Malaysia is Still Not Looking Too Good

Malaysia’s Covid-19 situation is still not looking too good. The total confirmed cases as at today stands at 33,339. And 251 deaths. 

Strong recovery numbers have again pushed the number of active cases down to below 10,000 – 9,968 to be precise. 

The hotspots are still Sabah with the most number of new cases today (503) and the Greater KL Area comes in second (157). 

We have to accept that breaking the Covid-19 chain requires discipline and a strict observance of the SOPs – but that's about all we can do, methinks. We must acknowledge that a stricter regimen of rules and procedures will only break the fragile economy. And we cannot afford that. 

As I have said, time and again, coronavirus is here to stay – so we must live with it! 

Simon O’Rourke is an environmental artist from Wales specializing in wood sculpture. 

The story goes that the tallest tree in a Welsh woodland known as the Giants of Vyrnwy had been storm-damaged and was due to be felled. Natural Resource Wales, who were in charge of the site, wanted to commission an artist to carve the tree – and O’Rourke vied for the job and got it. 

It took him six days of intense work using chainsaws and grinders. And he fashioned a giant hand, symbolizing the giants, and the tree’s last attempt to reach for the sky! Stunningly staggering!

Apparently, if you’d like to get a personal sculpture like this one, you’d have to pay around $12,000!

Berlin's Madame Tussauds Dumps Trump

The waxwork museum Madame Tussauds in Berlin, Germany loaded its effigy of TV star-turned US president into a dumpster on Friday, a move apparently intended to reflect its expectations of tomorrow’s presidential election. 

“[It] is rather of a symbolic character ahead of the elections in the United States”, said the museum’s marketing manager Orkide Yalcindag. 

Is he saying that Trump is thrash? Even if he is – so, what?

 

I’d say it is just a choreographed stunt of campy farce because regardless of the outcome, Trump is likely to be wheeled back to stand among the other American presidents on display. 

This is nothing more than a stunt, a prank, a leg-pull. And I didn’t know the Germans are capable of pulling a trick like this! They do have a sense of humor after all!

Covid-19's Situation in Scotland

Yesterday, I highlighted England’s second national lockdown, given the deteriorating coronavirus situation there in the UK. And it makes me wonder about Scotland. 

A quick check of Scottish newswires had reported on November 01 that there had been 1,148 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with six deaths reported. Of the new cases, 443 were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, with 258 in NHS Lanarkshire and 140 new cases recorded in NHS Lothian. 

John Swinney (left), their Deputy First Minister would not rule out a national lockdown such as that being imposed in England. 

Still, he did say that Scotland is currently in a stronger position and it is hoped the measures taken north of the Border would be enough to avoid such a move. 

He also added that within Scotland, “we have significant differentials in the level of the virus which enables us to operate with varying degrees of restrictions within the country". He made the comments during an interview on BBC's Politics Scotland.

Swinney is optimistic, saying there were "some early signs that the virus may be flattening out within Scotland". 

If that is true, it's a good sign.

Celtic are 90 minutes from a quadruple treble after easing past Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final for their 35th consecutive domestic cup win on Sunday. 

They won by two goals. In the eighteenth minute, Ryan Christie’s favorite left foot curled a trademark drive into the far corner of the net and five minutes later, Mohamed Elyounoussi fired from close range to ensure that Neil Lennon's side will be in the December 20 final against Hearts. 

Celtic will be back for Europa League action when they host Sparta Prague on Thursday.

Personalized Marketing

I have been catching up on my reading on my favorite subject – Marketing. 

I know this already but it’s good to remind myself that consumer expectations are getting higher than ever before – and that means everyone is upping their game. 

The future of marketing is said to be all about delivering relevant, appropriate and assistive experiences. The playbook, however, is still being written. 

After all, consumers have multiple touchpoints on their path to purchase and marketers need to figure out what resonates – and what doesn’t. 

One thing that stands out and that we need to recognize its massive importance is the fact that mobile has conditioned consumers to turn to their devices in I-want-to-know, I-want-to-go, I-want-to-do, and I-want-to-buy micro-moments. 

Not only that – but marketers need to shift their focus from pushing messages at people to engaging them in an ongoing conversation and relationship. 

This mandates us to personalize marketing to meet people’s needs. 

For years, psychologists have taught us that people love to hear their name and see it in print. But today’s technology allows digital marketing teams to dig deep into the data to identify the things that keep customers up at night – and identify what messages will solve those problems and give them a good night’s sleep. 

In the 2002 movie "Minority Report", the character John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, is bombarded by a series of personalized ads calling him by name as he walks through the city. This was obviously complete science fiction at the time, but not quite two decades later, reality has almost caught up with the marketing future of Stephen Spielberg’s imagination.

 

By now, we should know that traditional advertising is fast losing its effectiveness. Instead, we should go for personalized marketing messages that forge a real connection between the brand and the target market. 

Yes, go beyond the “Hi [Customer Name]” emails, “Don’t you want to make more money?” popups, or “Hey, come back here!” cheesy messages in the browser titles to find what makes your customers tick. Give them content that will win their hearts. 

