TallGuyJohninBKK

The OP, not surprisingly, decided to NOT post the actual headline for the article he linked to in his OP... Wonder why.... Joe Manchin Proves Again That He’s an Idiot With Endorsement Decision https://newrepublic.com/post/186312/joe-manchin-reason-wont-endorse-harris

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Sept. 15 - 21, 2024: For the week: --238 new COVID hospitalizations (red) --1 new COVID death (gray) --166 COVID patients currently hospitalized in serious condition (pneumonia type symptoms) (dark purple) --64 COVID patients currently hospitalized requiring ventilation/intubation in order to breathe (light purple) https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

My summary: New weekly COVID deaths in the U.S. surpassed the 1,000 level for the last four weeks of August, the first time that had occurred since March, even though broader signs continue to point to an easing of the country's mid-year COVID surge. The latest CDC update showed a substantial decline in COVID emergency department visits based on sampling data through the week ending September 14, and COVID testing positivity beginning to decline to a still high 14.9% rate for the week ending September 7. However, the reported total of COVID deaths, generally a lagging indicator, reached a partial, incomplete total of 1,123 for the week ending August 31, after showing official totals for the three prior weeks of 1,139, 1,022 and 1,016. Those were the U.S.'s highest weekly COVID death tolls since comparable numbers in the first half of March, which was the tail end of the country's new-year COVID surge. Weekly national summary for the week ending Sept. 20, 2024 COVID-19 "There are continued signs of declines in COVID-19 activity in many areas. COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, and rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations are decreasing." https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home * the three gray columns above indicate totals for those recent weeks remain partial. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00 https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html

My summary: New weekly COVID deaths in the U.S. surpassed the 1,000 level by late August, the first time that had occurred since mid-March, even though broader signs continue to point to an easing of the country's mid-year COVID surge. The latest CDC update through September 7 showed the start of modestly declining rates of COVID hospitalizations, emergency department visits and COVID testing positivity rates. However, the reported total of COVID deaths, generally a lagging indicator, reached a partial, incomplete total of 1,036 for the week ending August 24, after showing totals of 998 for the two prior weeks. The 1,036 tally for the week ending August 24 was the highest for the U.S. since 1,037 COVID deaths were reported for the week ending March 16. CDC COVID update for Sept. 13, 2024: Weekly national summary * the three gray columns above indicate totals for those recent weeks remain partial. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00

I don't, unfortunately.... 🙂 But I seem to recall a big hullabaloo not too far back when the same VietJet Airlines was doing some kind of promotion that had their female cabin crew members dancing down the cabin aisle decked out in bikinis! https://onemileatatime.com/vietjet-models-football-players/

Here's the charts from the latest UKHSA weekly COVID update for England as of Sept. 19: My text summary - Weekly COVID deaths in England at 101 for the week ending September 6 remained just barely above the 100 level. That's not quite down to the recent weekly low of 93 for the week ending May 10, but still less than half of the recent high of 217 for the week ending July 19. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths Weekly COVID deaths from the recent low in May: Weekly data for deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate in England Up to and including Sept. 6, 2024 (some recent prior week figures have been revised vs prior weekly reports): Date -- Amount 6 Sept 2024 -- 101 30 Aug 2024 -- 102 23 Aug 2024 -- 129 16 Aug 2024 -- 171 9 Aug 2024 -- 208 2 Aug 2024 -- 203 26 Jul 2024 -- 182 19 Jul 2024 -- 217 12 Jul 2024 -- 205 5 Jul 2024 -- 165 28 Jun 2024 -- 186 21 Jun 2024 -- 149 14 Jun 2024 -- 158 7 Jun 2024 -- 146 31 May 2024 -- 113 24 May 2024 -- 147 17 May 2024 -- 168 10 May 2024 -- 93 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ With the mid-year COVID surge in England now largely subsided, it's interesting to note that COVID deaths in this year's mid-year surge peaked at a lower level (217 in mid-July) than the prior early 2024 COVID surge, where weekly COVID deaths in the mid-January to mid-February post-holidays period peaked at 376 for the week ending January 12, and remained above 300 per week through the week ending February 9.

