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Digger
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Posts posted by Digger
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Where do you get the info that Korean and China Airlines puts inexperienced pilots on their heavies?
cv
It was tongue in cheek - proportionately they lose more of their 747's than other airlines. From memory I think China Airlines have lost 3 and Korean 5. Not many airlines have lost 1 747 let alone more than 1 - therefore in my book it stands to reason, airlines on the whole put more experienced pilots on 747's than 737 - not least of all because salary scales for 747 pilots are higher on most carriers than for a pilot of say a 737 or smaller jet. However can the same be said of China Airlines & Korean - who knows. Most airline crashes involve small aircraft of course, because they undertake more flights and of course take offs and landings but the figures for most carriers indicate that crashes on 747's are very rare and fatalities on those 747's relatively smaller.
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I'd say 2,500 for the gardening of 1 rai is very cheap !!! Do you provide the lawnmower or does the gardener have his own - my guy has no equipment so its easier to get some local clown just to push my lawnmower around - but he has no skill whatsoever - he is ok at vacuming out the pool but I do all my own chlorine testing etc.
By the way its not an old guy and his wife who wears wellington boots all the time is it who drive a knackered blue baht bus? They do a lot of houses around the resevoir.
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On average Thai experiences a fatal incident about every five years (fatalities:pax in bold);
04.27.1980 Thai Airways Hawker Siddeley HS-748 40:53
Don Muang, Thailand HS-THB
04.15.1985 Thai Airways Boeing 737-2P5 11:11
Phuket, Thailand HS-TBB
08.31.1987 Thai Airways Boeing 737-2P5 83:83
Phuket, Thiland HS-TBC
07.31.1992 Thai Airways Airbus A310-304 113:113
Kathmandu, Nepal HS-TID
12.11.1998 Thai Airways Airbus A310-204 101:146
Surat Thani, Thailand HS-TIA
Seems like they are overdue......
I wouldn't count on that, I feel pretty safe when I board a TG flight.
And I am sure Taksin had the same idea when he was making his way to the TG737 that subsequently blew up on the tarmac just before his arrival for his flight to Chiang Mai - all down to faulty aircon unit or something similar
But seriously, I fly TG very often and have no real qualms with their safety however I have an opinion to steer clear of smaller aircraft and wherever possible fly 747/777/A340/A330 for the simple reason that I would assume an airline is not going to give the job of flying their largest (and most expensive) jets to the most junior pilot (except Korean and China airlines of course).
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Well, the rain has settled down, but it sure ain't warming up much
A few days ago the first cool nights appeared, which normally indicates the definite end of the rainy season.
We did have some rain showers yesterday, but it will have been one of the last.
Sounds silly, but in the evenings I can get quite uncomfortable, especially around Lake Mabprachan where it's always 1 or 2 degrees colder then in town...Day times still hot though
You can always tell this time of year has arrived when all Thai's are walking around in multiple sweaters and windcheaters complaining how cold it is and how they all have the flu !!!
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How much are you paying and for how big a piece of land? Also do you have a pool and do they look after this as well?
I have yet to find a 'qualified' gardener but to my lawnmower pusher and pool vacum man I pay around 2,500 month which is basically cutting the lawn and keeping the pool clean - I dont really know how often they come, as I am in BKK most of the week, but it looks pretty neat whenever I go back on a Friday.
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The idea behind this is that the company is always retaining ownership - its just one or more the directors and shareholders changing - which is just an amendment at the company registration office. There is no transfer of ownership of land as the same company still owns the land.
Now, the key to this is has the company been used for any other purposes. This is the difficult thing to determine however what it does mean is that the buyer does not need to set up a new company and between them the buyer and seller do not need to cover the costs of the land transfer taxes. In a buyers market, it should be possible to acquire just the asset (i.e the land & house) without the company, but in a sellers market, the current owner may just say either you pay for the transfer fee's or forget it and keeps it on the market awaiting someone else willing to save a few baht and just take over the company. A lot of it boils down to how much you trust and believe the seller. The liklihood is the company would not have been used for other purposes for the simple reason that its not exactly in a financial position to for example offer financial guarantees as its accounts will not stand up to 3rd party assessment in terms of solvency.
