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From The Thaiger / Thai PBS 7 Bangkok Bang Sue Grand Station volunteers are currently under investigation for a suspected scam. However, Amnat Traipot, the commander of the railway police said today that even more people are suspected of being involved with the scam. The Bang Sue scam was reported to the police yesterday by officials from the Department of Medical Services. Reportedly, the volunteers would make reservations for people when the facility was closed. Amnat says multiple people will be summoned for questioning, such as people who did not personally register themselves but retained the services of volunteers at a cost of 400 to 1,200 baht a person, and that they accepted cash or a money transfer. The director of the vaccination facility, Dr Mingkwan Vichaidith spoke of the Bang Sue scam saying officials first noticed something was amiss in the registration system last week when additional reservations appeared after the facility closed. Additional poking around into the matter revealed 2 volunteers had made the registrations for around 2,000 people through the True mobile phone system during off hours, says Dr Mingkwan. The doctor adds that there is evidence of money changing hands via money transfers that incriminates 4 volunteers. The doctor says people should register by themselves and to avoid scams like this where con artists/volunteers ask for money to get you a vaccination reservation. It has been reported on social media that there are large crowds at the Bang Sue site, but the Health Minister cleared up the matter by saying it was just an issue of “camera angles or whatever”. The health minister has yet to address this Bang Sue scam, or the other issues it was riddled with today including online registrations opening 2 hours late, the 18-59 age group quota quickly filling up, and a variety of other, unspecified problems. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/bangkok-bang-sue-scam-under-investigation-7-volunteers-and-counting-to-be-questioned ==================================== Sleeper trains in Bangkok to become isolation facilities Sleeper trains in Bangkok are being converted into isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients who are waiting for a hospital bed to become available. With the surge of Covid-19 cases, today hitting a record high of 17,669 new cases, hospitals in Bangkok, the epicentre of infections, have run low on beds to treat patients infected with the coronavirus. At Bang Sue Grand Station, 15 sleeping cars will become temporary isolation areas for those waiting for a hospital bed to become available. Each train car has 16 beds, allowing 240 people to isolate themselves at the railway station. https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/sleeper-trains-in-bangkok-to-become-isolation-facilities-for-covid-19-patients ==================================== US to donate 2.5 million vaccine doses to Thailand According to a Thai PBS World report, the US has confirmed it will donate 2.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Thailand. Thai-American senator Tammy Duckworth made the announcement during a webinar on Thai-US relations. It’s understood the donation is part of a pledge by the administration of US President, Joe Biden, to provide vaccines for developing countries. The US has already donated 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Thailand, with the Thai government pledging to administer 700,000 doses to every frontline healthcare worker in the country. Despite the assurances, a group of medical workers and other concerned persons have called on the US to oversee the distribution of the donated vaccines in order to hold the government to its word. The long-awaited Pfizer doses are now expected to land in the Kingdom tomorrow, with the US Embassy planning a press conference to confirm their arrival. Thai PBS World reports that 645,000 doses will be given to the elderly, women who are more than 12 weeks’ pregnant, and people with underlying conditions. 150,000 doses will be given to foreign residents who meet the same criteria. 40,000 doses will be used to study the vaccine’s efficacy against new variants, while 5 doses will be reserved for further research. Thailand has already taken delivery of over a million doses of AstraZeneca, donated by the Japanese government. The UK government has also announced its intention to donate 415,000 vaccine doses to Thailand, part of 9 million doses it plans to donate to countries around the world. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/cv19-vaccines/us-government-to-donate-2-5-million-vaccine-doses-to-thailand

