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https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/adulting-101-untimely-deaths-friends-existential-crisis-2131826 Adulthood is an invigorating stage of life as young people join the workforce, take on more responsibilities and set their sights on the future. But its many facets — from managing finances and buying a home to achieving work-life balance — can be overwhelming. In this series, TODAY’s journalists help young Singaporeans navigate this stage of their lives and learn something themselves in the process. SINGAPORE — In the last two years, five people I knew died from sudden cardiac arrest. They were young and seemingly healthy people whose untimely demise came as a shock to their family and friends. They ranged in age from about 25 to 35. The grief hit me pretty hard, as I felt a lot of guilt and regret about my relationship with some of them. It got me to thinking — are more young people dying from sudden cardiac arrest? And should I be worried? Cardiologists from the National University Heart Centre Singapore told me that the risk of sudden deaths in young people remains exceedingly low. Based on the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data report published by the Singapore Heart Foundation four years ago, those above the age of 65 constitute the highest risk group of patients, accounting for 36.2 per cent of the 3,000 cases of cardiac arrest in 2019. There are about 3,000 cases of OHCA yearly here. One cardiologist told me that the prevalence of OHCA in Indians and Malays is twice the rate of Chinese. The prevalence of OHCA in men is also twice that of women. While uncommon, there are underlying conditions among young adults that can lead to sudden deaths, such as hypertrophic cardiomypathy (abnormal thickening of heart muscles) or arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm of genetic causes), another cardiologist said. This is why health screenings are important, as people often believe themselves to be healthy if they do not have any symptoms of underlying disease when they may have conditions that are asymptomatic. Though sudden cardiac arrest among young people with no underlying conditions is rare, I could not shake this feeling that my life could be taken from me at any time. This led me to move beyond concerns over cardiac arrest affecting the young to wonder more broadly at the meaning of my brief, mortal existence. I was left feeling unmotivated and uneasy. Don’t get me wrong, my life is going okay — I have a good job, I have a roof over my head, I have two beautiful kids and a supportive husband — but I was being consumed by this thought that if life is so short, why bother doing anything? It occurred to me that I was perhaps having an existential crisis. Mr Praveen Nair, a psychologist at Raven Counselling and Consultancy, said that this occurs when there is an inner conflict within an individual causing them to break from traditional thinking patterns and recalibrate to become more contemplative with regard to questions about meaning, purpose and identity in life. Mr Nair also reassured me that I am not the only one feeling this way, as he has seen more adult clients with similar issues. One contributor to this is social media, said Mr Nair, as some netizens cherry pick what they share online to present a rosy picture of their lives, which can cause other users viewing the content to experience "fomo" (fear of missing out). This, in turn, can lead them to wondering about their direction in life. Mr Nair said it is normal to experience an existential crisis even when things in your life seem to be going okay as many things, both overt and subliminal, can influence our thoughts even when our lives are relatively routine. In fact, some argue that the mundane and routine can be a stimulus to initiating thoughts about the larger meaning or purpose of life. This makes sense, as I have been feeling a certain kind of tedium for some time now, juggling work and caring for two young children daily. Ms Abigail Yang, a grief therapist at counselling platform Talk Your Heart Out, said that it is normal to think deeply about life or question how you feel about it. The more fundamental issue is when no answer satisfies you, she added. “It becomes a constant loop of complex questions with no fulfilling solution. This, in turn, leads to a conflict within yourself about your reason for existence,” said Ms Yang. In some cases, extreme thoughts and unanswerable questions can leave one feeling frustrated, anxious, depressed and even suicidal, said experts. They also shared that one way to overcome an existential crisis is to disengage from pursuits or people that bring me no joy and redirect my energy to those that do. Mr Nair said this can help initiate renewed drive and motivation in life. “It may sound counterintuitive but many great innovations occurred when inventors experienced an existential crisis. They channelled their energies into a new venture that was motivating,” he told me. One way to overcome the crisis is to also take time to connect more with people whose company I enjoy, as an existential crisis can occur when we feel disconnected from others, said Mr Nair. Ms Yang reminded me that it is okay to allow myself to feel such negative emotions, and that I should not