unicorn

One thing we can always count on with @Moses--strange, unattributed "facts", and profuse lying. According to World Atlas/Euromonitor, Russia is, by far, the country with the heaviest vodka drinkers. He simply re-numbered #6 as #1, #7 as #2, and so on. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-who-consume-the-most-vodka.html Countries Who Consume the Most Vodka Rank Country Vodka Consumption Per Person (Shots Per Month, Source: Euromonitor) 1 Russia 17.28 2 Poland 13.71 3 Ukraine 9.96 4 Bulgaria 5.26 5 Slovakia 4.13 6 United States of America 3.76 7 Ireland 3.38 8 Finland 3.19 9 United Kingdom 3.01 10 Hungary 2.63 11 Canada 2.63 12 Israel 2.25 13 Austria 1.69 14 Norway 1.68 15 Czech Republic 1.51 Всегда большой лжец.

Wow. That video is quite an eye-opener. Obviously, the local police are on the take and need to be replaced. One would hope that federal authorities could step in, but maybe that's against the law in Thailand? Completely outrageous. One would have to be rather foolhardy to visit that island. The US State Department should put a Level 4 advisory for that island. Interestingly, most of Thailand is Level 1, with only some areas being Level 3: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/thailand-travel-advisory.html Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla Provinces – Level 3: Reconsider Travel Periodic violence directed mostly at Thai government interests by a domestic insurgency continues to affect security in the southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla. In Songkhla, the insurgency is most active in the districts of Chana, Thepha, Nathawat, and Saba Yoi. U.S. citizens are at risk of death or injury due to the possibility of indiscriminate attacks in public places.

My husband and I will be transiting through Heathrow in March. I'm afraid we may have to buy the ETA. My understanding is that we need it even if we're not going past immigration. 😕

Well, if a lot of young people are dying on the island, then simple heart failure is not the answer. Probably an epidemiologist needs to look at where these people were staying. A death from carbon monoxide poisoning could appear to be cardiac in origin, so that should be considered. If there is a deep dive site on the island, that could also point to a possible cause, although all certified divers are taught how to minimize the risk of air embolisms or decompression illness, so if a lot of people are dying similarly, that seems less likely. An immature 21 year-old getting into trouble from diving, I'd believe, but lots of people? I'd have to suspect CO poisoning, or someone intentionally poisoning the victims. I don't know if they will, but the police certainly need to look for patterns (where the victims were staying, which bars they may have gone to, etc.).

Since when do the police make medical determinations, particularly ones as bizarre as heart failure in a man in his early 20s. Yes, there are genetic conditions which can cause heart failure-related deaths in a 21 year-old, but they're extremely rare, and this diagnosis would have to be made by a pathologist at autopsy. Obviously, a more likely sudden death in someone who's been doing a lot of diving would be an arterial gas embolism, or perhaps a decompression-related complication.

That's fine, but there is no evidence that, in the absence of high-intensity exercise or gastrointestinal illness, these other minerals play any role in rehydration. It's quite difficult to get enough calcium in one's diet, so I do take calcium supplements with breakfast daily. Any dietary deficiencies may be replaced, but there's no reason to believe that these minerals will get the water in one's vascular system more quickly.

I did not suggest that most criminals are illegal immigrants, nor that most illegal immigrants are criminals, nor even that it's a good idea to deport otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants. What I did (and do) suggest is that those who are known to be violent, dangerous criminals (i.e. this one, who'd been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon) should be incarcerated and then deported when they've finished their sentences.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/13/us-news/la-case-of-blow-torch-homeless-man-sparks-new-debate-over-vagrant-crisis/ "...Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, an illegal migrant from Mexico, was nabbed Thursday by LA residents who allegedly saw him torching old Christmas trees and debris with what one local described as a “flamethrower” soon after a massive wildfire began in the region. Cops arrested him, but he has not been charged, at least yet...“50% of the fires in Los Angeles are homeless related, costing LA hundreds of millions,” former Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Chief Patrick Jordan wrote on X on Sunday...". https://krcrtv.com/news/nation-world/illegal-migrant-is-person-of-interest-in-californias-kenneth-fire-ice-says-juan-manuel-sierra-leyva-woodland-hills-los-angeles# "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on Tuesday announced a "person of interest" in relation to a California fire entered the U.S. illegally. The Los Angeles Police Department on Friday arrested Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, 33, on felony probation violation. He entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and time, according to ICE. Witnesses claimed to KTLA Sierra-Leyva was seen attempting to start a blaze with a “propane tank or a flamethrower" in Woodland Hills near the Kenneth fire. Neighbors who witnessed the scene reportedly cornered Sierra-Leyva and forced him to his knees. The neighbors then performed a citizen’s arrest using zip ties and rope to restrain the illegal migrant until authorities arrived, KTLA reported. The Kenneth fire was eventually fully contained, according to officials. ICE noted Sierra-Leyva has “multiple encounters with law enforcement from November 2016 to present for a variety of charges," as well as was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in October 2023...".

