TallGuyJohninBKK

The coast is looking a whole lot better than BKK right now, according to the aqicn.org site I use as my primary. In general, I would expect the sea breezes to help disperse the gunk: Bangkok: https://aqicn.org/city/thailand/prachuap-khiri-khan/gaia-10/

It's worth noting that the U.S., contrary to the U.K., has adopted much broader eligibility guidelines for people to receive the newer, bivalent vaccines... basically almost everyone with the following guidelines: "The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 5 years of age and older at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine." AND "The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is authorized for use as single booster dose in children 6 months through 5 years of age at least two months after completion of a primary series with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. It is also authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 6 years of age and older at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine." https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-bivalent-vaccine-boosters Also worth noting, that while case counts, hospitalizations and COVID deaths have been declining in recent weeks, the U.S. is still running about 330 COVID deaths per day and 3,300+ new COVID hospitalization per day... About 53.7 million people, or only 16.2% of the U.S. population, have thus far received an updated booster dose. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

For the above mentioned spring and subsequent booster campaigns, the UK is planning to use the newer bivalent version of the vaccines, which also target the Omicron strains. "The JCVI has advised the following vaccines may be used in the 2023 spring programme: Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent Moderna bivalent Sanofi/GSK monovalent (beta variant) Novavax monovalent (wild-type variant) – only for use when alternative products are not considered clinically suitable https://www.gov.uk/government/news/most-vulnerable-to-be-offered-spring-covid-19-booster

There continues to be good scientific evidence that COVID vaccines, even for Omicron variants, continue to REDUCE the chances of catching the virus in the months after administration. So the correct info is not prevent 100%, but reduce your odds or HELP prevent infection. But that protection, just like protection from prior COVID infections, does wane over time, which is the reason for the renewed boosters campaign. Monovalent COVID booster protects well against Omicron, but it wanes over 6 months March 3, 2023 "The monovalent (single-strain) COVID-19 vaccine booster was 74% effective against Omicron infection compared with the primary vaccine series for 3 months, but protection waned to 42% from 3 to 6 months and 36% after 6 months, estimates a study published yesterday in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. ... The study spanned the predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, primarily the BA.2 and BA.5 substrains, and was conducted before the availability of the updated bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 booster." ... "Increasing bivalent booster uptake should be a priority to increase protection likely lost due to waning immunity and antigenic change of circulating viruses," they wrote. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/monovalent-covid-booster-protects-well-against-omicron-it-wanes-over-6-months

You might have quoted from your link above for others to read: Who's dying suddenly now? — Unvaccinated more likely to have heart attack, stroke after COVID, study finds Being fully vaccinated reduced the risk by about 41 percent. A bout of COVID-19 is known to increase a person's long-term risks of having a major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke. But being fully vaccinated or even partially vaccinated appears to bring that risk down, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. ... Overall, the researchers found that being vaccinated—fully or partially—was linked to fewer cardiac events in the six months following a case of COVID-19. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and time since the pandemic began, the researchers found that being fully vaccinated reduced the risk of having a major cardiac event by about 41 percent, while being partially vaccinated reduced the risk by about 24 percent. (more) https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/unvaccinated-more-likely-to-have-heart-attack-stroke-after-covid-study-finds/

And meanwhile, we have Capitol insurrection suspects who were allowed to remain on home detention/house arrest pending trial going on the lam.... Hopefully the exploits of this pair will encourage other judges to keep other insurrectionists locked up pending the completion of their court cases. 2 Capitol riot defendants accused of violently attacking Capitol Police officers tampered with their ankle monitors and are now on the run, FBI says "A federal judge issued warrants for the arrest of two January 6 Capitol riot defendants who went missing on Monday. Olivia Pollock and Joseph Hutchinson III are both accused of several charges, including assaulting Capitol officers, theft of government property, entry to restricted grounds, and violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, court documents show. Joe Boland, a supervisory special agent with the FBI's Lakeland, Florida office, said the bureau learned Pollock and Hutchinson had "tampered with or removed" the ankle monitors used to track them and notified the court after they couldn't locate either of them, the Associated Press reported on Monday." (more) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/2-capitol-riot-defendants-accused-of-violently-attacking-capitol-police-officers-tampered-with-their-ankle-monitors-and-are-now-on-the-run-fbi-says/ar-AA18kwBX And what makes this case worse is the woman suspect involved here is the sister of another charged insurrectionist who already has been a fugitive on the run since 2021. It never occurred to the federal authorities involved here that the sister insurrectionist might be inclined to follow in the footsteps of her already fugitive brother insurrectionist?

