating to a different drum,” he said.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: red;">“If the vision was to be the premier (entertainment and sports) destination, then we needed to be proactive.”</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">The Sports Hub, which Magnus noted is seeing the dividends of this now, has already had a jam-packed 2024.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Juggernaut act Coldplay played a six-day run of concerts at the National Stadium in end-January, while Ed Sheeran, with extra seating, drew a record crowd of 60,000 people to the same venue on Feb 16.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">In January to April, the venue is expecting to welcome more than 900,000 visitors for concerts alone, with pop star Bruno Mars’ three dates in April expected to draw around 150,000 concertgoers. In March, the sporting venue will also host the Singapore v China World Cup qualifier.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Experts conservatively estimate that Coldplay’s concerts alone would have contributed a revenue of $96 million to Singapore’s gross domestic product, said Mr Zachery Rajendran, programme chair for the diploma in integrated events management at Republic Polytechnic.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">“The impact of Taylor Swift’s concerts could possibly surpass that,” said Mr Zachery, adding that the temporary influx of travellers for such concerts brings a myriad of benefits to Singapore, ranging from economic growth to cultural enrichment to global recognition.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">Magnus wants to continue to build on the momentum and ensure that the world of sports and entertainment “knows that there is a great partner they can have in KASM”.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">“It’s almost an investment banking DNA and passion that’s been brought into the operating culture of the organisation... We are constantly in deal mode,” said the chairman and chief executive of investment banking firm Evercore.</span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">“In order to do that, we have to be proactive and thoughtful in curating both world-class as well as national-class (events) to appeal to Singaporeans and visitors alike.” - </span></p></div><div><p><span style="color: #800180;">The Straits Times/ANN</span></p></div></blockquote><div><div class="sasStoryRectPos"></div><div class="story--featured"><div class="story__details"><h2 class="story__title"></h2></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yiym0Ak3_tQ?si=V8I3aSzfc1FI0zZY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>]</div></div><div class="story--featured"><br /></div><div class="story--featured"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Addendum 2 (1/3/24)</span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Edwin Tong on the deal that brought Taylor Swift to Singapore
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<div class="story--featured"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">To summarise, SG wanted Taylor Swift because her concerts here would be good for Singapore. And it is a purely commercial decision. Swift's Eras Tour will bring economic benefits to Singapore, and Singapore was willing to offer Swift and her organisation the "whole package" to bring her tour to Singapore. And it is not simply the grant (which Edwin Tong hints is not as large as the figures being bandied about in the media), but other support infrastructures and the quality. And KASM is not just a passive venue manager, but was pro-actively seeking out (in this case) the Eras Tour and working with them on the logistics, the marketing and promotion, the ticketing, etc. In other words, SG (and KASM) made it easy for the tour organiser to say yes. </span></div><div class="story--featured"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="story--featured"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">]</span></div><div class="story--featured"><br /></div><div class="story--featured"><br /></div><div class="story--featured"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-65281034860408678892024-02-02T08:57:00.005+08:002024-02-02T08:58:11.819+08:00Tourism in 2023, 13.76 million tourists to Singapore<p>That's about 70% of pre-pandemic arrivals. </p>
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<p>For 2024, tourists arrivals is expected to be as between 15 - 16 million. (Which probably means that we could expect maybe 17 million or more because Singapore tends to be conservative in our estimates.)</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>With the 15 - 16 million visitors, they will spend between $26, and $27.5 billion for 2024.<p></p><p>Our top three tourists by expenditure for Jan to Sep 2023, are from China, Indonesia, and Australia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPohth_QLkeYVuUlTrqw_0-V53G7cpHbI0isjk2ufKQfIhJr5DChT1CRrZPnruutuRvcBRY4chMVvOzj3xlqEzlGmYkkk1xJlUs9K4Cr0ZwcREScjM3TlnuP0KGtzLhCTa-uIwIHAK9UaSpc7RB-v7rkqg6Q5hSYJSuVr3Gd-0XpK2xyCBL8KLuP3iyFr/s1696/Tourisms%20top%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1696" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPohth_QLkeYVuUlTrqw_0-V53G7cpHbI0isjk2ufKQfIhJr5DChT1CRrZPnruutuRvcBRY4chMVvOzj3xlqEzlGmYkkk1xJlUs9K4Cr0ZwcREScjM3TlnuP0KGtzLhCTa-uIwIHAK9UaSpc7RB-v7rkqg6Q5hSYJSuVr3Gd-0XpK2xyCBL8KLuP3iyFr/w640-h286/Tourisms%20top%203.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pre-pandemic (in 2019), these were the numbers:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6eFGjQwbU2GzIe9SxfXnM2fKk4IT-uRBIPC-40QjaUkmxxYOchuAAYpjVGU7Oh99hF-y92ubMJK_jJYDI67MhS8EJYvIbgTY6IRe-TDZGZpxQjDr03pgf4juVPNNlWe-DnoaJtxfBYJq5H1Dv_9uqQ5E7E8lAnJsbl4Dyz5zsJbVuF09Dn1r59LBI_CF/s814/Tourism$%202019.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="814" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6eFGjQwbU2GzIe9SxfXnM2fKk4IT-uRBIPC-40QjaUkmxxYOchuAAYpjVGU7Oh99hF-y92ubMJK_jJYDI67MhS8EJYvIbgTY6IRe-TDZGZpxQjDr03pgf4juVPNNlWe-DnoaJtxfBYJq5H1Dv_9uqQ5E7E8lAnJsbl4Dyz5zsJbVuF09Dn1r59LBI_CF/w400-h371/Tourism$%202019.png" width="400" /></a></div>The Chinese have been feeling "poorly" because of the various economic issues in China, so to encourage them to visit Singapore (and maybe the Casinos?), We are offering them visa-free travel to Singapore (from 9 Feb!):<p>
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<br /></p><p>I believe the Indonesians are another group that frequents our Casinos, but that is just a guess on my part.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-80055443265577855242024-01-21T19:50:00.006+08:002024-01-21T20:26:22.091+08:00Street survey reveals S'porean men more likely to pick Wi-Fi over their wivBy Team <a href="https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/tech-news-wifi-or-wifey-singtel-5g" target="_blank">HardwareZone</a><div><br /></div><div>10 Jan 2024</div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES" src="https://assets.hardwarezone.com/img/2024/01/WiFi_or_Wifey.jpg" style="height: 433px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 650px;" title="PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i>In a Kiss92 street survey conducted by The Big Show radio duo Glenn Ong and The Flying Dutchman (FD), it appears that the majority of Singaporean men would indeed give up their wives for Wi-Fi access.</i><br /><br /><br />“Wi-Fi”, says the first male participant they interviewed, without missing a beat, while holding hands with his wife of three months. “I hope you make it to six,” quips FD to the couple.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />Another participant picked Wi-Fi because a wife is “more expensive”. Oh dear.<br /><br />This street survey originated from a spirited debate between Glenn Ong and FD during The Big Show earlier this week. The provocative question: Would men choose Wi-Fi over their wives? <br /><br />As the survey results rolled in, a surprising majority sided with FD’s tongue-in-cheek stance of choosing Wi-Fi.<br /><br />Since digital engagement and connectivity have surged, Wi-Fi has now become a non-negotiable essential for many. The survey results hint at a revelation – for the modern Singaporean man, uninterrupted digital access may be more appealing than matrimonial bliss.<br /><br />We asked Mr D Yeo (who declined to give us his full name because his wife also reads HardwareZone), 43, a logistics manager, the same million-byte question to get a sense of what a typical male Singaporean from the heartlands thinks.<br /><br />“I would definitely pick Wi-Fi over my wife, because at least the internet never nags at me,” says Mr Yeo with a wry smile.<br /><br />We also asked the HardwareZone team for their opinion. Unsurprisingly, they have requested that their names be withheld for personal security reasons.<br /><br />Mr VJ says: “I have to pick Wi-Fi because my livelihood depends on it. I also need it to police the EDMW forum in HardwareZone.”<br /><br />Another, Mr ZC, has a practical reason for choosing Wi-Fi: “How else am I going to upload my coffee-making videos on TikTok?”<br /><br />If anything, the survey has humorously summarised how much we rely on technology. It makes us wonder if our digital lives are becoming more important than our real-life relationships. As Wi-Fi becomes even more essential, finding a balance between online and offline worlds is crucial.<br /><br />For the record, Glenn picked his wife: “After two failed marriages, I’ve learned that love triumphs over everything, so I will pick my wife over Wi-Fi.”<br /><br />It looks like there’s still hope for huManity.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[The solution is simple. Install Wifi on Wife. That way there will be no dilemma. Since this survey was "sponsored" by Singtel, maybe Singtel should have a new product: "Wifey-Wifi". Women are also called "broads" in slang, so "Broadbroadband" for women who are not married, but want to get a man? Internet access can be attractive.]</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-45813913850877643922024-01-17T01:14:00.001+08:002024-02-02T08:42:22.146+08:00A warmer Singapore could spell trouble for its tourism industry, say experts<i>To mitigate the effects of the heat, various tourist attractions have put in place initiatives to keep people and places cool.</i><div><i><br /></i><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="360" src="https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--C5hg1N7K--/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830/f_auto,q_auto/tourists-shield-themselves-with-umbrellas-on-a-hot-day-at-the-merlion-park-in-singapore-18--1-.jpg?itok=N9k85gOo" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">FILE: Tourists shield themselves with umbrellas on a hot day at the Merlion Park in Singapore on Jun 21, 2017. <br />(Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Nadirah Zaidi<br />Darrelle Ng<br /><br /></div><div>16 Jan 2024</div><div><br /><br />SINGAPORE: A <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/very-hot-days-more-frequent-dry-spells-rainfall-extreme-weather-national-climate-change-study-4021261">warmer and wetter Singapore</a> could dampen the appeal of the nation as a tourist destination, experts warned. </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>Projections from the <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/very-hot-days-nights-climate-change-singapore-study-end-century-4020401">latest National Climate Change Study</a> showed that the country will experience <span style="color: red;">progressively hotter days, more frequent and longer dry spells, and more extreme rainfall.</span><br /><br />All these could impact the types of activities and attractions on offer, and discourage some tourists from visiting the sunny island, said analysts.<br /><br />“If the temperature increases, but at the same time it is more humid … (at some point) it becomes<span style="color: red;"> quite impossible for people to stay outside in the sun and this makes movement more restricted,”</span> said Professor Abhishek Bhati, campus dean of James Cook University Singapore.<br /><br />“If our rainfall increases, then tourists are not getting the benefit of coming to a clear and sunny tourist destination,” he added. “So if Singapore is not able to offer the benefits which tourists are looking for, then <span style="color: red;">they may start to look elsewhere.”</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[For visitors from temperate climes, they may discover that, because of climate change, their home has become tropical, and they don't need to travel to get some sun and warmth!]</span><br /><br />
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<br /><br />WARMER DAYS AHEAD<br /><br />The study, released earlier this month by the Center of Climate Research Singapore, said that the nation’s mean temperature could rise by between 0.6 and 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, depending on the world’s carbon emissions rate.<br /><br />Very hot days, during which the maximum temperature exceeds 35 degrees Celsius, will also become more frequent.<br /><br />For tourists favouring the outdoors, the warmer weather could affect their experience in the nation's many open spaces, including the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.<br /><br />“Imagine you're going to see lions or tigers, but these animals are never outside, <span style="color: red;">they're always (hiding in the shade) because it is too hot.</span> So as a tourist, you're not getting the value that you expect of seeing an open zoo,” said Prof Bhati, who is also the regional vice president of the International Tourism Studies Association. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Most animals are nocturnal anyway. That's why we have the Night Safari. So... in future we may have TWO Night Safari parks, and the Day Safari will be a from an air-conditioned shuttle or tram.]</span><br /><br />Singapore’s hawker culture could be also diminished if the temperature becomes unbearable <span style="color: #2b00fe;">[miserable] </span>for dining outdoors.<br /><br />“Alfresco eating places will have to have mitigating measures that could change their attractiveness. There will be fewer open air dining spaces. Everything will be enclosed in air-conditioned spaces,” said Prof Bhati.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Maybe not "<span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">air-conditioned", but "climate-controlled". Like Bugis Junction "faux alfresco" shopping street, and Clark Quay, and (part of) Chinatown. Shelter with some cooling measures.]</span></span><br /><br />With the soaring heat,<span style="color: red;"> visitors along shopping belts such as Orchard Road could also want to venture in sheltered areas more,</span> which could change how shopping centres have to deal with cooling systems.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Most locals do not venture out onto Orchard Road. They will stay underground from Wheelock Place/ Shaw Centre, to Ion, to Wisma, and onto Ngee Ann City/Takashimaya, and never see the sun. Convert Orchard Road to a <span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">pedestrian-only road, cover it with a high tinted roof (like Bugis or Clark Quay), and the "residual" air-conditioning "leaking" from the shops will lower the temperature. Once the road is closed to traffic, the roads will be available for kiosks, and carts, and these will bring Orchard Road back to some vibrancy.]</span></span><br /><br />“With more people indoors, the air conditioning has to work harder. More cooling measures will have to be installed in shopping malls,” said Prof Bhati.<br /><br /><br />RISING SEA LEVELS<br /><br />The climate change study also warned that <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/sea-level-rise-climate-change-singapore-115m-end-century-4021396">rising tides are inevitable</a>, with a projection of between 0.23m to 1.15m increase in mean sea level by the year 2100.<br /><br />Experts said the sea could encroach into low-lying and coastal areas such as East Coast Park, Marina Bay and Sentosa.<br /><br />Beaches would become smaller, while flora and fauna in low-lying areas could be lost. All these could make Singapore <span style="color: red;">less attractive for tourists looking for a beach holiday or a slice of nature.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Ok. People who come to Singapore for a "beach holiday" or "a slice of nature", even now, didn't do their research. Also, people who come for beach holidays or a slice of nature DO NOT SPEND MONEY! Which is why we don't encourage Eco-Tourism. No money in it. We would rather they spend money on a hotel (like MBS), swim in the Infinity Pool (for guests only), and take Instagrams of their time in the ($$) pool in the sky. Or visit the Zoo ($$), or Cloud Forest and Flower Dome ($$), or SEA Aquarium ($$) or a Casino! That won't be threatened by climate change!]</span><br /><br />“Rising sea levels will reduce the shelf and the beach space which is available for people. If our beaches are no longer attractive, then they become a limited benefit for tourists,” said Prof Bhati.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[There is a plan to address this - the "Long Island" plan to protect East Coast beach, and to add new beachfront. Will need to see how or if it works.]</span><br /><br />“(We could also be looking at) more crowded spaces covered with concrete, with fixed reinforced structures, rather than trees or canopy.”<br /><br /><br />WETTER, WINDIER DAYS AHEAD<br /><br />With rains set to become heavier and <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/stronger-winds-may-bring-breezier-days-singapore-also-danger-falling-trees-climate-change-4037361">wind speeds expected to strengthen</a>, experts said more resilient infrastructures that can withstand the impact of climate change will be needed. <br /><br />“Whatever happens to the climate, it's not in isolation, they all are going to impact our daily lives as well as the tourists who come here,” said Prof Bhati.<br /><br />“Areas with a high concentration of outdoor attractions will need to mitigate the impacts of changes in temperature, rainfall and wind.”<br /><br />The study said the rainy months of December to January could get wetter by up to 58 per cent by the end of the century, with more extreme daily rainfall across all seasons.<br /><br />Daily maximum wind gusts are expected to increase by up to 10 per cent, which can potentially cause damage to infrastructure and uproot trees.<br /><br />“As flooding is very closely associated with climatic changes, (floods) is one thing that we might see,” said Mr Kevin Phun, founder of the Centre for Responsible Tourism Singapore.<br /><br />He pointed out that the government has actively invested in upgrading and improving the capacity of infrastructure to contain and drain rainwater.<br /><br /><br />ECO-TOURISM COULD BE KEY<br /><br />To mitigate the effects of the heat, various tourist attractions have put in place initiatives to keep people and places cool.<br /><br />“(Our) animal care team deploys<span style="color: red;"> creative solutions to keep the animals cool</span> in this tropical climate where temperatures have been progressively rising. These include installing sprinkler systems throughout the habitats that provide the animals a refreshing respite,” said the Mandai Wildlife Group, which runs the Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise, River Wonders and Night Safari.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Also Camels. We should have more camels. Filthy <span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">animals though.]</span></span><br /><br />Aside from a constant supply of fresh water, animals also get specially crafted ice treats which serve as both a cooling agent and a source of enrichment on some hot days.</div><div><br />Across its attractions, the group maintains a high level of tree canopy cover to help lower the ambient temperature and offer shade to both animals and humans alike.<br /><br />Green efforts such as these will be key in attracting more visitors to Singapore, analysts said.<br /><br />Various hotels and other tourism businesses have also stepped up their sustainability playbook, such as getting rid of single-use items and installing energy-saving technologies.<br /><br />Mr Phun said that <span style="color: red;">the younger generation, particularly Gen Z, is increasingly invested in sustainable travel</span>. Having environmental impacts in mind when implementing tourism initiatives could appeal to more such visitors, he added.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Sigh. the "younger generation" HAVE NO MONEY! So they do cheap things like backpacking - "See the world without having to pay the world.", and "Eco-tourism" which means not buying souvenirs or going for ticketed, curated attractions that cost money, and instead going to see nature/ natural things... FOR FREE! Also "Sustainable Travel" is an oxymoron unless these hippie backpackers came down to Singapore like Japanese soldiers in WWII - on bicycles! If you took a flight, and you think you are engaging in "sustainable travel", you're a "hippie hypocrite".</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">How are we going to make Sungei Buloh Wetlands a significant tourism revenue centre? Implement Mandatory Crocodile Insurance, in case a tourist is bitten or eaten by a croc?]</span></div><div><br />“Going forward, we will have a younger (demographic) of tourists who – studies in the last few years have shown – are<span style="color: red;"> very interested in green practices.</span> They travel with a very different perspective from their parents,” he said.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[The problem with "green practices"? How to make money from tourists for "green practices"?]</span></div><div><br />Prof Bhati added: “Those who are able to manage global warming or these climate changes more effectively are going to be the tourist attractions that will be more resilient in the future.”<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Actually, the real threat to Singapore's tourism industry is the slowing growth in China, and the Chinese's (PRC) perception of being poorer. This will mean fewer tourists from China, and fewer Chinese gamblers in our casinos. Gamblers do not care about the temperature and the humidity outside. They care if they feel poor, or unlucky. They don't care about rising sea levels, unless the casino is underwater.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The point is, if the Chinese don't come here to gamble, who will?]</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[2 Feb update:</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Then there was this news report from 25 Jan 2024. Obviously, the govt is on top of things and know which side of the bread is buttered... and where the butter is coming from:</span></div>
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<div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">This visa-free travel for Chinese tourists is hoped to entice more Chinese to visit Singapore (and the Casinos)! Otherwise MBS build 4th tower for what???]</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-85747985851817517122024-01-13T07:20:00.003+08:002024-01-13T08:30:51.838+08:00US intel shows China's army had missiles filled with water instead of fuel in a corruption scandal that led to Xi's military purge: BloombergMatthew Loh<div> <br />Jan 8, 2024</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://i.insider.com/659b6b6dec62ab5daf8165a3?width=700" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Chinese soldiers atop mobile rocket launchers in a parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 2019 to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</span></td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>US intelligence said China's military purge stemmed from serious equipment issues, Bloomberg reported.</li><li>Examples of these included missiles that had been filled with water instead of fuel, the report said.</li><li>The problems are a blow to Xi Jinping's focus on the Rocket Force, China's main nuclear arm.</li></ul><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>China's army fielded missiles filled with water instead of fuel and arrays of silos with improper lids — examples of military corruption that led to a dramatic purge of top officials, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-06/us-intelligence-shows-flawed-china-missiles-led-xi-jinping-to-purge-military">Bloomberg reported</a>, citing US intelligence.</div><br /><span style="color: red;">Bloomberg, which did not name its sources,</span> reported on Saturday that the intelligence indicated Xi Jinping's recent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xi-jinping-military-purge-china-disrupt-us-race-2024-1">ousting of more than a dozen senior commanders</a> in the People's Liberation Army stemmed from serious issues of graft such as these.<br /><br />The purge went so far as to ax even the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sacked-defense-minister-without-explanation-months-after-disappearance-2023-10">Chinese defense minister</a>, Li Shangfu, who disappeared for two months before being replaced in October.<br /><br />US intelligence sources told Bloomberg that corruption was so severe in China's Rocket Force and the wider PLA that it would most likely force Xi to recalibrate whether Beijing can take on any major military action soon.<br /><br />The Rocket Force is China's main military branch overseeing its nuclear weapons and has been a key focus of Xi's recent push to rapidly modernize Beijing's forces.<br /><br />It's been especially central to China's posturing on Taiwan, with <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3228592/military-experts-say-pla-rolling-out-longer-range-missiles-near-taiwan">Beijing rolling out long-range missiles</a> on its coast to threaten the self-governed island.<br /></div><span></span><div><br />In 2021, researchers said satellite images showed <a href="https://www.insider.com/china-300-nuclear-missile-silos-beyond-russia-us-fas-2021-11">China was constructing hundreds of nuclear-capable missile silos</a> in the Xinjiang desert, allowing its arsenal to potentially rival those of Russia or the US.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">But US intelligence said one example of corruption was that entire fields of silos in Western China were fitted with lids that prevented missiles from launching effectively,</span> a source told Bloomberg.<br /><br />The outlet did not say what sort of missiles had been filled with water.<br /><br />The American assessment said these problems had likely undermined Xi's modernization policies and internal confidence in the Rocket Force's capabilities, the outlet reported.<br /><br />Xi's purge was long speculated to be tied to his long-running anti-corruption campaign. For months, China has dodged questions on why so many high-ranking army officials were fired.<br /><br />Of the recently sacked Chinese commanders, at least three held top positions in the Rocket Force, and four were responsible for equipment, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/sweeping-chinese-military-purge-exposes-weakness-could-widen-2023-12-30/">Reuters reported</a>.<br /><br />The PLA has since emphasized staying vigilant against graft, citing a "battle against corruption" repeatedly in its <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fAvdNENAs1yhMNyuaNbHfA">New Year's Day statement</a>.<br /><br />The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.</div><div><br />