Interesting but I think my theory is more likely, as told to me by a KLM flight attendant I met in a sauna in Toledo a few months after the crash. He claimed that the flight was part of a spy mission, or that it was an assassination attempt on Congressman Larry McDonald, an anti-communist and leader in the John Birch Society. After leaving the Sauna, I stopped at a bar next door and struck up a conversation with vacationing CIA agent who claimed that the flight had been forced to land but had done so safely at Sakhalin, a Russian island. This fits with a NY Times report that said "a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 jetliner on a flight from New York to Seoul with a stop in Anchorage, had been forced down by Soviet Air Force planes and that all 240 passengers and 29 crew members were believed to be safe." A Miami Herald article reported a Korean Air Lines confirmation that the jet was safe, and also noted that Korean state news said the same. I've heard other conspiracy theory that the plane was actually abducted midair by giant UFO that whisked it off to a galaxy unknown. This was later to become the basis for a Star Trek episode. But I'm sticking to the one related to me by the gorgeous flight attendant. That's the great thing about conspiracy theories: they come in all shapes and sizes.

From The Irrawaddy Junta to Build New Crematoriums as COVID-19 Death Toll Soars Myanma Radio and Television, the junta-controlled broadcaster, announced on Tuesday that ten crematoriums are being built simultaneously at cemeteries in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, which has seen the highest fatalities nationwide in the coronavirus third wave. The crematoriums will be able to cremate more than 3,000 bodies per day. The newly-built crematoriums in Yayway, one of Yangon’s major cemeteries, can cremate over 1,000 bodies per day, said the junta-controlled media. The move has provoked the ire of the many people who have lost relatives and friends to COVID-19 over the past two months due to the mismanagement of the military regime. Many patients were turned away by public hospitals and forced to rely on treatment at home, including sourcing their own medical oxygen, even as the junta was restricting the sale of oxygen to individuals. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-to-build-new-crematoriums-as-covid-19-death-toll-soars.html ======================================== US Defense Secretary Chides Myanmar Junta US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin decried the actions of Myanmar’s military rulers on Tuesday and urged ASEAN to keep demanding an end to the violence. “The Myanmar military’s refusal to respect the inalienable rights of the Burmese people and to defend their basic well-being is flatly unacceptable,” Austin said during a lecture in Singapore, the AP news agency reported. “A military exists to serve its people, not the other way around. And so we call on the Myanmar military to adhere to the ASEAN five-point consensus and to forge a lasting peace,” he added. The five-point document calls for an immediate end to violence and the start of a dialogue among contending parties, with a special ASEAN envoy mediating in the talks. However, the envoy has yet to be appointed. Austin said the US would work with partners in the region to urge Myanmar’s military to “move in the right direction” and release civilians it has imprisoned. The US general is in Southeast Asia visiting key countries and allies including Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam to strengthen relationships.

Vitamin D is being further studied for its effects on preventing and treating Covid. The following rationale is an excerpt from the US National Institutes for Health: "Because the vitamin D receptor is expressed on immune cells such as B cells, T cells, and antigen-presenting cells, and because these cells can synthesize the active vitamin D metabolite, vitamin D also has the potential to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses." Although the NIH says the evidence of its effectiveness is inconclusive at this time, further studies are being conducted. Vitamin D deficiency is more probable when a person is not exposed to sufficient sunlight, which would be the case if they are quarantining at home. My primary care physician put me on 2,000 units a day to help maintain bone density. I believe it's readily available in Thai pharmacies and stores like Boots and Watson's without prescription. The cost should be quite reasonable. I'd certainly second Spoon's recommendation of providing an oximeter.

From The Thaiger Officials reluctant to cancel Phuket sandbox, lifeline for desperate locals Officials have confirmed that the Phuket sandbox scheme will not be cancelled, despite rising infections on the island. At least not for now. The Bangkok Post reports that despite the island reporting 40 new infections yesterday, the highest number since it re-opened to foreign tourists, the governor is reluctant to put an end to the financial lifeline for desperate locals. Instead, a number of additional restrictions have been introduced. Most of the new infections are cases of local transmission, primarily in people arriving from high-risk “dark red” provinces to look for work. Officials have responded by strengthening measures to get on to the island, including the need for domestic arrivals to have proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test. To date, the sandbox scheme has resulted in 278,623 hotel nights booked between July and September, a tiny light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. Yuthasak Supasorn from the TAT says the scheme will continue, but efforts must be made to curb the spread of the virus, adding that the Phuket scheme is also helping tourism elsewhere. “We have to stay on high alert and try to decrease daily infections over the next 7 days to sustain the programme in the long run. We have to keep this fortress steady as the province is a test run for other destinations. For example, Samui has most of its international visitors flying from the Phuket sandbox, rather than its Samui Plus model.” Another concern for Yuthasak is the perception of Thailand abroad, with a number of countries classifying it as a high-risk destination. “We have to work two times harder to convince the international community Phuket is safe for travel, which is difficult when Covid-19 cases are peaking nationwide.” https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/cv19-thailand/cv19-phuket/officials-reluctant-to-cancel-phuket-sandbox-lifeline-for-desperate-locals

