Tuesday, November 30, 2021

BEING A COMPULSIVE LIAR

 


White Lies.

Even though we are taught that lying is wrong, we all tell lies every day; but lots of them are “white lies.” A co-worker asks you how you are and you say “fine” even though you have indigestion, or your friend asks if she looks puffy and you look straight into her puffy eyes and say “No, you look great”. These are lies, but they are pretty innocent. We use these kinds of lies as “social lubricants” without doing much damage.

Lying for Gain

Moving up to more consequential lies, people can use deception with “offensive motives” in order to obtain rewards, gain an advantage over others, win admiration or exercise power over others.  Lying with offensive motives could be as mild as padding your resume just a smidgen to score a new job or as toxic as a televangelist ripping off millions of dollars from his vulnerable flock.  "Defensive motives” for lying include avoiding punishment or embarrassment, protecting others, avoiding physical or emotional harm, maintaining privacy, and steering clear of awkward social situations. 

In general, research shows that men lie about themselves more than about others, often “to appear more interesting, powerful or successful than they are”. Women lie more often “to protect other people’s feelings or make others feel better about themselves”. Lying for gain includes identity theft, investment fraud, embezzlement, and other business fraud. At one end of the spectrum, you have got a little fudging on your own tax return; at the other end, you have got the massive rip-off schemes of the unscrupulous manipulators. 

Compulsive Liars

Compulsive or pathological lying is in a whole other league. There is much ambiguity about whether pathological lying exists as a disease in and of itself. It is often thought to be a secondary feature of some other condition.  A German physician, Anton Delbruck, was the first to identify the abnormal behaviour we now call pathological lying. 

We all know about famous people - politicians, celebrities, business people - who have lied either offensively or defensively, these are examples of well-known people who lie without any discernable benefit, in other words, people who are compulsive liars, are actually rarer. 

The cause of compulsive lying is unknown. Research has illuminated certain factors, though. One review of 72 cases found that the average onset of compulsive lying occurred at 16 years old. There was approximately the same number of males and females in the group, and the median IQ was slightly below average, with better verbal intelligence than performance intelligence. Up to 40 percent of cases of compulsive liars have a history of central nervous system abnormalities” like head trauma, epilepsy or central nervous system infection. This indicates that there may be some physiological cause. 

Sometimes, another disorder is primary and compulsive lying is just a symptom. Several psychiatric conditions provide fertile ground for pathological lyings to occur, such as Borderline Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. A particularly chilling manifestation of pathological lying is its presence as a symptom of sociopathy. Someone who lies as a result of sociopathy is more dangerous to others. Without a conscience, sociopaths focus on controlling and manipulating others. A sociopath will lie just for the game of tricking someone. Sociopaths are known for their callousness, lack of empathy and absence of remorse when they have hurt someone. They can be extremely charming and charismatic, more spontaneous, or more intense, or somehow more ‘complex,’ or sexier, or more entertaining than everyone else.  

Whether we are concerned about a person who may be sociopathic or we are dealing with dishonesty in some other manner, we can learn skills to identify a deceptive person. Knowledge is the power that may spare us from experiencing real losses; great and small.

How to Spot a Liar

Do you have confidence in your ability to recognize when someone is lying? How about the idea that a liar will avoid eye contact or look nervous? Neither of these behaviours is a primary indicator of lying. Facial clues include “micro-expressions,” like a split-second flash of anger when someone is saying friendly words or a smile where the lips are upturned but the eyes are not narrowed. The body also belies deception. A person who is lying may try to put “barrier objects” between herself and a questioner, or she may shake her head no when she is answering in the affirmative, or shrug with only one side of her body, suggesting a “fake” emotion. Verbal clues can be in the form of “bolstering statements” like “I swear to God…” or “to be honest…” 

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Govt urged to impose travel ban on nations with Omicron infections

 Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, on Monday, said MAHB will wait for the Health Ministry to release the guidelines on air travel to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. - NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAH

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, on Monday, said MAHB will wait for the Health Ministry to release the guidelines on air travel to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. - NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAH

KUALA LUMPUR: An epidemiologist has advised the government to impose a travel ban on countries that have registered Omicron variant cases for at least two to four weeks.

Associate Professor Dr Malina Osman from Universiti Putra Malaysia said this move will allow researchers to study and determine the clinical and epidemiological impacts of the Omicron variant.