Take note that an Epsilon survey informs us that 80% of consumers said that they’d be more likely to do business with a brand that provides a personalized experience. 

A good pointer to take note of for those doing Marketing!

46 Million Cases: The Second Wave Hits Hard

The Covid-19 numbers keep rising even faster. It’s kinda scary because it went past 46 million cases yesterday. And not to mention, almost closing in to 1.2 million deaths.

And the UK is the ninth country to make it to one million cases. 

The fact that the country’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) announced a second national lockdown for England – just like Malaysia, it's not too restrictive – to prevent, as he says, a "medical and moral disaster" for the NHS, is emblematic of the worsening situation in much of Europe. 

There are now 50 nations which have accumulated 100,000 coronavirus cases or more under their belts – with Austria and Japan the latest to join the burgeoning band of countries. 

I did the sums – and their combined tally of cases and fatalities amount to 93.6% and 95.6% respectively of the global total.

 

There was a Premier League game yesterday too – and I’m happy that Liverpool triumphed over in-form West Ham 2-1. Sure, the Reds conceded first, in the tenth minute…but yet again, produced another stirring comeback win. 

A foul on Mohamed Salah had allowed the Egypt forward to equalize in the forty-second minute from the penalty spot with Liverpool's first attempt on target. And then, Diogo Jota netted in the 85th minute after a smart pass by fellow substitute Xherdan Shaqiri.

 

Liverpool are back on top of the table for the first time since they ended last season as champions – but again, they were far from their fluent best.

This was league game #63 without defeat at Anfield, making Jürgen Norbert Klopp’s greats the equivalent of Bob Paisley’s legends (achieved between February 1978 and December 1981). 

Next is the Champions League Group D away match against Italy’s Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly referred to as Atalanta, on Tuesday.

Two Pollsters Break Ranks to Predict Trump Win

In 2016, pollsters Arie Kapteyn and Robert Cahaly saw the coming of Donald Trump (right). And they were proven right. 

With November 03 almost upon us, it can be real tempting to see the US presidential election as a done deal. For as long as I can remember, Joe Biden has consistently and convincingly led Donald Trump in polls. And if you trust the polls, it won’t even be a skip to imagine him winning 330+ electoral votes. 

But, we all know how the polls tricked Americans into believing Hillary Clinton would easily emerge victorious four years ago! And of course, she didn’t! 

This year, both men again believe that polls could again be undercounting Trump’s support. 

The reason is “shy” Trump voters – people reluctant to share their opinions for fear of being judged. Though the “shy voter” idea is thrown around a lot by both Trump supporters and Democratic skeptics, Kapteyn and Cahaly have specific insights into why, and how, Trump support might be going undetected. 

For Cahaly (left), a Republican pollster with the Trafalgar Group, those votes are likely to make the difference again. “There’s a lot of hidden Trump votes out there”, he says. “Will Biden win the popular vote? Probably. I’m not even debating that. But I think Trump is likely to have an Electoral College victory”. 

As an illustration, Kapteyn (right), a Dutch economist described what his team at USC’s Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research see in their polls. 

Beyond simply asking voters whether they support Biden or Trump, USC asks a “social-circle” question – “Who do you think your friends and neighbors will vote for?” – which some researchers believe makes it easier for people to share their true opinions without fear of being judged for their views. 

According to Kapteyn, Biden (left) actually got a 10-point lead, nationally, over Trump when they asked voters who they personally plan to support. “But if you look at the ‘social-circle’ question, Biden only gets like a 5- or 6-point lead… In general – and certainly on the phone – people may still be a little hesitant to say to that they’re Trump voters”. 

Cahaly adds: “We live in a country where people will lie to their accountant, they’ll lie to their doctor, they’ll lie to their priest. And we’re supposed to believe they shed all of that when they get on the telephone with a stranger and become Honest Abe? I cannot accept that. 

Now, how we measure it is a little different. We find questions that are less confrontational. We brought the 'neighbor' question into the mainstream, but I got that from a man named Rod Shealy, who's since passed. I learned a lot from him doing politics in South Carolina. He always said that people are real polite, so when you need to know what they think about something that's not pleasant to talk about, ask them what their neighbors think, because they'll give you their real opinion without you judging them for it. 

This year, we're asking a series of other questions that are easy and don't seem like you're going to get judged harshly for answering them. Our first goal is to minimize the social desirability effect. And you do that by giving them a great sense of anonymity. The more anonymous they think they are when giving answers, the more honest they tend to be. 

It's kind of like the people who have two Twitter accounts – the one where they tweet out pictures of their pets and children, and one where they just go give everybody a fit. Well, that 'troll' account is their real emotion. 

And the persona that runs that troll account is the one in the ballot booth. That's who I'm trying to get to”. 

These are interesting insights. They make a lot of sense.

So, Trump will win – thanks to "shy" Trump fans – and I, for one, have nary a doubt!