From Bangkok Post Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has estimated the intense Covid-19 situation will affect the country for the next two to three weeks or four weeks at most, said Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha. Mr Sathit said Gen Prayut told this to a cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the PM added that relevant agencies must let people know the reality of the situation. The kingdom had a record high of 16,533 new Covid-19 cases and 133 new fatalities over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday morning. Mr Sathit said the prime minister has given a directive that in 14 days, the lockdown and the curfew will be reviewed and a decision will be made based on the severity of the situation at that time. The deputy public health minister said the cabinet meeting discussed measures underway to bring down the Covid-19 curve, including sending those infected back for treatment in their home provinces so to alleviate overcrowding at hospitals and medical facilities in the hardest-hit provinces, including Bangkok. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2155735/pm-gauges-virus-review ==================================

From CNN Sports Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung looks at his gold medal after beating Italy's Daniele Garozzo in the men's foil final on July 26. It was Hong Kong's first gold at the Summer Olympics in 25 years. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

From The Associated Press 'About time’: Gay athletes unleash rainbow wave on Olympics OKYO (AP) — When Olympic diver Tom Daley announced in 2013 that he was dating a man and “couldn’t be happier,” his coming out was an act of courage that, with its rarity, also exposed how the top echelons of sport weren’t seen as a safe space by the vast majority of LGBTQ athletes. Back then, the number of gay Olympians who felt able and willing to speak openly about their private lives could be counted on a few hands. There’d been just two dozen openly gay Olympians among the more than 10,000 who competed at the 2012 London Games, a reflection of how unrepresentative and anachronistic top-tier sports were just a decade ago and, to a large extent, still are. Still, at the Tokyo Games, the picture is changing. A wave of rainbow-colored pride, openness and acceptance is sweeping through Olympic pools, skateparks, halls and fields, with a record number of openly gay competitors in Tokyo. Whereas LGBTQ invisibility used to make Olympic sports seem out of step with the times, Tokyo is shaping up as a watershed for the community and for the Games — now, finally, starting to better reflect human diversity. “It’s about time that everyone was able to be who they are and celebrated for it,” said U.S. skateboarder Alexis Sablone, one of at least five openly LGBTQ athletes in that sport making its Olympic debut in Tokyo. “It’s really cool,” Sablone said. “What I hope that means is that even outside of sports, kids are raised not just under the assumption that they are heterosexual.” The gay website Outsports.com has been tallying the number of publicly out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and nonbinary athletes in Tokyo. After several updates, its count is now up to 168, including some who petitioned to get on the list. That’s three times the number that Outsports tallied at the last Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. At the London Games, it counted just 23. “The massive increase in the number of out athletes reflects the growing acceptance of LGBTQ people in sports and society,” Outsports says. Daley is also broadcasting that message from Tokyo, his fourth Olympics overall and second since he came out. After winning gold for Britain with Matty Lee in 10-meter synchronized diving, the 27-year-old reflected on his journey from young misfit who felt “alone and different” to Olympic champion who says he now feels less pressure to perform because he knows that his husband and their son love him regardless. Continues at https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-lgbtq-athletes-4c4d04b03dc0f3a070e287be092c50d4