suppress them. Some people block out pain and suffering, thinking this will make them happy, but it can often lead to a false sense of happiness, she said. Embodying emotions and acknowledging feelings of pain, discontentment and dissatisfaction can open the door to personal growth, and improve one’s outlook on life, Ms Yang added. One tip I got from a friend that has helped me deal with my existential crisis is this: "KonMari" your schedule, rid yourself of self-imposed duties and obligations and identify areas where you could be doing less, doing something easier, or doing nothing at all. This is a reference to Japanese author Marie Kondo and her ideas about ridding our lives of needless clutter. This might mean, for instance, your one-hour exercise routine becomes a 20-minute one, or perhaps you ditch it all together for an extra hour of sleep. The only person that should be happy with the choice you make is you. ABOUT THE WRITER: Nabilah Awang, 29, is a former Senior Journalist at TODAY.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-01/david-taylor-global-financial-crisis-2/101492384 The world is flirting with another global financial crisis, and the next few weeks are key It's hard to overstate the magnitude of the financial trouble Britain and, because of its financial heft, the world found itself in this week. We came within inches of "global financial crisis mark 2". That's not hyperbole. Towards the end of 2008, it was clear many Wall Street investment banks were on the brink of collapse. They were sitting on tens of billions of dollars' worth of rubbish assets – mortgage-backed securities attached to properties plummeting in value. A credit crunch was sparked when the US government allowed Lehman Brothers to collapse. It was sitting on a lot of these worthless assets. Suddenly, it was unclear who could afford to repay loans and who couldn't. We've just flirted with a scenario of similar magnitude. The problem now is, well, the flirtation is not over. Comedy of errors Liz Truss – Boris Johnson's replacement as British prime minister – inherited an economy at risk of entering a protracted and deep recession. Truss delivered a "mini-budget" last week which offered up lots more government spending and the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years to help stimulate the economy. Great, right? Well, not so much. Financial markets asked an obvious question in response: "how are you going to pay for this?", when the UK's budget deficit (or net borrowing) is already in the hundreds of billions of pounds. The BBC reported conservative MPs walking the corridors "in shock" after the mini-budget was handed down. The ultimate response from the money markets was a vote of no confidence in the fiscal package. The bond market "sold off". Bond prices in the fixed income market plummeted. As bond prices fall, yields rise. It's really not necessary to understand the bond market machinations here, but it is important to understand the next point. That is, for Britain's pension scheme to work, or continue as a going concern, interest rates can't rise too high too quickly — which is what happened. The funds found themselves unable to pay pensions because they were losing too much money on their investments. To stop this, the Bank of England came in to buy up bonds on an enormous scale to increase the price of bonds and lower the interest rates on those bonds. "To achieve this, the Bank will carry out temporary purchases of long-dated UK government bonds from September 28. The purpose of these purchases will be to restore orderly market conditions," the Bank of England said. "The purchases will be carried out on whatever scale is necessary to effect this outcome. The operation will be fully indemnified by HM Treasury." But here's the killer line. "Were dysfunction in this market to continue or worsen, there would be a material risk to UK financial stability." What the Bank of England was suggesting, according to former London City trader Henry Jennings, is that when the bond market moved violently against these pension funds, they were at risk of being placed into margin calls. That is, many funds had borrowed money to make more money. They were heavily in debt to enhance their returns. They were about to be asked to "pay up". If they were asked to pay up, they would have been forced into liquidating their assets, which he says would have led to a financial markets "death spiral". The sheer weight of global assets being sold off would have, in Jennings' opinion, led to a global "confidence crisis". Problem not going away The Bank of England bailout of Britain's pension schemes is limited. "These [bond] purchases will be strictly time limited," the BofE said. "They are intended to tackle a specific problem in the long-dated government bond market. Auctions will take place from today until 14 October." So, what happens when they stop buying gilts, or British bonds? The chief economist of the National Australia Bank says the forces that led to Britain's financial system edging to towards the brink remain firmly in place. "Markets are getting a bit worried," Alan Oster says. He says interest rates in Britain will keep climbing, and may do so quite aggressively in the coming months. "[Markets] are talking – well, it's frightening, they're starting off from a cash rate