However if your buying a real going concern with a complete trading company, it could be very different. For that reason, its best to do your homework thoroughly - any guarantees given to a bank though would require that bank put a lien on the land title and that would show up at the land office.
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(Digger;I dont agree - what you want is to do it as cheap as possible - the target market paying couple of thousand baht a month for a room are only interested in two things. Price & location. Therefore keeping it simple and cheap is the way to go - Somehow I cant see anybody looking in this price range, saying, oh look its got a p-trap in the bathroom and grounded electrical connection - wow, this means its worth paying an extra 1,000 baht a month in rent. It will not happen at this price range - the only thing that would make a difference in the rent is fridge, aircon, TV and possibly an electric shower heater, although thats unlikely. Basically go for the cheapest of everything - thats the way to make money and then charge the tenant for replacing something that breaks. Dont even bother with a wardrobe - just some breeze block cemented over and then a steel rail from which to hang clothes.
my two baht's worth....
I quite agree with Tomissan. I lived in south Jomtien for a long time and can't remember when there was a quiet day; usually sawing tile to replace on the balconies where the contractor obviously did a piss-poor job; and yes, the drilling early in the morning. It's a good thing they don't allow people to buy & own firearms. Perhaps your thinking is that the Thai students probably don't care about excess repair noise, water going down the drain, ruined computers, etc.
although, and I do agree that if your one and only concern is profit, "do it right the first time" or you will end up spending a lot more time and money in repairs if you go the cheapest way.....and also...my battery in my laptop was fried/ruined from blackouts....i.e., non grounded outlets....and one more thing.
The idea of pumping up the price on the electric & water isn't cool.
But who had to replace the battery - you or your landlord? The answer is obvious - its down to you, so no loss for the landlord. You move out, someone else will move in and landlord probably retains most or all of your deposit for 'things gone missing/broken" no doubt most of which were never in the apartment in the first place, such as a plug in the sink, hangers in the wardrobe, damage to the door that you never noticed in your hurry to move in. Countless ways in which landlords can and do maximise revenue. Now the average uneducated Thai, who has already given the 4,000 baht or two month deposit, gets back 1,500 baht - what are they going to do about it? Thats right they have to accept it - 2,500 baht whilst a lot to them is not exactly going to have colonel somchai hot footing it round from the local police office to investigate this horrible crime, given that the complainant is a relative nobody going up against someone who has been able to afford to build a apartment building. No brainer but thats the way it is.
Price hiking for utilities is commonplace all over Thailand - it is not a farang thing, I am just stating that its another source of revenue.
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DiggerI dont agree - what you want is to do it as cheap as possible -
Good advise Digger if you want to double the cost over the years by fixing & replacing and creating a lot of noise and upset tennants.
The idea of the P-trap in the bathrooms isn't asthetic, it's to eliminate gaseous & toxic fumes from coming back up from the septic and/or grey water tanks. It's not a law in the states for nothing.
Also, if outlets aren't grounded you risk getting electrical shock and the possibility of damaging electrical appliances, computers, etc., during electrical storms.
If you use cheap materials like paint and inferior tiles, grout, etc., you'll be redoing them over time and use and all the while disturbing everyone in the building with hammering, drilling, etc. "Cheap as possible" is slumlord attitude and contributes to the mass inferior construction attitudude of alot of builder's & owners to increase profit but not to the comforts of the inhabitants nor long term integrity. a quality you seem to be without according to your advise Digger, or quite possibly you enjoy the sound of drills, saws, etc., when you're at home trying to sleep late, watch a movie, listen to music or meditate.
I've lived in apartments, townhouses, single houses, etc., all around the Kingdom over the past 15 years and it's always the same thing, .....pounding (breaking out tile), drilling, sawing, loud workers, etc., etc. as a result from inferior "cheap' construction.
Unfortunaly there are no government inspector's in Thailand to ensure proper construction practices. I've been a builder all my life and sorry to say, but your attitude and advise sounds like it comes from someone with NO building experience at all....OR, you're a Thai builder...with..Makngai attitude...