From Thai Enquirer Thailand’s Palang Pracharat Party will stay for the full term despite rumours that there could be an early house dissolution, an MP from the ruling party told Thai Enquirer on Tuesday. The parliamentarian was responding to rumours which spread over the weekend that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha was set to resign or that the house was about to be dissolved. The rumours sparked numerous hashtags including several that opposed any possibility of an appointed premier in the event that Prayut did resign. “We have heard the rumours inside the party and there is absolutely no truth to it at all,” said the MP from Bangkok who asked not to be named. “As far as we’re concerned, this government will go the full term and we will win the next election as well,” he said. Thailand’s ruling party and its coalition partners have been under immense pressure due to the country’s botched Covid-19 response. https://www.thaienquirer.com/30454/ruling-party-to-stay-for-full-term-despite-rumours/

From Thai Enquirer Phuket tightens restrictions but Sandbox continues Phuket introduced extra Covid restriction measures Tuesday as case numbers continued to rise, but said it was sticking with the Sandbox project allowing vaccinated tourists in from abroad. Under the latest measures, two major shopping malls will be temporarily closed, as well as schools and sports stadiums. Gatherings will be limited to 100 people, down from the previous 150. The restrictions join a raft of measures, including the closure of at-risk businesses, in force on the island from July 20 to August 2. Despite the recent increase in infections “the province will continue with the Phuket Sandbox policy,” Governor Narong Woonciew said on Monday. The numbers “are not a factor to discontinue the Sandbox,” he said. https://www.thaienquirer.com/30499/phuket-tightens-restrictions-but-sandbox-continues/ =================================== From Bangkok Post Airlines told to check papers of all passengers The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has ordered airlines to ensure that foreign travellers have all documents necessary for permission to enter their destinations ahead of issuing boarding passes. The CAAT announcement covers those tourists who had earlier touched down in one of the so-called "sandbox" zones and were making onward trips after completing their mandatory 14-day stay in the zone and obtaining a clear Covid-19 test result. The airlines can check disease control measures and entry requirements for each province at https://www.moicovid.com angkok Airways yesterday began operating Phuket-Samui flights while Nok Air reopened its Phuket-U-Tapao route with the CAAT urging foreign travellers in sandbox areas to contact the airlines before travelling to ensure a smooth journey. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2154223/airlines-told-to-check-papers-of-all-passengers

From The Thaiger Asanha Bucha Day is a special Buddhist holiday in Thailand marking the day when the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon at Benares in India over 2,500 years ago. The exact date of the holiday is determined by the waxing moon and the lunar months, but is usually held in July or August each year. In 2021 it falls on July 26. Today is also the start of the period of Buddhist Lent. There were to be 3 public holidays in a row – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (HM The King’s birthday) this year but the Tuesday holiday was abandoned by the government as the Covid situation became worse. Asahna Bucha is a national Holiday in Thailand. It replaced Buddhist Lent as a gazetted holiday in 2007. The date in the western calendar depends on the Lunar cycle. It is also known as Asalha Puja or Dhamma Day. Because this years’ Asanha Bucha Day falls on a weekend day, Monday, July 26 has been named as a public holiday across Thailand. The Buddha preached his first sermon at a deer park and from this sermon the Dharma (doctrine) of the Buddha was symbolised as a wheel. The Dharmachakra is also known as the Wheel of Life, Wheel of Law or Wheel of Doctrine and can be seen on flags in temples and buildings all across Thailand. Similarly, pictures or models of deer can often be seen at temples or in depictions of the Buddha. https://thethaiger.com/news/national/today-is-asanha-bucha-day-why-is-the-day-special-for-thai-buddhists-public-holiday

