MarkBR

2 hours ago, spermwhale said:

The grass is always greener. They'll soon find out that they can't send their kids to local schools if they want them to get a proper education and once you factor in international school fees and the cost of buying western food and needing to buy health insurance for the family.. all those cost advantages are gone. Add a car that costs about twice as much as you'd pay in the UK, then you're looking at even greater cash outlays. Add to that the annual hassle and abuse they have to take when renewing their visas. 

 

The'll be back soon. 

They might like Thai food.

On 5/7/2024 at 7:18 PM, jaideedave said:

Correct on all counts.What a disgrace to the real quality of Hom Mali Thai rice coveted the world round. Rat piss and god knows what else..ffs

The real danger is aflatotoxin contamination by Aspergillus flavus.  The toxin produced dby this fungus is a very pwoerful liver carcinogen.  Any stored seeds must be tested.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Growing apprehensions are emerging over the Thai Commerce Ministry's proposal to sell ten-year-old rice from a previous government scheme.

 

Consumer safety bodies like the Office of the Consumer Protection Board and the Food and Drug Administration are implored to check potential toxin and chemical taints in the grain. 

 

The move comes after Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai publicised his eating of the rice, stored in Surin province warehouses during the Yingluck Shinawatra tenure, aiming to build consumer trust. He plans to auction the rice, expecting to earn between 200 to 400 million baht (US$ 5.4 and 10.8 million). 

 

However, Wirangrong Dabbaransi, Head of the Network of Universities for Reform, voiced her concerns on social media, stating that the minister's tactic doesn't ensure grain quality or safety.

 

She stressed that multiple washing doesn't completely get rid of chemicals or potential toxins. Moreover, the improper storage and brownish colour on cooking the rice indicate possible fungal infection, according to Assoc Prof Pantipa Pongpiachan, a faculty member at Chiang Mai University. 

 

Thai Pakdee Party leader Warong Dechgitvigrom doubted the rice quality and questioned the minister's delay in the fourth bidding round. On the other hand, Phumtham stood firm on selling the rice, maintaining his transparent management of old rice stock.

 

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin promised a Department of Medical Sciences investigation into the rice's quality within one week.

 

File photo courtesy Facebook สรยุทธ สุทัศนะจินดา

 

-- 2024-05-09

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Very important to test for aflatotoxins

Just now, MarkBR said:

This is interesting https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13979 about crop production

Ignore the last three words, not sure if they might disrupt the link.  Here is the link without the "about crop production"

https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13979

On 5/7/2024 at 4:06 PM, placeholder said:

"Only a climate change alarmist would talk about the nutritional value of rice."

I have heard climate change "alarmists" accused of many nonsensical practices, but this piece of lunacy takes take.

You really don't have much use for science or data, do you?

 

Is rice a good source of protein?

"Rice, Oryza sativa, is the major staple food that provides a larger share of dietary energy for more of the population than other cereal crops. Moreover, rice has a significant amount of protein including four different fractions such as prolamin, glutelin, globulin, and albumin with different solubility characteristics. However, these proteins exhibit a higher amino acid profile, so they are nutritionally important and possess several functional properties. Compared with many other cereal grains, rice protein is hypoallergic due to the absence of gluten, and therefore it is used to formulate food for infants and gluten-allergic people. Furthermore, the availability makes rice an easily accessible protein source and it exhibits several activities in the human body which discernibly affect total health."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9370113/#:~:text=Moreover%2C rice has a significant,and possess several functional properties.

 

Before you made your commen, dDid you even consider that it has been the staple food for many nations and empires for millennia ?

 

And believe it or not, it is possible to include both rice and eggs in one's diet. It's not like you have to be a member of either Team Rice or Team Eggs.

 

And I noticed you still have nothing to back up your claim that warming has boosted crops by 35% since 2000.

This is interesting https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13979 about crop production

On 5/3/2024 at 11:14 AM, placeholder said:

But it's not only about temperature is it. What about the effect of burning fossil fuels on human health?

