The Rumor App "Secret" is Spreading Across the English Speaking World

Rumor mongering is on its way to the tech world. An app initially established in the US is being rolled out in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. The app called "Secret" allows people to spread rumours, innuendo, their feeling about things, and accusations about the behavior of innocent people - anonymously. Of course praise can be offered, but is will probably be praise with a small "p".

Apple has offered the app for some time. Google is about to launch it as well. Apparently, there is a voracious appetite for the app in the US. The opinions will be kept among your friend list. However, it is commonplace now for users to accept absolutely anyone who asks to be a new friend.

The app contains a weird option. A warning pops up telling people that the view they are about to make could be defamatory. This is laughable. Users generally ignore such warnings and turn them off. Lives will be destroyed by this app and legal cases will emerge everywhere. Freedom allows people to give their views but not at the expense of innocent victims.

Apple has a small market place. Google is huge. If this app becomes mainstream like Facebook and Twitter, it will change societies across the world, making telling lies the thing to do. A lot of suffering will be caused by this.

Something is going on in the Google Play Store. The company is doing something to regulate apps. Why have all the BBC apps been removed by the store? The BBC has a strong impact internationally, yet all its app are no longer available. Only a few third party UK audio and video apps are left. Perhaps these will be removed soon.

Getting back to the main issue: in the US 75 per cent of Secret's users return regularly to the same topic. This is frightening. Rumors will not only be established they will modified and distorted as just about everyone comes on board. This will make WikiLeaks look like child's play - there is no onus on proof.

Users in the US have become addicted to Secret. A staggering 90 per cent return to the same conversation, opening the app up to ten times a day. Gossiping over the garden fence has returned in a new way to the current age - seemingly in a nasty way.
Internet by Ty Buchanan

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Dog Gossip

"Are you sure about that?"
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
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Queensland Anti-Bikie Laws are Challenged

The Premier of Queensland, Campbell Newman, is carrying out a "pet" policy that appears to be solely his own. Remember, John Howard and Kevin Rudd were shown the door by voters for pushing out pet policies, ignoring advice from cabinet. Campbell Newman thinks voters will thank him at the next state poll for clamping down on the freedom of bikies.

Under the new rules police are hounding bikes out of the state. This is forcing police in those states to take action as well. It is certainly contagious. Freedom of association has clearly been limited and the laws don't make any sense. If each of two brothers belong to two different bikie clubs they cannot associate socially. This is a restriction of human rights.

The government is interfering in the freedom of the judicial system. Judges have criticized the new laws. Severe language is used in the legislation. An Offence are named "Vicious Lawless Association". Furthermore, a "defendant" has to prove his innocence, not be proven guilty.

The government has written the laws so a minister can expand a law at his own whim. This is very bad government, dictatorial even. Vicious Lawless Association carries a mandatory penalty of 10 years in prison. Members of bikie clubs in other states have been arrested and charged while on vacation in Queensland. The legislation can be expanded to cover workplace, sporting and recreational clubs, including political parties that a government wants to suppress.

Stefan Kuczborski a member of Hells Angels had lodged a High Court challenge against the freedom of association restriction.  A woman has been arrested for going with her husband because she was dressed in bikie gear. The main target of the legal challenge is that the government has broken the constitutional code of separation of powers by making judges bring down mandatory sentences.

In Australia constitutional challenges are won and lost by the political bias of judges on the panel who are appointed by changing federal governments. Decisions tend to be very close with split outcomes possible. The fear is that the legislation is implicitly supported by both leading political parties and this will sway the decision of High Court judges.
Politics by Ty Buchanan
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Dog in Human World

"This is how humans see the world."
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
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Give that Kat His Codeine Man!

People are throwing tantrums about being refused addictive pills from pharmacists. This comes at a time when the federal government is setting up a system of "policing" morphine based medications. If patients are frustrated by over the counter tablets what are they going to do when refused prescriptions?

Codeine is the drug of choice for most. Because it is freely available and not officially restricted one can understand the frustration when a sale is refused. It is not much use for pharmacists to call police. Giving people police records is going to make them more antisocial.

Telling people not to use Nurofen Plus for a headache is stupid. The public thinks, "Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot take?" - and rightly so! Pharmacists are not trained to deal with the public. They only learn chemistry, mostly irrelevant at that in today's prepacked world.

Monitoring purchases is a silly idea. It is another layer of costly bureaucracy that the public must pay for. If they are that serious then have it prescribed by a doctor, who now write scripts for extra strength, forte, codeine. That will take the pressure off pharmacists and put it on the doctor. GPs will not thank pharmacists for that.

Pharmacists know that having all codeine put on prescription will reduce sales so they are not calling for this. They want more talk. Yes, talk always helps - if you really want a solution that will reduce sales.

At the moment chemists are judging codeine buyers by the way they are dressed. Put on a suit and you can have as many codeine tablets as you want. I always thought pharmacist are a bit "thick". This confirms it.
Health by Ty Buchanan
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