From Time A volunteer from the 'Saimai Will Survive' group in protective gear talks to a woman infected with COVID-19 on her condition while checking her blood pressure and blood oxygen levels Friday, July 23, 2021, in Bangkok, Thailand. AP Photo/Tassanee BANGKOK, Thailand — As Thailand‘s medical system struggles beneath a surge of coronavirus cases, ordinary people are helping to plug the gaps, risking their own health to bring care and supplies to often terrified, exhausted patients who’ve fallen through the cracks. In the Samai area of Bangkok, Ekapob Laungprasert’s team heads out for another weekend on the front lines of a crisis. His volunteer group, Samai Will Survive, has been working around the clock, responding to about a hundred SOS calls daily from desperate COVID-19 patients unable to get the help they need. “We realize how hard working and how tired doctors and nurses are,” says the 38-year-old businessman. “What we are trying to do today is to help relieve some of the burden. Before, all cases must go to the hospital, so today there are no hospital beds. So we volunteer to help out.” It’s not long before they’re in action: Malee, a COVID-19 positive woman whose breathing has suddenly worsened. The group, wearing personal protective equipment, delivers oxygen and much-needed reassurance to Malee and her husband, an army officer who also has the virus. “I lost hope even with the army. I called doctors at field hospitals. All they told me to do was to send information, just send information,” Worawit Srisang said. “I got the same answers everywhere. At least these guys visit us in person. What the patient needs is a chance to see a doctor, not just send information.” Thailand’s predicament is stark. Around 15,000 new cases are confirmed each day and still more people are getting infected. In Bangkok alone, 20,000 people are waiting for a hospital bed. So homespun heroes like Ekapob and his group — buying equipment and supplies with public donations — are an essential safety net, gaining crucial time for both patients and a health care system under severe strain. https://time.com/6083751/thailand-covid-volunteers/

From Bangkok Post Malaysia's government will not extend a controversial coronavirus state of emergency beyond Aug 1, a minister said Monday, as parliament convened after a months-long suspension that sparked widespread anger. The king in January declared the country's first nationwide state of emergency in more than half a century to fight Covid-19, following the advice of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. It allowed the government to rule by decree and suspend parliament, prompting critics to accuse Muhyiddin of using the crisis to avoid a no-confidence vote and shore up his weak coalition. Despite the emergency and a nationwide lockdown, the outbreak only worsened, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant. Malaysia's caseload breached the one million mark at the weekend, and there have been around 8,000 deaths. https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2155055/malaysia-says-emergency-to-end-as-parliament-sits Despite the emergency and a nationwide lockdown, the outbreak only worsened, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant. Malaysia's caseload breached the one million mark at the weekend, and there have been around 8,000 deaths.

From Japan Herald 22-year-old Japanese Yuto Horigome has become the first-ever Olympic skateboarding champion

From Bloomberg News A fight that started over a book of modernized fairy tales has morphed into a defining test for the European Union. Prime Minister Viktor Orban is intensifying an assault against Hungary’s LGBTQ community. As Veronika Gulyas, Flavia Krause-Jackson and Zoltan Simon report, that could prompt the bloc to shut the taps on financial aid that has fueled the country’s economic transformation for almost two decades. The European Commission is threatening legal action over a Hungarian law banning minors from being exposed to content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment that originated with a dispute over a children’s book depicting gay and transgender characters. The issue cuts to the quick of a dilemma that has plagued the bloc for more than a decade: Why should its 27 countries continue to financially prop up members whose leaders flout EU values on inclusion, democracy and the rule of law? For Orban, the ringleader of Europe’s populist movement since he returned to power in 2010, it’s political. Last decade, he scored election victories by demonizing Muslim immigrants and he whipped up sentiment against the Roma minority before the pandemic broke out. As he tightened his grip over Hungary, he teased out a net $29 billion of EU money in the last seven years alone, a model that Poland’s right-wing, anti-LGBTQ government is also pursuing. Now facing a tough challenge in next year’s elections, Orban is portraying the gay community as the enemy and will hold a referendum on LGBTQ questions to push back against the EU. But after years of shirking from a fight as it wrangled with problems from the Greek crisis to Brexit, the EU has finally come to the realization it has an antagonist who must be confronted. — Michael Winfrey https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-07-23/an-eu-rogue-may-pay-for-weaponizing-gay-rights

