博文

目前显示的是 七月, 2011的博文

Pipeline or piped dreams?

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By ANITA GABRIEL, senior business editor who feels uneasy whenever it appears as if connections trump business sensibilities. Surely, that's not a good thing? The closely-guarded and scrupulously-monitored oil and gas sector in the country which reins are tightly gripped by the national oil company, has suddenly become a target of unknown individuals perceivedly pumped up with narcissism more than cash, trumpeting they've landed high-flying multi-billion gawk-worthy (even by stalwart standards) jobs. Really? Take for example: How is it possible that a behemoth project of this scale (talking about a 7,000km Trans-Asian Oil and Gas Pipeline project at US$100bil) which involves a full interconnection of gas transmission pipelines stretching from Mersing, Johor to Natuna Islands, Indonesia and from Hanoi, Vietnam to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China and one that without a doubt, would involve government-to-government negotiation and cooperation as well as that of the big oil com...

For the sake of freedom - 已没有人可以吭声?

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For the sake of freedom To be fair to the Merdeka generation of leaders, they could not possibly have envisaged how laws designed to combat communist terrorists would be used against legitimate political dissenters, but let us hope that the current generation of leaders understand the destructiveness (to themselves and to the nation) of their current behaviour. ~ Tunku ’Abidin Muhriz (founding president of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs) Source: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/93648 “已没有人可以吭声” 一开始他们来抓犹太人,我没吭声,因为我不是犹太人;后来他们来抓共产党,我没吭声,因为我不是共产党。后来他们来抓工联成员,我没吭声,因为我没有加入工联;后来他们来抓天主教徒,我没吭声,因为我是新教徒;最后他们来抓我时,已没剩任何人可以吭声。~ 德国牧师尼莫勒(Martin Niemoller) 应该关心的 6个人 : http://www.redtomato.com.my/news/%E8%AF%84%E8%AE%BA/8151.html

Project Meru

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A combination from the best of both world's project - high tech + high touch retailing. The project site map, artist impression and construction site progress images are yet to be updated. However, some sneak preview into what the virtual world could be offering on pre-launch sessions: Nice coupons ...    Double layer target marketing ... Savings all the way ...

找对的人,做对的事;Pay Peanut, Get Monkey

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以下实例仅作为案件参考与实战分析。欢迎模仿,谢绝拷贝,因为你可以依样画葫芦,但背后的软实力如果掌握不好,可能会画虎不成反类犬,得不偿失。 2011年7月4日, 《红番茄》免费中文报网络竞赛 在推广前,面子书只有 1431 个粉丝。 7月5日,开始网络推广。截至7月28日,粉丝人数已达 6212 人,一个月内(23天)330% 的增长率。 为什么用粉丝人数来做案例?因为这是其中一个管道,一个大数法则里潜在客户数量的例子(请参阅 concepts behind online campaign 里的图表)。在 more likes equal more dollars? 的普查里也有一些不可忽视的网络社群相关调查数据。 同样是网络竞赛,不同人做出来,却有不同的成绩: 网络搭配竞赛。 截至7月28日,粉丝人数从106人增至166人。 重点: 1。当大企业如花旗银行也加入社交网络推广游戏时( Even Citibank taps on Facebook ),这一个虚拟管道不可以被企业所忽视。 2。要抄,可以。但不要只着重于看得见的东西而已。 問題在於,可以克隆(clone) 蘋果,無法克隆創意;可以克隆勞斯萊斯,無法克隆貴氣;可以克隆拉菲堡紅酒,無法克隆品味;可以克隆哈斯塔特,無法克隆人文氣息。可以克隆高鐵,結果無法阻止火車追尾脫軌,代價是數十人命。~ 郑丁贤‧山寨與克隆:http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/20251 3。要做好事情,要舍得。找对的人,做对的事。重赏之下必有贤能之士辅佐。网络技术层面可能是阿猪阿狗都会做的事,但创意与营销策略则另当别论。Pay peanut get monkey 的意思是如果你只愿意付 kacang putih 的预算,你很大可能找到一班猢狲! 心宽福大,施比受有福。 一份耕耘,一份收获。共勉之! 祝 安康 11年7月28日 此前英文相关篇幅: Online Campaign : Red Tomato Weekly Newspaper 一位前辈 n 年前的分享 : 商场之动,供销两旺。货栈之固,买卖兴隆。 有动有静,进退自如。有赚有赔,财运亨通。

