Microplastics in Food

1) Australians are washing microplastics down the drain and it’s ending up on farms: Australian wastewater treatment plants produce thousands of tons of treated sewage sludge every year. This nutrient-rich material is then dried to make “biosolids,” which are used to fertilize agricultural soil.
Many countries around the world are doing this.

2) A professor of environmental toxicology and biodiversity at Leiden University in the Netherlands, says crops absorb nanoplastic particles (1-100 nm); and many studies confirm that microplastics (1-5000um/<5mm) can be absorbed by roots.
Do we have anyone in Thailand looking into this? Import too?

3) the sources of microplastics…
4) the effects of microplastics in our bodies…

Nuclear Power - another ‘quick win’?

Headlines: “เศรษฐา” แย้มใช้นิวเคลียร์ พลังงานสะอาดดึงนักลงทุน [ผู้จัดการ]
‘เศรษฐา’ ปาฐกถาพิเศษ จ่อหารือ ‘มาครง’ ดูโรงงานนิวเคลียร์ ลั่น ต้องมองหาโอกาส [ไทยโพสท์]

Homework: Nuclear remains the most expensive form of newly installed electricity generation, and renewable energy from the sun and wind the cheapest, according to GenCost’s draft annual report.21 Dec 2023 https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/energy/energy-data-modelling/gencost
- AU has uranium deposits, but AU has problems dumping spent nuclear WASTES.
- JP is releasing radioactive reactor cooling water into the Pacific ocean.
- Would the Gulf of Thailand (the spawning area for fish resources worth THB100B/year) be the ‘sink’?

ใส่ใจ (Psyjai)

I was prompted by : แชตบอต“ใส่ใจ” (Psyjai) ที่มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดลพัฒนาขึ้นมาเพื่อใช้เป็นช่องทางในการเยียวยาจิตใจของคนทุกเพศทุกวัย
So I looked up and found :
The Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital “The Mind by Siriraj จิตเวชศิริราช” https://www.facebook.com/TheMindBySiriraj/ and the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, launched “PsyJai” by Siriraj, a co-developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot for mental health.

But I got no further in finding the Psyjai . Perhaps, not having a facebook account is the obstacle, but I have stayed clear of major social media channels for 20 years and I don’t change easy.

You may find Psyjai useful (please let me know). A useful gen.AI for Thais (in Thai?) would be good for Thais, don’t you think? If only I could access it…

A History of ♥️

“Silphium’s seedpod bore a striking resemblance to the modern Valentine’s heart, leading many to speculate that the herb’s associations with love and sex may have been what first helped popularize the symbol. The ancient city of Cyrene, which grew rich from the silphium trade, even put the heart shape on its money”

Silphium is a medicinal, spice, popular and mythical ancient/extinct plant, supposedly from which the ‘heart symbol’ came (some hundreds years BC) and became extinct in the Roman Empire time (said to be by over-farming and hybridizing), mostly depicted like ‘fennel’ with ‘heart shape’ mericarps (pods), no exact identification (DNA/genetic) as no samples are available.

Modern history of the ♥️ of love is dated back in 1250 CE in a French manuscript the Roman de la poire (poire = pear fruit in French).

Adoption to Valentine’s Day is offered in https://time.com/4662675/valentines-day-heart-shape-origins/

Let’s hope that ♥️ dos not become extinct ;-)

Physical Exercise for Better Brain

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-fascinating-link-between-regular-exercise-and-better-brain-health/ published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. : It found those who regularly engaged in physical activities such as walking, running or sports had larger brain volumes in key areas. This includes the gray matter, which helps with processing information, and the white matter, which connects different brain regions, as well as the hippocampus, important for memory.

New Genomic Techniques (NGT)

A new term to get used to, defined in https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/spotlight-JD%2023-24/file-plants-produced-by-certain-new-genomic-techniques :
‘Category 1 NGT plants’(NGT 1) – from all other plants obtained through NGTs – ‘Category 2 NGT plants’. The proposal considers an NGT plant equivalent to conventional plants “when it differs from the parent plant by no more than 20 genetic modifications”. For their part, ‘Category 2 NGT plants’(NGT 2) are defined by default: they include all other varieties obtained through NGTs .
The proposal includes labeling of all NGT foods (which can exclude some Thai exports to EU). [For all of us, NGTs are Genetically Modified (plant or animal) species GMOs.]

