TallGuyJohninBKK

From a Jan. 2023 column by Your Local Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina, MPH, PhD: Deaths by vaccination status: It’s not even close "The U.K. Health Security Agency recently released data evaluating all deaths (COVID-19, car accidents, strokes, etc.) in the U.K. by vaccination status, after adjusting for age... "This is powerful data because it allows us to remove noise from the debate—it doesn’t matter if the death was “with” or “from” COVID or how the person died... "And, the story is clear: vaccines save lives." https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/covid-19-vaccines-and-sudden-deaths "Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is founded and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist... YLE is a public health newsletter that reaches over 375,000 people in more than 132 countries, with one goal: to translate the ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions." MOD EDIT: Font size reduced to standard

Something makes me wonder here if the "full hospitalisation at no cost" reference isn't exactly telling the entire story....

His form of re-engaging, based on the OP, appears to be supporting giving the Thai military an even stronger hand in running the country than they already have. If that's what you want for Thailand, then he's certainly your man.

Given the death of the man in this incident, I'm guessing that it was no accident or coincidence that the "clinic" happened to be closed, and no one associated with it to be found, when the medical investigators arrived.

OP report could have done a considerably better job in making those facts clear..... 😞

I've been dealing with this issue lately as part of advance estate planning for my Thai wife.... Here's what I've found. 1. It's certainly good to have a Thai will that specifies exactly who is to inherit ones assets. But having the beneficiary actually GET the assets via a will can be a slow and somewhat expensive process in Thailand, because it will involve having to have a Thai attorney take the will to probate court, and after some time allowing for potential challenges, to obtain a court order directing the release of the assets pursuant to the terms of the will... Have heard, that can take some months in Bangkok. 2. If someone's going to go the ATM route, make sure the beneficiary knows to accomplish that promptly, and before the bank ends up learning of the death thru any means. 3. In addition to the Thai will, it's also possible to have the bank branch where your account is held have your intended beneficiary sign a "power of attorney" document essentially making the beneficiary a SILENT co-owner of the account. The beneficiary's name won't show on the bank book anywhere visible, so it won't interfere with the use of the account for Immigration deposit purposes. But it will give the beneficiary FULL rights to the account, both before you're dead and after you're dead. The advice given by various Thai bank branch managers on this (the power of attorney designation) seems to vary all over the map, so it's probably important to have a personal chat with the manager at the bank where the account in question is held, before deciding whether to pursue it or not. I had such a chat lately. --As I recollect, what she told me was that by virtue of the power of attorney designation, my wife would have full/100% access to all the funds in the account during my lifetime, and prior to the bank being notified of my death, whenever it would occur. --But after the bank learns that I've died, the manager advised that the power of attorney and/or my wife's legal status as my wife (not clear on that point) would still entitle her to 50% of the account (which I'm presuming is the statutory spousal 50% share of marital assets) PRIOR to and without having to do the Probate Court process. But in order to access the OTHER 50% of the assets, the bank branch manager said that would still require some kind of process going thru Thai Probate Court, again, assuming the beneficiary started that request AFTER the bank knew I was dead. So it seems the common theme here, whether by ATM route and/or by power of attorney route, it's best to have the beneficiary pull ALL the assets/funds before the assetholder learns of the person's death -- unless the beneficiary is content to let the Probate process play out and doesn't need the inherited funds promptly. Would be interested to hear what others have been told by their banks about the power of attorney route, and any personal experiences people may know of of that actually being exercised in the real world here.

Only if the partner manages to withdraw the funds before the bank learns/is notified that the accountholder has died.

It sounds like the end of free rides was just on the section at the one end of the line ending in Nonthaburi... My wife too had been paying for regular rides on the other section of the line toward the Lad Phrao area... no freebies there lately.

