My Thoughts Of The Day - 1984 George Orwell

 1984 George Orwell said... My Thoughts Of The Day

1. Lawsuits As A Form Of Intimidation:

1 The use of expensive lawsuits by rich and powerful people against the commoners who are vocal about government policies and actions, especially upon opinion-leaders and analytical thinkers, such as prominent bloggers, facebookers and tweeterers, can be construed as a threat and effective form of intimidation. This intimidation is not only cast upon the individuals concerned but also upon the larger masses in the cyberspace of this Information Age. Such a threat and intimidation must not be condoned nor upheld in a non-corrupt Court of Laws.

The most intimidating lawsuits are the defamation lawsuits, which are not only an archaic practice that should have been sent to the domain of the Dodo birds long ago, but also a form of indirect corruption that falls under the category called Ill-will.

Ill-will is very ugly. It does not speak well of the one who harbours the ill-will. It also affects those who are associated or involved with the deed that is manifested from this ill-will, which is the demon that manipulates the heart and mind of the suffering soul. For example, if you asked me to murder your wife's secret lover, then I have become an accessory to your ill-will if I carry out what you had wanted me to do, irrespective of whether you have communicated the instruction with me directly or through a third party.

The fact that expensive defamation lawsuits are still being practice by very powerful and filthy rich people in Singapore today, shows that Singapore is still a very backward country, and that some Singaporeans are highly insecure, overly sensitive, and have the tendency to behave like military dictators who are unable to take "No" for an answer. Such dictators simply detest criticisms and dissents. That's why they need "Yes-Men" around them all the time.

2. Is there such a thing as defamation?

Before we talk about defamation, we have to understand what fame is. What is Fame?

Fame means popularity. Popularity means many people know who you are and what you stand for. Some may have good opinions about you, while some may not. Some may be having varying opinions about you - sometimes good and sometimes bad - and some may have fixated stereotype opinions about you for various reasons.

People are entitled to their own opinions. You can't control them.

As long as you seek fame or if you are a public figure, you have to accept that there are various opinions about you out there in the public domain, especially in the social media. You can find all sorts of discussions in these social media, from gossip to religion, from travel to business, from sex to politics, from gambling to shopping, etc. Basically, they span across the whole spectrum of human interests and endeavours, from meaningless to serious issues.

So, if you are the type that is very jumpy whenever someone criticises you, then you'd better steer clear of these social media. Treat them like pornography, which are meant for adults only. Or treat them like traffic noises along a busy highway. Like that, you will be able to remain sane for a longer time.

Now, if you are not a public figure or celebrity, then the chances are that you will not be famous. If you do not have fame, then you cannot be defamed. It's just like if you do not have any title, then no one can take away your title. Simple as that. Agree? Of course, you cannot disagree with that.

Next, if you are very famous, you already have fame. So how can anyone defame you? It is not like you are sitting on the throne like a king and someone comes along and dethrone you. The fame you have acquired stays with you throughout your lifetime. Nobody can take it away from you. So how can someone defame you at all?

Therefore, either way, whether you have fame or do not have fame, you cannot be defamed.

Then what are defamation lawsuits all about?

Answer: It's about keeping the judges and lawyers busy and employed, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

1984 George Orwell

Covid19 - Brave Americans making America Great Again

 California Governor Gavin Newsom's order came into effect one day after the state set a record with more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases, triggered in areas of Southern California where fewer than 15 per cent of intensive care hospital beds remain available....

There have been 14.7 million confirmed infections and 282,253 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began, the most in the world.

California has been under a stay-at-home order for all but essential services since March. The new order, which will last at least three weeks, bans private gatherings of any size, shuts all but critical infrastructure and retail operations, and requires everyone to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing.

But the sheriffs of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties have said they will refuse to enforce the order...

Dr Anthony Fauci, tapped by Biden to be his chief medical adviser on the coronavirus, warned the nationwide surge could get worse after the year-end holiday season.

