Proboscis

On 4/6/2021 at 6:50 PM, vandeventer said:

On again off again?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QaPCx0U7Go

 

Not sure how the video is relevant to the supply which, despite the questions about extremely rare blood clotting that might be involved, still does not affect the extreme shortage of the AstraZenica vaccine and other vaccines in Asia, Africa, India and Europe. I have not tallied up all the vaccinations so far but we are probably looking at well under a billion people vaccinated right now and there are 7.8 billion human beings on the planet. At this rate, we may not get near herd immunity (70%) before 2025, if ever.

4 hours ago, PFMills said:

He will probably buy anything he can get his hands on as it appears something went wrong in the initial ordering process 

AstraZenica is currently is such demand that supplies are only available through its Indian manufacturer and distributed in Asia through the GAVI/COVAX program.

I have studied epidemics and I have never heard that a curfew has even the slightest effect. Nor is there any theoretical basis for this policy. It is as if they believe that the virus steals around only at night and not during daylight hours!

17 hours ago, TooBigToFit said:

Does swindler here translate to 'wife'?

 

She reminds me of the Catch me if you can guy.

 

Except that man did not swindle individuals out of their savings and impoverish them.

7 hours ago, stephenterry said:

Mushroom farming season???

Well they are used to being kept in the dark and having sh@t thrown at them!

4 hours ago, rosst said:

Yes, cry for the Muslim Uigers and Rohingyer and the lovely Taliban, all the religion of peace 

You have got me there. A bit like writing. "Cry for the Christians killed for their religion and the lovely Spanish Inquisition, all the religion of peace."

11 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Supposedly it is possible for dogs to catch covid. And if they are constantly sniffing covid infected people it stands to reason they could become infected in doing their job. so, are these dogs regularly tested ? And is it possible to be infected with covid by a covid infected covid sniffer dog ? 

It is possible for a dog to be infected by corona virus and that is why they are vaccinated against canine corona virus. Yes, really. Such a vaccine has been around for some time. The corona virus that infects them seems to cause severe gastro problems, apparently.

I would imagine that if scientists believe that covid-19 or its various variants could jump species from human to dog, they would consider vaccinating dogs, especially those in so-called "front-line" situations. But remember, dogs operate at between foot and knee level and generally stay far enough away from the faces of strangers.

4 hours ago, robertson468 said:

Normally I find Morgan's strong attitude and expressed views unpalatable, however, in broad terms I agee with him.  Several statements Harry and Megan have made make me cringe.  He said all that he had when he left UK was what he had inherited from his Mother.  What he failed to say was that that amounted to over £10 million, that it was topped up by a further £4 million and that she has about £3.5 million.  Poor didums them - so broke!  She also complained that someone mentioned their son may have evidence of colour in him.  Well, hello, Granny is definately coloured and presumaby his Mummy has some in her DNA and what is wrong with that?  Are they ashamed that the Boy might have a smidgen of colour evident, instead of being proud of his heritage.  I also cannot help but think that Harry was a highly popular and successful young Army Officer - sure he got up to high jinks, but don't all young people to one degree or another?  But along comes this Actress and all of a suddent Harry changes and anyone who is anyone dares to criticise them is the Devil Incarnate.  They say they want privacy and to be left alone by the Media, so what do they do.  They go on not one, but two of America's most popular shows to complain about how badly they have been done by.  They also expect free protection services, paid by the UK tax payer and their little boy to be appointed a Prince forthwith.  It was their decision to leave UK, so Protection is your responsibility and as for the Boy becoming a Prince, there is a protocol for that to happen and he is no where near the age to be appointed a Prince, which Harry knows well! 

As for some of the American Wokes and I include Biden in that, saying how brave they are is unbelievable and I believe that our Prime Minister should not arrange for him and his Wife to be fetted at the Palace by the Queen when they come to the UK, due to his insulting comment about our Royal Family.

It makes me so glad that years and years ago I decided to be a republican (in the sense that I don't agree with monarchy).

That said, what the British tabloids and Morgan have done is make me feel sorry for Meghan and Harry. Had they stopped writing about them, we would all have forgotten about them.

14 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Just like Prison industries for the California Department of Corrections has been doing for years.  Making stuff for the State.

Not just California - many American penitenaries are selling the labour of their inmates for cash, making those inmates forced labour in contravention of slave labour laws at home and abroad. 

On 2/26/2021 at 3:24 PM, Jeffr2 said:

That was Trump, probably taking suggestions from his Jewish son in law Jared. Time for the US to stop treating Israel like the 51st state.

Apparently, back when Bill Clinton was President, he was heard to say something like, "Is he the leader of the biggest power on Earth or am I?" The person he said it about was the then Prime Minister of Israel and, yes, you guessed it, it was Bibi Netanyahu even back then. The man who treats the US as his own second country.

On 2/25/2021 at 7:26 AM, Tug said:

Well yea backward nation 

Well, the USA assasinated an Iranian general in a third country when there was no state of war between the USA and Iran. So, perhaps all that can be argued over here is methodology of murder.

All Biden can argue is that there is a new broom at the White House. In these hereditory monarchies in the Middle East, this matters for nothing.

However, what is different is that the World is changing for these Middle Eastern power elites. Just as the PM of the UAE cannot hide the fact that he victimizes his daughters because they want an education, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia cannot escape being seen to be responsible for ordering the beastiality of killing and hacking up a man in another country just because he did not like his opinions.