Maybe someone who's an aviation geek here can explain the origins of the term "wet lease," which is used repeatedly above.... This is what I find on the subject, though it would have been nice if the OP article had explained the term for layman's consumption. But it seems totally un-intuitive for what it really means. "14 CFR 110.2 defines a “wet lease” as “any leasing arrangement whereby a person agrees to provide an entire aircraft and at least one crewmember.” ... One of the key issues that distinguishes a wet lease from a dry lease is “who has operational control” as defined in 14 CFR 1.1. In a “wet” lease situation, because the lessor is providing both aircraft and crew, the lessor maintains operational control of all flights." https://pilot-protection-services.aopa.org/news/2017/april/01/wet-and-dry-aircraft-lease How the above details translate into "wet" vs "dry" escapes me....

I was just checking about that the other day, as a brand new Medicare enrollee.... From what I saw on the Medicare and AARP websites, the Shingles vaccine is only covered under Medicare Part D (drug) plans or their equivalent.... It appears to NOT be covered under the more common but optional Part B medical care / outpatient coverage, where lots of other vaccines are covered including for flu and COVID. So to have the Shingles vaccine covered under Medicare, you appear to need to have Part D drug coverage or its equivalent under an optional Medicare Advantage or Medigap plan. https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-qa-tool/what-vaccines-does-medicare-cover/ What vaccines does Medicare Part D cover? Unless Part B covers a vaccine, Part D plan formularies usually cover all commercially available inoculations to prevent illness. These include: ... Shingles. The CDC recommends that everyone 50 or older get the shingles vaccine. It recommends two doses of Shingrix spaced two to six months apart, even if you previously received Zostavax. In 2020, Shingrix replaced Zostavax, which is no longer available in the U.S."

Not sure that's correct about Part A enrollment being automatic. I just finished doing my initial online enrollment via the SS website for Medicare Parts A & B. Medicare card supposedly in process of being mailed to my U.S. address. When I first went online to the SS website logged in with my personal account, it had a link there giving me the option to register for Medicare... And when I followed it, it gave me the process to enroll for Parts A and B, if I also wanted the optional latter. But if I had done nothing and just sat around waiting after I turned 65, I don't think I ever would have been registered in the Medicare system nor would they have sent me my Medicare card. Because of past U.S. employment, I was ELIGIBLE for free Part A Medicare once I turned 65. But actually enrolling/registering for it is a separate, required process, AFAIK.

This following report also presents similar findings, clear increased risk of shingles from COVID, mixed findings on the issue of COVID vaccines: Can a COVID-19 Vaccine Increase Your Risk of Shingles? Updated on February 1, 2024 ... "In a 2021 research review, experts examined reports of people getting shingles after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. They found that many people who got shingles after their vaccine had existing factors that can increase the likelihood of developing shingles. These factors include older adulthood, immunological disorders, and cancer. ... The research into this topic can be conflicting as well. Let’s take a look at two different studies. Increased risk of shingles after COVID-19 vaccination .... No increased risk of shingles after COVID-19 vaccination https://www.healthline.com/health/covid-vaccine-herpes#covid-19-and-shingles

The following report summarizing research on the topic says COVID the illness has been clearly shown to raise the risks of developing shingles, especially in older people and those with weakened immune systems. But it says the reports about developing shingles post vaccination are less clear as to whether the vaccine caused it or was merely coincidental. COVID-19 and Shingles: What’s the Connection? "People who are over 50 years old or have a weakened immune system are likely at higher risk of developing shingles during a COVID-19 illness." ... "Another very large study found that people older than 50 were 15% more likely to develop shingles if they had COVID illness when compared to people of the same age who didn’t get COVID illness. " VS "The COVID vaccine does not cause shingles — only the varicella zoster virus causes shingles. But it’s not clear if COVID vaccines can trigger shingles to develop. There have been reports of people developing shingles after COVID vaccination. But it’s unclear if these cases are just coincidence or if shingles is a real possible side effect of the COVID vaccine." https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/covid-19/covid-and-shingles

