Saturday, March 28, 2009
Colourful durians
Hi folks,
Things are getting bright and colourful alright.
Red durians from Borneo are just the beginning;
very soon we will get other colour durians also,
yes, blue, green and purple coloured ones too.
About twenty years ago, an enterprising businesswoman from Queensland, Australia, started the farming of tropical fruits from Malaysia, like rambutan, chiku, langsat, mangosteen and durian. Because she began with seeds rather than from saplings, cheaper in large numbers, the trees took longer to fruit and also did not produce well. But this woman who is a qualified botanist and biologist experimented. Her efforts did not fail her, and last year her efforts of hybridising with some durians she had planted from Indonesia bore fruit, and much to her surprise and to her team of research workers her durians were colourful, not the usual orange or golden but slightly purplish and also bluish.
This woman is very shrewd, she knows that people will pay a higher price for things strange and new, and she had concentrated on producing a big crop this year. However her fruits are not expected to be exported yet as the supply will not be enough to meet local comsumption.
But she has already taken forward orders to sell saplings a year ahead, at A$1,000 each. As to-date the orders have already reached forty-three thousand, but she would limit it to forty-five thousand which coincides with her forty-fifth birthday early next month.
What a success, forty five millions dollars just selling her saplings only, and collecting it in advance.
I had been fertilising my chiku plant with plain beanmilk or tauhuaychwee, but still I get brown chiku. Maybe I will succeed in getting red chiku one day.
Ron
Things are getting bright and colourful alright.
Red durians from Borneo are just the beginning;
very soon we will get other colour durians also,
yes, blue, green and purple coloured ones too.
About twenty years ago, an enterprising businesswoman from Queensland, Australia, started the farming of tropical fruits from Malaysia, like rambutan, chiku, langsat, mangosteen and durian. Because she began with seeds rather than from saplings, cheaper in large numbers, the trees took longer to fruit and also did not produce well. But this woman who is a qualified botanist and biologist experimented. Her efforts did not fail her, and last year her efforts of hybridising with some durians she had planted from Indonesia bore fruit, and much to her surprise and to her team of research workers her durians were colourful, not the usual orange or golden but slightly purplish and also bluish.
This woman is very shrewd, she knows that people will pay a higher price for things strange and new, and she had concentrated on producing a big crop this year. However her fruits are not expected to be exported yet as the supply will not be enough to meet local comsumption.
But she has already taken forward orders to sell saplings a year ahead, at A$1,000 each. As to-date the orders have already reached forty-three thousand, but she would limit it to forty-five thousand which coincides with her forty-fifth birthday early next month.
What a success, forty five millions dollars just selling her saplings only, and collecting it in advance.
I had been fertilising my chiku plant with plain beanmilk or tauhuaychwee, but still I get brown chiku. Maybe I will succeed in getting red chiku one day.
Ron
Friday, March 27, 2009
Why cannot our population rejuvenate itself ?
Stop at two then, stop at two point one now.
How much does it costs for one child in terms of finance, leisure, stress, etc.
Will a quarter of a million dollars be enough ?!
How much can a couple earn in a year ?
Mister and Missus Money will always have the costs and benefits of another child on their mind whenever they sleep, if they could the more they have !
Will the road to lesser number of children per family remain a one-way street ?!
Ron
Let's consider only two issues, A and B.
A. Mister Mathematics sees it like this:
1. There are people who remain single.
2. There are couples which do not procreate.
3. There are couples which produce only one child.
4. There are couples which produce only two children.
5. There are couples which produce only three children.
6. There are couples which produce only four children.
7. There are couples which may produce more than four children nowadays.
Considering only items 2 to 6 as they were or are, and on equal proportions, all these people would produce ten children in total among the ten of them, the producers. This is fine, ten produce ten, a constant total replenishment !
But if there is a limit of a maximum of three children per family, the same ten people would produce only nine children; and if the limit is reduced to two, only seven children would be produced. Item 7 may compensate for item 1 somewhat depending on the proportion of single people and those couples which would raise a big family.
It is thus to be expected that there will be a natural reduction in population if couples do not produce up to four or more children.
B. Mister and Missus Money see it like this:
1. A child costs a big portion of their income from even before its birth:A. Mister Mathematics sees it like this:
1. There are people who remain single.
2. There are couples which do not procreate.
3. There are couples which produce only one child.
4. There are couples which produce only two children.
5. There are couples which produce only three children.
6. There are couples which produce only four children.
7. There are couples which may produce more than four children nowadays.
Considering only items 2 to 6 as they were or are, and on equal proportions, all these people would produce ten children in total among the ten of them, the producers. This is fine, ten produce ten, a constant total replenishment !
But if there is a limit of a maximum of three children per family, the same ten people would produce only nine children; and if the limit is reduced to two, only seven children would be produced. Item 7 may compensate for item 1 somewhat depending on the proportion of single people and those couples which would raise a big family.
It is thus to be expected that there will be a natural reduction in population if couples do not produce up to four or more children.
