Loeilad

The environmental impact....

One of the worst problems with TCM is the dependence or rather obsession with gathering ingredients from the wild - and of course the rarer the ingredient the more efficacious it is supposed to be.

We all know about tiger bones, bear bile, ivory and Rhino horn (did you know about ivory??) but TCM pillages ingredients from all over - in particular endangered species of all the kingdoms, plant animal and fungi.

Much TCM has been found to be made up of or contain traces of animals that are endangered and trade-restricted. CITES is particularly concerned about TCM’s role in the

The most obvious would be tiger or rhino parts but this is only the tip of the iceberg - TCM is not just endangering animals but also PLANTS all over the world, species after species is being brought to the edge of extinction to supply and industry that has no benefit to its customers whatsoever.

In the west where TCM is seen as an “alternative” medicine practitioners realise that there market comprises largely of those with “alternative” lifestyles and therefore issue statement deploring the use of Rhino and Tiger parts, but conveniently ignore the use of endangered flora and the fact that the belief in TCM is the core of the problem of the proliferation of the illegal trade in flora and fauna in S. E. Asia and places like the USA.

DNA testing is revealing the sordid ingredients used in this industry........

“Some products contained material from animals classified as vulnerable or critically endangered, such as the Asiatic black bear and the Saiga antelope—just as the producers claimed. But often, the medicine also harbored ingredients not mentioned on the packaging, the team reports online today in PLoS Genetics. "For example, a product labeled 100 percent Saiga antelope contained considerable quantities of goat and sheep DNA," - http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2012/04/dangers-chinese-medicine-brought-light-dna-studies

Bottom line TCM is not proven to work at all and is based on theories of "treatment" - developed at a time when people knew nothing about the human body or how it worked at all....and life expectancy then was about 40 years.

I think it would be down to how the police rate this........less work......or the other side??

On 4/7/2016 at 7:54 PM, reggaebkk said:

... I live in the country side and I don't think that people here want to see tigers roaming around... I suggest we park them in the cities where this kind of decisions are made... in the bathroom of the MP whose idea it was, preferably.

I have to say that is a pretty facile comment

On 4/8/2016 at 6:14 AM, LawrenceN said:

This is a good idea. All of the countries with tigers remaining should trade wild tigers regularly to counteract inbreeding. The stocks of wild tigers are too low now to sustain healthy populations. I worked on an eco-tourism project at the edge of Khao Yai National Park a few years back. One of the guides was a "reformed" poacher. He said that when they do see tigers in the wild now, they often show signs of inbreeding, such as kinked tails.

What you say about inbreeding is true, but you can't just get a tiger from anywhere...they have to be the same subspecies and checked for genetic history - you certainly can't just release then into the wild and hope for the best

plenty of scumbags still exploiting tigers and other wildlife in Thailand......

read this

Reduced to Skin & Bones

13 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

Have to say they are correct they have to do as they were told after the unfortunate death of the King. I have not blamed them for that situation also although I recived a months free viewing from them I can see why they may not feel they are responsible for the black outs. They are in a no win situation.

However that aside there programs and films are just on a continuous loop go to sleep watching the maze runner turn the tv on next day and low and behold the maze runner is back on. had enough going down to the very very basic pakadge.  why pay for rubish have all the films sport I ever need via the Internet now. 

Except they have had no such order.....and the channels are still missing

youy might also check out which channels were stopped and which continued........there is no rhyme or reason least of all from the junta.

I contacted True about the absence of Australia plus and Deutche Welle and was told it was down to orders from on high..

" kindly be informed that TrueVisions Group Company has to obey broadcast regulation commanded by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC)."

11 hours ago, kannot said:

Is Myanmar "really" any different? I'd  suspect its  not  just Thailand but much of this entire area like this.

Myanmar doesn't actually even have a work permit system....many neighbouring countries are far easier to set up a legal business in.

The problem with Thailand is that it has a complicated and restrictive set of foreign worker laws which is running side by side with an incredible high level of graft and corruption....this is a very unpleasant recipe.

giving up smoking requires you to adjust to a greater or lesser degree some aspects of your life-style;  one of the main factors in smoking is "oral gratification" - which largely means putting something in your mouth.....many people who give up, put on weight, this is often because instead of a cigarette they pop a snack in their mouth instead.

It's also to do with having something to do with your hands....smokers use a cigarette as an excuse to sit down and do nothing (smoking is used to give off a guise for activity) - people smoke when they drink - partly because they aren't actually doing anything and secondly because the alcohol reduces inhibitions and therefore will power.

