TallGuyJohninBKK

So let me see if I'm following this right: They're planning to shut down or significantly lessen household water supplies to a wide range of areas in the province today and through the weekend during morning to mid-afternoon hours as the temperatures exceed 40C... ...So that there will be enough water for Song Kran revelers to waste on drunkenly splashing each other on the streets of the province...so as to not interfere with tourism???? And meanwhile, the day before, there's a news report with the province governor talking about emergency declarations in a large number of districts because there's not enough water and the reservoir levels are low...so low that they're having problems supplying enough water for agriculture. Where's the sense in any of this???

The Sharp purifier we've been discussing here comes with its own built-in (and removable-rinseable) pre-filter that's built into the back cover of the unit. In addition to that, I've always added a sheet of carbon filter between that prefilter and the unit's HEPA filter. As a result, I was able to continue using the original HEPA filter that came with the Sharp unit (that's rated for 1 - 2 years) for almost 5 years with it still having good/effective purifying effect. I'd also periodically take out the HEPA filter and vaccum it off with a HEPA filtration vacuum I have at home.

I PM'd via Lazada chat the cheapo filters supplier above who's selling filters for Sharp purifiers, and the best they could offer is that the filter they're selling is "similar" to the actual Sharp filters. In the end, after some back and forth, the seller conceded that the filters they're selling are not in fact official Sharp filters, despite them posting photos of actual Sharp logo filter boxes on their Lazada listing. So goes it in Thailand. Given their lack of honesty/truth in advertising about the product they're selling, it's kind of hard to believe whatever they may be claiming about the actual quality of the filters they're providing.

Chiang Mai comes to Bangkok today.... You don't want to be breathing outside without some filtration: https://aqicn.org/station/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/

So the upshot here is: The one guy who has been found guilty of ordering the murder of a policeman gets nearly the same sentence (2 years) as 15 or so other policemen (16 months to 2 years) who didn't kill anyone, but also didn't intervene to stop the shooting or apprehend the suspect. Pathetic!!! PS - how can Kamnan Nok here have been found guilty of "attempted murder" when the policeman who he ordered be shot actually died from the shooting?

I've found you have to be careful, particularly in Thailand, with third party vendors selling Chinese made substandard filters for Sharp purifiers, often at very low prices... and they're low-priced for a reason. Yes, they FIT the Sharp purifier models cited. But they're substandard filters to the OEM version that came with the Sharp units. I know, because one of Sharp's vendors sold me one on the cheap a while back because they claimed it was the only version they had at the time. And when I finally went to use it, that brand new replacement filter did a noticeably poorer job of filtering the air in my room where it was used than the by that time very well worn 3-year-old original Sharp filter that came with the unit. I ended up reinstalling the original filter and putting the replacement away in the closet. Sharp Thailand has an official store on the Lazada site, where they're selling their original FZ-F30HFE HEPA filters for 1,290 baht. I'm as much of a bargain hunter as the next guy. But color me suspicious when the third party Lazada seller you linked to above is selling supposedly the same filter for 279b... Sharp official store on Lazada: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/sharp-filter-fz-f30hfe-f40sfe-f50dfe-f50hfe-i1264922053-s21405884232.html

The optimal HEPA filter for general public use is the H13 or H14 types, which roughly equate to the U.S. "True HEPA" standard, the prevailing one, of 99.97% filtration effectiveness. The "True HEPA" marketing term was born in the U.S., AFAIK, because of the practice of some manufacturers to sell so-called HEPA purifiers and filters that in fact contained substandard filters (those with below 99.97% effectiveness). If you're going to pay money to buy and use a HEPA air purifier, why settle for one with substandard / less than optimal air filtration capabilities?

From your Jan. 2024 cited journal article above: Interpretation "Vaccination against COVID-19 consistently reduced the risk of long COVID symptoms, which highlights the importance of vaccination to prevent persistent COVID-19 symptoms, particularly in adults." AND "Studies suggest that approximately one in ten people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have persisting symptoms,10, 11 with increased risk for developing long COVID associated with age,10, 12 female sex,10, 12, 13 and comorbidities.12, 13 AND Discussion "Our analyses of more than 20 million vaccinated and unvaccinated people show the clinical effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines to prevent the development of long COVID in three European countries (the UK, Estonia, and Spain), with overall vaccine effectiveness ranging from 29% to 52%."

