Then you should hire Singaporeans. It is compulsory to learn at least two languages, English and the “mother tongue”, which is seen as Mandarin for those of Chinese ethnicity, Bahasa Melayu for Malays and Tamil for those of Indian decent.
Many Singaporean also know at least one more language, and/or one or more of the Chinese dialects commonly used by older people.
Most younger NW Europeans knows at least English and their mother tongue, with many knowing more, especially the Swiss and Dutch.
Right at the end the threads came together. Bilingual and being able to play a musical instrument. Some of the great minds of history have shown that a well rounded education is far more important than a narrow concentration on a subject.
Life experience generally results in a young person moving from a liberal outlook on life to a conservative as they age.
Yup. They realize that all those pie in the sky ideas have to be paid for using their taxes. “Free shit for all” sounds great until you realize there is no such thing as free shit.
I don’t think anybody living and working in a Social Democracy think that things come for free, but they are more willing to pay taxes when it give them social security in return.
To know that you will not be bankrupted if you get sick and need hospital treatment, or out of work for a period, is worth something to most people.
To know that you will be taken care of if disable and in your old age is worth a lot as well.
That a few unscrupulous individual take advantage of the system may be annoying, but so is knowing that somebody becomes billionaires from the misfortune of others:
If you add up all the things that is paid for over tax bill in a Social Democracy system and what you in the US pay on top of your taxes, for health insurance and education, (to mention just the most obvious) your burden is probably as heavy, if not more than that the average Scandinavian, or others in NW Europe.
PS> Yes I know that The Daily Show is a comedy show, but sometimes they make more sense than the mainstream media. (I’m not talking about Fox News only)
unfortunately no longer true, the young can bearly speak singlish and thats it
yes older folks can speak english, malay, their own dialect and madarin in most cases.
You mean that things have changed so drastically in the two years since I was there last??
no it changed years ago when they had the speak mandarin campaign in the late 80’s it killed mother tongue and then singlish started.
I have nearly 20 niece and nephews only the older ones ( over 30yrs) can speak 3 languages and engrish properly.
All the parents can speak 3 or more like my wife
No business in Singapore will put a Singaporean on the reception phone any more, its one of the biggest complaints from employers here the lack of good English from supposed educated people.
Haven’t read it yet, but looks interesting: “Nervous States: Democracy and the Decline of Reason.”
Cheers,
Earl
I wonder how many “radicals” are drawn from seafarers?.. leisure or commercial oil or deck?
As a breed, I find seafarers (apart from eejits who buy a powerboat and treat it like a car) are very practical. We understand you can’t cross the bar at low water and no amount of “interpreting or looking at things in a different way” will make the tide rise. The Engine must run and we look afer it. We do things that work, because the alternative is a high possibility of drowning.
Management and ship owners are another breed more willing to ignore reality.
I have run into a surprising number of mariners who are conspiracy theorists.