of 2-ish per cent and they're talking about a 1.25 per cent or 1.5 per cent interest rate increase [at the next Bank of England meeting]". "It's extraordinary and of course the pound is being absolutely killed." In other words, the problem facing the pension fund scheme is set to return. It's heavy stuff So, let's just do a quick stop-and-check at this point, because it's heavy stuff. The UK is still at risk from a financial crisis because a major investment scheme remains vulnerable to a bond market that's still at risk of plummeting due to the UK's economic woes (in part created by a dire mini-budget). This is all being reflected in a recent collapse of the pound. A financial crisis in the UK would, analysts say, lead to a global economic rout. Is Australia immune? The short answer is no. The Australian dollar is hovering around two-year lows against the greenback, and the stock market is down 15 per cent from peak to trough. We're inching towards a share "bear market". This has obvious implication for those in and approaching retirement. A destabilisation of the global financial system, more broadly though, would produce the same shock waves as 2008 and 2009. It leads to higher unemployment and a recession. The problem this time around is that the Australian government, and indeed the Reserve Bank, are in no position to engage in extraordinary economic stimulus measures. But … so far so good However, it seems the majority of Australians, right now, have the financial capacity to continue on in a relatively normal fashion. Australian retail turnover rose 0.6 per cent in August, according to Retail Trade figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier this week. The August increase was the eighth consecutive rise and follows a 1.3 per cent rise in July and a 0.2 per cent rise in June. "This month's rise was driven by the combined increase in food related industries, with cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services up 1.3 per cent and food retailing up 1.1 per cent," Ben Dorber, head of retail statistics at the ABS, said. The dark cost-of-living clouds hanging over millions of Australians is "being balanced by people saying, 'well, I'm not going to lose my job' ", NAB chief economist Alan Oster says. "The economy is doing really well." But, and that's a big but, he says ominously, the "next four weeks will be interesting". That's a reference to the fact that the bulk of already-announced Reserve Bank interest rates hikes will hit bank accounts over the next couple of months. It's unclear to most observers how, exactly, this would damage the Australian economy. Work is already underway though to put policy makers in a better position to make the right calls when it come to pulling the levers. The ABS, for example, is now delivering monthly inflation or cost of living data. The first monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicator rose 7.0 per cent in the year to July and 6.8 per cent to August. The largest contributors, in the 12 months to August, were new dwelling construction, up 20.7 per cent, and automotive fuel, up 15.0 per cent. Now the Reserve Bank is in a better, or timelier, position to see how its policy tightening is influencing prices in the economy. This, in practice, is meant to avoid hiking interest rates too far. The RBA meets on Tuesday. At the moment it's a coin toss as to whether the bank raises its cash rate target by 0.25 or 0.5 percentage points. How serious is all this? Naturally, with any major financial event, the question is: do I need to worry about this? The answer is that you need to keep watching this story unfold. AMP's chief economist, Shane Oliver, suggests while the Bank of England's short-term effort to bring back the UK financial system from the brink has worked, the country's financial system is set to go right back there again soon. "The Bank of England's intervention to calm the gilt market (which was threatening financial problems for UK pension funds) by buying bonds (ie restarting QE) has helped calm things – directly in the UK and indirectly elsewhere by showing that authorities will still intervene in a crisis," Dr Oliver said. "Unfortunately, the return to QE [bond buying] may just add to inflationary pressures if it has to be sustained for long, which may necessitate an even higher interest rate hike when the BoE next meets in early November with many talking about a 1.25 per cent hike, which leaves the BoE in the silly position of easing and tightening at the same time." So, the options are that the Bank of England keeps coming to the rescue of the UK financial system with the risk of exacerbating inflation which will lead to much higher interest rates, or allow the market to take over, and risk a full-blown financial crisis when the bond market collapses again. Australia seems to be in a reasonable position now to manage a financial shock, but it's unclear whether that will still be the case in just a few weeks' time. Huge risks remain. Printing trillions of dollars of money, globally, during the pandemic to support the global economy was always fraught with risk. As it stands we are unable to remove that economic support without the whole system collapsing, but we need to remove it before we create even bigger economic problems. It's an extremely uncomfortable position to be in.