JCVI advises vaccine top-up for over-75s, immunosuppressed and residents in care homes for older adults "The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has confirmed its advice for a 2023 spring coronavirus (COVID-19) booster programme. ... The committee has since advised that a spring booster dose should be offered to: adults aged 75 years and over residents in a care home for older adults individuals aged 5 years and over who are immunosuppressed Eligible individuals will be offered the vaccine around 6 months after their previous dose and NHS England will confirm operational details for the programme in due course." (more) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/most-vulnerable-to-be-offered-spring-covid-19-booster

I have to admit, I've only seen the bar girl / school girl uniform events being publicized by various Thai-local oriented bars and nightclubs on Thai social media... Never got an up-close and personal look to know whether the uniforms the girls were sporting were just generic SG ones or perhaps leftovers from their youth.... ???? Guess that means I need to get out and get a more hands-on and up-close sense of just what's going on with those events... checking the embroidery and tags and pins and such... I'm sure the girls won't mind! ????

I noticed the same thing, and presumed that meant -- although the article didn't say so -- that the two suspects are in fact ladyboys??? I think, and my wife confirms, that the two names given for the suspects would generally be considered Thai women's names. The whole thing sounds quite a bit like a (wrong side of the tracks) Thai ladyboy caper.

Doesn't seem to have stopped the legions of over age 18 Thai pretties and quasi-bar girls who like to periodically play school girl dress up for events at their places of employment...

Drugs? Women? Perhaps soliciting for new Thailand Elite members? ????

Today's air pollution in BKK put me over the edge...with the indoor PM2.5 levels without filtration running 50 to 60 micrograms of PM2.5 We have two separate HEPA air purifiers in our two main rooms, the living room and the main bedroom. The main bedroom Sharp one, prior to this week, had been keeping up despite having a 2+ year old HEPA filter. But today it just couldn't keep up, and I was getting 20+ microgram readings even with the purifier on high... So I swapped out the old filter for a new one, and it brought the levels back down to reasonable (under 10 mcg). In the living room, which is a pretty large single open living area combined with kitchen, we have a relatively high capacity Honeywell HEPA purifier that normally does the job... But today it couldn't by itself bring the room much below 15 to 20 micrograms. So tonight, I brought out the bedroom unit and began running it in the living room, and the two units together on high brought the living room down to 5-10 micrograms PM2.5.... First time in all the years I've lived in Bangkok that I've had to move and run our two HEPA purifiers into the same room.

I believe it's largely sugar cane husks.... ????

It's been an especially bad past two weeks: compared to the same period a year ago: PS - for the uninitiated, RED is BAD, ORANGE is just somewhat unhealthy. http://aqicn.org/station/thailand/gaia-12/bangkok/

The coroner didn't "imply" that the riot played a role. The coroner's report said so. "The District of Columbia chief medical examiner found that Sicknick had died from stroke, classifying his death as natural[a] and additionally commented that "all that transpired played a role in his condition." Also: "Brian Sicknick's death was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch, the USCP, and the FBI.[7] On March 14, Julian Khater and George Tanios were arrested for assaulting Sicknick with a chemical spray and for other charges.[11] ... On January 28, 2023, Khater was sentenced to seven years in prison.[1][13][14][15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Brian_Sicknick

It's unfortunate the OP article didn't make any mention of the following: "Thailand will adjust the country’s standard safety level of air pollution from an average of 50 microns to 37.5 microns from June 1st, with the hope that this will help the Pollution Control Department manage air pollution with increased efficiency, according to PCD Director-General Pinsak Suraswadi." https://aseannow.com/topic/1285347-thailand-to-reduce-the-50-micron-of-pm25-safety-standard-to-375-microns/ Or, as others have mentioned above, that the unhealthy air pollution threshold standards for the WHO, U.S. and elsewhere in the world tend to be in the 25-35 micrograms range -- and not the 50 microgram level currently used by Thailand. Not that the coming lower threshold limit is going to make much difference for Thailand, regardless... Since the authorities here, in reality, do little to nothing to combat the actual causes (the largest one being agricultural burning) of the season air pollution blight here.

