TallGuyJohninBKK

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...

Thailand's 444 billion baht figure equates to about $13-$14 billion USD... And so by comparison: The U.S., with a population about 5 times that of Thailand, has spent $4.6 TRILLION through January of this year, and more since then..... "The federal government has provided about $4.6 trillion to help the nation respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106647 And, as just one piece of that... "A new study published in the BMJ has found that the United States invested at least $31.9 billion in public funds directly into the development, production and purchasing of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines... ... The study is based upon an extensive analysis of US government research grants and procurement contracts related to mRNA vaccines or technologies issued between 1985 and March 2022." https://healthpolicy-watch.news/u-s-government-invested-31-9-billion-in-mrna-vaccine-research-and-procurement/ Large numbers always sound large, until you put them into some kind of context.

I ride the BTS in central BKK almost daily, and the vast majority of riders I see are following the BTS's policy, and government's recommendation, to still wear face masks while riding the system. The main exception seems to be "some" tourists. And, repeating the flawed conclusions of the Cochrane article doesn't make them any more true... For example: "The review includes 78 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and clustered-RCTs assessing physical interventions to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses — all but six of which were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. " https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20230216/qa-what-a-major-review-does-and-does-not-tell-us-about-masks-and-covid19 In layman's terms, they were comparing apples and oranges and pears, and came out with a fruit mush of conclusions.

How easily some folks here seem to forget (or try to ignore) that Thailand has recorded more than 30,000 "official" COVID deaths since the start of the pandemic, and there were periods when the COVID death toll exceeded 200 per day in Thailand. And those numbers are likely undercounts to the actual toll of COVID here. Needless to say, it would have been much worse if the government hadn't mounted the COVID vaccinations campaign they did, as well as the face masking and social distancing policies. "The actual death toll from COVID-19 is likely to be higher than the number of confirmed deaths – this is due to limited testing and challenges in the attribution of the cause of death." https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

The report you're citing has been widely debunked and cited as flawed by experts in the field.... Listen to actual experts in the field, who continue to recommend N95 type mask respirators as good protection against COVID: COMMENTARY: Wear a respirator, not a cloth or surgical mask, to protect against respiratory viruses "Two recent publications conclude there are no differences between surgical masks and respirators for preventing person-to-person transmission of infectious respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. But these studies are deeply flawed. ... Both are built on the premise that infectious respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and influenza are only transmitted person to person by large droplets. This is not true." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/commentary-wear-respirator-not-cloth-or-surgical-mask-protect-against-respiratory-viruses And another takedown of the Cochrane article: Q&A: What a major review does and does not tell us about masks and COVID-19 "We asked Linsey C. Marr, PhD, the Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech University and an expert on airborne virus transmission and mask technology, to share her thoughts on the analysis. ... "There is no question that a high-quality, well-fitting mask can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection if worn properly and consistently. We know this from a study in California by the CDC that found that individuals who consistently wore an N95 or KN95 had an 83% lower risk of testing positive for COVID-19 compared with those who didn’t mask." https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20230216/qa-what-a-major-review-does-and-does-not-tell-us-about-masks-and-covid19 Both articles above go into much scientific details of why the analysis and conclusions in the Cochrane article are flawed, particular in regard to N95 respirator type masks.... Read the articles and their analysis for a deeper understanding on the issues involved.

From your linked source above: "Police did not suspect foul play and speculate that Cotter fainted and hit his head." While the above speculated scenario is certainly possible, that wouldn't be the first explanation I might consider given that the victim here was a relatively young and seemingly fit Army officer. Plus as we all know, the RTP are very well known for their off-the-cuff and often factually unsupported explanations for things that later turn out to be totally wrong. The above Coconuts report relies on a separate AP news report with the following detail, as related by a Thai police colonel: "Police Col. Raksak Mekchinda, superintendent of the Lopburi police station, said Cotter’s body was discovered in a bathroom at around 2 a.m. Tuesday. “He fainted in the bathroom, it was locked, his soldier friends were searching and couldn’t find him, so they kicked the door down and then found him,” he said. “He probably had a medical condition.” https://apnews.com/article/us-army-cobra-gold-exercises-thailand-death-91b123b690fcf2ad04d8d1aa86ba032c Hmmmm.... Maybe the veteran folks here among us can say better, but I would have thought that active duty U.S. army officers might not be sent abroad if they have some "medical condition" that might impair their ability to perform their duties.

I went thru this lately.... in trying to remember and refreshing myself on what the differences are between the following: --opthamologists --optometrists --opticians The easiest part and highest level of training are the opthamologists, who both here in Thailand and back in my home country are regular MDs who have undergone additional years of specialized training in eye disorders / eye diseases, etc. I would argue opthamologists at hospitals are not necessarily the best place to simply get a new prescription done and then acquire glasses / frames / contacts. The lowest level, AFAIK, are the not medical optician staff that probably staff most commercial retail eyewear shops here, who as far as I can tell, aren't necessarily required to undergo any specific training or licensing in Thailand. I would NOT generally want them to do my eye exam or provide a new prescription. Then in the middle are optometrists. In my home country, they're required to have a 4-year college degree and then typically 4 years more of professional training in order to become OD's, who I believe tend to be the mainstay of doing routine eye exams and providing new prescriptions and frames / lenses. But here in Thailand, from what I can tell, people can get optometry degrees with less training than that. For example, Ramkhamhaeng University in BKK has a Bachelor of Optometry program that runs 6 years and that they say allows graduates to be called Doctors of Optometry. For whatever it's worth, I needed an updated eyewear prescription and lenses lately, and without giving it much thought, scheduled an appointment with an opthamologist at a mid-tier private hospital in BKK, where they quoted me a price of 3,000 baht just for the appointment (and not including anything in the way of new lenses or glasses). I canceled that plan, searched around, and found a very well reviewed (via Google Maps reviews, and largely from farangs) optometrist clinic in central BKK where the English speaking optometrist happened to have graduated from the Ramkhamhaeng University program years back (which is why I spent the time looking at what it means to obtain a Bachelor of Optometry / DO degree from there). Went to the optometry clinic yesterday, and the optometrist used the different mini lenses fit into a glasses frame holder to generate my new prescription in what was a quite lengthy process of trialing and testing different configurations on each eye. I was pleased and impressed with his service and manner. And after the exam was finished, I had my new lenses ready in 15 minutes, as did my wife. All told, the exam was 200 baht for each of us, and we each had new regular lenses put into our existing frames for a price of 600 baht apiece. So total bill for the two of us was 1,600 baht.