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6 hours ago, sahibji said:

do not quite agree with this view about worrying about road deaths. yes that is important but with little known about the corona virus and its possible modes of transmission this is something to worry about. you do not know what an unknown enemy can do and corona virus, at this juncture, is an unknown enemy.

If an idiotic driver kills you or members of the family, isn't that "an unknown enemy" ?  ????

You have to worry about both "enemies". Both pandemics are not related to each other. But the government should fight both separately and seriously.

Swiss-Cheese-like political and constitutional system in the USA is the main reason for this failure. Sorry, that I repeat it.

Must not talk again about the strange effect, that the POTUS does NOT need the majority of votes.

Completely idiotic is the system in this impeachment case.

The Senate, a political member in the system, decides about an impeachment. That means interests of special groups decide on a question/problem which has to be solved by jurists ... and not by influenced people who are afraid of losing their job in the next election, being harassed by the LOTUS or the REP-party ..... . 

Jurist have the reputation to be neutral. That means they are the ones who are mostly near to the truth, and in this case to the facts.

On 1/29/2020 at 2:38 PM, ThaiBunny said:

The OP sounds as if he's bought the whole pandemic hysteria story root-and-branch. This coronavirus has a death rate so far of less than 3% or one-third of the SARS virus - which most people who caught it survived. It is no more fatal than catching the 'flu, and the same people are most at risk - the very young, the very old and those whose immune system is compromised because they are diabetic or HIV+ etc.  As for the airport - how many unclean hands have handled his suitcase between him checking it in and him retrieving it? How many door handles - the taxi, his hotel room to name but two - will he be touching in the hour after he arrives? Get a grip

Panic because of the outbreake of a new virus.

It's understandable that people worry about that. The number of deaths and infections – especially in China - make many people feeling it could affect them tomorrow.

But inspite of the bad news there is no reason to panic. Just at now there is no real remedy against the virus. Common sense seems to be the best advice to fight the disease and the panic. I don't want to repeat them here, you read about this everywhere in the media, including TV.

Fact:

• There are more than 3 – 5 million serious influenza infections in the world, resulting in ~650.000 dead people …. yearly. And this is a virus, too.

The common people don't worry about this disease. Now it's part of the daily life – despite the big numbers of sick and dead people. That the people worry about this new (maybe) pandemic is normal and okay, but overreaction not. Do the people wear face masks because of the much more dangerous influenza? Not! What do they do against influenza in the same way the OP is missing against the new virus? Nothing!

My father told me once: Nearly all people die in the bed, but ....... they go there every day, again and again.

5 hours ago, SheungWan said:

 

Fortunately Boris didn't die in the ditch which the Kamikaze Brexiteers would have preferred him to do taking us all down with him. Instead we have a transitional year, so that's good instead of the no-deal Brexit brayed for so long by the forum Hard Brexiteers. The odds are that there will also be a trade deal at the end of this, so that all finally puts an end to the driving off the edge of a cliff which the loons would have voted for. Instead we get a compromise.

..."at the end of this" [year]. You are very, very optimistic.

I must admit that both sides will be interested to do it within the remaining 11 months. But the time for the trade deals with the other countries has taken much, much longer. Unless they copy one of those deals.

4 hours ago, evadgib said:

We're still leaving on Friday and no amount of whinging will change it.

Now "no amount of whinging", but wait for the time after the year 2020. Especially, if no deal.

7 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

Rumak,

 

it sounds Like you had A very unhappy And hateful life from where you came from to compromise a basic right...

 

a little smoke? Number of thailand cities rank among top 10 air polluters year in year out now....

 

I don’t accept incompetency on an incredible important topic - actually a a human rights violation 

 

it’s one thing to have unintentional burning fires like in Australia or California who take it seriously; it’s another when it is intentional as it becomes willful negligence by the gov and guilty burners... 

ahmmm ........  from

https://www.airvisual.com/world-air-quality-ranking

I have been 3 times for holiday in rural areas of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangxi and have seen a lot of markets there. The hygienic standard surely was not on a high level.