Let's see if I've go this right. A huge virus, buried in the seabed at a depth of 36,000 feet, is brought to a laboratory in Shanghai for sequencing. What could possibly go wrong? From South China Morning Post / BP The first known batch of viruses retrieved from the deepest point in the Mariana Trench includes giant species bigger than some bacterium, according to a research team in Shanghai. The many legends of giant sea creatures have been largely debunked because of the challenges to large, complex life forms at the greatest ocean depths. But the researchers discovered several giant viral species, including mimiviruses - which typically use amoeba as their hosts - in sediments taken from a seabed nearly 11,000 metres (36,000 feet) below sea level at Challenger Deep. And, while giant viruses have been found elsewhere, they appeared to be more abundant at the extreme depth, where pressure is 1,100 times that of the atmosphere, than in other conditions, where they are usually rare. Previous attempts to obtain viral samples from Challenger Deep failed because of the extreme technical challenges but samples collected five years ago by the advanced research ship Zhang Jian yielded enough material for the team to obtain genome sequences of 15 different types of viruses and more than 100 kinds of other microorganisms. The researchers also raised more than 2,000 strains of microorganisms in a high pressure laboratory environment, although they were unable to revive any of the viruses, according to a paper published this month in the journal Genome Biology. Mimiviruses -- which made up more than 4% of the total viral population in the sampled seabed -- were initially mistaken for bacteria when scientists first saw them during a pneumonia outbreak in 1992. With their hairy fibres and bodies which can be up to 700 nanometres wide, they can sometimes be visible to the naked eye. In some experiments, these giant viruses were able to cause tissue damage in mammals, but so far there is no evidence they can directly harm human beings. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2154471/china-scientists-discover-giant-viruses-in-the-deepest-place-on-earth

The crash at Tenerife was both horrible and unique in that involved no mechanical failure of either of the two 747's. They collided on the same runway (headed in opposite directions) due to series of communications snafus and heavy fog. One had just barely got airborne but too late to escape ripping off the fuselage of the other aircraft trying to turn away at the last moment. Here's a brief dramatization of those final minutes that took the lives of 583.

From Channel News Asia HANOI: Vietnam announced a 15-day lockdown in the capital Hanoi starting Saturday (Jul 24) as a coronavirus surge spread from the southern Mekong Delta region. The lockdown order, issued late Friday night, bans the gathering of more than two people in public. Only government offices, hospitals and essential businesses are allowed to stay open. Earlier in the week, the city had suspended all outdoor activities and ordered non-essential businesses to close following an increase in cases. On Friday, Hanoi reported 70 confirmed infections, the city's highest, part of a record 7,295 cases in the country in the last 24 hours. Nearly 5,000 of them are from Vietnam’s largest metropolis, southern Ho Chi Minh City, which has also extended its lockdown until Aug 1. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/vietnam-locks-down-capital-hanoi-for-15-days-as-cases-rise-15283902

From The Thaiger Covid-19 could persist one month to another year, official says Depending on the actions the government and the people of Thailand take, the Director-General of the Department of Medical Services predicts Covid-19 could continue for just a few months or drag on for another year. Director-General Somsak Ankasil asserted that declaration in a recorded video message this week made to thank the medical officials across the nation. In it, he said that many factors will affect our future and the future of the Covid-19 pandemic within the borders of Thailand. If handled well, he believes that Covid-19 could be wrangled under control in about 3 months or possibly as little as 1 month. But, if improperly handled, or if more problems and obstacles surface along the way, the Covid-19 pandemic could stretch on for another year. Somsak also called for unity and support in his message, saying that all people from all sectors need to come together to overcome the challenges of Covid-19 even after a year and a half of dealing with it. He mentioned the imperative need for the Thai government to be proactive in enacting policies that directly and effectively control the proliferation of Covid-19 infections, and to contain outbreaks, something the government has come under much criticism for recently as people lose confidence in leadership’s ability to combat the virus. https://thethaiger.com/news/national/department-head-predicts-covid-19-could-last-up-to-another-year

And it was about the same when I first landed in 2002. Agree that it has been mostly within 3 baht on either side of 33 for quite a while. That it has retreated so quickly since December has more to do with the worsening pandemic and political unrest which significantly slowed the influx of foreign currencies. If Thailand can contain COVID, the baht should rebound nicely. Similar action can be seen on the GBP-THB chart.

