xylophone

I have a small Nokia flip phone which fulfils all of my needs because I only need it for telephone calls and messages. I have a laptop at home with a nice big screen and keyboard on which I do the great percentage of my work/leisure stuff (emails), and that suits me just fine. I don't want my emails following me around, as I've seen what it does to families whereby, as an example, a family of four eating at a restaurant will all be looking at their smart phones, making conversation just about redundant, and not only that, I believe it's ignorant. Just recently a friend persuaded me to look at some smart phones and I tried to find a small one, but the only one which fitted the description of "small" was the new Apple iPhone 12 (I think), which was very expensive, and not only that the keyboard was small for my fat fingers. There are over 1 billion mobile phones in the world which are not the smart phone variety, so it would appear that somebody likes them, as well as me. So, and this is not a trick question, can you please advise me of a small pocket sized smart phone, that will do the trick, despite my fat fingers and fading eyesight. Having said all of that, I will switch it off whilst I am out and about, and only activate it when I need to comply with some government regulation or another.

Wrong..............the largest meta-analysis study paper was published on that website and was later found to be inaccurate and despite being copied/shared on several other publications, it was withdrawn. This has been posted on here and elsewhere, so take a look. Also the fact that research papers are published on Pubmed doesn't mean that they are the definitive article as Pubmed itself states. "Larger trials will be needed to confirm these preliminary findings". Note: preliminary findings. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

BUT........the Ivermectin proponents undying devotion to this anti-parasitic drug will use this as a positive, pointing out its birth control capabilities!!!!!! You can't cure stupid!

This is an interesting read and IMO gets to the root of the Ivermectin misinformation....... How Ivermectin Took Over the COVID Skeptic Internet https://slate.com/technology/2021/09/ivermectin-covid-misinformation-social-media-grift.html Ivermectin: the latest unproven COVID treatment to blow up the internet. It’s an anti-parasitic used to treat things like river blindness and lice in humans and, quite commonly, worms and other parasites in horses, cows, and dogs. While there are some clinical trials examining ivermectin as a potential treatment for COVID-19, none have suggested that it reduces the disease. One analysis that touted it as an effective treatment had to be withdrawn for ethical reasons. How did Ivermectin catch people’s attention online as a COVID cure? I first heard about Ivermectin a couple of months ago.

Problem being that papers like this published have been discredited one way or another............ Misleading clinical evidence and systematic reviews on ivermectin for COVID-19. Different websites (such as https://ivmmeta.com/, https://c19ivermectin.com/, https://tratamientotemprano.org/estudios-ivermectina/, among others) have conducted meta-analyses with ivermectin studies, showing unpublished colourful forest plots which rapidly gained public acknowledgement and were disseminated via social media, without following any methodological or report guidelines. These websites do not include protocol registration with methods, search strategies, inclusion criteria, quality assessment of the included studies nor the certainty of the evidence of the pooled estimates. Prospective registration of systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis protocols is a key feature for providing transparency in the review process and ensuring protection against reporting biases, by revealing differences between the methods or outcomes reported in the published review and those planned in the registered protocol. These websites show pooled estimates suggesting significant benefits with ivermectin, which has resulted in confusion for clinicians, patients and even decision-makers. This is usually a problem when performing meta-analyses which are not based in rigorous systematic reviews, often leading to spread spurious or fallacious findings.36 Concluding, research related to ivermectin in COVID-19 has serious methodological limitations resulting in very low certainty of the evidence, and continues to grow.37–39 The use of ivermectin, among others repurposed drugs for prophylaxis or treatment for COVID-19, should be done based on trustable evidence, without conflicts of interest, with proven safety and efficacy in patient-consented, ethically approved, randomised clinical trials. https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2021/05/26/bmjebm-2021-111678 AND with another published paper: Larger trials will be needed to confirm these preliminary findings. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

And one of the links starts with:- There is solid medical and scientific evidence that the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks. Despite this, there have been concerns about the safety of vaccines for as long as they have been available in the U.S. This page will explain past vaccine safety concerns, how they have been resolved, and what we have learned. The other two cover the same thing. Vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives and freedom from debilitating illnesses, so I will follow the advice of the VAST MAJORITY of the medical profession, not not the fear mongers and conspiracy theorists.