We have a food crisis upon us, a war in the north, countries restricting exports, fuels prices climbing new highs constantly and our property prices still going up and up.. There seems to be a constant pressure on us to conserve, spend less or worse stop living well. This is MCF, and whilst everyone is affected, being drivers, we aren't in the lowest echelons of the society, and are more likely to be in the middle, but it also means we are sandwiched between enjoying our current lifestyle and trying to pay all the bills on time, without resorted to more loans, defaults and compromises that have dire consequences. So maybe we can get real tips from bros on how to lean burn with dignity, whilst keeping the bellies full and yet live fulfilling lives and encourage one another. So please share, not merely make fun, but do share how to make it work and get out out the crisis well both physically and mentally, even spiritually. - our finances are like an input output chart.. INPUT: - we can try to earn more, but that can be hard in the middle of a crisis -- eg changing to a higher paying job if we get a chance -- get more / better returns for our investments -- get alternate revenue streams OUTPUT: - here there are more choices that bros can share... -- cut down on overseas trips or switch to a cheaper holiday destination, eg Asia-Pac holiday instead of Europe and a shorter duration -- using cheaper fuels -- household brands -- eat good food, but eat at less expensive venues -- cook at home more -- watch movies at home instead of in the cinemas -- keep healthy to save on medical bills, -- exercise more and enjoy the outdoors, pretend it's a trip and camp locally or just take a tour around SG -- use free resources like the library - did you know they have DVDs? -- use free online streaming, legal ones eg Viu, Mewatch -- buy one movie and watch with your buddies together -- take up free hobbies -- help someone else who is in need more - this may cost you time and money, but it can be cathartic, and be good for your mind and soul I heard some friends who are really stressed about the current times, and maybe it's time we can share ideas on how to overcomes things. Not everyone is equally affected, and some may be thriving in these times, but lets encourage and be a pillar and friend to others in these times... Hope others can share too

