TallGuyJohninBKK
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Posts posted by TallGuyJohninBKK
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FWIW, a lot of the health-related research on rice can be very confusing and requires a lot of deep delving into the info.
For example, Japanese folks tend to eat a lot of short grain white rice, but they as a group don't have nearly the same blood sugar issues as western populations do. Why?
Turns out, according to the research I've read, that you can actually eat higher GI rices without causing big blood sugar problems, so long as you combine that rice intake in the same meal with certain OTHER foods that neutralize the GI spikes. As best as I can recall, some of those oddly include eating yogurts or yogurt drinks at the same time as the rice, and some other common staple ingredients (that might include natto) from Japanese diets that we don't eat so much. So, because of their overall different diet, they apparently can get away with it.
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23 minutes ago, chubby said:
thought that for many years, re: Basmati and sugars, recently started doing some glucose testing, turns out even if eaten after vegetables etc, and eaten in small quantities , the basmati causes large spikes, maybe from insulin resistance built up.
The above personal experience is interesting. Certainly Basmati rice is "lower" GI levels, not "no" GI levels.
23 minutes ago, chubby said:here there is cauliflower rice, but personally, i'm off breads, rices and noodles , even whole grains like quinoa , here we also have Plant Pasta, which I've found to be tasty enough and causes no large spikes ;
I like cooked cauliflower as a vegetable. But I also tried some restaurant's cauliflower "rice" here lately, and thought it was tasteless and left a bad (like sawdust) feel in my mouth, so not a big fan of that.
Lately, as an alternative to rice, I've been eating red lentils pasta which is available from Tops markets here under the San Remo brand, although Tops also has their own cheaper "Tops Choice" brand, but that actually is a combo of pasta made from Thai brown rice flour (which I'd be trying to avoid), chickpeas and some other ingredients.
I really like the chickpea and lentils pastas that I've had here as alternatives to rices. Lentils alone are very good from a health and nutrition standpoint. Though when I feel like I need or want rice, I'm sticking to either MBK Thai riceberry or some imported mixed grain (wild rice, brown rice, red rice) varieties from the U.S.
What do you mean by "plant pastas"?
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33 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:
But mass-firing in a non-discriminatory manner, all employees with less than 6 months in position for 'zample, is faster and more likely to clear judicial challenges.
Then you can rehire the ones needed at leisure afterwards.
Not quite entirely working out that way, thus far:
"Thousands more staff are returning in fits and starts as a conflicting patchwork of court decisions overturn some of Trump’s large-scale firings, especially his Valentine’s Day dismissal of all probationary workers, those with one or two years of government service and fewer job protections. A federal judge in April ordered the president to reinstate probationary workers dismissed from 20 federal agencies, although a few days later the Supreme Court — in a different case — halted another judge’s order to reinstate a smaller group....The ever-shifting personnel changes are yet another strain on a workforce already weary of Trump-induced uncertainty, said current and former employees, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
“They wanted to show they were gutting the government, but there was no thought about what parts might be worth keeping,” said one FDA staffer who was fired and rehired. “Now it feels like it was all just a game to them.” [emphasis added]
Washington Post -
I live in Thailand, so I'm somewhat partial to things here... However, with RICE, you really have to be careful.
--White jasmine rice, while it tastes good in Thai cooking, has one of the highest glycemic index (GI) ratings among rices... Meaning, when you eat it, you're tending to spike your blood sugar levels and encourage pre-diabetes and full-blown diabetes.
--Brown rice, including Jasmine, is overall better for your health. But brown rice from certain areas, including Thailand and the southern U.S. states, has been found to have concerning levels of potentially harmful arsenic.
--Basmati rice from India is among the lower GI levels for rices, which is a good thing in terms of blood sugar issues. And it's also got lower arsenic levels than other kinds of rice, even for its brown basmati rice varieties. In general, brown rice varieties tend to have higher arsenic levels than comparable white rice varieties.
--from what I've been able to read in terms of research, Thai riceberry (purple) rices generally are supposed to be OK both from a blood sugar and arsenic levels perspective. Basmati rice from India is supposed to be generally good on both counts. And rices grown in California (unlike those from Southern U.S. states) have been found to have lower arsenic levels because they didn't have the same history of arsenic-related pesticide use associated with cotton growing. But their blood sugar levels are gonna depend on the particular rice variety and its applicable GI rating.
