Pirates? No only Italians and Indians watching movies

Italians and Indians lead the world in visiting piracy sites says piracy-monitoring company Muso.

Increase in film piracy: site visits in last seven days of March compared to same period in February

BBC/ Muso

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PAP govt prudent? This prudence?

Our debt already so high. Still want to spend so much money?

How come PAP running dogs (Apologies to the real dogs) in parliament not KPKBing that PAP must be prudent and not pass on the sins of overspending onto future generations.

The PAP govt is throwing US$41.6, more than 10% of GDP to fight the economic and financial consequences of the pandemic in an election year.

Whatever happened to MPs like Liang Eng Hwa, Kate Spade (who else?), Hri Kumat and Arthur Fong: PM aiming left, to hit the centre/ Axed? PAP MPs who don’t get it.

When they so quiet?

Govt change policy, so they sit down and shut up?

Related posts:

Can the hard-hit spend their way out of a recession?

“Prudent banker” is an oxymoron

Covid-19: Redundancy is good

Germany is increasingly seen as a model for how it has handled Covid-19 domestically.

NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES are opening; schools soon will be, too. The country’s fortunes are down to a mix of science-minded leadership, functional federalism and a bit of luck.

Economist

But according to the FT, an oversupply of hospital beds helps Germany a lot. Pre Covid-19, critics had called for drastic cut in number of hospital facilities.

Politics got in the way of the cull and the German healthcare system was seen as inefficient.

But willing is smiling now? Ango-American capitalism or the German model. Our ang moh tua kee PAP govt should stop aping the wrong ang mohs.

S’pore: Bottom of developed world

We bottom of the class in the developed world when it comes to accountability. We Third world.

A one time PAP apologist and PAP poster boy, Prof Tommy Koh’s comment, “The way Singapore treats its foreign workers is not First World but Third World,” can be rephrased “The way the Singapore government treats its citizens is not First World but Third World.”

Think the tai chi over the Covid-19 cases among our FT workers living in PAP govt approved dorms. The PAP govt screwed up, denies it screwed up (Not even willing to say “It’s an honest mistake”), and we are in lockdown.

But

Why even with 4G donkeys, PAP will retain power

Is there really a better alternative to PAP 4G?

Would the dorm workers prefer to be repatriated to India and Bangladesh?

Khaw’s got a point.

Something that a very disgruntled Quitter living in Finland (kids get free education there, can only get into neighbourhood “good” schools here and he can’t afford int’l school fees here); ang moh tua kees like Kirsten Han; anti-PAP activists and cybernuts; and frustrated wannabe Sith Lords (now trying to reinvent themselves as Jedi) like ex-ST tua kee Bertha Henson forget when criticising the PAP’s govt’s less than diligent efforts (F9, downright careless in my view) in looking after the welfare of our FT workers living in dorms.

Foreign workers in Singapore know they are currently safer in the city-state than elsewhere including their own countries, a minister said, even as a massive coronavirus outbreak among that community shines a spotlight on cramped and oft-unsanitary lodging provided for the low-wage employees.

The workers from overseas are “appreciative” of efforts that range from relieving overcrowding in current facilities, and measures to provide them with medical attention, food and remittance services, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in a Facebook post on Sunday. Singapore is speeding up construction of additional dormitories, he said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-19/foreign-workers-safer-in-singapore-than-elsewhere-minister-says

Most (over 80%) of the almost 14,000 cases are work permit holders residing in dormitories. None has died of Covid-19, although one of dorm resident with Covid-19 was found dead: police are investigating.

Related post: Covid-19: Reason why no Indian or Bangladeshi worker has died?

India or Bangladesh got anything like this meh? https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-behind-the-scenes-at-the-changi-exhibition-centre-12677966

Yes our millionaire ministers screwed up badly by ignoring these FT workers, and we S’poreans are paying the price for their incompetence. But things are being rectified ASAP.

Related posts:

Why even with 4G donkeys, PAP will retain power

Is there really a better alternative to PAP 4G?

PAP govt supports S-Reits

IRAS, MAS and MOF jointly issued a press release on 16 Apr highlighting new measures to support S-Reitss following the market collapse caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

One initiative comes in the form of an extension in timeline from three months to 12 months for S-Reits to distribute at least 90% of their FY20 taxable income to unitholders to qualify for tax transparency.

(Btw,I had advised those who asked my views on S-Reits that I tot this 90% payout rule would be scrapped for this year.)

The second measure is the increase in leverage limit from 45% to 50% with immediate effect to allow more flexibility in the management of capital structures. About time too: our Reits I’ve been KPKBed were too conservative (as per the regulations) in their leverage. Should be 55% to 60%. But seeing the carnage, I’m glad that the regulatory ratio was only 40%.

