The week that was in Thailand news: Rooster in hospital - and the conversations are deadly serious!

 

 

"We should get some rain by the weekend, a storm is moving down from the north-east. Goodness knows we could do with some. Will be good for the roses".

 

I nodded sagely trying to appear interested. Except for a few random plants on my condo balcony I am not much of a gardener. The words came from my Thai doctor. I had just "wai-ed" him, sat down and asked how he was doing these days.

 

It was rather a surreal scene in Dr Phan's small consulting room in a big private hospital. One aging foreigner in English football jersey, shorts and face mask. Across the desk a man trussed up in protective gear as if he'd walked off the set of Chernobyl. Full 'hazmat" body suit tucked in at the wrists and ankles. Vizor. Hairnet. Mask. I could just make out the eyes of a man who I have visited annually since 2005.

 

Clearly we were not going to have much of a conversation about gardening. I didn't know whether I should bring up the obviously pressing subject first, it is one that is rather touchy for millions around the world. In the end he saw a detachment, a concern in my eyes and spoke up first:

 

"Yes, who knows how all this is going to end. There are so many different scenarios, so many factors to consider. It's unprecedented in our time".

 

"I mean they could cancel the English Premier League and declare it null and void," he suggested. "But that would be very unfair on Liverpool".

 

Apart from being an avid gardener my Thai doctor is also a long standing Manchester City supporter. I reminded him how losing my hub caps one Saturday afternoon in September 1978 after a 7-0 thrashing for Spurs hardly engendered myself to the land of the Scouser.

 

We settled on a mutual "Whatever Will Be will Be", almost as if it was a chant wafting up from the deserted terraces.

 

My yearly visit to Dr Phan is invariably pleasurable and thankfully light. It is always preceded by Rooster going for a blood test that reveals details about my "lipid profile" and liver function. This I had done at the end of February at a facility much cheaper than Dr Phan's swanky Bangkok hospital. The consultation is nothing more than a rubber stamp as I am perfectly able to read and interpret the numbers on the test after all these years. There was very little red and the cholesterol was bang on 200!

 

Though aided and abetted by pharmaceuticals, he could see that I looked chuffed with that number.

 

"It's not all about the figures," he remarked. "I can see that you look healthy, are feeling good. That's what matters most.

 

"I mean, they could give the title to Liverpool now", he said as he rummaged around my abdomen. "That would be good for City in a way and mean they would never reach our record 100 points total".

 

I smiled. Our brief conversation came to an end as he wished me well and handed over the statin prescription that I'll fill at the GPO. We shook hands - my skin on his plastic glove. Oops! Now we laughed conspiratorially and mutually slathered ourselves in hand gel as the nurse - also invisible under mountains of plastic - handed me the date of the next visit, a year hence. Another 720 baht well spent.

 

I had been to the hospital a couple of months ago when all this trouble began and was rather unnerved as Dr Phan's room is near the respiratory disease area. It was very busy and I was obliged to wait so long that I ended up cancelling and rescheduling to after Songkran. I had imagined that "all this will be over" by then.

 

It isn't. The fate of the Premier League is still undecided and the pandemic is still going strong.

 

Much of the likely course of the pandemic was accurately predicted back in February. Of course there have been surprises but the basic tenet in most countries was that we needed to look after ourselves, stay home, avoid infection and keep the pressure off medical services so that they were not overwhelmed.

 

Now we are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel in Thailand. Though there is a feeling that that light may be just another oncoming train out to get us.

 

While it is natural for populations around the world to want to get out and begin resuming normal lives, there is also palpable trepidation that we should not do this too soon lest we end up facing another spike in coronavirus cases and a renewed and more terrible lockdown.

 

All over Thailand the news was positive this week. Cases dropped to very low levels. Even when Thaivisa said there was a "Breaking News Spike" it was clear this was caused by including dozens at a southern detention center. And others in the far south. Like the violence that has claimed thousands of innocent lives in the provinces that border Thailand and Malaysia, we in Bangkok tend to conveniently ignore the South.

