Sensei Michael

I have previously written about why Singapore (and in fact many nations) are going through difficult times politically. I have found a nice graphic recently that displays this very well. I encountered this graphic when reading about the rise and fall of dynasties in China. Singapore, like China then, started from a lower wealth and population base back when we started our journey as a nation. Under capable men, backed by a population willing to make the necessary sacrifices for their future, Singapore grew rapidly...and ran into the present situation. Singapore's relative productivity level (relative to what it was in the growing years) has fallen as our population numbers and demands grow beyond what we can provide for. Population demands is especially interesting - what used to satisfy no longer does, and the populace clamour for bigger, better things. It is like the satiation effect of a drug. You want more and more as the previous "high" no longer satisfies. Wealth c...

It is not just America's educational system that are failing its boys. This claim was made from an article I read, which squares with what I have encountered in the modern educational system. Virtually all modern humanistic public education systems are stacked against their boys. I do not agree with all the points written by the author (since I believe they are irrelevant to the topic of boys being failed), so I shall only point out the ones I agree with. 1. Boys mature more slowly compared to girls. The modern educational system requires a lot of early maturity to achieve early. Early reading. Early attention. Sitting down and not moving. All these require maturity early. 2. Boys are innately more competitive compared to girls. The modern educational system is de-emphasizing grades and sports achievements, both areas where the innate competitiveness of boys come out. They are being set up not to do as well, in an environment which emphasizes collaboration. 3. Education now require...

I consider myself a student and follower of Mr Xenakis and his works on Generational Dynamics . It has influenced how I see my children and students and my relationship with them, and also how I see the politics of my country Singapore (where I am a political and community activist). Generational Dynamics is based on a simple idea: That societies and nations make mistakes and then learn lessons from those mistakes. But generations grow older, retire and die, and are replaced by new generations who are too young to remember those mistakes and those lessons. When that happens, the mistakes are repeated. Generational dynamics explains a lot about history. It basically implies that people will ALWAYS forget the lessons of history, because of how generational memory of history create generation gaps, and how these generational gaps create forces that change history. It also explains why history tends to repeat itself about every 80 years, and why the Chinese saying 富不过三代 (wealth does not tr...

I used to teach Economics, and wrote this in response to a student who questioned Singapore bosses' treatment of our foreign workers. If the boss houses them an d pays them the way they would pay a Singaporean, then the bosses, well, they would rather pay a Singaporean. It is basic demand and supply, the very same thing I told a Chinese reporter (back when I was in Shanghai) who demanded to know why I was paid so highly compared to a Chinese principal. I told her the same thing - if the boss could get a lower paid Chinese to do the same thing I did, they would. I got paid and treated that way because the boss needed my value. In the same way, the day when the boss no longer needs the "value" those exploited workers give (said value in this case being their low wages and exploit-ability), a Singaporean would then take up the position. Or perhaps, one day, when the law mandates that the boss needs to treat them the same way a Singaporean would be treated, the boss...

I am not even calling them misleading, cause they are not. They are simply not being upfront. I saw this advertisement by Cloudworkers up on Facebook. Clicking on the advertisement brought me to their application website . Till this step, one gets the impression you are applying for a job as a moderator in some chat site like Kiasu Parents, Singapore Expats and so on. The reply to me on my e-mail from Cloudworkers Agents SG <jobs.sg@cloudworkers.company> was most interesting. Hi Michael, Thanks very much for getting in touch with us about the available position. To tell you a little bit more about the work... The job consists of answering messages sent to us by customers who are chatting on an online social flirt community. Our operators reply to these messages using an online portal via their computers – this is an e-commuting position and you would be working from your own PC or device, wherever you are. Due to the fact that we need to chat about whatever the customer is...

https://www.quora.com/We-normally-put-the-in-front-of-a-type-of-currency-like-The-yen-is-getting-stronger-but-we-say-A-strong-yen-would-not-harm-the-Japanese-economy-When-do-we-use-the-versus-a-when-referring-to-a-type-of-currency/answer/Ben-Robinson-51?ch=10&share=9ba5011d&srid=ibaJ

I recently came across a very good piece of research by Harvard on the elements of value . Broadly, it indicates four major groups of value that consumers actually pay for, viz. 1) Functional, 2) Emotional, 3) Life Changing, and 4) Self-transcendence. It roughly coincides with the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. It helps tremendously in defining how a business should go about improving profits, by examining how we can add further value, or appeal to a value-segment that we may never have thought of serving. The tuition business in Singapore, especially a full-service one like Frankel Tutors, works mainly at the following levels. Provides hope (life changing). They want to do well in their exams, and the service provides hope for them to do so. Motivation (life changing). They need that extra push, that extra motivation to bring them through the treacherous waters of academics. Affiliation/belonging (life changing). They want to study together with like-minded friends or cl...