Sep 18, 2024 A new Fox News national poll shows that Vice President Kamala Harris is beating former President Donald Trump by 2 percentage points. The survey shows a 3-point shift among registered voters in their feelings around the candidates in the 2024 presidential election since August. Last month, Trump had a 1-point advantage, but now Harris is ahead by 2 points. The Democratic candidate was polling at 50 percent of favorability in the Fox survey, while her opponent received 48 percent of the support. (more) https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-kamala-harris-donald-trump-polling-1956031 https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-harris-tops-trump-two-points

‘The US faces two futures,’ according to editors at top science magazine Sept. 18, 2024 A top science magazine has waded into the political sphere after making a presidential endorsement, only the second in its 179-year history. “Vote for Kamala Harris to Support Science, Health and the Environment,” read the headline in Scientific American on Monday, announcing the publication’s official support for the Democratic presidential candidate. ... “The US faces two futures,” the editors wrote, pushing one candidate who “offers the country better prospects, relying on science, solid evidence and the willingness to learn from experience.” They continued: “In the other future, the new president endangers public health and safety and rejects evidence, preferring instead nonsensical conspiracy fantasies.” (more) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/scientific-american-endorse-harris-trump-election-b2614153.html Vote for Kamala Harris to Support Science, Health and the Environment Kamala Harris has plans to improve health, boost the economy and mitigate climate change. Donald Trump has threats and a dangerous record By The Editors September 16, 2024 In the November election, the U.S. faces two futures. In one, the new president offers the country better prospects, relying on science, solid evidence and the willingness to learn from experience. She pushes policies that boost good jobs nationwide by embracing technology and clean energy. She supports education, public health and reproductive rights. She treats the climate crisis as the emergency it is and seeks to mitigate its catastrophic storms, fires and droughts. In the other future, the new president endangers public health and safety and rejects evidence, preferring instead nonsensical conspiracy fantasies. He ignores the climate crisis in favor of more pollution. He requires that federal officials show personal loyalty to him rather than upholding U.S. laws. He fills positions in federal science and other agencies with unqualified ideologues. He goads people into hate and division, and he inspires extremists at state and local levels to pass laws that disrupt education and make it harder to earn a living. Only one of these futures will improve the fate of this country and the world. That is why, for only the second time in our magazine’s 179-year history, the editors of Scientific American are endorsing a candidate for president. That person is Kamala Harris. (more) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vote-for-kamala-harris-to-support-science-health-and-the-environment/

More evidence of Trump mentally unraveling for the whole world to see and hear: Trump Mistakes Wildlife Refuge for Airbase in Afghanistan: ‘We Have Bagram in Alaska’ Sep 17th, 2024 Former President Donald Trump mixed up the name of an Alaskan wildlife refuge and an air base in Afghanistan during a town hall in Flint, Michigan on Tuesday. ... Boasting to the audience about how he got oil drilling approved in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, commonly referred to ANWR, Trump said... Instead of ANWR, used the word Bagram – the name of the United States’ former air base in Afghanistan. Trump continued to make confusing remarks about Bagram and ANWR, saying, “Check that one out. Bagram. Check that one that. ANW– it’s, it’s– no, think about this. Between Bagram, between– you go to ANWR…” (more) https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-mistakes-wildlife-refuge-for-airbase-in-afghanistan-we-have-bagram-in-alaska/

Former President Donald Trump dropped below a 40 percent chance of an election victory for the first time on Tuesday, according to a forecast by a major polling aggregator. FiveThirtyEight's election forecast gave the Republican candidate a 39 percent chance of winning the Electoral College, after a slate of strong polling for Vice President Kamala Harris boosted her odds to greater than 60 percent. Previously, Trump had been performing close to the margin of error between the two candidates. When the model first relaunched following the replacement of President Joe Biden, it gave Trump a 41 percent chance of winning, which was rising steadily before the ABC debate on September 10. (more) https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-fivethirtyeight-polling-election-forecast-1954958 https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2024-election-forecast/?cid=rrpromo

