The UN Represents The Governments Of The World. May A "Bell Of Atri" Represent The People Of The World? (Part 81)
Ever since the dawn of humankind, the most popular approach to silencing distasteful opinions has been for the influential party to accuse the common person of ignorance or insanity...& often, both! From Africa to India, some of the world's most ancient & established cultures have been labelled as monuments to "ignorance". From Copernicus to Galileo, some of the most perceptive people in the world have faced the accusation of "insanity". It never mattered that Africa & India are cradles of civilization, or that institutions like NASA & ESA would never have been established without the work of Copernicus & Galileo...because the "defendants" were "different" from the rest of the world.
"But such attitudes were only appreciated in ancient times! Folks all over the world today, are far more broadminded & tolerant! These observations are obsolete! You have missed the mark!", Some might retort. Keeping in view the following headlines from the latest news, the question arises, "Did I?":
"A majority of Americans polled believe the economy is in a recession — but it isn't" - Business Insider (May 22, 2024)
To summarize: When it comes to the US economy, the People Of The United States have reportedly lost their minds! While the average American believes that the economy is in recession, post-pandemic GDP growth is rising far faster than in the previous decade. While the average American thinks that the S&P500 is in decline in 2024, the S&P500 is actually up 11% this year (apart from the 24% it climbed last year). While the average American suspects that unemployment is at a 50-year high, unemployment is actually closer to a 50-year low. While the average American demands inflation levels to be restored to pre-pandemic levels, such a restoration would necessitate a gravely weakened economy & the US economy is too strong for that to ever happen. The aforementioned opinions are noticeably more prevalent among Republicans than Democrats, implying that President Joe Biden could face a problem in his re-election campaign.
Ignorance: The want or absence of knowledge. - thelawdictionary.org
Insanity: Mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior. - law.com
As demonstrated by the arguments in the aforementioned article, Economics (as opposed to Business) contains several terms that don't mean what they convey. For instance, a recession (or a depression) conveys the idea of persistent & grave economic hardship...but a recession is "2 consecutive quarters of declining GDP" (implying that should GDP crash spectacularly one day & then stay stable there for 6 months...it is not a recession) & a depression is "a minimun 10% decline in annual GDP" (implying that should GDP crash 5% every year for even a decade...it is not a depression). Further, while GDP is ostensibly an indicator of "productivity within a nation", it is calculated in terms of a given global currency, i.e. the USD. But, given the unrealistic values being attached to the USD, are GDP numbers "real values" or just "symbolic values"?
The problem is the unnatural divide between the "common" view & the "governmental" view of the same issue. For instance, take 2 brands of a routine consumer product, A & B. A is fancy & costs US$100 a piece; B is practical & costs US$10. Over a fiscal quarter, A sells 3 pieces (earning US$300 in 3 months) & B sells 28 pieces (earning US$280 in 3 months). To the individual, B is clearly the business success story (on account of the number of successful sales), but to the authorities, A is the winner (on account of the sales revenue). However, when the individual declares B the logical recipient of governmental & intergovernmental support, he/she is accused of being stupid &/or crazy!
"The stakeholder capitalism movement is poised to lose two of its champions in Jamie Dimon and WEF’s Klaus Schwab" - Fortune (May 22, 2024)
To summarize: It appears that there is something rotten, not in Denmark, but in Wall Street. In a surprising move, both JPMorgan Chase Chairman/CEO Jamie Dimon & World Economic Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab have announced that they will be vacating their positions in the foreseeable future. While Mr. Dimon still chose to skirt the question of exactly when (implying that he hopes the pressure to push him out might just miraculously go away & let him stay), Mr. Schwab's statement was more forthcoming in that he specified January 2025 as the deadline (even though, Mr. Schwab neglected to explain what his departure would mean for the WEF positions of his wife & children).