£3 Billion Super Yacht Made of Gold and Platinum

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An interesting news, read the words in bold: Whatever coats your boat: The History Supreme and its gold hull, commissioned by an anonymous Malaysian businessman, for a reported £3billion (Pic:Newsteam) According to the World Gold Council, some 165,600 tonnes had been mined at their last estimate in 2009, meaning that the craft has nearly one per cent of the world’s gold . 2 things may worth noting from this story: 1. This must be a very clever businessman. While designer Stuart Hughes said it took him three years to complete and " I believe it will be mostly in dry dock, it won’t be used, it is just for show, " , I would say "what could be better than to store your precious metals with this presentable yacht?" As at 27th July, 2011: " Gold currently trades for about £980 (RM4,802) an ounce, while platinum runs close to £1,100 (RM5,390). If it is indeed true that 100 metric tons of gold was used, the precious metals themselves are worth between ...

Real World Advice

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In an American survey that asked senior citizens what they would do differently if they could relive their lives, three themes that kept cropping up are: - Take more risks - Be more thoughtful - Do things of significance 1. Take more risks (calculated risks) I would say, take CALCULATED risks. Anything is risky - when you don't know how to play by the rules, even crossing the road can be very risky. In the Game of Risk - You can only win if you understand how to play . This would mean getting out of your comfort zone. What are you willing to take on that may be completely outside your comfort zone? 2. Be more thoughtful How often do you see people actually take the time to ponder about the things they do? Let’s face it, most people do things as a matter of course, without thinking. Is it any wonder that many people find their work – and indeed their lives – to be unfulfilling? Ever wonder how slavery in the 21st century works? “Go to school, get a job, re...

How the Government is Stealing Your Food?

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For starters, is the United States Government really "stealing your food?" Absolutely... How is this happening? Well, the way it works is, rather than intervening in grocery stores, or factories where all of this food is produced, the government (via a secret organization that is only required to reveal a fraction of their financial dealings) instead intervenes earlier in the process... in your pocketbook and bank account. Essentially, what they do is alter your money in a special way so that when you go to the grocery story, the grocery store will actually give you less food than the same money could buy just a few weeks ago. This occurs in a series of steps. Let me explain... STEP 1) It starts at the top. The "theft" begins when the Federal Government needs some money. They call up the Federal Reserve and ask for help. The Federal Reserve is the small and secretive group I've alluded to. They're like the Government's own private bank. They...

Inflation Explained

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This is what most people refer to as "inflation." For instance, let's say you have $100,000 in the bank. At 9.6%, which many folks believe to be the real rate of inflation...here's what your money would look like over time: Value of $100,000 After the Effects of 9.6% Inflation per Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 $91,241 $83,249 $75,957 $69,304 $63,234 $57,695 $52,641 $48,030 $43,823 $39,985 After a decade of 9.6% inflation, you'd be left with $39,985. A $60,000 loss, just by doing nothing! With inflation, the Government is stealing money from your bank account! But really, the way it works out is that instead of dipping into your bank account and taking money, your money gets stolen in other ways... Food, energy, water... consumer goods... You see, with each new dollar that's created out of thin air being worth less, producers have ...

Australia & Malaysia

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Backgrounds: 1. On May 7, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced the deal which will see 800 asylum seekers who try to make their way to Australia by boat instead taken immediately to Malaysia for processing. In return, Australia will expand its humanitarian intake to resettle an extra 4,000 genuine refugees already residing in Malaysia over four years at a cost of A$292 million (RM928 million) 2. Concerned as to the harmful health effects from radioactive and other toxic waste residues of the proposed Lynas Rare Earth Refinery Project in Gebeng, Pahang. Worse, this projected plant touted as the "largest" rare earth refinery in the world is so close to human habitation. ----------------------------------------------------- No dose of radiation is safe Why do Aussies’ dirty work? Survivors then, survivors now Not in Australia’s backyard Australians oppose Malaysia boatpeople deal: poll UN rights chief raps A...