After millions ignored expert advice and travelled for the Thanksgiving holiday in November, Fauci anticipated Americans would once again behave recklessly during Christmas and New Year's Eve festivities.  Reuters

Above report is a true reflection of how brave( not stupid) the Americans are in standing up against the virus.  They are not going to obey any orders to take precautions against the virus.  They are going to do what they want to do, to celebrate, to have fun, to live the Great American way of life. This is the way to make America Great Again. It is a very lofty way to show the world that the Americans are fearless and a great people. The 3 sheriffs are heroes and other sheriffs should follow their examples not to obey their governors on lockdowns and masking up and avoiding parties. If not the Americans would never be great again. Latest count, 7 sheriffs are defying the governor, not going to enforce the restrictions on Covid19. Beautiful, really.

The people of the world should cheer and clap for the Americans for being so brave in times of adversity. Truly no other country would dare to be as brave as the Americans. The rest of the world that are not thinking of making their countries great again need not have to follow the brave Americans in what they are doing, freedom, freedom of expression and freedom to live as they like. 

Let's wish the brave Americans well and success in making America Great Again, with or without Trump. 15m and still going strong!

Clap, clap, clap.

 

 

Covid-19: No Detection Of Infection Does Not Mean There Is No Infection

 1984 George Orwell said... Covid-19: No Detection Of Infection Does Not Mean There Is No Infection

"SINGAPORE — The Royal Caribbean cruise ship passenger who tested positive for Covid-19 was an 83-year-old man who reported to the ship’s onboard medical centre with diarrhoea.

He underwent a mandatory Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction test as part of onboard protocols, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said in an update on Wednesday (Dec 9).

The passenger had undergone testing before boarding the cruise and tested negative."

The above report was made by TODAY Online.


My Comments:


1. If you are tested negative, it does not mean you are totally free from the COVID-19 virus infection.

2. It only means that on that day, at that point in time, the infectious virus inside your body could not be detected, yet.

3. It can also mean that the testing system is not very effective or faulty.

4. It can also mean that it could be a rush job and therefore efficiency and accuracy could have been sacrificed for the purpose of expediency and profit-motive.

5. Alternatively, the old gentleman could have contracted the COVID-19 disease from someone on the cruise. That someone could be a healthy carrier from the crew, the cooks, the service personnel or from the other passengers.

6. Moral of the story is:

A cruise to nowhere can turn up to be a cruise to somewhere - hospital or cemetery.

7. Conclusion.

Don't be over-confident. No detection of infection does not mean there is no infection. It means that the coronavirus is smarter than we humans think we are.

1984 George Orwell

Is Anwar Ibrahim Really That Smart?

 SSO said... Is Anwar Ibrahim Really That Smart?

Let me tell you what I think.

1. The fact the Anwar got kicked out by the then PM Mahathir, when he was his DeputY PM, showed that he was not smart after all.

Rule No 1 - Never make your boss so angry with you until he has to kick you out.

2. The fact that Anwar got charged and convicted for sodomy (1st count) and got black-eyed in the prison, showed that he was not so smart after all.

Rule No 2 - When you are in deep shit, do not give those around you a chance to take advantage of your predicament and screw you up.


3. The fact that Anwar got charged and convicted for the same offence (sodomy) a second time, showed that he was not only not smart after all but also an extremely careless and
weak person.

Rule No 3 - Never be found wanting and get caught for the same mistake a second time, because the first time can be given benefit of doubt but the second time removes all doubts. Even if he has been framed, as he claimed, the second sodomy charge sticks to him like a leach throughout the rest of his life.

4. The fact that Anwar had accepted, and even rejoiced at, the Agong's pardon, shows that he is not only stupid, but very stupid. Whoever had helped him to get the Agong's royal pardon had actually wanted him to be destroyed completely. A pardon is not the same as a vindication. When you accept a pardon, it means you have accepted that you are guilty and therefore wanted to be pardoned for what you have done. A vindication means you are not guilty and you have been cleared of the wrong conviction.

Rule No 4 - If you want to clear your name, never accept a forgiveness or a pardon from anybody, irrespective of whether He is God or King. It you do so, you are forever condemned as a guilty person in the eyes of the world.