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</div><div><br /></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Ex-PLA officer says Chinese troops used to cook and make hot pot with fuel they took out of missiles: report</h2>Chris Panella <br /><br /><div>Jan 10, 2024</div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://i.insider.com/659dbc9edcdb354a985611bd?width=700" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yao Cheng, a former PLA officer, recalled problems from his time in the service. The above images show modern Chinese missiles and hot pot.GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images/Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A former People's Liberation Army officer said Chinese troops used missile fuel to cook hot pot.</li><li>He told Radio Free Asia about the incidents and other issues of corruption.</li><li>Recent reports have highlighted new problems in the PLA, such as missiles filled with water.</li></ul>Hot pot is a delicious communal meal that Chinese troops were able to make with the help of rampant corruption and readiness problems, a former officer told <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/military-corruption-01082024124408.html">Radio Free Asia</a> amid reports of new issues within the People's Liberation Army.<br /><br />The ex-officer said he and other personnel used to use the fuel from missiles to cook meals, including hot pot. The reported example highlighted past problems with the Chinese military as the PLA and Chinese leadership grapple with new troubles potentially hindering China's efforts to transform its armed forces into a world-class military that can fight and win wars.<br /><br />Yao Cheng, identified as a former lieutenant colonel and staff officer with the PLA who fled to the US in 2016, told the US government-funded Radio Free Asia that during his military service — which other interviews indicate was before more extensive military modernization efforts — there were multiple instances in which service members raided components of weapons to get by, speaking to problems within the PLA at that time.<br /><br />Yao told Radio Free Asia that when he was in the military, he and others would "drain fuel from aircraft fuel tanks for cooking, which burns green and has no smell at all."<br /><br />"When we would eat hot pot," he continued, "we would take out the solid fuel in the missiles piece by piece because there were insufficient supplies."<br /><br />Yao said he "would often go along to the armory and ask them for a small round piece of solid fuel when we wanted to have hot pot." Hot pot is a traditional communal Chinese meal involving a tabletop pot that boils meats, seafood, vegetables, and other foods.<br /><br />He made similar observations in a <a href="https://twitter.com/Yaochen64034657/status/1744387582719578316?s=20">post on X</a>, saying Chinese troops consumed whatever they worked with. <span style="color: red;">Yao wrote that transportation personnel sold gas, aviation troops cooked with jet fuel, warship personnel sold diesel, and missile troops used rocket fuel.</span> He said this sort of thing wasn't uncommon.<br /><br />Yao's description of his experiences in the PLA came amid reports documenting continued issues of corruption in the force. US intelligence has described a few cases, including missiles filled with water instead of fuel and missile silos with dysfunctional lids, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-06/us-intelligence-shows-flawed-china-missiles-led-xi-jinping-to-purge-military?leadSource=uverify%20wall">Bloomberg</a> reported.<br /><br />Though these reports highlight problems, it's unclear to what extent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-not-ready-war-us-10-years-ex-nato-chief-2023-12?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank">these issues impact China's overall capabilities and readiness.<br /></a><br />China's military has seen several <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sacked-defense-minister-without-explanation-months-after-disappearance-2023-10">leadership shakeups</a> in the past year, which raise questions about loyalty within the ranks and the control of China's leader, Xi Jinping, as well as his trust in the PLA. Perhaps the most shocking dismissal came in October 2023, when the defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, was removed from office after disappearing from public view for two months. At the time, US officials told The New York Times Li had been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/15/world/asia/xi-china-military-general-li-shangfu.html">under investigation for corruption</a>.<br /><br />Li's departure came after the foreign minister Qin Gang's removal in July, which came with no explanation, and the dismissal of two top commanders of China's Rocket Force in the same month.<br /><br />Expert observers have assessed that Xi is probably tightening his grip on both the Chinese Communist Party and the military. In a July 2023 meeting, he stressed that the party had <a href="http://www.81.cn/yw_208727/16238925.html?&tsrekwfdqdh">"absolute leadership" over the armed forces</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[And a commentary that casts doubts about "<a href="https://youtu.be/qYyBqnV2h9s?si=wUwk22Ig9DMswLXd&t=641" target="_blank">water in missiles</a>" claims:]</span><br />
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<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-84746543442031222742024-01-11T08:37:00.002+08:002024-01-11T08:37:38.533+08:00What makes Singaporeans happyJan 7, 2010 <div><br /></div><div>Tambyah Siok Kuan & Tan Soo Jiuan </div><div><br /></div><div>The Straits Times <br /><br /><i>THE media gives some insight into what makes Singaporeans happy or upset. <br /></i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[An article from 14 years ago. Is it still relevant?]</span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZSLhpvE0IQeGqJ81UXQ9Mcovt7DgOpRXd10e2uGcb0sUxIAC7zJ8rCFf2c0wUKGPse9cY9N8rYYlklHzdzDbk5O0nUxocgjAzq-4oRGFGqBalq0W1nCkpiOfwQlHLMCBQECZfTp2t5BJv6pAHEc29457oQQfCN1h8f4-GGSGfxQCZwwmper739jqckwv/s2048/Botero3Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZSLhpvE0IQeGqJ81UXQ9Mcovt7DgOpRXd10e2uGcb0sUxIAC7zJ8rCFf2c0wUKGPse9cY9N8rYYlklHzdzDbk5O0nUxocgjAzq-4oRGFGqBalq0W1nCkpiOfwQlHLMCBQECZfTp2t5BJv6pAHEc29457oQQfCN1h8f4-GGSGfxQCZwwmper739jqckwv/w480-h640/Botero3Front.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Botero's "Happy Singaporeans"?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></span>Singaporeans are happy when the Government rolls out a family-friendly Budget. Singaporeans are annoyed by service staff who are not passionate about their work or cannot speak English well. Depending on the performance of their investments, Singaporeans may love or loathe coffee shop talk about the stock and property markets. <br /><br />These snapshots motivated us to study three things Singaporeans consider when they evaluate their quality of life: <span style="color: red;">happiness, enjoyment and achievement</span>. In a recently published book that we wrote, <b>The Wellbeing of Singaporeans,</b> we reported that more than one in four Singaporeans (27.5 per cent) are very happy with their life and about half (51.1 per cent) are quite happy while less than 1 in 100 (0.9 per cent) are very unhappy. <span style="color: red;">Singles are the happiest lot while the middle-income group is the least happy. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Yay! Singles! (Personal note: 14 years ago, I was single. Now, not so.)]</span><br /><br />But what makes Singaporeans happy? We found five contributing factors: fluency in English, satisfaction with personal life (for example, standard of living and health), satisfaction with interpersonal life (for example, friendships and family life), pride in being a Singaporean, and the perception of how the Government deals with ethnic diversity. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Singaporeans who are more fluent in English reported more happiness.</span> In Singapore, those who speak English better tend to be more educated and hold higher-paying jobs. This is consistent with other analyses in our book showing that Singaporeans who are highly educated with medium to high levels of incomes are the happiest.<br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Yay! Fluent English speakers! (Personal note: 14 years ago, I was fluent in English. Now ah, dunno what to say!)]</span><br /><br />While financial resources are important, Singaporeans also found happiness in relationships with those close to them. <span style="color: red;">Satisfaction with personal and interpersonal lives is associated with more happiness. </span><br /><br />In addition, Singaporeans' happiness has a broader social dimension: national pride and the performance of the Government. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">The prouder Singaporeans are of their nation, the happier they are.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Yay! Patriots!]</span><br /><br />The Government's role in ensuring that the different ethnic groups co-exist harmoniously also affects happiness. The more Singaporeans perceive the Government to have been effective in dealing with ethnic diversity, the happier they are.<br /><br />Apart from happiness, enjoyment of life also contributes to quality of life. More than one in 10 Singaporeans (11.5 per cent) never or rarely enjoy life. <span style="color: red;">We observed that low-income Singaporeans enjoy life the most while the highly educated enjoy life the least. </span>Satisfaction with personal life, satisfaction with interpersonal life, and national pride also affected Singaporeans' enjoyment of life. <br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[So if you're rich and not enjoying life, you know what to do. Give me your money.]<br /></span><br />Finally, do Singaporeans think that they have achieved the most out of life? Almost one in four Singaporeans (23.9 per cent) feels that he or she has accomplished nothing or very little in life.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Ironically, it is the low-income earners who feel they have accomplished much while the high-income group feels exactly the opposite. </span>We found that the higher the household income, the more a Singaporean feels that he or she has not achieved much in life. Perhaps such families have expectations that are so high that their members feel that they have not accomplished much. Alternatively, they may feel that they have not pushed themselves to their limits because their lives have been comfortable thus far. <br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[That explains a lot!]<br /></span><br />As with happiness and enjoyment, personal life satisfaction and national pride affect one's sense of achievement. But what's interesting is that the perception of the quality of public services also matters. <span style="color: red;">Singaporeans who believe that the Government is doing a good job in providing public services also tend to feel that they have accomplished much in life.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[What about top civil servants? If they believe the govt (i.e. the civil servants) are doing a good job, then they should have a sense of accomplishment. But as they are high income earners they should feel that they have not accomplished much, so the govt is not doing a good job, then they don't deserve their salary and they should commit suicide or something!]</span><br /><br />What do these findings tell us about Singaporeans? While they are generally a happy lot, more can be done to help them appreciate their own achievements and to find more enjoyment in life. <span style="color: red;">Perhaps they have forgotten how to savour simple pleasures.</span><br /><br />They may also be setting themselves up for disappointment by imposing unrealistically high expectations on themselves. A balance must be struck between setting and striving towards standards of achievement and ensuring personal well-being in other areas of one's life. <br /><br /><i>The writers are professors in the Department of Marketing at the National University of Singapore Business School. They specialise in quality of life and lifestyle studies. </i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[So to be happy:</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span> 1) Be Single</span><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span> 2) Speak English (or be fluent in it)</span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span> 3) Be proud of Singapore</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><span> 4) Money may prevent you from enjoying life/being happy</span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><span><span> 5) Believe in the government. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><span><span><span> 6) Remember to appreciate the simple pleasures. (Now with 9% GST!)</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Personally, I think "Happiness" is over-rated. Or over-simplified. Or transient, fleeting, ephemeral. Happiness comes and goes. A nice ice-cream? Happiness! Good Char Kway Teow? Oh Joy! Free Papadum? Serendipity! Is that happiness?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>What we need to be is to be able to appreciate what we have, and be content.]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-89434689657915959232023-12-10T15:42:00.001+08:002023-12-10T15:42:17.099+08:00China’s Difficult Challenge to Reach the Middle (Or why China won't surpass US GDP)<i>Growth dreams deferred. </i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVccEV85V2Kgw5P2nGMJgHcDy9YBepOjbrwdjwPyxqIBkTFQJM9HlCnabl6sf3SdDqWOnsupqTYsoWwTWH5Gc3JUVCrkQsD-cceo7JFJvbNGmKvdokqet7VwuwWawbgnNyVAZVXQQsJhbAxAvm_UQta9ZszeuurCDWcCuiQ3H1eeUc7YWtfoTrZdBDl637/s2000/China2ndGDP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVccEV85V2Kgw5P2nGMJgHcDy9YBepOjbrwdjwPyxqIBkTFQJM9HlCnabl6sf3SdDqWOnsupqTYsoWwTWH5Gc3JUVCrkQsD-cceo7JFJvbNGmKvdokqet7VwuwWawbgnNyVAZVXQQsJhbAxAvm_UQta9ZszeuurCDWcCuiQ3H1eeUc7YWtfoTrZdBDl637/w640-h426/China2ndGDP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">China’s per capita income of $21,400 places it just above the 60th percentile of the global income distribution.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i></div><div>By Enda Curran<br /><br /></div><div>October 23, 2023</div><div><br />An unlikely geopolitical subplot of 2023 is the emerging view that China’s economy isn’t going to overtake the US after all.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>The latest entry into the debate came from researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who last week published a blog post titled, “<a href="https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2023/10/can-china-catch-up-with-greece/">Can China Catch Up With Greece?</a>”</div><div><br />If that question had been asked a decade ago, China watchers would’ve responded with an emphatic yes. But sentiment has turned, even amid evidence that this year’s cyclical slowdown has been exaggerated.<br /><br />The authors Hunter L. Clark and Matthew Higgins lay out <span style="color: red;">China’s strengths that include a well-educated workforce (with half the world’s trained engineers), world-class infrastructure and big leads in areas such as battery production and electric vehicles.</span> Yet they say those attributes alone won’t be enough for China to achieve the status of being “a mid-level developed country by 2035,” as set out by President Xi Jinping.<br /><br />The reasons are well-known: <span style="color: red;">an aging population, diminishing returns from China’s famed investment-driven growth model, heavy-handed state intervention, limitations to technological know-how and a real estate bust that has yet to be worked through.</span><br /></div><span></span><div><br /></div><div>The arithmetic isn’t in China’s favor. The Fed researchers used a working assumption that Xi’s income goal is benchmarked by “Advanced Economies” as classified by the International Monetary Fund. This group of 32 economies had 2022 per capita incomes ranging from<span style="color: red;"> $36,900 at the bottom (Greece) to $127,600 at the top (Singapore)</span>, measured at purchasing power parity.</div><div><br />The researchers used “mid-level” as beginning at the<span style="color: red;"> 25th percentile</span> of this group, which equates to a per capita income of<span style="color: red;"> $49,300.</span> <span style="color: red;">China’s per capita income of $21,400 places it just above the 60th percentile of the global income distribution</span>, but, as calculated by Clark and Higgins, the world’s No. 2 economy is a long way off meeting their middle income threshold. They say per capita income would need to rise by a factor of 2.3, corresponding to <span style="color: red;">an average growth rate of 6.6% to reach the threshold by 2035.</span> Annual income growth would have to be 4.3% to match the current level in Greece by that year.<br /><br />Although the Fed researchers acknowledge <span style="color: red;">there’s an optimistic case for China’s growth,</span> they also cite lessons from economic history to show why this challenge is a tall order. “Of the forty-three countries that had reached China’s current income level by 2009,” they wrote, “not one managed to achieve the growth rate needed to push China to the Advanced Economy 25th percentile over the subsequent thirteen years.”<br /><br />The Fed isn’t alone is reappraising the long-term outlook. Bloomberg Economics in September <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-05/china-slowdown-means-it-may-never-overtake-us-economy-be-says">downshifted its view on China’s growth potential</a> and cautioned that it’s <span style="color: red;">no longer likely to become the world’s biggest economy soon, or ever on any consistent basis</span>. Confirmation of the contrasting fortunes between the world’s big two economies should come this week. Official gross domestic product data due on Thursday is expected to show the US economy is booming, growing by 4.3% in the third quarter, a long way away from the recession that most observers had expected by now.<br /><br />While the US bragging rights may not last for long (a recession is still a threat for 2024), the divergence now is stark, making China’s ambitions all the harder. <span style="color: red;">“China could surprise us and achieve Xi’s lofty income growth target,” the Clark and Higgins wrote. “But that bet comes with stiff odds.” </span>—Enda Curran, Bloomberg News</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">U.S. and Chinese GDP levels of<b> $25.5 trillion </b>and<b> $17.9 trillion </b>in 2022, with 2% U.S. and 2% Chinese real growth, <b>U.S. GDP would be still 42% larger than Chinese GDP in 2050</b>, </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>From: <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/peak-china-why-do-chinas-growth-projections-differ-so-much/" target="_blank">Why do China's Growth Projections differ so much?</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Some factors, like demographic change, are <a href="https://databank.worldbank.org/source/population-estimates-and-projections" rel="noopener" target="_blank">reasonably predictable</a></div><blockquote><div>A 1.7% annual growth in China’s working-age population between 1980 and 2010 will turn into a <span style="color: red;">0.9% annual decline</span> from now to 2050. </div><div><br /></div><div>the most likely outcome is a<span style="color: red;"> deceleration to 2%-3% average annual growth</span> in real Chinese GDP through 2050, but <span style="color: red;">doesn’t rule out rates of up to 5%.</span> </div><div><br /></div><div>China is in a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-comes-under-growing-pressure-to-fix-the-countrys-housing-market-709f8d0d?mod=Searchresults_pos20&page=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">deep real estate crisis</a>. Sales, construction starts, and investments are plummeting, and <span style="color: red;">few major developers will survive without massive bailouts.</span> A large bubble — based on decades of investments chasing fast growth and price rises — is deflating, partly as a result of government policy, and leaves behind stunning examples of overbuilding. And China’s real estate sector is huge, with estimates ranging up to <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w27697" rel="noopener" target="_blank">29% of GDP</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Real estate prices have been artificially supported by the government, and when they eventually fall more losses will need to be recognized.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1187071.shtml" rel="noopener" target="_blank">70% of China’s household wealth</a> is held in real estate, it will<span style="color: red;"> take years to rebuild consumer confidence and lost purchasing power. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Severe as this debt crisis is, the government is likely to contain it without threatening the Chinese financial system. The system is built around the world’s four largest banks, holding assets nearly equal to U.S. GDP. <span style="color: red;">All are state-owned, have access to government capital, and operate under state directives. The state ultimately controls the resources and rules </span>needed to restructure distressed companies and allocate losses — and keeps a close eye on financial stability.</div><div><br /></div><div>State-led crisis management <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/25/business/china-property-developers.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">is already underway</a> in both real estate and local government finances. For example, Evergrande’s CEO and other top executives have <a href="https://www.caixinglobal.com/2023-09-29/evergrande-chairman-hui-ka-yan-falls-under-investigation-102113458.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">been removed</a>, but the company continues to get money to complete pre-sold but unfinished projects. The government can also mobilize fiscal support quickly, as illustrated by a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-choose-fiscal-muscle-over-big-reforms-revive-economy-2023-10-24/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">new package</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>China is <span style="color: red;">investing too much in unproductive projects and consuming too little.</span> This is a legacy of extraordinary 10.5% annual growth between 1990-2010, which would not have been possible without very high rates of investment. The problem has been long recognized, but investment today is still 43% of GDP while growth is projected to fall to 3.9% annually over the next five years </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: red;">China’s growth will not rebound enough to justify high investments</span>; the economy is slowing for fundamental reasons including an <span style="color: red;">aging population, less rural-to-urban migration</span>, and the <span style="color: red;">shift in demand toward services.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>if the property sector, estimated to be 29% of GDP above, were to decline by one-third, about <span style="color: red;">10% of the Chinese production would have to be disrupted and replaced by new activities.