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6 hours ago, snoop1130 said:
During a press briefing, the retired nurse recounted how Da first reached out to her on TikTok on December 5 of last year. Da portrayed herself as lonely, and the two began a romantic correspondence. Within a week, Da proposed an investment opportunity in cryptocurrency, claiming her aunt was an expert working at a prominent crypto firm in Singapore, assuring the victim of its legality.
Ohh Lord!!! When will the scamming ever stop?
And when will certain people learn to be more careful with the wealth they have accumulated in life, especially when it comes to contacts made via social media....
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The broader view of Trump Admin. job cuts: needless chaos and nonsense, and public services suffer as a result, while a portion of those fired, but hardly all, are asked back to work:
Trump administration races to fix a big mistake: DOGE fired too many people
Across the government, officials are rehiring federal workers who were forced out or encouraged to resign.
June 6, 2025
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"Across the government, the Trump administration is scrambling to rehire many federal employees dismissed under DOGE’s staff-slashing initiatives after wiping out entire offices, in some cases imperiling key services such as weather forecasting and the drug approval process.
Since Musk left the White House last week, he and Trump have fallen out bitterly, sniping at each other in public over the cost of Trump’s sweeping tax legislation and government subsidies for Musk’s businesses. But even before that, the administration was working to undo some of DOGE’s highest-profile actions.Trump officials are trying to recover not only people who were fired, but also thousands of experienced senior staffers who are opting for a voluntary exit as the administration rolls out a second resignation offer. Thousands more staff are returning in fits and starts as a conflicting patchwork of court decisions overturn some of Trump’s large-scale firings, especially his Valentine’s Day dismissal of all probationary workers, those with one or two years of government service and fewer job protections. A federal judge in April ordered the president to reinstate probationary workers dismissed from 20 federal agencies, although a few days later the Supreme Court — in a different case — halted another judge’s order to reinstate a smaller group.(more)Washington Post-
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"The new reinstatements apparently caught at least some employees by surprise.
“These decisions are often being kept away from people in the CDC,” Joseph Cherabie, MD, MSc, medical director of the Washington University in St. Louis PrEP clinic, told Healio. “Some colleagues were surprised at this news, having just had conversations in the last few days with no mention of this occurring. Things being turned on and off so sporadically really makes it hard for anyone to think, ‘Hmm, I want to work for the CDC because I know I can do my work and do it well.’” [emphasis added]
CDC staffers had protested outside the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta on Tuesday after an all-hands meeting meant to give them a chance to ask questions and air concerns was canceled, NBC News reported. According to the report, CDC chief of staff Matthew Buzzelli said the meeting was being rescheduled to review in-process leadership updates, but current and former employees questioned whether the delay was an avoidance tactic."
Healio
All of this chaos and mayhem in CDC workers lives is going on in the Trump Administration while the agency still doesn't have an actual director. Trump's original nominee was withdrawn because of his extremist views.. And Trump's second nominee has yet to have confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate that are now required for the position. And she, the nominee, can't even serve in an acting director capacity in the meantime, because she's the formal nominee.... YEESH!!!
March 25, 2025Trump picks new nominee for CDC director
"President Donald J. Trump has nominated Susan Monarez, PhD, to be the next director of the CDC. Monarez takes the place of David Weldon, MD, whose nomination was withdrawn by the White House earlier this month, just hours before he was set to appear before a Senate committee.
Monarez, currently the CDC’s acting director since Jan. 23, previously served as the agency’s principal deputy director and first assistant to the director.
“I think that Susan Monarez is well qualified, has infectious disease expertise and has held important positions in the federal government that pertain to infectious disease management and response,” Amesh A. Adalja, MD, FACP, FACEP, FIDSA, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Healio. “I think that, given some of the other nominees in the administration, this is the best possible result.”
https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20250325/trump-picks-new-nominee-for-cdc-director
So first Elon Musk's DOGE flunkies, and now RFK Jr.'s anti-vaxer brigade in HHS have been gutting the CDC, with no agency director there to at least fight for the agency and its mission, staff and programs.
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"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reinstating hundreds of employees who were fired in earlier this year, according to media reports. Fox News, which first reported the news, said the reinstated employees come from the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, the National Center for Environmental Health, the Immediate Office of the Director, and the Global Health Center. Among the rehired employees are staffers at a lab that does testing for sexually transmitted infections, and scientists who work on lead poisoning, according to the Associated Press.