 

Fossil fuel air pollution responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide

 

The study shows that more than 8 million people around the globe die each year as a result of breathing in air containing particles from burning fuels like coal, petrol and diesel, which aggravate respiratory conditions like asthma and can lead to lung cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and early death.

The research, led by Harvard University in collaboration with UCL, the University of Birmingham and the University of Leicester has been published in the journal Environmental Research.

Co-author and UCL Associate Professor Eloise Marais (UCL Geography) said: “Burning fossil fuels produces fine particles laden with toxins that are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs. The risks of inhaling these particles, known as PM_2.5, are well documented.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/feb/fossil-fuel-air-pollution-responsible-1-5-deaths-worldwide

pm2.5s also contribute to increased probabilities of suffering strokes, cardiac events, and psychoses.

On 5/6/2024 at 10:01 PM, placeholder said:

Well, this is an El Nino year was was last summer. Now that a La Nina is on the way, temperatures should be lower next year. But they're still most likely going to be hotter, on average, than they were, say 10 years ago. There's not much anyone can do to stop this rise of temperature. Even if the world  were to achieve net zero tomorrow, average temperatures would still go up for a while before the rise was stopped. And, of course, by itself, Thailand can't make a significant difference to the rate of global warming.

Timescale if we have no emissions is, at best with the most coservative estimate so far, about 3-5000 years to return to temperature regime that are reasonable.  Plenty of literature on the modelling is available for anyone to find.  The countries & regions that we need to convince to do things are Australia, China, Europe, India, USA; most of the others are irrelevant.

On 5/7/2024 at 4:15 AM, MicroB said:

Blocked Susan lea for not reading.

I think she has greater problems with logical rational thinking.

20 hours ago, susanlea said:

At 0.15 per decade you only get to 1 degree extra by 2100 so the scenarios they are talking about are complete nonsense. They must be begging for grants and trying to scam people.

1 degree Hhigher in average temperature results in huge loss of production due to damage to flower formation (anthesis) seed production ( successful versus seed abortion).  Best computer modelled results are 10-13% loss in Thailand's rice production  by 2100.

Use of averages is very misleading when there are skews in data.  It is better to use median or mode to indicate how poor most Britains are.

Somewhere there is an alternate reality where these cities exist as described.

There needs to be a waste collection system for all rural areas.  Currently, everything is burnt.  Solve many problems.

Have had more diarrhoea  in China than in Thailand.  Lived in China for 6 years, now living in northern Thailand.  Completely diasgree that one country has worse food than the other in terms of hygiene.

Just have to be careful what you eat.  Raw seafood tends to be higher risk than cooked or fermented foods

I think focusing on dangers to Thai crops of all types from rising temperatures needs to be paramount.  The increasing maximum temperatures, coupled to increased frequency of heat waves will results in decreased flower formation in rice, and seed set.  This is for all rice growing countries.  Coupled to increased floods & droughts represent and massive danger to Thailand.

Increased focus on potential new crops e.g. the heat tolerant Coffea stenophylla[appararently as ggod as the some of the best Coffea arabica] (especially tree crops within agroforestry systems) for Thailand, is critical for trade & for resilience of Thai society.

Doing something about the pollution levels would massively help crops in northern & central Thailand given the impacts of this stress on photosynthesis.  Plus promotion of non-chemically focused agriculture would help with the value of crops to Thailand.

Lots more could be done with actions, NOT just words.

The OH reads a Buddhist astrology book

Reforestation is good, but need to also deal with excessive undergrowth that provides fuel for fires.  Suggestion, deer used to be very common in Thailand but were poached to extinction in most parts.  Maybe reintroduce deer, this would have a benefit of reducing undergrowth, and I am sure some will disappear into the cooking pot of local rural thais reducing food poverty.

They are in a fantasy land of the horror variety.

Dearv All, Apologies.  Forgot to check the date!!!!!

A very efficient way to drive tourists away to other areas of Thailand, and other countries.  Requiring tourists to wear masks but not Thais is silly,  medically stupid, and discriminatory with NO rational basis.