Thailand has a NGO that keeps eyes on these genetic/genomic modified produces and products. See ไบโอไทยเตือน รบ.ไทยปมพืชแก้ไขยีน หวั่นกระทบความมั่นคงทางอาหาร-เกษตรกรรายย่อย https://www.isranews.org/article/isranews/126181-isra-120.html

See example of NGT: https://scitechdaily.com/genome-reconstruction-opens-door-to-transformation-of-potato-breeding/

ป้ายรถเมล์..เพื่อการเยียวยา

From reading ป้ายรถเมล์..เพื่อการเยียวยา https://www.thaipost.net/columnist-people/532013/ and a quick check on the Internet that confirms the story of ‘Fake Bus Stop’ for Age Care.

• The idea began at the Benrath Senior Center in Duesseldorf, Germany 26/03/2010
• There’s a bus stop in the dementia ward in St. George’s Hospital in London (also in Sweden and Kong Kong)
• In Australia, many homes have a ‘real bus stop’ and their own bus service
  The complaint in Bangkok is about ป้ายรถเมล์ศาลาไทยอันเคยเป็นเอกลักษณ์ของถนนวิภาวดีฯ (historic, soft power, tourist attraction artifacts)

กางเกงช้าง กางเกงแมว

A fairy tale of Fashion Design

• ออเดอร์ล้นผลิตไม่ทัน ! กางเกงช้าง ไหมอิตาลี พรีออเดอร์ลายตัวเอง สร้างลาย กางเกงช้าง จังหวัด-องค์กรของตัวเอง https://mgronline.com/smes/detail/9670000010996
• ผ้าไหมอิตาลี (Polyester 98% + Spandex 2%; 110 บาท) และ ผ้าเรยอน คอตตอนสปัน (Rayon/ไหมเทียม + Cotton; 89-92 บาท) ซึ่งผ้าทั้งสองชนิด ต้องนำเข้ามาจากประเทศจีน และ มาจ้างโรงงานพิมพ์ลายในประเทศไทย

To learn more about fibers and fabrics see http://www.science.mju.ac.th/chemistry/download/u_ratanakamnuan/IC 361 วิทยาศาสตร์เส้นใยและผ้า1-57.pdf

To learn about the synthetic fabrics waste that is piling up the world, see https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/23/is-it-recycled-is-it-recyclable-a-shoppers-guide-to-synthetic-fabrics

And to sum up: Polyester does not biodegrade in landfills and, if produced without proper wastewater treatment systems, releases dangerous substances into the environment. Up to a million tons of plastic microfibres pollute oceans and waterways each year from the washing of synthetic clothes.

ต่างมุมมอง

นักวิชาการชี้”จดลิขสิทธิ์”ไม่แก้ปัญหาจีนส่งออกกางเกงช้าง https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/business/economic/1112018 –นักวิชาการชี้รัฐบาล”จดลิขสิทธิ์”กางเกงช้างไม่แก้ปัญหาจีนส่งออกสินค้าดังกล่าว แนะรัฐบาลหาซอฟพาวเวอร์พรีเมียมทดแทน พร้อมแก้ข้อตกลงเอฟทีเอ หลังสินค้าจีนทะลัก ”เกษตร-เอสเอ็มอี”ตายเรียบ ทำไทยขาดดุลการค้าจีนพุ่ง 1.4 ล้านล้าน [บาท; USD40B]
- Isn’t this a really serious and urgent crisis that needs ‘management and fund’ to correct?

‘ภูมิธรรม’ โชว์ราคาสินค้าเกษตร 6 เดือนราคาพุ่ง https://www.thaipost.net/economy-news/530089/
- Shouldn’t Thailand government look beyond the price tags?

