TallGuyJohninBKK

No rain in central BKK this afternoon. But shortly before 3 pm, the official temperature reading says a chilly [ 😝 ] 97F degrees... Which, I'm not complaining about at this point, given that the typical afternoon readings in BKK in past weeks have been at 100F or above.

Just another day in the life... These things, we come to know and expect. 😞

I'm sure they'd be happy to take your money. When you gonna pay up? 🙂 FWIW, there have been some recent proposals that would raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans to help fund the SS gap. I believe those would target incomes over $400K per year. But not surprisingly, one particular political party doesn't seem too keen on that plan. From the OP article: "Congressional Democrats have proposed higher taxes on the wealthy to support Social Security. Congressional Republicans have balked at that, instead calling for reducing the benefit formula and raising the retirement age for younger workers."

I've used two services lately: Planet Express based in Southern California and has their website by that name, a service that I liked and used for a long time, but ceased using a year ago when they had a long string of having my economy shipping packages go astray. They do also offer a full range of shipping methods, and a person could probably avoid the non-delivery risk by opting for delivery via FedEx or DHL. But the shipping rate's gonna be more expensive, and Thai Customs on this end likely will add on VAT and potentially a Customs duty charge as well. Though to set up a NEW account with Planet Express, a person would have to go thru the process of filling out and submitting USPS mail forwarding documentation to PE in order for them to activate your account. That's a standard USPS requirement. More recently, I've been using a service called WeShippingUSA, which is run by Thais and operates via Facebook. They only have two options: 1. ocean shipping that takes about 3 months and has a flat rate of 300b per kilo, no extra charges except for local EMS mail delivery to your home here, or 2. air freight handling, which takes about 2 weeks and has a flat rate of 800b per kilo, no extra charges except for local EMS mail delivery to your home here. (No extra charges meaning no added risk for VAT or Customs duty. Their fee is all-inclusive.) In both options with WeShippingUSA, thru dozens of orders, thus far, they have a perfect delivery record for my stuff, though occasionally they run a couple days behind schedule for their ultimate delivery times here. Payment is via Thai bank transfer to their account here. Another option, if you have family or similar back in the U.S., would be to have the purchased phone delivered to them, and they could re-mail it to you here in Thailand using one of several USPS International mail options, which could be insured. The package would then be delivered here via ThaiPost. And in either case for Planet Express or WeShippingUSA, they would be able to handle the shipping of a newly purchased mobile phone, so long as the lithium battery is packed inside the phone, and not separate outside.

Congress has less than a decade to fix Social Security before the popular program runs short of cash, threatening a sharp cut in benefits for nearly 60 million retirees and family members, according to a government report released Monday. The report from Social Security trustees predicts the retirement program's trust fund will be exhausted in November of 2033. At that point, benefits would automatically be cut by 21%, unless lawmakers adopt changes before then. There's some good news in the new forecast. Thanks to higher-than-expected worker productivity and a decline in expected disabilities, Social Security isn't burning through cash as fast as trustees predicted a year ago. (more) https://www.npr.org/2024/05/06/1249406440/social-security-medicare-congress-fix-boomers-benefits

I've flown thru Taipei with EVA in both directions many times on the US to BKK routes. My typical scheduled layover there has been 3 hours, sometimes 4. But even if it had been shorter, the transfers on EVA for US to BKK flights are all within the same terminal, not very far to walk, and their security measures are pretty efficient and speedy in my experience. A person probably could make the connecting flight with a full one hour layover. But 2 hours would be safer and more relaxing.

Don't think so, Dude! 😞 But I have a famous bridge to sell, if you're interested....

I don't remember anyone saying that. Though there were a lot of specific FALSE COVID vaccine claims made that did fit into the conspiracy theory realm (like the whoppers that COVID vaccines contained trackers or were magnetic). See below: Rather, in the case of the AZ vaccine, for example, there were required warnings back to 2021 that blood clots could be a rare side effect, among other potential side effects (see below) To illustrate that fact, when I got my first two COVID vaccine shots in Thailand back in mid-2021, I was well-aware of the much publicized concern about very rare blood clots, and went ahead with the two shots anyway, because: 1. at that time, here in Thailand, I didn't have any choice of Pfizer or Moderna mRNA.... and all the reports I saw at the time indeed indicated the clotting issue was very rare, which has turned out to be the case. and 2. the only other options available here at the time were one of the Chinese made versions, which most tests at the time showed were less effective than the AZ vaccine. However, as noted above, there always have been many false conspiracy theories spread about COVID vaccines, including by a lot of members here. So for those folks... Bust Myths and Learn the Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines Updated Sept. 27, 2023 --COVID-19 vaccines do not contain microchips and they cannot make you magnetic. --COVID-19 vaccines do not alter DNA. --Not all events reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) are caused by vaccination. etc... https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html Here, BTW, is an example of the kind of potential side effect disclosures that were in place for the AZ vaccine back in 2021: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine: What to know about side effects Updated on July 15, 2021 "Vaxzevria, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, may cause some of the mostly mild-to-moderate side effects that people often encounter after any vaccination. However, there are also some recent controversies surrounding rare blood clotting incidents linked to this vaccine." Common side effects Potential risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome Controversy regarding blood clots https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-what-to-know-about-side-effects There were plenty of disclosures made back during that time.

