Ovi magazine; Friday July 8th, 2022

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Friday July 8th, 2022

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Malaysia’s Corruption Pandemic by Murray Hunter

Recently, the Minister for Islamic Affairs within the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Ahmad reprimanded those who criticized the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) for being slow and inefficient in dealing with allegations of corruption.

Idris went onto say that those who criticised JAKIM were committing a sin, inferring anybody criticizing government, political, and administrative leaders were themselves sinners for demeaning the reputation of government institutions.

Such is the sorry state of integrity, when whistle blowers are declared the sinners.

In the 2021 Transparency International Global Corruption Index, Malaysia ranked 62 out of 180 countries, down 3 positions from 2020. According to the Global Corruption Barometer, 71% of local people believed government corruption was a big problem, while 13% of public services users declared they had paid a bribe over the previous 12 months.

Continue reading HERE!

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Limitations #poem by Jan Sand

“One cannot taste with an eye
Nor hear with a nose.
The symphonic qualities
Cannot be exposed
To one who’s never heard
Any sound at all.”

Continue reading HERE!

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Abandoning the Sinking Rat: Boris Johnson Resigns by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

Like the political equivalent of a cockroach, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived and endured one strike after another.  His credibility was shot, his mendacity second to none.  He lost the confidence of a party that delighted in his buffoonish performances and appeal.  Fearing electoral punishment, senior ministers and aides have left his side.  Labour opposition leader, Sir Keir Starmer, found himself making a witticism, calling this the first instance in history of the ship leaving the sinking rat.

No chronology on this would be sufficient.  But the recent turn of events has been something verging on spectacular.  There was partygate, which demonstrated the fullness of contempt shown by the Prime Minister and his staff to their constituents.  In April, he was fined for breaking his government’s own lockdown rules, having attended a gathering for his birthday in June 2020.  He also apologised for attending a “bring your own booze” party held in the Downing Street garden held during the first lockdown.  Despite showing some contrition, he believed, for the most part, that he had been following the rules and operating within them.

Continue reading HERE!

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AntySaurus Prick #40 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

For more AntySaurus Prick, HERE!

For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

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Ovi magazine; Tuesday January 25th, 2022

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Tuesday January 25th, 2022 – National Irish Coffee Day

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One Drinks Party Too Many: Boris Johnson and Breaching Lockdowns by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

It might not be quite within the bounds of good taste to compare military calculations of a bridge too far – the title used in Cornelius Ryan’s work on the disastrous Allied airborne operation during the Second World War – with the latest foolish, mendacious and buffoonish efforts of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but on some level, the analogy works.

Throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, the Prime Minister was pressing his own assault on the pandemic fortifications developed in response to SARS-CoV-2. He had already shown himself incapable of understanding, let alone following health directions, shaking hands with infected patients, and furnishing the British public with inscrutable information. But then came those libation, food-ladened parties held during the lockdown phases, gatherings which often eschewed social distancing.

Continue reading HERE!

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“What to Do” #poem by Bohdan Yuri

“What do you do
If upon death,
You’re in a place
With no time, no space.”

Continue reading HERE!

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A fistful of cactus #016 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

For more A fistful of cactus, HERE!

For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

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The Ovi magazine today

Democracy, Presidential Election and the Lobby: Part 1 by Dr. Habib Siddiqui
The first in a three-part analysis of democracy, the US presidential election and the Lobby.

Creating barbarians by Thanos Kalamidas
Every time there is something on the news about funny situations between America and the eastern front, I remember an old poem by the Greek poet Kavafis entitled "Waiting for the barbarians".

Caption This! May 2008 by The Ovi Team
It is simple. Look at this photo of London's new mayor Boris Johnson and write a caption/speech bubble/thought bubble or anything else that captures your imagination.

Romanian Report by Euro Reporter
Romania has been an EU member since January 1, 2007, it has the ninth largest territory in the EU and has 22 million people, but more importantly it receives another Euro Report today.