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>in the early 2010s, many new industries were also appearing, serving middle-income consumers, and creating new investment opportunities. The list is familiar: solar power, traditional and electric vehicles, innovative electronic devices, and state-of-the-art online services in commerce, leisure, transport, and education. A powerful ecosystem was emerging to support entrepreneurs, including venture capital markets with few rivals except in the United States. These were the new foundations of long-term growth.</div><div><p>By the end of the 2010s, however, the political climate had changed, often at the expense of China’s new industries. In speeches starting in 2015, President Xi Jinping revived an ideological approach to economic policy, <span style="color: red;">focusing first on income inequality, but soon prioritizing technological self-sufficiency, national security, and the primacy of the Chinese Communist Party and its leadership.</span></p></div><div>In preparing for the 2023 National People’s Congress, Xi reined in decisionmaking and unveiled a <span style="color: red;">wide, control-centered agenda. </span>The share of state-owned enterprises in bank lending rose from <a href="https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/state-owned-chinese-firms-borrowing-far-more-private-firms-despite-lagging" rel="noopener" target="_blank">36% to 83% between 2010 and 2016</a>, and the party tightened its oversight of private enterprises and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-28/foreign-executives-in-china-ask-who-s-next-after-bain-probe?sref=Bx52N7hv" rel="noopener" target="_blank">intimidated foreign firms</a>. Business decisions, from products to finance and leadership, slipped from private to party hands. <span style="color: red;">As a result, domestic and <a href="https://www.europeanchamber.com.cn/en/press-releases/3529/european_chamber_report_finds_significant_deterioration_of_business_confidence_in_china" rel="noopener" target="_blank">foreign business confidence</a> in China fell </span>and China is now recording the largest <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-19/china-s-worst-capital-outflow-in-years-spells-more-yuan-pressure?sref=Bx52N7hv" rel="noopener" target="_blank">capital outflows</a> since 2015.</div><div><p>China’s recent strategies inhibit business investment and productivity advances and are already slowing economic growth. </p><p>But China could grow faster. Three decades is a long time, and<span style="color: red;"> Chinese pragmatism could return </span>— underperformance might even make this likely. Forecasts that leave room for a rebound in private initiatives and investments would raise China’s growth outlook at least into the middle part of the Lowy range.</p></div><div>For now, China’s plausible long-term growth projections agree on several factors that imply significant deceleration, but disagree on distant, future policies. These commonalities and differences explain a 2%-5% range in GDP growth rates to 2050. </div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-51120610862703309052023-11-10T15:56:00.000+08:002023-11-10T15:56:28.559+08:00Worker praised for im-peck-able gesture towards chicken crossing the road <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJcWQfG2WKVxoRoheGZFVM4VqW8UQWsBouT5vrBkoQ4AZDLx9mkwXghSw7tbg__kFdPJLnu2Gw6vhOXWl5IBGQ8dzSUvu86RFet_N14DThX9AKz893eyGtg57c8s-NeeMXraz054GN9NnPf9Q3JumzIHk8_vNA42UxkpsimZ-EJ9R4pMe3sdhAbCAOJ-B/s572/FWhelpsChicken.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="429" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJcWQfG2WKVxoRoheGZFVM4VqW8UQWsBouT5vrBkoQ4AZDLx9mkwXghSw7tbg__kFdPJLnu2Gw6vhOXWl5IBGQ8dzSUvu86RFet_N14DThX9AKz893eyGtg57c8s-NeeMXraz054GN9NnPf9Q3JumzIHk8_vNA42UxkpsimZ-EJ9R4pMe3sdhAbCAOJ-B/w480-h640/FWhelpsChicken.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="group-byline-info"><div class="field-byline 1"><div class="layout layout--onecol"><div class="layout__region layout__region--content"><div class="group-image"><div class="group-info">Sherlyn Sim</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="group_row"><div class="group-story-timestamp"><div class="group-story-changedate"></div></div><div class="field field--name-dynamic-twig-fieldnode-social-icons field--type-ds field--label-hidden field__item"><div id="subshare-cont-div"></div></div></div><div><div class="ds-wrapper article-content-rawhtml"><div class="ds-field-items"><div class="ds-field-item"><div class="layout layout--onecol"><div class="layout__region layout__region--content"><div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-paragraph-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>10 Nov 2023</p><p>SINGAPORE – An act of kindness by a worker who helped a lost, panicking mother hen and her chicks to safety has catapulted him into the limelight.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>A video of the gesture, posted on Facebook group Roads.sg on Thursday, has since gone viral with more than 122,000 views.</p><p>In the video, a stray mother hen can be seen wandering with four chicks at a traffic junction in Cantonment Link.</p><p>The camera then pans to show a man in a blue vest and helmet, who bends down and approaches the hen and one of its chicks with his hands outstretched.</p><p>Alarmed, the hen darts towards the worker and flaps her wings, surprising the man and causing him to take a step back.</p><p>Perhaps realising that the worker had kind intentions, the hen retreated, allowing him to pick up the chick with his hand and guide the hen and its other chicks to the other side of the road.</p><div id="innity-in-post"></div><div class=""></div></div></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--facebook paragraph--view-mode--default"><div class="field field--name-field-embed-facebook field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"><div class="field__item"><div class="field field--name-field-media-facebook field--type-string-long field--label-visually_hidden"><div class="field__item"><div id="fb-root"></div><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/roadssg/videos/1320478828836759"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="layout layout--onecol"><div class="layout__region layout__region--content"><div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-paragraph-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The video amused some netizens, who praised the man’s actions.</p><div data-sdkids-campaignid="345" data-sdkids-campaignname="PM newsletter Apr 2023" data-sdkids-campaigntype="regular" data-sdkids-creativeid="390" id="sph_cdp_10"><div id="cx_paywall_area"><div class="st-newsletter premium-read-more"><div class="paywall-box-area"><div class="paywall-text-area"><p class="footnote"></p></div></div></div></div></div><p>“The mummy hen (is) so cute. (She wanted) to bite him but finally understood and let him carry the chick,” said netizen Vaishnavi Selvarajah.</p><p>Another netizen, Saburnisha Nisha, said: “Kind, caring and respectful of him. (He has a) good heart. Thank you, bro.”</p><p>Others wondered why the hen and chicks were wandering on the road, while others joked that the group was on its way to its destination.</p><p>Facebook user Bleus Balos said: “Heart-warming video and I’m still wondering why the chicken crossed the road.”</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-13174612096566022652023-11-10T15:09:00.005+08:002023-11-10T15:09:54.405+08:00Swift Justice in Singapore (A.K.A. "History is written by winners"... in exile... on Douyin...)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47yZhJNXl6srdWOhoNDNouG7voE-ADyNhqE7DHRU4UBk0HYqup5xJrrL3PbJbsEV4XMxX9an_e-Jv1YreIQCDrr7QUO-LavD7wr6hQo4i1QcSBNap_2xDgfwuf2uKVtoCRZDRFtZAtPkmTDhZLjZKIWVii66Ug8xwUexAn2KTXL9sUh1GGNbe7aafTQpi/s399/HanFeizi%20China%20Karen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="399" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47yZhJNXl6srdWOhoNDNouG7voE-ADyNhqE7DHRU4UBk0HYqup5xJrrL3PbJbsEV4XMxX9an_e-Jv1YreIQCDrr7QUO-LavD7wr6hQo4i1QcSBNap_2xDgfwuf2uKVtoCRZDRFtZAtPkmTDhZLjZKIWVii66Ug8xwUexAn2KTXL9sUh1GGNbe7aafTQpi/w640-h640/HanFeizi%20China%20Karen.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China "Karen"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">'History is written by winners': Woman, 29, who verbally abused SGH nurse & deported to China</h3><i>She was deported after spending 29 days behind bars.<br /></i><br />Winnie Li <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">November 09, 2023</span><br /><br />The woman who verbally abused a Singapore General Hospital staff and was jailed and deported for it, has taken to social media to write: "History is written by winners." <div><br /><div>Her latest update online came in the form of a Douyin video posted at around 1:20am on Nov. 9, 2023. <br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Right! Losers tiktok & Douyin... Or blog. Like me. :-( ]</span><br /><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>While 29-year-old Han Feizi was believed to have changed the privacy setting of the clip shortly after uploading it, a Douyin user was able to screenshot it and share it with <a href="https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20231109-1448885">Shin Min Daily News</a>. <br /><br />In the four-second-long video, Han showed her face in front of the camera before showing her audience her surroundings, which was believed to be a golf court. <br /><br />Her post also revealed that she published the video while using an IP (Internet Protocol) address in China's Guangdong province. <br /><br />The caption of the video read: "History is written by winners." </div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Han deported after spending 29 days behind bars</h4>On Nov. 8, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) <a href="https://mothership.sg/2023/11/han-feizi-sgh-abuse-deported/">confirmed</a> with Lianhe Zaobao that Han had been <span style="color: red;">deported</span> after finishing her sentence and would be <span style="color: red;">barred from re-entering Singapore</span>. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">She was previously sentenced to five weeks and five days in jail, in addition to a S$600 fine, on Oct. 25. </span><br /><br />The Singapore Prison Service told Shin Min that Han was released after completing two-thirds of her sentence, or 27 of the 40 days jail term given, starting from<span style="color: red;"> Oct. 11,</span> the day of her arrest. <br /><br />However,<span style="color: red;"> she had to spend two extra days behind bars because she did not pay the S$600 fine</span>. <br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">["What? No Discount for Social Media Influencer? One star!"]</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);"><br /></span></span><h4 style="text-align: left;">Background</h4><span style="color: red;">On Oct. 13, Han received six charges </span>for the incidents at the Singapore General Hospital and The Sail @ Marina Bay. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">On Oct. 24, she was handed two additional charges for allegedly falsely declaring her occupation in her work permit application. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Actually, "Sex Worker"? I'm sorry, "Influencer" is NOT an occupation. It is at best narcissism.]</span><br /><br />In total, Han faced eight charges, which include: <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>One count of public nuisance;</li><li>Two counts of using abusive language against public service worker or public servant;</li><li>Two counts of assaulting or using criminal force on security officer;</li><li>One count of intentionally causing harassment; and</li><li>Two counts under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act</li></ul>The other three charges were taken into consideration during her sentencing.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Mothership was so good as to provide a link to the original report:]</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Woman reportedly ‘abusive’ towards nurse after allegedly waiting 3 hours at SGH A&E, police involved</h3><i>Videos of the woman arguing with a plainclothes police officer were uploaded onto TikTok.<br /></i><br />Matthias Ang<div>Lee Wei Lin <div><br /></div><div><span style="color: red;">October 12, 2023</span><br /><br />A woman was involved in a heated discussion with a police officer at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), after the officer attempted to get a statement from her about allegedly using expletives at a nurse. <br /><br />The woman claimed that she waited for three hours at the hospital's Accident and Emergency (A&E) department. She was there after she was allegedly involved in a car accident. <br /><br />In response to Mothership's queries, SGH replied that the woman had turned abusive towards staff on duty at the emergency department when she was handed a mask and reminded to put one on, as per the Ministry of Health's (MOH) <a href="https://ask.gov.sg/moh/questions/clhq0irrx00eqjz08c355z7eo">guidelines</a> in hospitals. <br /><br />According to SGH, she did not calm down despite the repeated attempts of the hospital's clinical and security staff, and the police were activated. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@garygaryocp/video/7288259207302843655">Two</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@garygaryocp/video/7288282667194289415">videos</a> of the woman's argument with a female police officer in Mandarin were uploaded onto TikTok by user @garygaryocp. <br /><br />Both appeared to have been shot from the woman's perspective. <br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Woman questioned by police if she hurled vulgarities at hospital staff</h4>The first video shows a plainclothes police officer repeatedly questioning the woman if she had uttered expletives at the hospital staff. <br /><br />The woman did not give a direct answer, and instead mentioned that she had yet to see the doctor for an injury to her foot sustained from the accident, despite having waited for three hours. <br /><br />The woman then asked the officer show her employee identification and at one point, is seen attempting to reach out for the pass, to which the officer warned, "Don't touch me." <br /><br />When the woman reiterated her point about waiting for three hours, the officer replied: <br /><br />"Does this mean you can use vulgarities on the nurse?"<br /><br />Midway through the video, the camera pans to show a police officer in uniform, and a second plainclothes officer who can be heard asking the woman to put down her phone. <br /><br />The second video starts with the officer telling the woman, who wanted to report the driver of the car which allegedly came into contact with her, that the report would have to be filed at the police station. The officer added that such incidents are to be reported to the traffic police. <br /><br />She reiterated the woman that she was there to get her statement about her alleged use of expletives on hospital staff. <br /><br />When the officer asked the woman if she would provide her statement, the woman refused and demanded that she be brought to the police station immediately. <br /><br />The woman added, "Ask all the police officers in Singapore to come here." <br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Woman's reason for anger at the driver</h4>Following several more heated exchanges, the woman revealed that she was upset at the driver for apparently not helping her even though she had been on the ground for 20 minutes, following a frontal collision. <br /><br />According to the woman,<span style="color: red;"> she told the driver she was fine at first and that there was no need to take responsibility. </span><br /><br />However, she became upset when the driver told others at the scene that she was fine, and did not assist her. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">This led to the woman demanding that the driver either help her, pay her S$5,000 or send her to the hospital.</span> The driver chose to drive the woman to the hospital. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcqyvS_pfUDkq-v3ngO1-_6fMNudEiguY2Tfe7nqXpD12cOw1q9v-kL_WZR8yGzOqPa3iXC68ComaKJ-Bk5UFFjyDOhmTwV0wEEvjHMWBW24EOx2lF4wgntnk_Xtsli1CYRESIrmHPiRNDU4DCw7nY_3gszxPo1Z-w5GlLc_9pfeiNbJZPSc8bkL1F-T5/s414/Foot%20Karen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="354" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcqyvS_pfUDkq-v3ngO1-_6fMNudEiguY2Tfe7nqXpD12cOw1q9v-kL_WZR8yGzOqPa3iXC68ComaKJ-Bk5UFFjyDOhmTwV0wEEvjHMWBW24EOx2lF4wgntnk_Xtsli1CYRESIrmHPiRNDU4DCw7nY_3gszxPo1Z-w5GlLc_9pfeiNbJZPSc8bkL1F-T5/w548-h640/Foot%20Karen.png" width="548" /></a></div><br /><div><br />The video then ends with <span style="color: red;">the police officer confirming with the woman that she does not want to leave a statement. </span><br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">SGH: Patient was discharged two hours after arrival</h4><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Note: "Patient" here denotes her ascribed role, not her temperament.]</span></div><div><br /></div>According to SGH, the woman <span style="color: #2b00fe;">[i.e. the Impatient patient] </span>was discharged about two hours after she arrived at the ED, following a clinical review.<br /><br />The hospital added: <br /><br />"By refusing to wear a mask, the patient had put others around her, particularly our vulnerable patients, at risk. Her behaviour was disruptive to the operations as the hospital had to deploy more manpower to attend to the case at the expense of other ED patients who were waiting to be seen."<br /><br />SGH added that its current priority is to support affected colleagues and ensure that the emotional and psychological well-being of the their team is being care for. <br /><br />The Singapore Police Force was quoted by <a href="https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20231012-1441916">Lianhe Zaobao</a> as saying that investigations are currently ongoing.</div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[From the first article, the convict (this will be how I reference her in this comment. It is factual.) was <u>arrested on 11 Oct.</u> Which was also considered the start of her prison term, retroactively. She was then <u>charged in court on 13 Oct </u>(within 48 hours of her arrest, as per the Criminal Procedure Code or something, please don't rely on this comment to pass your law exam). <u>Two further charges </u>relating to her false declaration as to her occupation was made <u>on 24 Oct.</u> (Based on her Douyin post post-conviction and sentence, she may have been a historian!) </span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>On 25 Oct, she was convicted and sentenced </u>to 5 weeks and 5 days jail, and fined $600. However, as this poor China Karen refused to pay the $600 fine, she had to enjoy the hospitality of the Singapore Prison Service for another 2 days in lieu of paying the fine. She was (probably) <u>released on 8 Nov</u> (29 days from her arrest) straight to Changi Airport, right through immigration (No Jewel for you!) and security (I assume. Deportees shouldn't be allowed to roam our airports unsupervised right?), and straight into the plane. "Well removed the handcuffs once you are in your assigned seat, ma'am." (Here, I'm hoping. Technically, she's no longer a prisoner. But Immigration ordered that she should be deported, so... no handcuffs? Damn!)</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">From arrest (11 Oct) to conviction and sentencing (25 Oct) was about 2 weeks. After 29 days in prison, she was released and deported. Probably on or about 8 Nov. So... abuse public servant on 11 Oct, and less than one month later, deported (8 Nov). </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Definition of Swift Justice.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">For Singapore, Justice must be swift to remain just. It is unjust to drag out the process. Justice is diluted or diffused when delayed. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>Social/Cultural Commentary</u>. It may well be that growing up in a less efficient country, one learns to make a fuss in order to secure service. Maybe this is what the convict learned growing up in China. And she thinks she needs to do the same in Singapore. Maybe, </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Or maybe she's just a China Karen.</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The A&E dept of any hospital will triage patients as they arrived. Those with real emergencies (profused bleeding, unconscious, not breathing, etc) would be tended to immediately. Attention-seeking self-proclaimed social media influencer or "historian" with an alleged boo-boo on her foot will be attended to after stopping the profused bleeding, restarting hearts and lungs, etc. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">I keep insinuating she is an "influencer" because of her well-honed "instinct" to video everything and post everything online. I would make a terrible influencer. Firstly, because I look like shits. Secondly, because only after everything is over, will I say, "damn! I should have video-ed that!"</span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Anyway, this is pretty swift justice, but I think it does not mean that all cases will be resolved as quickly, This is a relatively minor case, and the facts are not in dispute (at least I do not think the convict challenged the facts of the case - if she did, I doubt that she could produce corroborating evidence for her part. Even her videos might be incriminating.) But the prosecutor really threw the book at her, including additional charges against her for false declaration on her work permit. That was icing on the cake. But it allowed for her to be deported. ]</span></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-64831128929953553142023-11-02T08:34:00.000+08:002023-11-02T08:34:20.980+08:00Man offered S$2 to sex worker instead of agreed fee in repeat offence, gets jail<i>The Australian woman, who was in Singapore for a holiday, charged S$700 per hour.</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">[Note that she is described as an "Australian Woman". Not "Australian Prostitute", or "illegal foreign sex worker." No judgement here.]</span></span><br /><div><br /><img height="360" src="https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--R1eeBji7--/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830/f_auto,q_auto/two-dollars.jpg?itok=EDgdi0WP" width="640" /><br /><br />Lydia Lam</div><div><br />31 Oct 2023<br /><br /><br />SINGAPORE: A <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/man-who-punched-women-when-they-refused-sex-gets-jail-878761">repeat offender</a> on remission for refusing to pay sex workers after obtaining their services struck again, this time targeting an Australian woman who was in Singapore for a holiday.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />The woman charged S$700 (US$512) per hour, but Abdul Rahman A Karim offered her only S$2 after the deed. <br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Bastard! Singapore already got reputation for being an expensive city. Now he single-handedly trying to give Singaporeans a reputation for being CHEAP!]</span><br /><br />The 40-year-old Singaporean was <span style="color: red;">sentenced to three years' jail and another 71 days' jail for breaching his remission order</span> on Tuesday (Oct 31).<br /><br />Abdul Rahman pleaded guilty to one charge of dishonestly obtaining services for himself when he never intended to pay the victim S$700 per hour for her sexual services.<br /><br />The court heard that Abdul Rahman had previously been sentenced to 32 months' jail for the same charge with a similar modus operandi of inducing a sex worker to provide him her services and then refusing to pay her.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[Serial cheapskate!]</span><br /><br />While he was out on remission in November 2022 for this jail term, Abdul Rahman contacted his new victim, a 35-year-old <span style="color: red;">Australian sex worker</span>.<br /><br />The woman usually worked in Melbourne, and advertised her services and rates on a website. She charged S$700 an hour for her services, and S$750 an hour for "outcall situations", the court heard.<br /><br />On Nov 14 last year, the victim entered Singapore alone for a holiday. She was due to return to Australia 10 days later, and stated on her website that she was "currently touring in Singapore".<br /><br />At about 10am on Nov 23 last year, Abdul Rahman contacted the victim on WhatsApp, asking to engage her services.<br /><br />The victim agreed and told him her rates. Abdul Rahman did not respond directly to the messages about her fees, but continued discussing the logistics of the meet-up.<br /><br />They agreed for Abdul Rahman to head over to the room where the victim was staying.<br /><br />After engaging in sexual activity, the victim sought payment of the S$700.<br /><br />Abdul Rahman claimed they had not agreed on the rates and refused to pay her. Instead, he gave her a S$2 note.<br /><br />The victim insisted on the full sum, but Abdul Rahman ignored her and left despite the victim's efforts to stop him.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">The victim contacted the Australian High Commission and Project X - a non-profit organisation for sex workers - before making a police report.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[A sex worker made a police report to complain that she was stiffed (sorry, couldn't resist the pun). And the police took her complaint and pursued it. I'm not sure if the Australian High Commission and Project X had to lean on the police (and public prosecutor?) to bring this case to closure (you were thinking I was going to write "climax" right?), but this case shows that laws are laws, and it doesn't matter who you are, your legal rights will be protected... Also, don't be a cheapskate giving Singapore a bad rep or we will definitely get you!]