Since I was a young boy, I have taken care of myself one way or another, especially as I was a bit of an "outcast" in the very poor family into which I was adopted, as I think they regretted that decision when their second child came along. Never mind I was perfectly happy being my own boy even at the age of seven, and I never really needed anybody, and that has stayed with me all of my life. The worst mistake I made was getting married when I was 30, mainly because "it seemed to be the right thing to do", however it lasted only three years, mainly because I need my space, and my wife at the time wanted everything her way, so we parted. She was well looked after despite putting nothing into the house. I am able to cook, sew, clean and do everything around the house that a woman could, and I never get lonely, in fact I enjoy my space, apart from the times when I will phone a mate to catch up for a drink or lunch or similar, just to break the monotony. I have a few lady friends who will gladly visit and undertake a massage and anything else I desire, so life is never boring, although it is borderline boring at this time with Covid around the place. I did spend five years with a lovely Thai lady here, and her young daughter, however the urge to want to be on my own was too strong to ignore, so we parted ways and I made sure she was financially secure. Not only that, I have unofficially adopted her Thai daughter and have taken care of all her needs financially for the past 10 years or more. I'm happy with life on my own and I can't see that changing, although I'm now 74 and there may come a time when I will need someone around the place to help out, but until that time I will remain single and loving it!

With all of the practice they've had, they should have mastered the art of lying by now.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/30/politics/covid-19-deaths-conservative-radio/index.html Som nam na.................................idiots.

You could add stupidity to that last sentence, and one thing that has always amazed me here is the fact that there are U-turns prevalent on dual carriageways, whereby one has to be in the fast lane if one wants to slow down to turn into the other carriageway. Why is this?? Because Thais are not capable of using a roundabout because........I'll leave it to your imagination.

So do Thai drivers!!!

Stupidity here knows no bounds.

Not sure of the point you're trying to put across, however IMO there is a great deal of difference between someone stopping because you are standing on a kerb, and someone driving past you when you are already on a zebra crossing – – something I have had happen to be on a number of occasions!

I have mentioned this before, because I don't believe that a lot of Thais know the significance of the zebra crossing (as we call it) and that they are supposed to slow down and stop when someone is on it. Add to that the fact that there are many unlicensed/untrained drivers out there and you have a recipe for disaster. Many's the time I have been on a zebra crossing and spied a car coming towards me, so have slowed down, only to find that the car totally ignores me and carries on through. I have had to warn countless visitors here that they should not treat the zebra crossings in Thailand as they treat them in their own country, because drivers here really don't know what to do with them, or give a toss.

That's quite a substantial decrease, and I have recently used that hospital and also commented on the high costs, for example I queried a cost of over 20,000 baht for a cystoscopy, and it was reduced, but not by much. Just a few years ago I met with Dr Art and he suggested I had a colonoscopy as he wanted to have a look around inside, so we booked the appointment for for a week henceforth. I asked him for a quote there and then and he stated a price of 12,000 baht. I went through the procedure and he wasn't in his room when I finished, so I went to pay the bill and was presented with a bill for 20,000 baht, which surprised me no end. So I asked why it was so high and the receptionist asked if I had insurance, and I said that I was paying myself, so she consulted someone else and they produced another bill which was reduced, and when I also stated that that Dr Art had quoted a basic price of 12,000 baht, this again caused quite a bit of consternation and paper shuffling between the staff, and they eventually presented me with a revised bill which came out to around 15,000 baht, but that included a few extras, and I was happy to pay it. Every time they ask if I have insurance and I tell them no, but they must have it on file that I do have insurance as I used it once in the past for an inpatient procedure. Now when I visit, I endeavour to buy the medicines from outside, however at the moment they can only be bought at the hospital so I'm pretty well stuck paying exorbitant prices at the hospital.

Good point and not easy to answer, because wines 10% ABV or under are taxed lower, and also fruit wines fall into another tax bracket because they have a min of 15% of fruit juice added............at least I think that is how it works!!! This wine is made by De Bortoli in the Riverlands region which produces vast quantities of cheap every day BBQ type wine, so would be interested in your opinion.

I think there are two different procedures being discussed here: one being prostate removal surgery which can have severe outcomes because of nerve and bladder damage and which was more prevalent before the da Vinci Robotic surgery machine came into being, which at the hands of a skilled operator can alleviate many of the older problems. Then there is the TURP procedure which basically "reams" out the overgrown tissue INSIDE of the prostate and leaves the prostate intact, to all intents and purposes. I posted regarding the outcomes, however BritManToo has miscalculated the results so I suggest you do some of your own research.