Many companies are resorting to cohorting, where one team works and another remains at home. Others have reduced the workplace exposure by having some do work remotely. Trips have been cancelled but some companies have asked workers to consume their annual leave. So what are you doing with the extra time? What new food have you tried? Taken up any new hobbies?

I am proud of Singapore for "punching above its own weight" in telling others how to solve their problems.

The Forces That Could Plunge Venezuela Into Chaos https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-01-31/the-forces-that-could-plunge-venezuela-into-chaos From Juan Guaidó and U.S. sanctions to a starving population and protest, the country is rushing toward a breaking point. Events are moving fast in Venezuela, and not in President Nicolás Maduro’s favor. Scattered protests in Caracas the night of his second inauguration, on Jan. 10, quickly grew into organized demonstrations as thousands heeded opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s call to march against the regime. At press time, Maduro remains in office, but he faces a litany of threats: the economy, which has been devastated by low oil prices; powerful international interests, including the U.S., which condemned his 2018 reelection as illegitimate; Guaidó, head of the National Assembly, who’s claimed the title of interim president until new elections can be called; and the military, whose loyalty Maduro needs above all else to hold on to power. The president made a show of courting the armed forces’ support and has sent security forces into areas of unrest. But every day Guaidó roams freely in Caracas, holding rallies and building a government in waiting, Maduro’s grip on power becomes more tenuous. The Military Guaidó supporters first fanned out to military bases and national guard stations around Caracas in the days after he declared himself president on Jan. 23. They carried copies of a law from the National Assembly granting amnesty to any member of the armed forces who defects to the anti-Maduro cause. So far the top brass has stood behind the commander-in-chief, who long ago secured their loyalty with lucrative prizes: the reins of Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), the state-owned oil company; control of the ports; contracts for housing projects; and the rights to valuable mining and oil-services concessions. It would be a surprise if military leaders broke ranks and moved against the authoritarian regime, says historian Tomás Straka of Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas: “Their economic interests and vision are completely fused with Maduro’s.” Despite the outreach from the Assembly, they’ll be in trouble if he falls. Several high-ranking officers have been sanctioned by the U.S., accused by American prosecutors of graft, drug running, and other crimes. Many in the rank and file also remain behind Maduro, at least publicly. More than a few were photographed burning the amnesty documents. Still, dissent has simmered since before Maduro’s tenure. A military coup deposed his predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chávez, for a few days in 2002. The mood among the soldiers has only soured since, as the economy has crumbled, with those down the chain of command struggling along with the rest of the population. They, too, have to deal with desperate shortages of food and medicine, blackouts, and water taps that run dry. There have been reports of desertions. Asked for their reactions to the amnesty offer over the weekend, some men in uniform patrolling the city, rifles slung over their shoulders, gave a wink or a thumbs-up. The World While key allies Russia and China continue to support Maduro, the pro-Guaidó faction swelled in just over a week to more than 20 countries, including Canada, Israel, and the U.K. In Latin America, 11 countries lined up to follow President Trump’s lead in pushing for regime change. Among their motivations: More than 3 million people have fled Venezuela, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, mainly to neighboring lands. “This isn’t merely a question of applying democratic principles, this is a question of countries bearing the brunt of the negative consequences,” says Benjamin Gedan, a former South America director at the White House’s National Security Council. Not all in the region are on board. Mexico and Uruguay have called for de-escalation; Bolivia, Cuba, and Nicaragua have reiterated their support for Maduro. The European Union stopped short of giving Guaidó the nod, though it signaled it would do so if Venezuela didn’t schedule “free, transparent, and credible presidential elections” by the beginning of February. Meanwhile, the U.S. has been assisting Guaidó in a kind of smoke-and-mirrors game of brinkmanship, insinuating that it may be building up a military force in Colombia to invade if necessary. Addressing the UN Security Council, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was blunt. “Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side,” he said. “Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem.” The Money The Trump administration dealt its hardest blow yet to Maduro when it put new sanctions on PDVSA. Once Latin America’s largest producer, Venezuela is pumping less than North Dakota does these days, but oil sales remain its main source of revenue. Sanctions will effectively block the national oil company from exporting crude to the U.S. and crimp the regime’s cash flow. Its U.S. subsidiary, Citgo, will be allowed to continue operating, but all revenue will be held in accounts the Maduro regime can’t access. Guaidó has vowed to appoint his own boards to PDVSA and Citgo—a mostly symbolic gesture for now, but one that nevertheless adds to his aura of authority. Pompeo took another step toward starving out Maduro on Jan. 29, granting Guaidó control over Venezuelan assets and property in U.S.