MaxYakov

Immigration: Red Bull "Boss" removed from blacklist on July 14th - no record of him his coming back to Thailand

Possessive pronouns and gerunds [link]

6 hours ago, OneeyedJohn said:

What an eerie pic, it's as if she looking at something on top of your head.

I believe that was her best "bummed-out" look posed just for this article.  ????

Maybe it will survive in the future as a cargo carrier if the "cargo" is not the self-loading variety.

4 hours ago, Sujo said:

And the portland mayor is gassed during a peaceful protest. Hows the constitution going for the alt right going. Time for them to get the guns out to fight against the govt right?

 

https://news.yahoo.com/portland-mayor-ted-wheeler-booed-gassed-protests-federal-law-enforcement-131548335.html

Which govt? Wheeler's or Trump's? I'd bet you're not a Portland citizen, right?

11 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

3 hours ago, Morch said:

 

"....the US Military has already made contingency plans to remove him by whatever means necessary."

 

Do tell.

My statement comes both from personal conversations with people serving in senior levels of the US Military, and it has been corroborated by statements I've seen on TV from people who also have contacts in DoD. You can take it to the bank. There are some DEVGRU types, apoplectic over the Bountygate scandal, who would like nothing better than have 45 resist removal. The Joint Chiefs, of course, would prefer 45's removal be as benign as possible, but in the heat of battle, things can get out of hand.  I suspect you never served, so you fail to appreciate the level of disgust and anger by serving Americans of everything from 45's spitting on the Constitution to the horrific scandal of Bountygate.

 

If 45 refuses to leave after losing, the military will do whatever it takes to remove him. When I say 'whatever it takes', it means that exactly. Resistance to the US Constitution is futile and will be dealt with appropriately. Should 45's lapdog AG try to exert some sort of legal challenge, he will, too, be in violation of the US Constitution and the US Military will neutralize him as well.

 

The democracy and Constitution will be defended no matter the cost.

They should have Pelosi stand by to call the fumigators just in case he resists a la Scarface and his "little friend", doncha think? Wouldn't be good to have the White House looking like Swiss cheese. 

Trump to send federal forces law enforcement officials to more 'Democrat' cities

It's the democratic mob that put the Governor into office. I feel sorry for the minority in California that have to suffer his poor leadership.

From what I understand from the 1967 USS Forrestal accidental Zuni rocket launch and ensuing explosions/fire, if it's an aviation fuel fire they should be using foam and not water. The Forrestal's damage control team go wiped out early-on and the remaining firefighting personnel were using water instead of from and that made it worse. I wonder if the fire boats carry foam for use in aviation-related fires. One would think ...

There seems to me to be quite a bit of silliness regarding mask usage on this thread (and in the world in general, now that I think about it). So I'l begin with some pertinent quotes and links to articles from some authoritative sources (or maybe not so authoritative in the case of one of them at least) followed by my experience in Bangkok with a certain type of mask. This is a quote from a WHO PDF document [link] titled: Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19:

"Definitions

Medical masks are defined as surgical or procedure masks that are flat or pleated; they are affixed to the head with straps that go around the ears or head or both. Their performance characteristics are tested according to a set of standardized test methods (ASTM F2100, EN 14683, or equivalent) that aim to balance high filtration, adequate breathability and optionally, fluid penetration resistance.(34, 35)

Filtering facepiece respirators (FFR), or respirators, similarly offer a balance of filtration and breathability; however, whereas medical masks filter 3 micrometre droplets, respirators must filter more challenging 0.075 micrometre solid particles. European FFRs, according to standard EN 149, at FFP2 performance filter at least 94% solid NaCl particles and oil droplets, and US N95 FFRs, according to NIOSH 42 CFR Part 84, filter at least 95% NaCl particles. Certified FFRs must also ensure unhindered breathing with maximum resistances during inhalation and exhalation. Another important difference is the way filtration is tested; medical mask filtration tests are performed on a cross- section of the masks whereas FFRs are tested for filtration across the entire surface. Therefore, the layers of the filtration material and the FFR shape, ensuring outer edges of the FFR seal around wearer’s face, result in a guaranteed claimed filtration when worn compared to the open shape, or leaking structure, of medical masks. Other FFR performance requirements include being within specified parameters for maximum CO2 build up, total inward leakage and tensile strength of straps.(36, 37)" (Red emphasis is mine)

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in their article "N95 Respirators, Surgical Masks, and Face Masks" [link]

N95 Respirators Not for Use by the General Public

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that the general public wear N95 respirators to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including coronavirus (COVID-19). Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for health care workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Do you get the idea that N95 respirators are more effective that medical/surgical masks and that the general public should not use them because of a potential supply issue?