</span><br /><br />Abdul Rahman deleted the victim's messages about her rates from his phone, giving the impression that they had never agreed on them.<br /><br />However, the full conversation was retained in the victim's phone.<br /><br />The prosecutor sought 38 to 40 months' jail for Abdul Rahman, pointing to the similarity to his previous conviction.<br /><br />In both cases, the offender had not neglected to make payment in good faith, said the prosecutor.<br /><br />"Rather, he had intentionally induced the provision of such sexual services without intending to pay the (sex workers) at all," he said.<br /><br />He said this shows Abdul Rahman's propensity for reoffending and asked for an increase from his previous sentence.</div><div><br />Source: CNA/ll(ac)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-55225972424409287032023-10-02T23:19:00.000+08:002023-10-02T23:19:12.365+08:00Legendary flamenco dancer, who worked with Tom Cruise and The Beatles, shares why he's lived in Singapore for 16 years despite not being a PR<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="454" src="https://media.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_main_image/public/original_images/Sep2023/20232909%20Flameco%20dancer.jpg?itok=mB0JXU1k" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">PHOTO: YouTube/Max Chernov</span><br style="text-align: start;" /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>OCTOBER 02, 2023</div><div><br /></div><div>By MELISSA TEO</div><div><br /><br />Ever dreamt of meeting The Beatles? Or Tom Cruise? <br /><br />Antonio Vargas has been graced with the opportunity of working with both. <br /><br />The world-famous flamenco dancer and teacher, who has lived in Singapore for 16 years, told YouTuber Max Chernov more about his illustrious life and career in an interview video on YouTube on Sept 28. <br /><br />"[The Beatles] promoter, Harold Fielding, saw me in Spain, brought me to England, and he asked me to sign a seven-year contract to keep the same Spanish company and tour," explained Antonio. <br /><br />After chatting and getting to know more about each other, The Beatles learned that Antonio was a Spanish dancer and suggested that they should collaborate and perform together. <br /><br />A few weeks after, Vivian Moynihan, the "chief lady" of the band's multimedia company Apple Corps, called Harold Fielding and told him they wanted Antonio to dance on a Lennon-McCartney special for television.<br /><br />And Antonio didn't just get the honour of performing with the landmark pop band — he also earned a staggering 45,000 pounds (S$75,198) for it. <br /><br />Apart from dancing for The Beatles, Antonio also had a few acting gigs as well and was even in Strictly Ballroom, a box-office hit movie. <br /><br />That was also how he got to work with Hollywood star Tom Cruise in the 90s. <br /><br />Antonio shared that Tom had been with his wife at the Hollywood Bowl and during a segment where they were showing Strictly Ballroom, Tom stood up and said: "That's the guy I want for my movie."<br /><br />That movie turned out to be Mission Impossible 2. <br /><br />Antonio thought that he would only be dancing in the show, but Tom liked him so much that he landed a speaking cameo role in the action spy flick. <br /><br />And the rest was history. </div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">He can't be a PR because he's too old </h4>One reason Antonio started living in Singapore was because of his wife, Daphne. <br /><br />He had been doing a flamenco workshop in Perth when he met six Singaporean women, including Daphne, and she stood out to him because of the huge dragon tattoo on her back. <br /><br />A little after that, Daphne's friend, Tilly, invited Antonio to Singapore to do another workshop for three weeks and he got the chance to meet and teach Daphne again. <br /><br />But this wasn't the end of it. Later on, after Antonio had flown to America, Tilly rung him up again and asked if he was willing to do another workshop in Singapore the following year. <br /><br />But this time around, they weren't able to provide accommodation for Antonio. <br /><br />Instead, Tilly suggested that Antonio stay with Daphne in her "huge luxury apartment". <br /><br />"And that's how the relationship started. When I came back that next year, I stayed with her, [she] picked me up every day, took me to the studio, I cooked for her, we talked a lot about flamenco, and that's it, all right, we got involved, I decided to stay," recounted Antonio. <br /><br />Despite residing here for 16 years with Daphne, Antonio has been unable to become a Permanent Resident (PR) despite applying multiple times. <br /><br />"They won't give it to me," Antonio told Max bluntly. <br /><br />"When I arrived here, they told me I was too old. They thought I'd be needing hospitalisation or medication or seeing doctors or whatever."<br /><br />As of now, Antonio can only be a dependent pass holder. <br /><br />"So I can come and go as I wish. I can work as well," he explained. <br /><br />But this also means that he has to go through the hassle of renewing the dependent pass every three years because of its expiry date. <br /><br />While he can't get a PR status, Antonio, who has resided in multiple countries like Spain, France and England, still enjoys living in Singapore. <br /><br />Comparing Singapore to the other countries that he has stayed in, Antonio told Max that he finds our little red dot "a lot more peaceful". <br /><br />"You can relax here, there's no tension and aggravated people going up and down," he shared. <br /><br />He also loves our multi-racial and multi-cultural environment. <br /><br />"I love [a] population that integrates amongst Indians, Malays, Singaporeans, English, they all seem to blend very nicely together. <br /><br />"So when you see the shop houses, restaurants, you realise that they're all there. All the nationalities are there eating a curry, so it's interesting." <br /><br />Over the past 16 years, Antonio has seen our country grow and change, though some of these are not so savoury. <br /><br />"There are more cars, more pollution, more noise," he said, adding that there is a never-ending amount of construction and renovations too. <br /><br />But what he loves is that while Singapore is already a multi-racial and cultural country, we keep evolving to be even more so. <br /><br />"Slowly, there's been an influx of Spanish tapas restaurants, [there's a] German restaurant in City Hall and also Italian restaurants, plenty of them huh!" shared Antonio. <br /><br />"And slowly, slowly slowly, they're integrating and Singaporeans are getting into that."</div><div><br /></div><div><br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dp9kXJkMFuk?si=2QxB3SCkDt4xMEVL" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-49779420992927348452023-08-28T15:32:00.000+08:002023-08-28T15:32:08.526+08:00Musk undue influence over US policy and the Russo-Ukraine war.<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule</h2><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dXfzU6tS-b4?si=6TQKNzNQp_Vadu23&start=17" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><i>How the U.S. government came to rely on the tech billionaire—and is now struggling to rein him in.<br /></i><br />By <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/ronan-farrow">Ronan Farrow</a><br /><br /><br />Last October, Colin Kahl, then the Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon, sat in a hotel in Paris and prepared to make a call to avert disaster in Ukraine. A staffer handed him an iPhone—in part to avoid inviting an onslaught of late-night texts and colorful emojis on Kahl’s own phone. Kahl had returned to his room, with its heavy drapery and distant view of the Eiffel Tower, after a day of meetings with officials from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. A senior defense official told me that Kahl was surprised by whom he was about to contact: “He was, like, ‘Why am I calling <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/tag/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>?’ ”<br /><br />The reason soon became apparent. “Even though Musk is not technically a diplomat or statesman, I felt it was important to treat him as such, given the influence he had on this issue,” Kahl told me. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/spacex">SpaceX</a>, Musk’s space-exploration company, had for months been providing Internet access across Ukraine, allowing the country’s forces to plan attacks and to defend themselves. But, in recent days, the forces had found their connectivity severed as they entered territory contested by Russia. <span style="color: red;">More alarmingly, SpaceX had recently given the Pentagon an ultimatum: if it didn’t assume the cost of providing service in Ukraine, which the company calculated at some four hundred million dollars annually, it would cut off access.</span> “We started to get a little panicked,” the senior defense official, one of four who described the standoff to me, recalled. Musk “could turn it off at any given moment. And that would have real operational impact for the Ukrainians.”<span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />Musk had become involved in the war in Ukraine soon after Russia invaded, in February, 2022. Along with conventional assaults, the Kremlin was conducting cyberattacks against Ukraine’s digital infrastructure. Ukrainian officials and a loose coalition of expatriates in the tech sector, brainstorming in group chats on WhatsApp and Signal, found a potential solution: SpaceX, which manufactures a line of mobile Internet terminals called Starlink. The tripod-mounted dishes, each about the size of a computer display and clad in white plastic reminiscent of the sleek design sensibility of Musk’s Tesla <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in">electric cars</a>, connect with a network of satellites. The units have limited range, but in this situation that was an advantage: although a nationwide network of dishes was required, it would be difficult for Russia to completely dismantle Ukrainian connectivity. Of course, Musk could do so. Three people involved in bringing Starlink to Ukraine, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they worried that Musk, if upset, could withdraw his services, told me that they originally overlooked the significance of his personal control. “Nobody thought about it back then,” one of them, a Ukrainian tech executive, told me. “It was all about ‘Let’s fucking go, people are dying.’ ”<br /><br />In the ensuing months, fund-raising in Silicon Valley’s Ukrainian community, contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development and with European governments, and pro-bono contributions from SpaceX facilitated the transfer of thousands of Starlink units to Ukraine. A soldier in Ukraine’s signal corps who was responsible for maintaining Starlink access on the front lines, and who asked to be identified only by his first name, Mykola, told me, “It’s the essential backbone of communication on the battlefield.”<br /><br />Initially, Musk showed unreserved support for the Ukrainian cause, responding encouragingly as Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian minister for digital transformation, tweeted pictures of equipment in the field. But, <span style="color: red;">as the war ground on, SpaceX began to balk at the cost. “We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time,”</span> SpaceX’s director of government sales told the Pentagon in a letter, last September. (CNBC recently <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/13/elon-musk-spacex-near-150-billion-valuation.html">valued</a> SpaceX at nearly a hundred and fifty billion dollars. Forbes estimated Musk’s personal net worth at two hundred and twenty billion dollars, making him the world’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/">richest</a> man.)<br /><br />Musk was also growing increasingly uneasy with the fact that his technology was being used for warfare. That month, at a conference in Aspen attended by business and political figures, Musk even appeared to express support for Vladimir Putin. “He was onstage, and he said, ‘We should be negotiating. Putin wants peace—we should be negotiating peace with Putin,’ ” Reid Hoffman, who helped start PayPal with Musk, recalled. Musk seemed, he said, to have “bought what Putin was selling, hook, line, and sinker.” A week later, Musk tweeted a proposal for his own peace plan, which called for new referendums to redraw the borders of Ukraine, and granted Russia control of Crimea, the semi-autonomous peninsula recognized by most nations, including the United States, as Ukrainian territory. In later tweets, Musk portrayed as inevitable an outcome favoring Russia and attached maps highlighting eastern Ukrainian territories, some of which, he argued, “prefer Russia.” Musk also polled his Twitter followers about the plan. Millions responded, with about sixty per cent rejecting the proposal. (Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s President, tweeted his own poll, asking users whether they preferred the Elon Musk who supported Ukraine or the one who now seemed to back Russia. The former won, though Zelensky’s poll had a smaller turnout: Musk has more than twenty times as many followers.)<br /><br />By then, Musk’s sympathies appeared to be manifesting on the battlefield. One day, Ukrainian forces advancing into contested areas in the south found themselves suddenly unable to communicate. “We were very close to the front line,” Mykola, the signal-corps soldier, told me. “We crossed this border and the Starlink stopped working.” The consequences were immediate. “Communications became dead, units were isolated. When you’re on offense, especially for commanders, you need a constant stream of information from battalions. Commanders had to drive to the battlefield to be in radio range, risking themselves,” Mykola said. “It was chaos.” Ukrainian expats who had raised funds for the Starlink units began receiving frantic calls. The tech executive recalls a Ukrainian military official telling him, “We need Elon now.” “How now?” he replied. “Like fucking now,” the official said. “People are dying.” Another Ukrainian involved told me that he was “awoken by a dozen calls saying they’d lost connectivity and had to retreat.” The Financial Times reported that outages affected units in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk. American and Ukrainian officials told me they believed that SpaceX had cut the connectivity via geofencing, cordoning off areas of access.<br /><br />The senior defense official said, “We had a whole series of meetings internal to the department to try to figure out what we could do about this.” Musk’s singular role presented unfamiliar challenges, as did the government’s role as intermediary. “It wasn’t like we could hold him in breach of contract or something,” the official continued. The Pentagon would need to reach a contractual arrangement with SpaceX so that, at the very least, Musk “couldn’t wake up one morning and just decide, like, he didn’t want to do this anymore.” Kahl added, “It was kind of a way for us to lock in services across Ukraine. It could at least prevent Musk from turning off the switch altogether.”<br /><br />Typically, such a negotiation would be handled by the Pentagon’s acquisitions department. But Musk had become more than just a vender like Boeing, Lockheed, or other defense-industry behemoths. On the phone with Musk from Paris, Kahl was deferential. According to unclassified talking points for the call, he thanked Musk for his efforts in Ukraine, acknowledged the steep costs he’d incurred, and pleaded for even a few weeks to devise a contract. “If you cut this off, it doesn’t end the war,” Kahl recalled telling Musk.<br /><br />Musk wasn’t immediately convinced. “My inference was that he was getting nervous that Starlink’s involvement was increasingly seen in Russia as enabling the Ukrainian war effort, and was looking for a way to placate Russian concerns,” Kahl told me. To the dismay of Pentagon officials, Musk volunteered that he had spoken with Putin personally. Another individual told me that Musk had made the same assertion in the weeks before he tweeted his pro-Russia peace plan, and had said that his consultations with the Kremlin were regular. (Musk later denied having spoken with Putin about Ukraine.) On the phone, Musk said that he was looking at his laptop and could see “the entire war unfolding” through a map of Starlink activity. “This was, like, three minutes before he said, ‘Well, I had this great conversation with Putin,’ ” the senior defense official told me. “And we were, like, ‘Oh, dear, this is not good.’ ” Musk told Kahl that the vivid illustration of how technology he had designed for peaceful ends was being used to wage war gave him pause.<br /><br />After a fifteen-minute call, Musk agreed to give the Pentagon more time. He also, after public blowback and with evident annoyance, walked back his threats to cut off service. “The hell with it,” he tweeted. “Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.” This June, the Department of Defense announced that it had reached a deal with SpaceX.<br /><br />The meddling of oligarchs and other monied interests in the fate of nations is not new. During the First World War, J. P. Morgan lent vast sums to the Allied powers; afterward, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., poured money into the fledgling League of Nations. The investor George Soros’s Open Society Foundations underwrote civil-society reform in post-Soviet Europe, and the casino mogul Sheldon Adelson funded right-wing media in Israel, as part of his support of Benjamin Netanyahu.<br /><br />But Musk’s influence is more brazen and expansive. <span style="color: red;">There is little precedent for a civilian’s becoming the arbiter of a war between nations in such a granular way</span>, or for the degree of dependency that the U.S. now has on Musk in a variety of fields, from the future of energy and transportation to the exploration of space. SpaceX is currently the sole means by which nasa transports crew from U.S. soil into space, a situation that will persist for at least another year. The government’s plan to move the auto industry toward electric cars requires increasing access to charging stations along America’s highways. But this rests on the actions of another Musk enterprise, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/tad-friend-its-electric">Tesla</a>. The automaker has seeded so much of the country with its proprietary charging stations that the Biden Administration relaxed an early push for a universal charging standard disliked by Musk. His stations are eligible for billions of dollars in subsidies, so long as Tesla makes them compatible with the other charging standard.<br /><br />In the past twenty years, <span style="color: red;">against a backdrop of crumbling infrastructure and declining trust in institutions, Musk has sought out business opportunities in crucial areas where, after decades of privatization, the state has receded.</span> The government is now reliant on him, but struggles to respond to his risk-taking, brinkmanship, and caprice. Current and former officials from nasa, the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration told me that Musk’s influence had become inescapable in their work, and several of them said that they now treat him like a sort of unelected official. One Pentagon spokesman said that he was keeping Musk apprised of my inquiries about his role in Ukraine and would grant an interview with an official about the matter only with Musk’s permission. “We’ll talk to you if Elon wants us to,” he told me. In a podcast interview last year, Musk was asked whether he has more influence than the American government. He replied immediately, “In some ways.” Reid Hoffman told me that Musk’s attitude is “like Louis XIV: ‘L’état, c’est moi.’ ”<br /><br />Musk’s power continues to grow. His <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/technology/elon-musk-twitter-deal-complete.html">takeover</a> of Twitter, which he has rebranded “X,” gives him a critical forum for political discourse ahead of the next Presidential election. He recently launched an artificial-intelligence company, a move that follows years of involvement in the technology. Musk has become a hyper-exposed pop-culture figure, and his sharp turns from altruistic to vainglorious, strategic to impulsive, have been the subject of innumerable articles and at least seven major books, including a forthcoming <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/elon-musk-walter-isaacson/19777384">biography</a> by Walter Isaacson. But the nature and the scope of his power are less widely understood.<br /><br />More than thirty of Musk’s current and former colleagues in various industries and a dozen individuals in his personal life spoke to me about their experiences with him. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny">Sam Altman</a>, the C.E.O. of OpenAI, with whom Musk has both worked and sparred, told me, “Elon desperately wants the world to be saved. But only if he can be the one to save it.”<br /><br />The terms of the Starlink deal have not been made public. Ukrainian officials say that they have not faced further service interruptions. But Musk has continued to express ambivalence about how the technology is being used, and where it can be deployed. In February, he tweeted, “We will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3.” He said, as he had told Kahl, that he was sincerely attempting to navigate the moral dilemmas of his role: “We’re trying hard to do the right thing, where the ‘right thing’ is an extremely difficult moral question.”<br /><br />Musk’s hesitation aligns with his pragmatic interests. A facility in Shanghai produces half of all Tesla cars, and Musk depends on the good will of officials in China, which has lent support to Russia in the conflict. Musk recently acknowledged to the Financial Times that Beijing <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5ef14997-982e-4f03-8548-b5d67202623a">disapproves</a> of his decision to provide Internet service to Ukraine and has sought assurances that he would not deploy similar technology in China. In the same interview, he responded to questions about China’s efforts to assert control over Taiwan by floating another peace plan. Taiwan, he suggested, could become a jointly controlled administrative zone, an outcome that Taiwanese leaders see as ending the country’s independence. During a trip to Beijing this spring, Musk was welcomed with what Reuters summarized as “flattery and feasts.” He met with senior officials, including China’s foreign minister, and posed for the kinds of awkwardly smiling formal photos that are more typical of world leaders.<br /><br />National-security officials I spoke with had a range of views on the government’s balance of power with Musk. He maintains good relationships with some of them, including General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since the two men met, several years ago, when <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/inside-the-war-between-trump-and-his-generals">Milley</a> was the chief of staff of the Army, they have discussed “technology applications to warfare—artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and autonomous machines,” Milley told me. “He has insight that helped shape my thoughts on the fundamental change in the character of war and the modernization of the U.S. military.” During the Starlink controversy, Musk called him for advice. But other officials expressed profound misgivings. “Living in the world we live in, in which Elon runs this company and it is a private business under his control, we are living off his good graces,” a Pentagon official told me. “That sucks.”<br /><br />One summer evening in the mid-nineteen-eighties, Musk and his friend Theo Taoushiani took Taoushiani’s father’s car for an illicit drive. <span style="color: red;">Musk and Taoushiani were both in their mid-teens, and lived about a mile apart in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Neither had a driver’s license, or permission from Taoushiani’s father.</span> But they were passionate Dungeons & Dragons fans, and a new module—a fresh scenario in the game—had just been released. Taoushiani took the wheel for the twenty-minute drive to the Sandton City mall. “Elon was my co-pilot,” Taoushiani told me. “We went under the cover of darkness.” At the mall, they found that they didn’t have enough money. But Musk promised a salesperson that they would return the next day with the rest, and dropped the name of a well-known Greek restaurant owned by Taoushiani’s family. “Elon had the gift of the gab,” Taoushiani said. “He’s very persuasive, and he’s quite dogged in his determination.” The two went home with the module.