Stakeholder capitalism is a system in which corporations are oriented to serve the interests of all their stakeholders. Among the key stakeholders are customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, and local communities. Under this system, a company's purpose is to create long-term value and not to maximize profits and enhance shareholder value at the cost of other stakeholder groups. - investopedia.com
History is filled with evidence of the fact that nothing good can come of actions that seek to convince people of the intrinsic rewards of being "good". The majority of humankind view a "freelance preacher" as the person who advises others to choose one path so that there is less competition for a place on the alternative path...which is the real objective of the "freelancer". While this opinion may or may not be accurate, it has seemingly played a significant contributory role in the professional downfall of Mr. Dimon & Mr. Schwab...for whose organizations, the US economy is & always has been the most famous & important platform. In other words, is it likely that the decline of the American economy (coupled with the resolute denials of the existence of the problem by the governmental & intergovernmental authorities) was the metaphorical final straw for even the most patient American stakeholders?
"Gov decision to block SIMs of non-filler still in effect: IHC" - Associated Press Of Pakistan (May 22, 2024)
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To summarize: Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq has clarified (once again) that his "Stay Order" was purely to ensure that Federal Board Of Revenue personnel do not harass any telecom company executives &/or employees. By no means has he restrained the FBR from blocking the SIMs of the "tax evaders". Upon informing the general public of his motive, IHC Chief Justice Farooq pledged to decide the telecom companies' case against the FBR SIM blockage drive as fast as possible...& then adjourned proceedings until some unspecified date in June 2024.
Most of the People Of The World are mystified by the statements from Islamabad High Court Chief Justice A. Farooq. They cannot understand his concern for the personal safety of the executives/employees of the telecom companies, given the reports that said companies filed a case to petition for court orders to permanently bind the FBR not to touch the SIMs of their subscribers?
One possible reason is that perhaps, somewhere along the line, someone summarized the telecom companies' petition as a request to leave their businesses "unmolested"; because until 1950, the term "molest" (which is derived from the Lain word "molestare") meant "to cause trouble or harm"; perhaps the IHC Chief Justice mistook the petition of the telecom execs as a cry for protection against horny Inland Revenue officials, & thus, issued what is known as a "Protection Order" (also known as a "Stay Away Order" - a PO is a legal instruction by a court that obligates the accused not to harm &/or harass the victim, by specifying {inter alia} a minimum distance from the latter to be maintained by the former)? However, if the IHC Chief Justice has issued a protection order, how may FBR representatives go to the telecom companies premises to verify whether any SIMs have really been blocked or not, without violating the Protection Order?
Now, since it is reasonable to assume that FBR Chairman Malik Tiwana didn't disregard PTA Chairman Gen. [r] Hafeezur Rehman's accurate legal objections to the SIM blockage drive, in order to feel up the telecom execs, it is far likelier that the telecom companies' petition was meant to secure a Temporary Restraining Order (known in Pakistan as a "Stay Order" - a TRO is an urgent provisional injunction issued by the court to prevent the accused from taking a certain action until the court is able to issue a more enduring order)...followed by a Preliminary Injunction (shortened to "Injunction" in Pakistan - a PI is an interlocutory post-TRO order to stop the defendant from continuing allegedly harmful actions, or commanding the defendant to to preserve the status quo, until the final judgment).
It is possible that the IHC Chief Justice - being a fundamentally decent human being - was so appalled at the specter of sexual misconduct among the senior citizens of society, that he flung out a Protection Order, metaphorically told the affected SIM subscribers to go to Hell & adjourned the case until June so as to commune with his disquieted soul. My personal experience is that the majority of the socially-verified "truly good folks" generally act this way most of the time. However, is it possible that the legal counsel for the telecom companies could identify a method of gently conveying the actual requirement to the judiciary without riding roughshod over the IHC CJ's outraged feelings?
The reason for the importance & urgency to clarify the confusion, is that the entire international telecom sector has apparently taken a blow right after the news broke of the lengthy wating period until the next Islamabad High Court hearing in the SIM blockage case, as shown in the following share price movements (in official trading &, for US stocks, in after-hours trading):
Top EU telecom companies:-
Orange SA = -0.83%
Vodafone Group plc = -0.32%
Deutsche Telekom AG = -0.09%
Top US telecom companies:-
Charter Communications Inc = -1.46% > -0.30%
Comcast Corp = -0.82% > -0.62%
AT&T Inc = +1.33% > -0.34%
"It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentionally lying that there is so much falsehood in the world." - Samuel Johnson