"The travel ban should cover for transit passengers from the affected countries as well.

"Prolonging the quarantine period to 14 days for travellers from the affected countries and existing health and safety protocols are adequate to protect us at the moment.

"But, a travel ban would be a safer option as anticipating the possibility of another wave of Covid-19 infection," she told the New Straits Times.

Dr Malina's proposal came after two travellers tested positive for the Omicron variant at the Changi Airport in Singapore on Sunday.

Following the reports, public health experts have cautioned the government that the newly-discovered variant could reach our shores faster than predicted.

The Omicron variant or B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19 was first discovered in South Africa and reportedly has more mutations than the highly virulent Delta strain.

Some of the genetic mutations shown by the Omicron variant are known to enable the virus to evade immunity.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had on Nov 26, announced that travellers with a 14-day travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe would be barred from entering Malaysia.

Meanwhile, virologist Associate Professor Dr Chee Hui Yee said airports should ensure proper ventilation at the waiting lounges to minimise the risk of transmission.

Wearing a properly fitted face mask, she said, is the most important and effective control measure, to curb the spread of the virus.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, on Monday, said MAHB will wait for the Health Ministry to release the guidelines on air travel to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. - NST

Orang lain hutang, orang lain jadi mangsa

 

Turut ditemui nota tertulis ‘pinjam wang, bayar balik’ yang ditinggalkan individu berkenaan.

PETALING JAYA: Empat kenderaan penduduk di Taman Tampoi Indah 2, Tampoi, Skudai, Johor disimbah cat oleh individu tidak dikenali awal pagi tadi.

Selain disimbah, terdapat juga nota tertulis ‘owe money, pay money’ (pinjam wang, bayar balik) yang ditinggalkan pada kenderaan penduduk.

Menurut penduduk yang juga mangsa, Nazaruddin Bijan, 48, kenderaan pelbagai guna (MPV) Perodua Aruz miliknya turut dijadikan sasaran pihak tidak bertanggungjawab itu.

Katanya, dia sekeluarga tinggal di bangunan rumah kedai berhampiran dan menyedari kejadian itu pada jam 3.15 pagi selepas terjaga apabila anak menangis.

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“Saya kemudiannya meninjau keadaan di luar rumah sebelum mendapati Perodua Aruz disimbah cat kuning. Selain itu, tiga kenderaan jiran, termasuk sebuah pacuan empat roda, turut disimbah cat,” katanya menurut laporan Harian Metro.

Nazaruddin berkata, dia turut menemui nota ditinggalkan yang mencatat nama berserta alamat individu tertentu yang tidak dikenalinya.

“Turut tercatat pada nota itu ialah nombor telefon yang boleh dihubungi bagi membincangkan soal pembayaran. Saya berharap polis dapat menahan individu yang terbabit dalam kes simbah cat ini,” katanya.

Menurutnya, dia kerugian RM800 hingga RM1,000 kerana perlu membersihkan kesan simbahan cat.

Nazaruddin berkata, kejadian itu kali pertama berlaku sejak dia tinggal di kawasan perumahan berkenaan enam tahun lalu.

“Memang ramai penduduk meletakkan kenderaan dan motosikal di ruang parkir berkenaan pada waktu malam hingga pagi. Saya harap kekerapan rondaan oleh polis di kawasan ini dapat ditingkatkan,” katanya yang membuat laporan di Balai Polis Tampoi.

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Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Daerah Johor Bahru Utara Rupiah Abd Wahid mengesahkan menerima laporan polis berkaitan kejadian.

“Kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 427 Kanun Keseksaan,” katanya. - FMT

Sambut hari jadi, 21 individu dikompaun RM125,000

 

Pengurus premis serta seorang pelanggan lelaki turut ditahan kerana menghalang petugas penjawat awam, kata Ketua Polis Daerah Segamat Bahrin Mohd Noh.

PETALING JAYA: Seramai 21 individu dikompaun sebanyak RM125,000 susulan sambutan hari jadi di sebuah pusat ujian vokal di Segamat apabila diserbu dalam Op Noda, Ahad lalu.

