24 July 2011

In Whose Name? 以谁之名?

Rating:★★★★★
Category:Other
Abbas, 45 Years in Photography
45年光影:阿巴斯摄影回顾展

http://www.ah.xinhuanet.com/xhsyxy/2011-06/17/content_23031544.htm

Lee Kuan Yew: Got to accept "discomfort" of foreign talent


http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/more-foreign-talents-equal-better-society-growth-lee-133937815.html

'Foreign talent allows S'pore to punch above its weight'
By Faris Mokhtar | SingaporeScene – Fri, Jul 22, 2011

Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew says foreign talent is vital in ensuring better growth.

Foreign talent is vital to the growth of Singapore's society and in ensuring its economic progress, said former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

He was speaking at a closing session of a two-day at the South Asia Diaspora Convention on Friday afternoon at Resorts World Sentosa to more than 300 members of the audience, comprising foreign delegates, academics and business leaders.

While he acknowledged that Singaporeans have concerns over the competition from talented foreigners, Mr Lee noted they also came to set up homes and be citizens of the country.

Emphasizing that more foreign talent would lead to better growth in the society, he reasoned that it would be insufficient for the country to depend solely on the talent of Singaporeans alone.

"And I am a firm believer that the more talent you have in a society, the better the society will grow. If Singapore depends on the talent they can produce out of 3 million people, it's not going to punch above its weight," he said.
If Singapore depends on the talent they can produce out of 3 million people, it's not going to punch above its weight
Lee Kuan Yew

"It's because we have been drawing talent from across the globe, South Asia, Northeast Asia, China, India and beyond that -- you have a vibrant economy which is way beyond what three million Singaporeans with the talent they produce can do."

Mr Lee's comments were in response to a question posed by DBS Group Holdings chief executive officer Piyush Gupta, who asked for his views on how to better address the issue of foreigners coming into Singapore.

This, Gupta said, comes after the recent General Election (GE) where there has been "a lot of angst" on the role of foreign talent and the country's ability to absorb it in the future.

The issue was one of the key concerns for Singaporeans in the lead up to the May 7 election which saw the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) winning only 60.1 percent of the votes -- a historic low for the party since independence.

Although there had been some "discomfort" among Singaporeans over the unequal competition for jobs, Mr Lee said that this "cannot be helped" because without foreign talent, there will not be any jobs to begin with.

"So we welcome talent and will continue to welcome talent," he added.

He stressed the importance of considering whether the country prefers a slower growth rate with no input of talent or a faster growth with an inflow of talent, even though some of these top jobs are going to the foreigners.

This, he reiterated, is because there will not be any jobs if there is no growth.

The founding father of modern Singapore also replied disapprovingly when asked whether there are any demerits to meritocracy. "I do not accept that there are any disadvantages to meritocracy," he said.

"Let's remove the foreign element first. There's no better way to run the country than the best man for the most difficult job."

In the case of foreign talent, he said that one has to decide whether accepting them would increase the country's "megabytes" and increase the computer capacity or to reject them, which will then lead to a "slower working computer".

As to Singapore's context, he shared that the nation is successful because of its openness to foreigners.

During the dialogue -- which was moderated by Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Professor Kishore Mahbubani -- Mr Lee also discussed on India-China relations, issues pertaining the growth of South India and the importance of good governance.

21 July 2011

神在人间



这次去访问的是一位长者和他的看护人。

长者和看护人没有血缘关系,看护人是邻国人,我访问前对于他们的关系感到纳闷。
长者住的是一房式的组屋。一房式的组屋因为住的多为社会底层的人士,给人的印象是凌乱肮脏的,常常还会有异味飘荡在走廊。
一进去长者的家,窗明几净,长者扶着拐杖,从厕所出来,厨房还飘荡着食物的香味。长者虽然脑袋不太清楚,还是坚持穿衣服后接待我们。
看护人和长者认识多年,因为自己没有长辈,就把长者当成自己的长辈。从未生病前,照顾长者到生病后。因为长者的健康状况每况愈下,所以现在不得不把长辈转介到疗养院。看护人本身事实上也有自己的生活问题,却得离乡背井,来这里工作,并寄住在长者家。
在询问看护人关于长者的资料时,可以看得出看护人对于长者的生活起居了如指掌,并且把生活所需规划得好,方便这位不太能自理的长者的日常生活作息。虽然知道脑袋不太清楚,在帮长者拿东西的时候,还是尊重的请示一下。
在为长者解释詳情时,可以看得出长者与看护人之间的不舍之情。两个人的眼神中,发出慈爱的光芒。
在结束会谈时,看护者口中吐出一句话:神会为我们安排。离开前,还闻到阵阵食物的飘香。
=====================================
最近作访问的时候,总是听到这样的话:神会为我们安排。开始听这句话的时候,总觉得这是守株待兔的宿命论。渐渐的,我才发现这就是人在面对很多生命中的“不得不”(无常?),发出对于生命的无奈,或亦是对神的赞叹?
总觉得神不是供在教堂内、寺庙中、殿堂里,神常常会不知不觉,静悄悄的生活在人间......
(影像取自 Image extracted from http://sathyasaibaba.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/shree-ganesh.jpg)