There’s more: the implementation of a new minimum interest coverage ratio requirement would be deferred to 1 Jan 2022.

In general, brokers are recommending government-linked REITs with strong sponsors

Example OCBC:

Ascendas REIT (AREIT SP) [BUY; FV: S$3.59], Mapletree Industrial Trust (MINT SP) [BUY; FV: S$2.87] and Mapletree Commercial Trust (MCT SP) [BUY; FV: S$1.96]. We also like NetLink NBN Trust (NETLINK SP) [BUY; FV: S$1.10] for its resilient business model.

Research Team

Run in France on tobacco products because of “evidence” smokers less likely to catch Covid-19

This is not fake news propogated by Big Tobacco.

[S]mokers were less numerous among hospitalised Covid-19 patients than in the general population,preliminary findings from a Paris hospital nicotine competes with the virus for access to receptors in the lungs and so protects smokers

BBC

Last week, data from a Paris hospital indicated that smokers were statistically less likely to be admitted for treatment for Covid-19: researchers noticed the low number of smokers among those hospitalised with Covid-19. The theory that nicotine could play a role in blocking the virus is due to be tested at a hospital in Paris, using nicotine patches.

The government’s chief health official said the study was interesting but warned that smokers who did become infected with coronavirus tended to have more serious symptoms. He also warned that smoking killed 75,000 people a year in France.

There was a run on nicotine products. France has now banned the online sale of nicotine products and limited their sale in pharmacies, after researchers suggested that nicotine may play a role in protecting against coronavirus.

The new rules cover products like nicotine gum and patches, designed to help people stop smoking.

People will only be allowed to buy one month’s supply of these products.

The aim is to stop people putting too much nicotine into their bodies, in the hope of protecting themselves against coronavirus, and also to protect the supply for people who need it, says the .

BBC’s Lucy Williamson in Paris

Btw, unrelated to the above, South Africa has unbanned cigarette sales. Alcohol sales remain banned under its lockdown

Point of lockdown: any lockdown

To buy time to prepare to contain future outbreaks.

Governments all over the world from India to states in the US to China and the UK have all imposed lockdowns.

The point of the lockdown was to accept short-term economic pain as the price of getting the virus under control.

Economist

But once the country brings its infection rate down, can they box in future outbreaks?

Only if the government had used the lockdown to prepare

itself—through widespread testing, an army of contact-tracers and infrastructure to support extended isolation and quarantine—to box in future outbreaks.

Economist

Is the PAP govt here and other givts (for example in India and Malaysia) extending the lockdowns to do this?

What do you think?

US$40bn rich but facing “significant financial challenges” because of the pandemic

Harvard University said it faced “significant financial challenges” when it accepted nearly US$9m in coronavirus relief aid despite having a US$40bn endowment fund, making it the world’s wealthiest university

Trump said he was unhappy that the university had received the stimulus money. Harvard gave him the finger, saying it was not refunding the money.

It now says it has decided not to take the money.

It shouldn’t have taken the money in the first place.

Where were Harvard’s professors of ethics, morals and religion? Sticking their snouts in the troughs?

Xia suay! Tan Kin Lian has valid point

He not always Talk Cock, Sing Song King. I also wonder why the 4G leaders were not looking at the non-dom data only, as we can effectively lock up the dom workers: OK, OK it’s not a PC correct view.

My further tots after TKL’s piece

Bad judgment by ministerial task force

The ministerial task force made a bad judgment. In early April, they panicked and decided to introduce the circuit breaker. They closed down most workplaces (except for the essential ones), food outlets and schools and ordered the people to stay at home for four weeks.

Why was this a bad judgment?

The ministers panicked when they saw the large increase in new cases. The did not realize that this increase was due to the increased testing of the workers living in the dormitories which occurred as part of the contact tracing protocol. As more people are tested, more cases would certainly be detected.

There was no evidence of a large increase in the wider community. If there was an increase, it was small and manageable.

In such a situation, the ministers should just ask for the foreign workers to stop work and stay in the dormitories until they are tested. There is no need to lockdown the entire country.

They could have focused their attention on the real risk, rather than dissipate their resources over locking down the entire country.

The lockdown (or “circuit breaker” that is officially termed) has cost the country over $40 billion in the relief packages. This does not include the real losses suffered by businesses and households. Many families saw their income wiped out by the lockdown measures, and do not receive adequate compensation.

Several hundred thousand families and families were badly affected. The damage to their livelihood is horrendous. It will take several months for the damage to be repaired, even after the lockdown is lifted.

The $40 billion spent on the relief packages could have been used to waive GST for four years. That would have reduce the cost of living for the people. That would have been a better use of the money.