Indoor Air and Coronavirus (COVID-19) "Spread of COVID-19 occurs via airborne particles and droplets. People who are infected with COVID can release particles and droplets of respiratory fluids that contain the SARS CoV-2 virus into the air when they exhale (e.g., quiet breathing, speaking, singing, exercise, coughing, sneezing). The droplets or aerosol particles vary across a wide range of sizes – from visible to microscopic. ... Since COVID-19 is transmitted through contact with respiratory fluids carrying the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, a person can be exposed by an infected person coughing or speaking near them. They can also be exposed by inhaling aerosol particles that are spreading away from the infected person. Transmission of COVID-19 from inhalation of virus in the air can occur at distances greater than six feet. Particles from an infected person can move throughout an entire room or indoor space. The particles can also linger in the air after a person has left the room – they can remain airborne for hours in some cases. [emphasis added] https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/indoor-air-and-coronavirus-covid-19

Mounting evidence suggests coronavirus is airborne — but health advice has not caught up Governments are starting to change policies amid concerns that tiny droplets can carry SARS-CoV-2. And after months of denying the importance of this, the World Health Organization is reconsidering its stance. 23 July 2020 https://archive.ph/Q5a7q https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02058-1 Why the WHO took two years to say COVID is airborne Early in the pandemic, the World Health Organization stated that SARS-CoV-2 was not transmitted through the air. That mistake and the prolonged process of correcting it sowed confusion and raises questions about what will happen in the next pandemic. ... Critics say that inaction at the agency led to national and local health agencies around the world being similarly sluggish in addressing the airborne threat. Having shifted its position incrementally over the past two years, the WHO also failed to adequately communicate its changing position, they say. As a result, it didn’t emphasize early enough and clearly enough the importance of ventilation and indoor masking, key measures that can prevent airborne spread of the virus. Lidia Morawska, an aerosol scientist at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, spearheaded several efforts to convince the WHO and other health agencies of the airborne threat. She says that airborne transmission was “so obvious” as far back as February 2020, and that omitting it from official guidelines was disastrous. [emphasis added] 06 April 2022 https://archive.ph/P2pFV https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00925-7

The meeting minutes you cite above were from April 2020, at the very beginning of the pandemic and BEFORE scientists later finally realized that COVID was primarily being spread by tiny aerosolized particles that spread widely and remained in the air. That discovery changed everything, including the thinking on the values and importance of masking.

From the Journal of the American Medical Association network: Masks During Pandemics Caused by Respiratory Pathogens—Evidence and Implications for Action October 31, 2023 Question During the COVID-19 pandemic, what has been learned about whether face mask use is associated with lower transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in community settings, and how has it been learned? Findings Literature review revealed many high-quality observational studies demonstrating the association of face mask use in the community and of mask mandates with reduced spread of SARS-CoV-2. Randomized clinical trials conducted during the pandemic provide limited information. Meaning Robust available data support the use of face masks in community settings to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and should inform future responses to epidemics and pandemics caused by respiratory viruses. (more) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2811136

Face mask effectiveness: What science knows now June 30, 2024 n an interview for 60 Minutes, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook posed that question to Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech university professor specializing in aerosol science. "They are very helpful in reducing the chances that the person will get COVID because it's reducing the amount of virus that you would inhale from the air around you," Marr said about masks. No mask is 100% effective. An N95, for example, is named as such because it is at least 95% efficient at blocking airborne particles when used properly. But even if a mask has an 80% efficiency, Marr said, it still offers meaningful protection. (more) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-mask-effectiveness-what-science-knows-now-60-minutes/