The reinstated workers, who were notified of the move by email yesterday morning, represent roughly 20% of the 2,400 CDC employees dismissed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under a Reduction in Force (RIF) in early April, CNN reports. The RIF and other layoffs at HHS divisions have been spurred by the Department of Government Efficiency.
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A group representing fired CDC employees told the AP that the reinstatements don't undo the damage that Kennedy and the Trump administration are doing to public health. "Bringing a few hundred people back to work out of thousands fired is a start, but there are still countless programs at CDC that have been cut, which will lead to increased disease and death," said Abby Tighe, one of the founding members of Fired But Fighting.
(more)
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, University of Minnesota
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/cdc-reinstates-hundreds-workers
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Open Letter Urging COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage in Pregnancy
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"Research has shown that pregnant women who have COVID-19 are more likely to need care in an intensive care unit or with a ventilator, or to die from the illness. They are also more likely to have cesarean birth, preeclampsia or eclampsia, and blood clots. COVID-19-related complications are worse in pregnant women with particular comorbidities (eg, hypertension and obesity) and socioeconomic risk factors. These pregnant patients may face greater obstacles to optimal health due to social, economic, or environmental disparities.
We also understand that the severe effects of COVID-19 infection are not limited to those who are pregnant. Studies demonstrate that infants who are born following a COVID-19 infection during pregnancy are at an increased risk of low birth weight, stillbirth, respiratory distress, and rarely, vertical transmission. Data also continue to demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is safe and effective, and that it protects pregnant patients and their infants after birth. [emphasis added]
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In fact, the vast majority of infants under six months who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection had not received the protective benefit of vaccination during pregnancy. It is vital that we ensure that pregnant women continue to have access to this prevention tool so that they can protect themselves and their young infants, a vulnerable group who is not yet eligible for vaccination."
(more)
Signatory groups include:
American Academy of Family Physicians | American Academy of Pediatrics | American Academy of Physician Associates | American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists | American College of Physicians | American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society | American Medical Association | American Nurses Association | American Pharmacists Association
American Public Health Association | American Society for Reproductive Medicine | Association for Physician Associates in Obstetrics and Gynecology | Association for Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses | Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs | Council of Chairs of Obstetrics & Gynecology | Emergency Nurses Association | Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology | Infectious Diseases Society of America | National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health [emphasis added]
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Dozens of medical and public health organizations have signed a letter urging insurers to continue covering COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant patients. The letter from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is in response to the recent move by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to no longer recommend COVID-19 shots for healthy pregnant women.
"Our organizations call upon payers and insurers to continue making the COVID-19 vaccine available to pregnant people without undue utilization management or cost-sharing requirements," the letter states. "As organizations dedicated to public health and evidence-based health care for pregnant patients, we are particularly passionate about ensuring equitable and free access to these critical vaccines." [emphasis added]
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Groups cite benefits of vaccination during pregnancy
ACOG is still recommending the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant and lactating individuals. In letter, the group said COVID vaccination in healthy pregnant women is supported by research showing pregnant women who have COVID-19 are more likely to be admitted to intensive care or die from the illness, that infants born following a COVID-19 infection during pregnancy are at increased risk of low birth weight and stillbirth, and that COVID vaccination during pregnancy is safe and protective for both women and their infants after birth.
(more)
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Good night anti-vaxer, COVID denier brigade.... I'll leave you to your musings.....
Just sad the see the latest news for the day:
Thailand Battles Covid Surge with 12,000 Cases in a Single Day
Thailand could be doing much better in that regard, if they were actually serious about doing the proven things that help prevent COVID deaths and lessen the likelihood of COVID infections.
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"Much of the mortality is happening out of sight these days compared to what was going on in 2020 and 2021," Wolfe said. "During that time, nearly everyone was directly impacted or knew someone who was impacted by COVID."
Pandemic fatigue has also played a role in our complacency. "There was this collective trauma around the death, disease, and lockdowns," said Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a global expert on long COVID and chief of research and development at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System. "It was a devastating experience that people just want to forget."...Rare adverse events associated with the COVID vaccine have been severely overplayed and spread like wildfire on social media. "Patients need to know that like any vaccine, vaccine injury does occur, but these vaccines have a better safety profile than almost any others," Al-Aly said. "The rewards of getting the vaccine far outweigh the risks, and patients need to understand that." [emphasis added]MedscapeMay 2024-
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4 minutes ago, dinsdale said:
Yep. It's seasonal. It's endemic and here to stay. Fortunately for the majority it's non-severe.