 

Provincial governors drip-fed the possibility of easing restrictions as an expectant public waited for a morsel of comfort. What extraordinary lives we have been living where the prospect of something as basic as being able to go for a walk in a public park or a stroll on a beach becomes tantalizing! Even if the thought of a beer in a crowded bar remains out of reach for now!

 

Here is a list of 20 stories, in no particular order, that attracted my attention on Thaivisa in the last seven days:

 

1. Stranded tourists increasingly became a theme. Some Russians were camping on the beach in Krabi and a British woman had been sleeping at the airport in Chiang Mai for a week.

 

2. The Seven Deadly Days of Songkran became a distant memory. Instead of 400 plus dying on the roads it was a measly 136. The virus will have a lot to answer for if Thailand becomes overpopulated in the years to come.

 

3. Many foreigners throughout Thailand, but particularly in the tourist centers where so many expats live, took to the streets to hand out ready meals and supplies to the needy. The "xenophobic gloom" experienced by some seemed to lift as more and more people accepted that all nationalities are in this together. A few stories about police stopping the handouts due to lack of social distancing were inevitable. Most charity organizers soon realized that it was better to work with the authorities.

 

4. Huge numbers - 28 million according to one estimate - applied for government handouts. Most waited or were disappointed to discover they were not eligible. Help for more farmers was promised. Utility bills were cut - many found out that staying at home and turning on the air-con all day was way more expensive than going out.

 

5. As China announced some lockdown relaxation, Thais speculated what this might mean for the country in the second half of the year especially in the tourism sector. Some "I'm Alright Jacks" in Pattaya and Chiang Mai are relishing seeing empty streets devoid of tour buses. But the queues for relief paint a different picture of the severe economic hardship being felt by millions.

 

6. The police in Bangkok proudly announced they had struck a deal with Tesla for a fleet of new patrol cars. This is welcome news as BMW smart cars are so yesterday. Now we can look forward to "Met's Muskmobiles" rounding up the miscreants.

 

7. At the Crocodile farm in Samut Prakan officials were scurrying to explain after a chimpanzee was pictured doing the Covid-19 spraying like a simian out of Ghostbusters.

 

8. A visa amnesty of three months was announced much to the relief of many who are stuck in Thailand. Stuck is a rather subjective word. Many tourists are in a far better situation in Thailand than in their home countries.

 

9. Some 16,000 people nationwide broke the curfew in the first few weeks of its implementation. Most were in drinking groups or doing drugs and annoying others. The Pattaya police chief suggested that foreigners were among 23 people that were facing jail or heavy fines in the courts for gathering at the beach.

 

10. A US veteran with PTSD caused the bomb squad to be alerted after he set up a box of tricks on the sidewalk outside the American embassy on Withayu Road. It was good to see that this person was treated gently and taken to hospital for medical checks.

 

11. PM Prayut issued a grovelling letter to Thai tycoons. He should have been demanding more from them. This looked like lip service. Many billionaires in the government have done nothing for the people.

 

12. Talking of billionaires, health minister Anutin was again allowed to speak for a few minutes. This time the minister - sidelined for ridiculous comments about foreigners and Thai medical personnel earlier in the pandemic - spoke up about a vaccine. Thankfully, he then disappeared again. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) said they were working on manufacturing more drugs to help treat people with symptoms.

 

13. In Canada a gunman shot nearly two dozen people, but the media barely referred to it. Trump muttered something about ending immigration and Green Cards and the state of Missouri threatened to sue China. Then the POTUS appeared to suggest that shooting up with Dettol would be a spiffing idea to prevent the lurgy. At a quickly terminated press conference he tried to convince us that he was merely being sarcastic to test the Fake News Media. It was amazing that he knew a word as long and complex as sarcastic.