Regarding the role of the Thai government relating to COVID, what's more telling, by way of example, is what happened during former PM Srettha Thavisin's tenure as PM from August 2023 to August 2024. During that year period, which included this year's post Song Kran COVID surge shown above that resulted in many thousands of Thais being hospitalized with COVID, I don't remember Thavisin or his Public Health Minister ever making any public statements about the public health issues of COVID during that time. Likewise, even while countries around the world typically continue mounting at least seasonal COVID vaccination campaigns aimed at at least protecting their elderly and most COVID vulnerable populations, Thailand seems to have abdicated on that entire front, doing nothing for the past year. Instead, what Thailand gets is dueling Chula Univ. medical professors posting to Facebook their views of what's going on.... while the government's leaders remained silent. Thavisin was interesting in promoting tourism, not talking about the public health impacts of COVID in Thailand. About the only time Thavisin made news relating to COVID was when he himself got infected with COVID earlier this year and had to be off work for a period of time. PM Srettha off sick with Covid-19 PUBLISHED : 17 Jun 2024 at 13:58 https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2812420/pm-srettha-off-sick-with-covid-19

There are others in the Thai public health establishment who have a more realistic, objective assessment than Dr. Yong of what's going on here with COVID. For example, from back in this year's post Song Kran COVID surge period: Doctor warns of surge in Covid infections, over 18,000 cases daily 21 May 2024 As the number of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals with lung infections continues to climb, an expert in preventive medicine, and a doctor from Chulalongkorn University issued a stark warning, predicting that daily infections in Thailand could surpass 18,000 individuals. Associate Professor Doctor Thira Woratanarat, a faculty member at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, expressed his concerns in a recent Facebook post, urging schools to remain vigilant in the face of this escalating threat. Dr Thira based his projections on data released by the Public Health Ministry for the previous week (May 12 to 18), estimating that the virus may currently be infecting between 13,443 and 18,671 individuals daily. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/doctor-warns-schools-to-anticipate-a-surge-in-covid-infections

Dr. Yong is entitled to his opinion. But the facts tell a different story. Right now, Thailand is merely in the normal "low" season for COVID activity after the typical post-Song Kran-mid-year surge. But just several months back in June 2024, Thailand was reporting a year's peak of 3,000+ new COVID hospitalizations in a week, 16 deaths per week and more than 700 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition for that week. MoPH Weekly COVID report for the week ending June 29, 2024: Comparing the 2024 COVID peak in Thailand with the comparable mid-year 2023 peak, reported COVID deaths (in dark gray color) were lower in 2024 (and that's good news). But the peak of new weekly COVID hospitalizations (in red color) and the number of COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition (in dark purple color) were both HIGHER in 2024 than in 2023, not lower. MoPH Weekly COVID report for the week ending June 3, 2023: https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main There's nothing to suggest that Thailand won't have another similar COVID surge next spring, just as it has for the past two years -- the severity of which will only become known when it arrives. In general, certain segments of the Thai establishment have a very vested interest in minimizing anything negative about COVID because, news reports of people being hospitalized and dying from COVID (admittedly largely but not entirely involving the elderly these days) would put a wet blanket on the country's major efforts to restore its tourism activity and revenues. So there's a vested interest here to pretend that it's all just gone away -- even when it hasn't.

As usual, this guy's history is not so straightforward as the NY Post would have us believe: Public records show shifting political views for Trump assassination plot suspect Social media users are variously claiming the man accused of plotting to assassinate Donald Trump at his golf club is registered as a Republican or Democratic voter, attempting to pin the attempted violence on one side or the other. But North Carolina state voting records list Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, as unaffiliated, and other public filings and his chaotic writings online reveal a complicated political history. ... Routh's social media posts show a range of shifting opinions about US politicians. He wrote in 2020 that he supported Trump in 2016 but later regretted doing so, adding: "I will be glad when you are gone." [emphasis added] ... Routh's son Oran told the Daily Mail that his father hates Trump as "every reasonable person does." https://www.yahoo.com/news/public-records-show-shifting-political-213052632.html