All of these economic harm could have been avoided, if the ministers had made the right judgement.

They should have ordered the workers living in the dormitories to stop work and isolate them from the community until they are tested to be “suitable to work”.

They can monitor the actual spread in the wider community, excluding the cases from the dormitories, to see if a lockdown is necessary.

They could have followed the approach that is successfully adopted in several countries, such as Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam. These countries strengthen their social distancing measures. They asked their people to wear masks and to keep a safe distance from other people. Some closed schools but some did not.

These countries did not implement a lockdown. They managed to contain the spread of the virus and keep a low death rate.

We should have tried this approach first, before ordering a costly lockdown that had a bad impact on the economy and that may really be unnecessary.

The statistics from the World Health Organization showed that the death rate from the covid-19 is 2 per million in Singapore. It is 128 per million in America and higher in several countries in Europe.

The risk from the covid-19 is clearly much lower in Singapore than in other countries. If our death rate is 50 per million, it would be justified for the ministers to panic and lockdown the country. But it is poor judgement and and hasty for the ministers to introduce a lockdown when the death rate was only 2 per million.

To prepare for the possibility that the situation could get worse and a possible increase in the death rate, the ministers could have taken the following contingency measures:

a) Increase our capacity to treat more severely ill patients. This means more hospital beds, ventilators and hospital doctors and nurses. We can follow other countries in how they expand the capacity quickly.

b) Increase the isolation facilities to quarantine people for 14 or 21 days. These facilities can be set up quickly and do not need a high standard of medical equipment.

c) Arrange to take care of the elderly sick people who live alone and in nursing homes. We can get specially screened care givers to take care of their needs and severely reduce their exposure to the wider community

d) Conduct the covid test on all healthcare workers. This is to protect the health of the hospital workers and the patients. The results of the test can be used to estimate the community spread of the virus, as these workers can be treated as a representative sample of the population. This information is critical for planning the containment measures to be used in the future.

I believe that the first two measures have already been taken by the government. I suggest that they act on the third and fourth measures immediately.

I now come to the next test. Will the ministers extend the circuit breaker for another few weeks, beyond May 4?

It would be unwise and unnecessary to extend the circuit breaker. It would cause greater damage to the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousand of people that have been badly affected now. The damage will extend further and affect to the population at large.

I hope that the ministerial task force will review the situation and take the right decision going forward.

---

Unlike TKL, I don’t think the 4G leaders panicked. I suspect something about the data scared the hell out of them after their advisers interpreted the data for them.

Maybe asymptomatic cases could be a lot more prevalent?

Or hospital facilities maybe will be overstretched if there’s no lockdown? Remember even if non-dom cases are peanuts, cases grow exponentially. Combine that with the cases among the locked down FTs and “PM, we have a problem.”

Only time will tell if Tan Kin Lian is talking cock on the topic.

Related posts:

Why even with 4G donkeys, PAP will retain power

Is there really a better alternative to PAP 4G?

Investing in the time of Covid-19: Watch this index

BCA Research says cheong when gains in the CRB index outpace those of gold as Chinese “stimulus seeps through to the real economy”.

Covid-19: Reason why no Indian or Bangladeshi worker has died?

(Update on 24 April at 4,30am: After publication, it was reported that a dorm worker that had caught Covid-19 was found dead. Police are investigating.)

The number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore has crossed 10,000, with 1,016 cases announced on Wednesday. Most of the cases (about 80% according to the BBC) are work permit holders residing in dormitories.

Low-wage foreign workers comprise a fifth of the overall population in Singapore, but largely live separate from the local community. The dormitories — where clogged toilets and overflowing rubbish chutes have been reported — are a far cry from the country’s glitzy skyline showcased in Hollywood blockbusters like “Crazy Rich Asians.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-21/how-singapore-flipped-from-virus-hero-to-cautionary-tale

And another person has died, bringing the total to 12. But there have been no deaths (touch wood) among the dormitory workers.

One reason is that they are young: I think (I stand corrected) that all the 12 people who died here are not young.

Here’s another possible reason why the workers are not dying despite catching the Covid-19 while living in cramped, crowded conditions: they are not overweight. Have you seen an overweight FT manual worker?

The UK’s Sunday Telegraph reports on research about who is at greater risk of being admitted to hospital with a severe form of the virus. The paper says a study into British patients suggests being overweight is one of the most important risk factors.

The yet to be peer-reviewed is based on an analysis of more than 15,000 cases and is said to be the biggest study of its kind.

Btw,

Covid-19 only emerged at the end of 2019, but already there are signs it may take a long time for some patients to get back to full health.

