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The problem of Sharia courts has little if anything to do with refugees or asylum seekers - fake or real. Shariah courts are operated by the Islamic society in the UK who mostly arrived by legal means. The beginnings of that was initially to help rebuild Britain after WW2 and then to fulfill a severe labour shortage in the mill towns of Northern England. The problem was that not only did we allow the workers to come, they were allowed to bring their families too. That was also abused by claims that 'dependent' relatives needed to come. As far as I know, the families and dependent relatives thing has now bee stopped but it is way, way too late. We now have a Muslim community large enough for politicians to court them for votes during elections.

If a white guy had died this would be a non story

This seems to answer the question put on here earlier this week.."Do Thai's attack foreigners for no reason"?, An 80 year old Foreign man against 6 Thai's, I think the answer in this case is , Yes they do

None of the data Mindray are capturing on their devices can be used for designing "bioweapons". Its the wrong sort of data. I work in the field. Currently the UK government promotes to the world the NHS, because its the world's largest single system patient database. This is an important consideration if you are looking to set up clinical trials, and want to recruit patients with a certain profile, such as age, gender, weight, ethnicity. Canda is the UK's number 1 competitor in that regard, because it also has access to a large patient database, that like the UK, is ethnically diverse. Japan has been a difficult country to launch new drugs and medical devices, because the country requires clinical data related to a Japanese population. One outcome of that was for years, Japanese women had no access to BRCA mutation testing in Japan, vital in detecting the most common familial breast and ovarian cancers. Instead, samples were taken in Japan and sent to the US for testing by Myriad Genetics. Recently, Japan has started to accept trials data that includes ethnically Japanese people, opening up Canada as a place a company could set up trials. Clinical trials are complicated things, with recruitment and retention rates varying greatly by country. The UK and Canada have very good records in this respect. In recent years, China has begun to tighten up its regulation. By 2030, the Chinese government wants 90% of its healthcare needs to be provided by Chinese companies. China has a 4 tier healthcare system, if you include Traditional Medicine Hospitals (which aren't quite what you think)/ Top tier hospitals are utterly dominated by Western and Japanese brands. Bottom tier hospitals use frankly substandard Chinese products that aren't seen beyond the 3rd World. Companies like Mindray are considered top tier. Lower tier hospitals want better products, and Doctors there want the same products as Doctors in top tier hospitals. Russia has found out that you can't force doctors to buy Russian devices and medicines simply out of patriotic pride (Trump will find out this, when he discovers 70% of US medtech iis made overseas, and cannot be smply reshored). China will come up with better designs, I have no doubt. They have some very capable biomedical engineers and scientists. But they won't hit their 2030 target. Where China is really good is at AI/ AI is transforming drug discovery, shaving decades off biomarker discovery. But, in medtec, its really good for gaining a competitive advantage in those areas that have become nearly commoditized, eg diagnostic imaging, blood tests, endoscopy. AI needs access to big, high quality data sets. The bigger the dataset, the more accurate the result. German companies are complaining that their government has hamstrung them by banning the movement of German patient data to outside of Germany, even to other EU states, to combine with with data sets. The EU has strict restrictions. So Germany is uncompetitive in this respect. China in this area. Arguably the UK is stronger, and thats due to a combination of the business environment, but also the role of the NHS taking a lead on AI; the NHS has an arm, NHS-X (its been renamed), responsible for development of in house AI solutions (the online 111 service is AI powered), but also commercialising those solutions (eg its now selling an Ambulance logistics App and CKD patient tracker to the Gulf States, Singapore and Australia). Training the tech using the NHS dataset is a real competitive advantage. But innovation is overcoming challenges even when that data set is not big enough. for instance, I have been talking to a company which is seeking to improve mammography outcomes. 50% of mammogram results are wrong. Either a cancer is missed, or, more commonly, cancer is mistakingly diagnosed, leading to unecessary surgery. Mammograms are typically analysed by a human. Image analysis can help, but its pretty subjective, and there have been scandals in recent years. AI can improve image analysis. But the system needs to be trained to recognise cancerous tissue. So it needs images of healthy and diseased breased. A lot of them, of exceptional quality produced by the latest 3D Tomography machines. 200 million images. There aren't enough of these images in the world. So they used AI to create the images to create a training data set. Accuracy is now 75%. Post COVID, data is the big transformation in medicine. Every pandemic has resulted in a step change in medicine. Spanish flu helped create rules for infection control. Polio, besides the Iron Lung that was literally created over night, caused the invention of Intensive Care Medicine. The 1957 Mao flu pandemic heralded the role of the path lab in fighting outbreaks. These things we take for granted now, but only came about than tkso Plato's famous maxim (often quoted, slightly wrongly, as Necessity is the Mother of Invention). Most people are aware of Fleming discovering penicillin, but not many know it was WW2 and Operation Overlord that really made it practical (and which invented the Pharmaceutical Industry, which didn't really exist before WW2). I suspect the events that lead to the COVID1-9 Pandemic will eventually be traced back to events surrounding the US mortgage crisit of 2008, that caused the Global crash, and which had a profound effect on how global trade was conducted. And really because of those events, most countries are more cash strapped post Pandemic than they needed have been. All healthcare systems have struggled to catch up. Frankly, some of the problem will go away as patient die. There isn't any more money to pump into healthcare. AI and telehealth is part of the response to deal with that (do more, with less). And that will far reaching implications and benefits. China might be a big country, but it has a disperate and badly organised healthcare system, with varying quality datasets. Mining UK patient data isn't a threat to the safety of the British state itself; such notions are fanciful. But it is a competitive threat, if China was able to design AI that is more accurate for European populations. And the prize, as always, is the US. The medical industry in the US has really pushed up the cost of healthcare. The Insurance industry get a lot of stick, but companies like United are only making 6-7% margins. Thats not excessive profits. The Insurers push back against claims, because there is a lot of uncessary medical care. The loon who shot the United CEO, had previously undergone very expensive spinal fusion surgery, which has dubious efficacy (rates have increased 10x in the US), probably left him in pain, with no further options except increasingly risky and ineffective further surgery. The US doesn't have anything like the UK's NICE as the gatekeeper to tell doctors what treatments and medicines are most effective (follow NICE guidelines, and you will not lose a Law Suit. Don't follow the Guidelines, it might not be wrong, but you are on your own). The Federal government hasn't done enough; the FDA for instance, gave up regulating genetic tests 40 years ago, and are now left with a monster load of tests no one knows actually work. Partly to protect their shareholders, the insurance companies step in. Their one weapon is to refuse claims. US hospitals have the worst readmission rates in the West; you're more likely to go to hospital, get treated, go home, and end up back in hospital, usually dying. This is because hospitals are quick to discharge, but inadquate in following up. The Insurers are on to this, and have told hospitals don't improve readmission rates, they will cut reimbursements by 50%. As a result, hospitals are scrambling to beef up community nursing; nurses going to patients; homes to see how they are. This is where AI comes in, and the sort of data that is collected on Mindray devices (Mindray will mostly be seen in Snart Beds, bedside monitors, ventilators with built in controls). The more measurements the nurse can collect, recorded on a handheld device, and fed into the Cloud, he better AI can predict outcome, and the more likely the hospital will intervene to prevent the patient going back to hospital in a worse way that before. Datawise, the US is a bit like China; there is a lot of data, but its not collected very well, and is not in one place. HCUP produces a national patient procedure dataset. They present data on how many procedures are undertaken and what sort. All of that is used in strategic planning to forecast demand. Only its not real data. HCUP can only collect data from 16 States, not 50, so the number is eztrapolated.

