TOURISTS HIKING in Nepal’s Himalayan mountains are being pressured into costly helicopter evacuations at the first sight of trouble by guides linked to powerful brokers who are making a fortune on “unnecessary rescues”, industry insiders say.

Dodgy operators are scamming tens of thousands of dollars from insurance companies by making multiple claims for a single chopper ride or pushing trekkers to accept airlifts for minor illnesses, an investigation by AFP has revealed.

In other cases, trekking guides, promised commission if they get tourists to return by chopper, are offering helicopter rides to tired hikers as a quick way home, but billing them as rescues to insurance companies.

The practice is so rampant helicopter pilots are reporting “rescuing” tourists who appear in perfectly fine health.

“It’s a racket that’s tantamount to fraud, and it’s happening on a large scale throughout Nepal,” says Jonathan Bancroft of UK-based Traveller Assist, which carries out medical evacuations in Nepal on behalf of global travel insurance companies.

An unidentified injured person is carried by others at the Everest Base Camp near Namche Bazar. /AFP

Trekking outfits stand to make more in kickbacks from evacuating a hiker by helicopter than the cost of the trek itself, contributing to an alarming rise in rescues from Nepal’s biggest tourist attraction: the fabled Himalayas.

Traveller Assist said 2017 was the most expensive year on record for travel insurance companies covering tourists in Nepal due to a startling number of helicopter rescues – though this year is on track to beat it.

There is no centralised dispatch centre for helicopter flights in Nepal making it difficult to know precisely how many evacuations are carried out.

But over the past six years the skies of the Everest region have turned into a helicopter highway, with a six-fold increase in the number of choppers in the air, each logging over 1,000 flying hours per year, according to industry data.

“We used to see maybe one helicopter in two or three days. Now we are seeing 10 or so in a day,” says Thanishwar Bhandari, who works as a small clinic in the Everest region.

Meanwhile, one foreign pilot, who requested anonymity, says he rescued trekkers on a near daily basis in April and May this year, peak trekking season.

“I think I took three people the whole season who appeared genuinely ill,” he explains.

Australian trekker Jessica Reeves was urged by her guide to be evacuated by helicopter from near Everest base camp in October 2017 when she complained of a common cold.

“He kept telling me to get a helicopter,” Reeves recalls. “They said if I keep going it would be really risky so it was better to leave now instead of risking it.”

Climbers cross the Khumbu icefall of Mount Everest, as seen from the Everest base camp earlier this year. /AFP

Reeves said nine or 10 hikers in her group ended up returning to Kathmandu on three helicopters but were instructed to say they were alone on the flight back.

She alleged the company, Himalayan Social Journey, billed each of the tourists’ insurance providers for the whole flight – pocketing around $35,000 (Bt1.15 million) in the process.

“They told us all to lie to the insurance company and say there was only one person on the helicopter when there were three or four of us on each,” she says. Reeves’ insurance claim was in any case rejected because her policy had expired.

The company owner, Ram Sapkota, denies that the insurance companies were each billed for the full flight.

“(They) claimed insurance on a sharing basis and we received money from (the) insurance,” he stresses, dismissing allegations as “fake”.

Sapkota blamed the rise in helicopter rescues from the Himalayas on lazy hikers and hypochondriacs.

“When one client gets sick, then the group they say, ‘I feel unsafe and just want to go’,” he says.

Extensive interviews by AFP with players at every stage of the commission chain reveals that guides, trekking operators, lodge owners and charter companies are acting as brokers, playing helicopter companies off against each other to secure a cut of the rescue fees.

One manager of a Kathmandu-based helicopter company says they pay $500 to brokers for each rescue flight.

“If we don’t pay the commission, we can’t get the business,” the manager tells AFP on condition of anonymity.

Mount Everest, 8848-metreshigh, is some 140 kilometres northeast of the Nepali capital Kathmandu./AFP

The trekking industry in Nepal took a hit following a devastating earthquake in 2015.

But tourists are now returning: from March to May 2014, more than 20,000 foreigners visited the Sagarmatha National Park, home to Mount Everest, according to government figures.

Meanwhile, there are an estimated 2,000 trekking companies promising to whisk them off into the mountains, many of them operating from scruffy, cramped offices in the dusty back streets of Kathmandu.

The cost of the 14-day trek to Everest base camp varies wildly between the outfits, but many offer the tour for less than $1,000, below cost price according to multiple industry sources.

Guides working for the low-cost agencies are being told to make up the shortfall by getting trekkers rescued by helicopter: one guide told AFP on condition of anonymity that he was given a quota for the number of trekkers he should have “rescued”.

“The industry thrives on these unnecessary rescues,” adds Suraj Paudyal, who coordinates helicopter rescues for Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu.