 

14. Back in Thailand a couple of Italians and two Thai women were caught filming a porn video in a resort room. The remains of a spliff and a couple of expired passports were found.

 

15. Pictures showing construction of new facilities at Suwannaphum (my spelling) hit the Thai media. It all looked great - now to find some people and some airplanes. About 20 carriers are set to resume domestic service on May 1st. But it will be flying with a virus twist with a guaranteed spare seat next to you and a row for naughty people with coughs at the back. Now that's my kind of air travel!

 

16. As Pattaya mulled what to do next it was confirmed that a Russian and a Frenchman had succumbed to Covid-19 in QUOTES.

 

17. In Nakhon Sri Thammarat a motorist who hit a policeman on his motorbike near an intersection fled the scene. Unfortunately the officer was on the hood and stayed that way for two kilometers. The driver from Trang was charged with attempted murder and despite going at 100 kmph intends to fight it. Good luck with that.

 

18. The term "New Normal" became the buzzword of the week. In Buriram this will mean getting a sticker for your ID card or passport to say that your are "Buriram Healthy". This came along with other publicity stunts by provincial godfather Newin Chidchob and should be seen against a backdrop of international reports suggesting that even those who have had the virus may not have immunity.

 

19. The almost complete lack of tourism in Thailand meant that large groups of sharks and dugongs were coming close to shore, according to a Thai environmentalist. Rooster enjoyed the story because of the reference to a collective noun for 'pla chalam" - the rather appropriate "shiver of sharks".

 

20. Finally, my favorite story of the week was an "Amazing Thailand" offering about a bogus monk who had got in a taxi and been driven around all the temples in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi. He racked up 1,809 baht on the meter before doing a runner. The taxi driver went to the police who soon had "Saffron Somchai" in custody. It begged the question as to why someone would want to be driven around temples all day but then I understood.

 

Some people will go to any lengths for free air-conditioning.

 

Rooster

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-04-26

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

 

aging foreigner in English football jersey, shorts and face mask

 

Can you at least try and learn how to dress properly ?

My favourite of the week was the story that the police arrested 2 homeless persons for being outside during the curfew. ????????

25 minutes ago, JoePai said:

aging foreigner in English football jersey, shorts and face mask

 

Can you at least try and learn how to dress properly ?

Yes, should be a wife beater for an English bloke ????

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

against a backdrop of international reports suggesting that even those who have had the virus may not have immunity.

OK,  I usually don't analyze your weekly posts.   Generally good natured , and  generally the

digs you take don't bother me.

Soooo,  you got your little dig in at Donald this week.   No problem.  But an easy mark with

thousands of like minded ( read:  self centered power figures)  running amok

I guess what really caused me concern is that I do not think you would think that your writing

reflects the usual MSM  blah blah ( maybe i'm wrong ?)

The excerpt above IMO  is one that plays right out of the brainwashing playbook.   Write something that gives the impression that there are FACTS involved.   The words "suggesting" and "may"  are definitely not factual.....  but those puppets  readers who are not so keen will

obviously take this as a warning.   Yes,  the art of "suggesting"  and "maybe"  are quite effective,

but it is what goes around those words that media chooses to edit as they deem fit.

Generally  i could care less .......... but as you and almost everyone is reminding us.....

these are unprecedented times .   

 

Thanks again and also for spelling Suwannaphum just as is should always be!!

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

I mean they could cancel the English Premier League

It was announced a few hours ago that the Premier League has been cancelled.

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

In Canada a gunman shot nearly two dozen people, but the media barely referred to it.

I now live in Toronto because could not get a plane for Thailand.  The Canadian media did not barely refer to the shooting.  It was blazed across all media especially as the shooter dressed as a policeman (maybe in false RCMP garb and disguised a car to look like one of theirs).  Last count 22 dead but may be more.

'nuf sed.

Thanks Rooster, that was highly amusing. Giggling all the way through.

 

Have never read these posts before.