Except for all those who are still dying from COVID and experiencing debilitating Long COVID symptoms....
You keep repeating the same refrain... majority....and ignoring the confirmed and reported COVID hospitalizations and deaths.
Your "majority" still leaves a lot of COVID sick and dead people who are in the "minority."
source as linked above from the U.S. CDC.
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I could delve further into the issue of Trump and his dubious Justice Department, but doing so would almost certainly be deemed off-topic for this thread and likely have my posts removed... So I'm not going to waste my time here on that venture.... but there's no lack of evidence to make that case.
I made a simple statement that I stand by -- I'm glad this case is going to start off at least being prosecuted in Minnesota state courts by state investigators and prosecutors there.
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54 minutes ago, frank83628 said:
I still don't know one person that died.
151 people officially from COVID thus far this year in Thailand, and that's almost certainly an undercount, as it only tallies official COVID cases deemed to die of COVID in hospitals:
QuoteThe fresh data also raised the nation's death toll to 151, driven by the addition of three more victims.
More than 12,000 COVID deaths in the U.S. through mid-May, according to the CDC, and the vast majority of those are with COVID as the primary, not incidental cause. And yes, the great majority, though not all, of those are senior citizens.
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00
PS - COVID is a seasonal disease. Right now, it's the historically high season for COVID in Thailand, typically starting right around Song Kran. Right now, it's low season for COVID in the U.S., with high season there typically coming around Dec.-Jan. each year. The trends in one country are not applicable in real time to the COVID trends in a different part of the world. They peak on different seasonal calendars.
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9 minutes ago, frank83628 said:
I am not anti vac, neither is kennendy
Ya, no one's gonna believe any of that coming from you.
"Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954), also known by his initials RFK Jr., is an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaccine activist serving as the 26th United States secretary of health and human services since 2025.
..
Since 2005, Kennedy has promoted vaccine misinformation[1] and public-health conspiracy theories,[2] including the chemtrail conspiracy theory, HIV/AIDS denialism, and the scientifically disproved claim of a causal link between vaccines and autism. He has drawn criticism for fueling vaccine hesitancy amid a social climate that gave rise to the deadly measles outbreaks in Samoa and Tonga.
Kennedy is the founder and former chairman[3] of Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine advocacy group and proponent of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr.
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COVID-19 mutations: An overview
2024 Sep 20
"All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, have the inherent tendency to evolve. SARS-CoV-2 is still evolving in humans. ... These mutations may lead to enhanced infectivity, transmissibility, and decreased neutralization efficacy by monoclonal antibodies, convalescent sera, or vaccines. Mutations may also lead to a failure of detection by molecular diagnostic tests, leading to a delayed diagnosis, increased community spread, and delayed treatment."
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"The best way to prevent the development of new variants is to vaccinate as many people as possible, closely adhere to infection prevention and control measures, and eliminate vaccine inequalities that limit future human transmission and acquisition." (emphasis added)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11230071/
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3 hours ago, connda said:
I remember very well when we were told by "Experts" like Fauci that the unvaccinated caused Covid mutations raising the risks of Covid becoming deadlier. Anyone with a background in biology knew that was a boldface lie, yet they ran with it. It was actually 180 degree from the truth with the reality being that vaccines caused vaccine-induced antigenic drift and immune escape. It's well know in immunology that viruses do mutate, become more infectious and LESS deadly over time. But they went for broke and attempted to scare the public into taking shots based on the lie that "the unvaxxed caused deadly mutations."
Then you wonder why inquisitive people no longer trust anything coming out of the mouths of government "experts."
Why? "Experts" = "Liars" = "Charlatans"
Nothing damaged the reputation of science like guys like Tony "I am the Science" Fauci.All of the above entirely unsourced nonsense, as in the custom with your COVID posting.
The more people who catch COVID, the greater the risk for mutations of the virus. Those mutations COULD lead to the health impacts becoming lesser over time. But they also COULD lead to the virus becoming more easily spread, infecting more, and potentially mutating to worse health impacts.
Every time someone comes down with a new COVID infection, you're rolling the dice of risks, not only to the infected person, but also to society at large.
See the cited study I posted just below:
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14 hours ago, webfact said:
Health officials are keenly focusing on prevention measures, urging citizens to maintain social distancing, adhere to hygiene protocols, and get vaccinated.
How???