Seems like I have hit a raw nerve here
My comments were relating to building cheap 2,000 baht a month rooms for rent - I stand by that post that a Thai landlord will NOT offer these bells & whistles at this price range for the simple reason, that the tenants are not expecting or demanding them. Therefore they see no need to spend more money and do it properly.
All your points are spot on - in an ideal world, they should be standard, but the crux of this is that the average Thai will not pay extra for it in this price bracket. Now of course, there are plenty of apts that do have these features, however they are not for rent at 2,000 baht a month. The original poster is interested in maximising his gain in this price range. Do you really think a landlord is going to care if she upsets her 2,000 baht a month tenants by drilling and fixing things, of course not. They think only of maximising money today and have little thought about what tomorrow will bring. If you have been here 15 yrs I would have thought you would have realised that by now.
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My sincere thanks for your input and suggestions.
One question remains: The estimated cost per square meter for a "standard" design building, ex-furniture. I was given a 8,000 Baht / meter estimate but if someone has better info, that would be much appreciated.
It is clear that this is a business that requires entrepreneurial skills beyond collecting rent, but the opportunities are endless. Creativity is what is needed.
Thanks to all
Creativity is essential, as is the quality of materials & workmanship.
If you're building to western standards, i.e., grounded electrical, vented plumbing, p-traps in all bathrooms, solid wood doors for security and quality, supervised installation of concrete, steel, tile, roofing, etc.
Taking all the above into consideration I would plan on spending around 12k/m2 on up.
If you haven't built in Thailand before, watch out for the added costs for items, material, etc., that aren't in the plans and signed agreements......and especially monitor the materials being used, lots of tricks to increase profits...
good luck to you....
I dont agree - what you want is to do it as cheap as possible - the target market paying couple of thousand baht a month for a room are only interested in two things. Price & location. Therefore keeping it simple and cheap is the way to go - Somehow I cant see anybody looking in this price range, saying, oh look its got a p-trap in the bathroom and grounded electrical connection - wow, this means its worth paying an extra 1,000 baht a month in rent. It will not happen at this price range - the only thing that would make a difference in the rent is fridge, aircon, TV and possibly an electric shower heater, although thats unlikely. Basically go for the cheapest of everything - thats the way to make money and then charge the tenant for replacing something that breaks. Dont even bother with a wardrobe - just some breeze block cemented over and then a steel rail from which to hang clothes.
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The real profit in these sorts of apartments comes from loading electric and water charges. Imagine a real electric rate of some 3 baht a unit then increase the price to 8 baht a unit. Typical useage conservatively say 100 units a month (even more if the landlord is smart and adds in an electric water heater in the bathroom), then work out 500 baht per unit per month in electric surcharge * 30 units = 15,000 baht of which none will ever be declared or taxed on. Similar with water, although the return is not quite as large,(but more scope to fix the meter & charges) but you could figure on another 5,000 baht a month. So ontop of the rent, you have another 20,000 baht every month. Then there is the opportunity to hold onto security deposits etc - all in all it starts to add up. I even saw one place charging to park motorbikes, I think 50 baht a month - must have been 20 outside when I looked, so another 1,000 baht.
Also there is normally a food shop at the apt run by a family member, which is often very convenient for tenants to eat at, given that many of them do not have any cooking equipment of their own.
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I have often wondered about the merits or otherwise of when being posted to Bangkok actually living somewhere around Burapha golf club on the way to Pattaya. My theory being that the kids are 2 minutes from their school (the American school) or 15 minutes from British school (Regents) - all the residents are expats including predom expat wifes, but the biggest difference is the quality of life - lots of activities for the kids, horseriding, swimming, football, ballet, etc etc all easily accessible and little or no traffic + a far bigger house for the expat housing housing allowance. Downside of course is the commute to BKK, but it might a price worth paying, depending upon where the company is based. A guy I know raises his family outside Pattaya and he works in BKK - Mon thru Thur and works from home on Friday and drives up on Monday morning - leaves home at 6am and in his office before 8am. If you have a driver, could be doable, but a pain if you constantly have to drive yourself.