-insured banks, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (The State Department has declined to say how much money is in the accounts.) American officials also successfully lobbied the Bank of England to deny Maduro access to $1.2 billion in gold the Venezuelan government holds in London, stymieing its efforts to pull in funds from abroad. Maduro’s government owes Russia and China billions of dollars in loan payments, but that’s unlikely to faze the sitting president. Since the Trump administration began slapping sanctions on Caracas in 2017, the government has defaulted on more than $9 billion in debt owed to bondholders, yet both creditors have been staunch so far in their support. The real problem for Maduro is losing the ability to dole out money. The more of the economy Guaidó gains control over, the harder-pressed Maduro will be to keep key allies on his side. The military, for instance, is unlikely to stick around if he loses the power of the purse. The People Hungry, broke, and exhausted, Venezuelans are angrier than ever with Maduro. And after more than a year of silence in the wake of the mass demonstrations of 2017, Guaidó has reignited their passion for protest. Almost two years ago, millions turned out and encountered tear gas and violence at the hands of security forces. Thousands were arrested during months of demonstrations, and hundreds died. This time the protests have been mostly peaceful. Security officers were out when Guaidó supporters again took to the streets of Caracas on Jan. 30, but they largely kept ranks as protesters marched past. Earlier, Maduro launched a series of nighttime raids in the working-class neighborhoods and slums that were once rock-solid Chavista bastions but have begun to shift away from him. There, under the cover of darkness, members of the deadly Special Action Force used tear gas, guns, and even grenades against demonstrators. “Maduro won’t let go of power easily,” says Jesus Gonzalez, a motorcycle taxi driver in the vast Petare slum. “He doesn’t mind pumping anyone who protests against him full of lead.” Through all of this, Guaidó hasn’t been arrested. Although Maduro has prevented him from leaving the country, he’s so far been free to travel locally, meet with foreign leaders, and speak to the press. Social media blackouts have curtailed his reach at times, while Maduro has been touring the country’s military installations trailed by a TV crew filming generals as they swear their allegiance. At press time, Guaidó was still leading marchers and planning further protests for Feb. 2, when the EU’s deadline runs out. Venezuela is ‘disease threat to America’ as measles and diphtheria cases soar in crisis https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1081227/venezuela-news-maduro-crisis-president-guaido-measles-diphtheria The South-American country has plunged into economic ruin and political chaos following almost 20 years of price control and stringent policies launched by socialist leader Hugo Chavez. The meltdown has profoundly affected Venezuela’s health system, whose current state has been compared by experts to the ones of war-stricken countries such as Syria and Yemen. Diseases such as measles and diphtheria, which could be contained with widespread vaccinations, have re-emerged in the country, putting its neighbouring countries at risk of contagion as millions flee to Brazil and Colombia for a better life. A paper in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases said: “The ongoing diphtheria and measles epidemics in Venezuela, and spill over into neighbouring countries, evoke the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases observed in Syria and Yemen and the consequent threat to regional, and potentially global, public health.” Measles, a highly infectious viral illness which can be fatal, and diphtheria were thought to be under control in Venezuela, but its chronic shortage of medicines and vaccines and the general poverty of the country fuelled their return. Moreover, medically trained workers are among the millions who have left the country, according to the paper written by academics led by Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, a Venezuelan infectious diseases pathologist. He said: “The continued mass exodus of around two million persons from Venezuela since 2014, not only to Colombia, but also to Ecuador, and Brazil, represents an ongoing risk that vaccine-preventable diseases will be carried with them.” Venezuela now contributes to nearly seven out of 10 cases of measles in the Americas, just 11 years after the country believed to have stamped it out. Diphtheria, a potentially deadly disease affecting nose, throat and sometimes skin, was first spotted again after 24 years in 2016.

