Critical Spectator

2021-10-04 04:36:14 OK, shit is getting weirder every day. I've just discovered Facebook has PERMANENTLY banned me from advertising and it must have happened in the past few days.

It's ridiculous chiefly because I haven't advertised on the platform for at least 2 years... But I intended to in the near future.

I recently got two violations for... posting a photo of Al-Baghdadi, mocking my friend for growing a beard like him. And for sharing a screen cap of a Taliban meme from Twitter.

First I got a 30 day ban on advertising(!?) then I got a 60 day ban - which was somehow changed into a permanent ban that cannot be appealed.

I'm half-convinced someone at FB is really trying to screw with me. Or their systems are broken beyond repair. Open / Comment

2021-10-03 06:13:35 What is FICA about? Explained in my latest FB post: https://www.facebook.com/CriticalSpectator/posts/4256756311098730 Open / Comment

2021-10-02 17:08:03 Vaccine skeptics are unlikely to change their mind but the best thing we can do is to keep pounding them over the heads with data:

https://www.facebook.com/CriticalSpectator/posts/4255127917928236 Open / Comment

2021-10-01 15:03:47 With all the caterwauling about FICA I thought it's the right time to quote New Naratif itself on the foreign funding issue:

https://www.facebook.com/CriticalSpectator/posts/4251798151594546 Open / Comment

2021-09-30 05:04:12 So, Shopee has launched in Poland! Here's my take on what it means for the company - and why it is its biggest challenge yet!

https://vulcanpost.com/763745/shopee-about-to-meet-toughest-competitor-in-poland/ Open / Comment

2021-09-27 06:36:52 While I'm working on changes to my websites, here's the latest in the Vulcan Post:

"The facts are indisputable — half of ICU cases and three-quarters of recently recorded deaths occurred among the unvaccinated. You may think that the differences are, therefore, not so huge – until you consider that the unvaccinated are only six per cent of the total population eligible for vaccination (with the rest being kids that are the least affected by the disease).

Since these six per cent are responsible for half of all severe cases and about 75 per cent of deaths, it means that refusing to get the jab makes you around 10 to 12 times more likely to suffer and/or die, what is consistent with findings elsewhere in the world (a recent study in the US established the unvaccinated are 11 times more likely to die from COVID; meanwhile data from Israel shows that unvaccinated 60+ year olds are 15 times more likely to leave the hospital in a casket rather than on their two feet)."

....

"If it was only about the unvaccinated paying the price for their ignorance, I would be quite indifferent about them having to pay it. They knew the risks, so they have to bear the consequences. But the problem is that a society of millions is often only as strong as its weakest links."


https://vulcanpost.com/763480/singapore-cannot-be-held-hostage-by-those-unvaccinated/ Open / Comment

2021-09-24 10:07:33 One more analysis from me before the weekend :)

"With tens of thousands of foreigners gone — many losing relatively well-paying positions — while significant border restrictions remain in place to keep COVID-19 out, the number of good job opportunities for the locals may soon be highest in years."

https://vulcanpost.com/763236/winners-and-losers-of-labour-market-covid-19-singapore/ Open / Comment

2021-09-24 02:16:37 People often accuse me of bias because I never criticize the government in Singapore. As I explained many times, it would be a bit like criticizing Usain Bolt for not running fast enough. Perhaps he could have done 100m in under 9.50 seconds but I'm not in a position to preach how.

And here you have another example of just how well regarded Singapore's governance is abroad - from the Global Innovation Index published annually by World Intellectual Property Organization.

Now, I'm not big on rankings myself (since they tend to be arbitrary and very subjective), so we may treat it as just another "opinion" - but in it, the people who have computed multiple different factors have come to the same conclusion: that Singapore boasts the best institutional environment in the world (scoring 95.1 out of 100) for business and innovation.

And its political environment - including government effectiveness - received a perfect 100/100 score.

So, really, I'm not the only one struggling to find fault with the city-state. Open / Comment

2021-09-23 06:32:53 "As it turns out, Singapore’s carefully managed response to the pandemic — neither too strict nor too loose — is winning it even more favours with the international community."

https://vulcanpost.com/763018/singapore-is-turning-covid-19-into-gold/ Open / Comment

2021-09-21 10:12:15 Debt collection (S$5k) from Lim Tean. Go to 7:30 for the entry into his office.

https://www.facebook.com/singaporedebtcollectionservice.sg/videos/160048646283797/ Open / Comment