Poor richards almanac summary

BARCELONA: Barcelona cannot afford to be bogged down by criticism over their stuttering start to the season, coach Ronald Koeman has said, as his side plot a first victory in five La Liga games when they host Real Betis on Saturday. Barca's poor start means they are 12th in the standings, although with two games in hand, and Wednesday's 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League has hardly restored confidence due to the scrappy nature of the victory. "Teams like Barca need to be near the top of the table all the time and if they are, then there is always criticism," Koeman told a news conference on Friday. "I can handle the criticism but we cannot become obsessed by it. It's a long season and we should take each game as it comes. We need three points and a bit of calm but even if we win I'm not sure if things will calm down. There's always something going on at this club." Barca are boosted by the return of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is set for his first … [Read more...] about Koeman urges Barca to not be ‘obsessed’ by poor start

SINGAPORE: While his relationship with his siblings is “not in the best state” and “animosity is evident” on their end, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he and his wife Madam Ho Ching do not want the family feud to continue. “I hope against hope that one day, matters can be repaired. But it’s one of those things that happen in life and this too shall pass,” he said on Monday (Nov 30) during the first day of his defamation trial. Mr Lee is suing the chief editor of sociopolitical website The Online Citizen (TOC), Mr Terry Xu, for libel over an article published in August last year. The article was titled “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members” referring to an article she posted on Facebook that was titled “Here is why sometimes it is okay to cut ties with toxic family members”. Since 2017, Mr Lee has been embroiled in a dispute with his siblings - Dr Lee Wei Ling and Mr Lee Hsien Yang - over the fate of their family home at … [Read more...] about TOC defamation trial: Animosity from siblings evident, but PM Lee hopes that ‘matters can be repaired’ one day

BEIJING: Leaders of the 20 biggest economies on Saturday (Nov 21) vowed to ensure a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests around the world and do what was needed to support poorer countries struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. "We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people, consistent with members’ commitments to incentivise innovation," the leaders said in a draft G20 communique seen by Reuters. "We recognise the role of extensive immunization as a global public good." The twin crises of the pandemic and an uneven, uncertain global recovery dominated the first day of a two-day summit under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia, which hands off the rotating presidency of the G20 to Italy next month. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has thrown the global economy into a deep recession this year, and efforts needed to underpin an economic rebound in 2021, were at the top of the agenda. "We must work to create the … [Read more...] about G20 leaders pledge to fund fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, help poorest nations

SINGAPORE: As more and more companies implement work from home (WFH) arrangements in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been widely acknowledged that introverts are adjusting to the new norm much more easily that their extroverted colleagues. For years, introverts have had to deal with the energy-sapping exuberance of extroverts in open-plan offices and routinely being outshone at meetings by their more vocal counterparts. Behavioural Scientist, Francesca Gino from the Harvard Business School has highlighted studies that show while introverts constitute one-third to half of the population, “most workplaces are set up exclusively with extroverts in mind”. She points out that extroverts gravitate toward groups and constant action. They also tend to “think out loud” and “are energised and recharged by external stimuli, such as personal interactions, social gatherings, and shared ideas”. In contrast, “introverts typically dislike noise, interruptions, and big group settings. … [Read more...] about Commentary: The time of introverts has come as firms ramp up work-from-home arrangements

SINGAPORE: People often think of inequality along economic lines. The poor are disadvantaged because of their lower income, hindering them from accessing the same opportunities as others. If inequality was the sole result of income disparities, the solutions to mitigate inequality should naturally focus on the financial – Government handouts in the forms of subsidies, grants and scholarships, and the like. INEQUALITY MANIFESTS IN VARIOUS WAYS But when you see someone like Teresa Tan, who has been wheelchair-bound for 15 years, walking towards you with the support of a bionic exoskeleton, beaming and excited, you remember that there are many more reasons why a person might feel unequal in society. I met her for the first time in May at the launch of the Temasek Foundation - Improving Mobility via Exoskeletons (iMOVE) programme, which studies how robotic exoskeleton technology can improve mobility and rehabilitation care outcomes. Teresa was among 36 patients participating … [Read more...] about Commentary: Catalysing help to overcome inequality in all its forms

CAPE TOWN, South Africa: On Broadhurst Cona's fifth night in the COVID-19 ward of Cape Town's Groote Schuur Hospital, the patient in the bed next to him was giving up. The man gripped his own throat in panic as he choked, and he kept pulling off his oxygen mask. Cona pleaded with him to put it back on, but the man was beyond listening. Early the next morning, Cona awoke to a commotion. The man's bed was empty, and nurses in protective clothing were spraying it down with disinfectant. He was sealed in a beige-coloured body bag, and it took four people to lift him away to a passage leading to the lift. Cona didn't know it yet, because his companion had been too sick to speak and his face unrecognisable with pain, but he had seen this man many times before, as an opponent on the rugby field. The two had played in rival Black neighbourhood teams under apartheid's racial segregation laws in the late 1960s. Cona had gone on to compete in international games with South Africa's … [Read more...] about Special Report: For Black South African rugby player, a COVID victory, and loss