Finally, there's this useful UK Guardian article (gratuitous link for left-leaners) What kind of face mask gives the best protection against Covid-19? [link] which states (among other things like how to make a cloth mask ????):

"Does it matter what sort of mask you wear?

Yes. Different types of mask offer different levels of protection. Surgical grade N95 respirators offer the highest level of protection against Covid-19 infection, followed by surgical grade masks. However, these masks are costly, in limited supply, contribute to landfill waste and are uncomfortable to wear for long periods. So even countries that have required the public to wear face masks have generally suggested such masks should be reserved for health workers or those at particularly high risk." (Again, red emphasis is mine).

My Empirical Experience with Using FFR type Masks in Bangkok

I began over ten years using FFR type (N95/PM2.5 equivalent) masks while cycling in Bangkok to protect my respiratory system from air pollution from motor vehicles and other sources. Then I began wearing the FFRs full-time when out and about in the winter months as protection against the severe air pollution. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, I didn't have to change my modus operandi at all.

The type of mask I use is readily available (or was) at HomePro and other places so I'm not restricting supply to medical personnel by using them. I also have retained all of my previously used/worn out masks so it has not been a "recycle/environmental" issue (so far). I use a single mask for around 2 months. They come with a spare filter element which a augment with another layer of PM2.5-capable filter material. They are classified as "dust/fume" masks and their primary use is for people in a dusty or otherwise contaminated work environment (such as Bangkok in general).

Long story, short: I have had not even one incident of a "cold" or "flu" or any other respiratory issue in the last 3 1/2 years or so since I have been wearing the FFR type mask whenever I'm out and about in Bangkok. I used to get at least one cold every six months or so in Bangkok and they were horrible. I have been doing a fair amount of what I call "anti-social distancing" over the past recent years, but that's another story but that may have assisted in the avoidance of respiratory issues,

I apologize for the length of this comment. I hope it was useful and might even help readers avoid respiratory issues from various sources in the future.

Any questions? - Feel free to PM me.

12 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Will a cyclone fence stop a cyclone?

Duh. Like the medical/surgical/cloth (non-95/non-PM2.5/cloth masks) it wasn't designed to stop one. It wasn't designed to stop mosquitos either.  

13 minutes ago, nauseus said:

2 hours ago, MaxYakov said:

Yep. The surgical/medical masks keep one's nose from getting sunburned (if worn correctly) and one's lips from getting chapped (maybe). Will they stop a virus hitchhiking on a particle of phlegm or dust? Will a cyclone fence stop a mosquito?

 

 

SIlly. Cyclone fence. Sillier.

Silly, huh? Have you ever seen a medical/surgical mask or cloth mask marked N95/PM2.5? From my observations, most people are wearing masks that were not designed to protect the wearer and, even then, many are not wearing them properly (not covering the nose, for example). I suspect that many that have worn the wrong type of mask or were maskless have ingested the virus as a result.

I rest my case.

On 7/10/2020 at 12:21 PM, Tony125 said:

Face Masks Protect You More From COVID Than You Thought, Doctors Say

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/face-masks-protect-you-more-from-covid-than-you-thought-doctors-say/ar-BB16ylTh?li=BBnba9O

Yep. The surgical/medical masks keep one's nose from getting sunburned (if worn correctly) and one's lips from getting chapped (maybe). Will they stop a virus hitchhiking on a particle of phlegm or dust? Will a cyclone fence stop a mosquito?

The "new normal"? Good one! The new "abnormal", maybe.

1 hour ago, Trillian said:

1 hour ago, MaxYakov said:

They must have meant 39.5 billion baht - a minor typo/accounting error. The "local holiday makers" - who dat?