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Mar. 31 - Apr. 6, 2024: --774 new COVID hospitalizations, up 46 from the prior week --3 new COVID deaths, up 1 from the prior week --228 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), up 13 from the prior week (dark purple) --83 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 7 from the prior week (light purple) Cumulative figures since the start of the current year are COVID new hospitalizations (7,740) & COVID deaths (65). Note: Of the 3 new official COVID deaths, the MoPH below is reporting that two were men and one was a woman, with two of the deaths involving people age 70+, and one in the 60-69 age range. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main Reported weekly COVID new hospitalizations have now risen for the past 4 consecutive weeks since mid-March, as follows for the weeks ending: March 16 -- 501 March 23 -- 630 March 30 -- 728 April 6 -- 774

Looks like the U.S.'s streak of 1,000+ COVID deaths has continued for another week, now reaching 29 consecutive weeks, just barely. The CDC's latest update with official numbers shows 1,002 COVID deaths for the week ending March 9 (the last/most recent blue-shaded column), as shown below. The gray-shaded columns for the other 3 most recent weeks are shaded in a different color because the data for those weeks for now remains incomplete. CDC source link: The relatively good news here is the comparable weekly U.S. COVID deaths count for the same week a year ago in 2023 -- 1,852 for the week ending March 11, 2023 -- was almost double the current number for 2024, showing that the fatalities situation, while still high, has been getting better.

Prompan's probably just jealous that he got to spend time, repeatedly, in jail for his past criminal offenses, whereas Big Joke thus far has remained a free man. 🤭 In Thailand, politicians sometimes get sent to prison for their misdeeds. But Thai police very very rarely do. Former red-shirt leader gets 2 years in jail for protest at Prem’s house May 18, 2023 https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40027766 Thai 'red shirt' leader ordered back to jail, cuts short comeback July 8, 2021 https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-red-shirt-leader-ordered-back-jail-cuts-short-comeback-2021-07-08/ Thailand 'Red Shirts' leader sentenced to prison July 20, 2017 https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/07/20/Thailand-Red-Shirts-leader-sentenced-to-prison/4251500574200/ Jail term for Thai red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan 28 January 2015 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31019510

The wife and I returned to Bangkok last Sunday afternoon after a weekend trip to Hua Hin via the VIP bus from/to Suvarnabhumi airport. You wouldn't think Sunday mid-afternoon would be too bad a time to travel. But the entire trip back to BKK took 4-1/2 hours compared to 3-1/2 hours the last time we made the same trip a couple months back. All of the delay was on the approach to and passing thru the Rama II construction zone, and we were backed up for miles in crawling traffic before finally getting past that area where, shockingly, suddenly the expressway traffic became free-flowing and fast for the rest of the trip back.

Central Group is one of the largest retailers in Thailand, with far more than just Tops in their portfolio. One might think / expect that they'd have the resources and technical expertise to better handle the technology platforms that are key to their online retailing presence. Including like the common sense issue that one member mentioned above, actually internally testing such platform changes before going live with them. But over a long period of time, they've consistently shown that they can't put one foot in front of the other without proverbially falling down. 😞 Among all the other issues recited above, just as examples: --Still haven't managed to solve their consistent problem with their online store showing items available and in stock, whereas when one's order is processed, they don't actually have what you ordered. And don't give you any opportunity to change your order or make substitutions prior to delivery. --Simple UI things like when you're making changes to your Favorites list, every time you do, instead of taking you back to where you were on the page, their UI automatically takes you back to the very top of the back, requiring you to scroll down every time to get back to where you were (on a system that is VERY slow for scrolling).

That above all sounds like reasonably sensible guidance/advice... Remains to be seen whether it will all turn out to be correct in the end. But in the meantime, I'm not going anywhere near a Thai revenue/taxation office, just as I never have in a decade plus of living here. As an American, I'm already taxed in the home country for everything that's taxable, and I have no income in Thailand, except for some bank interest that the Thai banks already automatically do Thai tax withholding on, and I report as paid on my U.S. tax return each year.