Wierd as it may sound, it takes as long to drive from Pattaya up to BKK centre as from Sukhumvit to Silom on some days. Many many expats families on the Eastern Seaboard living completely westernised lifestyles and depending upon how a full expat package can be broken down, you could easily afford a 5 bedroom house with large land and private pool + a one bedroom apt in the CBD in BKK for less than the cost of a decent house in BKK.
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aw, really? about ask stickers from the entrance, how will they know who am I?
print your avatar on sticker and glue it on your forhead, i will do the same
Bambi - If you wore your old avatar I would cancel my previous plans just to attend and see you in the flesh - I could imagine every male member queing up to tickle your tummy as you purr contently.
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If you are unable to take on board the fact that HIV does not cause AIDS, then fine that's your view.
The thing is Patrick, that this is not a fact. The evidence you have provided is weak beyond belief. I'm not going to start discussing the overwhelmingly massive amount of information and research results that prove the existence of HIV, because we could be here for months doing so, and in my experience people with your viewpoint on this subject generally refuse to accept any of it anyway, usually for lame reasons. I have promised myself not to get too embroiled in an argument about this topic again.
While it is usually a good thing for everyone to be able to give their opinion, the problem with yours is that it is dangerous if people with little education and understanding of the subject are swayed by your thinking. If they start reading the information you provide it is too easy for some people to be convinced as they do not possess the knowledge to critically assess what they are reading. Maybe that is what happened with you in the first place.
It is apparent that your motives are genuine, but you are sadly misguided. I would urge anyone who is genuinely interested in this to seek credible sources, and not to contact Patrick.
The simple facts, yes facts are that prior to HAART therapy, people developed AIDS, in all liklihood caused by HIV destroying their immune system. Even if it was not proven its academic as since HAART therapy has been introduced and given to HIV Positive patients, guess what? They dont develop AIDS and surprise surprise they are for the most part still alive and infact living completely normal lifes other than having to remember once or twice a day to take a couple of medicine capsules. This is not just some coincidence but the reality of the situation.
I am well aware of the references Patrick has made, I have spent countless hours reading websites and sitting with specialist doctors.
I form my own opinion on everything and never take things at face value. I had two options basically to follow medical advise or to not. I was faced with a real dilema - someone steadily dying unless I could do something to help. The aim was to choose the option that will mean people close to me are able to live happy and fulfilling lifes for many many years to come. In my 5 years of being involved with someone who has HIV, I have not regreted any single step and based on her current situation, had she not started taking medicine, including AZT 3 years ago, odds are she would be dead now - for two years I saw her CD4 count drop every 3 months when she was tested and viral load rising. This is someone who does not drink or smoke and has a very healthy appetite and nutrional understanding and her CD4 cells stick dropped like a brick over 2 years without any medicine down to a level of 200. Now her CD4 count is in the 800's and viral load is undetectable. She is not sick in anyway and basically in superb health. For me at least I have no regrets about the action taken.
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I was led to belive that the company route was standard practice for falangs in thailand I know of many people that have done the same thing for many years with no problems.
thanks for your help
The company route is standard practice for hundreds, if not thousands, of foreigners in Thailand. You just need to be aware, if your company is not trading, and your return accounts each year show nothing, it could (not saying it would) bring to the attention the fact that it is a front company.
Now, if you could do some trading through the company, even minimal trading of a couple hundred thousand baht a year, you would be in a lot better position.
The only people who are likely to raise any issue are the tax/revenue office where the accounts are filed. If they get suspicious and want/need to get more revenue in to meet some kind of targets set by central government, guess who they are going to go after? I have been tax investigated here in Thailand for a company which I controlled using the same system you describe. The company was renting out a property and the accounts showed the full income + full expenses. Tax was paid on the rental element as per the law and the company actually made a small loss in the year it was investigated as quite legally the company did make a loss due to depreciation of its primary asset which was the building. Tax office was totally satisfied and very surprised that the company had even declared a rental income, let alone at the amount stated in the contract which we voluntarily showed them.