Your figures are wrong.

There are very different potential outcomes between a TURP and having a prostate removed. The extract below shows that there is a very small percentage of men who suffer from the side-effects of TURP surgery, whereas prostate removal surgery is a whole different ballgame, and therein lies the problem because impotence and incontinence can result, but with "nerve sparing" surgery done by an experienced surgeon the chances of these side-effects are lessened somewhat. Unfortunately before the da Vinci machine came to be, prostate removal was a bit of a lottery and many men suffered because of it. Nowadays it's a better option using that machine, but I think we are confusing two separate subjects, one being the treatment for BPH with a TURP or similar, and one for prostate removal. Conclusions: TURP had no negative impact on erectile function in contrast to ejaculatory function. Of the 109 patients with good erectile function in pre-TURP, 5.8% reported a worsening of erectile function after TURP. Among the 136 patients with ED moderate/mild pre-TURP 3.7% reported a worsening in the post-TURP, 16.2% reported an improvement, while 9.5% stopped any sexual activity. In 3.7% of the cases a complete ED was reported after TURP, while a decline of libido and sexual satisfaction was detected in all patients with worsening of sexual function. Retrograde ejaculation was observed in 48% of those sexually active after TURP. Particular attention has to be paid to the psychological aspects, both before surgery and in the postoperative period, which may become an important factor in the decline of sexual activity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25847889/

I did post this before but here it is again for those who may not have seen it..........it is a really good video on prostate surgery and options.

Despite an increasing age (55% of patients are older than 70), the associated morbidity of TURP maintained at a low level (<1%) with a mortality rate of 0-0.25%. The major late complications are urethral strictures (2.2-9.8%) and bladder neck contractures (0.3-9.2%). The retreatment rate range is 3-14.5% after five years. Conclusions: TURP still represents the gold standard for managing benign prostatic hyperplasia with decreasing complication rates. Technological alternatives such as bipolar and laser treatments may further minimize the risks of this technically difficult procedure.

That was a "mis-stated" part of the original report which is covered in this........... Why You Shouldn't Trust Anyone Who Claims over 80 Percent of America's Drugs Come From China A misleading statistic has made the rounds. But it’s based on a misreading of a government report https://reason.com/2020/04/06/why-you-shouldnt-trust-anyone-who-claims-80-percent-of-americas-drugs-come-from-china/

Why You Shouldn't Trust Anyone Who Claims over 80 Percent of America's Drugs Come From China A misleading statistic has made the rounds. But it’s based on a misreading of a government report https://reason.com/2020/04/06/why-you-shouldnt-trust-anyone-who-claims-80-percent-of-americas-drugs-come-from-china/ The answer is that over half of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used to make “American drugs” are made in China and India, with more coming from China. The fact is that most finished prescription drugs sold in U.S. pharmacies are manufactured in facilities located all over the world, but very few in China.Mar 5, 2563 BE https://medium.com › pharmacychecker › which-u-s-medi.

That's good to know, but from all of the research I've done I would go with the Urolift procedure, IF it was my prostate playing up!

Thanks for your good wishes, however I don't think it has anything to do with my TURP procedure of many years ago, because it was over 10 years ago and I was peeing fine until about a month or so ago, and I don't know what has caused this, and nor does the urologist, however I think it's a different situation with regards to what you are experiencing now. The meds like doxazosin and others will relax the prostate and bladder muscles, however the overriding situation is that your prostate is enlarging, and the meds probably won't stop that, just ease the situation with it, until it becomes basically unmanageable. As I said earlier, if my situation was purely about the prostate enlarging, and thereby restricting the urine flow, then my first option would be the Urolift, even if it meant going to the likes of Dubai (or Australia, or the USA) to have it done, and the universally tried and trusted procedure of the TURP would be the next option (again). In the main the TURP operation works for the vast majority of men, with just a few experiencing some side-effects, and retrograde ejaculation is probably the main one (in a small percentage of men I may add), however it doesn't stop the "enjoyment" of sex, it just means that the semen flows back into the bladder rather than out of the end of the penis, which doesn't feel any different, but is less messy!! As for me, well I'm searching for ways and means to get the bladder working again, but it's a long hard road at the moment. I would be happy if it was just a prostate problem, but it doesn't seem to be.