Recovery time will depend on how sick you become in the first place. Some people will shrug off the illness fast, but for others it could leave lasting problems.

Age, gender and other health issues all increase the risk of becoming more seriously ill from Covid-19.

The more invasive the treatment you receive, and the longer it is performed, the longer recovery is likely to take.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52301633

HoHoHo: S’pore Auntie gets VD from Virgin

S’pore Auntie should know better than hook-up in a sleazy date with a Oz hot bod that goes by the name of Virgin.

Airline Virgin Australia yesterday confirmed it had entered voluntary administration. It’s Australia’s first big corporate casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic.

SIA has a 20% stake. Other shareholders are Richard Branson’s Virgin Group (10%), Etihad, and China’s HNA and Nanshan Group, each with around 20%.

The airline tried to get an A$1.4bn loan from the Oz govt but was told to bugger off because the shareholders had refused to put more cash into the airline, which is loss-making and has net debt of almost A$5bn (U$3.2bn). Another reason apparently was it wasn’t owned by Australians. The eaters of bats and sheep’s head could go stuff themselves.

The airline is now looking for new buyers and investors.

S’pore Auntie never learns. It had bad sex with Air NZ and Virgin Atlantic: What our MSM doesn’t tell us about Virgin Atlantic.

Which brings me to SIA’s rights issue: SIA: Ang moh and Jap brokers are going to look stupid.

One can only hope the war chest is not wasted away on ang moh hot bods Auntie wants to have sex with.

Minister Chan, who is the xia suay?

PAP govt or HK’s govt?

Remember Chan Kee Chiu made fun of HK’s clueless CEO for wearing a mask in public?

Well, Hong Kong reported the first day of zero infections in almost two months on Monday.

But,

Singapore reported a daily high of 1,426 new COVID-19 cases on Monday (Apr 20), bringing the national total to 8,014. 

The “vast majority” of the new cases are work permit holders living in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its media release of preliminary figures. 

Sixteen new cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents. 

Singapore is now the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia, surpassing figures in Indonesia and the Philippines.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-new-cases-1426-foreign-workers-dormitory-citizen-pr-moh-12658250

Btw, Vietnam reported no new Covid-19 cases on Monday for the fourth day running, raising hopes that the worst of the outbreak there may have passed.

But the PAP govt is really lucky. The people most vocal in KPKBing about its efforts are cybernuts Mad Dog, Lim Tean, Meng Seng. One P (olitician) Ravi is joining them.

He’s trying hard to be a MP candidate for Tan Cheng Bock’s party. Someone should advise him to sit down and shut up. He shouldn’t talk cock like Lim Tean and Mad Dog. Dr Tan is not pleased Moley (Secret Squirrel’s sidekick) tells me.

Related post: Why even with 4G donkeys, PAP will retain power

S’poreans don’t trust Ah Loong’s govt isit?

Economist writes:

Contact tracing helps to direct testing more precisely at those likely to be infected. Using apps helps speed this up.

But only, though, if phone users are willing to adopt the app.

It goes on to cite S’pore’s example as a place where people are not downloading an app.

Here, Singapore’s experience is salutary. Its government rolled out a contact-tracing app, TraceTogether, on March 20th. So far, however, this has been downloaded by only a sixth of Singapore’s population—barely a quarter of the 60% epidemiologists reckon is needed if it is to be effective at breaking the local epidemic.

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/04/16/app-based-contact-tracing-may-help-countries-get-out-of-lockdown

And this despite our app being praised by ang moh human rights activists.

Singapore’s TraceTogether, which has been praised by privacy experts for collecting a bare minimum of data, could provide a template for ang moh apps concerned about privacy. Rather than constantly tracking people, it uses Bluetooth to record the proximity to other app users so that they can be alerted if any app user later test positive for the virus.

BBC technology correspondent

Jeni Tennison of the Open Data Institute:

“[C]urrently, there’s very little transparency about what kind of design is being considered and implemented by the [UK]government.”

She goes on

[T]here are examples out there of good practice. She cites Singapore, which she says generally has a reputation for excessive surveillance of its citizens, but has developed an app which captures the bare minimum of data.

“So every time that you meet somebody with your phone, and they have the same app on their phone, it records the fact that you have met, but it doesn’t record anything about where you are or who those other people are. It’s only there so that if you catch the disease, those people that you have come into contact with or been close to you can get notified about that fact.”

Kirsten Han has unfriended all these ang mohs who show the lies she tells about the PAP govt.

Covid-19: Banning citizens from returning

India is one of the few countries in the world that has barred its own citizens from returning. Juz saying as there are cybnernuts condemning the govt for allowing citizens and some long-term residents from returning.