Incidentally they really have no interest in the structure of the company as that will already have been approved by the relevant dept when the company was set up. The dept that accepted the company in the first place are hardly likely to then to re-investigate anything, given they have already approved it, unless the revenue office get onto them and say, what the h**l is going on with this company - they are not paying any tax or submitting filed accounts. That in itself requires major activity on their respective parts and somehow I do not see them being bothered unless somebody higher up kicks ass and demands action.
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I'd agree with the concensus view - I have been going there for about 5 years and although the clientele has changed from when in was in Soi 0, the food is still consistently good and really represents very good value for money - you can if you wish eat for less than 1000 baht a head with 3 courses. Wine list is also very good with some surprising good value wines on the list as well as some incredibly expensive ones.
Shrimp & asparagus soup is to die for.....
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For those of you following this thread who have little knowledge about AIDS, other than that conventionally presented by the media, here are some interesting points to mull over. Not presented to you as definitive fact, do your own research and all that to see what you believe. There is so much contradiction between what we are generally told ... which of course is fed to the media by ‘experts’ with an interest in promoting drug companies ... that it would take more than a few lines on a forum. You’ll have to buy my book when it is out! Actually I’ll probably have it free online as well, but don’t tell anyone.
1. The definition of AIDS requires a positive result on the HIV antibody test. Only problem is the tests are ALL flawed and can produce false readings.
2. The results of this ‘flawed’ test are also interpreted differently, depending upon where you are - for example negative in Canada could be positive in Africa. Obviously a reliable standard test then!
3. HIV has never been isolated as an independent virus! That’s right, this amazing virus, subject of massive amounts of research money has not been isolated. This small detail does not however concern pharmaceutical companies in pursuit of hot dollars.
4. There are over 70 scientifically acknowledged conditions that can produce a false positive in the HIV test (not forgetting, of course, that the whole basis of the test is flawed anyway) ... such as? ... well, how about pregnancy ... hmmm .... or flu vaccination .. better be careful not to have a jab for bird-flu (courtesy of those caring drug companies), or you may just end up being killed by AZT or the latest cocktail they are recommending when you show a positive test ... oh! and better be careful because the common cold can also make your life a misery for more reasons than you thought ... you got it, false positive potential. Now let me understand this, you can receive a positive HIV because you have a cold? ... yep, ‘fraid so, better get you on the drugs real quick ... before you die ... or possibly to make sure you do.
5. In case you think to yourself “no worries I’ll get a viral load check, that’ll tell me the truth” .... one popular kit to run viral load carries this warning "The amplicor HIV-1 Monitor test is not intended to be used as a screening test for HIV or as a diagnostic test to confirm the presence of HIV infection". Loads of confidence in their product then!
6. AZT kills ... yes it kills! People who survive, while taking it, do so despite the fact, not because of it. AZT was a drug developed to fight cancer, found to be so toxic that it was banned in 1957 by the FDA... interesting to consider how appalling it must be when you consider people are routinely killed by Chemotherapy. Later manipulated research results bought about it’s approval for use against AIDS. In case you didn’t know, AZT destroys cells, not just ‘bad’ ones but all cells without discrimination ... just what you would need to do to help your body if it actually has a depleted immune system!
This is all for starters, check it out for yourself, with an open mind and see what rubbish the main stream media is feeding you, courtesy of the ill-informed, or otherwise ill-intentioned, experts.
I would never have an AIDS test, what’s the point it tells you absolutely zilch about anything worth knowing. The risk in doing so and receiving a positive result is however immense ... wrecks you, your family, friends ... but does make the drug company happier, so obviously not all doom and gloom!
Unfortunately a PhD, or whatever qualification one has, means nothing, without the ability for individual thought ... look for those out there who are independently minded and seeking truth, not seeking to support a corrupt system that is now (for example) actively attempting to kill the innocent in Africa.
I find your comments unfounded and poorly researched. Its easy to cast these comments but your not presenting a balanced view are you? What is your fixation with AZT - sounds like you cant turn off that record once you get going. AZT, like many medicines, or even household chemicals will kill you if taken in large enough quantities - no doubt if you go swimming you make sure its not got Chlorine in is, given that Chlorine in sufficient doses will kill you straight away.