ความถาวรของนโยบายบัตรทอง

สปสช.ยังค้างจ่ายเงินโรงเรียนแพทย์ร่วม 1,000 ล้านบาท แจงยิบติดค้างรพ.ละเท่าไหร่
https://www.thaipost.net/general-news/529799/
- เครือข่ายโรงพยาบาลกลุ่มสถาบันแพทยศาสตร์แห่งประเทศไทย (the University Hospital Network - UHosNet) calls for payment from สำนักงานหลักประกันสุขภาพแห่งชาติ สปสช. (National Health Security Office nhso) which runs สิทธิบัตรทอง 30 บาท (สิทธิรักษาพยาบาล ให้กับผู้ที่มีสัญชาติไทย มีเลขประจำตัวประชาชน 13 หลัก และไม่มีสวัสดิการด้านการรักษาพยาบาลอื่นใดที่รัฐจัดให้)
- financial stability of UHosNet is at risk and so are its public health programs (eg. to Build an advanced national digital data infrastructure for public health, to Prepare for the next waves of COVID-19,…)

• See ข่าวดี ตันปีใหม่ 2567 https://www.gotoknow.org/journals/174176 โครงการ 30 บาทพลัส ที่ถูกรัฐบาลตัดงบออกถึง 5 พันล้านบาท
• นายกฯ มุ่งมั่นเพิ่มสิทธิประโยชน์รักษามะเร็ง แก่ผู้ใช้ ‘บัตรทอง’ 30 บาท 07 ก.พ. 2567 https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/politics/1112137 ( more support for cancer sufferers; where are cuts? )

กฎหมู่ และ กฎหมาย

กฎหมู่ = ประชาธิปไตย? ข้างมาก ข่ม ข้างน้อย
กฎหมาย มาจาก ประชาธิปไตย? กฎหมู่?

กฎหมาย = เครื่องมือ ตาม กฎหมู่?
กฎหมู่ มาจาก อารมณ์ ไม่มาตาม กฎหมาย?

ดัชนีทุจริตไทย

2023 Corruption Perception Index for Thailand
ประมวลข้อมูล 3 แหล่ง เหตุดัชนีทุจริตไทยลดไปอยู่(อันดับ)ที่ 108 คะแนน(35/100)ต่ำสุดเท่าปี 56 และ 59 https://www.isranews.org/article/isranews-scoop/125925-isranews-CCPIICccc.html
_for more info: _
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023

For comparison (score/rank) : lower score/higher rank means higher perceived corruption
Singapore 83/5, Japan 73/16, South Korea 63/32, Malaysia 50/57, China 42/76, India 39/93, Indonesia 34/115, Philippines 34/1111115, Laos 28/136, Cambodia 22/158, Myanmar 20/162

จำนวนราษฎรทั่วราชอาณาจักร 2566

ราชกิจจาฯเผยแพร่ประกาศสำนักทะเบียนกลาง จำนวนราษฎรทั่วราชอาณาจักร ณ 31 ธ.ค. 2566 รวม 66,052,615 คน เฉพาะสัญชาติไทย 65,061,190 คน https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/19079.pdf
ชาย 31,703,501 คน หญิง 33,357,689 คน
กรุงเทพมหานครมีจำนวนราษฎรมากที่สุด 5,471,588 คน นครราชสีมา 2,625,794 คน อุบลราชธานี 1,869,608 คน เชียงใหม่ 1,797,075 คน ขอนแก่น 1,779,373 คน ชลบุรี 1,618,066 คน อุดรธานี 1,558,528 คน บุรีรัมย์ 1,573,230 คน นครศรีธรรมราช 1,540,953 คน

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (13)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 13: How to Live Properly
A body (of anybody) can be view as a ‘system’ with ‘input’, ‘output’, ‘control’ and ‘relation’ (position in space-time or ecological environment). When we look at food as input to our body and assess what ‘good food’ is (for our body), we often use indicators like taste, appearance, price, chemical residual, and (for some people) other intrinsic characters such as sugar content, fats, vitamins and minerals. For athletes, energy and protein contents may be important, too.