Invasive Vaginal Examinations in Doha

 

This image taken from the October 02, 2020 surveillance camera footage obtained by the website Doha News shows officials with the abandoned baby at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar 

A new-born baby was left abandoned in a bin at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar on October 02, 2020.

Upon discovery, an indeterminate number of women at the airport, were removed from ten flights, taken to ambulances parked on the tarmac and told to remove their underwear before being examined to ascertain if they had recently given birth. 

One newswire had reported Qatar's Government Communication Office describing the abandoning of the baby as an “attempted murder” of the child. 

The news only came to light after affected Australian passengers spoke out. 

Australia’s foreign office described their treatment as offensive, grossly inappropriate and beyond circumstances in which they could give free and informed consent. 

So far as I can tell, among these women were thirteen Aussies, two British women, one New Zealander and one French woman. 

Qatar said Wednesday it “regrets any distress” over the incident and launched an investigation, with sources saying those involved could face criminal prosecution. On Friday, Qatar's government admitted that "standard procedures were violated" – and again offered its "sincerest apology" for what the women went through. 

Anyway, Hamad International Airport management said the baby is safe and being cared for by medical and social workers. 

Note that in Qatar, like much of the Middle East, sex and childbirth outside of marriage are criminalized. Migrant workers in the past have hidden pregnancies and tried to travel abroad to give birth, and others have abandoned their babies anonymously to avoid imprisonment.

Malaysia's Covid-19 Numbers are Worrying

Malaysia’s Covid-19 numbers are worrying. Yesterday, the caseload climbed to 30,000.

 

The Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (right) on Wednesday announced that the Covid-19 infectivity rate or R-naught (R0) for Malaysia has dipped and he wants it reduced further to less than 1.0. 

He had explained the R0 came down from 2.2 when the third wave started on September 20 to 1.1 following the enforcement of the Conditional Movement Control Order. 

I’ve got to ask this – what "third wave"? I believe this is the second wave because we went through MCO, followed by CMCO and RMCO – before we did a U-turn and saw us undertaking a partial return to CMCO. Therefore, this second CMCO represents the second wave! 

I think somebody doesn’t know how to count. Besides, I don’t think we should make it look more serious than it is. 

What say you, Dr Noor Hisham? 

On another note, on Sabah, Deputy Health Director-General Dr Rohaizat Yon (left) clarified on Thursday that the total number of beds for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in hospitals and PKRCs (Quarantine and Low Risk Covid-19 Treatment Centers) in Sabah is 8,506 with a usage rate of 43 percent. 

(If you don't know what I'm talking about, please refer to my earlier post on the subject dated October 27, 2020 titled "CMCO's 14-Day Extension")

I guess I am inclined to believe the health professional rather than the politician.

US Companies Selling Covid-19 Treatments Aim to Make Big Bucks

Gilead Sciences Inc. pruned their 2020 revenue forecast as their anti-viral drug falls short. 

They had cited lower-than-expected demand and difficulty in predicting sales of Veklury which is the brand name for remdesivir, the only treatment approved in the United States for patients hospitalized with Covid-19. 

The Foster City, California-based biopharmaceutical company lowered the top end of their full-year sales outlook to $23.5 billion, which is below Wall Street estimates of $24.1 billion. The company had previously forecast 2020 sales as high as $25 billion. 

“The revision in guidance is tied, not entirely, but almost entirely to expectations around Veklury”, Gilead Chief Financial Officer Andrew Dickinson said. “There was less demand in the third quarter than expected”. 

No surprise there because WHO had come out to say that remdesivir has little to no effect on coronavirus patients' chances of survival. 

The WHO’s Solidarity clinical trial had tested the effects of four potential treatments – remdesivir, an Ebola drug; hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug; interferon, an auto-immune drug; and the HIV drug combination of lopinavir and ritonavir. 

These four drugs were tested on 11,266 adult patients in total, across 500 hospitals in more than 30 different countries.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan (left) announced on October 14 that their trials on hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir were stopped in June because they had already proven ineffective. However, the other trials continued. 

The trial results appear to contradict another study conducted by Gilead, which concluded that treatment with remdesivir cut Covid recovery time by five days compared to patients given a placebo. A total of 1,062 patients took part in that particular trial. Of course, they dismissed the WHO findings. 

Remdesivir had been given emergency use authorization in the US from the country's Food and Drug Administration on May 01. Later that month it was approved for use in the UK, and has since been authorized for use in a few other countries. 

FYI, remdesivir was administered to US President Donald Trump (left) when he was hospitalized for coronavirus on October 02, 2020. 

It's not only Gilead trying to make big bucks. 

The Tarrytown, New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Wednesday declared their coronavirus antibody cocktail – the experimental treatment that Trump also received – significantly reduced medical visits in a trial of nearly 800 patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19. 

The US biotechnology company added that patients given the treatment, REGN-COV2, made around 57 percent fewer coronavirus-related medical visits than those given a placebo over a 29 day period. 

Drug companies all want to make a killing from Covid-19.