The comment about a HIV testing disclaimer is a farce - a car handbook in the US now has to specify that a cruise control does not control the vehicle steering, as a manufacturer was taken to court and lost when the claimant said, he put on the cruise control in his motorhome and went back to make some coffee while the vehicle was driving down the highway with nobody at the steering wheel. End result of course is the motorhome crashed. He sued the manufacturer and WON as the handbook did not specify that the steering was not controlled.
Therefore any testing equipment will have to meet the most stringent of laws anywhere in the world. Therefore the manufacturer needs to protect themselves accordingly as they are not controlling what goes into the machine to be tested - i.e they are not controlling the entire process. What happens for example, if a dimwit (think of the motorhome driver) lab assistant puts a urine sample into the kit and the kit reads it as no HIV virus found - that does not mean that the patient does not HIV, just that the test has not been carried out correctly. Thats the whole point of such disclaimers - HIV medicine still has many unanswered questions however to describe it as a conspiracy is naive beyond belief.
The whole point of this subject is that the patient was treated in a specialist HIV centre in London - clear records are made and seemingly show a strange situation - its as simple as that - stop trying to hi-jack this thread with your own way out thinking that will annoy many people on this forum, some of whom have HIV and some of whom have family members/friends with HIV. You have some 30 posts to your name, I suggest you do a little bit more research on the people who are part of this forum before you allienate yourself completely.
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I think you will find most expats here but not out of choice will be on minimum 10K US$ month packages, often +++ (Housing, car, pension) and a lot of them also have flexibility in how its paid.
Many expats that have their own business here will be showing a lower salary and then paying themselves dividends, most of which are not taxed or declared.
The really smart ones will be declaring the minimum amount required for whatever lifestyle they want (i.e 60k is not going to cut it if you want platinum Amex card in Thailand, BMW or Benz etc etc and living in prestigious condo) as can draw too much attention to the low salary supporting such a lifestyle, however the real money will be accruing offshore and then if required sent into Thailand in a subsequent tax year to avoid quite legally personal income tax as income is generated outside of Thailand through offshore discretionary trusts. Hong Kong is one such place to work very well as are the Channel Islands for such situations.
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Well lets hope you dont get affected by this condition and need to seek medical help. Incidentally, how else to drug companies get to 3rd stage medical trials for medicines, advertise in the newspapers for participants? - its always done in conjunction with key teaching hospitals and the drug companies effectively pay for the support they get from the hospitals in terms of staffing costs, administration, research teams etc.
You seem to be missing the point!
If I did seek medical help for any 'disease' such as AIDS or Cancer,it certainly wouldn't be from the mainstream medical profession which, contrary to your view, is largely ignorant of the real causes of these 'afflictions' and how to remedy them.
Regrettably this ignorance goes unchecked by the vast majority, who place a stupefying reliance upon those who kill innumerable patients every year ... I believe that doctors are the 6th largest killer of people in USA?
Your comment regarding 'drug companies' (as opposed to the good intentions of some within those corporations) beggars belief ... the fact is they do NOT want people to have any means of improved health other than through their drugs ... and if that means people die because they don't get alternative remedies, fine ... bottom line is increasing profits for shareholders, it can be no other way, it is written into corporate law.
In actual fact these drug companies are not benign, they actively kill patients, no exaggeration, and if you're not aware of it I suggest you spend a bit less time waving the banner for the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies and checking what is really going on .. but then maybe you work for a drug company, or prescribe their drugs?
Fact is that the virus has not been isolated ... other than in the minds of some of our 'scientists', which has little to do with reality. AIDS is a massive scam and unfortunately the myth of HIV hits the poorest and least able the hardest ... think of the supposed millions in Africa suffering this dreaded disease, when all they need is for the West, typified by the very drug companies that pretend to be seeking a cure, to get off their backs, allow them to have clean potable water and sanitation, coupled with use of their land to grow food to feed themselves. It is catastrophic and continues only because people allow themselves to be deluded by those they think have more wisdom.