Ketua Polis Daerah Segamat Bahrin Mohd Noh berkata, dalam serbuan oleh Bahagian Antimaksiat, Perjudian dan Kongsi Gelap (D7) Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah (JSJ) Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Segamat itu, kompaun RM25,000 dikenakan ke atas pemilik premis, manakala individu lain, termasuk lima wanita berusia antara 16 hingga 62 tahun, masing-masing dikompaun RM5,000 kerana melanggar prosedur operasi standard (SOP) Pelan Pemulihan Negara (PPN) Fasa 4.

Beliau berkata, selain itu, lima wanita warga Vietnam dipercayai pelayan pelanggan (GRO) ditahan bersama pengurus premis dan seorang pengunjung lelaki.

“Mereka turut berhibur sambil diiringi alunan muzik yang kuat serta membuat bising.

“Pengurus premis serta seorang pelanggan lelaki turut ditahan kerana menghalang petugas penjawat awam sementara GRO berkenaan masing-masing direman selama 14 hari bermula semalam sehingga 12 Disember,” katanya menurut laporan Harian Metro pada sidang media di IPD Segamat hari ini.

Katanya, kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 186 Kanun Keseksaan, Seksyen 6(2) Enakmen Hiburan dan Tempat-Tempat Hiburan, Peraturan 39(b) Peraturan-peraturan Imigresen 1963 dan Seksyen 55B Akta Imigresen. - FMT

Petronas records profit in third quarter

 

Petronas recorded revenue of RM61.8 billion in the third quarter, an increase of 50% from the corresponding quarter last year. (AFP pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) registered a profit after tax of RM16.3 billion in the third quarter ended Sept 30 (Q3FY21) from a loss after tax of RM3.4 billion in the same period last year.

This was in tandem with higher earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) and lower net impairment losses on assets.

The national oil firm also recorded revenue of RM61.8 billion, an increase of 50% from RM41.1 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter last year, mainly due to higher average realised prices for major products but was partially offset by lower sales volume mainly from crude oil and condensates.

For the first nine months of the year, the group recorded a profit after tax of RM35.2 billion, more than a 100% increase from the loss after tax of RM19.9 billion in the corresponding period last year, in tandem with higher EBITDA, coupled with lower net impairment losses on assets.

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Revenue for the period increased 27% to RM171.4 billion from RM134.7 billion in the corresponding period last year, mainly due to favourable average realised prices for major products, coupled with higher sales volume for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and sales of gas.

“Petronas’ third quarter financial performance demonstrates our relentless focus on the group’s operational and commercial excellence.

“We continue to ensure the reliability of our operations to leverage the recovery in global energy demand with the safety of our people and assets as our highest priority,” said president and group chief executive officer Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz in a statement today.

In the third quarter, Petronas’ cash flows from operating activities (CFFO) more than tripled to RM21.8 billion from RM6.3 billion, in line with higher cash operating profit and a positive working capital movement.

Tengku Muhammad said Petronas would continue to preserve and strengthen its core portfolio, while growing the new energy business to deliver safer, cleaner and faster solutions to its customers at competitive prices, reinforcing its role as an energy partner.

Petronas said its CFFO in the first nine months of 2021 stood at RM54.5 billion, up by 67% from RM32.6 billion, in line with the higher cash operating profit.

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Its total assets increased to RM618.9 billion as at Sept 30, 2021 compared to RM574.1 billion as at Dec 31, 2020.

Shareholders’ equity increased to RM337.5 billion compared to RM330.6 billion as at Dec 31, 2020, mainly attributable to profit recorded during the period, said Petronas.

Its capital investments amounted to RM20.4 billion, mainly due to upstream projects.

The national oil company’s upstream operations recorded a total daily production average of 2.27 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day for the first nine months of 2021, an increase from 2.19 million boe per day in the same period in 2020, mainly due to higher natural gas production contributed by higher demand for both Malaysia and international operations.

However, this was partially offset by lower crude oil production, said Petronas.

The group said the current trajectory of the oil and gas industry was expected to continue, given the modest recovery in demand underpinned by improvements in economic activities globally.

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Petronas said it would remain steadfast in driving operational and commercial excellence to improve its liquidity and profitability, in pursuit of its growth strategy.

“As we look ahead, Petronas will continue to pursue its three-pronged growth strategy and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 aspirations to contribute towards a responsible and just energy transition,” said Tengku Muhammad. - FMT

I’ll be first to fight if Israeli athletes are allowed, says Faizal

 

Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who was arrested and jailed by Israel in 2010, says he will be the first in line to fight any move to allow Israeli athletes in. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Ahmad Faizal Azumu has vowed to be the first in line to stop Israeli athletes from being allowed to enter Malaysia for tournaments.

