The week that was in Thailand news: Hysteria finds its natural home on social media and online news

[RocketDog]

On 2/1/2020 at 4:17 PM, canuckamuck said:

You're a great guy Rooster, but the opinions are starting to overshadow the stories.

What made you think his column is about news stories? 

It is an opinion piece and he makes points and then discusses his logic. Isn't this how Fox News rationalizes the bile that their 'commentators' spew daily? Opinions are like a$$h*les: everybody's got one and many are scrambling to voice it on the public trumpet we know as the internet. 

 

If you want news then go to news sources. But truly, one of his points is that today a lot of the news is actually just opinion pieces too. 

[overherebc]

3 hours ago, gimo said:

    Good point about putting the risks in perspective . My son has a five minute walk to school everyday . Should I worry more about him getting malaria from a mosquito at school , having an encounter with a moron an a bike while crossing the road , or catching corona . Could corona virus possibly overtake the road toll in Thailand ? Could it overtake the cases of malaria in Thailand ? I think not .

Won't overtake them it will just add to them. Will you be happy that it's someone elses child that may die from the virus or if it was one of yours just accept it as being a part of living in Asia as in oh well he might have been killed by a speeding pick up anyway.

[PhonThong]

On 2/1/2020 at 3:58 PM, rooster59 said:

President Trump's impeachment trial continued. He is as guilty as the day is long but it will make no difference. He will be acquitted and it will all play perfectly into his hands with another four years come the autumn. In this case the huge amount of online criticism of the POTUS merely serves to entrench his ill-gotten status among the fools who believe his palpable lies and childlike rhetoric. He bangs on about his achievements. There are none, even his wall in Mexico was filmed falling over!

Well, you will never be accused of being unbiased. 

[gimo]

46 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Won't overtake them it will just add to them. Will you be happy that it's someone elses child that may die from the virus or if it was one of yours just accept it as being a part of living in Asia as in oh well he might have been killed by a speeding pick up anyway.

My point was that , people should be more concerned about the other potential dangers that exist in our daily lives than the corona v . Of course I am upset every time I read of someone's child being killed for what ever reason . I wish more action would be taken to address the road accident problem around the world . Thailand is obviously lagging behind in that department .

[PhonThong]

13 hours ago, Fred white said:

Rooster did you do the investigation was you on the phone when Trump supposedly talked to Ukraine if not then you don't know if Trump is guilty or not.  Leave US politics to the Americans and worry about the UK instead

The UK is too much of a mess for him to handle.

[Mark mark]

Kobe Bryant's Helicopter, Company and Pilot, were not certified to fly in Low Visibility conditions, ... So I heard on the BBC I think. .... Once again Americans Breaking Safety Regulations. (And I have worked there, so I have seen them doing it) ... (Money talks, and Safety, .... the Environment, and <deleted> walks ? Right ? and Ditto the Max 737.) ....

 

....  So I wonder who asked for ? ... Paid for ? the Chopper to fly, ? ... When un-certified for those foggy conditions, .... and even the Police choppers were all grounded ! ? .... ???

Edited February 3, 2020 by Mark mark
Spelling

[Mark mark]

Thanks ! ... ????  Extremely good Column this week Rooster, ...

[overherebc]

15 minutes ago, PhonThong said:

The UK is too much of a mess for him to handle.

SNP and Wee Nicky have unveiled plans for the English/Scottish border. Trials are ongoing in Auchinshoogle-on-Sea as we speak.

[overherebc]

38 minutes ago, gimo said:

My point was that , people should be more concerned about the other potential dangers that exist in our daily lives than the corona v . Of course I am upset every time I read of someone's child being killed for what ever reason . I wish more action would be taken to address the road accident problem around the world . Thailand is obviously lagging behind in that department .

So many posters get on the x,000 die on the roads every year etc and this will add only x00 to the total dead every year.

I just don't see the reasoning behind those thoughts and arguements.

Please, please,  tell me why it's OK.

Edit. On the financial front, one factory in Kanchanaburi has paid off 500? workers because they have no parts

( imported from China ) so have no more work for people to do.

The x00 deaths, extra to normal, is not good or excusable in any way. The financial and social costs may be a very big hit if this really gets a hold here.

Note if and maybe.

Edited February 3, 2020 by overherebc

[SmartyMarty]

storm in a teacup.

[JerseytoBKK]

on Jan 20th there were 295 cases with 6 dead. Today, 2 WEEKS LATER, there are over 17,000 cases with 362 dead. 

 

But there's nothing to worry about. Nothing to see here. Just move right along but be a bit careful that you don't trip over the bodies as they pile up. 

Edited February 3, 2020 by JerseytoBKK

[Jane Dough]

I was away in Khon Kaen with thousands of other Thai people this weekend playing Scrabble at Central (The NE Championships). Quite a few wore masks as is their right but no one seemed very worried. Everyone enjoyed a great time - especially me though the young Thais proved to know more English words than I did and despite a good start I got my Blighty bottom whipped. The people of Khon Kaen were very kind. I rode up from Bangkok in six hours on Friday and back in time for Spurs vs Man City after the tournament. The weekend that had its ups and downs but ended on a massive high note!

 

Thanks for all the comments, especially the positive ones.

 

But some of the comments really confirm my point about hysteria. 

 

Unreservedly, on all matters in this week's column, I rest my case. 

 

Stay tuned for edition #202 next week. 

 

Rooster

[overherebc]

8 hours ago, SmartyMarty said:

storm in a teacup.