Whatever may the American (must be a Trumpter) that returned here and infected many others by irresponsible partying must be deported. Juz saying.

Social distancing the Chinese way

The ang moh way

Can the hard-hit spend their way out of a recession?

This Chinese bizman from Wuhan has a great question that shows the enormity of the problem govts all over the world face,

“How can you spend your way out of recession when you have a mortgage and other bills to pay and your job is under threat?

FT quoting a Wuhan resident

Many European countries (frollowing Germany’s tried and tested approach) are using short-term paid leave schemes to shield workers. S’pore (ang moh tua kee) is also doing something like this except that the employees are still on the cos’ payrolls.

Meanwhile US is flooding the system with cheap loans, some of which is forgivable if used to pay employees until September, rather than sack them.

Many countries including S’pore and the US are also giving “peanuts” directly to the peasants.

But will the peasants spend? They might decide to be prudent?

Toilet paper maker cleans out

Vinda International Holdings is one of the world’s biggest toilet roll makers and is listed in HK.

Shareholders must be shitting themselves in joy.

It just said operating profit for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is expected to increase by about 55% compared with the year before.

Profit for the first quarter is expected to increase by about  65% from the year before. Operating profit and net profit forthe first quarter are expected to be about HK$527 million and HK$377 million, respectively.

Revenue is expected to be about HK$3.41 billion, down by 16% and organic growth of  -12%.

Funnily, the stock tanked during the recent sell off, only to reverse.

Those who panicked must be shitting bricks.

UK street party obeying social distancing guidelines

Police in Hull, in England, allowed a street party to continue because everyone was following social distancing guidelines. Pictures from the scene show residents enjoying a drink in their front gardens while the man who organised the party played dance music from turntables outside his home.

The people are at least two meters apart: Covid-19: Social distance illustrated.

Can only happen in the UK.

Anywhere else, the police will close down the party as an illegal assembly even if social distancing is practiced: guns a’blazing in the US or lathis swinging in India or throwing tear gas canisters in France.

HSBC is Hongkong Bank (Cont’d)/ Hongkies got balls

I didn’t realise until I read the FT that Hong Kong retail investors, “own roughly a third of the shares”. Like them, I’m upset, that the British authorities forced it and other major UK banks to cancel dividends.

What annoys is that the shares have traded ex dividend and those of us who take our dividends in scrip form had already been informed of the numbers of shares we were getting.

But Honkies are doing more than KPKBing

The decision of HSBC to suspend its dividend payments has sparked a backlash among investors in Hong Kong, its biggest market. Along with other big British banks, hsbc suspended shareholder payouts after the Bank of England leant on them to do so, but a group of investors in Hong Kong has banded together to try to force an extraordinary general meeting on the matter.

Economist

They took on China and now HSBC. Hongkies got balls.

Related post: Why HSBC is really Hongkong Bank

SIA: Ang moh and Jap brokers are going to look stupid

Look at the price targets for SIA. Basically JPMorgan and Nomura are extrapolating from the theoretical ex-price of $4.40. A dangerous extrapolation given that Temasek holds 55% and is not a seller.

Price targets(From the Edge) :
$6.27 HOLD (CGS-CIMB Research)
$5.54 DOWNGRADE HOLD (Daiwa Securities Research)
$4.00 DOWNGRADE UNDERWEIGHT (JPMorgan Research)
$5.80 HOLD (UOB Kay Hian Research)
$4.34 REDUCE (Nomura Research)
$6.60 DOWNGRADE HOLD (DBS Group Research)

I have an odd lot of 600 shares: don’t know where or how my mum got it. I’ll hold on them and subscribe at the price of $3 for each new share (3 new shares for 2 existing shares) even if the shares rebound to $6.60 (I doubt it’ll rebound to that price before the ex rights date. But it did close at 6.13 on Friday). Note there are also convertible bonds to subscribe for.

Looks like money for jam at this stage.

What goes down quickly, must go up quickly

Bulls are hoping.

US stocks have just recorded their biggest weekly gain since 1974 despite the bleak economic outlook.

Wall Street’s S&P 500 shares index rose 12% this week, as the US central bank announced more stimulus measures to support the economy.

Related posts

Covid-19 investing: Beware of a double bottom

Markets: Easy collapse, easy rebound

Antidote to Covid-19 and market stress

Covid-19 shows Modi’s feet of clay

Modi likes to potray himself dealing with the leaders of the US of A and China as equals.

Well, he can certainly boast that like them he’s buggered up India’s response to the Chinese virus. It took Xi some time before he realised the problem China was facing and shut down Wuhan, the home of the Wuhan virus.

Trump is still floundering, and Modi is following him.

Seriously, how can Modi hold his head high with these two leaders.