Therefore I guess this is the main reason for an outbreak of epidemics we read about here. My China holidays have been in the years 1999 - 2001. Because I have not been there again I'm not able to say, if there was a fundamental change. But I believe not, because it's strange that these epidemics occur mainly in the remote areas of China (and Africa).

19 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

err cr@p data?

 

lets look see..

 

i dunno you decide?

 

(windy, airvisual, aqicn.org/forecast/asia)

 

all i know is i'm sitting in it and tracking it every day and we aren't producing it in hua hin (we don't have enough cars or burning fields).

the wind is blowing from the east across the gulf not from bangkok and when that red dot from cambodia hit us our aqi went from 100-180 overnight.

 

 

 

You don't want to lose face.

Logic problem again: your lowest screen shot demonstrates that the Thai pollution in the middle is extremely higher than that in Cambodia. Ah .. your explanation: all smoke from Cambodia flew to Thailand.

Give it up: the Thais are the main polluters in their home country.

I ask myself why we here in the Mae Hong Son Province do not yet have a remarkable air pollution. You would pretend: the smoke from Cambodia or Myanmar! did not yet arrive, depending on the wind direction.... I would say: extreme burning did not yet start. In different words: Pollution depends on the burning in Thailand.

On 1/19/2020 at 9:22 AM, GeorgeCross said:

been following this closely for the last week and here is what i have noticed. the gulf air pollution is coming from cambodia crop burning. have a look at the following image that shows a "smear" of red pollution being blown west on the prevailing wind directly from cambodia.

 

 

nasa fire satellite data backs this up, yesterday 150 fires in thailand, 900+ in cambodia

 

stop the fires stop the pollution

 

 

now all Prayut has to do is put out his own countries fires AND ask Hun Sen to stop their burning!
good luck with that 

 

Your view; Cambodia is the main culprit of the "gulf air pollution".

How do you explain this situation  ----->

from:

https://www.windy.com/-PM2-5-pm2p5?cams,pm2p5,2020012210,11.566,100.415,6

(open it please).

And your answer to my former question (I repeat it) isn't logical.

Why is the pollution in Bangkok ~ 160 p.m. and more, in Cambodia only 138? Even if all pollution particles of Cambodia would have been blown to the BKK-area ( what isn't possible), then BKK would have only ~22 p.m. articles (160 minus 138). And that isn't reality. BKK area has had already a high pollution before the satellite shots. And that's surely not from Cambodia.

Don't deny that the overwhelming pollution is (Thai) home made. 

4 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

been following this closely for the last week and here is what i have noticed. the gulf air pollution is coming from cambodia crop burning. have a look at the following image that shows a "smear" of red pollution being blown west on the prevailing wind directly from cambodia.

 

 

nasa fire satellite data backs this up, yesterday 150 fires in thailand, 900+ in cambodia

 

stop the fires stop the pollution

 

 

now all Prayut has to do is put out his own countries fires AND ask Hun Sen to stop their burning!
good luck with that 

 

If Cambodia is the main culprit, then please explain me why the 2.5 p.m. over Cambodia (138) are lower than those in the central area around Bangkok and especially around Ubon Rat.(160),?! It's against the logic.

55 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

There will be a re-negotiation, hopefully resulting in a deal which actually prevents Iran  producing a nuclear bomb. The present deal fails to do that.

Short memory and dreaming!

There was already a "deal", revoked by your Orange-Darling. Obviously he wants to stay in the history books (not Obama). The world will remember him as an extreme, aggressive egomaniac and a wimp.

It seems Johnson and Trump like each other, but Johnson not so much .... in a short time before an election.

14 hours ago, Jessi said:

No I dont dislike everything about Thailand!!! Its Prayut and his junta and what they are doing to the Thai people I dont like.....

The people of Thailand are being treated like mushrooms. "Kept in the dark and fed on B/S" 

 

May I add:  ............  and and how he is/they are treating the "falangs". As in their military job, they like underlings and not the open (critical Western) mind.

