ThailandRyan

I started wearing a mask around 2010 as we had moved to BKK from Udon. Saw it regularly in Bangkok because of the PM 2.5 issues and that was just one reason I know they were worn and why we wore them. The other reason they were worn, and still are worn, is because of the exhaust from the cars and motorcycles. As I walk the streets or ride my bike this has also made it a necessity. I never said anywhere i my posts that I want everyone to wear one, so please do not put words in my posts which were never written. Uncommon for you to see people wearing masks as you probably never paid much attention to what was going on around you and you just ignored it. It wasn't until the mask mandates came in that people started to complain and bellyache.....My view is different then your and we will agree to disagree on that point. Continue to misquote me and you will not be given the time of day again. Plenty of studies and articles to prove mask wearing in Asia was common prior to Covid. Enjoy your weekend.

Niece in the US, who is 24, still has not regained her sense of smell nor taste. She was a collegiate swimmer, but now can not take in full deep breaths either. Now dealing with depression as her life has changed and she has to find a work around for daily life.

Yet they were worn, and it is something folks deny. It gets old having to prove that masks were worn here in Asia versus the rest of the world before Covid. Moving on. I wear one to protect myself when out and about in large crowds, or when shopping. Most food vendors are wearing them still, as well as restaurant employees. In fact the movie theatre employee's were wearing them again today when we went to see a movie as well as most of those watching the movie, well the ones not stuffing popcorn into there mouths.

You want to hang your hat on that one.... https://theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-masks-from-the-17th-century-plague-to-the-ongoing-coronavirus-pandemic-142959 A century of Chinese mask-wearing Similarly, in China, mask-wearing has a long history. A pneumonic plague epidemic in China in 1910-11 sparked widespread mask-wearing there. After the Communists came to power in 1949, there was intense fear of germ warfare, leading many to wear masks. In the 21st century, the SARS epidemic intensified mask-wearing, as did the smog that blanketed many Chinese cities. The Chinese government urged its citizens to protect themselves against pollution by wearing masks. During the COVID-19 epidemic, some of the first people in Canada to wear masks were people with ties to Asia, who were already accustomed to the practice of masking.

You have been banging on about this for years, and you have been proven wrong over and over again. Asian country's have worm mask for decades prior to Covid, going all the way back to the early 1900's. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/east-asian-countries-face-masks-before-covid_l_5f63a43fc5b61845586837f4 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culture-shocked/202005/why-was-mask-wearing-popular-in-asia-even-covid-19 It was already customary for Asians to wear a mask to protect others when they were sick, so wearing a mask was a given for them during the recent Covid-19 outbreak.

You best do some research. Many articles out there to prove your view as disinformation. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/east-asian-countries-face-masks-before-covid_l_5f63a43fc5b61845586837f4 “Because of the custom of wearing masks here, it wasn’t necessary for the government to mandate mask wearing for a long time because the public had already widely adopted their use,” said Ria Sinha, a senior research fellow at the Center for the Humanities and Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. (Sinha is currently directing a COVID-19 archive project.) There’s a long history of East Asian countries masking up. Just as the anti-mask movement in America goes back to the 1918-19 flu pandemic (yep, there were protests over government ordinances then, too), so does the East Asian inclination to wear a mask.

Yet in a speech given DeSantis will look at pardoning all of those convicted. What has the world come to when people who commit crimes get to walk free after being part of an insurrection to overthrow an elected government.

I feel sad for all of the ethnic groups in Myanmar. This is turning into a humanitarian crisis.

Playing to the MAGA base and not realizing he is dividing the country even further. A crime is a crime. There was no weaponization to prosecute these people.

Globe

You can buy any uniform you like at many shops which sell them. They never check to see your credentials. Walked in with my now former BIL into a shop selling unforms. He needed a few new one, and told the lady what he needed and wanted. She took his measurements and we waited while she altered the uniforms to fit him. Never once asked who he was. Good thing he was a real RTP Lt. Colonel.......................

It will definitely be a hard hit to the US Economy, paychecks for SS recipients, the folks on welfare, and then the global impact will reverberate around the globe should the US Default. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/how-us-debt-default-impacts-me-economy-social-security-rcna82525 Wells Fargo economists said in a note to clients last week that even if a payment prioritization plan were implemented, such a plan "would be entirely experimental and would still come with a litany of legal, technical, economic and political challenges." "The economic impact of a default is highly uncertain since that has never happened previously, but economic modeling suggests the fallout could be quite severe," they wrote.

He isn't wrong in his view. The leading party in the coalition should have the PM come from inside the ranks and then the house speaker should also be from that group as well. That is generally how democracy works.

Bung

Rose colored glasses must have been worn by those that thought China would move at warp speed as its economy re-opened. With businesses leaving the country and heading to Thailand, Vietnam and a few others as well as the silence in the building industry one has to wonder whether or not real data has ever been shared outside of the country. This part of the link I read caught my attention. "For example, Wall Street's assumption of 5% GDP growth would suggest corporate revenue growth of 8%, but it rose by 1.5% in the first quarter. In fact, corporate revenue is slower than GDP in 20 of the country's 28 sectors, and the MSCI China stock index down 15% from a January peak, he added" That to me shows that the information the initial assumptions and numbers were drawn from were faulty. But what do I know as I am not an economist, or a business individual, I just look at things on the face value I see. Pretty interesting article, well in my view at least.

Following Trumps lead seems to be taking more and more people down the tubes. A sad state of affairs when these people have been conned into believing the mans rhetoric. Can't wait t see if the prediction of her becoming his running mate become a reality.

Seems that Trump is now facing a second defamation suit by Ms. Carroll. The man just can not seem to shut his trap and walk away from anything. E. Jean Carroll adds Trump’s post-verdict remarks to defamation case - POLITICO E. Jean Carroll adds Trump’s post-verdict remarks to defamation case She is seeking at least $10 million more in a second lawsuit against the former president.

Expansion

Shock and awe. Feel sorry for the defense minister as his dreams of submarines and now hi end planes evaporate....

Sting

Trump seems to have now lost a Mega Donor which wont be helping him fund his defense funds as he heads into the next several lawsuits against him Donald Trump Megadonor Abandons Him As He Predicts Collapse in Support (newsweek.com) Hal Lambert, founder and CEO of Texas-based Point Bridge Capital, said he wants to "do a lot to help DeSantis win" amid strong speculation the Florida governor will confirm his presidential campaign in the coming days. Lambert, who set up an exchange-traded fund named after the former president's Make America Great Again 2016 campaign slogan, MAGA ETF, and previously served on Trump's inaugural committee in 2016, told the New York Post that he decided to back DeSantis after meeting with him and wife in Florida three weeks ago. Lambert said he was also put off by Trump's recent CNN town hall, where the former president continued to falsely claim the 2020 Election was "rigged."

33c sunny and humid. Weather station at the house here says it feels like 41 right now. No rain on the horizon and just blue sky. Had a report from a friend in BKK that they got hit hard with rain yesterday but today it is Sunny and warm.....Not the rainy season I remember from years past.

Makes perfect sense now with your new update. The developer wants to ensure he is protected if things were to go south and wants to be indemnified. Thank you for the update.

Yom....

........Herring