宏观政治的颜色革命

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美国在1980年代初以“非政府组织”来掩饰“中央情报局”(CIA)的实际身份,以展开收集他国情报、罗致亲美代理人及进行颠覆政权的阴谋。 美国进行颜色革命之前,会通过培训、收买、舆论造势及国际机构颁奖,以培养与挑选“亲美代理人”, 并选择最能体现和维护美国利益的代理人。 以“非政府组织”(NGO)的面貌出现,轻易接近及拉拢发展中国家的非政府组织,并以各种名目给予拨款资援。这是收买各国民间组织的手段。 美国通过“维护美国利益”的代理人,用尽一切方法,鼓动人民进行大规模游行示威活动,企图扩大社会不满情绪浪潮。这类行动已被证明非常有效,不少国家在刻意制造的大规模骚乱后,而局势失控致当权者被推翻。 利用非政府组织打先锋,为“街头政治”营造适当氛围,就是美国惯用的手法,并采用“民主与和平”的口号来吸引人民的响应与支持,制造人潮形势去影响及争取民众的支持。 在展开“街头政治”前,他们通过雇用善于搞网络的年轻人及时事撰稿人,铺天盖地在网络媒体及平面媒体为“街头政治”粉饰及造势,并美其名为“民主及人权”斗争。 颜色革命是美国势力不断向全球扩张的极具特色的“侵略行动”,可别忘了,自第二次世界大战后,美国为了本身的利益,就不断干预他国的内政;甚至还以“国际警察”自居,闯入他国逮捕政府首脑,如墨西哥总统诺力加,并诬赖伊拉克拥有大杀伤力武器(WMD),而发动侵伊战争,荼毒了万千生灵。 制造借口干预他国内政 虽然美国培养与挑选多名亲美代理人,但是他们也会根据情况的需要,而在代理人中选择最能体现和维护美国利益的代理人。 他们选择代理人的标准是:年富力强,有个人魅力及没有劣迹,当然先决条件是100%亲美,99%都不行。 美国容不得“他的人”,对他有半点不忠,因为“用人不当”,犹如下棋般:“一子错,满盘皆落索”。 民间组织应自强不受摆布 美国资本集团和政治集团联手策划及发动颜色革命。例如在全球金融界呼风唤雨的犹太裔富翁索罗斯,通过他成立的“开放社会基金会”,发放资金以“协助打开封闭社会”。 其使命是搜寻及发掘可能的“民主萌芽”,然后想方设法地扶植它发展壮大,其过程是和平、缓慢、渐进但不间断,而最终目标是导致“民主”在一些国家诞生。至今该基金会已在东欧、拉丁美州、东南亚、中东及中国等地约50个国家设立分支,雇员超过千人,并花费超过3亿美元。 我...

Regenerative Medicine - A Matter of Life and Death

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Boobs are just the beginning. If there is one company that can grow new organs, limbs, and bone...and you can buy shares of it right now, before anyone else knows it exists, how does that sound? That’s how a national magazine led off an article about the miracle of regenerative medicine. But it's not just boobs... Modern biotech companies are literally changing life as we know it, and they’re making life-changing profits in the process. This miracle means patients with breasts lost to surgery — as well as women who are simply unhappy with their own bodies — can now re-grow new ones with raw materials harvested from their own body fat. Think about that for a moment. Then think about the fortunes that will be made as this technology is used to grow new organs, regenerate limbs, and eradicate disease as we know it… You may have already heard of some of these buzzwords: - tissue engineering - cell therapy - regenerative medicine Today, they’re as real as your morn...

Blood-in-the-streets Investing : Buy Fear and Sell Greed

Quote from the 1800's, by the father of a still-prominent banking dynasty: The time to buy is when there's blood in the streets. ~ Baron Rothschild My readers and I buy fear and sell greed. This is "blood-in-the-streets investing," pure and simple. The 19th century banking magnet Baron Von Rothschild is credited with saying, "The time to buy is when blood is flowing in the streets, even if it's your own." He made a fortune buying Paris real estate after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. The idea is quite simple: When everyone is selling and no one is buying, the price must be low. Furthermore, when the buyers return — and buyers always return to true value — they will pay a premium as they rush back in. Crisis and Opportunity will coolly buy when others sell in panic... and sell back to them when the herd changes direction and tells each other, "Now is a smart time to buy." On the other hand, if you have the head to coolly buy fro...

Even Citibank Taps On Facebook

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What's in your mind when Citibank aims for 100,000 Facebook fans? A good point to consider is: leveraging on the social media to increase brand awareness and build stronger customer relationships via direct interaction and feedback . As I said, two of the top traffic sites on the internet are Google and Facebook, if you are not getting traffic from these 2 as part of your visitors source, you may be making a mistake (of course, there are other ways to get traffic, it's a mix-and-match strategy) http://www.facebook.com/CitibankMalaysia

More ‘Likes’ Equal More Dollars?

