Donga

42 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Maybe if by the "world" you mean the small circle of denialists. But in the real world, not so much.

Wind and Solar Are Crushing Fossil Fuels

Record clean energy investment outpaces gas and coal 2 to 1.

Wind and Solar Are Crushing Fossil Fuels - Bloomberg

 

Four year old article, before the limitations of solar and wind dawned and the Europeans have increased Russian gas supply and made US wood chips the fastest energy source - where's the outrage?

So until battery storage becomes real, what do we use if not living in a geothermal or hydro landscape? Why can't folk understand that a power resource, which is available less than 70% of the time, needs reliable back-up energy? Amazing.

Pls provide references to any of these large battery storage banks that will provide back-up power for days..

They are being used to stabilise  the grid from the surges created by renewables, which I love by the way. Got 20 solar panels and know their limitations.

You're talking small %s of renewables. 20% for wind eh - all the time? And when it's not windy? And the solar when its dark or rainy, what is the backup? In UK it's gas and nuclear which makes sense for the time being. Burning US imported wood chips does not at all and it's a disgrace. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/3/4/18216045/renewable-energy-wood-pellets-biomass

17 hours ago, stevenl said:

Unfortunately she is correct, see also the first reaction here.

Greta is correct about all the silly hypothetical targets, but she is guilty in encouraging the righteous naivety. Sweden has 50% hydro and 30% nuclear power. There is no country able to generate over 50% non hydro or thermal renewable energy. And yet all this focus on solar and wind as the righteous have no clue about the limitations due inherent intermittency. 

Battery storage is for minutes, not days. Righteous don't like fossil fuels, so gas is on the nose for most of them as is the obvious solution, nuclear - safest energy source per KwH by a country mile. Search it if in disbelief.

So what are the Europeans doing to meet their renewable targets? Burning US imported wood chips, the fastest growing energy source in Europe. Biomass fuel is now more used than solar and wind combined - because it's not intermittent.. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/3/4/18216045/renewable-energy-wood-pellets-biomass

Until the activists and the governments they influence get real about dealing with renewables limitations, protest about US wood chips and recognise nuclear energy as the way forward, they are pissing in the wind.

48 minutes ago, ThaiFelix said:

And confirmed!!  Wow!  It makes you wonder what the authorities in the US and Europe have been doing, or not doing, to let this thing get completely out of hand when Thailand can confirm its under control after a week or so??  Absolutely marvelous!!  Give yourselves a pat on the back and a few well deserved selfies lol.

Little wonder really. Let's look at a few differences between Europe, American covid scenarios and Thailand:

1. They didn't wear face masks from the onset as western experts and WHO didn't think they were effective. They were so horribly wrong and changed tack way too late in May/June, incurring cultural and political silliness depending on the country.
2. Their quarantine processes were not nearly as effective as Thailand state quarantine - some had self isolation haha. The Europeans went crazy in Summer. Social distancing and face masks went out the window. The Thais never let the infected numbers exceed their capacity to trace the contacts. You can't say that for most of Europe and Americas, they never really got on top of it.
3. Thailand has one million health volunteers calling on households daily.. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-thailand-volunteer-idUSKBN23B044  So effective in the provincial outbreaks.

This all apart from the heat and humidity advantage (though take care as central America has similar conditions and has been smashed) and Thailand's higher degree of cultural conformity.

It is no wonder that Thailand's success has been recognised by the WHO as well as John Hopkins University.

Continually amazed at the number of naysayers on this forum who just don't get it. Thailand nailed Covid and continues to control the few outbreaks, which will always occur.

Well done dudes, now please apply the same application to the driving standards.

18 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

Currently the  Aussies are getting caned by tariffs on hundreds of products (Over 200%) after our dopey happy clapping PM decided to start an a blue with our biggest customer (27%) China.
Resulting in many Aussie companies to the wall and people being laid off at a time when we are already being caned by the covid recession.
 

So Boris wants to start a blue with EU.........

 

Good luck with that.

Flesh wound against Xi.

I'm no fan of happy clappers but we dodged a bullet with Shorten and ilk with their open ended climate change spending plans while anti any alternative back-up energy supply to coal. At least gas and hydro are back on the agenda. Might get mini nukes yet.

Back to Boris, think he got excited about drawing stumps and naturally thought of Australia, God love his fluffy locks.

3 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

I hope someone does a study into exactly why Thailand has apparently suffered so few infections/deaths from COVID-19 in spite of very little movement restriction or interruption to the way of life. It certainly surprises me as generally there is little discipline or willingness to do as the government says. Is there a genetic or climatic element to the spread of the virus that we don't know about? Or are the minimal tests being conducted concealing the true rate of infection? I certainly don't see the same pressure on hospitals that is apparent in other countries. Mask wearing and hand sanitising are very good, but by no means universal so cannot be the only safeguards. 