Could be a bloody big tea cup.

Why fill it??

[overherebc]

4 hours ago, JerseytoBKK said:

on Jan 20th there were 295 cases with 6 dead. Today, 2 WEEKS LATER, there are over 17,000 cases with 362 dead. 

 

But there's nothing to worry about. Nothing to see here. Just move right along but be a bit careful that you don't trip over the bodies as they pile up. 

I know, I know, they're only peoples mothers, fathers, sons and daughters Pfffff What do they matter eh?

Edited February 3, 2020 by overherebc

[gimo]

3 hours ago, Jane Dough said:

I was away in Khon Kaen with thousands of other Thai people this weekend playing Scrabble at Central (The NE Championships). Quite a few wore masks as is their right but no one seemed very worried. Everyone enjoyed a great time - especially me though the young Thais proved to know more English words than I did and despite a good start I got my Blighty bottom whipped. The people of Khon Kaen were very kind. I rode up from Bangkok in six hours on Friday and back in time for Spurs vs Man City after the tournament. The weekend that had its ups and downs but ended on a massive high note!

 

Thanks for all the comments, especially the positive ones.

 

But some of the comments really confirm my point about hysteria. 

 

Unreservedly, on all matters in this week's column, I rest my case. 

 

Stay tuned for edition #202 next week. 

 

Rooster

Just watched the above mentioned match on catch up . We were lucky , but it was our turn to get some . 

[PhiPhi]

When a virus has an incubation time of up to 2 weeks, is infectious during incubation, can be asymptomatic, has an R-Nought of 2.8 with the contagion set to double every 6.8 days and an estimated mortality rate of between 2 to 6.5 percent I'll happily own up to being a worry bucket. I mean when the first 10 serious cases hit my hospital in the provinces everybody else is stuffed as far as the isolation wards, respirators and nebulisers required for supportive care are concerned.

 

Have you ever seen someone afflicted by viral pneumonia?  A decade ago, for days I watched my 4 year old being slowly asphyxiated by this disease (viral pneumonia) with the treatment being almost equally traumatic, luckily they pulled through at the 11th hour (and 59th minute).  I really hope I am overreacting because I never want to experience that again with a loved one.

 

[medic5678]

On 2/3/2020 at 12:36 PM, PhiPhi said:

When a virus has an incubation time of up to 2 weeks, is infectious during incubation, can be asymptomatic, has an R-Nought of 2.8 with the contagion set to double every 6.8 days and an estimated mortality rate of between 2 to 6.5 percent I'll happily own up to being a worry bucket. I mean when the first 10 serious cases hit my hospital in the provinces everybody else is stuffed as far as the isolation wards, respirators and nebulisers required for supportive care are concerned.

 

Have you ever seen someone afflicted by viral pneumonia?  A decade ago, for days I watched my 4 year old being slowly asphyxiated by this disease (viral pneumonia) with the treatment being almost equally traumatic, luckily they pulled through at the 11th hour (and 59th minute).  I really hope I am overreacting because I never want to experience that again with a loved one.

 

I'm in medicine, and I'm worried as hell about this.   It's almost a "perfect" virus in terms of being extremely difficult to contain.  I am looking for a worldwide epidemic unless they can come up with a vaccination fast.  Anyone with a lick of sense should understand that any hospital system, even in the US, will be totally overwhelmed by having to hospitalize 13% of those infected in an ICU.  Hell, they'll be treating people in the parking lots.  Not to mention that this *could* easily spark a worldwide recession.  Look at the streets of China.  Ghost towns.  Do you really think these people can stay locked indoors for more than a couple of more weeks?  And they can't even contain it now, despite all these measures.  This is truly an outbreak to fear.  This might not be the "big one" in terms of humanity, but this will be remembered for a long time.  People comparing this to the flu (with the flu being worse) are kidding themselves.  This is the flu on steroids.

 

By contrast, a disease that kills people quickly is much easier to contain.   That this virus is able to create a prolonged infection is what makes it so dangerous. We're going to Thailand on the 25th to see my wife's family.  Father has had a heart attack.   Perhaps this is the last time my wife sees him.  I can't opt out of this trip for that reason.  Nonetheless, I think we'll see it get loose in the USA... so probably it doesn't matter what you do, you'll be exposed to this virus eventually.

[medic5678]

On 2/3/2020 at 12:17 AM, overherebc said:

So many posters get on the x,000 die on the roads every year etc and this will add only x00 to the total dead every year.

I just don't see the reasoning behind those thoughts and arguements.

Please, please,  tell me why it's OK.

Edit. On the financial front, one factory in Kanchanaburi has paid off 500? workers because they have no parts

( imported from China ) so have no more work for people to do.

The x00 deaths, extra to normal, is not good or excusable in any way. The financial and social costs may be a very big hit if this really gets a hold here.

Note if and maybe.

 

the problem is that this could at X,000,000,000 deaths in the next couple of years, because the world economy and the health care system could get totally overwhelmed.  Yes, the numbers are small now.  If the present growth rate continues, they won't be small 6 months from now.

[JDGRUEN]

Rooster - your unbridled opinion only reveals that you lack a large dose of facts - or the ability to pro Your ego does not allow you to process facts - you just reject what you don't believe in... Including what you simply do not understand. You seem to be a, very unhappy person

[nausea]

I'm in two minds as to whether the guy is doing this to create controversy or whether he actually believes what he says. Certainly, to create a consistently interesting weekly blog is a bit of a task, even Jeffrey Bernard was unwell now and then.