45 minutes ago, Swiss1960 said:

53 minutes ago, JoePai said:

aging foreigner in English football jersey, shorts and face mask

 

Can you at least try and learn how to dress properly ?

I agree with JoePai.  You should have also put your football stocking on, worn the time honoured scarf, and taken your rattle.

'nuf sed.

Enjoyed this week entertainment littered with a bit of reality as it should be ????

21 minutes ago, wotsdermatter said:

It was announced a few hours ago that the Premier League has been cancelled.

Can you please provide some links?

I'm not sure this is correct.

42 minutes ago, rumak said:

Write something that gives the impression that there are FACTS involved.   The words "suggesting" and "may"  are definitely not factual.....  but those puppets  readers who are not so keen will

obviously take this as a warning.   Yes,  the art of "suggesting"  and "maybe"  are quite effective,

but it is what goes around those words that media chooses to edit as they deem fit.

It would appear more than a few of DJT's countrymen have indeed taken his suggestions as fact:

 

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-new-yorkers-household-cleaners-trump-20200425-rnaqio5dyfeaxmthxx2vktqa5m-story.html

19 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

It would appear more than a few of DJT's countrymen have indeed taken his suggestions as fact:

 

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-new-yorkers-household-cleaners-trump-20200425-rnaqio5dyfeaxmthxx2vktqa5m-story.html

the whole world is a mess......    uh    edit:   some people are suggesting that maybe the whole

   world is a mess.    

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Rooster in hospital - and the conversations are deadly serious!

Congratulations on your click-bait, it worked a treat. After wondering if you had remembered me in your will, I was eager to discover what the complaint might be:

Piles (of haemorrhoids)

Writer's cramp (by gripping something or other too tightly)

Brain aneurysm (being a spurs supporter I believe)

Drinking a pint of Dettol (after following Uncle Toupee's advice)

 

Cor, wot a swiz! It was none of them.

53 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

It would appear more than a few of DJT's countrymen have indeed taken his suggestions as fact:

 

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-new-yorkers-household-cleaners-trump-20200425-rnaqio5dyfeaxmthxx2vktqa5m-story.html

Yes.......dumb plonkers following the dumb plonker-in-chief! 

 

 

1 hour ago, rasmus5150 said:

Can you please provide some links?

I'm not sure this is correct.

It's NOT......................It's FAKE News !!

2 hours ago, rumak said:

but it is what goes around those words that media chooses to edit as they deem fit.

Generally  i could care less .......... but as you and almost everyone is reminding us.....

these are unprecedented times .   

i already have 2 negative reactions,  and probably will get more.  yeah, rooster is a likeable guy.

So is B Gates  and  the pretty girls on CNN  reporting.    

I love all the smart guys here with their usual shtick .  here is one example today : "Its generally accepted that ......"    Then we have  :  most experts agree,  only an idiot would say,  where is your tin foil hat, i don't care what these conspiracy theorists say,   I don't listen to what some boring front line doctors say,      Great intellectual stuff there.

I have given rooster a thumbs up a few times.   i am sensitive to the hysteria abounding at the present time and the

uninformed remarks so many make.   So i put my two cents in.   Sorry if that offends 

3 hours ago, rumak said:

OK,  I usually don't analyze your weekly posts.   Generally good natured , and  generally the

digs you take don't bother me.

Soooo,  you got your little dig in at Donald this week.   No problem.  But an easy mark with

thousands of like minded ( read:  self centered power figures)  running amok

I guess what really caused me concern is that I do not think you would think that your writing

reflects the usual MSM  blah blah ( maybe i'm wrong ?)

The excerpt above IMO  is one that plays right out of the brainwashing playbook.   Write something that gives the impression that there are FACTS involved.   The words "suggesting" and "may"  are definitely not factual.....  but those puppets  readers who are not so keen will

obviously take this as a warning.   Yes,  the art of "suggesting"  and "maybe"  are quite effective,

but it is what goes around those words that media chooses to edit as they deem fit.