India has asked China for 10,000 ventilators, this despite the border disputes and India’s concerns of being encircled by China’s bases in the Indian Ocean and in neighbouring countries.

Then there’s his surrender to Trump. India banned the export of hydroxychloroquine (commonly known as HCQ). Then Trump called Modi and India agreed to export the drug that US President Donald Trump has touted as a possible cure for Covid-19

This has worried many Indians who take the medicine for other ailments: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52222367.

Covid-19 investing: Beware of a double bottom

As Mobius points out, historical bear markets on a global scale have averaged a larger 30% to 50% drawdown spread out over the span of roughly two years. Some have been quick to optimistically predict, however, that if the market cratered at record speed, perhaps it could recover just as fast because this time it is different. To refute the notion that lightning could strike just as quick to fuel an equal move to the upside, Mobius quoted the late John Templeton.

“The most expensive words in the world are ‘This time is different.’ I don’t think this time it’s different,” he said. “I think we’re probably maybe going to do a double bottom, jumping down again and pushing up again.”

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/investor-who-predicted-the-start-of-the-2009-bull-market-were-not-in-the-clear-yet-104234346.html

I bot on the way down. Out of three stocks, one is ahead, two under water. Still got ammo.

Antidote to Covid-19 and market stress

The BBC (among others) recommend that to lessen the stress of Covid-19

— Limit the amount of time you spend reading or watching things which aren’t making you feel better.
— Be careful what you read

Hmm.

Until very recently, markets were tanking as if there were tomorrow. Maybe in such a situation, stop following the market.

Btw, markets are on a roll. Most say it’s a bear market rally. But hope springs eternal.

South Korea’s and S’pore healthcare systems compared

S Korea is often held up to be the gold standard in the fight against Covid-19. If so, contrary to what Lim Tean, Goh Meng Seng, Mad Dog and anti-PAP alt media say, the PAP govt’s management of our heathcare system is world class in general , and in the fight against Covid-19 ((bar the advice on use of masks, now amended: Masterclass ). Remember Korea is a developed country.

S’pore has also on a per capita basis tested more people for Covid-19 than S Korea. I can’t remember where I read this. I’ll cite the source when I find it.

And we do spend $, even if its from our own pocket. But let’s remember that anti-PAP cybernuts say CPF is a tax. If it’s a tax, then this spending on healthcare is public spending, not “Ownself fund ownself”.

Vote wisely.

Masterclass

Yesterday in Constructive advice to Mad Dog and other anti-PAP types, I said I’d post a masterclass in

on how to remind the public that the PAP govt is really xia suay, but which cannot be seen as sniping. In fact, it’s really constructive advice to S’poreans.

Below is a screenshot of what TCB wrote recently, followed by the full text. He tells us to use masks when we go out.

It is a simple but considerate act that protects those next to us. Let’s not look for reasons not to wear a mask in public.

And nowhere in it does he mention that until recently, the PAP govt said that it was xia suay to use masks. But S’poreans know what was until last Friday official govt policy. We even had Kee Chui Chan calling HK’s CEO xia suay for wearing a mask in public.

All Dr Tan says is

The Government also said they will not discourage the wearing of masks.

Full text:

Let’s wear masks

Since PM’s announcement on Friday, many Singaporeans are scrambling to do last minute work preparations visiting workplaces and shopping centers before the closure of schools and non-essential businesses on Wednesday.

The Government also said they will not discourage the wearing of masks.

As a doctor, I would go one step further to encourage, and even insist that everyone should wear a mask when you leave home.

You will be protecting neighbours, colleagues and people around you if you cough and sneeze or if you are an asymptomatic carrier. There is nothing to lose in wearing masks. The number of unlinked local infection cases and new clusters is rising. You will also minimise the risk of catching the virus if a carrier is close to you. The risks are real. CNA reported that on 4 April 2020, there were 75 new cases and 4 new clusters.

So wear a mask when you go out. It is a simple but considerate act that protects those next to us. Let’s not look for reasons not to wear a mask in public.

However, don’t let wearing masks make us complacent. We still need to practice good hygiene habits of hand washing and not touching your face. And most of all, we should Stay At Home. This is the best way to protect yourself.

Remember, you can play your part to stop virus transmission.

I include some of the latest research on the protection that masks provide.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0843-2

Constructive advice to Mad Dog and other anti-PAP types

But first

#SGunited does not mean citizens should just listen and let the political leaders go unquestioned. Whenever someone says the 4G leaders know best, remind them who said face masks were not necessary for the general public two months ago and also those media platforms that regurgitated such narrative without question.

TOC

Well given that TOC’s stance is “PAP is always wrong” above comment is really rich. Sad.