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In today’s digital economy, vendors must enable a fluid transaction process in order to ensure positive feedback on social media channels and build customer loyalty. ~ Charlie Born, vice president of marketing at Plimus When even Citibank taps on Facebook , focus should be on: 1. simplifying the shopping experience, and 2. streamlining the payment process, so that vendors not only will drive new visitors to their sites , but they will keep visitors coming back time and time again . A survey conducted by Plimus Inc. reveals that: - 85 percent of survey participants visit social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn daily - One in three consumers indicated that online vendors could better engage them by incorporating more social media elements into their sites - More than half of all respondents reported that peer recommendations most influenced the purchases they make online - More than half of survey participants consider an intuitive and simple order ...

Senai 40 Acre

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Estimate harvest average 9.6 tons per acre last year (2010) - not well managed. Tree: 9 years age (peak production period). Location: Good (Near Senai Airport, Iskandar Zone). Zoning: Industrial Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Johor Bahru http://www.jpbdjohor.gov.my/v2/index_main.php?p=muat_turun&folder=Rtd%20Johor%20Bahru I found this through Google: http://www.google.com.my/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=rancangan+tempatan+senai

Effecting change: Political or non-partisan?

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Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. ~ James Bovard it was revealing that when asked whether or not they would see themselves working in a full-time position over the next five to ten years within the civil service, a non-governmental organisation, think tank, media or active civil society, with the objective of contributing to national development, only four out of the 42 responded positively. The rest either felt it would be futile to fight the system, or preferred to work in a more productive environment such as within the private sector. Non-partisanship There was also a strong indication that they would rather work within a non-partisan and independent organisation, preferring not to be affiliated with any one side. This is a trend that is strangely enough creeping upon many Malaysians, even those who were once vocally opposing government policies. Perhaps this is to do with disillusionment over both sides – Bar...

Ben Bernanke VS Ron Paul

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Ron Paul: Do you think gold is money? Ben Bernanke: (…long pause…) No. It’s a precious metal. Ron Paul: Even if it has been money for 6000 years, somebody reversed that and eliminated that economic law? Ben Bernanke: Well, it’s an asset. Would you say Treasury bills are money? I don’t think they’re money either, but they’re a financial asset. Ron Paul: Why do central banks hold it? Ben Bernanke: It’s a form of reserves. Ron Paul: Why don’t they hold diamonds? Ben Bernanke: Well, it’s tradition. Long term tradition. Ron Paul: Some people still think it’s money. Here's Mr. Bernanke answering a question by Texas Rep. Ron Paul. The topic is gold, whether it is money, and why central banks still own it. Bernanke Signals QE3 Likely -- Silver and Gold Soar http://www.wealthwire.com/news/headlines/1443

Focus : Build Assets

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Australia & Carbon Tax

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Interesting progress on carbon tax, in Australia. Jul 07, 2011: Australia halves carbon tax list to 500 companies Gillard told Parliament on Thursday that 500 companies that are among Australia’s worst carbon polluters would pay the tax starting July next year. http://asiancorrespondent.com/59472/australia-halves-carbon-tax-list-to-500-companies/ Jul 10, 2011: Australia set to unveil carbon price "From July 1 next year, the freedom to pollute our skies will cease. Two decades of denial and delay will come to an end. Polluters will have to pay." Reports have suggested that carbon dioxide emissions will initially be taxed at A$23 (US$24.70) per tonne, on a par with the European Union's emissions trading scheme. Major mining companies such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata are expected to be hit by the tax, liable for a combined A$380 million under a conservative price of A$20 a tonne, according to modelling by the Australian Financial Review. http://www.cha...

Decolonisation of Universities, An inquiring mind will set you free

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cogito ergo sum , in Latin, to mean I think therefore I am . The expose by the scholars and participants from 20 countries help to convince those who were still hesitant about the need for efforts to decolonise universities – still very much Eurocentric – in Asia and Africa that the knowledge they had been “brainwashed” into believing as being universal was not universal at all and based on false assumptions. It was also meant to provoke re-thinking about the assumptions they had made based on discoveries and ideas of western scholars published in western academic journals, that nothing should be accepted as universal truth without careful scrutiny. The West seems reluctant to acknowledge scholars from India, China, Africa and those from the Muslim world and promotes the idea that the Bologna monastic school was the first university. Thus, few know about the great universities of Taxila, Nalanda, Zaytuna and Nanjing which preceded Bologna. ... the conference agreed that whi...