When did your Mid Life Crisis start? What are your worries and how you eventually manage it?

<h3 class="byline" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.583em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; font-family: helvetica; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); ">By REED ALBERGOTTI and ELIZABETH RAPPAPORT</h3>After a yearlong investigation, the Justice Department said Thursday that it won't bring charges against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. or any of its employees for financial fraud related to the mortgage crisis. In a statement, the Justice Department said "the burden of proof" couldn't be met to prosecute Goldman criminally based on claims made in an extensive report prepared by a U.S. Senate panel that investigated the financial crisis. "Based on the law and evidence as they exist at this time, there is not a viable basis to bring a criminal prosecution with respect to Goldman Sachs or its employees in regard to the allegations set forth in the report," the statement read. The Justice Department reserved the right to bring charges in the future if new evidence emerges. In a statement Thursday, Goldman said: "We are pleased that this matter is behind us." In April 2011, the U.S. Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations published a scathing report on the financial crisis, highlighting Goldman as a culprit. Lawmakers accused the firm of breeding a greedy culture and running conflict-ridden businesses, and they said Goldman put its own interest ahead of clients. Sen. Carl Levin, D., Mich., chairman of the Senate's subcommittee, said Goldman executives lied to Congress about the firm's bets against the housing market. The accusation triggered a Justice Department probe of possible perjury. A spokeswoman for Mr. Levin's office didn't respond to a request for comment Thursday. The report concluded that even as securities firms flooded the market with securitized mortgages and advised clients to buy them, firms privately used words like "crap" and "flying pig" to describe the financial instruments. The department's probe was launched when Goldman's reputation already had been battered by civil-fraud charges filed against the New York company by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC accused Goldman of fraud related to a mortgage-bond deal called Abacus 2007-AC1. Goldman was accused of failing to inform investors that hedge-fund firm Paulson & Co. had helped choose underlying securities in the deal and was betting against it. Goldman agreed to pay $550 million to end the SEC's civil-fraud suit. The company said marketing materials for the Abacus deal contained "incomplete information." The announcement comes amid criticism of the Justice Department from some lawmakers for what they contend are disappointing results in efforts to bring criminal cases against firms and individuals for crisis-related wrongdoing. Justice Department officials have defended the agency's track record, and some legal experts have noted the difficulty of targeting specific individuals and firms given the enormity of the financial crisis. In the statement Thursday, the Justice Department said prosecuting financial fraud and "protecting the integrity of our banking system" is and will continue to be the department's "top priority." The criminal investigation was led by the New York field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The probe also included the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. A version of this article appeared August 9, 2012, on page C1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: U.S. Not Seeking Goldman Charges.

Looks Bad Yahoo News

hello people there, financial crisis caused a great deal of heartache and headache. Most lost a lot of money and maybe their jobs as well. but i'm sure there are some out there who were able to make it big during such rare opportunities care to share your experiences so that ordinary people like us can learn?

wonder if anyone posted this documentary by sony pictures before. worth taking an hour of your time to understand wat happen behind scene and who r the ones involved. btw, this movie also have PM LHL inside.

Very well explained..

Hello all, Call it mid-life crisis... I am looking at the second-hand car market currently, at the makes that I couldn't bear to buy when new. So I wanted some opinions for the following in terms of maintenance, consumption: - Mini-Cooper S cabriolet? - Alfa Romeo GT - Golf GTI (old model) I see those whose price range below $100k are more than 5 years old. So means got less than 5 years left on the road. Other info: no kids, just me n wifey.

This is getting SERIOUS!!!! TOKYO

Asia Home > Breaking News > Asia > Story Mar 14, 2011 Foreigners, wary of nuclear risk, flee Tokyo As Japan confronts a post-quake nuclear emergency, foreigners have begun a slow exodus from Tokyo, though some are maintaining a stiff upper lip. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN TOKYO - FEARING the possible risk of contamination as Japan confronts a post-quake nuclear emergency, foreigners have begun a slow exodus from Tokyo, though some are maintaining a stiff upper lip. Several European nations have advised their citizens to consider leaving the Japanese capital following two blasts at a quake-damaged atomic power plant 250km to the north, sparking fears of a possible meltdown. France went further, telling citizens to leave the Tokyo area 'for a few days' if they had no specific reason to stay and warning that if a reactor were to explode, radioactive steam could reach the city in a 'matter of hours'. 'A third of our staff has left,' Stefan Huber, the Austrian deputy head of the European Union delegation in Japan, told AFP. He added that executives at several German companies such as Bosch, Daimler and BMW, as well as law offices, had evacuated their spouses and children, noting that in Tokyo's German community 'it's a veritable exodus'. Marissa, a dual Australian-Italian national who has lived in Tokyo for the past six years with her husband and two young children, decided Sunday that she was not taking any more chances and the family flew to Hong Kong. 'We just thought it was probably better to leave at this point in time... I don't know about this nuclear issue, they don't seem to have quite got it under control yet,' she told AFP, asking to be identified only by her first name. -- AFP

Read the news splashed all over. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/...E72E1EK20110315 it seems like the earthquake's ripple effect is greatly felt, not just in asia alone.