Seriously, I sent the following to the only adult in the SDP’s CEC with a suggestion, he forward it to Mad Dog:

Sir Keir’s best chance of success lies in playing to his strengths as a post-ideological pragmatist. In public he should ask practical questions about the government’s performance in producing ventilators and covid tests or getting economic help to the vulnerable, while avoiding the impression that he’s sniping. 

Economist’s Bagehot

I’m sending the same message via this post to Terry and other anti-PAP activists:

Ask practical questions about the government’s performance in containing the virus or getting economic help to the vulnerable, while avoiding the impression that you are sniping. 

Sadly I doubt, Mad Dog, Terry etc would do this. “PAP is always wrong.”

With enemies like Mad Dog, Lim Tean, Meng Seng, s/o JBJ, Tan Kin Lian, Tan Jee Say and other anti-PAP clowns, the PAP can afford friends like Grace Yeo: Xia suay! “PA group activities dangerous for seniors’ health”.

Tom, I’ll post a masterclass on how to remind the public that the PAP govt is really xia suay, but which cannot be seen as sniping. In fact, it’s really constructive advice to S’poreans.

Xia suay! PM missed talking about a really important matter

PM covered all the important matters (bar one) in his recent speech. But he missed talking about the fact that many couples under lockdown the circuit breaker find themselves closer than ever in the coming month.

The ex-comedian who became president of Ukraine even though he had only peasant genes and didn’t get a double first in Cambridge (like our PM and his Pa) spotted an opportunity that eluded our PM.

In a television appearance last month, Mr Zelensky, like most other world leaders, asked citizens to stay at home. He then called on his compatriots to take advantage of the enforced intimacy to boost the country’s shrinking population: by making babies.

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/04/03/will-the-coronavirus-lockdown-lead-to-a-baby-boom

But then maybe the very wide-spread perception that PM and his millionaire ministers prefer FT to true blue S’poreans is true? (Population White Paper: 2030 will resemble 1959?, White Paper fiasco: Who goofed? and Population White Paper: PAP’s suicide note?)

And going by the likes of Mad Dog, Lim Tean, Meng Seng, s/o JBJ, Tan Kin Lian, Tan Jee Say and other anti-PAP clowns, who can blame the FT preference? How to get S’poreans to welcome mass immigration.

Related posts: True blue oldies will save economy, not FTs and Real reason govt de-emphasising degrees?

Covid-19: Tablighi Jamaat does it again

Pakistan has the most Covid-19 cases in South Asia with 2709 reported cases and 40 deaths. And it’s the fault of Tablighi Jamaat again. (Related post: Covid-19: Must be Tablighi Jamaat again)

Many of these cases were found among members of an Islamic missionary movement called Tablighi Jamaat who had returned after attending the Jamaat’s annual convention in Lahore in mid-March.

The convention was attended by missionaries from all over the Islamic world. It proved to be a catalyst for the spread of virus to many areas in Punjab, in some sectors of the federal capital Islamabad, as well as to other areas like the Palestinian territories.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52149688?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world/asia&link_location=live-reporting-story

With an Islamic organisation like Tablighi Jamaat, Muslims doesn’t need to worry about Hindu nationalists, or others who hate Islam and Muslims. With a Muslim organisation like Tablighi Jamaat, Muslims don’t need enemies.

Covid-19: What happens after isolation

So what do you do after lockdown is lifted or you can leave self isolation.

Deep clean the room or flat

“Viruses are actually fairly delicate bits of material, so they don’t survive very long”, Alex Akin, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-52019048

Akin says using soapy water or any kind of detergent to wipe down surfaces in the room you’ve been isolating in is enough to kill droplets of any virus.

He emphasised that the areas you should focus most on cleaning are “smooth, flat, smooth plastic or metal surfaces”.

You can throw yr laundry in the wash with other people’s. The normal detergents in a washing machine should easily deal with any amount of virus.”

And if you are ang moh, bathe before going out.

The countries without Covid-19

All are island states.

All but the Comoros are in the Pacific. Only the Comoros is Muslim. The following are Christian and in the Pacific: Marshall Islands; Micronesia; Nauru; Palau; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tonga; Tuvalu; and Vanuatu.

But they are not allowing anyone in. And if the virus gets in, these island states can’t cope.

Covid-19: Ang moh tua kees: Swedish and PAP govts behaving in similar manner

Our ang moh tua kees like to compare S’pore unfavourably with the Nordic countries.

Well the Swedish govt is behaving in a similar manner to the PAP govt. Both are trying and succeeding (so far) in their attempts in allowing life to go on much closer to normal, like in keeping schools open.