There are three very effective measures, and one blessed advantage Thailand benefited from, to be ranked by both WHO and John Hopkins University as one of the few Covid star performers:

1. Face masks from the onset. When talker and listener are both wearing them, it provides a lot of protection. Imagine if the Western Europeans and Americans had been wearing them en masse in Feb to May, by which time western experts finally got over their early view that masks weren't infallible and provided a false sense of security. Bandannas would have saved lives!

Community conformity with masks and distancing is a huge advantage compared to Western variables with masks and young people being more thoughtless in bars and general partying in the West.

2. Strict state quarantine - Euro and American borders and quarantine were slack by comparison to Thailand. Europeans went silly over Summer.

3. One million Thai health volunteers, calling on ten village households a day. They squashed the provincial outbreaks after Bangkok went into lockdown and many people returned to their families.. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-thailand-volunteer-idUSKBN23B044

** Heat and humidity bonus - took western experts a while to acknowledge Covid doesn't like heat and humidity and flourishes indoors. Thailand doesn't have a cold season like those countries that got smashed in their Winters.

This is a more realistic announcement and hope they work through the details for it to happen.

Travel bubbles with safe countries makes sense and should enable more people to get back to Thailand in March/April then increase from there.

The vaccines will make a huge psychological difference for conservative Thais and expats.

As a retired Aussie property owner in Thailand, I hope to be able to return after vaccination and no quarantine in March or April.

Alarmist NGO fodder. The Great Barrier Reef is alive and going through ongoing adaptations just like the reefs closer to the equator which have always been warmer. Divers and tourists still enjoy GBR as they have for decades.

The righteous ecological trained pour out study after study, always saying they need to do more studies, so they're happy as well. Multi million dollars spent on these studies and always much the same conclusion.

Let's do what we reasonably can, but some objectivity, especially in water testing please. You'll find they do don't much of this as they're always forecasting the worst, without disclosing how the water has actually been effected out by the reef. Why don't they release water purity details?

No point trying to keep up with TAT and the rest of them. They're just teasing with all these different ideas, until the vaccines are rolled out.

My bet is tourism will become vaccine dependent, so us older folk will get the early seats ????

Expect recovery to start around March to June, then gather momentum in the 2nd half of the year.

People will resume their love of escapism holidays and world will return to the old normal by the end of next year.

No fan of the man.

After reading the story, prosecution line and the defense, would be the way I would have judged the case.

There were precedents as well as other mitigating circumstances, which made sense.

Besides, we're talking about paid housing, so let's keep it in perspective!

Fairly serious situation, in terms of keeping Thailand's Covid response reputation intact, given the number of people she interacted with.

I expect it will be well covered and be very interesting how quickly they can squash this outbreak, as clearly there will have been some transmissions.

Fine policy in principle, however if Thailand decides to implement from the beginning of 2021, the tourism industry will continue to languish while the vaccine filters through to those not in the front line or considered vulnerable - about 90% of the international market.

This is all getting pretty exciting. Why does it not feel so, where is the commentary?

To all the naysayers about a vaccine not being ready by the end of 2020... ????

2 hours ago, car720 said:

This from the people who told us not to wear masks.

The Bandar would have more idea than these guys.

Yes, and caused so many deaths in that first European, winter outbreak.

For the life of me can't understand why it took the WHO and western "experts" to get their arms around face masks. And then it became political, so silly and sad.

3 hours ago, Time to grow said:

The writing is on the wall for all to see. Tourism will never return to it's pre Covid-19 levels. There may be some small amount of tourism rebound but this is not the time to double down on tourism. It is a time to rethink an economy with sustainability and resilience in mind. The paradigm has shifted and a failure to recognize this will be catastrophic going forward.

Perhaps tourism will not rebound to previous levels in a hurry.

However don't be surprised if it rebounds to a reasonable degree once the vaccines take effect.

14 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Almost bought into it being about Thailand until I saw the (10 hours ago in Cambodia News)....lol

Hallelujah!

15 minutes ago, johng said:

On the Thai news  (Thai Rath)   they said (according to the protester) the Russian called the protesters

"rubbish"  who had caused the economy damage both to Pattaya and Thailand as a whole !!!!

 

Protester was released on 10,000 baht bail  after being charged with causing physical and mental damage to another.

Well, if that's true the Russian was certainly guilty of stupidity if nothing else.

Was also silly not to move on with his daughter when it became obvious the protester was a tad unhinged.

Two clowns resulting in one headbutting the other.

Language looks a factor, but can't understand why the Russian was hanging around, when the well mannered Thais were trying to get him to walk away. He had enough warning and his daughter was already anxious.

The Ruski liked the attention afterwards, strutting around with his pithy wound. I suspect he did say something to upset the assailant.. but did he mean to? He looked a couple of sarnies short of a picnic basket.

They probably both got what they deserved, if the police actually charged the head butter.

Totally appropriate, in good taste and will add to the many tourist attractions.

Just add tourists...