Keep buying US debt, urges Clinton

Keep buyingUS debt, urges Clinton

Promising shuttler quits

Link: Singapore Must Think That Badminton Players Are Very Stupid

I wonder who lost out in this case?

It's strange that Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) only gave out that ultimatum now. Riky Widianto, 17, has been in Singapore since 2005. That makes him 13 when he's here. If SBA is intend on grooming him, SBA seems quite confident that these four years will be enough to entice someone like him to be a Singaporean. Not so, as it turns out.

I'm also not sure if what kind of effect Singapore citizenship has on foreign players. Are they attracted by the idea or repelled?

Billions invested - are they safe?: MPs

Link: What Tharman said in Jan 2008...

Here's a quote from the blog entry above made by Lucky Tan.

How can good long term investments whose risks are thoroughly assessed plunge by 50-80% within 8 months?

I would have agreed with Lucky Tan if I haven't actually seen it myself.

Ever heard of a quote "A rising tide lifts all boats"? Basically, it means that majority individuals will benefit from the economy when it's doing well, and vice versa.

A stock that plunges 50-80% doesn't mean that the company isn't safe. It can also mean that the company is riding the low wave just like every other company in the current dire economic situation.

I follow Amazon's stock price closely, even if I don't buy it. They fell from over US100 to US35 per share after the Lehman incident. I call that market correction — a 75% drop back to reality. But I also know that Amazon's a strong company, with great management and leadership. That's not reflected in the share price drop. Today, few months later, the share price has increased to over US60 per share. That price represents the strategy Amazon has taken over the years, a more telling picture of how they are doing in the current economy.

If you ask me, good investments can plunge to near bankruptcy levels. But if the management is good, the investment is still considered safe, and is still good for investment.

What's more challenging is to single out companies that are doing badly not because of the current economic crisis, but because they don't have any sound business strategies.

One should not just look at numbers. More important are people inside the company who contribute to that number.

Internet not an effective self-regulated regime, says MICA

Source article: Internet not an effective self-regulated regime, says MICA

It's always amusing to see someone without much knowledge of a certain field speak as if they know enough.

This time, the Singapore online target list is Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, Lui Tuck Yew.

Let me provide my views for some of the comments made by Lui.

First, the Internet is never meant to be a self regulating environment. It's a place where people speak their mind freely, with the focus on the word freely. It's as authentic as it can be. It's the only place where people can be who they really are. The truth is ugly, but it's only on the Internet where you can get the truth. Many people don't speak what they truly feel offline because they are afraid of consequences. The problem here is not so much of what people say, it depends on whether one is able to listen and handle the truth.

Heard of the famous movie quote, "You want the truth you can't handle the truth" from A Few Good Men. That's as real as it gets. Imagine if your friend has body odor, would you be brave enough to tell him/her? How about sending an anonymous email?

Being able to tell the truth is the most valuable attribute any person can have.

Many people in real life are in fact borderline hypocrites. By borderline, I mean those who say one thing online but can't say the same thing offline. If you don't say it, you're on the borderline. But if you say the opposite, you're a hypocrite - you can't say what you think.

Do I follow what I preach?

I always ask myself if I can repeat what I say online in the real world before posting comments.

But always ask first if the person is able to handle the truth, because most people can't.

Other links:
- Singapore Govt says: Internet very unruly and unkind, not self-regulated enough
- Behind Today's Lui story