Speaking just hours after an international squash championship in Bukit Jalil was called off, the sports minister said Malaysia’s refusal to admit Israeli players was because there is no diplomatic ties between the two countries.

However, he admitted that his relationship with Israel was more personal.

“I was detained by the Israeli authorities during the 2010 Freedom Flotilla humanitarian mission (to aid residents of Gaza),” he told reporters at the Nilai National Sports Council (NSC) Complex today.

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“I was jailed in an Israeli prison. If we allow Israeli athletes to set foot here, I think I will be the first person to go up against them,” he was quoted as saying in Utusan Malaysia.

In a joint statement earlier today, the World Squash Federation (WSF) and Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) announced that the Men’s World Team Squash Championship set for Dec 7-12 had been called off because of the “possibility that some nations would be unable to compete due to the lack of confirmation over the issuing of visas”.

Faizal denied that Malaysia’s decision not to allow Israeli players to compete in the tournament was an act of discrimination. Instead, he said the WSF should have been more aware about the relationship between the two countries.

“When the international sporting body (WSF) appointed Malaysia as the hosts, they should have known that we would not allow Israeli athletes in.

“I think it is very unfortunate that we are accused of discriminatory practices and so on. If we look at world politics, Israel discriminates against the Palestinians and also dominates the world by proxy. That’s what we should be fighting against.”

It was previously reported that Israel’s squash association had threatened to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland if WSF could not resolve the issue. - FMT

Ministers blamed for labour shortage which caused price hikes

 

Ngeh Koo Ham says the lack of workers in farms has led to the prices of vegetables soaring by 100% to 200%. (AFP pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The increase in prices of many goods in the country is due to the indecisiveness of two ministries over the current labour shortage, an MP has claimed.

Ngeh Koo Ham (PH-Beruas) accused home minister Hamzah Zainudin and human resources minister M Saravanan as being the main contributors to the problem of foreign worker shortage in the country, saying they have been going back and forth about it.

“This is the contribution of the ministers – until the prices of vegetables have shot by 100% to 200%” he said.

Although he admitted that there were other reasons for the rise in prices, he said the two ministers seemed to have no plan or direction on how to resolve the matter.

He pointed to the legalisation of undocumented workers announced in November 2020 as an example

“The programme was not well-thought out and the terms and conditions were done as if the programme was intended to fail,” he told the Dewan Rakyat when debating on the Supply Bill 2022 for the human resources ministry at the committee stage.

The conditions include that the worker must already be working for an employer. “If the person is an undocumented migrant, how can the employer prove he is working with them?” he said.

Ngeh called these conditions “illogical” and that the country has lost RM20 billion a year in the palm oil business and RM2 billion in taxes per year due to the worker shortage.

“The prices of goods and vegetables have gone up because there are not enough workers,” he said.

“If the ministers are not capable, then they should bow out,” he said. - FMT

Nur Sajat’s assets to be seized for failing to pay damages

 

The court says Nur Sajat had failed to provide any update on the damages to be paid and ordered her assets, including a house in Kota Damansara to be seized. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Shah Alam High Court has ordered that assets belonging to Nur Sajat be seized after the cosmetics entrepreneur failed to pay her stockist RM200,000 in damages.

The court order was issued by deputy registrar Farah Wahida Md Nor on Nov 22 following an application by Nurwati Hussin, 41, and Mohamed Syakir Hussin, 32, of OWA Resources Sdn Bhd.

The decision was made after the High Court found that Sajat had not provided any update on the damages when she lost her appeal at the Court of Appeal in April.

Lawyers Nurul Hafidzah Hassan and Zeti Zulkifli , who represented Nurwati and Syakir, said their clients were focused on collecting the amount.

The seized assets, they said, would be sold to recover the sum.

“The writ to seize and sell the assets was pasted at the defendant’s premises today and if the defendant fails to pay the sum, all the assets will be seized and auctioned on Dec 14.

“If the money collected from the auction is insufficient, the defendants will seize other assets which can be auctioned off,” they said in a statement.