Wow...when someone spends that much time and energy trying to tie usernames of people on the Internet together, you know they are losers. 😊 It's hard to imagine that anyone actually cares about such things in real life...unless they don't actually have much of a life. 😊 You seem just another sad and lonely fella on the Internet. Get off the Internet and make real friends....and cut down on your cannabis intake.

very sad, don't know the details but there are so many accidents waiting to happen out there, not least because, bizarrely, people refuse to wear crash helmets and/or drive/ride appropriate to the road conditions/environment.

Presumably they would tell you, I was told. But Network settings will tell you the SIM operator, previously Sing Tel now True.

R.I.P to the falang. Was he over taking, or passing a stationery bike, or avoiding someone riding up the road the wrong way. not enough info on this. so far. You need to be riding slow and on ultra high alert, at all times on the streets of pattaya

Now this is something that requires prompt police action and causes negativity to tourism generally. The violence of it, and the ugliness of attacking an elderly person for a bit of money.

Belgian 80, Attacked and Robbed by Teenage Gang on Christmas Day in Pattaya An 80-year-old Belgian man was brutally attacked and robbed by a group of teenage assailants wielding knives on Christmas Day in Pattaya. Full story:https://aseannow.com/topic/1347104-belgian-80-attacked-and-robbed-by-teenage-gang-on-christmas-day-in-pattaya/

How can I tell if they have done the SIM swap?

Picture from responders. An 80-year-old Belgian man was brutally attacked and robbed by a group of teenage assailants wielding knives on Christmas Day in Pattaya. The incident occurred at 00:36 on December 25, near the entrance of The Village Pattaya housing estate in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province. Police Lieutenant Wuttikorn Plodprong of Pattaya City Police Station received a report about the attack and robbery involving a foreign tourist. Senior officers, including Police Colonel Navin Theerawit, the Pattaya Police Chief, as well as local investigators and rescue teams, were promptly dispatched to the scene. At the victim's residence, authorities found Mr. Richard Ander M. Van Bogaert, a retired Belgian electrician, covered in blood with a severe head wound inflicted by a sharp weapon. Rescue workers provided emergency first aid before rushing him to the hospital. An initial investigation revealed that Mr. Van Bogaert's wallet, containing approximately 7,000 baht, was stolen. Ms. Pornthip, 38, the victim's caretaker, told police that he had just returned from a Christmas event at a local entertainment venue. As he was walking back to his home near the housing estate, three motorbikes carrying six teenage males surrounded him. The group attacked him with knives, striking his head before stealing his wallet. The assailants fled, leaving Mr. Van Bogaert bleeding on the roadside. He managed to crawl to his home to seek help, and Ms. Pornthip immediately called the police. Police Colonel Navin Theerawit ordered officers to set up roadblocks and search for the suspects along potential escape routes. Investigators are also reviewing CCTV footage in the area and interviewing witnesses to determine whether the attack was motivated solely by robbery or if there were other intentions. Authorities are committed to apprehending the culprits and bringing them to justice in accordance with the law. -- 2024-12-25