Nope, they mean USD. Last year the full year value of (foreign and domestic) tourism to the Thai economy was around USD 95 billion.

WARNING: To be used for discussion purposes only, but to be taken a little more seriously than my previous/original comment, above (maybe).

Oh yeah? This site states 62 bn USD for 2019 ending Dec 1, but I didn't see (or they didn't state) how much from Thai nationals' tourism.

The site looks authoritative (to me, partially because it's not a Thai site - I think) and is very detailed. Just for argument's sake, let's say it doesn't include Thai national tourists. Let's throw in another 6 bn USD for Dec 2019 (ignoring Dec 2018 and probably inflating the revenue amount for 2019????

https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/thailand/tourism-revenue

Do you think the Thais spent 27 bn USD on tourism within Thailand last year (see estimate, below).

(95* bn USD - (62 bn USD + 6 bn USD)) = 27 bn USD estimate for Thai tourism (one would think spending within Thailand, but I wonder about that).

* = Your stated total revenue amount

Do you think the ordinary Thais can come up with 27 bn USD for tourism within Thailand or would they go out of country instead? Is it possible that including Thai tourism in total tourist revenue is a little bit like cooking the books because it's not bringing in foreign funds? Your thoughts (or anyone)

They must have meant 39.5 billion baht - a minor typo/accounting error. The "local holiday makers" - who dat?

Obviously, whoever wrote the title was not a USA car person (GM or General Motors was probably a better choice). Great Wall Motors?! Really? Leave it to the Chinese. Will they Great Stonewall if you report a problem with one of their vehicles? But I digress:

Saying goodbye to 27 years of manufacturing in Thailand - Chevvy Chevy calls it quits

Is it going to be our returning to flint or or to obsidian sometime soon?

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

19 hours ago, MaxYakov said:

AFAIC, the Universe is "timeless".

Based on what? It began at a time the stars formed and they will eventually run out of fuel, which will be the end of all life in the universe.

Thanks. I guess I could have stated it better as "the Universe doesn't care about time" - it's not an essential element - it's usually a human measurement of motion of some sort. Name a human time measurement device that does not rely on motion or a chemical process or the vibration of Cesium atoms (an example of motion-based time measurement).

I think said it before: the Universe is based on matter, space and motion. I got into this hypothesis after realizing that our time measurement devices from observing the duration of the Earth's orbit to the atomic (Cesium) clock and others were all based on the measurement of a motion of some sort. And the fact (as near as I can tell) that the motion of mass is NOT instantaneous and always takes (as we measure it) time. One (humorous) definitions of "time" is: that thing that prevents the Universe from happening instantaneously". I would that this is due to the apparent empirical observation that motion is not instantaneous. Even the motion of light is not instantaneous and (apparently) has an upper limit. I don't care that much about whether or not photons experience time as another commenter has mentioned mentioned.

There are several empirical observations of our perception of time that (AFAIC) whose explanation by the physicists do not satisfy me such as the apparent affect of gravity/velocity on GPS satellite clocks and the higher velocity/and altitude of the Cesium clock experiment (Hafele-Keating experiment) that could be explained by the affect of motion and/or gravity on the mass of the devices that we use to measure time. There is also the acceleration of time that we humans experience as we age (which I am experiencing a lot of these days????).

Anyway, It's an interesting subject of discussion and far beyond this thread I'm afraid, but I'm open to different views.

15 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Common misconception that one would need to attain light, or faster than light, speed - e.g, typical thinking: if these exoplanets are 11 LY away > travel at light speed and get there in 11 years. As an outside observer, yes, but as per Einstein's equations and time dilation, one 'merely' needs to approach light speed to cross vast distances faster (for the traveller).

Ponder this: Light itself will cross the entire universe somewhere between instantaneously and a couple seconds.

Or so Einstein's Theories imply. I think he blew it with his time formulas. Instead it's mass and motion and space that affect everything including our perception of time, a contrivance of humans based on observed motion (IMHO). AFAIC, the Universe is "timeless".

As far as light's traveling instantaneously goes ... Huh?

