blackprince

It's quite common for foreigners to be asked to help out in schools, but if the people doing the asking had experience of hiring foreigners, they'd know that a work permit is required. As any bona fide foreign teacher in Thailand will tell you, the qualifications required for a work permit are quite strict. Being a "native speaker" isn't a qualification. I've posted several cases of foreigners being deported for teaching without a work permit. These cases were communicated to me by the Ministry of Education. In the past, the enforcment of the laws may have been lax in some regions, but the laws themselves haven't changed.

Again from The Guardian. “The Economist’s model estimates 10 to 19m extra deaths around the world during the pandemic. Five million deaths is a grim milestone, but humanity passed that long ago.” By David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters. David Spiegelhalter is chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at Cambridge. Anthony Masters is statistical ambassador for the Royal Statistical Society. Spiegelhalter and Masters write short sharp highly focused pieces in language that anyone can understand. Well worth reading. https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/commentisfree/2021/nov/07/we-can-be-confident-there-have-been-far-more-than-5-million-covid-deaths

As anyone who has seen my posts knows, I'm in favour of vaccines. I'm equally in favour of balanced reporting. Anyone who approaches the issue of vaxx conspiracies with an open mind knows that it's not limited to the right or far right. Here's yet another example to confirm that point, from The Guardian, probably the most respected international progressive voice in the world. "Being obliged to spend time around devout anti-vaxxers has disabused me of the comforting idea that they are either disingenuous or rightwing nut jobs. Yes, there are those on the right who exploit those ready to believe the world is not as it appears, but many of those I’ve spoken with would be horrified to be labelled right wing. They identify as LGBTQI+ allies, advocate for action on climate change, and honestly believe all the misinformation they’re spreading. While there are undoubtedly rightwing elements involved my experience is that there is no coherent ideology linking these conspiracists. This is what makes them so frustrating to argue with." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/20/how-do-you-argue-with-anti-vaxxers-who-believe-theyre-on-a-noble-mission

Even Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister is getting into EVs. Australia announces major climate funding boost to encourage more electric car sales https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/australia-scott-morrison-electric-cars-b1954116.html

The correlation between residual mistrust of government in East Germany from soviet times and anti vaxxers has already been pointed out you by a German who knows Germany far better than we will. The afd correlation is not relevant to the correlation I am talking about, but your confirmation bias only allows you to see the half of the picture you want to see. The size of the black community in the UK is irrelevant to the statistic that c70% black British are anti vaxx. You might also want to consider that statistic in light of the fact that Britain has the highest acceptance of vaxx in the major western economies. Re QAnon and the libertarian left. I already provided the link in my post that you responded too. As far as I remember that was specifically an Australian report. In my opinion you display as much confirmation bias aka perception bias as the people you frequently deride here. You also have a tendency to see the rest of the world through the filter of the US culture war that you are so heavily engaged in.

No rational person is against vaxx in my humble opinion. But your narrative is not very accurate, at least not in most countries. Hugh damage was done before vaccs were even available by incompetent politicians (Johnson the "herd immunity" advocate in the UK, and the well known bleach advocate in the US). Yes the case rate is recently up substantially due to the rump of anti vaxxers among other things, but the mortality rate has been less affected because most of the higher risk groups were already vaxxed and were very happy to get vaxxed.

I know of half a dozen cases of death in Thailand of people with no known illness following sinopharm/vac. None from AZ, though several people I know felt bad enough to take a few days off work after their AZ jab

It's a bit too simplistic just to point the finger at the right wing for anti vaxx views. There are numerous other correlations, for example: In the UK it's been reported that 72% of black people are unlikely to get vaxxed. And in the former East Germany anti vaxx sentiment is driven as much by residual mistrust of government from the Soviet era as by anything else. It's also pretty well known that QAnon has a large number of subscribers from the libertarian left, despite having more from the right. The continual filtering of all issues through left-right ideological prejudices is reductionist, unrealistic and unhelpful to discussion. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/16/covid-vaccine-black-people-unlikely-covid-jab-uk https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/17/eva-wiseman-conspirituality-the-dark-side-of-wellness-how-it-all-got-so-toxic

Plan for car chargers in all UK new homes https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/24/plan-for-car-chargers-in-all-uk-new-homes-will-make-access-exclusive

Having an MA in economics and a life time of experience I won't waste too much time in correcting you. I'll simply say that anyone with half an ounce of common sense will know that's it not possible to make such a sweeping generalisation about world economics. I've already provided several examples of how you are wrong. That's enough to disprove your thesis.

I'll hazard a guess that the writer is from the US, as according to him the referenced nations are at much greater risk than the US. In other words I detect a hint of chauvinism, or nationalism if you will. It wouldn't be hard to create a counter narrative. Check our home nations and China re dept per capita, debt as % of gdp, and you get a different picture. Or from the Financial Times a few weeks ago "Up to a quarter of US equity ETF revenues derived from China" (Exchange Traded Funds). https://www.ft.com/content/8b3e7e01-9a78-4e59-a289-a348dd0a5d3c I don't have the time to check the current US government debt exposure to China, but it's also a major risk for the USA. Then there's the US's global hegemony, which is seriously under threat from China. Just to forestall critics who might say that the US is invincible because the dollar is the leading reserve, I'll add that it's the leading reserve not the only reserve. Not that I'm anti American or pro China. I just prefer balanced narratives.