Yes, it does anger me ... and no it is not directed at you ... just the views you express which are ill founded. So much so that I am working on a book covering issues such as this ... not yet got to the AIDS section unfortunately, or I'd have all the references nicely piled together
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Your going way off subject here - suffice to say I do not share your opinion, however everyone has their own views which is the sign of a free thinking world. For the time being I will place my trust into those people who are recognised experts but not bar room barristers....
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If his CD4 levels didnt require him to take medication then I cant see how that those levels could prove HIV, a CD4 count can be affected by many other diseases as can some of the other HIV tests.
They cant count the virus in his blood as one poster stated, seeing as no-one has yet managed to identify the virus. What they do is test for Antibodies (Which is how you would normally test to see if someone is immune to a virus) and then they check the blood to see if some of the effects of HIV are present (effects which other diseases also have).
Both standard HIV tests can return false positives, Its probably just a coincidence.
HIV medicine doesnt involve boosting the immune system, it involves destroying it from what I've read, AZT was used primarily for Chemotherapy until it was shelved for being too toxic.
HIV medicine restricts the virus, the body produces its own CD4 cells, if its not swamped by the virus. Medicines do not produce CD4 cells, however they basically faciliate the right conditions for the body to do what its supposed to do.
AZT is your right, a drug developed to fight cancer. When AIDs was first diagnosed, it was just about the only thing in the medicine cabinet that showed any signs of working against the virus. Without knowing any better and given the fact that patients were dying all over the place caused by something that nobody knew anything about, AZT was the only option for treatment. Everybody was aware of the risks of its toxicity, however there was nothing else to use. At the early stages, it was used in increasingly larger doses. Current guidleines are far far lower and it is actually one of the most successfull drugs in the arsenal against HIV - sure it has its problems, but its enabling people to live and work as normal, albeit under regular medical supervision, similar to diabetes.
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HIV+ Tests have a very high margin of error, I dont see this as even being newsworthy to be honest.
Don't HIV tests, test for antibodies to the virus, rather than the virus itself - There are lots of illnesses that can throw off the test results, even if someone is tested multiple times.
True.
Virus itself hasn't been isolated, the whole AIDS thing is a monumental scam.
For those who don't know about the UK press the 'News of the World' and 'Mail' are trash newspapers that 'report' just about anything that they can make up, so impossible to tell if there is any truth in anything they print!
... Chelsea & Westminster Hospital is the largest centre in Europe for HIV treatment. Forget any stories about an underfunded National Heathcare system in the UK, these guys get huge funding from government and commercial grants from drug companies - this is basically as good as it gets anywhere in the world in terms of HIV research and treatment. The research teams at this hospital have been responsible for making heaps of new discoveries about understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS and are very very respected worldwide. Therefore, this is not likely to be some mix-up of test samples or a second rate testing job in a provincial hospital unfamiliar with HIV testing. If its true, it could be a major breakthrough in understanding what can lead to a potential cure and or vacine for HIV.Guess he was lucky not to get another infection while at this 'top' hospital:
The actor Leslie Ash told the conference how she contracted MSSA - an MRSA-related infection - last year at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital. She lost all feeling from the waist down. (http://society.guardian.co.uk/mrsa/story/0,15825,1460169,00.html)
Interesting that this hospital gets drug company grants ... no conflict of interest there then!!!
Time to realise that drug companies have absolutely no interest in curing AIDS, just in selling hugely profitable drugs, that in most cases actually kill the patients.
One of the worst things is diagnosing people as having HIV based on a totally flawed test, destroying lives and families. As you probably gather I have little time for these drug companies and governments that purport to be concerned about humanity ... the whole thing stinks.
You want to really cure 'AIDS' in Africa, then quit oppressing the people and give them access to clean sanitation and let them use their land to grow food to feed themselves. Simple ... but highly unprofitable and doesn't give you control over them.