Don't we have enough "extraterrestrial" living here on Earth already? If there are any out there umpteen light years away, I hope they stay out there.

Kinetic Energy = 

13 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

1. Nowhere in the OP article does it say the ethnicity of the victims, nor anything about the ethnicity or background of the shooter(s).

 

Although, the Seattle Times report today includes a reference that appears to indicate at least one of the two victims, presumably the fatality, was black.

 

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/after-early-morning-shooting-in-chop-occupied-area-returns-to-its-new-normal/

 

2. Washington State is hardly some kind of left-wing refuge. Eastern Washington has a major problem with white supremacist and nationalist groups that has been well publicized.

 

 

A bit early in the going to draw any firm conclusions about just what happened here.

 

Except for the fact that if fewer white police officers around the country had spent the past decades abusing blacks, minorities, immigrants, etc., they might find themselves getting a better reception when they try to deal with crimes in those communities.

 

Is that a "fact"? Or is it just your opinion? What are your credentials to comment on police abuse in the US? And don't give us that you heard it from BLM or the MSM or through leftist propaganda pushing that narrative.

1 hour ago, from the home of CC said:

the taser can only be fired twice and the one the deceased had and tried to use had already been used up (till rearmed), so the cop executed basically an unarmed man for he knew it had been discharged twice (and therefore became a useless piece of yellow plastic). Kicking him as he lay dying speaks volumes, this nasty waste of skin should have never been issued a badge and a gun - that's a crime in itself.. 

You obviously don't know enough about Tasers [wiki link] (i.e. even when empty it can still be used as a stun/pain device with 50,000 volts available) and you have apparently not watched the video where Brooks turns while running and points the Taser at Rolfe. I'm not even going to speculate about whether or not Brooks actually fired the Taser at Rolfe.

Pointing a potentially deadly weapon at a police officer is a bad idea, don't you think? How deadly is a Taser? The Atlanta prosecutor claims that it's both deadly (in a previous case he was prosecuting) and non-deadly in this case. He might have trouble explaining these opposing opinions about Tasers in a court of law as both of them have been recorded.

Brooks was so mentally incapacitated (watch the video where he is questioned by the two officers - he tries to BS them and even tries to deny he was found passed out in the car by one of the officers).

Bottom Line: Don't resist arrest, assault police officers, look like you're firing a stolen Taser at a pursuing policeman who is armed. Bottom, bottom line, do not take a Taser to a gunfight if you want to live another day.

Brooks must have watched too many recent riot/looting/arson news videos or played too much Grand Theft Auto. I had to go to a UK DailyMail article on him to get his (alleged) arrest record.

The only positive thing comes to my mind is that he seems to handle his alcohol well (except he has a tendency to fall asleep in drive-thru lanes). The next question is: What other drugs had he been partaking of that night? I guess we'll have to wait for the official autopsy to find out and, of course, Brooks' family will hire their own second opinion if they disagree with the official one.

2 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

if the two cops couldn't handle the one guy then they should of waited for backup or is the SOP now to shoot everyone they can't restrain. The fact he ran up and kicked his dying body speaks to the total unprofessional job this guy was doing (plus his 12 other past reprimands). Whoever signed off on this guy so he could continue his substandard policing should also be fired, supervision is a joke and is at the root of this issue.

No, shoot only the ones that pass out in a drive-through and then take your taser and try and shoot you with it on the run after shooting your partner with it. Should they have called for backup before Rayshard lost it and decided to make a run for it because they are psychic and could have (not "of") forseen it? 

Your comment echos that of the desperate and, IMHO, stupid prosecutor in Atlanta who is trying "not to let a crisis go to waste" (at the expense of a couple of police officers and to his perceived benefit). Like the Duke Lacrosse case prosecutor, Mike Nifong, this overreach and unethical behavior by Atlanta prosecutor, Paul Howard, may end up being very bad for him. Nifong was disbarred and jailed. Howard should be also be at least disbarred, if not jailed, IMHO. Except he probably won't be because of the political situation (the Mob and the Mayor are on his side for now).

Maybe you should do some research on a subject before commenting with bias and ignoring facts of an event.