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, </span>the country’s administrative capital, and he and his younger brother, Kimbal, and his younger sister, Tosca, grew up under apartheid. Musk’s mother, Maye, a Canadian model and dietitian, and his father, Errol, an engineer, divorced when he was young, and the children initially stayed with Maye. She has said that Errol was physically abusive toward her. “He would hit me when the kids were around,” she wrote in her memoir. “I remember that Tosca and Kimbal, who were two and four, respectively, would cry in the corner, and Elon, who was five, would hit him on the backs of his knees to try to stop him.” By the mid-eighties, Musk had moved in with his father—a decision that he has said was motivated by concern for his father’s loneliness, and which he came to regret. Musk, usually impassive in interviews, cried openly when he told Rolling Stone about the years that followed, in which, he said, his father psychologically tortured him, in ways that he declined to specify. “You have no idea about how bad,” he said. “Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.” Taoushiani recalled witnessing Errol “chastise Elon a lot. Maybe belittle him.” (Errol Musk has denied allegations that he was abusive to Maye or to his children.) Musk has also said that he was violently bullied at school. Though he is now six feet one, with a broad-shouldered build, he was “much, much smaller back in school,” Taoushiani told me. “He wasn’t very social.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Musk has said that he has Asperger’s syndrome</span>, a form of what is now known as autism-spectrum disorder, which is characterized by difficulty with social interactions. As a child, he would sometimes fall into trancelike states of deep thought, during which he was so unresponsive that his mother eventually took him to a doctor to check his hearing. Musk’s quiet side persists—in my own interactions with him, I have found him to be thoughtful and measured. (Musk declined to answer questions for this story.) He can also be, as he joked during a stilted “Saturday Night Live” monologue, “pretty good at running human, in emulation mode.”<br /><br />Musk escaped into science fiction and video games. “One of the reasons I got into technology, maybe the reason, was video games,” he said at a gaming-industry convention several years ago. In his early teens, Musk coded an eight-bit shooter game in the style of Space Invaders called Blastar, whose title screen, in a novelistic flourish, credits him as “E. R. Musk.” The premise was basic: “mission: destroy alien freighter carrying deadly hydrogen bombs and status beam machines.” But it won recognition from a South African trade magazine, which published the game’s hundred and sixty-seven lines of code and paid Musk a small sum.<br /><br />Musk often talks about his science-fiction influences. Some have manifested in straightforward ways: he has connected his love of Isaac Asimov’s “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293354">Foundation</a>” novels, whose characters grapple with a mathematically precise prediction of their civilization’s collapse, to his obsession with insuring human survival beyond Earth. But some of Musk’s touchstones present ironies. He has said that his hero is Douglas Adams, the writer who skewered both the hyper-rich and the progress-at-any-cost ethos that Musk has come to embody. In the “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345391802">Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy</a>” novels and radio plays, the latter of which were broadcast in South Africa during Musk’s childhood, a narcissistic playboy becomes the president of the galaxy, and Earth is demolished to make way for a space transit route. Musk is also an avowed fan of Deus Ex, a role-playing first-person-shooter video game that he has brought up when discussing his company Neuralink, which aspires to invent ability-enhancing body <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/technology/neuralink-elon-musk.html">modifications</a> like those featured in the game. During the pandemic, Musk seemed to embrace covid denialism, and for a while he changed his Twitter profile picture to an image of the protagonist of the game, which turns on a manufactured plague designed to control the masses. But Deus Ex, like “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” is a fundamentally anti-capitalist text, in which the plague is the culmination of unrestrained corporate power, and the villain is the world’s richest man, a media-darling tech entrepreneur with global aspirations and political leaders under his control.<br /><br />In 1999, Musk stood outside his Bay Area home to accept the delivery of a million-dollar McLaren F1 sports car. He was in his late twenties, and wearing an oversized brown blazer. “Some could interpret purchasing this car as behavior characteristic of an imperialist brat,” he told a CNN news crew. Then he beamed, saying that there were only about sixty such cars in the world. “My values may have changed,” he added, “but I’m not consciously aware of my values having changed.” Musk’s fiancée, a Canadian writer named Justine Wilson, seemed more aware. “It’s a million-dollar car. It’s decadent,” she said. “My fear is that we become spoiled brats. That we lose a sense of appreciation and perspective.” The McLaren, she observed, was “the perfect car for Silicon Valley.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Musk had moved to Canada </span>when he was in his late teens, and met Wilson when they both attended Queen’s University, in Ontario. He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with degrees in economics and physics. In 1995, the early days of the World Wide Web, he and Kimbal founded a company that came to be called Zip2, an online city directory that they sold to newspapers. Musk has often described the company’s humble origins, saying that he and his brother lived and worked in a small studio apartment, showering at a nearby Y.M.C.A. and eating at Jack in the Box. (Errol at one point gave his sons twenty-eight thousand dollars. Musk, who has a tendency to fuss over questions of credit, has stated that his father’s contribution came “much later,” in a round of funding that “would’ve happened anyway.”) At Zip2, Musk developed what he describes as his “hard-core” work style; even after he had his own apartment, he often slept on a beanbag at the office. But, in the end, the company’s investors stripped him of his leadership role and installed a more experienced chief executive. Musk believed that the startup should have been targeting not just newspapers but consumers. Investors pursued a more modest vision instead. In 1999, Zip2 was sold to Compaq for three hundred and seven million dollars, earning Musk more than twenty million dollars.<br /><br />Justine and Musk married the following year. After their first child died at ten weeks, from sudden infant death syndrome, the couple dealt with the tragedy in very different ways. Justine, by her account, grieved openly; Musk later told one of his biographers, Ashlee Vance, that “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/006230125X">wallowing</a> in sadness does no good for anyone around you.” After pursuing I.V.F. treatment, the couple had twins, then triplets. (Musk now has at least nine children with three different women, and has said that he is doing his part to address one of his pet issues, the risk of population collapse; demographers are skeptical about the matter.) Justine wrote in an essay for Marie Claire that their relationship eventually buckled under the weight of Musk’s obsession with work and his <a href="https://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/a5380/millionaire-starter-wife/">controlling tendencies</a>, which began with him insisting, as they danced at their wedding, “I am the alpha in this relationship.” A messy divorce ensued, leading to a legal dispute over their postnuptial financial agreement, which was settled years later. “He had grown up in the male-dominated culture of South Africa,” Justine wrote. “The will to compete and dominate that made him so successful in business did not magically shut off when he came home.” (Musk wrote a response to Justine’s account in Business Insider, discussing the financial dispute, but he did not address Justine’s characterizations of his behavior.)<br /><br />After Musk left Zip2, he poured some twelve million dollars, a majority of his wealth, into another startup, an online bank called X.com. It was the first instance of his <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/elon-musks-x-factor">obsession</a> with the letter “X,” which has now appeared in the names of his companies, his products, and his son with the artist Grimes: X Æ A-12. The bank also marked the beginning of a long and so far unfulfilled quest—recently revived in his effort to reinvent Twitter—to create an “everything app,” incorporating a payment system. In 2000, X.com merged with a competing online-payments startup, Confinity, co-founded by the entrepreneur <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/what-is-it-about-peter-thiel">Peter Thiel</a>. In events that have since become Silicon Valley lore, Musk and Thiel battled for control of the company. Various accounts apportion blame differently. Hoffman told me, citing the story as an example of Musk’s disingenuousness, that Musk had pushed for the merger by highlighting the leadership of his company’s seasoned executive, only to force out the executive and place himself in the top role. “A merger like this, you’re doing a marriage,” Hoffman said. “And it’s, like, ‘I was lying to you intensely while we were dating. Now that we’re married, let me tell you about the herpes.’ ” People who have worked with Musk often describe him as controlling. One said, “In the areas he wants to compete in, he has a very hard time sharing the spotlight, or not being the center of attention.” In the fall of 2000, another coup, executed while Musk was on a long-delayed honeymoon with Justine, overthrew Musk and installed Thiel as the company’s head. Two years later, eBay acquired the company, by then called PayPal, for $1.5 billion, making Musk, who remained the largest shareholder, fabulously wealthy.<br /><br />Perhaps the most revealing moment in the PayPal saga happened at its outset. In March, 2000, as the merger was under way, Musk was driving his new McLaren, with Thiel in the passenger seat. The two were on Sand Hill Road, an artery that cuts through Silicon Valley. Thiel asked Musk, “So what can this do?” Musk replied, “Watch this,” then floored the gas pedal, hit an embankment, and sent the car airborne and spinning before it slammed back onto the pavement, blowing out its suspension and its windows. “This isn’t insured,” Musk told Thiel. Musk’s critics have used the story to illustrate his reckless showboating, but it also underscores how often Musk has been rewarded for that behavior: he repaired the McLaren, drove it for several more years, then reportedly sold it at a profit. Musk delights in telling the story, lingering on the risk to his life. In one interview, asked whether there were parallels with his approach to building companies, Musk said, “I hope not.” Appearing to consider the idea, he added, “Watch this. Yeah, that could be awkward with a rocket launch.”<br /><br />Of all Musk’s enterprises, SpaceX may be the one that most fundamentally reflects his appetite for risk. Staff at SpaceX’s Starship facility, in Boca Chica, Texas, spent December of 2020 preparing for the launch of a rocket known as SN8, then the newest prototype in the company’s Starship program, which it hopes will eventually transport humans to orbit, to the moon, and, in the mission Musk speaks about with the most passion, to Mars. The F.A.A. had approved an initial launch date for the rocket. But an engine issue forced SpaceX to delay by a day. By then, the weather had shifted. On the new day, the F.A.A. told SpaceX that, according to its model of the wind’s speed and direction, if the rocket exploded it could create a blast wave that risked damaging the windows of nearby houses. A series of tense meetings followed, with SpaceX presenting its own modelling to establish that the launch was safe, and the F.A.A. refusing to grant permission. Wayne Monteith, then the head of the agency’s space division, was leaving an event at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station when he received a frustrated call from Musk. “Look, you cannot launch,” Monteith told him. “You’re not cleared to launch.” Musk acknowledged the order.<br /><br />Musk was on site in Boca Chica when SpaceX launched anyway. The rocket achieved liftoff and successfully performed several maneuvers intended to rehearse those of an eventual manned Starship. But, on landing, the SN8 came in too fast, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/science/spacex-starship-crash.html">exploded</a> on impact. (No windows were damaged.) The next day, Musk visited the crash site. In a picture taken that day, Musk stands next to the twisted steel of the rocket, dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, looking determined, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. His tweets about the explosion were celebratory, not apologetic. “He has a long history of launching and blowing up rockets. And then he puts out videos of all the rockets that he’s blown up. And like half of America thinks it’s really cool,” the former nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine told me. “He has a different set of rules.”<br /><br />Hans Koenigsmann, then SpaceX’s vice-president for flight reliability, started working on a customary report to the F.A.A. about the launch. Koenigsmann told me that he felt pressure to minimize focus on the launch process and Musk’s role in it. “I sensed that he wanted it taken out,” Koenigsmann said. “I disagreed, and in the end we wound up with a very different version from what was originally intended.” Eventually, Koenigsmann was told not to write a report at all, and a letter was sent to the F.A.A. instead. The agency, meanwhile, opened its own investigation. Monteith told me that he agreed with Musk that the F.A.A. had been conservative about a situation that presented little statistical risk of casualties, but he was nevertheless troubled. “We had safety folks who were very upset about it,” Monteith recalled. In a series of letters to SpaceX, Monteith accused the company of relying on data “hastily developed to meet a launch window,” launching “based on ‘impressions’ and ‘assumptions,’ ” and exhibiting “a concerning lack of operational control and process discipline that is inconsistent with a strong safety culture.” In its responses, SpaceX proposed various safety reforms, but also pushed back, complaining that the F.A.A.’s weather model was unreliable and suggesting that the agency had been resistant to discussions about improving it. (SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.)<br /><br />The following March, Steve Dickson, then the F.A.A.’s administrator, called Musk. The two men spoke for thirty minutes. Like Kahl, Dickson was deferential, thanking Musk for his role in transforming the commercial space sector and acknowledging that SpaceX was taking steps to make its launches less risky. But Dickson, an F.A.A. spokesperson said in a statement, “made it clear that the FAA expects SpaceX to develop and foster a robust safety culture that stresses adherence to FAA rules.” Dickson had navigated such conversations before, including with Boeing after two 737 max aircraft crashed. But this situation presented a thornier challenge. “It’s not every day that the F.A.A. administrator releases a statement about a phone call that they have with the C.E.O. or the head of an aerospace company,” an official at the agency told me. “That kind of gets into the soft pressure, public pressure that you don’t do unless you are trying to change the incentive structure.”<br /><br />The F.A.A. issued no fine, though it grounded SpaceX for two months. “I didn’t see that a fine would make any difference,” Monteith told me. “He could pull that out of his pocket. However, not allowing launches, that would get the attention of a company that prides itself on being able to iterate and go fast.” Musk has continued to complain about the agency. After it postponed another launch, he tweeted, “The FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure.” He added, “Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.”<br /><br />Musk has been fixated on space since his childhood. The idea for SpaceX came about after his exile from PayPal. “I went to the nasa website so I could see the schedule of when we’re supposed to go” to Mars, Musk told Wired, in 2012. “At first I thought, jeez, maybe I’m just looking in the wrong place! Why was there no plan, no schedule? There was nothing.” In 2001, he connected with space-exploration enthusiasts, and even travelled to Russia in an unsuccessful bid to buy missiles to use as rockets. The next year, he moved to Los Angeles, closer to California’s aerospace industry, and ultimately he pulled together a team of engineers and entrepreneurs and founded SpaceX, to make his own rockets. Private rocket launches date back to the eighties, but no one had attempted anything on the scale that Musk envisioned, and it proved to be more difficult and expensive than he had anticipated. Musk has said that, by 2008, the company was nearly bankrupt, and that, after putting much of his wealth into SpaceX and Tesla, he wasn’t far behind. “That was definitely the worst year of my life,” he said in an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/billionaire-elon-musk-on-2008-the-worst-year-of-my-life/">interview</a> on “60 Minutes.” SpaceX’s first three launches had failed, and there was no budget for another. “I had no more money left,” Musk told Bridenstine, the nasa administrator, years later. “We managed to put together enough spare parts to do a fourth launch.” Had that failed, he added, “SpaceX would have died.” The launch was successful, and nasa soon awarded SpaceX a $1.6-billion contract to resupply the International Space Station. In 2020, the company flew its first manned mission there—ending nearly a decade of American reliance on Russian craft for the task. <span style="color: red;">SpaceX now launches more satellites than any other private company, with four thousand five hundred and nineteen in orbit as of July, occupying many of Earth’s orbital routes. “Once the carrying capacity of an orbit is maxed out, you’ve basically blocked everyone from trying to compete in that market,” Bridenstine told me.</span><br /><br />There are <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/07/26/the-race-to-leave-planet-earth">competitors</a> in the field, including Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, but none yet rival SpaceX. The new space race has the potential to shape the global balance of power. Satellites enable the navigation of drones and missiles and generate imagery used for intelligence, and they are mostly under the control of private companies. “The U.S. government is in massive catch-up to build a more resilient space architecture,” Kahl, the former Pentagon Under-Secretary, told me. “And that only works if you can leverage the explosion of commercial space.” Several officials told me that they were alarmed by nasa’s reliance on SpaceX for essential services. “There is only one thing worse than a government monopoly. And that is a private monopoly that the government is dependent on,” Bridenstine said. “I do worry that we have put all of our eggs into one basket, and it’s the SpaceX basket.”<br /><br />Even Musk’s critics concede that his tendency to push against constraints has helped catalyze SpaceX’s success. A number of officials suggested to me that, despite the tensions related to the company, it has made government bureaucracies nimbler. “When SpaceX and nasa work together, we work closer to optimal speed,” Kenneth Bowersox, nasa’s associate administrator for space operations, told me. Still, some figures in the aerospace world, even ones who think that Musk’s rockets are basically safe, fear that concentrating so much power in private companies, with so few restraints, invites tragedy. “At some point, with new competitors emerging, progress will be thwarted when there’s an accident, and people won’t be confident in the capabilities commercial companies have,” Bridenstine said. “I mean, we just saw this submersible going down to visit the Titanic implode. I think we have to think about the non-regulatory environment as sometimes hurting the industry more than the regulatory environment.”<br /><br />In early 2022, Steven Cliff, then the deputy administrator of the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, learned that potentially tens of thousands of Tesla vehicles had a feature that he found concerning. For years, Tesla has been working to create a totally self-driving car, a long-standing ambition of Musk’s. Now Cliff was told that a version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, an experimental feature that lets the cars navigate with little intervention from a driver, permitted cars to roll through stop signs, at up to about six miles an hour. This was clearly illegal. Cliff’s enforcement team contacted Tesla, and, in several meetings, a surprising conversation about safety and artificial intelligence played out. Representatives for Tesla seemed confused. Their response, as Cliff recalled, was “That’s what humans do all the time. Show us the data, why it’s unsafe.” N.H.T.S.A. officials told Tesla that, regardless of human compliance, “you should not be able to program a computer to break the law for you.” They demanded that Tesla update all the affected cars, removing the feature—a recall, in industry terms, albeit a digital one. “There was a lot of back-and-forth,” Cliff told me. “Like, at midnight on the very last day, they blinked and ended up recalling the rolling-stop feature.” (Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.)<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Musk joined Tesla as an investor in 2004, a year after it was incorporated. </span>(He has spent years defending the formative nature of his role and was eventually, in a legal settlement, one of several people granted permission to use the term “co-founder.”) Musk was again entering a market bound by entrenched private interests and stringent regulation, which opened him up to more clashes with regulators.<span style="color: red;"> Some of the skirmishes were trivial. Tesla for a time included in its vehicles the ability to replace the humming noises that electric cars must emit—since their engines make little sound—with goat bleats, farting, or a sound of the owner’s choice.</span> “We’re, like, ‘No, that’s not compliant with the regulations, don’t be stupid,’ ” Cliff told me. Tesla argued with regulators for more than a year, according to an N.H.T.S.A. safety report. Nine days after the rolling-stop recall, the company pulled the noises, too. On Twitter, Musk wrote, “The fun police made us do it (sigh).”<br /><br />“It’s a little like Mom and Dad and children. Like, How far can I push Mom and Dad until they push back?” Cliff said. “And that’s not a recipe for a strong safety culture.”<br /><br />The fart debate had low stakes; <span style="color: red;">the over-all safety of the cars is a far greater matter.</span> Tesla has repeatedly said that <span style="color: red;">Autopilot</span>, a more <span style="color: red;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> </span></span> is safer than a human driver. Last year, Musk added that he would be “shocked” if Full Self-Driving didn’t become safer than human drivers by the end of the year. But he has never made public the data needed to fully corroborate those claims. In recent months, new <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/10/tesla-autopilot-crashes-elon-musk/">crash numbers</a> from the N.H.T.S.A., which were first reported by the Washington Post, have shown an uptick in accidents—and fatalities—involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Tesla has been secretive about the specifics. A person at the N.H.T.S.A. told me that the company instructed the agency to redact specifics about whether driver-assistance software was in use during crashes. (By law, regulators must abide by such requests for confidentiality, unless they decide to contest them in court.) Pete Buttigieg, the Secretary of Transportation, recently said that there were “concerns” about the marketing of Autopilot. Cliff told me <span style="color: red;">he had seen data that showed Teslas were involved in “a disproportionate number of crashes involving emergency vehicles,” </span>though he said that the agency had not yet determined whether the technology or the human drivers was the cause. In a statement, a spokesperson for the agency said, “Multiple investigations remain open.”<br /><br />Officials who have worked at osha and at an equivalent California agency told me that Musk’s influence, and his attitude about regulation, had made their jobs difficult. The Biden Administration, which is urgently trying to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, has concluded that it needs to work with Musk, because of his dominant position in the electric-car market. And <span style="color: red;">Musk’s personal wealth dwarfs the entire budget of osha, </span>which is tasked with monitoring the conditions in his workplaces. “You add on the fact that he considers himself to be a master of the universe and these rules just don’t apply to people like him,” Jordan Barab, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor at osha, told me. “There’s a lot of underreporting in industry in general. And Elon Musk kind of seems to raise that to an art form.” Garrett Brown, a former field-compliance inspector at California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, added, “We have a bad health-and-safety situation throughout the country. And it’s worse in companies run by people like Elon Musk, who was ideologically opposed to the idea of government enforcement of public-health regulations.