Roger Hodkinson -- another in a long-line of anti-vaxer whack jobs who has been professionally sanctioned by his medical regulatory agency for unprofessional conduct and found to have spread COVID misinformation in the past, as detailed below: Hodkinson is a colleague of infamous COVID vaccine misinformer Peter McCullough, who was stripped of his medical board certifications over COVID misdeeds, and co-authored with him a bogus "flawed" study on autopsies on COVID vaccinated persons that was later twice withdrawn by journals where it had been previously posted. As FactCheck.org reported: Flawed Autopsy ‘Review’ Revives Unsupported Claims of COVID-19 Vaccine Harm, Censorship November 19, 2024 ... "Hodkinson and McCullough, along with five other authors, are also affiliated with and have a financial interest in The Wellness Company, a supplement and telehealth company that sells unproven treatments, including for purported protection against vaccines." [emphasis added] The same report above also noted: "Dr. Roger Hodkinson, incorrectly claimed in 2020 that COVID-19 was a “hoax” and “just a bad flu.” https://www.factcheck.org/2024/07/flawed-autopsy-review-revives-unsupported-claims-of-covid-19-vaccine-harm-censorship/ Expanding on that past episode above, the Associated Press had the following report re Hodkinson: Pathologist falsely claims COVID-19 is a hoax, no worse than the flu December 3, 2020 "CLAIM: COVID-19 is “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated” and “just another bad flu.” Roger Hodkinson, a pathologist who identifies himself as the former chairman of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada Examination Committee in Pathology, made the comments by phone during a public meeting in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Not only is COVID-19 deadlier than the flu, but symptoms can be long-lasting, according to medical experts. [emphasis added] (more) https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-9765563716 And then earlier this year, Hodkinson finally was professionally sanctioned for unprofessional conduct by his governing medical regulatory agency in Canada for his past misstatements: Dr. Roger Hodkinson sanctioned by CPSA Hearing Tribunal March 27, 2025 "Edmonton, AB – Edmonton pathologist Dr. Roger Hodkinson admitted to charges of unprofessional conduct and was sanctioned by a CPSA Hearing Tribunal. [emphasis added] On several occasions in 2020 and 2021, Dr. Hodkinson made public statements (at an Edmonton City Council meeting, in a media interview and on social media) about public health measures in place at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The comments offered by Dr. Hodkinson fell outside the scope of practice of a pathologist, and were inconsistent with accepted public health medicine guidelines." College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) (Alberta's physician regulator and responsible for overseeing the practice of medicine in Alberta) https://cpsa.ca/news/dr-roger-hodkinson-sanctioned-by-cpsa-hearing-tribunal/

Consider the source for the OP's post: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/slay-news-bias-and-credibility/

Rubbish content from a rubbish source: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/zero-hedge/

Back to the OP issue in this thread, per National Public Radio on RFK Jr.'s report to Congress on COVID vaccines for pregnant women: RFK Jr. sent Congress 'medical disinformation' to defend COVID vaccine schedule change June 13, 2025 "A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to lawmakers to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to change U.S. policy on COVID vaccines cites scientific studies that are unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterizes others. One health expert called the document "willful medical disinformation" about the safety of COVID vaccines for children and pregnant women. ... "It is so far out of left field that I find it insulting to our members of Congress that they would actually give them something like this"... said Dr. Mark Turrentine, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine." National Public Radio https://www.npr.org/2025/06/13/nx-s1-5431935/rfk-hhs-covid-vaccine-schedule-faq

And more of the same: The findings — and scientific problems — in White House ‘MAHA Report’ Parts of the “MAHA Report” contradict scientific consensus. May 22, 2025 ... ..."During the briefing, Kennedy claimed that “prescription drugs are now the number three cause of death in our country, after cardiac arrest and cancer.” However, the third-leading cause of death in the United States is accidents or unintentional injuries, which includes deaths due to drug overdoses, motor vehicle crashes and falls, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality data for 2023. Gun violence, the leading cause of death for children and teens in 2020 and 2021 according to the CDC, is not mentioned in the report." Washington Post https://archive.ph/qPTVK

Nor is the latest episode reported above the only time Trump's HHS Secretary RFK Jr. has been caught lately misreporting data and making up information in their communications, another recent instance being Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" report, as follows: White House MAHA Report may have garbled science by using AI, experts say The report, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was intended to address the reasons for the decline in Americans’ life expectancy "Some of the citations that underpin the science in the White House’s sweeping “MAHA Report” appear to have been generated using artificial intelligence, resulting in numerous garbled scientific references and invented studies, AI experts said Thursday. ... Other citations include the wrong author, and several studies cited by the extensive health report do not exist at all, a fact first reported by the online news outlet NOTUS on Thursday morning. [emphasis added] ...] “The MAHA Report: Making Our Children Healthy Again,” ... was led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of misstating science, and written in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump." (more) Washington Post https://archive.ph/TFUSl

June 19, 2025 "A memo sent to Congress by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services misrepresented medical studies to justify the agency’s decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women, the studies’ authors have told NewsGuard. The HHS memo sent to lawmakers, which was first published by KFF Health News (NewsGuard Trust Score: 100/100) on June 13, 2025, includes a section about the scientific evidence that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr relied upon in his decision to remove the COVID vaccine from the recommended vaccine schedule during pregnancy. ... ...NewsGuard found that the study in question did not identify a link between COVID vaccination and an increased risk of miscarriage, and the study’s lead author, Dr. Maria Velez, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at McGill University in Montreal, confirmed this finding to NewsGuard." (more) NewsGuard https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/researchers-slam-hhs-memo-for-twisting Meanwhile, the full linked NewsGuard article above goes on to explain that in the case of another study cited in the HHS memo to Congress, a co-author of that second study also said their published findings were misrepresented in HHS's memo. The NewsGuard report notes that the HHS memo to Congress also failed to acknowledge "abundant" other evidence supporting the safety of COVID vaccines during pregnancy. NewsGuard previously, and as repeated in the above report, noted that RFK Jr. and the anti-vax group Children's Health Defense that he founded, had made more than 100 provably false health-related claims in past years.