This ^^^ BUT!!! The bar to the left of the incoming breaker should be the NEUTRAL. The bar at the top which is bolted to the case should be the EARTH/GROUND. Wire sizes need to be checked. I also note that there is no earth-leakage protection (as a minimum an RCBO incoming breaker), this is a vital safety feature. IMHO It's a total mess, I recommend getting a competent sparks in and re doing the whole shebang (with emphasis on the "bang")!

Where are all the Thai-bashers?

I see you’re back into YouTube. ‘Never again’ blah blah. You just post tat for attention, hey? 🙄

Rich Expats might not flaunt it as much as when in the West, but there are many, including on here, that like one to know they’re well off. All a bit shallow.

Have done this recently with a sealed duty free bag from Heathrow, but was still advised at check in Suvarnabhumi to switch it to suitcase for interval Thai flight.

Yeah, dangerous toad Arunothai, narrow, very uneven and busy, with many a young Thai whizzing about. Although I nearly got hit by a falang driving a tuk-tuk there.....it appeared to have a bit more power than the average model.

Bench

Immigration certainly can ask for an onward ticket. They routinely ask my filipina gf to show her onward ticket when entering by both land or air. Those of us with first world passports are not normally asked for it, but I suspect it is quite common that immigration asks people with third world passports if they have an onward ticket.

Or possibly arguing over the payment....'no the deal was 2000 each'..... style!

And maybe a neck brace that is now surplus to requirements. I agree the word 'compensation' will get aired......

Foreign Rider Dies in Motorcycle Crash in Pattaya A motorcycle collision claimed the life of a foreign man and left two others injured in Pattaya on December 24. The collision occurred at approximately midday in Soi Arunothai, Central Pattaya, when two motorcycles collided head-on. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1347103-foreign-rider-dies-in-motorcycle-crash-in-pattaya/

Picture from responders. A motorcycle collision claimed the life of a foreign man and left two others injured in Pattaya on December 24. The collision occurred at approximately midday in Soi Arunothai, Central Pattaya, when two motorcycles collided head-on. Emergency responders from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation and local volunteers rushed to the scene to provide assistance. Upon arrival, they discovered three injured individuals, including a foreign man, estimated aged about 50 to 60, whose nationality has not been disclosed. The foreign rider was lying in road in a pool of blood, having suffered serious head trauma in the collision. Despite the immediate efforts of medics, the man succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Pattaya City Hospital. The deceased foreigner was riding a blue-and-black Yamaha Aerox 155 with Chonburi registration plates. According to eyewitness accounts and preliminary police investigations, he had attempted to swerve to avoid another motorcycle but lost control, resulting in a head-on collision with a black Honda Wave motorcycle registered in Rayong. The Honda Wave was being driven by 25-year-old Mr. Pornwisit, who was accompanied by his girlfriend riding pillion. Both sustained minor injuries in the crash. Officers from Pattaya City Police Station are continuing their investigation into the incident. Statements from witnesses and the injured individuals suggest that the foreign motorcyclist lost control during his evasive manoeuvre, leading to the collision, but police will review any available CCTV to confirm. Authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the crash. -- 2024-12-25

Hello @backstreet I have experienced similar issues so I know how hard it can be, and what I find is that some simple meditation helps. Also a gratefulness routine is good, every day think about what you can be grateful for that day, instead of focussing on the problems you see (real or imagined). Proper breathing is very important, and learn how to use diaphragmatic breathing or breathing with your stomach. Look this up. The 5 minute video below with Andrew Huberman explains how to do something called the double sigh, a very useful technique to use when you need to slow down your heart rate to go to sleep. Or to reduce stress during the day as well. It really works, and quite quickly! As for medication: I would stay far away unless deep clinical issues, and focus on better eating (low carb/high fat) and whatever exercise you can manage to do within the limits of your foot injury and age. As for supplements, magnesium has been mentioned, I would add one which is GABA, a calming neurotransmitter I think it is classified as. I take it before bed (2*500 mg), and it can seem to give me better sleep (difficult to know for sure what causes what). You can buy it from iHerb.com, they ship to Thailand and is the number one website for supplements, with very good product range and an excellent customer service. Meditation and gratefulness are both good, and some personal therapy with a good psychologist might also help. But you have to find a person you "click" with, otherwise it will not work very well. I wish you good luck with finding some calm and peace, we older gents should live a quiet life, and not worry too much! 😀