The Corona Virus

[Balanbam00]

Needed Democratic Reforms
Now let us discuss some reforms to democracy. Democracy cannot succeed in countries where people are illiterate, immoral, or backward. Countries like England, the U.S.A. and France are suitable for democracy, but even these countries need to introduce some reforms.
First, legislators in the states and at the centre should be elected on the recommendations of the people at large. At the time of electing representatives the people should pay heed to their education, moral standard and sacrifice for the society etc. If the representatives are elected keeping in view these factors, they will not be guided by party interests but by collective interests. In their minds the interests of the entire human race and society will dominate, and not any class interests. They will be able to enact laws keeping in mind the problems of all and sundry, thereby accelerating the speed of social reconstruction. Their impartial service will bring happiness to all.
The voting rights should be vested in educated persons who have political consciousness and awareness of people’s problems. Age should not be a bar to voting right. If illiterate people are given voting rights there is the possibility of anti-social and incompetent representatives being elected.

To provide a fearless and independent ambience to the administration, the secretariat should be kept free from pressures from the cabinet. The cabinet should confine itself to legislation, the passage and passing of the budget, the implementation of its plans and policies, defence etc. The power of ministers should remain confined to the parliament and they should not poke their nose into the workings of the secretariat. The chief secretary should not be under the president or the prime minister but should act independently as the executive head. All the secretaries should work under the chief secretary. Free from cabinet pressures, every department will serve the people well.
In the present system the judiciary functions under a cabinet minister, and pressure from the minister may impair its independent functioning. To remove this defect and to ensure impartial justice, the judiciary should have the right to function independently. In no case should the chief justice be treated as inferior to the president or the prime minister. Only moralists and honest persons should be installed on the hallowed seat of justice. If people fail to keep this issue under their close scrutiny, injustice will take the place of justice.
Finally, for the proper utilization of the public exchequer, the independence of the audit department too, is a must. The auditor general should be independent of the sceptre of the president or the prime minister. Only an independent audit department can keep proper accounts of every department.
Thus, there should be four compartments in a properly constituted democracy – legislature, executive, judiciary and public exchequer – and all of them should be independent from one another. But in such a situation there is still the possibility of injustice and exploitation. So to supervise or monitor the function of all these compartments, the benevolent dictatorship of the board of spiritual moralists is required so that spirituality will reign supreme. The ascendancy of spirituality will sound the death-knell of parliamentary democracy.
P R Sarkar

[Balanbam00]

Compartmentalized Democracy
According to the definition in vogue today, democracy is defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. Adult suffrage plays an important role in democracy. In the name of forming a democratic government, different political and communal parties throw their hats into the election ring. Every party issues its own election manifesto to influence the people in order to carry the laurels in the ensuing election battle. Besides, different parties entice the voters through election propaganda. Where educated people are in the majority and political consciousness is adequate, it is not very difficult for people to weigh the pros and cons of the manifesto of a particular party and to ascertain what is in the best interests of the people. But where there is a dearth of education and political consciousness, and where people fail to understand the reality of the manifesto and are misled by wrong propaganda, they cast their ballots in favour of parties whose ideals go contrary to the social interest. Consequently, parties that go against the interests of the people are installed in power.
Democracy cannot succeed in countries where people are illiterate, immoral, or backward.
In the present democratic system, the right to cast a vote depends on age. Suppose people get the right of suffrage at the age of 21. This assumes that all persons attaining the age of 21 have an understanding of the basic problems of the people, but in reality many people above the age of 21 remain ignorant of these problems for want of political consciousness. So the right of suffrage should not be based on age. This right should be vested in those who are educated and politically conscious. Conferring voting rights on the basis of age means that people may cast their ballots without proper understanding and knowledge, while many educated and politically conscious people are debarred from voting because of their age. This is the greatest lacuna of democracy.
The second lacuna is that in the democratic system people have to hear lengthy, insubstantial lectures, which are also often misleading. Leaders have to canvass all and sundry to get votes. They have to placate thieves, dacoits and hypocrites because the latter command great voting power. That is why democracy is the government of thieves, dacoits and hypocrites. The government cannot take action against them because a government that curbs their nefarious activities cannot last long. ( P R Sarkar ) (cont)

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Bloody hell Balan, finding even a few "moralists and honest persons who should be installed on the hallowed seat of justice" would be akin to finding a few virgins at Burnley Mecca in the late 1960's.