Since it's high of 29.76 in December, the baht has actually lost about 9.5% vs the dollar (today 32.94).

Although what was to become known as the Delta variant was only detected late last year in India, it has raced to the top of all the other variations of COVID competing for transmissibility. Countries that saw a possible exit from the scourge have fallen back into its ever more powerful grip. Among them are just about all of Southeast Asia. We've pretty much exhausted the blame game. We know what wasn't done and who didn't do it. This knowledge may help prevent leaders from repeating past mistakes but there is only one thing that will prevent further catastrophe: attaining a rate of inoculations that outdistances the rate of new infections. Lockdowns are temporary holding actions. The pause buys time by hopefully slowing the rate of new cases. But there's a limit to their duration. You can only keep people confined to their homes--and in most cases, away from the source of their income--for so long. If the government can't take full advantage of that time span, nations could begin to fail in ways not seen before by most current inhabitants. Readers here are understandably concerned with when they're going to be able to return to a Thailand that looks something like the one they left in 2019. But for most of the Thais in Bangkok and Pattaya, they're now facing the reality that their future--if not their very lives--are at stake. The Delta variant is mocking man's ability to rule nature. It's exposing the fallibility of class, wealth, pride and prejudice. For the next few weeks, some of us will have our attention diverted by an event that normally occurs once every four years (but in this case, five): the Summer Olympics. We can only hope that when the events wind down so, too, will the Delta variant rampage begin to slow. If we're lucky, the number of new cases will begin to show a steady decline, followed by a lessening of the daily death count. If these signs don't materialize, our vacation plans could well become the least of our concerns. ========================================= From Thai Enquirer New political awakening coming too late? Prayut’s announcement on June 16 that he would reopen the country within 120 days was subjected to much ridicule and skepticism. Not only was the target highly unrealistic, with rising infection numbers and the country unable to secure the 120 million doses of vaccines it needs for her immunity, it also became the strongest piece of evidence that the government was out of touch in combating the pandemic and economic crisis. As covid-19 cases continue to surge after Delta variant was first discovered at Lak Si construction site, Thailand’s livelihood and economic well-being has taken a nose dive with no apparent hope in sight. Therefore, it is unsurprising that more and more people are publicly voicing their discontent, including celebrities and television personalities that tend to be politically-shy. It is a watershed moment for Thai politics as an overwhelming portion of the society are no longer afraid or intimidated to remain silent but are straightforwardly criticizing the government for its incompetence. However, did this political awakening come too late to do much good? Thailand is still in its biggest crisis in modern history, even bigger than the one that started the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis. The news of people being left to die on the streets from unknown causes was unheard of until now. A nurse recently committed suicide by jumping off of a building over fear of infecting her newborn baby with Covid-19. A couple in Chonburi recently hung themselves over concerns of unpaid debts that were owed to loan sharks. Meanwhile, millions of people have already lost their jobs with no safety net and solution in sight. If this is the cost of the country’s political awakening cost, it surely came at a great price. Continues at https://www.thaienquirer.com/30353/opinion-is-thailands-new-political-awakening-coming-too-late/