I just read that the man believed to start one of the Los Angeles County fires (found with a blowtorch near the site where one of the blazes started) was an illegal immigrant with multiple convictions, including a felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, for which he was on parole. I find it insane that this man wasn't even deported. It's news items like this which infuriated much of the public. I mean, one could make an argument for not notifying ICE for petty theft, but assault with a deadly weapon or any other felony? https://www.newsweek.com/la-wildfires-cause-illegal-immigrant-ice-sanctuary-state-2014914 "...According to ICE, Sierra is a 33-year-old Mexican national who arrived in the U.S. illegally. He also goes by the names Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, Juan Leva, Leyva Moniker and Juan Sierra. He entered the U.S. at an unknown date and has had multiple encounters with law enforcement since November 2016. Sierra was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon on October 10, 2023, in Van Nuys, California. The Times reported he had been under probation supervision since that time...".

We don't need all of Canada--just Alberta! 😄

Do you think that China threatened to wreak havoc on its internet or other infrastructure if it didn't send the Uyghurs back? These people probably have little strategic interest to the Chinese, so it would all be for show. Do you think China would take hostile action if these people were allowed to settle in a third country?

I was reading in the papers that Thailand is not only refusing to grant asylum to Chinese Uyghurs, but is preparing them to send them back to China, where they almost certainly will face death or worse at the hands of the Chinese. I know that there are quite a few readers who now live in Thailand, so I'm wondering if someone closer to the issue knows why the Thai government is behaving like this. Are they that afraid of the Chinese? I wonder if the Uyghurs would have fared better in Vietnam. My husband and I remembered from our trip to Vietnam that the Vietnamese recounted their bravery "We beat the French, we beat the Americans, we beat the Chinese. We're not afraid of anyone." If the Thai government is that afraid of the Chinese, couldn't they at least send the Uyghurs to a country which isn't that afraid of them? https://apnews.com/article/uyghur-china-deportation-thailand-xinjiang-human-rights-d6f813654cf40ce464bc19203a226de0 "A group of Uyghur men who were detained in Thailand over a decade ago say that the Thai government is preparing to deport them to China, alarming activists and family members who say the men are at risk of abuse and torture if they are sent back. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, 43 Uyghur men held in Bangkok made a public appeal to halt what they called an imminent threat of deportation... Advocates and relatives describe harsh conditions in immigration detention. They say the men are fed poorly, kept in overcrowded concrete cells with few toilets, denied sanitary goods like toothbrushes or razors, and are forbidden contact with relatives, lawyers, and international organizations. The Thai government’s treatment of the detainees may constitute a violation of international law, according to a February 2024 letter sent to the Thai government by United Nations human rights experts... all of the Uyghurs detained in Thailand submitted asylum applications to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which the AP verified by reviewing copies of the letters. The U.N. agency acknowledged receipt of the applications but has been barred from visiting the Uyghurs by the Thai government to this day, the people said... an April 2023 letter authored by the chairwoman of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand first leaked to the New York Times Magazine and independently seen by the AP said there are “countries that are ready to take these detainees to settle down.”... "

On the subject of professional organizations (as opposed to USPSTF, WHO, and Cochrane), the American Heart Association recommends hydrating with water, except for athletes and sick people: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/staying-hydrated-staying-healthy "...For most people, water is the best thing to drink to stay hydrated. Some foods can be a source of water, such as fruits and vegetables. Sports drinks with electrolytes may be useful for people doing high-intensity, vigorous exercise...".

The optimal rehydration drink depends on the purpose of the rehydration drink (i.e. reason for water loss). In particular, it matters if the water loss is rapid (such as exercise or diarrhea), or whether it's gradual, such as lounging on a beach chair in a hot tropical climate, or a desert poolside party. Most of the research has been done on the optimalization of hydration for endurance exercises and for illnesses which result in water loss (particularly diarrhea). For these two categories, ingestion of beverages with carbohydrates and electrolytes has been shown to improve exercise performance and health outcomes (not zero-calorie electrolyte solutions). In the case of just having fun at the beach or poolside, perhaps snacking on chips and salsa (or a sandwich and fries), plain water is just fine, as there will be plenty of salt in most peoples' foods. While athletes and sick people benefit from getting as much liquid as possible into their blood vessels, this is probably not the case for people who are just walking around in a warm climate, where the resulting increase in blood pressure may be deleterious. Increasing BP is good for athletes and hypotensive diarrhea patients, but probably not for the average person. Here are some Cochrane-gathered data: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/content?templateType=related&urlTitle=%2Fcentral%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fcentral%2FCN-00119256&doi=10.1002%2Fcentral%2FCN-00119256&p_p_id=scolariscontentdisplay_WAR_scolariscontentdisplay&_scolariscontentdisplay_WAR_scolariscontentdisplay_action=related-content&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_mode=view&type=central&contentLanguage= And an original study: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15438620802103155

I agree with most of what you said, in particular this statement, although I would qualify it by saying that one can also get good health information by following the advice of large national or international public health organizations and other organizers of reliable scientific data. I personally give my highest credibility to the United States Preventative Services Task Force, a group which really pores over all of the studies, and provides hard data. The World Health Organization also has reliable information, though more limited. The Cochrane organization from the UK also provides extremely reliable summaries of what's known in certain subjects. National professional societies also have evidence-based guidelines, although occasionally there may be a slight bias in interpreting data towards the societies. Let's just say I trust professional society guidelines 98%, and USPSTF, WHO, and Cochrane guidelines 99.8%. No question that it's far wiser to trust a competent physician than some information you might glean from social media or the lay press, especially sources quoted by Reader, since, as nice a guy as I'm sure he is, he tends to be overly trusting in some unreliable sources. That being said, it's a good idea to double-check any advice with what the world's experts have to say on the subject.