B. Mister and Missus Money see it like this:
Gynecologist fee, hospital fee, childcare center fee, kindergarten fee, school fee, transport fee, peer status cost, pocket expenses, and all other expenses a normal person requires.
2. The cost of providing for a maid and her salary, etc.
3. The stress of balancing what they want to do and what they have to do.
2. The cost of providing for a maid and her salary, etc.
3. The stress of balancing what they want to do and what they have to do.
How much does it costs for one child in terms of finance, leisure, stress, etc.
How much does it costs for two, three, and four children ?
How much does it cost to bring up a child up to maturity ?
How much does it costs for a child's tertiary education ?Will a quarter of a million dollars be enough ?!
How much can a couple earn in a year ?
Mister and Missus Money will always have the costs and benefits of another child on their mind whenever they sleep, if they could the more they have !
Will the road to lesser number of children per family remain a one-way street ?!
Ron
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Painter of the Wind
Another good drama serial
King ChusanChona commissioned the royal Master Painter and his top disciple to paint his portrait. The pair of artists painstakingly completed the task amidst great obstacles. The portrait which pleased the king was then formally subjected to scrutiny and evaluation by the ministers and court officials. The ministers found faults with every detail of the portrait and they unanimously declared that the portrait was not fit to be the Royal Imperial Portrait of the king.
The younger artist, ShinYunBok, an exceptionally promising prodigy whose works had pleased the king was so outraged and provoked by the discrimination that he tore apart the portrait. Thereupon, the leading minister WuSang and his supporters condemned his action as treasonable assassination and YunBok was sentenced to death and his master to exile.
The king was stunned and outraged too, but the consequences were ineluctable. How was he to save his artists ?
On the day of the execution, the king summoned the ministers and court officials. When these arrived before the king's chamber there was the damaged portrait on the pathway blocking their passage. The leader WuSang proudly explained to his followers not to fear this simple test and that it was safe to step upon the portrait since it had been declared as illegitimate, and every one else contemptuously stepped on the portrait following him.
In the chamber, WuSang was proud to affirm that everyone had stepped over the portrait as it was not the legitimate Royal Imperial Portrait of the king. The king pointed out to him that since he had denied that the portrait was legitimate, then someone had been condemned unjustly by him over tearing it, and that someone was being executed at the moment. He then told WuSang that if he wanted to save his own life he had to make haste and ensure that the young artist YunBok was not executed, else he would suffer the same fate he meted on others. WuSang prostrated himself, begged for mercy and made haste as required.
This is one episode from the Korean drama serial The Painter of the Wind. Those of us who enjoyed The Jewel in the Palace or DaChangJin will similarly enjoy this one too. While the former's theme is on kitchen craft this one is on painting.
It never occurred to me that so much intrigue can be involved over a candid piece of painting, and that a painting can reveal so much intricacies.
The Painter of the Wind is viewable at: http://www.mysoju.com/the-painter-of-the-wind/
Enjoy yourself.
Ron
King ChusanChona commissioned the royal Master Painter and his top disciple to paint his portrait. The pair of artists painstakingly completed the task amidst great obstacles. The portrait which pleased the king was then formally subjected to scrutiny and evaluation by the ministers and court officials. The ministers found faults with every detail of the portrait and they unanimously declared that the portrait was not fit to be the Royal Imperial Portrait of the king.
The younger artist, ShinYunBok, an exceptionally promising prodigy whose works had pleased the king was so outraged and provoked by the discrimination that he tore apart the portrait. Thereupon, the leading minister WuSang and his supporters condemned his action as treasonable assassination and YunBok was sentenced to death and his master to exile.
The king was stunned and outraged too, but the consequences were ineluctable. How was he to save his artists ?
On the day of the execution, the king summoned the ministers and court officials. When these arrived before the king's chamber there was the damaged portrait on the pathway blocking their passage. The leader WuSang proudly explained to his followers not to fear this simple test and that it was safe to step upon the portrait since it had been declared as illegitimate, and every one else contemptuously stepped on the portrait following him.
In the chamber, WuSang was proud to affirm that everyone had stepped over the portrait as it was not the legitimate Royal Imperial Portrait of the king. The king pointed out to him that since he had denied that the portrait was legitimate, then someone had been condemned unjustly by him over tearing it, and that someone was being executed at the moment. He then told WuSang that if he wanted to save his own life he had to make haste and ensure that the young artist YunBok was not executed, else he would suffer the same fate he meted on others. WuSang prostrated himself, begged for mercy and made haste as required.
This is one episode from the Korean drama serial The Painter of the Wind. Those of us who enjoyed The Jewel in the Palace or DaChangJin will similarly enjoy this one too. While the former's theme is on kitchen craft this one is on painting.
It never occurred to me that so much intrigue can be involved over a candid piece of painting, and that a painting can reveal so much intricacies.
The Painter of the Wind is viewable at: http://www.mysoju.com/the-
Enjoy yourself.
Ron