[Balanbam00]

Do you know why you could not find ''a few virgins at Burnley Mecca in the late 1960's''. No wonder you could not find! They did not call me, 'John Travolta' 'fur nuthin'. hahahhaha!

.....I was there too at Burnley's Mecca, happy hunting grounds but not the best !!Did you do the Barbary coast near B'bun's Mecca? Then tried your luck there !.....I got those too!

[Balanbam00]

Back to the subject:

https://www.ynetnews.com/health_scie...icle/s19okqv0u

Israel says Pfizer vaccine efficacy in preventing infection drops to 39%.
The Health Ministry reported Thursday the efficacy of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in preventing infection has dropped to 39% but the effectiveness in preventing severe illness still remains relatively high. These figures were published three weeks after Ynet first revealed the decline in the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against the Delta variant.
The strain appears to be responsible for the surge in COVID cases around the country despite Israel's rapid inoculation campaign that saw over 5.7 million Israelis receive the first jab, and over 5.2 million receive the booster shot. Among those who received both doses of the vaccine and were considered fully immune to the pathogen, 5,770 have been recently diagnosed with COVID after 1,152,914 tests had been conducted.


The report adds the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing serious illness has also dropped and now stands at 91%. The efficacy in preventing hospitalizations among vaccinated now stands at 88%.
The recent spread of the Delta variant is believed to have been caused by a breach at Ben Gurion Airport - Israel's only port of entry - which saw thousands enter Israel without undergoing COVID tests upon landing and entering isolation.

[sinkov]

Back to the subject:

https://www.ynetnews.com/health_scie...icle/s19okqv0u

Israel says Pfizer vaccine efficacy in preventing infection drops to 39%.
The Health Ministry reported Thursday the efficacy of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in preventing infection has dropped to 39% but the effectiveness in preventing severe illness still remains relatively high. These figures were published three weeks after Ynet first revealed the decline in the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against the Delta variant.
The strain appears to be responsible for the surge in COVID cases around the country despite Israel's rapid inoculation campaign that saw over 5.7 million Israelis receive the first jab, and over 5.2 million receive the booster shot. Among those who received both doses of the vaccine and were considered fully immune to the pathogen, 5,770 have been recently diagnosed with COVID after 1,152,914 tests had been conducted.

Don't tell our government Balan, they think vaccine passports for nightclubs will ensure the virus will not spread. If 60% of those vaxxed can still be infected and pass it on, then vaccine passes to gain admission to a nightclub are a complete and utter waste of time and money. Not that that fact is likely to make any difference to the halfwits running this country.

[sinkov]

With all this posting balan, is it a quiet time on the kibbutz, or is someone else doing all the work ?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

With all this posting balan, is it a quiet time on the kibbutz, or is someone else doing all the work ?

One word sinkov... עצלן

[Balanbam00]

Yes and no ! Today is the beginning of the weekend and 'Shabat'. In a few hours it will be relatively quiet. People will stop work and be off home, to welcome the 'Shabat'.In the kibbutz with 30 C outside, people will tend to rest, simply sleep, ( I do not belong to that philosophy of life, so life will pass by ,and now it seems even quicker! (Except when I must visit the dentist) ,so outside it is almost 'dead silent'. In this Kibbutz we are not religious ,some thinking to be far away from religion, yet others may feel materialism ? That which ever way you look at it cannot move the soul to sweetness'.

So for BT here is a prayer for Saturday night ,pity he may be at the pub?

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe. You hallow us with Your commandments and command us to kindle the lights of Shabbat.

''Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'zivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat''.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Crisis, what crisis..?

"There were 64 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test and 36,389 cases recorded in the past 24 hours. Yesterday 43,000 people had their first dose of the vaccine and 174,742 their second. The total number of vaccinations given now stands at 83,239,491 and 46,476,845 people have had at least one dose, with 36,762,646 now fully vaccinated."

In all probability they died of something other than Covid, because they have not been able to see a doctor for the last 18 months.