Well lets hope you dont get affected by this condition and need to seek medical help. Incidentally, how else to drug companies get to 3rd stage medical trials for medicines, advertise in the newspapers for participants? - its always done in conjunction with key teaching hospitals and the drug companies effectively pay for the support they get from the hospitals in terms of staffing costs, administration, research teams etc.
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A lot of HIV patients who take the multiply drug cocktail have HIV levels that are clinical undetectable, when they stop their meds it eventually returns.
Time will tell on this new treatment.
Even when undetectable in terms of viral load due to medicines taking effect and assisitng the bodies immune system, the body still produces Anti HIV antibodies - therefore if a HIV poisitive takes another antibody test even when undetectable with medicine, the result will still show positive for antibodies - thats why its been re-tested on him many times, just to be sure.
Also this patient is not on any medication, so what else has wiped out the virus?
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HIV+ Tests have a very high margin of error, I dont see this as even being newsworthy to be honest.
Don't HIV tests, test for antibodies to the virus, rather than the virus itself - There are lots of illnesses that can throw off the test results, even if someone is tested multiple times.
In isolation, your comments would be valid however the facts of this are that as is standard practice in all NHS HIV centres, a positive result then means further extensive tests are carried out to determine the level of virus in the bloodstream (Viral load test) and the state of the bodies imune system that fights all infections (the CD4 count) - so for example, a unclear test result on say a western blot test or elisa test, would mean that these additional tests are undertaken. The first line tests look for the body produce HIV antibodies - i.e the cells the human body uses to fight such an infection. Thats why they are called Anti-HIV tests. These tests are cheap and simple to carry out. Viral load tests in particular are expensive which is why they are not undertaken unless a antibody test is positive or inconclusive.
It has already been stated that the patient has been tested multiple times, and one can conclude from the hospital statement advising that the patients condition had not required treatment at the time of those tests means quite simply they have already undertaken the CD4 & Viral load tests - they cannot reach that conclusion without doing these tests as they are the only way to determine the progress of the infection.
This patient does not pay for treatment, all people are treated for HIV in the UK without charge, even those who are not British. This is not some dodgy clinic in the back of beyond - these tests will have been extensive and unlikely to be wrong on multiple occassions of testing. Once perhaps but more than once is very unlikely and he's been tested on multiple occassions. Incidentally, subsequent tests are always viral load and CD4, not the simple tests for antibodies. So basically they were counting the virus in his blood and the condition of his own immune system - statistically the viral load goes up with disease progression and CD4 comes down as the virus basically destroys the immune system and multiplies. This guy was not on any medication, therefore something within his own body or the supplements he was taken has basically wiped out the virus - this is the interesting part. Its not conclusive proof of a cure, buts it is an interesting development.
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This is an interesting situation. For those that do not know, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital is the largest centre in Europe for HIV treatment. Forget any stories about an underfunded National Heathcare system in the UK, these guys get huge funding from government and commercial grants from drug companies - this is basically as good as it gets anywhere in the world in terms of HIV research and treatment. The research teams at this hospital have been responsible for making heaps of new discoveries about understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS and are very very respected worldwide. Therefore, this is not likely to be some mix-up of test samples or a second rate testing job in a provincial hospital unfamiliar with HIV testing. If its true, it could be a major breakthrough in understanding what can lead to a potential cure and or vacine for HIV.
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Can any kind soul tell us will the Accord comes with a new facelift soon?
I am thinking to buy the Accord 2.0, and the dealer seemed very happy to give me discounts, insurance and accessories that I predict they might be offloading the old look models.
TIA.
Just curious - how big is the discount - I am looking for a car at the moment and this one has pretty good residuals.
Thanks
New Honda Civic
in Thailand Motor Discussion
Posted
Strange - I always understood Japan was one of the cheapest places in the world to buy a new car - friend of mine living there bought a Range Rover brand new and told me it was vastly (sorry he did not quantify vastly) cheaper than the same model in UK with better specification to the extent that there seemed to be no options that he could specify and pay extra for because everything was already there. I know there is also a growing market for grey imports of premium cars into the UK from Japan for the same reasons and these are not always Japanese models - i.e cheaper to buy a Benz or BMW and ship it over to UK on grey import.