The info you cite above on the sources of some past VAERS reports came from a 2013 study that predated COVID by years. It used reporting data from past years involving periods drastically unrelated to the massive, highly publicized nationwide COVID vaccination campaign in the U.S. that occurred primarily in 2021 and 2022 amid the pandemic, where public awareness, media attention etc. was significantly heightened. Apples and oranges. Also, as has been reported previously, the adverse event reporting requirements for VAERS were significantly expanded in the U.S. for COVID vaccines vs. what they had been before, leading to more reporting. "As we explained then, the huge number of VAERS reports following COVID-19 vaccination and relative paucity for other vaccines is likely mostly due to a reporting bias. For one, because the COVID-19 vaccines are or were at first authorized under an emergency use authorization, there are much broader reporting requirements for health care providers. For the COVID-19 vaccines, health care providers are required by law to report any vaccine administration error; any serious adverse event following vaccination, regardless of the suspected cause; any case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome; and any COVID-19 case that results in hospitalization or death." Reporting any post vaccination serious adverse event regardless of the suspected cause. https://www.factcheck.org/2021/12/scicheck-increase-in-covid-19-vaers-reports-due-to-reporting-requirements-intense-scrutiny-of-widely-given-vaccines/ The second source you cite above, an undated U.S. government website with background on the VAERS program that makes no mention whatsoever of COVID, appropriately opens with the following passage: "When evaluating data from VAERS, it is important to note that for any reported event, no cause-and-effect relationship has been established. Reports of all possible associations between vaccines and adverse events (possible side effects) are filed in VAERS. Therefore, VAERS collects data on any adverse event following vaccination, be it coincidental or truly caused by a vaccine. The report of an adverse event to VAERS is not documentation that a vaccine caused the event." https://vaers.hhs.gov/data/dataguide.html In short, reports in VAERS prove nothing about whether any given vaccine caused any particular side effect. There can be millions of reports submitted to VAERS, and they still prove nothing -- other than serving as a early warning system for health officials to investigate potential patterns, which they do. And here's what they've found, per the U.S. CDC: "Multiple factors contribute to reports of death after COVID-19 vaccination, including heightened public awareness of COVID-19 vaccines, requirements under FDA authorization for COVID-19 vaccines that healthcare providers report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to VAERS (even if it is unclear whether the vaccine was the cause), and reporting requirements in CDC vaccine provider agreements. People receiving COVID-19 vaccines are less likely to die from COVID-19 and its complications and are at no greater risk of death from non-COVID causes, than unvaccinated people." [emphasis added] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

I agree. But IMHO, the report by The Hill misleads by omission by not making clear that the adverse event reports that are the basis of the cited study and its ensuing news report are in no way verified or proven to be actually related to people's vaccinations. That's a pretty big omission, IMHO.

If the above report actually wanted to be fair-minded, it would have told its readers important additional information needed to fairly evaluate what was being reported: 1. Although not explained in the OP article by The Hill, the reports submitted to the U.S. government’s VAERS database that are the basis for this study don’t actually show or prove that claimed adverse events were in fact related to the person’s vaccination. The reports there can be filed by anyone, and remain there regardless of what any subsequent follow-up inquiry may show. “As the VAERS website explains in a disclaimer, reports “may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable.” Reports are not vetted before being included in the database.” https://www.factcheck.org/2023/06/scicheck-what-vaers-can-and-cant-do-and-how-anti-vaccination-groups-habitually-misuse-its-data/ Or as the U.S. CDC said of VAERS in a different news report on the study data being reported here: “VAERS reports have not been verified, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes. "Anyone, including healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers, and the public, can submit reports to the system," the CDC says. "While very important in monitoring vaccine safety, VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/states-lean-republican-report-more-covid-vaccine-related-adverse-events-study-finds As one example of that, a doctor, James Laidler, reported filing a VAERS report in the early 2000s claiming “an influenza vaccine had turned me into The Hulk,” a report that remained in the VAERS database until Laidler later agreed to have it removed. “If I had not agreed, the record would be there still,” Laidler wrote in a 2005 blog post, “showing that any claim can become part of the database, no matter how outrageous or improbable.” https://www.factcheck.org/2023/06/scicheck-what-vaers-can-and-cant-do-and-how-anti-vaccination-groups-habitually-misuse-its-data/ 2. Whereas large numbers of Republicans clearly don’t believe in the scientifically documented benefits of COVID vaccines, other research has shown that their beliefs are in fact mistaken. Multiple studies have shown Republican leaning areas with low COVID vaccination rates have higher COVID death rates than Democrat leaning areas with higher COVID vaccination rates – another relevant fact not included in the OP report by The Hill, even though the authors of the subject study here did take note of it. "Antivaccine sentiment is increasingly associated with conservative political positions," the study authors wrote. "COVID-19 mortality has been higher in US jurisdictions that are more conservative in their party registration, voting history, or representation. These differences are likely explained, in part, by differences in vaccination rates." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/states-lean-republican-report-more-covid-vaccine-related-adverse-events-study-finds In other words, the OP reported data here shows what Republicans believe about COVID vaccines. The other studies have shown what actually happens to them when they follow thru on those beliefs and avoid COVID vaccinations. “Excess death rates were 2.8 percentage points (15%) higher for Republican voters compared with Democratic voters (95% PI, 1.6 to 3.7 percentage points). After May of 2021, roughly 1 month after COVID-19 vaccines became widely available, the [excess deaths] gap between Republicans and Democrats further widened, to 7.7 percentage points (95% PI, 6.0 to 9.3 percentage points) in the adjusted analysis, or a 43% difference, the authors said. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/political-party-affiliation-linked-excess-covid-deaths COVID vaccines save lives, and the actual vaccine related side effects are exceedingly rare. Follow the proven science, not the unproven anti-vax claims espoused by too many in the right-wing political domain. "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." https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.34K78ZW

