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<p>Yep! .</p>
<p>did you get into Harvard or Stanford?</p>
<p>Class of 2012 
So I will know my decisions this year!</p>
<p>lol, spencer1111, no one really cares what singaporeans think</p>
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<p>Sounds just like another country in south east asia 
Except for the fact that pakistanās global influence has been growing, since its basically the only US ally in that particular hot-topic region. Plus it is a nuculer (sic) power :-D</p>
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Another country in SEA thatās the envy of the world?</p>
<p>Oh my god, this thread has gone so off-topic.
Better close it until everybody embarrasses himselfā¦</p>
<p>haha but this thread does contain a lot of useful info reallyā¦</p>
<p>Singapore is an economic powerhouse. Albeit very small, it does have an important place in the world. Just ask Barings Bank.</p>
<p>Sarcasticā¦</p>
<p>Ussualy, but not this time. What I was trying to mean was that the economy in a small country in the other side of the world played a role in the downfall of one of the oldest investment banks in the world. Of course the Kobe eartquake, greed and incopetence also played a role.</p>
<p>But to see Singapores place in the world just have a look at the companies that are located in the city/state. Most IBās have local operations as do large consulting groups.</p>
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<p>I would say that Singapore is a well developed region, but itās hardly an economic powerhouse. Itās GDP stands at 132 000 million USD, about 50th in the world for total goods and services.</p>
<p>Something like Canada would be an economic powerhouse - GDP ~ 1 300 000 million USD, about 8th in the world. Weāre only about 6 times as large as Singapore, yet we produce 10 times as much. The United States is 10 times as large as we are, yet they have a GDP approx. 10 times also as large as ours. Given our specific population subsets, Iād say Canada and the United States are the most productive countries in the world.</p>
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<p>That could be so, if I could find Singapore on the map. I kid you not, I donāt even know where it is on the map - nor do I care. People just donāt care where Singapore is, let alone what Singaporeans think in the context of world issues. I do respect how a lot of Singaporeans value education much more than us Canadians do, but their education is not represented fully in the context of world power. Somewhere out there, a University of Calgary graduate named Stephen Harper actually has more say in this world than the Harvard/Cambridge graduate prime minister from Singapore. So much for education.</p>
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<p>Iām not trying to be a doosh here, but Singaporeās place in the world = pretty much at the bottom for developed countries. Iām sure Singapore does well as a service-oriented nation - just not well enough. Certainly not good enough such that nations like Canada or the United States particularly care.</p>
<p>Big Brother 1984 is talking rubbish again.</p>
<p>congrats on 600, Ammar!</p>
<p>youāre catching up to meā¦</p>
<p>Big Brother,</p>
<p>I care about what Singapore has to say and I am not even from there. </p>
<p>Basing a countries standing on GDP is so daft. </p>
<p>They are a city state (close to anyway) and seem to be doing prety well for themselves: low crime, strong financial/ services economy (which seems to be the way to go nowdays, just ask Detroit), good universities and it has only been independent for a few decades.</p>
<p>To be fair, when youāve been bombarded with stuff like āYouāre the top 1 percent (or was it 0.01 percent) in Singaporeā¦Youāre expected to do wellā¦leaders of the future yadayadaāā¦it is inevitable that many heads swell But I think there are far more humble/friendly people in RJ than arrogant ones (you know, the ones you saw in Orchard)</p>
<p>Overtime, society will teach us what life really is about and the type of attitudes that are simply unacceptable. Really, RJC, HCJC, VJC, NJC etc etc etc - everybody is not perfect (and thatās what some of my schoolmates suffered from), and everybody has to learn. Weāre not that bad :)</p>
<p>And Singapore not being known? Sorry āBroā, check out our ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) System, which has been copied in London. Weāre not a āpowerhouseā (letās not dilute the term), but weāre certainly becoming more noticed - and not just in education or chewing gum - for reasons that others have brought up earlier.</p>
<p>i have to agree with spencer11111 that big bro is spewing rubbish.</p>
<p>You canāt compare Singapore to Canada for the simple reason that the comparison is rendered unfair by virtue of the relative sizes of the two countries. Itās like comparing an apple to a watermelon and saying that the watermelon is heavierā¦</p>
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<p>Thatās great that you care.</p>
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<p>It is, but I wasnāt exactly doing that. I was just refuting your point that Singapore is an economic powerhouse, which itās clearly not.</p>
<p>Thereās also a level of political measure involved. For example, take Russia. Russia has a relatively poor GDP for a country its size. But nobody can dispute that Russia doesnāt have an immense political influence that continues to outlast from its days as the Soviet Union.</p>
<p>I wouldnāt say that GDP is such a useless measure either though. Countries with a lot of goods and services are obviously going to have a lot of say. Most of the G8 are among the most productive countries in the world. </p>
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<p>Singapore is doing great for itself, I agree. But so has South Korea, and itās really only been an autonomous country for several decades. Heck, I think the biggest success story is the United States, which has only existed as a country for about 200 and some odd years and now stands as the most powerful nation on the face of this planet. Itās been THE economic powerhouse for about 100 years.</p>
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<p>Oh trust me, Iāve probably been to Detroit more times than youāve been to your local supermarket. I practically live next to the city. While Detroit does have some financial services and whatnot, itās clearly a manufacturing hub for the most part. I wouldnāt say that Detroit has a strong financial sector like I would say it has an incredibly strong manufacturing presence.</p>
<p>I would also be wary about calling Detroit a low crime district. Heck, about a third of Detroit lives under the poverty line. I could probably comment more on this, but Iām watching Michiganās Most Wanted right now.</p>
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<p>I agree that spencerās been right for the most part on this thread. So if you donāt want me posting on this specific thread anymore, just give me the signal. You could also ignore me, like Iām ignoring spencer right now.</p>
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<p>We certainly can compare rates and productivity to account for the differences in population sizes between those two nations. Iāve proposed the idea that Canada is actually even more productive than Singapore is. Why is that? On average, I think us Canadians are less educated - so what compensates for the differences?</p>
<p>I was also primarily making the point that Singapore is not an economic powerhouse. Donāt get me wrong here, I think Singapore is a nation thatās well off on its own. It just isnāt exactly the most influential country out there.</p>
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<p>I agree thatās not a fair comparison. A fair comparison would be comparing a piece of apple to that piece of watermelon. What tastes better?</p>