Generally  i could care less .......... but as you and almost everyone is reminding us.....

these are unprecedented times .   

 

My feelings exactly. I don't why I bother to read this claptrap. Maybe it's because I need to 

reflect at what somebody with too much time on his/her hands thinks the world needs to hear  their thoughts.

4 hours ago, wotsdermatter said:

It was announced a few hours ago that the Premier League has been cancelled.

I now live in Toronto because could not get a plane for Thailand.  The Canadian media did not barely refer to the shooting.  It was blazed across all media especially as the shooter dressed as a policeman (maybe in false RCMP garb and disguised a car to look like one of theirs).  Last count 22 dead but may be more.

'nuf sed.

Who said the Premier league is cancelled, i think the word you look for is suspended 

36 minutes ago, overt2016 said:

My feelings exactly. I don't why I bother to read this claptrap. Maybe it's because I need to 

reflect at what somebody with too much time on his/her hands thinks the world needs to hear  their thoughts.

well,  we ALL  have time on our hands and are taking up time posting on this forum,  as well

as other ways to pass time.   Generally  i read and or post knowing that it is just my own form

of claptrap    haha     Maybe i read too much into the wording used by rooster,   but wanted

to give my opinion anyway.    

There are big debates on TV  about the handling of the C19  "crisis"  ,  actually getting boring

as nothing is ever agreed upon.   Experts, Facts,  Theories, Shutdowns........

I am suggesting that maybe ................

oh,  forget it

 

 

7 minutes ago, rumak said:

well,  we ALL  have time on our hands and are taking up time posting on this forum,  as well

as other ways to pass time.   Generally  i read and or post knowing that it is just my own form

of claptrap    haha     Maybe i read too much into the wording used by rooster,   but wanted

to give my opinion anyway.    

There are big debates on TV  about the handling of the C19  "crisis"  ,  actually getting boring

as nothing is ever agreed upon.   Experts, Facts,  Theories, Shutdowns........

I am suggesting that maybe ................

oh,  forget it

 

 

The lead in 'Rooster in hospital ' struck me. I was hoping to hear about at least a lobotomy

or an enema.

6 hours ago, rumak said:

OK,  I usually don't analyze your weekly posts.   Generally good natured , and  generally the

digs you take don't bother me.

Soooo,  you got your little dig in at Donald this week.   No problem.  But an easy mark with

thousands of like minded ( read:  self centered power figures)  running amok

I guess what really caused me concern is that I do not think you would think that your writing

reflects the usual MSM  blah blah ( maybe i'm wrong ?)

The excerpt above IMO  is one that plays right out of the brainwashing playbook.   Write something that gives the impression that there are FACTS involved.   The words "suggesting" and "may"  are definitely not factual.....  but those puppets  readers who are not so keen will

obviously take this as a warning.   Yes,  the art of "suggesting"  and "maybe"  are quite effective,

but it is what goes around those words that media chooses to edit as they deem fit.

Generally  i could care less .......... but as you and almost everyone is reminding us.....

these are unprecedented times .   

 

Rooster writes a commentary, not a news report, and he is not a sovereign leader who words should /could serve as guidance for a nation. 

 

You know, it's like the commentators on fox News who can spout nonsense with immunity because they are not reporters; such as pushing malaria drugs as a virus cure for weeks with no factual basis whatsoever.

 

Rooster, like these types, is entitled to his opinion regardless of how ridiculous or biased it may appear to you. 

=========

"Generally  i could care less" 

 

Are you aware of what this phrase actually means? Think about it for a minute. I think you will see that it conveys the polar opposite of your presumed intent. 

Next time you go to the Dr's or go out and about , Tesco  ( at least ChangWatena BKK) sells hazmat suits there along with masks and wrap around glasses

6 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

It would appear more than a few of DJT's countrymen have indeed taken his suggestions as fact:

 

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-new-yorkers-household-cleaners-trump-20200425-rnaqio5dyfeaxmthxx2vktqa5m-story.html

 

30 cases. Here is the more amazing thing from your article:

Quote

According to data obtained by The News, the Poison Control Center only handled 13 similar cases in the same 18-hour period last year.