The Thai government isn't offering and publicizing COVID vaccines to their own people, even those with the greatest health risks, the senior citizens and those with health conditions.
This news report is the first time I've even seen the current government mention the need for COVID vaccinations in a very long time!!!
Not too long back, there was a COVID news article post here where the MOPH listed the various preventive measures against COVID and included in that, inexplicably, a flu vaccine, and no mention of getting COVID vaccines whatsoever.
QuoteThere is also a push to intensify vaccination efforts across provinces, particularly in densely populated urban areas.
Sure like to see some evidence of that. Thus far, I've seen none.
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Because I believe the Minnesota investigators and prosecutors will follow the evidence and whatever motivations are developed, regardless of where those lead and regardless of political considerations or bias.
That's something Trump and his current Justice Department IMHO don't have a very strong record on, to say the least.
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Fortunately, it appears from current news reporting that the state of Minnesota -- and not Trump's Justice Department under Pam Bondi -- is going to have the first crack at criminal prosecution of the suspect here:
Vance Boelter charged in shootings of Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. Here are details from the criminal complaint
"Vance Boelter has been charged in the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses.
Boelter, 57, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, according to the criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court on Saturday. [emphasis added]
(more)
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/vance-boelter-charges-minnesota-lawmaker-shootings/
"Boelter will be held on $5 million bail on the state charges, court documents say. Boelter may also face federal charges. [emphasis added]
He was charged via warrant in Hennepin County with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, according to court documents that were unsealed after his arrest."
https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-lawmaker-shootings-vance-boelter-charges
Officials: Assassination suspect caught after ‘largest manhunt in state history’
After arrest of Vance Boelter in Sibley County, Gov. Tim Walz calls for unity as he says political violence “cannot be the norm.”
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“Now begins the hard work of looking at what the motive is, looking at putting this case together, and so that’s yet to come,” Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said.
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Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said authorities are confident Boelter committed the shootings alone, but said they will be exploring if there was a “broader network” related to the crimes.
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Walz called for people and politicians to work together. “It’s not about hatred, it’s not about mean tweets, it’s not about demeaning someone, it’s leading with grace and compassion and vision and compromise and decency,” he said. “That was taken from us in Minnesota with the murder of Speaker Hortman.”
https://www.startribune.com/read-the-charges-against-vance-boelter/601373783
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I don't know what exact credentials qualifies one for MAGA, though the suspect here pretty much has all of them -- Trump supporter and voter, conservative Republican, anti-abortion, gun owner, etc.
But, I was responding to your posted comment below:
QuoteRegistering as a republican in 2022 does not make you a Trump supporter. Where is the whataboutism?
He CLEARLY is/was a Trump supporter and voter, according to his roommate and long-time best friend:
"Although Boelter lived in the small town of Green Isle about an hour outside Minneapolis, he often stayed in the rented home of his longtime friend in the city, David Carlson.
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Carlson said Boelter was a conservative who voted for President Donald Trump and was strongly against abortion rights. But he said Boelter never mentioned any particular issue with the lawmakers who were shot, and said he was stunned to learn that he is a suspect in the attacks. [emphasis added]
https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/min
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Boelter was a supporter of President Donald Trump, KARE reported Carlson as saying. Carlson said he wasn't aware of his friend's stance on local politicians, according to the station. [emphasis added]
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His roommate and best friend David Carlson told media outlets that Boelter was a devout Christian and staunchly anti-abortion. He said Boelter texted him that he would be dead shortly. He claimed Boelter was a strong supporter of Donald Trump. [emphasis added]
(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/14/minnesota-lawmakers-shooting-explainer
The Trump denialism here is strong!
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3 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:
You made a claim that the suspect is a MAGA Trump supporter. There is zero evidence of that as yet. Registering as a republican in 2022 does not make you a Trump supporter. Where is the whataboutism?
The suspect previously voted for Trump and his close friend in news reports has called him an ardent Trump supporter. He's also been described as an ardent Christian, very ardent anti-abortionist, gun owner, etc etc. See the following post and the several following it.
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Now, which Asian country has the tastiest rice, mates?
in ASEAN NOW Community Pub
Posted
I'm not saying basmati rice is "good" for blood sugar levels. Just saying that in the spectrum of various rice varieties, basmati is about the lowest in terms of GI among all the different rice varieties...
If memory serves, that's somewhere right on the border between being an OK/moderate and somewhat high GI type food... White Jasmine, by comparison, is pretty much at the top of the rice GI scale.