No, I never said or meant to imply that the elderly aren't most of the reported COVID deaths here. They are... I merely pointed out, they're not ALL or the ONLY reported COVID deaths here, which is correct. Sorry if my phrasing didn't properly convey that intended message.

Except when they're not: BTW, hope you're not suggesting you think it's fine to write off folks in their 60s and 70s or older, and consider their deaths from COVID nothing to be concerned about, when in many cases they would have had years more to live? That demographic, BTW, certainly includes a goodly portion of the members and participants in this forum, myself included!

Because that detail wouldn't fit well on their nice weekly charts...

Why don't they also report the general age ranges of those hospitalized in serious condition and those requiring intubation to breath because of COVID? Also, why don't they provide any details about the COVID death of a 0-4 year-old that was reported at the end of last month? Or the COVID death of a 20-49 year-old that was reported for the past week?

Is COVID getting better or worse in Thailand now vs. a year ago? What do the numbers say? Not a good look! First week of May 2023: 1,699 new COVID hospitalizations 10 COVID deaths 219 COVID hospitalized patients in serious condition 113 COVID hospitalized patients requiring intubation/ventilation First week of May 2024 (as shown above in this thread): 1,792 new COVID hospitalizations 12 COVID deaths 501 COVID hospitalized patients in serious condition (a 28% increase over the prior week and a reported tally that is Thailand's highest in almost a year and a half). 187 COVID hospitalized patients requiring intubation/ventilation Source: Weekly COVID report from May 2023: https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

If and when you can provide any credible evidence showing or even suggesting that they do, then I'll start to pay attention... Meanwhile....

The numbers in the NYT chart above are small, but they're average weekly COVID death rates per 100,000 population in the U.S. And when you multiply those out thru a population of about 330 million people, and 52 weeks in a year, suddenly they're not so small. Also, that chart happens to be for the period Oct. 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023, which was pretty well past the peaks of COVID deaths in the U.S., that had occurred earlier. The NYT graphic roughly covers the October 2022 to April 2023 period marked by my red box in the US CDC COVID deaths chart below: Source:

Here's how we know from the New York Times, one source among many: https://archive.ph/HSUsy The benefits outweigh the risks.

From the New York Times amid their reporting about Shaun Barcavage's personal claims (including those cited in the YT video above) as part of a broader article about some people's beliefs that they suffered vaccine-related injuries: The overall picture "Here’s my best attempt to summarize the full truth about the Covid vaccines: They are overwhelmingly safe and effective. They have saved millions of lives and prevented untold misery around the world. They’re so valuable that elderly people and those with underlying health conditions should be vigilant about getting booster shots when they’re eligible. For most children, on the other hand, booster shots seem to have only modest benefits, which is why many countries don’t recommend them. And, yes, a small fraction of people will experience significant side effects from the vaccines. Eventually, scientific research may be able to better understand and reduce those side effects — which is more reason to pay attention to them. Overall, Covid vaccines are probably the most beneficial medical breakthrough in years, if not decades." https://archive.ph/HSUsy#selection-7853.0-7853.257

Fauci was correct, that the clinical trials did not surface TTS blood clots as an issue for the viral vector vaccines. But you left out the final part of his quote referring to the clinical trials done on the vaccine as part of its application for approval: "DR. FAUCI: Yeah. The vaccine hesitancy surrounding AZ, related to reports from the European group that there was a greater incidence of thromboembolic events associated with the vaccine: During this trial here, there was no indication at all. Now, remember, you’re dealing with 30,000 people in a trial." As documented and cited above, the TTS side effect was so rare that it didn't surface in the clinical trials on the AZ vaccine, which involved tens of thousands of participants, and didn't emerge until the vaccine (once approved outside the U.S.) was widely given.