 

1 hour ago, RocketDog said:

Rooster, like these types, is entitled to his opinion regardless of how ridiculous or biased it may appear to you. 

=========

"Generally  i could care less" 

 

Are you aware of what this phrase actually means? Think about it for a minute. I think you will see that it conveys the polar opposite of your presumed intent. 

Two things RD .

1.  I never, in any of my posts, say that people are not entitled to their opinion !  Usually I am the

one stating that obvious point.    MY POST  took issue to some wording , gave my reasons, and of course am entitled to do that.  NO ?

2.  If you want to give English lessons than you will be a very busy man on internet forums. I usually do not even start sentences with a capital letter.   BTW:  you might check this out :

 

Is I could care less correct?

English teachers and grammarians will say that "could care less" is wrong because it should mean the opposite of "couldn't care less." Logically, if you could care less, it means you do care some. But in informal speech people often use "could care less" to mean they don't care at all.     

 

So, if you want to be my english teacher,  go ahead.  I could care less.    or formally:  I couldn't care less 

 

 

9 hours ago, JoePai said:

aging foreigner in English football jersey, shorts and face mask

 

Can you at least try and learn how to dress properly ?

I said it was surreal.

 

Rooster

8 hours ago, rumak said:

OK,  I usually don't analyze your weekly posts.   Generally good natured , and  generally the

digs you take don't bother me.

Soooo,  you got your little dig in at Donald this week.   No problem.  But an easy mark with

thousands of like minded ( read:  self centered power figures)  running amok

I guess what really caused me concern is that I do not think you would think that your writing

reflects the usual MSM  blah blah ( maybe i'm wrong ?)

The excerpt above IMO  is one that plays right out of the brainwashing playbook.   Write something that gives the impression that there are FACTS involved.   The words "suggesting" and "may"  are definitely not factual.....  but those puppets  readers who are not so keen will

obviously take this as a warning.   Yes,  the art of "suggesting"  and "maybe"  are quite effective,

but it is what goes around those words that media chooses to edit as they deem fit.

Generally  i could care less .......... but as you and almost everyone is reminding us.....

these are unprecedented times .   

 

You make an excellent point. Now to figure out what it is.

 

Rooster

8 hours ago, OneeyedJohn said:

Thanks Rooster, that was highly amusing. Giggling all the way through.

 

Have never read these posts before.

Well I am glad you found the column. This is consecutive Sunday edition #213 and all the rest are archived somewhere.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Rooster

4 hours ago, overt2016 said:

My feelings exactly. I don't why I bother to read this claptrap. Maybe it's because I need to 

reflect at what somebody with too much time on his/her hands thinks the world needs to hear  their thoughts.

Doesn't everyone have too much time on their hands right now?

 

Rooster

 

2 hours ago, RocketDog said:

Rooster writes a commentary, not a news report, and he is not a sovereign leader who words should /could serve as guidance for a nation. 

 

You know, it's like the commentators on fox News who can spout nonsense with immunity because they are not reporters; such as pushing malaria drugs as a virus cure for weeks with no factual basis whatsoever.

 

Rooster, like these types, is entitled to his opinion regardless of how ridiculous or biased it may appear to you. 

=========

"Generally  i could care less" 

 

Are you aware of what this phrase actually means? Think about it for a minute. I think you will see that it conveys the polar opposite of your presumed intent. 

What to Know

Merriam-Webster treats the phrases couldn't care less and could care less as synonymous, both meaning "not concerned or interested at all." "Couldn't care less" is the older and more obvious phrase grammatically, but it has been confused for so long that both are now defined. Additionally, the example sentence "it's impossible that could care less" is the same as the intended meaning.

Rooster