In a more (perhaps) scientific way, we ought to look at our body system and assess our need to maintain (adequate supplies for requirements for) proper functions over ‘long life’. We ought to look at energy and material expenditure (for the use of our body in activities in the environment) and aim to supply energy and materials to compensate (balance) these expenditures. [In other words: to obey conservation of energy and materials principles but with considerations for ‘growth’ and ‘decay’ (or aging).]

Like in industrial systems, we choose and process carefully the ‘input’, and we carefully choose and produce the ‘output’. Because we live in en environment, where and when our body is in relations to other bodes and things will limit our input and output. We relying on ‘control’ to keep our body system ‘going’ and ‘ourselves’ (as an intelligent being –body and mind) ‘going towards our goals’.

We ought to think in dynamic terms, in fuzzy terms (in some definite ‘ranges’ between min and max), quantum terms (as possibilities of ‘each in all’ that may happen), and intentional terms (to achieve targets through prioritization of resources). There are often ‘trade-off’ in the system. All input, output, control and relations can be ‘out-of-harmony’ and chaotically going.

But this is ‘life’ and in 2567 we need to rethink and relearn our way of life.

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (12)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 12: Addictive narcotics (easy drugs)

Narcotic drugs (ยาบ้า ยาอี [Methamphetamine] ฝิ่น เฮโรอีน) are a major problem destroying fabrics of society especially young and very young population. Current anti-measure (rewarding police and informers for drug arrests -see https://www.thaidrugpolice.com/learning/8 [ยาบ้าเม็ดละ 3 บาท]) seems unsuccessful in stop drug spread (as shown by reports of drug arrests on newspapers every day ).

The sources of drugs seem to be over the northern border where ethnic tribes are calling for self-rule governments/administrations. Many groups are armed and collecting fund from various businesses and trades including traffic transit (checkpoints and passes/tolls). Thailand is a major market despite campaigns to stem consumption and addiction.

Recent change of drug control to allow possession of a small amount for own consumption would boost the trade and allow ‘stocking’ of some drugs (meaning easier access to drugs and easier to overdose ) which may cost and reduce health facilities.

Time to rethink?

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (11)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 11: Life over 60

All indicators say Thailand is quickly becoming a super-ager society . This means there will be very high number of people over 60 years of age and much lower numbers of younger people in Thailand. There will be more people with age-related issues:- dependency on pensions and income support (likely more taxes on working people and businesses)
- age-related health problems: body control and functions, eyesight, hearing, immunity, mobility, memory, speaking, teeth,… (provision for affordable eye cares and eye glasses, hearing aids, mobility aids [walking stick, wheelchair,… access to buildings, transport, public facilities,…, [ suffice to say that a wide range of architectural, procedural, service issues need re-imagined and re-engineered] )
- safety from physical, mental and financial attacks (prevention and handling will need to include easily accessible and usable alarm and report devices –passive surveillance cameras are not quite useful.)
- education, entertainment and leisure – there are age-related constraints such as place, time, transport to venue that can prevent healthful activities among _agers .
- [of course there are more issues. Would we think about them and add to this list? We don’t have long to go before we are super-agers and need to direct government and business to serve us.]

Amazing Thailand

A 1,200 Km road ambulance trip to save a 10 month old Laotian Child

A report ผอ.รพ.หนองคาย เผยสาเหตุส่งตัวเด็กลาว 10 เดือน ผ่าตัดด่วน [ https://www.naewna.com/local/782605 ] tells of a story of a humanitarian and international endeavor to rush a 10 month old Laotian child born with a heart defect from the Nongkai Hospital (หนองคาย in Thailand) to King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital ( โรงพยาบาลจุฬาลงกรณ์ สภากาชาดไทย in Bangkok) for an urgent heart operation. The child was moved by an ambulance with police escort over 615 kilometers (on the Friendship Highway connecting Laos and Thailand). The operation was successful and the child is expected to recover back in Nongkai Hospital (also by road ambulance) before returning home in Laos.