The documented death or injury numbers from COVID vaccines are tiny compared to the documented vast numbers of lives saved and illnesses avoided from COVID. When governments approve a medical treatment or vaccine, I don't think they ever say there will be no side effects. What they say, and what is required for approval, is that the benefits significantly outweigh the risks, as was the case here.

And further from the U.S. CDC on the viral vector vaccine blood clotting side effect: They estimate FOUR TTS cases per 1 million doses given. Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) after COVID-19 Vaccination Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) has been rarely observed after J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccination and has occurred in approximately 4 cases per one million doses administered. [emphasis added] TTS is a rare but serious adverse event that causes blood clots in large blood vessels and low platelets (blood cells that help form clots). A review of reports indicates a causal relationship between the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and TTS. This observation contributed to the preferential recommendation by ACIP to use mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, which is no longer available in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

AFAIK, both the EMA and the UK MHRA's last official positions on the AZ vaccine were that its benefits in preventing COVID death and illness outweighed the very rare blood clotting risks. I don't believe the AZ vaccine's regulatory approval was ever revoked, at least not by the EMA or the UK. That said, once the risks surfaced, various countries at various paces moved their reliance on COVID vaccines to the mRNA versions that likewise have been shown amid widespread use (billions of doses given) to be very safe, with their benefits against COVID far outweighing their risks. US CDC: Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines Some people have no side effects. Many people have reported side effects—such as headache, fatigue, and soreness at the injection site—that are generally mild to moderate and go away within a few days. What You Need to Know The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination continue to outweigh any potential risks. Severe reactions after COVID-19 vaccination are rare....... https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

The original reports about the rare blood clotting side effect of the AZ vaccine came from public health agencies in response to vaccine safety monitoring identifying the potential problem. That occurred very shortly after the mass rollout of the vaccine in the UK and Europe in early 2021. The monitoring system did its job. And the news wasn't hidden or suppressed, but was widely reported at the time, even though the risk was found to be very rare. European Medicines Agency: AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine: EMA finds possible link to very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets 7 April 2021 EMA confirms overall benefit-risk remains positive EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) has concluded today that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects of Vaxzevria (formerly COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca). ... COVID-19 is associated with a risk of hospitalisation and death. The reported combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is very rare, and the overall benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-ema-finds-possible-link-very-rare-cases-unusual-blood-clots-low-blood-platelets And, the blood clotting events were indeed so rare that they never surfaced in the clinical trials that were done on the AZ vaccine before it was approved and then rolled out to the general public with tens of millions of doses given. Australian Academy of Science: 7 May 2021 "The rarity of TTS is the main reason it was not detected during vaccine clinical trials. Clinical trials typically involve many thousands of people, not millions: if a side effect or complication only occurs for a few people out of a million, it may not happen for any of the participants in a clinical trial. This is why health authorities continue to monitor a vaccine’s safety as it is rolled out more widely so that very rare potential side effects can be identified and investigated." ... "Although TTS is serious, it’s also very rare. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) estimates that out of every 100,000 people vaccinated with AstraZeneca, one or two people may experience TTS. The risk might be higher for people under 60, but any estimates of risks for specific age groups are still imprecise because there are so few cases to analyse." https://www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/what-we-know-about-astrazeneca-vaccine-and-blood-clots Once the warning signals about the AZ became clear during 2021, countries including the UK pretty quickly began to restrict its use and then eventually phased out its use in favor of the mRNA COVID vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer that didn't have the same blood clotting risks. And no, the AZ was never approved in the U.S. in the first place, in part because its application was pending there when the rare side effect issue of blood clotting emerged, along with some other unrelated factors. The viral vector vaccines from AZ and J&J, post approval, were found to have a very rare side effect that was reported, monitored, assessed, and led to those vaccines widely being replaced by their mRNA counterparts. All of this was studied, reported, and well-documented during that time. AstraZeneca withdraws US COVID vaccine application, shifts focus to antibody treatments Nov 10, 2022 https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/astrazeneca-withdraws-us-covid-vaccine-application-focus-shifts-antibody-treatments

