sidneybear

If people are sick, may they promptly get better. But headlines like that - hospitals being overwhelmed - have been common all around the world. We haven't seen people stacked up in hospital corridors on stretchers since the much milder omicron strain displaced the nastier ones, now have we?

Covid isn't new anymore though. It was scary at first because it came from nowhere, spreads like wildfire, and the initial strains were quite nasty. Now it's no worse than a heavy cold or flu, and the world has moved on. It's yesterday's news, but it's marketing machine clings on to something that few people still worry about.

What about influenza epidemics, or even heavy colds that put old folk in hospital and can develop life threatening complications? Those boring old fashioned diseases don't have marketing departments, so we never hear of them, unless a really nasty one comes along. I'm an asthma sufferer, so I get an annual flu shot and think nothing more about it. Covid is the only such (these days mild) ailment that features all this fear porn as if it were the bubonic plague.

That's great. We'll all be able to breathe easily again. A tremendous advance in public health.

That's outrageous.

Thaksin doesn't need to be PM if his daughter is PM. He'll tell her what to say and do.

Covid is the first disease in the world to have a marketing department.

Asking for a friend: who fact checks the Associated Press fact checkers?

Well you may want to spend your time elsewhere, and realise that hiring a manager would put you at risk of getting ripped off.

Because other places require more capital and operational outlay. Nice furnishings, top end sound system, salaries for pretties, utilities, higher rent, etc. The business has to do very well to make a profit, unlike the low end place that you described earlier where a few bottles of Leo sold will cover costs.

Show both at check in so they know you don't need a ticket out of your destination. Show the British passport only at British immigration. Show the Thai passport only at Thai immigration.

That's probably true for very basic bars that are in a reasonably busy area. Plastic chairs, stainless steel tables and fairy light places.

Cod scams smell fishy, so are easily recognised, even on a small scale.

I think you make a good point about proportionality. It's almost as if the focus and reporting style on covid hasn’t changed much since it was a more serious, and little understood, new disease. Were the dangers of covid to be reported in proportion to the dangers of everything else, we might not hear anything about it, unless a much more virulent strain were to appear. A bit like the flu, which only makes the news when a nasty one comes along, but kills old and sick people nevertheless.

Successful bars have one thing in common: a shrewd and charismatic owner.

Thailand sent its minister of finance to a recent BRICS summit and has expressed interest in joining. https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2022/11/09/the-new-candidate-countries-for-brics-expansion/

International cruise

Nice. I grew up a few miles south east of there in Watton, the site of another RAF base and Eastern Radar. Happy memories.

I'm not disputing what you say about traditional nuclear technology, although if 1 GW capacity costs 5.4 billion, then wouldn't a 2,000MW plant (=2GW) cost 10.8 billion instead of 1 billion? In any case, the cost to build is only part of the equation, you'd also need to factor in the operating cost over the lifetime of the reactor to arrive at an overall cost per MWh of electricity generated, and then take into consideration the potential of future carbon pricing and the like. Recent advances like small nuclear reactors, that are serviced in a central location, and the like, are also worth looking at. Nuclear is reliable, produces no CO2, and doesn't require flooding vast expanses of land in Laos. It also means that Thailand wouldn't be beholden to Laos for its electricity supply, given the vicissitudes of geopolitics.

Won't happen.

Thanks, and just to close the loop, here's the official statement https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/covid-19-vaccines/our-vaccines/astrazeneca Vaccination is a personal choice like any other medication, so I hope you find whatever type of vaccine you're looking for.

I'm also sure that they will return - they're dishing out ten grand to all and sundry - the question only is how long before they're kicked out again, and what mechanism will be used this time around. I also think that this kind of drama is very Thai - the cat and mouse nature of Thai politics, along with all its colourful characters, is always an entertaining spectacle to watch.

Thaksin is very good at marketing. He'll install his daughter as Thailand's version of Jacinda Ardern, because he knows that such a persona will be embraced by the Liberal-Left western media and institutions, and his family will thus be more connected to the western elite. All this won't help him in Thailand, of course - his crooked clique will be ejected again - but not before they greatly benefit personally. After all, their business plan demands a solid return on investment for all this cash they're dishing out. I do hope for his sake he keeps his UAE passport up to date though.

I always get a flu shot, but I've put covid boosters on hold. There are too many reports of adverse reactions and, as you say, the more recent strains like Omicron are less virulent. Interestingly, Australia recently banned Astra Zeneca and now only recommends Covid boosters for people over 65.

PT has deep pockets. They'll expect payback too, so I hope they get ejected again before they do too much damage.