US Navy will escort and insure ships passing through gulf of Hormuz, effectively outwitting Lloyds and UK; war is all about dominating global business

It is more fun criticizing

There were tremors in the oil market, spoofing the oil markets, and it was projected that gas in the PHL will rise by P10.00 to P15.00 per liter triggering massive price increases in transport and daily necessities and spiking inflation.    This was due to the withdrawing of insurance by Lloyds of London UK

However, we note:

    1.  The leadership of Iran is gone, 

    2.  Navy ships gone,  Air force gone  (However the missiles could still be a threat)

         Ground war;

   3.   Trump promised to have US navy escort the ship through the gulf of Hormuz and insure the same thru the US International Development Finance Corporation.   

US may be spending a lot for this war, probably now in billions of $ But its all about control of oil, energy, insurance money.   And by projecting power to UAE, petro dollars will not vanish after all.   Petro dollars will be here to stay.   (No severe backlash for US, no domestic inflation)   Trump wins.

Pandemic - a blessing to those who are in power; also a cause of headache to the local leaders

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Rizal Philippines

April 4, 2021

While the rest of the country reeled from the suffering and deaths brought about by the pandemic, it is not probably so with those who are in power:

1.  Access and control to large sums of money for their disposal, probably not subject to audit and accountability;

2.  Flexing power and domininion over the population;

3.  Conducting an advanced campaign using the taxpayers money and borrowings.  

Many of the powers were delegated to the barangay lacking in training and manpower, hence the difficulties and challenges we face from the understanding and implementation of the orders are traceable to this.  

However, many complain too:

      1.  Daily changes in policies which leave many frontliners confused;

      2.   Making pronouncement on aid that do not match the limited resources, forms.  

The pandemic also hid and diverted attention from the weaknesses and problems at the govt, /barangay 

Clarity on how covid is transmitted - THROUGH 3 CS -- CROWDS, CLOSE PERSONAL CONTACT, ENCLOSED SPACES

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Rizal Philippines

3.23.2021

Despite stringent measures, covid19 cases have surged and registered the highest increase this March 2021 of 8000 cases.

What has caused this surge?

      1.  Growing laxity because of the  on going vaccination

      2.  Too early opening of the economy?

      3.  Mix up on understanding of the mechanism of covid19 transmission

      4.  Politicalized and or militarized implementation of countermeasures vs covid 19

This post would like to touch on #3.   Many have been influenced by the movie ""Pandemic" where many are led to believe that the virus is transmitted via fomite.

In many literature available, covid19 is a drop infection and is spread by saliva or sputum coming from a sneezing, talking, coughing or singing individual  in an en closed  space, crowd and close personal contract.   And the virus attaches to mostly moist tissues of the throat and nose.  The virus being only made of molecules and not of living organism can not exist in an open atmosphere especially where there are elevated temperature.

      But what measures do we see:

      1.  Foot bath;

      2.  Disinfection

      3.  Lockdowns

      4.  Check points

      5.  Traffic control

In many parts most of the cases came from close personal contact with infected persons in hospitals (mostly that) or contact with persons in hospitals:  So we must be on guard always with first layer of infection or that of third (reinfection from the secondary contact)

All the above do not address the primary mode of infection.    3, 4, 5 are mere declaration and show of force and might by the government;  the disease transmission is minimally addressed by limiting and slowing the movement of persons.   

What the govt must watch are the family affairs:   parties, gatherings, baptism, funeral where people are carefree do not wear masks, talk freely, for hours, -  situations that are ripe for the covid19 transmission.

NO NEED TO WONDER

Comment - Covid 19 an avenue for flexing power and political adroitness?

It is more fun criticizing

Rizal Philippines
June 13, 2020

This post sees coVid19 as an opportunity for politicians to consolidate their power, organization, and distribute rewards early on before the 2022 elections

1.  The barangays though ill prepared to handle complex aid distribution were given vast amounts of power, and of course they are now beholden to one man/organization.

2.  The military were delegated vast powers to arrest and even shoot troublemakers.  And in the end there were deaths;   needless deaths and plenty of imprisonment.

All of a sudden, the common citizen feels subdued and incarcerated for the sake of public health issues. But one sees double standards:   for social massing as in the case of Police General, and in riding in tandem for couples:    military shamelessly ride in tandem, while it is prohibited for the majority. 

3.  The SAP largesse was a form of political campaign taken out of public funds running into billions, and now the govt is engaged in double talk because it finds out it could not fund the billions that it promised to the people.  But were authorized under the BAHO law

4.  During the pandemic many agenda were pushed that are not relevant to the  coVid19 and which do  not recognize the difficulties of the people during the pandemic:

      1.  Registration of the bicycles (just because  many are using this)
      2.  Taxing on line sellers (those who are just being entrepreneurial due to the  difficulty in finding
            jobs;
     
However one sees a mature politician and technicians making sure that the opponents of the state and his are made aware of the vast political powers and authority that he has and are warnings to those who will cross his path.  Be it the media, leftist legal fronts.

High level officials, whether they like it or not, are sucked in to corruption, sooner or later

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Rizal Philippines
September 10, 2016

I was talking to a former high level former govt official.  He used to head a govt bank, an authority, could have been a BiR Commissioner. and was close to former President.

He confided to me the realities of power.  And indeed power corrupts, and it corrupts absolutely. This was said by a very young lawyer who graduated from a Jesuit school in USA, who became a congressman from Eastern Visayas.  He said that corruption is sucking him in, and may be very soon he could be corrupt too.

He said food, gifts, offers from suppliers from people wanting to do business with the govt. never stops.  Even the best of saints cant resist the offer, the senior govt official has been said.

Can Duterte and his staff, resist temptation.

Or is it Oscar Wilde reality " I can resist all kinds of temptation except temptation itself"

A protest vs pork PDAF? It is a battle between the victor and the spoils...

Social and political criticisms

 

There is supposed to be a nationwide and a million protesters vs PDAF today.  Former SC Chief Justice was heard to be a Quirino grandstand probably to point at fingers his tormentors, who were as culpable as he is committing acts that were clearly unconstitutional.  While we may uphold high standards, the system perpetuate itself, and no end can be sight. The only hope may be a revolution.  Thus says Thomas Jefferson, every generation needs a revolution.  (As we as young protesters have often mouthed as if robots)

Some realities  we must accept:

l.  To the victor belongs the spoils  (those who are in power must reap the spoils of victory)  What are we in power for?  Would anybody believe that we did not enjoy the perks of power while we were in power.

2. Make hay while we may.  Can the officials still recover their costs if they are no longer in power?

3. It is a battle of commissioners.  Those who battled the former officials are now the corrupt officials.

4. Power corrupts and it corrupts absolutely.

5.  The politics of patronage.  Our politicos need the PDAF, or earnings from this to keep themselves in power:  from campaigning to keeping their constituents happy and well fed.  Where to get all that money. I doubt, if not one of these protesters solicited/received any money from anyone of these officials whom they are protesting now.   It is the way it works.    How can some people, including from the religious sector be so hypocrites

Why does the church have to accumulate so much wealth and power?

Social and political criticisms

The bible contains 30% verses on money and or business.  Yes that may be the reason why it has to earn things of this earth to spread the word of God. Or that it is necessary for it not to keep on asking money from everyone.

But we are all aware that the apostles were instructed to spread the word bringing nothing with them.  Or that is why celibacy is a must.  So that the ministers of the word are not tied up with worldly things.  And yet we see the church losing its investments (that was also mentioned in the scriptures)

And maybe the  church loses its focus on its mission and gets entangled in politics?

Why?