Moonlover

I have just read a BBC report on the devastating 'wildfires' taking place in South Korea. And here's a quote from the SK government. 'The government also promised to strengthen enforcement against illegal burning -one of the main causes of wildfires'. If the news media and government officials take that view, then so will I. I prefer their interpretation rather than one individual's pedanticness.

For years I was wondering why my transfers were slow, sometimes the next day, whilst many others were reporting instant transfers. I finally cracked it. I had been using 'funds for long term stay' as my reason and, apparently that is what was causing the delay. Once I switched to 'personal expenses' 99% of my transfers have been instantaneous. Apparently 'funds for property purchase' will also slow down a transfer, although I've never tried it.

My wife had a broken tooth just recently. After asking around the village, she settled on the dentist in the local, small town hospital who simply yanked it out. It's the village economy class solution I'm told. I don't think she's too fussed about getting a replacement fitted. It's upper right and out of view. And as @JimGant said it isn't going to affect her dining ability. She's 62 years now and amazingly this was the first dental procedure she's ever had. Not even a filling! Not a bad run.

Oh I can certainly imagine just how useful these would be. But as I mentioned in my post, I'm 79 now, I don't think I'll at the front of the queue should they ever hit the high street stores, IF they ever do!

At 79 years I'm not even going to think about whether my smartphone will become obsolete. But I certainly wouldn't want to be without it nowadays. From banking to shopping lists, E books to logic games, translator to news portaI, find it oh so useful. Just about the only thing I don't do with my smartphone is make phone calls!

A fire that is out of control is a wildfire, even if it was started on purpose. Ask any Californian fire fighter.

Yes, exactly so. We're in Sakon Nakhon where we very rarely see the AQ level above 'moderate' and usually it's even lower. But today we're seeing 'very unhealthy' at 214 and there isn't even any burning going in this region. However a glance at the satellite map reveals all. Just look at Laos! And we've a steady air from that direction for a few days now, so our bad air is undoubtedly imported.

It's an acquired taste @Cameroni. I thought the same when I first went to live in Cyprus, But I soon did acquire the taste and loved it from there on in. If you can't find a suitable outlet where you live @Jaymatheson, why not make your own. Both the coffee and the the little coffee pot are both available on Lazada and you can make it just as you like it.

Ok, so maybe you're having difficulty with the sequence of events. Dutch man runs around hotel naked. Falls down stairs and then absconds to his room. Authorities catch up with him there and persuade him to don some shorts. Then a photo is taken showing that he's now wearing said shorts. No justification for you to slag off the headline as 'just another attention grabbing headline'.

Got a reading problem have you @Sierra Tango.

What makes people choose to live in bad air? Generally speaking people don't choose to live in bad air. People create bad air and then live in it because they have little choice.

Yes there is: https://en.thaitobacco.or.th

Heart failure maybe? It happens, even in youngsters. Best wait for the autopsy report rather than indulge in meaningless speculation.

I'm sure that one can draw up equally long lists for cigarettes and alcohol. Or even walking down the street during periods of poor air quality.

I take a peek out of an upstairs window and have a look to see whether I can see the peaks of the Phu Pha Yon hills, 15kms away. If I can see them, the air is good. If I can't the air is not so good. 90% of the time, the air is good so that suits me just fine. PS. I still have memories of London's winter smog when I was a kid, when one had to careful not to bump into a lamp post when walking down the street. Thailand, not even Bangkok can bear comparison with that!

Nonsense. It is not even a government petition. Even if half the population signed it, it would never be debated in parliament.

And what do you make of this then? Thailand's massive floating solar farm. https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=large+flowing+solar+farm+in+thailand&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:58fa7bba,vid:vsz0yZJdGIs,st:0

Thanks for the tip. I did have a look and in quite a large area between Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom, there are only 4 fires, none of them close to where we live. BUT, when I take a look at Laos it looks as if the whole country's alight! And the is a light easterly wind blowing right now. So I'm going to blame them. I've lived in this area for 8 years and I spend a lot of time out in the countryside. The reduction in field burning has been very noticeable, mainly due to mechanization. Tractors and combine harvesters rule the fields nowadays.

There is no burning going in our area and hasn't been for some time. It is now actively discouraged in fact.

It's a weather related phenomenon. There's a high pressure region hovering over central Thailand which tends to trap pollutants. High atmospheric pressure, often associated with stable weather conditions, can lead to increased air pollution because it creates stagnant air, preventing pollutants from dispersing and allowing them to accumulate at ground level.

Yes, I'm in agreement with you, this is quite unusual. There are high readings throughout the country. We even have 'unhealthy air' up here in Sakon Nakhon, which is very rare. There is apparently a high pressure region hanging over central Thailand just now which according to Google AI: 'High atmospheric pressure, often associated with stable weather conditions, can lead to increased air pollution because it creates stagnant air, preventing pollutants from dispersing and allowing them to accumulate at ground level'. I agree, it will pass soon, so don't panic @Harrisfan

A quote directly from the BBC report: 'With Heathrow being such a busy and important airport for passenger journeys and global trade, questions are being asked whether it has back-up systems in the event of power cuts. The BBC understands that Heathrow does back up power for its key systems, but kickstarting these alternative power supplies for the whole airport takes time. A source says it isn’t possible to switch the power back on immediately. And even once the power is back one, there are countless systems which need to be rebooted and checked to ensure they are working properly and are stable'. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cly24zvvwxlt

Wise has to care where the money is coming from because they are required to do so by the regulatory institutes. Just like banks they required to report any suspicious activities. One factor that I note from the O/Ps post is that he kept a large sum of money, 'over 5 figures of assets' in his account. (What ever that means) Why I wonder? Wise is set up to transfer money, not as a depository. That's what banks are for. It's that sort of unusual activity that the regulars are likely to pick up on. I only deposit money into my Wise account when I wish to make a transfer and it is usually only there for as long as it takes to complete that transfer, a matter of minutes. That's what Wise does and they are very good at it and I'm happy to continue using them.

No he did not pay 20,000 THB for the honey. He bought the honey at a convenience store and I don't quite see what the connection is. Still pretty dumb of course and when I look at his photograph, he doesn't seem to have a serious weight issue anyway. He's 63, which doesn't make him particularly old, but there is a pertinent saying: 'There's no fool like an old fool'.

In what way has Wise been declining?