Oh sorry, I didn't realise this such was a learned discussion. But I do remember the times when on TV (as was) swimming in effluent was considered to be the only option for sea swimming in the pattaya area (and swimming as well as jumping are forms of exercise right). As for your comment to the effect that all exercise is good for you, even sexercise with sex workers in one of the most renowned sex tourism fleshpots in the world during a pandemic, I can think of many reasons why most of the world world might disagree. I can also understand why the sexpats and sex tourists in soi buakhao and walking sreet might not wish to be reminded of that.

We're not talking about young Thais, we're talking about sexpats. Walking Street's reputation is notorious worldwide. The fact that you are aware of other more "hard-core" locations is a comment on yourself not on WS!

555 I wouldn't want the other diseases either thanks.

So you think this is nonsense... "I'd question that ALL forms of exercise are useful. Jumping out of Jomtien high rises certainly isn't, or jayrunning, or swimming in effluent. But as for this particular form of exercise - one wo/man's wrist is as good as another's." Good luck with that. Why anyone would want to engage in sex tourism at this particular point in time is totally beyond me, especially when they complain about the Thai government's new rules on health insurance for foreigners! Even at the best of times, sex tourism has never appealed to me, not because of moral puritanism, or because of the sex workers, but simply from looking at the state of the sex tourists.

Agreed re Thailand, although recently in my area of Thailand the policy has shifted, and mild cases are quarantined together, but not in hospitals or field hospitals, to reduce pressure on hospitals. But my question about ethics is more general. Would it be ethical for the NHS in the UK for example (I use the NHS as an example because it's the best known national government health service) to turn away people who need treatment? (Unlike in Thailand it has only been policy in the UK to hospitalise cases that need treatment.) The approach that you are proposing, and which I agree with hypothetically, could only be achieved in the UK (and US) by turning away people who need treatment. Is this ethical? Would it result in massive "civil disobedience"? Would it be ethical to subject already stressed health workers to greater stress?

1. My final cost figure wouldn't help as I got the parts virtually free. 2. I have two installations. One for a business premises, the other for home. The PEA have provided a discount for the business premises for the last 10 years. So again, comparisons with what other people may be paying wouldn't help. I haven't posted any videos of this, so I think you must be confusing me with someone else. I know nothing about electrical engineering, or even basic electrical maintenance, which is why I haven't got involved in any of the technical discussions here.

I'd question that ALL forms of exercise are useful. Jumping out of Jomtien high rises certainly isn't, or jayrunning, or swimming in effluent. But as for this particular form of exercise - one wo/man's wrist is as good as another's.

They may well be, and vaccination does a very good job in suppressing transmission, but it doesn't eliminate transmission. And sino---,which is what most of the sex workers would have been offered, is known to be the least effective of the vaccines. Given the, how shall I put it, "close proximity" required for sex work, and the natural desire for sex workers to maximise income via maximising the number of clients (particularly on the walking street end of the sex trade), it's a mug's game. Many sex workers believe they have no choice. But their clients have many options, not least of all their wrist. Nothing to do with moral purity, just common sense and basic hygiene.

Following on from @crossy Re the meter itself, it was installed by the PEA. They paid for the meter and their labour - it cost us nothing for parts or labour (my earlier post was incorrect as I've just been advised!) and we had no waiting time - it was synchronised with the work being done by the installation company, which is licensed to do solar installations. It doesn't surprise me that there might be regional variations in waiting time etc, that seems to pretty normal across the board.

In our case the PEA (Provinclal Electricity Authority) installed a separate meter. It cost us a few thousand baht.

Currently. I would suggest that people who are engaged in the sex trade from either side of the counter are more likely to be "making a dying" than "making a living", especially when one considers the age of some sexpats. Nothing to do with moral purity. Just common sense.

I've had 2 Pfizer jabs, I didn't even feel the needle, never mind any side effects. On the other hand, 2 young women I work with had AZ yesterday and are still feeling quite bad. I'm not sure if the AZ was locally manufactured or imported. But they felt nothing after their earlier sino--- shot a few weeks ago. But I do know of several very serious reactions to sino--- in people in their 50s and 60s. So serious in fact I'm reluctant to detail it here as I don't want to start a troll war.

Some countries seem to be ahead of the curve. Solar powered rickshaws in India since 2016. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/auto/solar-powered-auto-rickshaws-launched-in-bengaluru/pilot-project/slideshow/51286079.cms https://www.bluebird-electric.net/bluebird_solar_powered_rickshaw.htm https://www.snsolarev.com/solar-rickshaw.html

"Will the pandemic ever end?" Yes of course. As I said a long while back, it will decline to endemic, and then decline further. I've seen estimates that c 80% population vaccinated suppresses it to the point where it may be called endemic (though the definition of "endemic" can vary). And estimates that 90-95% population vaccinated is necessary to suppress the D variant to the point that it may be called endemic. Other people may have seen different estimates, but let's not quibble about that. Plus natural immunity via infection suppresses the spread, and new oral medicines have been approved, and Tcell based immunity research has shown massive strides (I've linked both of these before). None of this justifies the complacency that we have seen in some sections of western populations though, in my opinion. Masks and sensible distancing help the vaccinated as well as the unvaccinated. It's the unvaccinated countries that we should be thinking about imho. The western promises to vaccinate the undeveloped countries is well behind plan. And it's in those countries that new and possibly more aggressive variants will emerge. I'm fully confident in the ability of medical researchers to get us there. I'm less confident in politicians and big pharma.