The burger scene in Bangkok has come a long way over the years, and is far better now with better quality and more variety than ever existed in the past... And I say that as being quite a long-time burger afficionado here... I'm sure the Nana burger place is OK, but seriously doubt it's anywhere close to being the best burger in Bangkok, with all the other quality choices that are out there. Some of them people may know a bit, such as Prime Burger or Easy Burger, but a lot of the others are single location places turning out some really good burger fare. The one thing that's missing -- at least in my experience thus far -- is anything remotely resembling a decent chili burger/chili cheese burger, which has long been one of my favorites. I've tried a couple lately from different places, and the chili has ended up being oddly dried out stuff not even remotely resembling actual chili con carne.

In the Italian parlance, wouldn't that sound more like "Gwee-dos"?

Speaking as a lifelong Californian, we don't really do eggs on hamburgers as a general rule... That's more of a British thing. Californians lean more toward burger accompaniments like fried onion rings, chili, sliced avocados, jalapenos, etc etc... Not necessarily all together on the same burger... although, the thought sounds pretty good!!!

Thailand's new hospitalizations for COVID, for the past week, climbed again to surpass on average more than 100 per day, or 728 for the past week. ------------------------------------ Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Mar. 24 - Mar. 30, 2024: --728 new COVID hospitalizations, up 98 from the prior week --2 new COVID deaths, down 3 from the prior week --215 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), down 7 from the prior week (dark purple) --76 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 2 from the prior week (light purple) (cumulative figures are COVID new hospitalizations (6,966) & deaths (62) since the start of the current year) Note: with this latest weekly COVID report, MoPH has now resumed giving basic age and gender information on their reported COVID fatalities. In this new report, both of the two new COVID fatalities -- one man and one woman -- are reported as being age 70 and above. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Mar. 24 - Mar. 30, 2024: --728 new COVID hospitalizations, up 98 from the prior week --2 new COVID deaths, down 3 from the prior week --215 current COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia symptoms), down 7 from the prior week (dark purple) --76 current COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation/ventilation to breathe, up 2 from the prior week (light purple) (cumulative figures are COVID new hospitalizations (6,966) & deaths (62) since the start of the current year) Note: with this latest weekly COVID report, MoPH has now restored giving age information on their reported COVID fatalities. In this new report, both of the two new COVID fatalities are reported as being age 70 and above. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

Of course, if we wanted to have a general discussion about the wisdom and expertise of Thai retailing, we also could look to another current thread on the subject running here at present:

The prior comment being responded to was: "Never seen a forklift drop a pallet in the aisles, where does this happen ?" It wasn't a location limited comment. And the answer was quick and obvious from several posters here -- Makro in Thailand for starters. And yes, they do tend to cordon off the aisle and use large forklifts with "beeping" alerts.... But they're still closing off store aisles temporarily in the middle of the shopping day.... which seems not ideal. I've also seen customers in Makro walk past the cordons set up and go shopping down the aisle where the forklift is moving heavy pallets -- something that would give OSHA a nightmare if Thailand had anything functionally resembling OSHA.

Makro for starters... They do it all the time.