On 1/2/2020 at 10:56 AM, FolkGuitar said:

 

Imagine retiring, your friends, family and children etc come for a visit every year, as they have for the past 19 years, and enjoying a lovely garden-spot vacation, happy to see us and happy to have such a delightful place to visit. That's the reality 'we' live in.

Sorry yours is so different.

I guess your "your friends, family and children etc." don't come here in the time between the middle of February until the end of April !

Living not in CM, but not far away of the Northern Myanmar border, we leave our home here between the middle of March until about the end of April. Main reason: smoke. We "endured" it a lot of years. Never again! I yearly fought the fire behind our home on the mountain slope, but we cannot fight the "belief" of the fire making people, not only the hilltribes! The smoke-free time is great. One reason I wouldn't like to leave for ever, except for serious health problems.

I constantly give the advise to family members, friends etc., please never join us here in the North of Thailand in the time between February and the middle of May because of the possible ugly smoke.

11 hours ago, fforest1 said:

100% free plastic bags 100% of the time is the way forward....

OMG, please let brain rain on some special TV-members.

They are only able to think about the short way from the shop to their home. Their sentiment: Protecting the environment is not my problem.

What a pity that you don't have a garden where your neighbors would like to drop their plastic bags .... because "100% free plastic bags 100% of the time is the way forward....".

Let the people pay for the plastic bags - problem solved,  as happened in Germany and other countries. And it works!

It's up to everybody to buy special bags to carry all the different items at home, re. to the car, motorbike or bicycle.  They are usable for a long time. The alternative - paying for the plastic - makes the people thinking what is cheaper. The overwhelming majority of the Germans carry their own bags into the shop. If forgotten, they pay for their own "stupidity". This the right way to reduce the plastic rubbish.

Therefore congratulation on this regulation of the Thai Government (exceptionally)!

4 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Judging by the results of the elections, many Labour supporters now do!

 

As if Corbyn or any of his androids were honest - 555!

but, but ..... "Johnson and his androids" ??? ????

14 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

Not sure what country you are from or what sort of experiences you have had at government offices around the world. What I saw at CM immigration this week was definitely an extremely inefficient way to conduct business, all the more because it’s supposedly peak season. 
Say there’s 100 people wanting to renew their extensions of stay. If you only hand out tickets between 7-8 am, you will have 100 people queuing in that 1 hr. However, if you handed out tickets throughout the morning for say 5 hrs, then you will only have an average of 20 people per hour in that queue. Judging from my observations, I would estimate that about 35 tickets for retirement extensions were handed out. I was ticket 24 and was processed by 11:30. So the remaining 11 tickets would have been processed by early afternoon. That would still leave a couple of hours for the two IO’s to pop over the road for a quick massage I guess, before their workday comes to a close. 

Yes, .... and don't forget  WHY  it goes faster when an agent does your  job. Must have some (dubious) reasons?

I'm very happy that I must not go to the CM IMO. It's already many years reading about the the extreme bureaucratic hassles and many times incompetent behavior in this office. Don't want to use the word s...d .

12 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

You seem, conveniently, to have overlooked a more relevant Wikipedia entry which deals specifically with the EU's perceived "democratic deficit".

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_legitimacy_of_the_European_Union

 

No matter. As we are finally about to escape from the EU's autocratic clutches, the subject has become academic.

 

Regaining our national sovereignty should give us all additional cause for celebration this Christmas.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

The "democratic deficit", you are referring to, is only a small paragraph of the Wiki text. When reading this text you automatically think of (juristic) nitpickers. Such a complicated association of states cannot be free of some irrelevant flaws.

But compared with the EU, the Brexit-land has a much stronger deficit, a completely undemocratic election system. If the Labour Party wins all 650 constituencies - each by 1 vote - you have 650 LP-members in your parliament, and none of the other parties. People with some brain in their heads name it  "democratic deficit"  !

Good luck with your national sovereignty. For the PiS in Poland the economic advantage seems to be more important than "losing sovereignty", as you name it.