From CNBC When Covid-19 hit early last year and most travel ground to halt worldwide, would-be vacationers scrambled to get refunds from hotels, airlines, cruise lines and other travel suppliers — or to file travel insurance claims for canceled trips. They often hit a wall on both fronts. Suppliers struggled, or sometimes stonewalled, with refunds — making those without insurance wish they’d bought some. Meanwhile, the “insured” often discovered the plans they’d purchased didn’t cover Covid-related travel or medical expenses. “People were trying to get their money back, trying to navigate through credits versus refunds, and put in travel insurance claims,” said James Ferrara, co-founder and president of the Delray Beach, Florida-based InteleTravel network of some 60,000 home-based travel advisors. “They were also looking at travel insurance for their next [trip] and making sure that insurance would cover another occurrence of a pandemic because this all caught a lot of people by surprise — including the insurance industry.” In the wake of those epic “burns,” many Americans once again hitting the road now that pandemic-era restrictions are being lifted are insuring their trips — and their health — as they plan travel. They’re doing so both to avoid future trouble and, in some cases, because they have to. More than two dozen countries, for example, require visitors to have medical and sometimes travel expenses coverage that includes Covid-related incidents. “There was a good handful before [Covid], but more now,” said Megan Moncrief, chief marketing officer and data specialist at trip insurance comparison site Squaremouth.com. “It makes sense when you think about how expensive getting care abroad can be.” Countries Requiring Covid-19 Travel Insurance Some countries have made travel insurance coverage for Covid mandatory for visitors. Most require medical coverage for emergencies but some also require coverage for lodging if quarantine is required. Here’s a list of countries demanding proof of either Covid-specific or general medical insurance: Anguilla Aruba Bahamas Bermuda Cambodia Cayman Islands Chile Costa Rica Cuba* Dubai (United Arab Emirates)* Ecuador* Egypt* French Polynesia Israel Jamaica Jordan Lebanon Nepal New Zealand* Qatar* Russia* St. Maarten Thailand Turkey* Turks and Caicos Ukraine *Country requires even non-Covid-19-related medical insurance for visitors. Source: Squaremouth.com Continues at https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/22/planning-to-travel-heres-why-you-need-to-insure-your-next-trip.html

From National Public Radio Anthony Bourdain, in Roadrunner, the new documentary about his life. CNN/Focus Features Anthony Bourdain was in his 40s when he got famous. A lot of people don't realize that. He'd lived a cook's life — hot, sweaty, messy, sometimes ugly — and wrote a book about it. He was still on the line when that book, Kitchen Confidential, hit the bestseller list. He found out about it by phone. He stepped away from his post, the rush, his knives and pans, to take the call, laugh, splash water on his face. There was a camera there to capture it, and the footage ended up in Roadrunner, the new documentary by Oscar winner Morgan Neville, about Bourdain's life, fame, stardom and death. It covers 20 years, this film. More or less. It largely ignores early Bourdain, young Bourdain, pre-fame Bourdain, focusing instead on those years when the entire world knew his name. It isn't about the rise so much as the apex — stretched out across almost two decades. Here's this guy, it says. He's dead now, but you probably knew him. Or thought you did. Or believed you did. This is who he really was. I thought I knew him a little. I was wrong. I read the books, watched the shows, saw him speak, same as you. I met him, talked with him, spent a night on the loading dock behind a restaurant in New Mexico drinking beers and passing a bowl with him and the rest of the kitchen crew after a book signing, caught a ride home with his driver while he fell asleep in the back seat, but there are a thousand people out there who can likely claim the same. The man shook a lot of hands in his time. He bent a lot of elbows. He talked and talked and talked. One of the most remarkable things about him (and this I know is true) is that none of it was an act. The person he was on your TV? That was the person he was when he went home at night (or, more likely, back to his hotel). He was curious, funny, angry, goofy and weird. He'd read a lot of books and seen a lot of movies, and all of them lived forever in his head. Roadrunner gathers the people who knew him best — most of them, anyway (there are a couple of very notable exceptions, like Bourdain's last girlfriend, Asia Argento, and his first wife, Nancy Putkoski). Friends, partners, chefs, members of his team, his second wife, his brother. They're all there to tell their stories, to explain him — and then admit that they never could. To laud him and say how much they loved him, and then dissolve into fury at his end. Bourdain was honest and that anger is honest, and the film doesn't look away from it. It doesn't look away from much of anything. It honors its subject by presenting him as flawed when he was flawed, exhausted when he was exhausted, cruel when he was cruel, and like any of us, he was those things sometimes. It's just that he lived his life on television. Continues at https://www.npr.org/2021/07/16/1016533992/anthony-bourdain-roadrunner-documentary-review Editors' note: This review was written and posted before the revelations about the Roadrunner documentary's use of artificial intelligence to reconstruct Anthony Bourdain's voice. To read more — and see reactions from critics including Jason Sheehan — click here.