A successful shopping mall in Jakarta

Taman Angrek is a successful shopping maill in Jakarta. It has a large atrium and an indoor skating rink.

How income inequality harms society

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-10-25&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

Singapore fares quick badly on several indicators.

For decades, Richard Wilkinson has studied the social effects of income inequality and how social forces affect health. In The Spirit Level, a book coauthored with Kate Pickett, he lays out reams of statistical evidence that, among developed countries, societies that are more equal – with a smaller income gap between rich and poor -- are happier and healthier than societies with greater disparities in the distribution of wealth.

While poverty has long been recognized as an indicator for such social ills as crime, obesity, teen pregnancy, Wilkinson and Pickett have demonstrated that societal well-being bears no relation to per capita income. They’ve also found that the symptoms of inequality trouble all levels of society. Across the board, mental health, levels of violence and addiction, even life expectancy are affected by the psycho-social stress caused by income gaps and status anxiety.

In the UK, The Spirit Level won support from politicians both left and right. Wilkinson, who is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, also cofoundedThe Equality Trust, a nonprofit that aims to reduce income inequality by educating and engaging the public while supporting political commitment to address the problem.

He says: "While I'd always assumed that an equal society must score better on social cohesion, I never expected to find such clear differences between existing market economies."

White House studies student loan relief plan

The White House is introducing a student loan relief plan. This will add to the deficit and shows how bad the debt situation has become. Many sectors, including the government, home buyers and students are not able to pay off their debts.

http://www.cnbc.com//id/45037241

Difficult to revive the housing market

This article explains the difficulty faced by the Obama Administration in reviving the housing market in America. If a country allows its property market to build into a big bubble, it will be difficulty to reverse the situation. This is a lesson for Singapore to avoid.

http://www.cnbc.com//id/45021347

Survey - forex training course

If you have attended a forex training course and wish to give your feedback or ask for a refund, please take part in this survey  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JS7F7XV

Global Financial Regulator

The Vatican has called for the establishment of a global financial regulator and a tax on financial transactions. It also recognises the excesses, corporate greed and other wrong doing that has been committed in recent years.

http://www.cnbc.com//id/45013499

How to make the PAP work in your favour

Dear Mr. Tan,


In 1993, the retirement age for Singapore workers was raised from 55 to 60, and then in 1999, it was raised again from 60 to 62. Amazingly, during these 18 years (1993-2011), a local university has stubbornly stuck to a retirement age of 55 for their academic staff. Only recently and as a sigh of relief to their staff, the university has finally raised the retirement age from 55 to 62.


Can you imagine what it is like to be forced to retire at 55? During the past 18 years, is it possible that PAP were not aware what this university was doing? With regard to the recent change at the university, could it be to do with the 2011 GE results? So, what could not be changed in 18 years, has now been changed which coincide with six opposition MP in the Parliament. Can you imagine what could happen with more opposition MP?


So, do you know how to make PAP work in your favour?


Retired at 55