The reason for not using air transport was given that the child could be stressed by unfamiliar vehicles of transport.

There are 35 more cases (of Laotian patients requiring special treatments only available in Bangkok hospitals) on the list awaiting operations. So, this is the beginning of a long story of friendship that Laos and Thais can build on and that humanitarian cooperation is better in action than in words.

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (10)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 10: megaprojects or Conflicts of Interest

We are currently showered with stories of Tailand’s megaprojects (such as Digital Wallet Giveaway, Ranong-Chumpon Landbridge, ‘to be number One rice-exporter’, Muay Thai softpower,…). All projects seem to need ‘large investment’ to [kick]start. A few projects ‘loans’ that will be eroding Thailand’s ability to pay for new initiatives or [emergent] needs for many generations. Digital Wallet Giveaway and Landbridge projects are of course the top talks of the town.

The reasons for these megaprojects being controversial are that benefits or return of investment are clearly not certain or worth the certain debts (large and long term loans commitments). [Current 2024] Government fails time and time again to give solid evidence of the ‘return for investment’ (of Taxpayers money). Only solid evidence that we have is that we and our children ‘will have to pay the debts’.

Many megaprojects (Thailand had initiated/participated) have or are filing for ‘geopolitical’ reasons. Take the Dawei Deep Sea Port project in Myanmar (started 2005 and faltering 2010) with support from China and Thailand (both were hoping to extend ‘business’ into the Indian Ocean Rim). Today, Thailand had finished the links from Bang Yai (Nakon Pathom)-Kanchanaburi-Nam Phu Ron (on the border). Ital-Thai construction had completed[?] a usable (mostly unsealed) road from Nam Phu Ron to Dawei. China had a rail link from Dawei to Pagan and beyond (aimed to link all the way back to China.

This illustrates ‘the waste’ of investment in megaprojects that Thailand is repeating.

[NB. Australia is building a deep sea port for $250M; Nigeria is building Lekki deep sea port for $1.5B; Thailand to build 2 deep sea ports and rail+road links for $33.8B; – perhaps the price is not right.]

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (9)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 9: Infectious Diseases, Immunization and I

The COVID-19 pandemic had raised a number of issues on health and well-being of everyone and all .- The issue of man-made (man-assisted) epidemic diseases [see “หมอธีระวัฒน์” เผยความจริงต้นตอที่มาโควิด พร้อมแจงละเอียดยิบเหตุยุติวิจัยไวรัสค้างคาว https://mgronline.com/qol/detail/9670000005954 ; need 30 minutes to scan, more to really read the article]
- The advanced technologies in Immunization issues: need to vaccinate the mass in a short time, need to develop effective vaccine in a short time, need to make available the vaccines to high-risk/vulnerable people equitably, … against profiteering manipulation and corruption. [Quick actions are leaving long-term (side) effects in the population now and perhaps in generations to come.]
- What is my or your individual thought infectious diseases and immunization?
Confused? More calculative (assessing costs/benefits; but do we have factual data in understandable form)? How many times do you or I have to do this? Do government, you or I pay for possibly diseases developed by devilish some (overseas) government agencies?

Health issues are more complex and will cost more in many various forms. Is this a national problem?

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (8)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 8: Weather Watch Warning
Is it not time we learn weather language - the symbols, charts and words?
Climate Change is now impacting us severely. But we have the Bureau of Meteorology of many countries working for us. It is wise to learn to understand their language so we can ‘think’ and ‘imagine’ what weather (rains, floods, droughts, fires, winds, seas, PM2.5, UV, temperature,…) may affect our living day by day. Why don’t we make use of the information/infographics available?

• Bad storms can disrupt phone, electricity, traffic, … our services and facilities need to respond to extreme changes in weather; floods can cut roads, electricity ( –> phone, EV, lighting, cooking,…)
• Bad seas can disrupt fishing (food supply), shipping (goods supply), beach changes (erosion, rubbish, drownings), salt water tides (on farm land)
• High PM2.5, high UV, high temperature, high tides,…

Are we and our emergency response teams learning to deal with Weather Watch and Warnings?