It's pretty sad... If folks aren't going to wear N95 masks to help protect themselves from COVID, they certainly should want to be wearing them to protect themselves from THIS kind of unhealthy air in Bangkok and elsewhere! But among the tourist folks I see around BKK lately, very few are. http://aqicn.org/station/thailand/gaia-12/bangkok/#/z/11

I dunno about the latest article's references to his supposed American and Indian heritages... But the above reference would seem to suggest his Daddy is Thai... not to mention the assailant's name being "Kittiphot."

Tucker claims "mostly peaceful chaos"??? Per the U.S. Attorney's Office for DC: "Approximately 326 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including approximately 106 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer." AND "Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6 at the Capitol, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department." AND "A total of 60 of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded to federal charges of assaulting law enforcement officers." https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/26-months-jan-6-attack-capitol

As of March 6, 2023: "Arrests made: More than 999 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia... ... Approximately 518 individuals have pleaded guilty to a variety of federal charges, many of whom faced or will face incarceration at sentencing. Approximately 133 have pleaded guilty to felonies. Another 385 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/26-months-jan-6-attack-capitol

The U.S. Attorney's Office for DC just announced yesterday another felony guilty plea in the insurrection prosecutions, the latest one a California man who now will face sentencing.... Quite a story (from the fed's news release on the guilty plea): "According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, the defendant attended the “Stop the Steal” rally taking place in Washington, D.C. On December 31, 2020, the defendant purchased a “6 Ninja Tactical Combat Hunting Kunai Throwing Knife Set” and later posted on Facebook, “I just bought new kanai throwing knives and am going to do what my president asks” and “I’m going for the war.” https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/california-man-pleads-guilty-felony-charge-actions-during-jan-6-capitol-breach-1

https://www.insider.com/all-the-us-capitol-pro-trump-riot-arrests-charges-names-2021-1 At least 1,003 people have been charged in the Capitol insurrection so far. This searchable table shows them all. Updated Feb 16, 2023, 11:53 PM "Since supporters of then-President Donald Trump swarmed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 — forcing Congress to go into lockdown and damaging the halls of government — more than 1,000 people have been arrested and charged with crimes. The FBI is still seeking the public's help to identify people who took part in one of the most documented crimes in US history. But since most rioters were allowed to walk free that day, it's taking years to track them down."

And of course, you have absolutely no source or attribution for the claims you're making. In fact, Thailand had a significantly lower per capita COVID death rate than other places such as the U.S. or UK. In the chart above of per capita COVID deaths during the first two years of the pandemic, Thailand is the blue line running along the bottom of the chart compared to the mostly higher U.S. and the U.K. death rates. And those same trends continued during the past year as well. The reasons for that, AFAIK, are a matter of interpretation and speculation. Lessons from Asia on COVID-19: What the U.S. Can Learn from Successes Abroad "“European countries, such as the United Kingdom and France, have experienced moderately lower mortality per population than the U.S.,” said Ramnath Subbaraman, assistant professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. “But what's really remarkable are the extraordinarily low mortality rates experienced by some high-income countries in Asia, such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. ... "“If the U.S. experienced a similar rate of mortality per population, eight or nine out of every 10 people we have lost from COVID-19 in the U.S. would still be with us,” he said. And the gap between America and other countries in terms of COVID mortality is accelerating in the Omicron era." https://now.tufts.edu/2022/06/08/lessons-asia-covid-19-what-us-can-learn-successes-abroad

Except most of the studies they reviewed didn't even involve the current coronavirus behind the current pandemic. And all the other previously explained details that make their conclusions less than what they appear to be.

Then I must be "almost no one." Because, in keeping with the guidance of infectious disease experts, N95 masks are the ONLY ones I wear, on BTS and elsewhere, during the entirety of the pandemic. However, the experts in the field also advise that any mask generally is going to be better than wearing none.... which is pretty much common sense. Because masks, especially the best ones, don't only protect the wearer from inhaling the virus... But even the regular masks help prevent people who have COVID from spreading the virus by helping contain outbound respirations when they breath, talk, etc...