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">In March, 2020, as pandemic lockdowns began, Musk e-mailed Tesla employees, telling them that he intended to violate orders and show up at work</span>, and downplaying the significance of covid-19. Soon after, he lost an initial fight to keep a factory in Alameda County—Tesla’s most productive in the U.S.—open. That April, after county officials extended shelter-in-place orders, Musk was on a conference call with outside financial analysts. His rhetoric became nakedly political, to an extent that would have been uncharacteristic just a few years earlier. “I would call it forcibly imprisoning people in their homes against all of their constitutional rights,” he told the analysts, speaking of the lockdowns. “What the fuck?” he added. “It’s an outrage. An outrage. . . . This is fascist. This is not democratic. This is not freedom. Give people back their goddam freedom.” The pandemic seems to have sparked a pronounced shift in Musk. The lockdowns represented an example of what Hoffman told me Musk considered to be a cardinal sin: “getting in the way of the mission.”<br /><br />The following month, Musk sent a series of vitriolic tweets, threatening to file suit against Alameda County, to move Tesla’s headquarters, and to flout the rules and reopen his factory, all of which he eventually did. The county essentially rubber-stamped the reopening soon afterward—a far cry from what Musk had invited. “I will be on the line with everyone else,” he had tweeted, at the height of his frustration. “If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.”<br /><br />Musk has, for much of his public life, presented himself as a centrist. “I’m socially <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/28/opinion/sway-kara-swisher-elon-musk.html?">very liberal</a>,” he told the technology reporter Kara Swisher in 2020. “And then economically right of center, maybe, or center.” He has said that he donated to Hillary Clinton, and voted for both her and Joe Biden. But, in recent years, the more radical perspective that characterized his diatribes about covid has come to the fore.<span style="color: red;"> In March, 2022, Twitter restricted the account of the satirical Web site the Babylon Bee, after the site misgendered a government official.</span> The next day, in texts later disclosed during the Twitter-acquisition process, Musk’s contact “TJ” (identified by Bloomberg as his ex-wife Talulah Riley) expressed frustration with the development and urged him to purchase Twitter to “fight woke-ism.” The following week, Musk polled his followers about whether Twitter respected free speech and, in a phone call to the Babylon Bee’s C.E.O., joked about buying the platform. Finally,<span style="color: red;"> in April, 2022, he offered forty-four billion dollars for the company. Almost immediately, he tried to back out of the deal, prompting Twitter to sue. </span>After months of legal proceedings, Musk resumed the acquisition process, and in October he assumed control of the company.<br /><br />“Given unprovoked attacks by leading Democrats against me & a very cold shoulder to Tesla & SpaceX, I intend to vote Republican in November,” he tweeted last year. By the time he bought Twitter, he was urging his followers to vote along similar lines, and appearing to back Ron DeSantis, whose candidacy he helped launch in a technically disastrous Twitter live event. Although Musk’s teen-age daughter, Vivian, has come out as trans, he has embraced anti-trans sentiment, saying that he would lobby to criminalize “irreversible” gender-affirming care for children. (Vivian recently changed her last name, saying in a legal filing, “I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”) Musk started spreading misinformation on the platform: he shared theories that the physical <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/how-political-violence-came-to-the-pelosi-house">attack</a> on Paul Pelosi, the husband of the former Speaker of the House, had followed a meeting with a male prostitute, and retweeted suggestions that reports accurately identifying a mass shooter as a white supremacist were a “psyop.” Some people who know Musk well still struggle to make sense of his political shift. “There was nothing political about him ever,” a close associate told me. “I’ve been around him for a long time, and had lots of deep conversations with the man, at all hours of the day—never heard a fucking word about this.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">When Musk arrived at Twitter, he immediately gutted the company’s staff,</span> reducing the number of employees by about fifty per cent. One person who kept his job was Yoel Roth, the company’s head of trust and safety. Roth, who is in his mid-thirties, is gay, Jewish, and liberal. His department was responsible for determining Twitter’s rules; during the Trump Administration, he became embroiled in the culture wars. After the company began rolling out a new fact-checking policy that labelled two of Trump’s tweets as misinformation, Kellyanne Conway, President Trump’s aide, went on “Fox & Friends” and read out Roth’s full name and spelled his username, adding, “He’s about to get more followers.” Trump then held up a New York Post cover mocking Roth, and Twitter users began recirculating tweets that Roth had written criticizing conservative candidates.<br /><br />But when Musk took over he resisted calls to fire Roth. “We’ve all made some questionable tweets, me more than most, but I want to be clear that I support Yoel,” he tweeted in October, 2022. “My sense is that he has high integrity, and we are all entitled to our political beliefs.” That evening, Roth messaged Musk on Signal, thanking him. Musk responded, “You have my full support,” and, the next day, he followed up with a screenshot of a tweet from Roth that described Mitch McConnell as “a bag of farts.” Musk added, “Haha, I totally agree.”<br /><br />But the cuts that Musk had instituted quickly took a toll on the company. Employees had been informed of their termination via brusque, impersonal e-mails—<span style="color: red;">Musk is now being sued for hundreds of millions of dollars by employees who say that they are owed additional severance pay—and the remaining staffers were abruptly ordered to return to work in person</span>. Twitter’s business model was also in question, since Musk had alienated advertisers and invited a flood of fake accounts by reinventing the platform’s verification process. On November 10th, Roth sent a brief resignation e-mail. When his departure became public, Musk texted, asking to talk. “I[t] would mean a lot if you would consider remaining at Twitter,” he wrote. The two spoke that night, and Roth declined to return. Days later, he published an Op-Ed in the Times, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/18/opinion/twitter-yoel-roth-elon-musk.html">questioning</a> the future of user safety on the platform. (Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.)<br /><br />Soon afterward, Musk replied to a Twitter user surfacing a 2010 tweet from Roth, in which he’d shared a link to a Salon article about a teacher’s being charged with having sex with an eighteen-year-old student and asked, “Can high school students ever meaningfully consent to sex with their teachers?”<br /><br />“That explains a lot,” Musk tweeted in reply. Minutes later, he posted an image showing a portion of Roth’s doctoral dissertation, which focussed on the gay-hookup app Grindr and its user data. In the excerpt, Roth argued that such platforms will inevitably be used by people under eighteen, so they should do more to keep those individuals safe. “Looks like Yoel is in favor of children being able to access adult internet services,” Musk wrote.<br /><br />The attack fit a pattern: Musk’s trolling has increasingly taken on the vernacular of hard-right social media, in which grooming, pedophilia, and human trafficking are associated with liberalism.<span style="color: red;"> In 2018, when a Thai youth soccer team was trapped in a cave, Musk travelled to Thailand to offer a custom-made miniature submarine to rescuers.</span> The head of the rescue operation declined, and Musk lashed out on Twitter, questioning the expertise of the rescuers. After one of them, Vernon Unsworth, referred to the offer as a “P.R. stunt,” Musk called him a “pedo guy.” (Unsworth sued Musk for defamation, characterizing the harassment he received from Musk’s followers as “a life sentence without parole.” A judge ruled in favor of Musk, who argued that he hadn’t been accusing Unsworth of actual pedophilia, just trying to insult him.)<br /><br />Musk’s tweet about Roth got nearly seventeen thousand quote tweets and retweets. “The moment that it went from being a moderation conversation to being a Pizzagate conversation, the risk level changed,” Roth told me. “I spent my career looking at the absolute worst things that the Internet could do to people. Certainly, worse things have happened to people. But this is probably up there.” Roth and his husband were forced to flee their house, a two-bedroom in El Cerrito, California, that they’d purchased just two years earlier. “And then as we are, like, packing our stuff and leaving and getting the dog loaded into the car and whatever, like, the Daily Mail publishes an article that gives people more or less a map to my house,” Roth said. “At that point, we’re, like, ‘Oh, we’re leaving this house potentially for the last time.’ ”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">This summer, Twitter’s cheerful blue bird logo came down from the roof of the company’s headquarters, in San Francisco, and was replaced with a strobing “X.”</span> The new entity is a marriage between two parts of Musk. There’s his career-long quest to create an everything app—integrating services ranging from communication to banking and shopping, and emulating products, like WeChat, that are popular in Asia. Sitting alongside that pragmatic goal is a newer, more confusing side of Musk, embodied by his desire to take back the town square from what he sees as woke discourse. Twitter has become a private company, so it’s difficult to assess its finances, but numerous prominent advertisers have departed, and Meta recently launched Threads, a competitor that shamelessly emulates the old Twitter, and broke records for downloads. <span style="color: red;">Musk threatened to sue, then challenged Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder and C.E.O., to a cage match, </span>pledging to live-stream it and donate the proceeds to charity. (Zuckerberg has accepted. Musk has delayed committing to a date, citing a back injury.) The illuminated sign atop X’s headquarters, after complaints to the Department of Building Inspection, came down as quickly as it had gone up.<br /><br />Some of Musk’s associates connected his erratic behavior to efforts to self-medicate. Musk, who says he now spends much of his time in a modest house in the wetlands of South Texas, near a SpaceX facility, confessed, in an interview last year, “I feel quite lonely.” He has said that his career consists of “great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress.” One close colleague told me, “His life just sucks. It’s so stressful. He’s just so dedicated to these companies. He goes to sleep and wakes up answering e-mails. Ninety-nine per cent of people will never know someone that obsessed, and with that high a tolerance for sacrifice in their personal life.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">In 2018,</span> the Times reported that members of <span style="color: red;">the Tesla board had grown <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/business/elon-musk-interview-tesla.html">concerned</a> about Musk’s use of the prescription sleep aid Ambien,</span> which can cause hallucinations. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that he uses <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-valley-microdosing-ketamine-lsd-magic-mushrooms-d381e214">ketamine</a>, which has gained popularity both as a depression treatment and as a party drug, and several people familiar with his habits have confirmed this.<span style="color: red;"> Musk, who smoked pot on Joe Rogan’s podcast, prompting a nasa safety review of SpaceX, has, perhaps understandably, declined to comment on the reporting that he uses ketamine, but he has not disputed it</span>. “Zombifying people with SSRIs for sure happens way too much,” he tweeted, referring to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, another category of depression treatment. “From what I’ve seen with friends, ketamine taken occasionally is a better option.” Associates suggested that Musk’s use has escalated in recent years, and that the drug, alongside his isolation and his increasingly embattled relationship with the press, might contribute to his tendency to make chaotic and impulsive statements and decisions. Amit Anand, a leading ketamine researcher, told me that it can contribute to unpredictable behavior. “A little bit of ketamine has an effect similar to alcohol. It can cause disinhibition, where you do and say things you otherwise would not,” he said. “At higher doses, it has another effect, which is dissociation: you feel detached from your body and surroundings.” He added, “You can feel grandiose and like you have special powers or special talents. People do impulsive things, they could do inadvisable things at work. The impact depends on the kind of work. For a librarian, there’s less risk. If you’re a pilot, it can cause big problems.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">On July 12th, Musk announced xAI,</span> his entry into a field that promises to alter much about life as we know it. He tweeted an image of the new company’s Web site, featuring a characteristically theatrical mission statement: the firm’s goal, he said, was “to understand the true nature of the universe.” In the image, Musk highlighted the date and explained its significance. “7 + 12 + 23 = 42,” the text read. “42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” It was a reference to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” In the series, an immensely complex artificial intelligence is asked to answer that question and, after computing for millions of years, answers with Adams’s most famous punch line: 42. “I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you’ve never actually known what the question is,” the computer says. Earth itself, and all the organisms on it, are ultimately revealed to be a still larger computer, built to clarify the question. Adams does not portray this satirical vision as positive. Musk’s announcement suggested more optimism: “Once you know the right question to ask, the answer is often the easy part.”<br /><br />Musk has been involved in artificial intelligence for years. In 2015, he was one of a handful of tech leaders, including Hoffman and Thiel, who funded <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/14/can-a-machine-learn-to-write-for-the-new-yorker">OpenAI</a>, then a nonprofit initiative. (It now has a for-profit subsidiary.) OpenAI had a less grandiose and more cautious mission statement than xAI’s: to “advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity.” In the first few years of OpenAI, Musk grew unhappy with the company. He said that his efforts at Tesla to incorporate A.I. created a conflict of interest, and several people involved told me that this was true. However, they also said that Musk was frustrated by his lack of control and, as Semafor reported earlier this year, that he had attempted to take over OpenAI. Musk still defends his centrality to the company’s origins, stressing his financial contributions in its fledgling days. (The exact figures are unclear: Musk has given estimates that range from fifty million to a hundred million dollars.) Throughout his involvement, Musk seemed preoccupied with control, credit, and rivalries. He made incendiary remarks about Demis Hassabis, the head of Google’s DeepMind A.I. initiative, and, later, about Microsoft’s competing effort. He thought that OpenAI wasn’t sufficiently competitive, at one point telling colleagues that it had a “0%” chance of “being relevant.” Musk left the company in 2018, reneging on a commitment to further fund OpenAI, one of the individuals involved told me. “Basically, he goes, ‘You’re all a bunch of jackasses,’ and he leaves,” Hoffman said. The withdrawal was devastating. “It was very tough,” Altman, the head of OpenAI, said. “I had to reorient a lot of my life and time to make sure we had enough funding.” OpenAI went on to become a leader in the field, introducing <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/what-kind-of-mind-does-chatgpt-have">ChatGPT</a> last year. Musk has made a habit of trashing the company, wondering repeatedly, in public interviews, why he hasn’t received a return on his investment, given the company’s for-profit arm. “If this is legal, why doesn’t everyone do it?” he tweeted recently.<br /><br />It is difficult to say whether Musk’s interest in A.I. is driven by scientific wonder and altruism or by a desire to dominate a new and potentially powerful industry. Several entrepreneurs who have co-founded businesses with Musk suggested that the arrival of Google and Microsoft in the field had made it a new brass ring, as space and electric vehicles had been earlier. Musk has maintained that he is motivated by his fear of the technology’s destructive potential. In a podcast earlier this year, Ari Emanuel, the head of the Hollywood agency W.M.E., recalled Musk joking about an A.I.-dominated future. “Ari, do you have dogs?” Musk asked him. “Well, here’s what A.I. is to you. You’re the dog.” In March, Musk, along with dozens of tech leaders, signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause in the development of advanced A.I. technology. “Contemporary AI systems are now becoming human-competitive at general tasks, and we must ask ourselves: Should we let machines flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth?” the letter said. “Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones? Should we develop nonhuman minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace us?”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Yet in the period during which Musk endorsed a pause, he was working to build xAI,</span> recruiting from major competitors, including OpenAI, and even, according to someone with knowledge of the conversation, contacting leadership at Nvidia, the dominant maker of chips used in A.I. The month the letter was distributed, Musk completed the registrations for xAI. He has said little about how the company will differ from preëxisting A.I. initiatives, but generally has framed it in terms of competition. “I will create a third option, although starting very late in the game of course,” he told the Washington Post. “That third option hopefully does more good than harm.” Through A.I. research and development already under way at Tesla, and the trove of data he now commands through Twitter (which he recently barred OpenAI from scraping in order to train its chatbots), he may have some advantage, as he applies his sensibilities and his world view to that race. Hoffman told me, “His whole approach to A.I. is: A.I. can only be saved if I deliver, if I build it.” As humanity creates A.I. in its own image, Hoffman argued, the principles and priorities of the leaders in the field will matter: “We want the construction of this to be not people with Messiah complexes.”<br /><br />At one point in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide,” Adams introduces the architects of the Earth supercomputer. They’re powerful beings who have been living among us, disguised as mice. At first, they were motivated by simple curiosity. But seeking the question made them famous, and they began considering talk-show and lecture deals. In the end, Earth is demolished in the name of commerce, and their path to existential clarity along with it. The mice greet this with a shrug, mouth vague platitudes, and go on the talk-show circuit anyway. Musk isn’t peddling pabulum. His initiatives have real substance. But he also wants to be on the show—or, better yet, to be the show himself.<br /><br />In the open letter, alongside questions about the apocalyptic potential of artificial intelligence was one that reflects on the sectors of government and industry that Musk has come to shape. “Should we risk loss of control of our civilization?” he and his fellow-entrepreneurs wrote. “Such decisions must not be delegated to unelected tech leaders.” ♦<br /><br /><p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-16106505024520023652023-08-28T14:50:00.002+08:002023-08-28T14:50:29.229+08:00Full of beans: scientists use processed coffee grounds to make stronger concrete<i>Australian engineers say they can make concrete nearly 30% stronger by incorporating processed grounds into the material<br /></i><br />Donna Lu<br /><a href="https://www.twitter.com/donnadlu"></a><br /><div>Tue 22 Aug 2023<br /><br /><br />In an idea that fittingly arose over a cup of coffee, researchers have devised a technique to recycle used coffee grounds to make stronger concrete.<br /><br />Engineers at RMIT University say they have developed a way to make concrete nearly 30% stronger by incorporating processed coffee grounds into the material.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="383" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c20cd2796693a01598bb853fee1da8fe0edd0830/0_98_2000_1200/master/2000.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Samples of unroasted coffee beans, roasted coffee beans, spent ground coffee and the team’s coffee biochar. <br />Photograph: Carelle Mulawa-Richards, RMIT University</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />The researchers have <span style="color: red;">converted waste coffee grounds into biochar</span>, a lightweight residue similar to charcoal, and used that biochar <span style="color: red;">to replace a portion of the sand required to make concrete.</span><br /><br />The idea arose from a desire to minimise coffee waste within the workplace, said study co-lead Dr Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, a vice-chancellor’s Indigenous postdoctoral research fellow at RMIT.<br /><br />“There was a lot of ground coffee and coffee pods being discarded,” he said. “[We wanted] to see if we could transform those spent coffee grounds into a more valuable sort of material.”<br /><br />The researchers are now collaborating with local councils on future infrastructure projects such as the construction of walkways and pavements.<br /><br />The technique could be environmentally beneficial if it can reduce the amount of coffee waste going to landfill, as well as the demand for natural sand used in the construction industry, the engineers say.<br /><br />Food waste accounts for about <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/food-waste">3% of Australia’s annual greenhouse</a> emissions, according to the National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study. <span style="color: red;">Australia produces an estimated 75,000 tonnes of coffee waste per year.</span><br /><br />Creating biochar involves roasting used coffee grounds in the same way unused beans are roasted to enhance their taste, said study co-lead Dr Rajeev Roychand of RMIT.<br /><br />“We do the same thing, but in the absence of oxygen [to prevent carbon dioxide from being produced],” Roychand said. “We don’t want carbon to get into the atmosphere and add to greenhouse gas emissions.”<br /><br />The process, called pyrolysis, involves heating the coffee waste to about 350C. The team says their technique is more energy efficient because it requires lower than usual temperatures.<br /><br />“Typically pyrolysis has a high energy [input] because you need to raise temperatures to somewhere between 700 to 900C,” Kilmartin-Lynch said.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">By replacing 15% of the sand typically used in concrete with coffee biochar, the researchers found that the addition enhanced strength by 29.3%.</span><br /><br />“Structurally, the coffee biochar itself is finer than a sand … but it’s also a porous material, so it allows the cement to bind within the porous structure of the biochar itself,” Kilmartin-Lynch said.<br /><br />“It definitely still is in its initial phase – there are further tests to be done on the durability and things like that.”<br /><br />If all waste coffee grounds produced in Australia each year were converted into biochar, it would amount to roughly 22,500 tonnes, the researchers estimate.<br /><br />However, about 28.8 million tonnes of sand are required each year to produce the approximately 72 million tonnes of cement concrete made in Australia.</div><div><br /><br /><i>The research was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652623023636">Journal of Cleaner Production</a>.<br /></i><br /><i> This article was amended on 25 August 2023. The amount of cement concrete made in Australia each year is approximately 72 million tonnes, not 72,000 million tonnes as an earlier version said due to incorrect information provided.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-85508701400695029412023-08-17T00:56:00.004+08:002023-09-10T12:34:12.126+08:00Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Reception | Salt Lake City, UTAugust 10, 2023<br /><br />Private Residence<br />Salt Lake City, Utah<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Xs52wJU8btH27gfSag849Ey8D3TGKwZa2AAVtBJOvq98EaBi7yic1pikhKh0C7MV_IeqR0NfG8Yn4yXIvB06w0ywky6XmsHNs-4oaMkyJeAKYPc3R4yg04F_6t7qJJlDbdANiKK71nSJ5h3P_3QSfygHMbsgclyFPgkj9xOZUmibOSNgtLCnDHGdOMpO/s2844/Joe%20Biden.