If you are aware of these urges you can avoid them or tackle them.

You need to make adjustments in your lifestyle - don't take "smokos" if you haven't got a cigarette or at least something to occupy yourself.

Look at situations where you would normally light up and avoid or modify them so you don't need to fill that gap with a ciggy.

Never believe that you can just have one and stop again later.....

you know when you liked to smoke so don't go there any more - or at least modify your behaviour in those circumstances...

I've been looking at teaching visas/permits lately and quite frankly, I'm shocked; fake degrees (which appear to be ratified by foreign embassies!!), dodgy work permits and visas issued on payment of 20k.....it is quite disgraceful that these people are taking jobs that they are simply not qualified or entitled to. If they are prepared to go that far, what does it say about their general level of honesty?

not on mine............only Al jazeera - No DW, Australia plus etc

On one of the most important days in world history I find that True have taken all their EL and European news stations out of service.

Thailand has millions of visitors and expats who on this day in particular really would like to keep in touch with what is going on in the US.

I simply can't see how this is in any easy compliant with the aims and needs of a country in mourning.

thanks...

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Thailand

See the link I posted.

Yes - I know its from the Thai police but are they contacting the UK police or is it just information regarding Thailand?

Thanks - is this "clearance certificate" from Thailand or the UK?

I'm a little confused.....I'm told by a friend  that if he applies for a B visa in Vientiane he must have a "crime report" but in Savannakhet or Penang this isn't a requirement

he's applying in respect to starting a teaching job.

his passport is UK

I don't understand the significance of this crime report - is it by Thai police or from the UK only? 

Does it apply to ALL teaching jobs e.g. corporate teachers?

I would be hugely skeptical about this discovery too....there are incidents of "isoalted" colonies of these aimals, which don't spread outside a small environment b ut I'd suggest that it is FAR more likely to be misidentification. Just the suggestion that it as "one of the most poisonous arachnids in the world" seems to indicate the scientist is getting carried away. to suggest it cam with prisoners of war over 70 years ago also seems a bit tenuous considering the root by which those poor people came to the area. There are hundreds of types of recluse - they may or may not be seriously venomous, the eyes (6) is the first indicator that they might be a Recluse - the "violin" is not.

1 hour ago, Speedo1968 said:

I have had a centipede bite on my big toe whilst in bed, didn't feel the bite itself but the burning sensation to the whole foot was extreme.

 

Centipedes also leave a readily identifiable "2-prong" bite mark.

There are quite a lot of stinging plants etc that could cause such a thing.

how do I cancel my "B" visa? Won't leaving the country do that?

(it was issued in Vientiane for 3 months extended to one year at Thai immigration)

At the begiinning of December I want to quit my job.

I want to leave the country get a new B visa and then start a new job.

How do I cancel my work permit?

On 1/23/2016 at 1:57 AM, DogNo1 said:

The brown recluse spider causes mayhem in southern California. Its venom can cause long-lasting whelts and a mild sickness for ten days or so. Maybe they are cousins?

no it doesn't.

Yes it is a cousin

Was it really? The Recluse - Mediterranean or the OTHER Brown Recluse are constantly mis-identified - almost all reports turn out to be apocryphal .....e.g. the Brown recluse doesn't exist in California.....yet doctors have misdiagnosed hundreds of bites alleged to be from this creature

"Despite co-occurrence with humans for millennia, there is only a single report of a human fatality linked to a bite from this species, a case report from 2016 in which no spider was captured for a confirmed identification, and in which the victim suffered from an autoimmune disorder" - wiki.

On 1/14/2016 at 5:17 PM, Gulfsailor said:

A friend of mine caught one on Samui and now holds it in a terrarium. That's why I knew about this spider's existence in the first place. And there are also some reports online about people being bit in Thailand.

No he didn't, they don't live in Thailand. Any reports are apocryphal.

...they initially tried to pretend cannabis had something to do with it.....

...shameful......

...scare people off of natural foods, herbs and remedies.....

...sell them artificial concoctions that cost them a fortune...and their lives......

I believe the drug under trial was designed to act on the body's endo-cannabinoid system.

Do you report to Immigration every 90 days?

OR

Do you leave the country every 90 days?

Per his original post, it would appear he does 90 day reports or has them done for him.

"I am working with a company which takes care of all of my visa, 90 day reporting, etc. "

But then he also says:

...so I will not be resigning with my company in March.

Not sure what the point of the post is if he isn't resigning or does he mean he won't be signing a new contract?

Yes - needs clarification....maybe he mens "re-signing"?