mommysboy

We all do sooner or later. Life is like that.

It's not so lethal to most, and not easy to contract. The figure commonly quoted of up to 10% mortality is misleading as most cases in Africa do not come to light, and there is widespread squalor and malnutrition. In a relatively prosperous country like Thailand spread would likely be very limited.

Maybe, it will just amount to a declaration on your yearly visa application. Just tick 'no' and the matter is over. Not worth the worry. In any case we're talking about a few thousand baht in the worst case scenario- or perhaps there are a lot of millionaires on this forum.

Tea seems to be a very healthy drink (as is coffee). Perhaps not bubble tea/coffee though.

Nothing is harmless I suppose if we take it to micro mort levels. Do you know how toxic cooking is for instance, or sitting on new furniture, or many foods for that matter, even the air you breathe? Vaping is about that level. I do agree that it doesn't need to happen in shared areas, because many people like yourself find it disagreeable/ disgusting. I do a fair bit of research about health matters. My only concern is about being hooked on something- generally never a good idea, unless it's sport. I work out, exercise every day, and am remarkably fit for my age. If I had significant concerns about vaping I wouldn't do it. I gave up booze because I realized it was so unhealthy.

Mate! You could start a fight in an empty room. To repeat, I said second hand vape is harmless, and that vaping is relatively harmless (compared to smoking). Sorry, to hear about your health, by the way.

Well, I have to go by reputable science. If the NHS, BHF, MHRA, etc, all state the same thing, and my own personal experience seems to point that way too, then it would be a bit silly to believe otherwise, wouldn't it? I certainly don't think it's healthy, no addiction can be really. There are and will be consequences imo. But I'm convinced there's a difference between cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Crucially I don't think vapes cause cancer anywhere near on the scale of cigarettes, mostly because they don't produce tar. Most anti vapers conflate smoking with vaping,,, and that's that I suppose. In all honesty, I don't think I'm advocating vaping (let alone smoking) to any young people or non smokers. But it is a boon for smokers who can't quit as it is proven very much safer- put it this way the alternative is guaranteed bad health sooner or later.

I don't like using links in the way you do. I really don't want to get in to this sort of argument anyway. Certainly in the UK, the NHS and MHRSA, as well as Cancer UK, endorse vaping as being much safer than conventional cigarettes. Both short term and medium term safety have been achieved, and it is not considered that long term will be any different. So I really don't need to cross words about other evidence, which is often less than good, and full of false assumptions, prejudice, and down right false hoods. On a personal note, do you honestly understand what nicotine vaping is? Have you ever smoked? Have you ever vaped? Frankly, I would rather believe mainstream websites and prestigious institutes. Perhaps we just come from different countries with different beliefs about vaping. Let's leave it at that, yeah!

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/vaping-myths-and-the-facts/ I prefer mainstream!

research by University College London (UCL), published in JAMA Network Open Nicotine (which in any case is not particularly harmful in small amounts) was 1/7th that of cigarettes, while other potential toxicants were regarded as very low risk or negligible. Note: these are real life studies (on small bodies at that) rather than junk science.

Or caffeine for that matter! Not to mention alcohol of course.

Second hand vape is not harmful- proven fact now. And for that matter, first hand vape is relatively harmless too.

Beautiful man! just beautiful!

Actually, it started a long time before that with under-investment in key infrastucture, training, etc, which worsened under the previous government. That is the main reason. Add to that placing the financial burden of Covid 19 on the individual and failure to stimulate the economy, and that mostly explains the situation today. Thailand is a less attractive place to produce goods, export them, or indeed sell within Thailand. We must place all this within the context of a global downturn of course.

Well think of it as a huge ship: if you switch off the engines it actually won't slow down for a while. Only some time later does it reach standstill.

The repercussions of poor economic management are felt years and decades later. Thailand is experiencing the effects of low investment over the past decade, and will continue to do so for a long time yet. Armies don't grow economies.

Pensioners (66 and over at the current time) get free health care as a matter of policy if not actual law.

Really hot again in Surat Thani, however.

The most recent test case happened a few years ago. I believe the explanation was that the Government wasn't obliged to do it, that it would cost way too much at a time of austerity. and that it was money not spent within the UK so was not contributing to the nation's GDP. The Government didn't want to do it, most UK residents didn't want it - to the contrary there were millions of blood thirsty sorts who didn't want to give the pension at all to expats. Moreover the Court ruled that the Government was acting within the law, in that only the stated amount at time of retirement was legally mandatory. I suggest that if further petitions are made then they be done in a less confrontational manner, without self righteousness, and be more realistic in their demands. Personally, I'm convinced that the last claim failed because of the demand for backdated payments. Had the petitioners simply asked for an uprated pension then I feel it would have happened. Beware of belligerent old war horses- why do us oldsters always believe we are in the right? Boomers even more so. 🙂

That is correct.

Have just one, presumably!

The temperature has gone back up in Surat Thani (37-39) so the chickens won't like that either.

But they always blow it with a schoolboy error. Makes me wonder if they just aren't one of those single issue parties that doesn't know how to truly win.

Yes, I will probably do just that. It's very difficult to get correct information regarding uprating, etc, but deferment it seems to me is not the same as the annual increase. I am destined it seems to carry on working well into retirement anyway, but it will be nice to see an extra 11k or so coming in for however long it lasts. Logically, the pension will have to be reduced at some point for the boomer generation- my guess would be 25%, or national insurance increased significantly- possibly some combination of both. I expect the burden of old age to shift from the state to the family once again.

I may do Eddie - it's an option. The pension would start 5.8% higher for one year, and so on. It really depends on my financial circumstances and overall health. The temptation is to just draw asap though, and that could be the best option. Depressingly the average person only has 7 or 8 good years of health after retirement, so I don't want to waste time working.