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2844" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Xs52wJU8btH27gfSag849Ey8D3TGKwZa2AAVtBJOvq98EaBi7yic1pikhKh0C7MV_IeqR0NfG8Yn4yXIvB06w0ywky6XmsHNs-4oaMkyJeAKYPc3R4yg04F_6t7qJJlDbdANiKK71nSJ5h3P_3QSfygHMbsgclyFPgkj9xOZUmibOSNgtLCnDHGdOMpO/w640-h360/Joe%20Biden.jpeg" width="640" /></a><div><br />THE PRESIDENT: Please, please sit down. Thank you. Well, first of all, you know, I had forgotten about that incident. It was the time when there was a lot of discussion going on in the administration:<span style="color: red;"> would we recognize same-sex marriage. </span><br /><br />And I was rai- — I was a lucky man.<span style="color: red;"> I was raised by a father who was a — thought everyone was entitled to be treated with dignity.</span> I remember when I was — I hadn’t thought about this a long time. I remember when I was a kid, I — I was a lifeguard at a country club, but I wanted to — I was — got deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. And so, I wanted to work in what they called “The Bucket,” which was a public housing complex — a large complex on the east side of Wilmington — and — which was all African American. <br /><br />And they had the — like all big cities, they had three major swimming pools. One on the east side, which is where they — a thousand African American kids a day would come and swim in this big pool. And I wanted to be a lifeguard there. <div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />And so, my dad, on the way to work, would drop me off at the city hall to go in and get my — my application for being the employee — the only white lifeguard that — well, not at the time, but I was the only — I wasn’t applying to be the only white — I just happened to be the only white lifeguard. <br /><br />And it’s in what they call Rodney Square. If any of you have any little corporations in Delaware — there’s more corporations in Delaware than every other state in America combined, not a joke. And the fact is that it was a great corporate entity at the time: Rodney Square. There was the DuPont Building, the Hercules Building, and other major buildings around that square. <br /><br />So I was getting out of the car to go into the city hall. <span style="color: red;">And these two well-dressed men leaned over and kissed one another. And I’d never seen that before. </span><br /><br />I turned and looked at my dad. And I just looked at him. <span style="color: red;">He said, “Joey, it’s simple. They love each other. It’s simple.” And so, I got lucky, the kind of dad I had. </span><br /><br />And these two little kids, when we walked into this home were — when I was talking to them, they said, “I want you to meet my daddy and my mommy,” and they were two men. And I watched how they loved both those kids and how the kids loved them. <br /><br />And I told Barack, at the time, that I wasn’t going to go out and — and make it a campaign issue beforehand. But if anybody asked me, I wasn’t going to be silent. No one had asked me. (Laughs.) No one ever doubts I mean what I say — I mean when I say; sometimes I say all that I mean. <br /><br />And so, I got on the show, and the first question he asked me was that question. I was persona non grata with everyone but Barack for a while because it was thought to be a political liability...<div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[In his wide-ranging speech starting with comments on <span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">some-sex marriage (above), <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/08/10/remarks-by-president-biden-at-a-campaign-reception-salt-lake-city-ut/?utm_campaign=wp_the_daily_202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_daily202" target="_blank">Biden spoke on various issues and themes</a>, covering education, infrastructure, the economy, and finally, China (below).]</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>...<br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a2458; font-family: MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" /><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0a2458; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">And we have China to deal with. And </span><span style="color: red;"><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"><span>China is a ticking time-bomb in many cases</span></span><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">. </span></span><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0a2458; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"> But it is — I’m the only one — now people are beginning to agree: China is in trouble. </span><span style="color: red;"><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"><span>China was growing at 8 percent a year to maintain growth — and now closer to 2 percent a year.</span></span><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"> </span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a2458; font-family: MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a2458; font-family: MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" />China finds itself in a position where it’s — it’s — it has the <span style="color: red;">highest unemployment rate </span>going. It’s in a position where it’s — the number of — the number of people who are of retirement age is larger than the number of people of working age. So, they got some problems. That’s not good because <span style="color: red;">when bad folks have problems, they do bad things. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a2458; font-family: MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a2458; font-family: MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" /><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0a2458; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">So — but my point is: managing China and managing that relationship. And I’ve spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader has. They’ve kept every — they keep tabs of all of it — 68 hours of personally — just he and I with an interpreter each — and another 15 hours on Zoom. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a2458; font-family: MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a2458; font-family: MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;" />And this is a guy who is a — who I think I understand. And this is a guy who — we’re not looking for a fight with China. But we’re looking for a rationale relat- — a rational relationship to have with China. <br /><br /></div><div>I don’t want to hurt China. But in the meantime, I watched what China was doing. <span style="color: red;">So I put together a thing called the Quad.</span> We brought together as an alliance India, Japan, Australia, and the United States. We put ourselves in a position where now we have the Philippines and, soon, Vietnam and Cambodia wanting to be part of a relationship with us because they’re — they don’t want to — they don’t want to have a defense alliance, but<span style="color: red;"> they want relationships because they want China to know that they’re not alone. </span><br /></div><div><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0a2458; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="MercurySSm-Book-Pro_Web, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0a2458; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;"><br /></span></div></div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-11567415232414311422023-08-10T02:22:00.000+08:002023-08-10T02:22:19.224+08:00Commentary: Singapore’s the 25th happiest country in the world — here are some ways to make it a happier place<br /><img height="479" src="https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--YHw25cIb--/f_auto,q_auto/c_fill,g_auto,h_622,w_830/v1/mediacorp/tdy/image/2023/04/17/20220410_bk_population_generics_orchard_11.jpg?itok=PCvNKihw" width="640" /><br />Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY<br /><br /><i>Despite being consistently ranked as Asia’s happiest nation, Singapore has not seen a dramatic improvement in either its ranking or the average life evaluation score over the last decade, said the author.<br /></i><br />NATTAVUDH POWDTHAVEE<br /><br /><div>April 18, 2023<br /><br /><br />Almost every year since 2012, the World Happiness Report (WHR) has been documenting the rankings of national happiness for hundreds of countries worldwide. <br /><br />In the WHR’s first and landmark report, Denmark was named the happiest country in the world, followed closely by two other Scandinavian countries: Finland and Norway. <br /><br />Recently, however, Finland has overtaken Denmark as the happiest nation six years in a row. <br /><br />What about Singapore? Perhaps to many Singaporeans’ surprise, Singapore has not been performing too badly at all as a nation when it comes to being satisfied with one’s life. <br /><br />Out of over 150 countries in the Gallup World Poll, which is the dataset used to generate the happiness league table in the WHR since its inception in 2012, Singapore ranked 25th globally in 2023. </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br />It has an average life evaluation score of 6.6 on an 11-point scale (where 0 = “The worst possible life” and 10 = “The best possible life”). On the other hand, Finland, which came first in the ranking, has an average life evaluation score of 7.8. <br /><br />However, despite being consistently ranked as Asia’s happiest nation,<span style="color: red;"> Singapore has not seen a dramatic improvement in either its ranking or the average life evaluation score over the last decade. <br /></span><br />Back in the first WHR report in 2012, Singapore ranked 33rd globally, with an average life evaluation score of 6.5.<br /><br />But should we care about this? Certainly! <br /><br />For decades, happiness researchers like me have found consistent — and often causal — evidence across countries and time periods that <span style="color: red;">people who are more satisfied with their life are, on average, more productive, less likely to quit their job, </span>more trusting, more prosocial, healthier, and more likely to live longer. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[So... being happy is good because we would be good workers? Seems like something the Sg Govt can get behind!]</span><br /><br />It is also probably not hard to imagine that a well-run country requires their citizens to be productive, trusting, healthy, prosocial, and have longevity as well. <br /><br />In short, there are many objective benefits to becoming happier with our life. </div><div><br /></div><div> <br />HOW DO WE MAKE SINGAPOREANS HAPPIER? <br /><br />In that case, what are we doing right as a nation? And what are we doing wrong? <br /><br />To understand these questions and their answers better, we must first understand the important determinants of life evaluation. <br /><br />Life evaluation, which is one of the core measures of evaluative (or cognitive) well-being, captures how satisfied we are with our life overall. <br /><br />How we respond to the life evaluation question depends, in part, on whether we feel our life is measuring up to our expectations. <br /><br />It also depends significantly on our environment, our past and hope for the future, and our genes. <br /><br />This is why some of the major, positive determinants of life evaluation include having a good job, being physically and mentally healthy, earning good incomes, being in a good relationship with friends and families, living in a safe, stable, and well-governed country, and having a good social safety net, many of which are things that Singapore does very well on a grand scale. <br /><br />On the other hand, we tend to feel worse about our life when other people like us — for example, those of the same gender, similar age group, and education level — earn more or progress faster in their career than we do.<br /><br />Rising prices and inequality, as well as the constant pressure to keep up and compare ourselves with others, can also take their toll on our physical and mental health, which happen to be two of the main predictors of life evaluation. <br /><br />The way we spend our time also matters. <br /><br />If we spend most of our days engaging in activities that have negative consequences on our daily emotional health, such as commuting and working in a meaningless job, then it is highly unlikely that we will feel very fulfilled with our life. <br /><br />So, what can we — as individuals, as business leaders, as the Government — do if we want to make the whole country happier?<br /><br />First, it might be useful to learn that it is not always a trade-off between well-being and economic growth. Many of us believe that we need to sacrifice our happiness today in the pursuit of economic prosperity and our happiness in the future. <br /><br />Yet, a simple tweak to the way we spend can help improve how much each dollar can buy us in terms of happiness. <br /><br />For example, studies in psychology have shown that people generally derive more happiness from experiential purchases such as paying for a yoga class or a holiday than material purchases, as well as from prosocial spending such as spending money for others like friends or families than spending on ourselves. <br /><br />There are also important roles for businesses and the Government to play. <br /><br />For instance, the Four-Day Week experiment, which saw hundreds of companies around the world introducing a four-day, 32-hour work week with the same pay to their employees, has been shown to be successful at improving workers’ overall well-being without sacrificing their productivity in return. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Instead of taxing income, the Government could replace it with progressive consumption tax. </span><br /><br />It is like the existing Goods and Services Tax (GST) except that the <span style="color: red;">tax rates start low for goods that are cheap (like hawker food) or expensive but important (like medical devices) before rising sharply for materialistic goods that are very expensive (like luxury watches).</span><br /><br />Such a tax would help reduce the demand for conspicuous consumption that is wasteful and detrimental to societal well-being. <br /><br />There is also a lot to be said about building a strong sense of community among people who live in the same local area and to educate people about the science of happiness at all levels, from primary school to the university. </div><div><br /></div><div> <br />WHY MEASURING HAPPINESS MATTERS<br /><br />There are many more possibilities to improve the nation’s happiness, of course. But perhaps a good starting point is for us to start taking these measures more seriously. <br /><br />This can be done by collecting and analysing well-being data of our own, which is something many government agencies such as the United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have been doing over the last decade. <br /><br />We should know what works for well-being in Singapore first before we can come up with any policies to improve them in the long-run. <br /><br />Currently, very little has been done to track Singaporean’s overall well-being — whether it is life satisfaction, mental health, and purpose in life — at the population level. <br /><br />One solution to this might be for the Department of Statistics to start including questions on personal well-being in its annual population surveys. <br /><br />And with such data, we would be able to track how Singaporeans’ well-being are doing over time, especially during the toughest of times like the Covid-19 pandemic. <br /><br />At present, there has only been one study by Dr Terence Cheng (Harvard University), Dr Seonghoon Kim (Singapore Management University), and Dr Kanghyock Koh (Korea University) that showed how elderly Singaporeans’ life satisfaction dropped sharply leading up to and following the Covid-19 lockdowns before bouncing back to almost the pre-lockdown level 13 months later. <br /><br />As Mr Joseph Stiglitz, the 2001 Nobel Prize laureate, once said: “What you measure affects what you do. If you don’t measure the right thing, you don’t do the right thing.” <br /><br />And measuring the citizen’s overall well-being, whether it’s life evaluation, mental health, or purpose in life, is the right thing to do. <br /><br /> <br /><br />ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<br /><br /><i>Nattavudh (Nick) Powdthavee is a Professor of Economics at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the author of The Happiness Equation: The Surprising Economics of Our Most Valuable Asset and co-author of The Origins of Happiness: The Science of Well-Being over the Life-course.</i></div><div><br /></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>5 Reasons why Singaporeans are "not happy". </b></span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">a) Don't want to be happy. LKY (and others) have noted that Singaporeans are "Champion Grumblers". This requires us to always wonder if there is a better way to do things, or if things are currently being done in the best possible way. As such, we are "incapable" of being content with the status quo (no matter how good), and will find some fault or something that needs improvement. It is how Singapore gets to be more efficient, and effective. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">b) Happiness is Immodest (and not an "Asian Value"). Parents (traditional parents - Not the more modern, westernised parents, maybe) would always deflect praise from their children (so they don't get swell-headed and immodest). It is very Asian/Chinese, to deflect praise, or be self-deprecating if praised. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">c) Don't know HOW to be happy. Or to be content. Or to be satisfied. The classic trope is an Asian child showing his parents his test score with 98/100, and the parent asked, "why didn't you get the other 2 points?" And if the child comes back with a 100/100 test, the parents will say, "must have been an easy test. What a lousy teacher!" And so we learn as children, how not to be satisfied, and conversely, do not know how to be happy. </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">d) Actually "happy", but do not know it - This is a psychological process. We may experience all the elements that should be translated as "this makes me happy" or "I should be happy with this", but we do not have the psychological heuristic (or "neurological pathways" -- not sure if I'm using this right) to interpret the sum of our feelings as "being happy". </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">e) Happiness is over-rated. This is a definitional issue. This requires one to clearly distinguish "happiness", from "Joy", from "ecstasy", from "enraptured", from "bliss", and a whole spectrum of positive feelings. From Bhutan, one can realise that "Happiness" can be politicised (or maybe even weaponised). A lot of what people call "Happiness" is transient and ephemeral. One is "happy" when at the concert of one's musical idol. And when the concert is over? The next day? When the credit card bill for the concert tickets becomes due? If happiness is centred on an occasion -- a concert, your birthday party, the 15-minutes light-and-music show at the Supertree Grove, is that happiness, or something transient? Other sayings about happiness includes: "Happiness isn't about having everything you want, but about being happy with what you have." Or being content with what you have. Generally, people (not just Singaporeans) usually define happiness in terms of what they want and what they have. It is what drives Singaporeans to try to acquire more things. Spock (Star Trek) observed that "having" is not as pleasing as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true. Another saying, "To be happy, one should have something to do, something to love, and something to hope for". And that's probably why having children makes one happy. Because if you have children, you will definitely have something (lots of somethings) to do, something to love (your children), and something to hope for (what do you hope for your children?)</span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br />To be sure, it is not an unqualified good thing for Singaporeans to not be (able to be) happy. To paraphrase a saying, "True Humility does not consist of a Strong man thinking himself weak, or an intelligent man thinking himself stupid. But the ability to build a great cathedral and think no more or less of it than the next man." We need to break away (if we were raised that way) from the "traditional" parenting or "Asian Values", that being proud of one's achievement is immodest. We need to be able to be objective about our achievements, and think no more or less of it than the next person. We need "true humility", not false modesty. </span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;">watch YouTube videos of visitors/tourists to Singapore, Ahhhhing and Oohhing over Singapore's achievements. They show me what is truly (objectively) wonderful about Singapore and why I should appreciate how good we have it. Which was how I discovered your videos. Social media tends to bring out the darker inclinations of our human (or inhuman) nature. We can choose not to do that. Your videos reflect your intentionally positive view. And yes, there is a lot that Singapore can improve on, but... that does not detract from the fact that Singapore is already pretty damn good. That will not stop the grumbling. That is the nature of Singaporeans, I think. I guess, personally, I have an issue with the concept of "happiness". It can be politicised and used to whip up sentiments. On a moment to moment basis, I am hard-pressed to say I am happy. Content, yes. Satisfied, yes. Looking forward to the day, yes. Being Happy requires context. Without context, then we need some kind of recreational drug, maybe. </span><div><div><div><i><br /></i></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-249142036245875345.post-8538664143631912202023-07-28T10:43:00.002+08:002023-07-28T10:43:23.992+08:00In Singapore, loud echoes of Beijing’s positions generate anxiety<i>President Xi Jinping wants to build influence among ethnic-Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, raising concerns that the Chinese Communist Party is stoking divided loyalties</i><div><i><br /></i><div><i></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="427" src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/P6LLWYAGOBATITVOR5Q64YM3OQ_size-normalized.jpg&high_res=true&w=2048" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Waterloo Street, one of the oldest streets in multiracial Singapore, is host to Chinese temples, food centers and <br />newspaper vendors, alongside a Hindu temple and a synagogue.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br />By Shibani Mahtani <br />Amrita Chandradas<br /><br /></div><div>July 24 at 5:00 p.m.<br /><br /><br />SINGAPORE — As China accelerates efforts to build its global power, President Xi Jinping has laid out an extravagant vision for overseas ethnic-Chinese communities that <a href="http://my.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zgxw/202210/t20221026_10792358.htm?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">he hopes will</a> “give shape to a powerful joint force for advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><span style="color: red;">Promoting these communities as a vehicle for China’s geopolitical ambitions has become something of a mantra in Beijing,</span> often wrapped in bland rhetoric like <a href="http://english.scio.gov.cn/topnews/2023-05/09/content_85273352.htm?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">building a “shared future.”</a> But in seeking to incorporate citizens of other countries into its vision, critics say, <span style="color: red;">Beijing is stoking divided loyalties, and their potentially destabilizing consequences, across Southeast Asia </span>— home to more than 80 percent of the ethnic-Chinese people outside China and Taiwan, researchers say.<br /><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></blockquote>Concerns are most pronounced in Singapore, a multiracial city-state with a majority ethnic-Chinese population that is increasingly sympathetic to Beijing. <span style="color: red;">A 2022 survey of 19 countries by the Pew Research Center found that Singapore was <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/09/28/how-global-public-opinion-of-china-has-shifted-in-the-xi-era/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=22-09-28+GLOBAL+China+Essay+GEN+DISTR&org=982&lvl=100&ite=10556&lea=2212857&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0D3j000011z4A5EAI&itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">one of only three</a> that saw China and Xi in favorable terms.</span> In June, the Eurasia Group Foundation released a survey conducted in Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines that <a href="https://egfound.org/2023/06/modeling-democracy-caught-in-the-middle/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">found Singapore was the only one that viewed China more favorably than it did the United States. </a>Fewer than half of respondents in Singapore viewed the United States favorably, compared with 56 percent who viewed China favorably.<div><br />“If too many Chinese Singaporeans are foolish enough to subscribe to <span style="color: red;">Xi’s version of the ‘China Dream,’ </span>the multiracial social cohesion that is the foundation of Singapore’s success will be destroyed,” said Bilahari Kausikan, a former permanent secretary of Singapore’s Foreign Ministry. “Once destroyed, it cannot be put together again.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Singapore’s government</span> passed a law to prevent foreign interference in domestic politics that went into effect last year, and <span style="color: red;">has <a href="https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/National-Day-Rally-2022-Chinese?