Mar
9
In mid/late February I had the chance to join a 9-day study trip organized by my university to go to Japan. It was my first visit to the country and here are some thoughts on the economic prospects of Japan: When I was a child (that was at the turn of the 80s and 90s), [...]
Sep
21
Singapore’s lack of cycling facilities
September 21, 2011 | 4 Comments
Spiegel Online is featuring this short article about a new global index on the quality of cycling in global cities. The index was prepared by a Danish blogger and cycling expert who runs the blog Copenhagenize.eu. No surprise, Amsterdam and Copenhagen top the ranking of 20 cities. Sadly though only one Asian city makes it [...]
Mar
8
Holding governments accountable
March 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment
The Open Budget Index (OBI) for the year 2010 assessed 94 countries from around the world in terms of their budget openness and accountability. The drive was coordinated by the International Budget Partnership, a Washington DC based independent think-tank. Of the 94 countries reviewed, only 24 yielded satisfactory results when it came to maintaining a [...]
Nov
29
Never forget to pay your bills in Singapore
November 29, 2010 | 1 Comment
Some say Singaporeans are greedy, some say they are bureaucratic and some that they are uber-honest. I think this is all crap stereotyping (as if the Germans would be orderly… or the Indians talkative…). But here is a warning from the Singapore university library of what happens if you do not settle your fines (no [...]
Sep
11
Eating out and food in Singapore
September 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Ok. Today is a special day. I could write a comment about some Florida idiots who wanted to burn books some consider holy – or the reactions to this. But all these crazies on either side really deserve no further attention. It is time to start writing about Singapore. And what could be more important [...]