One of the nuggets mentioned on the BBC World Service was that the private jet used to fly in the kill and dismember team had been one of the assets confiscated from one of the rich billionaires who had been held in the hotel by the Crown Prince in his shakedown of the corrupt. Using a confiscated plane to run a murder in another country hardly covers him in glory!

13 hours ago, darksidedog said:

If he didn't have the money and he knew he didn't have it, I am surprised he didn't get an agent to do it for him.

Immigration have their rules, which you have to respect at the end of the day, whether you agree with them or not.

If there weren't a visa amnesty he wouldn't be being offered any new visa at all.

Man! You have been in Asia too tooooo long. In one sentence you suggest that the retiree game the system illegally by paying an agent to front up the money for him but in the next sentence you say that "immigration have their rules which you have to respect at the end of the day." You gave me the best laugh of the week, mate. Thanks!!

6 hours ago, hotchilli said:

She should send him some pictures of her and another "handsome man" 

That indeed would be silly as it would mean she would lose everything. She needs to be able to show that she has done nothing wrong.

Soon to be exhusband is probably telling everyone she left to be with her other man - it is a Trump-style move in that you tell everyone the lie and keep repeating it so that eventually at least some people believe it.

On 2/22/2021 at 8:26 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

You need to be more specific about Malaysia. Some areas are ( or were ) just as fundamentalist as Saudi, IMO.

 

I get my knowledge of Saudi from living there.

 

As for the woman in question the phrase "her tempestuous relationship with her father" may have more to do with the situation than life in general in Dubai. Dubai is/ was one of the more liberal emirates, and quite unlike the more fundamentalist ones. Expats liked it as it had a more western life style, though western liberal excess would not be looked on favourably. I have visited the emirates more than once.

The concern I have is that the tempestuous relationship that a woman of 35 years old has with her father results in her being put in a private prison and because her father is head of a dictatorial state (meaning that he alone says what goes in that state), no one can question his actions.

I too have visited the Emirates often enough to see past the so-called "liberal" fascade. I know of people who ended up in jail in Dubai because of a business deal that went West and the opposite side was connected. I also know that the cultural attitude to women is terrible, yes not as barbaric as in Saudi but terrible nontheless. Yes, I have signed relatively small deals in Dubai where everything was done on a handshake and there were absolutely no problems. But it is a place where it is easy to be hoodwinked, just as former President Robinson was.

21 hours ago, Whale said:

But did Tesla buy all that bitcoin just to push up the price? Are his actions and words just part of Tesla's investment strategy.

Here is the question: is he talking about money/Bitcoin as investments or as something you use for your normal monetary needs?

Of course he is talking about investments. What he does not say (probably because he has skin in the game) is that while money (in the form of tradeable currencies) is relatively stable while bitcoin is highly volitile.

Yes, go ahead and play the game and put some money into Bitcoin if you must but don't be stupid and put in money that you cannot afford to lose. And certainly do not borrow to invest in Bitcoin. In fact, you should never borrow to invest like that. Borrow to buy a home, sure. But not financial assets as an investment.

5 hours ago, mlmcleod said:

In the muslim world, women are expected to be obedient!  Any dissent is considered to be mentally disturbed deviant behavior.  Her role is merely to be a mother and breed male babies.  The livestock has more value than a female !

I would love to know where you get your knowledge of what you call "the Muslim World." There are plenty of countries where muslim women are NOT expected to act in this way or are not treated in this way. Iran, Iraq (before it was messed up), Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. In these countries, education is open to women and they do not have to be subservient to their fathers once they reach adulthood.

15 hours ago, WineOh said:

Keep diggin yer own grave, Thailand.

 

You are about as attractive a destination to the average westerner now as Syria. 

I would have thought that in the teeth of a pandemic with a large chunk of the economy shut, that the government would find something better to do than worry about a profession that is, by definition, not suitable for Thais anyway.

11 hours ago, Credo said:

It's quite sad that people would think that this is being done to punish them.   It's done to keep an entire nation from possibly suffering.   

One needs to know that hundred of thousands haven't been able to have a proper funeral for their loved ones.   He did and the price is 10 days.   I am sure many would give more for a real farewell to family and loved ones.   

The other took a long deserved holiday.  Her price is also 10 days.  Hundreds of thousands haven't been able to go on a holiday.  Her 10 days is not too high a price.  

 

Well they could be Australian in which case they would be left to languish somewhere abroad, often with no money, away from family, home and sources of income because Australian government was only letting in so many people per day.

Everyone has a tough story. It is a bit like World War Two in that respect. People who lost loved ones. Others who lost jobs. Some died. Many left with what appear to be life-long morbidities (what people call "long covid.")

We ought not to get into the misery comparisson business but for a young and seemingly healthy man in the picture and others who claims to be "punished" should consider that others are having it much worse. After two weeks his solitary confinement will be over. If he cannot pay, the debt will most likely be registered against him. If he cannot get a job immediately he will be able to register bankrupt and ultimately get on with his life - reason for bankruptcy = covid will be very common. He may struggle to get a job immediately but in six months the economy will open up again. For many who died or who have been made disabled by this virus, the economy will never open up for them again.

6 hours ago, HashBrownHarry said:

I thought she escaped, why on earth would she return?

 

Where did you watch the doco?

I think you are a little behind in your information. She did escape withe the help of some foreigners and some Dubai/Emirati special forces kidnapped her and her friends off the coast of India on a boat. I use the word kidnapped because that is what it was. She has been held in a villa, really a jail, ever since.