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">warned its ethnic-Chinese population</a> against “hostile foreign influence operations” and stressed a distinct Singapore-Chinese identity.</span> But messaging by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on key issues such as the role of the United States in the region and China’s internal politics<span style="color: red;"> is already entrenched in Singapore,</span> including in a leading Chinese-language publication long backed by Singapore’s government.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">The flagship broadsheet, Lianhe Zaobao, illustrates the shifting attitudes toward Beijing. Its reporting, once a reflection of Singapore’s careful neutrality between China and the United States, now routinely echoes some of Beijing’s most strident falsehoods, including denying evidence of rights abuses in Xinjiang and alleging that protests in Hong Kong and in mainland China were instigated by “foreign forces,” according to an examination of more than 700 Lianhe Zaobao articles through 2022 and early 2023 by The Washington Post and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.</span><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180;">“If too many Chinese Singaporeans are foolish enough to subscribe to [Xi Jinping’s] version of the ‘China Dream,’ the multiracial social cohesion that is the foundation of Singapore’s success will be destroyed.”— Bilahari Kausikan, a former permanent secretary of Singapore’s Foreign Ministry.</span></div></blockquote><div><br />Additionally,<span style="color: red;"> the paper has been running regular opinion columns since 2016 from at least two CCP officials without noting their party affiliation, referring to them simply as China affairs commentators. </span>One of the columnists, Deng Qingbo, <a href="https://hnrb.voc.com.cn/hnrb_epaper/images/2021-12/03/13/2021120313_pdf.pdf?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">directs the online propaganda and comment division</a> of Hunan province’s cyberspace administration office, while the other, Ding Songquan, is part of the CCP’s committee at Huzhou College in Zhejiang province and has held several positions in the Zhejiang education department. Another columnist, <span style="color: red;">Hong Kong-based Xing Yunchao, writes sometimes <a href="https://column.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202010/14/WS5f86c0f7a3101e7ce9729466.html?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">identical columns in the China Daily</a> and Lianhe Zaobao, blurring the line between Chinese state media and the privately held Singaporean newspaper.</span><br /><br />As part of its carefully calibrated neutrality between the United States and China,<span style="color: red;"> Singapore maintains extensive military and economic ties with Washington alongside its close economic relationship with Beijing.</span> The city-state <a href="https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/missile-defense-weapons/singapore-buy-1000-jdam-bomb-kits-us?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">buys weapons from the United States</a> and <a href="https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-singapore/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template#:~:text=More%20than%201%2C000%20Singaporean%20military,and%20F%2D15SG%20pilots%20train">trains its military on American bases</a>, while U.S. naval ships frequently make port calls in Singapore. Meanwhile, Singapore and China this spring formally <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/singapore-and-china-s-upgraded-relationship-what-it-means?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">upgraded their bilateral relationship</a> after a visit by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to China, bolstering a free-trade agreement, environmental collaboration and telecommunications exchanges.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Beijing sees Southeast Asia as a key sphere of influence, </span>and it has been <span style="color: red;">increasing its public diplomacy </span>and <span style="color: red;">media presence</span> there as part of a multibillion-dollar campaign under Xi, with <span style="color: red;">ethnic-Chinese communities a significant target,</span> according to researchers. China’s legislature is set to pass a “patriotic education” measure that seeks to promote Beijing’s messaging and “Xi Jinping Thought,” including by harnessing the power of overseas Chinese groups, which should “play to their respective advantages,” <a href="https://npcobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Patriotic-Education-Law-Draft.pdf?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">according to a draft of the law</a>. China’s messaging is twofold, designed to bolster its image and programs, while limiting Washington’s role in Southeast Asia by creating “the sense that the U.S. is dangerous, provocative and destabilizing,” said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore and a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://gfx-data.news-engineering.aws.wapo.pub/ai2html/SINGAPOREglobe/W3FB5WWPC5DNZDFFJQTRL37UWY/SINGAPOREglobe-xsmall.jpg?v=2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">A map locating Singapore in Asia</span><br style="text-align: left;" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Chinese state television in both Chinese and English is ubiquitous in Southeast Asia, as is China Radio International, which broadcasts in most Southeast Asian languages as well as Chinese. Beijing is also promoting its official news agency, Xinhua, to media organizations in the region, creating content-sharing agreements. <span style="color: red;">Chinese companies or businesspeople with strong commercial interests in China have bought up local Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia. This focus on traditional media organizations complements targeted disinformation campaigns on social media,</span> with the goal of co-opting overseas Chinese communities “as vectors of influence abroad,” according to Albert Zhang, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s international cyber policy center.</div><div><br />Apart from these direct efforts, <span style="color: red;">the sheer weight of China’s economic power has become an incentive to heed Beijing’s wishes, undermining traditional constraints in Singapore on taking sides. Lianhe Zaobao, for instance, enjoys rare access for a foreign publication to audiences in China, and it has become dependent on that readership for advertising and growth.</span> The newspaper’s leadership is <span style="color: red;">loath to risk being shut out of the Chinese market by the country’s censors and has prioritized access over critical coverage,</span> according to interviews with 10 former and current reporters who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss issues freely.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Financial incentives also exist at smaller online outlets that rely on Chinese social-networking apps like WeChat for readers and advertising.</span> An editor at an online Chinese-language outlet in Singapore admitted to self-censorship — <span style="color: red;">avoiding political topics while pushing messaging that would be favorable to China — to preserve access to the app</span>. Getting blocked is a “double cut,” the editor said, affecting both readership and advertising.<br /><br />Lianhe Zaobao’s editor, Goh Sin Teck, in response to questions from The Post, said that his newspaper is “objective, neutral and fact-based” and that content is not selected based on political leanings. The opinion section, Goh added, is meant to cover “a broad spectrum of views,” and the paper does not “want to discard certain views out of hand solely based on the columnist’s background.” The newspaper’s official positions, he said, are carried only in its editorials.<br /><br />“As far as possible, Lianhe Zaobao verifies the background of all writers, while respecting how they wish to describe themselves,” Goh said. On the paper’s reporting, he added: “Indeed, <span style="color: red;">we may not be dancing to the West’s tune when we report on certain topics.</span> But to categorize us as a pro-CCP media because of this seems to be overly rash and arbitrary.”<br /><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">‘One newspaper, two countries’</h3>Lianhe Zaobao was created in 1983 by the merger of two rival Chinese-language newspapers, a consolidation that was encouraged by Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Lee was worried about the future of Chinese-language newspapers as English became the medium of instruction in schools. It is in Singapore’s “interest as a nation to maintain at least one high-quality Chinese-language newspaper, and that paper is Zaobao,” he said in a 2003 speech celebrating the paper’s anniversary. “This is a national project which we must do our best to promote.”<br /><br />The paper is one of three main vernacular newspapers in Singapore, each serving a predominant ethnic group — Chinese, Malay or Indian. The majority of Singapore’s 5.4 million people are bilingual, proficient in English and one other language: Mandarin, Malay or Tamil.<br /><br />Lianhe Zaobao was unusual in that it served two audiences — in Singapore but also in China. As China began to open under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s, Zaobao’s reporting and commentaries were reprinted and circulated among higher-ranking CCP cadres. In 1993, the newspaper became available in Beijing hotel bookshops, and it went online two years later. It remains one of the few Chinese-language foreign-news websites accessible in China.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">“We call it ‘one newspaper, two countries,’” </span>said Lim Jim Koon, the paper’s former editor in chief, who spent more than three decades at Zaobao until retiring in 2011. “We know our value to China is that we offer something they don’t have. … We become a window for them.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Even as the paper’s footprint in China grew, its readership steadily declined in Singapore in tandem with falling Mandarin proficiency, especially among the young.</span> The paper has tried to attract a new digital audience — pushing video content and Facebook Live presentations as it establishes a brand with content created by millennials and Gen Zers — but <span style="color: red;">its subscriber base has continued to dip. Zaobao’s combined print and digital circulation in Singapore fell from 187,900 in 2015 to 144,000 in 2020,</span> according to company filings.<br /><br />Amid falling revenue across the industry, Zaobao’s parent company, Singapore Press Holdings, in 2021 spun off its media business, including the English-language Straits Times and other vernacular papers, into a privately held trust, SPH Media. Circulation figures and other financial records are no longer available to the public.<br /><br />Access to the Chinese market has become crucial for the publication. <span style="color: red;">Zaobao has <a href="https://en.prnasia.com/releases/apac/lianhe-zaobao-explores-ai-enabled-digitalisation-collaborations-with-sensetime-381199.shtml?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">over 4 million monthly readers</a> in China — almost twice the number of Mandarin speakers in all of Singapore, according to census data </span>— and that access is monetized through advertising and paid advertorials from Chinese and other companies seeking to reach Chinese consumers, according to the reporters.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Zaobao still holds significant influence in Singapore, </span>in part because of its historically close relationship with <span style="color: red;">the government, which has long exercised tight control over the local media. </span>Celebrations marking the paper’s anniversaries feature high-level Singapore officials, including the current prime minister. The newspaper also rates well on trust among readers, according to the Reuters Institute. Despite falling readership, SPH Media continues to have a monopoly over print news in Singapore.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">The Zaobao reporters say a clear shift toward Beijing accelerated in 2019, when at the height of protests in Hong Kong,</span> the newspaper’s main WeChat page was blocked. It remains inaccessible. The reason is unclear, but it was interpreted as a warning that other social media sites — including Zaobao’s account on Weibo, the major Chinese social media platform, and the Zaobao website itself — could be blocked. <span style="color: red;">The version of the newspaper’s website in China is different from the one accessible in Singapore, and editors withhold sensitive stories from the Chinese version, according to several reporters.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Avoiding being blocked in China became the main priority of the newspaper’s senior leadership, </span>according to several current and former reporters. “It underlines everything we do,” said one journalist at the paper. <span style="color: red;">Protecting that access has spilled into the paper’s editorial direction more broadly, including its reporting for Singaporean readers,</span> the reporters said. “We are doubly trapped,” between Singapore’s censorship and China’s, the journalist at the paper said.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">In December 2021, the newspaper was granted an exclusive interview with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. </span>Peng had said on her Weibo account that a former top CCP official had pressured her into sex; then she disappeared from public view. <span style="color: red;">The six-minute Zaobao interview, in which she denied being sexually assaulted and said she was living freely, is the only time Peng has been seen or heard from directly since she posted the accusation. </span>Some reporters said they believed the paper was handpicked to promulgate the party line, and that <span style="color: red;">it was seen as more likely to be trusted by global audiences than a Chinese state media outlet.<br /></span><br />It put “Zaobao in the light of helping the CCP say things,” said a former reporter. “It was that moment where you could see how the Chinese government allowing access to foreign media — because it is so few and far between — and Zaobao priding itself as a diplomatic channel and interpreter of Chinese thinking overlapped.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">More recently, the paper deferred to Beijing’s narrative</span> on topics including last year’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/29/china-zero-covid-protests-clampdown/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">“blank paper” protests against covid-19 lockdowns</a> and CCP rule, as well as in coverage <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/07/china-spy-balloon-intelligence/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">of the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down</a> by the United States in February, in which stories routinely implied that the American reaction was irrational and a symptom of decline.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Zaobao also partners with a Chinese company that has been pinpointed as complicit in rights abuses. </span>In late 2022, Zaobao started working on digitization efforts with an artificial intelligence firm called SenseTime, which <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/10/us-investment-ban-sensetime/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">has been placed under sanction by the U.S. government</a> for the use of facial recognition technology against the Uyghur ethnic minority. Goh, Zaobao’s editor, said the partnership is a one-year arrangement “designed to explore ways of using AI technology to improve visual content presentation and user experience,” adding that Zaobao “has no wish to be embroiled in U.S.-China contests.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">“The Beijing-friendly impression Lianhe Zaobao gives its readers might … lead the Chinese audience to believe Singapore is more PRC-friendly than is justified by its U.S.-centered security policy,” </span>said Sense Hofstede, a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands, using the initials of the People’s Republic of China.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">A distinct Singapore-Chinese identity</h3>The changes within the paper come as a new Chinese ambassador to Singapore is more publicly pushing Beijing’s agenda. Sun Haiyan, who received her credentials in 2022, arrived from the International Liaison Department, a wing of the CCP that manages relations with political parties, rather than the Foreign Ministry. Soon after taking up her position, she established an “AmbChina.sg” Facebook page. She posts there at least once a day.<br /><br />The Post reviewed all<span style="color: red;"> her public posts in 2022 and they overwhelmingly show her engaging with Chinese Singaporeans, Chinese-language media and Chinese associations over other ethnic groups.</span> Among Sun’s first engagements was a meeting with a group of Chinese-language online outlets where, according to an editor present, <span style="color: red;">she asked that they steer clear of sensitive topics, including China’s actions in Xinjiang and Tibet, </span>where the United Nations found evidence of wide-ranging <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/31/un-china-xinjiang-report/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">human rights abuses</a> and <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/02/china-un-experts-alarmed-separation-1-million-tibetan-children-families-and?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">forced assimilation</a>. <span style="color: red;">Sun told an editor at SPH Media, Zaobao’s parent company, that it should help tell positive stories about China, according to a person familiar with the exchange.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Propagating a pro-China line that “doesn’t distinguish between the Chinese Communist Party state, Chinese culture, Chinese ethnicity” creates “confusion over self-identification and where loyalties should lie, </span>especially at a time where friction between the PRC, the U.S. and other U.S. friends and allies in the region are increasing,” said Chong, of the National University of Singapore.<br /><br />In a written response to The Post, the Chinese Embassy said it respects Singapore’s multireligious and multiethnic society, and is in “regular contact with a diverse array of local communities,” citing relationships with Indian and Malay lawmakers. “Public relations and media affairs constitute an important part of the works” of Sun, the embassy said.<br /><br />Lianhe Zaobao reported Saturday that Sun would be leaving her post at the end of the month for a promotion to deputy minister at the International Liaison Department. She would be the youngest deputy minister within China’s external affairs apparatus. The Chinese Embassy in Singapore did not respond to a request for comment on her departure or new role.</div><div><br /></div><div>Singapore’s government has scrutinized Sun’s outreach, according to several people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities.<span style="color: red;"> The government is also increasingly concerned about China’s influence more broadly.</span> Speaking to a clan association — one of the organizations set up during British rule to support Chinese immigrants — at a Feb. 5 reception marking the Lunar New Year, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam <a href="https://www.mha.gov.sg/mediaroom/speeches/singapore-hokkien-huay-kuan-spring-reception-2023/?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">urged the group to help</a> nurture a <span style="color: red;">“Singaporean Chinese culture so that our people remain rooted. … Help the government ensure Singapore’s policies can only be decided by Singaporeans.”</span><br /><br />Shanmugam’s appeal was an unusually pointed statement from a government that is often circumspect on China so as not to upset ties with Beijing. <span style="color: red;">It followed the prime minister’s Mandarin speech at last August’s National Day rally, where he said messages shared on social media — he named WeChat alongside WhatsApp and Telegram — have the “ulterior aim” of persuading Singaporeans to take sides.</span><br /><br />Yet some Singapore Chinese groups are being pulled closer into Beijing’s orbit. Representatives of three clan associations — including Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, one of the largest — attended the 10th Conference for Friendship of Overseas Chinese Associations in May, the first such conference held since the pandemic. Other Singapore groups, such as the Sian Chay Medical Institution, a charity, and the Singapore-China Business Association, also attended, alongside some 500 overseas Chinese from 130 countries. They were greeted by Xi and Shi Taifeng, head of China’s United Front Work Department, which coordinates Beijing’s influence operations. State media billed the event as helping to “<a href="https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202305/11/WS645c2082a310b6054fad23ce.html?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template">knit the giant Chinese family together</a>.” The Singapore groups that attended the conference did not respond to requests for comment.<br /><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/30/latest-game-show-topic-china-x-jnpng/"><br /></a><span style="color: red;">Researchers say such conferences are part of China’s overall “United Front” strategy, </span>in which political work is promoted by nonstate actors with the goal of pushing CCP views, discrediting opponents and gathering intelligence. Shi, speaking to attendees, <span style="color: red;">emphasized the “unique advantage” that overseas Chinese have in contributing to the “greatness of the Chinese nation.”</span><br /><br /><span style="color: red;">“A lot of United Front appeals cross over to an appeal to Chinese ethnic nationalism,”</span> said Gerry Groot, a senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide in Australia who does research on United Front work and the role of overseas Chinese in advancing it. Friendship “associations are designed to build emotional links to China on the one hand, and allow the United Front department to use those emotional and other connections as levers to serve the goals of the Communist Party, whether economic, political or social.”<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Elderly Chinese, who were Mandarin-educated and feel as if they’ve lost their place in a Singapore that is largely Anglophone, are the most easily swayed by Beijing’s messaging,</span> analysts and residents said. One person who describes her parents, in their 70s and 80s, as having “extreme” pro-China views said the CCP has become like a “fictional hero.”<br /><br />“Being a Chinese national became their whole identity, though it isn’t even their identity,” she said.<br /><br />A spokesperson at Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information said in an emailed response to The Post that the city-state “does not choose sides between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, but upholds consistent principles.” An internal government poll, the spokesperson said, found that <span style="color: red;">86 percent of Singaporeans agreed with the policy of nonpartisanship, with only 4 percent saying the country should lean toward China.</span><br /><br />Singapore has intensified its efforts to reinforce the Singapore Chinese identity. A nonprofit organization, the Singapore Chinese Cultural Center, was established to strengthen local Chinese culture, with an Instagram-friendly permanent exhibition that celebrates local cuisine, dialects and traditions separate from China. It is largely funded by the Singapore government.<br /><br />“We were set up with a very specific purpose in mind, which is to aim to highlight the distinctiveness of the Chinese culture and Chinese community in Singapore,” Low Sze Wee, the center’s chief executive, said in an interview. “We do share a common ancestry with the people of China, but it is quite clear that despite this common history, many of us in the community have evolved [along] different trajectories.”</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><i>Carmen Yow and Rebecca Tan in Singapore and Pei-Lin Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.<br /></i><br /><b><i>About this story<br /></i></b><br /><i>Story by Shibani Mahtani. Photos by Amrita Chandradas. Story editing by Peter Finn. Project management by Courtney Kan. Photo editing by Olivier Laurent. Design and development by Kat Rudell-Brooks and Yutao Chen. Design editing by Joe Moore. Research by Carmen Yow and Pei-Lin Wu. Map by Laris Karklis and Samuel Granados. Copy editing by Melissa Ngo and Martha Murdock.</i><br /><br /><i>By Shibani Mahtani. Shibani Mahtani is a Singapore-based international investigative correspondent for The Washington Post. She focuses on accountability-driven investigations across the Asia-Pacific region. She joined The Post's foreign desk in 2018 as the Southeast Asia and Hong Kong Bureau Chief after seven years as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/singapore-china-news-influence-lianhe-zaobao/@shibanimahtani"> </a></i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0