10 July 2011

Active Aging 活跃乐龄

在地铁上看到一位老妇,跟他攀谈后知道她已经八十岁了,最小的孩子已经五十多岁了,孩子在某地卖很出名的果条汤面。感觉他硬朗、愉快。太太还提醒我她的皮肤和样子只像五十多岁。

想起国家在推的Active Aging,活跃乐龄计划,不竟莞尔。穿着泳装在台上走猫步?学习年轻人的时髦玩意儿?

地铁上老妇人坐下,从袋子里拿出装着食物的盒子(要带给谁分享:我想),把盒子盖上的蒸气水擦干(以免潮湿的水份加快食物的损坏。我想)。盖回盒子后,擦干脸上汗水,从瓶子喝了一大口水。(我提醒太太保持水份对于皮肤保养的重要性)

健康、乐观、愉快、乐观、分享、养生、注重卫生、活跃乐龄 …… 老妇人可能不知道这些概念,她可能也不知道为什么她会这样愉快的生活着。

我没有否认从国家机器的角度,推广XX运动是重要的。但是观看事物的角度,受惠者到底是谁是重要的思考。

Active Aging…… 活跃乐龄…… 抱歉,但是,我不竟又想要偷笑了。

(网上照片:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3oqxt9G5Pb7fr9OE2VL05PfDTEAK6NlKWOyhIwpJpMlin8h6QFvsWLWcf8_5yAjc-qwKKfMqRUMKShK7-zoq2bjFeSAqInLTkLJqYoWAzIQ-EF7c7HbK5PfgmRSBuDu3wnqxO-RLtRM/s1600-h/AAC_hmpage.jpg

06 July 2011

Heineken Commercial 2011 - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour




The Asteroids Galaxy Tour: The Golden Age Lyrics

I wished I lived in the golden age
Giving it up on the Broadway stage
Hang with the rats and smoke cigars
Have a break with Frank and count the stars

Dressed to the nines, with hair to match
Shiny jewels, casino cash
Tapping feet, wanna take the lead
A trip back in time is all I need

Oh!
Sing it out loud gonna get back honey
Sing it out loud get away with me
Sing it out loud on a trip back honey
Sing it out loud and let yourself free

Whoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo

I'm on my way, gonna make it big
Gonna make these songs for the chicks to dig
It's really hot and a little bit sour
We're getting your strength to maximum power

Flying away from reality
Whatever-ever happened to gravity?
I see it clear, a shooting star
And I'm really gonna sing it like da-da-da

Sing it out loud gonna get back honey
Sing it out loud get away with me
Sing it out loud on a trip back honey
Sing it out loud and let yourself free

Yeah!

Sing it out loud gonna get back honey
Sing it out loud get away with me
Sing it out loud on a trip back honey

[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-golden-age-lyrics-the-asteroids-galaxy-tour.html ]

Sing it out loud and let yourself free

Yeah-yeah!
Woah-oah!
Wow!

Ohhh silver screen on a rainy day
Sally Bowles in Cabaret
Shaking sticks, oh what a show
Fresh and jolly, from tip to toe

Rambling down the boulevard
With a fire burning in a wooden heart
My mind is set, I won't be lying
But I never really thought it would feel this fine

Yeah!
Sing it out loud gonna get back honey
Sing it out loud get away with me
Sing it out loud on a trip back honey
Sing it out loud and let yourself free

Sing it out loud gonna get back honey
Sing it out loud get away with me
Sing it out loud on a trip back honey
Sing it out loud and let yourself free!

Yeah!
Hey! Hey!
Whoo!
Ooh!
Oooooaaahh!

Whoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Whoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo

Read more: THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR - THE GOLDEN AGE LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-golden-age-lyrics-the-asteroids-galaxy-tour.html#ixzz1RFWpG1Z8
Copied from MetroLyrics.com

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are a Danish pop band consisting of vocalist Mette Lindberg and producer Lars Iversen. When performing live the band extends to a six-piece with horn section, featuring Miloud Carl Sabri (trumpet), Sven Meinild (saxophone), Mads Brinch Nielsen (guitar), and Rasmus Valldorf (drums).[1] Lars Iversen is the primary songwriter and producer. Formed in 2008, the band is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
extracted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asteroids_Galaxy_Tour