Savers are Losers : Proof

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Finally, appeared in the news. PETALING JAYA (July 10, 2011): Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) decision to leave the key interest rate unchanged last week betrayed policymakers' concern about growth risk, which appeared to have trumped worries about inflation. Never mind that savers will continue to see negative real returns from their deposits. http://www.thesundaily.my/news/74500 Received an email with subject: "How to Beat Bernanke's War on Savers" on 10th July, and the news appeared in newspaper on 11th July. Call it co-incidence? Some interesting points in the email from my advisor: There is no other way to put this because it is true: Ben Bernanke hates savers. With his zero interest rate policy (ZIRP), he has virtually declared war on each and every one of them. In his efforts to push asset prices higher, Ben believes savers should actually be pushed from the nest into the world of stocks. After all, in Ben’s world, the safety of money in the ba...

Slavery In The 21st Century?

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Karl Marx defined the proletariat as a class of capitalist society that does not have ownership of the means of production. All they have to sell is their labor for a wage or salary. This is what our school systems do. Schools produce the proletarial class of a capitalist society. Schools do not teach people to be capitalists. Due to a lack of financial education, even the highly educated workers have their wealth siphoned off by debt via the banking system, their retirement via the investment-banking system, their labor via taxes, and what is left via inflation. If they own shares of a company, they own common shares - common shares for common people. The plantation system is alive and well, even in the Information Age. The Workers Class In Marxist theory, proletarians are wage-workers, trained - like Pavlov trained his dogs - to work for money. Our school system produces this class of capitalism, the proletariat class, a wage earner, a person who leaves school looking for a...

Online Campaign : Red Tomato Weekly Newspaper

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In conjunction with America's Independence Day, the screenshot of fans count for Red Tomato weekly newspaper prior to online campaign I Love Red Tomato launching. As at 23rd July 2011, nearly 18 days after project launched at 5th July 2011, the fans count increased to 3,581 (from 1,431) - an increase by >100% ! This is the screenshot for campaign participants as at 23rd July 2011: Stay tuned for more updates!

Flying McCoy

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"We donate a portion of our profits to help save the rain forests." :)

All for Anak Malaysia

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I am all for Anak Malaysia. Below are the responses refer to the letter “Are we ready for Anak Malaysia?” published on July 4th, The Sun Daily free newspaper. All for Anak Malaysia There are times when I buy Berita Harian and Utusan, but the contents are often blatantly racist and written only for a target group from the choice of subject matter and angle. If the writer himself reads these newspapers, he should take a step back and ask himself how he would feel reading them if he were in my shoes. Do the writer and everyone else notice that it is not about national or vernacular schools anymore? People who can afford to are sending their children to private schools, and those who are even richer, to international schools. The divide is now between the haves and haves-not. http://www.thesundaily.my/news/68629 Schools not to blame for disunity The main problem that has caused discomfort among us is the political agenda of certain politicians and their provoking statements ...

My Dad Is A Garbage Man

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Read this from a book: "My dad is a garbage man." I did not think much about it until I was invited to his home for Thanksgiving dinner. Rather than pick us up in his car, his dad flew us to their home in his private jet, two hours away from New York. Needless to say, his home was a mansion. When I inquired about his dad's profession as a garbage man, he said, "My dad owns the largest garbage collection company in the state. He has over two hundred trucks and over a thousand employees. He also owns the land where the garbage is disposed. His biggest customer is the state and city government." Coincidently, saw this in the newspaper one day later:

The rise of mobile, the success of Facebook and the expansion of Google

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In summary, Mobile, Facebook and Google contribute to spending growth. The question is, how well would you position yourself when you know that total online ad spending will approach $50 billion by 2015? Take note that with better devices and higher bandwidth, video advertising will be more common because it generates greater audience attention than other digital ad formats. In other words, it will continues to attract new ad spending from brands. http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008476 With many of the digital content delivery channels made available, you should still understand well the concepts behind online campaign , because if you don't get the importance of having a sound business model , you may be spending your ads dollars unwisely.

7 Signs That China’s ‘Bubble Economy” Is About to Burst

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7 Signs That China’s ‘Bubble Economy” Is About to Burst — and What That Means for the Rest of Us If you follow the mainstream financial media, you’re probably under the impression that all the problems threatening the U.S. economy today are homegrown — and that China is about to “eat our lunch.” Don’t believe it. The reality is, despite its very real progress over the last three decades, China in recent years has been pursuing policies that in many ways duplicate the very same mistakes that led to the U.S. financial crisis — and will lead to a very similar outcome. Only this time, the broader effects on the global economy — and on the U.S. in particular — could be worse. Much worse. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that China will never be the global economic superpower many are predicting. What I am saying is that there will be some big bumps in that road — and that one of the biggest is about to knock the wheels off the Chinese juggernaut. Again, this is not my opinion alone. ...