Former Governors: Trump Is Weaponizing the Power of His Office. It's Putting Our Country at Risk | Opinion Jun 17, 2025 ... "Day 137 of President Trump's presidency, when he unilaterally federalized and deployed thousands of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles without the consent of Governor Gavin Newsom, may well be inscribed in history as a defining moment for our democracy. ... These actions have real and troubling consequences, not only for the men and women in uniform but also for the overwhelmingly peaceful protestors and for the immigrants who are targets of large-scale immigration raids. When a president breaks with foundational norms, laws, and separation of powers, our entire nation is at risk." (more) https://www.newsweek.com/former-governors-trump-weaponizing-power-his-office-its-putting-our-country-risk-opinion-2086379 Authors are Kathleen Sebelius (D), governor of Kansas from 2003-2009, and Marc Racicot (R), governor of Montana from 1993-2001.

"Former President Barack Obama has issued a warning about the future of American democracy, cautioning that the country is “dangerously close” to normalizing behavior “consistent with autocracies.” ... “What we’re seeing right now … is not consistent with American democracy,” he continued. “It is consistent with autocracies." (more) MSNBC https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/barack-obama-warns-the-u-s-is-dangerously-close-to-slipping-into-autocracy-under-trump/ar-AA1GYrce

"The scale of last weekend’s “No Kings” protests is now becoming clearer, with one estimate suggesting that Saturday was among the biggest ever single-day protests in US history. Working out exactly where the protest ranks compared to similar recent events has been a project of G Elliott Morris, a data journalist who runs the Substack Strength in Numbers, calculated turnout between four million and six million, which would be 1.2-1.8% of the US population. This could exceed the previous record in recent history, when between 3.3 million and 5.6 million people showed up at the 2017 Women’s March to rally against Trump’s misogynistic rhetoric." [emphasis added] (more) The Guardian https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/were-the-no-kings-protests-the-largest-single-day-demonstration-in-american-history/ar-AA1H1HuD

That's also reasonably easily done with the Philippines and their long-established SRRV retirement visa, which has a whole lot lower local bank investment requirement than any of the options Vietnam seems to be considering. The other difference being -- the Phils' SRRV retirement visa is real, official and available now, whereas the long-term Vietnam visa notions are still just vague reports of possibilities.

Where have I heard that same line before.....

I believe there have been recurring reports that the Vietnamese govt. supposedly has been considering some kind of long-term, multi-year visas for expats, but the proposals mostly seem to be focused on people willing to make sizable financial investments. If Vietnam did ever go down the road in an accessible way, I could see them giving Thailand a run for its money among the segment of the expat population here that is disgruntled/disaffected.

Found this in my email inbox just now today, via the Washington Post: "The poll finds Americans opposing U.S. airstrikes against Iran by a 20 percentage-point margin — 45 percent to 25 percent — with a sizable 30 percent saying they are unsure." [emphasis added] ... Two-thirds of Democrats oppose airstrikes against Iran but Republicans are not as united, with 47 percent supporting strikes while 24 percent oppose them and 29 percent have no opinion. ... Among Trump voters, 46 percent support airstrikes while 26 percent are opposed and 28 percent are unsure." Washington Post https://archive.ph/ym20d The poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,008 U.S. adults by text message on June 18. The sample was weighted for U.S. demographics, partisanship and 2024 voting choice.

Poll shows most Americans disapprove of US joining Iran war; half see Tehran as ‘enemy’ and another 25% as ‘unfriendly’ 18 June 2025 ... "Still, most prefer diplomacy over force. A majority (56%) believe the US should engage in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, including 58% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans. This represents a sharp decline in opposition compared to 2015, when 32% of Americans — most notably 52% of Republicans — opposed nuclear talks during the Obama administration, notes YouGov. (more) Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/poll-shows-most-americans-disapprove-of-us-joining-iran-war-half-see-tehran-as-enemy/

I guess that just shows that Republican senators are out of touch with what the majority of their Republican voters, and the public at large, want on the issue. No surprise there...

Most Trump supporters want to keep US military out of Israel-Iran conflict, poll finds Findings show public appetite for peaceful approach to aim of forcing Iran to give up ambition of acquiring nuclear arms Wed 18 Jun 2025 ... "The poll published on Wednesday, reported by the foreign policy thinktank Responsible Statecraft, comes as an increasing number of Republican politicians and Trump allies express their opposition to the prospect of the president involving US forces without the approval of Congress. ... On Wednesday, Tim Burchett, a Republican representative form Tennessee, told CNN he wanted to see “very little” US involvement in the escalating Middle East conflict, which has witnessed Israel and Iran trading missile barrages for several days. “We don’t need another endless war in the Middle East. Old men make decisions and young men die, and that’s the history of war,” he said. (more) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/18/trump-republicans-iran-conflict