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (7)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 7: good food, good air, good water,…

• vegan diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and beans is the gold standard for keeping good weight and good health,.. (see https://scitechdaily.com/replacing-animal-products-with-a-plant-based-diet-leads-to-weight-loss-finds-new-analysis/ )
• air : good air is getting harder to find. Will we have to buy good air (in bottles) like we buy water?
  We are worried by PM2.5 – all kinds of particles (and aerosols, smogs,..) not just dirty, black tiny ‘dust’
• water : we are already buying drinking water. But water using in cooking in restaurants and other food outlets, is it clean? No tiny plastics, no chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, toxins, heavy metals,…), no residuals of soaps, shampoos, detergents, alcohols (of the wrong kinds), harmful bacteria and virus,…

Is it our government function to ensure that we have good air, good water, good food, good and safe housing before good economy, good education, … and good government?

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (6)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 6:
Online Gambling (available from websites all over the world –including illegal sites in Thailand and over Thailand’s borders) is impacting lives of gamblers and families and society (we have not ‘officially’ collected data on how gambling is related narcotic drugs and to what extent, but) news of crimes stemming from gambling are littering the media. How much are gambling debts (among the registered and unregistered debts)? Again, we don’t know (as there is no ‘official’ study on gambling debts.)

Are our children learning online gambling (more than STEM) or other more useful life skills online courses? And the super agers?

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (5)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 5:
Multi-cultural communities are common in Thailand far back in history (migration due to conflicts –including forced migration of skilled workers after wars) and today (due to economic conditions). Historical views can be very controversial (and rooted in ‘economic interests) and perhaps best be diplomatically avoided.

Living harmoniously in multi-cultural setting demands tolerance of differences in beliefs (traditions, religions, political affiliation,…), individual personal tastes, styles, mannerisms and looks (due to genetic combinations and cosmetics), and languages.

Multiple languages will require also attitudes and skills (mentality and brain), are we up to this yet? Our record on languages: Thai and other second languages (offered in schools)is not very good.

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (4)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 4:
2023 was the hottest year on record.
2024 is expected to be the hotter year – to break that (2023) record and all future years are set to break the record of the previous years.

Not everyone can stay and work in climate controlled (air-conditioned) environment. Shades give some relief from the Sun. Moist air movements (winds) can lower the heat if there is some cooler mass of air nearby (hot lighter air rises up and colder heavier air flows in). Ways of cooling are urgently needed.

Electric fans push air about (ceiling fans push air downwards, floor/tabletop fans push air sideways), mixing cooler air with hotter air, so can only get somewhere in between. No cooler than ‘ambient’ (environmental) air. Adding water sprays to absorb heat would give cooler air but using more energy to make sprays. Using more energy means more CO2 and hotter world.

Redesigning buildings, landscapes for better air flows are ideal but won’t solve the problems now . Can we modify our house and whatever we can to get some reliefs for now? This is our challenge. It is the challenge for some 90% of people of the world. Cooling ourselves because our health and wellbeing depend on temperature. The survival of humanity needs cooling technologies.

ชีวิต ในปี 2567 (3)

(A new series on life issues in this year) Example 3:
Generative AI is now popular and the global market value of AI is expected to surpass search engines, social media + advertising, and many new technology endeavors by many tens of billion US dollars. (The costs of running AIs are also very high.) Many people are worried about AI robots taking over some human jobs. (Businesses an industries always look for ways to save costs, when ‘AIbots’ can cut cost or improve revenue, they will be used.)

AIs are trained on historic data (collected, selected, modified, verified, categorized,.. ) – of facts (meaning data about things of the past ). AIs often fail math and fail projection (prediction of the future). AI generated code (software programs) can include deprecated (obsolete) instructions. For AI generated reports/comments, history adds context and perspectives, but in some health and education areas/applications, the generated materials can exclude ‘better and up-to-date’ data.

Ais demand users to learn and validate more, to exercise better judgment , and to observe the ancient Kalama-sutta (think before believe) more.