So, for those who still thinks that Anwar is smart, think again.

Anwar has dug his own grave by being carelessly over-confident and as a result over-stepping on many big toes that count in his political life. That is sheer stupidity of a politician-wanna-be.

Not say I want to say, but I just must simply say so from my heart.

SSO - 8 Dec 2020.

Second hand smoke is not just a nuisance but toxic chemicals

 As people spend more time at home, smoke wafting into people’s homes can be a deadly public health menace, and should not be mistaken for a neighbourly nuisance or a gripe about smoking from non-smokers....

Smokers cannot seem to catch a break, particularly with the suggestion to ban smoking near home balconies and windows by Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament and Group Parliament Committee for Sustainability and Environment Louis Ng in October reviving a national debate about how far the country should go to combat smoking completely.

Make smokers close their windows when they smoke, some suggested....

Ban smoking altogether, a few frustrated netizens said.Some public health experts, like Prof Chia Kee Seng, have gone even further to call for exterminating smoking completely seeing that it is “an archaic habit with no place in modern society”....

The consequences can be serious. “A lot of the residents complained to me about secondhand smoke because their children have asthma … yet they have a neighbour who’s constantly smoking at their windows,” Mr Ng highlights.

“Imagine if your neighbour is spraying toxic chemicals out of his house and you’re breathing it in … that’s exactly what secondhand smoke is.”  CNA

When would the non smokers be freed from the aggressive violation of smokers, spreading their toxic and smelly fumes into their homes or into their faces along public walkways? When would the world be free from these drug takers, the modern day opium smokers? When their addiction cravings demand that they take a puff, they would not hesitate to satisfy this craze and would not even mind standing beside dirty and smelly dustbins to inhale the drugs called cigarettes, casting images of the desperate opium smokers of yester years.

While it is very difficult for the older addicts to kick this dirty addiction, let's hope the younger generation would not be smarter not to carry on this unnecessary and money wasting habit and keep themselves clean and the environment clean, and the air clean for other beans to enjoy.

It is so sickening to be waken up in the middle of the night by a waft of smelly cigarette smoke to disrupt your sleep and struggling not to breathe in the foul air. It is a terrible encounter for non smokers when they need to breathe but cannot breathe and have to struggle to breathe when the air is filled with cigarette smokes that the smokers enjoy and think it is so nice and friendly and generous to share with the non smokers. What about the young, the infants and babies that are also forced to breathe in this toxic fumes and cannot say no, unable to say no?

When would the govt put a stop to this infringement of the non smokers right to breathe in simple clean and fresh air, free from smelly and toxic cigarette smokes? We are living so close to each other, only a few feet apart. There is no escape when someone living below or above or next door, smokes.  The world has more or less gotten rid of the smelly opium smokers. China was ruined by the mindless and unthinking consumption of opium in the past. Today's tobacco is just a milder form of drug addiction that the world can do without in exchange for having cleaner air and cleaner streets and cleaner everything and cleaner everywhere.

Would the smokers show some consideration and mercy on the non smokers? It is unbearable and intolerable to many non smokers. Nah, they simply don't care when they are desperate to smoke, just like all drug addicts. It is their right to smoke as long as the law allows it.

PS. I know that many smokers would be offended by this post. But non smokers cannot go on suffering in silence. The non smokers did not do anything to offend the smokers, just asking to be free to breathe in non contaminated, not smelly fresh air. They would not bother with the smokers if the smokers did not bother them.

 

An appeal in theindependent.com, 

An appeal to neighbours who smoke: Please close doors and windows

Singapore – Smokers have been urged to be considerate and close their doors and windows when indulging in their habit so that the smoke does not go into neighbouring flats.

On Thursday (Dec 3), Facebook user Candice Yeo made a request on the Complaint Singapore page. She said that no one was stopping those who want to smoke at home but they should shut their doors and windows tight.

She said that people smoked at windows and balconies because they did not want the smoke in their homes but it then floated into neighbouring houses.

She hoped that her request would be considered and those who smoke would be considerate enough to shut their windows and doors.