Yes, if you look enough, you can find all kinds of things being posted in the gutters of the internet by people with long documented histories of purveying misinformation and unproven claims regarding COVID and COVID vaccines. Here's what the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities says about that: "False and misleading information about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines on social media often exaggerates the frequency and severity of side effects. Misinformation also wrongly attributes unrelated medical events to the vaccines. Vaccine misinformation leading individuals to decline vaccination has very likely led to many more deaths than adverse effects of the vaccines." ... False information about COVID-19 vaccines can result in deaths or severe disease if people avoid getting the vaccines they need. False information about COVID-19, both unintended (misinformation) and deliberate (disinformation), spreads on social media, so it is important to get information from trusted sources (healthcare professionals, scientific sources and national medicines regulators). Some people misinterpret the numbers of deaths or suspected side effects reported in vaccine safety databases. The fact that an adverse medical event or even death occurs in a vaccinated person does not mean that the vaccine has caused it. Regulators evaluate reports of medical events following the use of these medicines to determine if there is a signal indicating causality and if so, they take action as appropriate." https://icmra.info/drupal/strategicinitiatives/vaccines/safety_statement About ICMRA ICMRA brings together 38 medicines regulatory authorities from every region in the world, with the WHO as an observer

And adding some more perspective on the projected risk-reward ratio for COVID vaccines in Thailand: "A research team from Mahidol University and Naresuan University led by Associate Professor Dr. Charin Modchang expanded the study and utilized the same mathematical modeling approaches to estimate the number of lives saved due to Thailand’s vaccine rollout. The study revealed that between the time the first vaccine was administered in 2021 and July 3, 2022, 490,000 lives were saved. Thus, half a million people in Thailand would have lost if the Covid vaccines had not been available." https://aseannow.com/topic/1266704-half-a-million-in-thailand-saved-by-covid-vaccine/

No doubt, there are real and rare serious side effects from COVID vaccines. But what comes into dispute is the scale of those injuries, and how they weigh against the vast numbers of lives saved by COVID vaccines, estimated to be more than 20 million just in the first year of their rollout: COVID vaccines saved 20M lives in 1st year, scientists say https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-england-54d29ae3af5c700f15d704c14ee224b5 The NY Times report cited above was interesting, including its wording about people "believing" they had been harmed by COVID vaccines. Well, people believe all kinds of things that have been clearly disproven or not proven, but they still believe anyway. The NYT report almost makes it sound like it's just a "he said, she said" dispute, with the claimed victims of vaccine injury saying one thing, and public health authorities and regulators saying something else, and no way to discern the real big picture. But even though the NYT doesn't seem to mention it, there was a major global study on vaccine safety / side effects involving more than 240 million doses given in multiple countries that was released earlier this year, and it came down squarely in favor of the benefits of vaccination. Posts misrepresent findings of world's largest Covid vaccine safety study 28 February 2024 "The February 2024 publication of the largest peer-reviewed study of Covid-19 vaccine safety to date has inspired misleading social media claims that its findings show the jabs are unsafe. Study authors and independent experts say the research confirms that adverse reactions to vaccination are rare and pose far fewer risks than Covid-19 infection." ... Epidemiologist Anders Peter Hviid, one of the study authors, told AFP the findings confirm previous research and should not deter people from receiving Covid-19 shots. "What we take away is that the Covid-19 vaccination campaigns have been very effective in preventing severe disease," he said on February 23. "The few serious side effects that we have observed in this and other studies have been rare." https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.34K78ZW AND Study Largely Confirms Known, Rare COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects February 27, 2024 "An international study of around 99 million people confirmed known serious side effects of COVID-19 vaccination. It also identified a possible relationship between the first dose of the Moderna vaccine and a small risk of a neurological condition. Social media posts about the study left out information on the vaccines’ benefits and the rarity of the side effects. COVID-19 vaccines — like all vaccines and other medical products — come with side effects, including serious side effects in rare cases. The vaccines were rolled out to protect people from a novel virus that has killed millions of people globally and would likely have killed millions more without the arrival of the vaccines. There is a broad consensus from experts and governmental health agencies that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the risks. ... “What we take away, is that the Covid-19 vaccination campaigns have been very effective in preventing severe disease,” study co-author Anders Hviid, head of the department of epidemiology research at the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, told us in an email. “The few serious side effects that we have observed in this and other studies have been rare.” https://www.factcheck.org/2024/02/study-largely-confirms-known-rare-covid-19-vaccine-side-effects/ And this study wasn't based on anyone's estimates or projections. But instead, the study drew on actual national or regional health records from eight countries with institutions participating in the Global Vaccine Data Network, an international group that studies vaccine safety. The researchers analyzed health outcomes after around 184 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, 36 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and 23 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.