Wahahahaha! But the white guy is the Spartacus Blood and Sand actor!

anyone?

http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.ph...575&DL=2013

this is totally rediculous how people can be posing n smiling infront of the bus as though it's some tourist attraction.... heartless and insensitive fools http://ph.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/25/pa...hostage-crisis/

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100523/tts-...ld-c1b2fc3.html Nothing against the Pope comment. But just realise something contradicting while reading... ""Trichet's comments were echoed by Pope Benedict XVI, who criticised governments[/size] for failing to take tough action to regulate banks and markets in the wake of the financial crisis."" ""Elsewhere in Europe, the Bank of Spain said Saturday it was taking over the running of a regional savings bank controlled by the Roman Catholic Church after it experienced financial difficulties and a merger plan failed."" So is the economic problem affecting the Catholic run bank so badly or they had in the first place run into too much debt or had been running risky investing etc. Should not they as a Church run bank be just a kind of financial association setup to help and not to generate huge income??? Should they never take on risk for better gain.. I doubt they will run into any problem...

Price: USD$2000 Cheaper than a 40" LCD TV. http://jalopnik.com/343258/first-video-of-...-a-nano-odyssey

Still wanting to buy that Condo and nice Convertible? Cheap bargains will come in 2009 once the crisis hits! So hang on tight bros......cause GIC said so! http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews...0421-60960.html GIC says global recession, crisis likely Mon, Apr 21, 2008 Reuters SINGAPORE - A SINGAPORE state investment fund that bought multi-billion dollar stakes in beleaguered banks Citigroup and UBS said a global financial crisis and recession was increasingly likely but that its investments in western banks were long-term in nature. 'The financial contagion has now spread beyond US shores, increasing the likelihood of a global financial crisis and recession,' Government of Singapore Investment Corp deputy chairman Tony Tan told a staff meeting on Monday. 'We could be facing a recession which is longer, deeper and wider than any recession we have encountered in the last 30 years.' 'We regard our investments in UBS and Citigroup as long term investments which will give us good returns when markets stabilise and economic conditions return to more normal levels,' he said. GIC is the larger of Singapore's two sovereign wealth funds and bought 11 billion Swiss francs (S$15 billion) worth of mandatory convertible notes in UBS last December. In January, GIC invested US$6.88 billion (S$9.4 billion) in Citigroup in a capital raising by the US bank. 'We regard our investments in UBS and Citigroup as longterm investments which will give us good returns when marketsstabilise and economic conditions return to more normallevels,' he said. GIC previously said it has not yet decided whether to participate in UBS's subsequent 15 billion franc rights issue. Dr Tan said that GIC had entered the market turmoil well prepared after it had taken a more conservative stance in its investment portfolio by selling stocks in the third quarter and holding more cash. 'We are now entering a period of extreme uncertainty in the world economy and the global financial markets. As banks continue to de-leverage, cutting down on their lending activities and causing contraction in credit supply, the prospects for the US economy and even the world economy are fraught with considerable downside risks,' he said. GIC says it manages 'well above US$100 billion'. But analysts say the fund's assets could be larger than US$300 billion, making it one of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds. Morgan Stanley said in February that GIC was the world's third-largest sovereign wealth fund with US$330 billion in assets under management, behind the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority with US$875 billion and Norway's Government Pension Fund with US$380 billion. Temasek Holdings, Singapore's other fund, has to date invested US$5 billion in Merrill Lynch. -- REUTERS

The financial crisis explained in simple terms............................. Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin. In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans). Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively. A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for undue concern because he has the promissory notes of Heidi's customers as collateral. At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then sold and traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items. One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager of the bank, ( subsequently fired due his negativity), decided that the time has come to start demanding payment from Heidi for the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. Unfortunately Heidi's customers cannot pay back any of their debts to Heidi. Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations to the bank and claims bankruptcy. DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by only 80%. The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment terms and also having invested in the securities are faced with a new and desperate situation. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy and her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor. The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties. They came up with a miraculous rescue plan that saved the bank. The funds required for this massive rescue are obtained by levying a new tax on all the non-drinkers. Finally a simple explanation........................