In July, a bankruptcy notice was filed against Sajat, who has since fled to Australia, after she failed to settle the sum. - FMT

“Wang Ehsan” Tiada Dalam Perlembagaan Malaysia

 

21 tahun dahulu, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad telah melanggar Petroleum Development Act 1974 dan Perjanjian yang telah ditandatangani di antara Petronas dan 13 negeri dengan membatalkan “Royalti Minyak” dan menukarnya kepada “Wang Ehsan”.

CORRECTION: Petronas telah bayar RM250 juta, bukan RM250 ribu, pada January 2000.

A Case For Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah, And Sarawak To Leave Malaysia

 

As Wang Ehsan, Petronas did not need to hand the money to the Terengganu State Government. Instead, the money was given to Umno Terengganu, and Idris Jusoh was put in charge of managing that money. The money was then syphoned out through so-called ‘projects’.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

When Malaya, and then Malaysia, was formed, it was agreed that the federalisation of the Malay States would not infringe on certain state rights. The powers of the Federal Government would include security, defence, foreign relations, taxation, and so on. Matters involving Malay customs and traditions, the Palace, religion, natural resources, etc., would remain under the powers and authority of the States.

A country’s territorial water is 12 miles while the exclusive economic zone is 200 nautical miles (370.4 km or 230.2 miles). And that is one reason why Singapore is reclaiming the sea. The more Singapore juts out to sea, the more waters they own. And anything in the waters (plus anything below and above the reclaimed land) belongs to Singapore.

When they discovered oil in the South China Sea in the early 1970s (at that time Tun Razak Hussein was the Prime Minister), they faced a dilemma. The oil was off the coast of Terengganu and Kelantan. The oil may belong to Malaysia, but then it is off Terengganu and Kelantan and is a natural resource. So, under the Federation of Malaya/Malaysia agreement, the oil belongs to Terengganu and Kelantan.

But Tun Razak wanted to nationalise the oil. It was too much money to be given to the two poorest states in Malaysia (even Perlis was richer at that time). Tun Razak wanted the oil and gas wealth to belong to Malaysia with Terengganu and Kelantan receiving only a 5% ‘commission’.

READ MORE HERE: 5% oil royalty is the agreement, not ‘wang ehsan’, says Ku Li 

Tun Razak asked Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to look into this matter, who in turn sought legal advice from Tun Salleh Abas.

To cut a long story short, Ku Li and Tun Salleh drafted the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) that was passed by Parliament in 1974. Under this PDA, oil and gas will be nationalised and the states (which by right owned 100% of the oil and gas) would be given a 5% commission. A national oil company would be formed to manage the oil and gas, which would be called Petronas.

All 13 of the states were asked to sign an Agreement with Petronas. There were some protests, but in the end all the states signed. Sabah held out till the end. Then a number of important people died in a mysterious plane crash and the government changed — and in the end, Sabah signed the Agreement as well.

Two years later, the states were made to sign a Supplementary Agreement that stipulated the 5% commission is to be called ‘Royalty’.

The states were never happy they were made to sign the Agreement with Petronas in 1974, or made to sign the Supplementary Agreement two years later. And they were even more unhappy that the Royalty is just 5% and not, say, 20% — when under the Federation Agreement it was supposed to be 100%.

This revocation of the 5% Royalty and converting it to ‘Wang Ehsan’ is grounds for Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah, and Sarawak to question what the benefit of remaining in Malaysia is if the Federal Government does not respect the Federation Agreement and is violating the terms of the Agreement. As it is, Sabah and Sarawak are already questioning the breaches to the 18/20-Point Agreements.

This Wang Ehsan was a creation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In November 1999, Terengganu fell to PAS. So, suddenly RM800 million to RM1 billion a year is going to fall into the hands of PAS. Mahathir wanted to deny PAS this money. So he withdrew the Oil Royalty for Terengganu and converted it to Wang Ehsan.

As Wang Ehsan, Petronas did not need to hand the money to the Terengganu State Government. Instead, the money was given to Umno Terengganu, and Idris Jusoh was put in charge of managing that money. The money was then syphoned out through so-called ‘projects’.

Terengganu was told if they want back their Oil Royalty, they will need to kick PAS out and vote Umno back in as the government. In 2004, PAS was kicked out and Umno came back to power. But the Wang Ehsan was never changed back to Oil Royalty and Umno continued to enjoy the money, which actually belonged to the State Government, and hence to the rakyat of Terengganu.