While swathes of Europe’s population endure lockdown conditions in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, one country stands almost alone in allowing life to go on much closer to normal.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52076293

Lim Tean and P Ravi should stop playing politics in calling for a shut down of schools.

There are good reasons to try to avoid closing schools: Xia suay! Lim Tean wants to badly damage our healthcare system.

And P Ravi should remember that his party leader, Dt Tan Cheng Bock, has not called for schools to close. Rumour has it that Ravi wants the PSP to nominate him as its candidate in SMC Hong Kah North. In the last GE, he stood there for the Chiams’ party. This call is certainly a black mark against him in any decision to field him. The PSP is not Lim Tean. It’s a responsible party and tries to talk sense, even if at times it gets things wrong.

With enemies like Lim Tean and Ravi, how can the Oppo hope to deny the PAP a two-thirds majority in parliament: Is there really a better alternative to PAP 4G?.

Sad.

Covid-19: Must be Tablighi Jamaat again

Tablighi Jamaat, an influential Islamic missionary movement, with its HQ in a New Delhi slum, is now responsible for super-spreading Covid-19 in India after doing it in M’sia and Indonesia: Covid-19 in Islamic countries. In Indonesia and M’sia, it was their mass gatherings that caused serious problems. It also affected S’pore because some of people in the M’sian gathering returned to S’pore.

The Tablighi Jamaat have come into the spotlight after an event they held in the Indian capital Delhi has spawned a number of Covid-19 clusters across the country. But exactly who is this group and why did they hold a big gathering in Delhi? BBC Hindi’s Zubair Ahmed reports.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52131338

With an irresponsible organisation like Tablighi Jamaat, Muslims have to be afraid, very afraid of being cast as disease carriers in India, M’sia and Inonesia. The people who don’t like Muslims and want to hurt them can only be pleased that Tablighi Jamaat was so socially irresponsible in three countries.

With an organisation like Tablighi Jamaat, Muslims don’t need enemies. Time for Muslims to do some serious soul-searching.

Covid-19 R elections: Valid point/ PAP wayanging, Oppo fell for it

Going by our social habits, Singapotato, a pro-PAP FB page, has a good point. LOL.

Seriously, the Oppo have fallen into a PAP trap.

My view is that the PAP’s hints (nothing more) of an election during the Covid-19 outbreak, was a cunning trap to get the Oppo and the 30% aligned to it to say that OK for PAP to change constitution to remain in power until outbreak is controlled or eradicated.

The Oppo and the 30% fell for it: Xia suay! SDP wants PAP to remain in power until after virus threat ends. So now the PAP can change the constitution to remain in power beyond March next year. PAP can say with a straight face, “There’s a consensus for the change.”

The Oppo and 30% should have said, “Let’s wait until December this year, shall we? Then make a decision on any constitutional amendment.”

The PAP or rather the PM has learnt lessons from the “Malay presidency” is “Calling a deer a horse”? fiasco. Related posts: Hali is also into “Post-truth”, More on Hali’s judgement between 2007 -2011/ Meritocracy? What meritocracy?, and #hardlymahpresident.

With Oppo like ours, PAP will rule forever and a day: Is there really a better alternative to PAP 4G?

Covid-19: Wishing India well

In the western Indian city of Pune, young engineers are trying to develop a low-cost (US$662)”no-frills” breathing machine tailored to Indian conditions. This could save thousands of lives if the Covid-19 pandemic hits India badly.

Story at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52106565?fbclid=IwAR30DLlgKH72n_f0VGfDQ9tobP-DY1BPU5XSyWEXOnTC43XwZ9qoTN6DLO8

Let’s wish the young engineers well.

Xia suay! If don’t wear mask likely don’t wash hands

Further to Covid-19: Double confirm, S’pore not in East Asia, an interesting way of looking at things by the Economist’s HK correspondent.

The failure to wear masks in countries where masks are de rigueur socially, indicates to those wearing masks that there are probably other hygiene failures by those who don’t wear masks. Doubtless Chan Kee Chui would call those who wear masks in these countries “Xia suay” and insist on his right not to wear a mask when he visits China.

Ordinary Hong Kongers are fed up with being told that the science behind mask-wearing is disputed. They look at neighbouring east Asian countries, where people wear masks routinely, and notice that they are coping with the disease relatively well. Many factors are at play. But the ubiquity of the mask is one reason. This not just because of its ability to block germs, or prevent people from touching their faces. It is also a means of building trust and fostering civic responsibility—a visible signal to fellow citizens that you are doing your bit to protect them and they should do theirs. If you won’t bother to wear a mask, who knows whether you bothered to wash your hands?

https:///china/2020/03/28/the-etiquette-of-face-masks-in-hong-kong