For doctors working in the high-altitude Everest region, the increased availability of helicopters does provide reassurance that critical patients can be airlifted from remote locations to better-equipped hospitals below.

“It is nice, as a doctor, to have the safety net of a helicopter,” says British doctor Helen Randfield, who mans a small clinic that caters to the influx of trekkers arriving with the good weather of spring and autumn.

But the decision as to who gets evacuations ends up in the hands of the guides, not the medical professionals.

“Trekkers or their guides are deciding themselves whether they need a rescue,” says Sonia Mariano, an American doctor who worked at the same clinic last year.

The majority of rescues are happening without prior approval of insurance companies – 80 per cent according to Alpine Rescue, which carries out evacuations for the International Assistance Group, an alliance of global insurers – leaving the system open to exploitation.

Some hospitals back in Kathmandu also have a stake in the rescue business. Company registration documents reviewed by AFP show that many large trekking outfits have financial ties to hospitals and helicopter providers, creating a conflict of interest.

Ram Sapkota of Himalayan Social Journey says his guides receive a commission from some hospitals if they take a tourist there, saying he allows it because his company needed to “maintain relations” with medical providers.

He also bought a 10 percent stake in helicopter firm Altitude Air last year.

A German trekker hiking in the Everest region in April recalls how a broker offered him a return helicopter flight to Kathmandu – with the cost billed to his insurance provider.

“He said he knew a doctor who would sign it off as a rescue,” the tourist, also requesting anonymity, says.

The majority of rescues in the Himalayas are related to “acute mountain sickness” caused by low oxygen levels at high altitude. The symptoms are vague – headaches, nausea, loss of appetite – and the only treatment is to descend.

But once the patient is at lower altitudes the symptoms disappear, making it impossible to tell if the evacuation was medically necessary.

“By the time the trekkers come down, they are fine,” says Dr Prativa Pandey, medical director of respected Kathmandu-based travel clinic Ciwec.

She adds that doctors cannot be made responsible for cleaning up the murky business: “You (as a doctor) have to give the benefit of doubt to the patient,” she stresses.

International insurance companies are beginning to wise up to the rampant fraud.

Multiple insurance companies linked to one major UK-based underwriter are considering no longer offering travel insurance for Nepal, an industry source said, requesting anonymity as the firms did not want to alarm customers.

Nepal’s tourism ministry launched an investigation into alleged insurance fraud in early June after receiving complaints from multiple sources, joint secretary Ghanashyam Upadhyaya reports.

“The investigation might take (another) month. When we began our work we did not realise the magnitude of the problem,” Upadhyaya explains.

However, Upadhyaya refuses to confirm the details of the ongoing investigation, but local media have reported that 500 trekking and helicopter companies are being probed, including Sapkota’s Himalayan Social Journey. Sapkota says he had not been contacted by the ministry and firmly denies any wrongdoing.

IT HAS played football with former US president Barack Obama and danced for German leader Angela Merkel, but Honda’s Asimo robot may have reached the end of the line.

Launched in 2000, the humanoid machine resembling a shrunken spaceman has become arguably Japan’s most famous robot, wheeled out to impress visiting politicians over the years.

But Honda said Thursday it may scrap future generations of Asimo, now on its seventh iteration.

“We will still continue research into humanoid robots, but our future robots may not be named Asimo,” Honda spokesman Hajime Kaneko told AFP.

The comment came after Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that the Japanese carmaker had terminated Asimo and dissolved the team making one of the world’s most famous humanoid robots.

Honda says it may scrap future generations of humanoid robot Asimo and focus on humanoid robots that can help care for elderly and disabled people. /AFP

NHK suggested increasingly intense competition in the field as a reason, pointing to the example of US-based Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot, which can jump on to a high step and even do a backflip.

Honda denied that it had dissolved the team working on Asimo, but the brains behind the bot look likely to shift their expertise to developing robots with specific applications.

“We have obtained lots of technologies while developing Asimo, and how to utilise them is one issue,” Kaneko said.

The company is expected to focus on humanoid robots that can help care for elderly and disabled people, NHK said, citing unnamed company sources.

Though never sold commercially, Asimo attracted international attention, playing football with Obama in 2014, dancing for Merkel in 2015, and taking a selfie with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull the same year.

There have been no upgrades to the model since its seventh generation, which debuted in 2011 and can listen to and understand three people talking simultaneously.

TWO MONTHS after their marathon clash against Thanos in “Infinity War”, the bunch of superheroes known collectively as the Avengers are back, and they’re on a new mission –saving Bangkok from the evil forces of Hydra.

Eight months in the making, Mega Bangna has been transformed into SHIELD headquarters with the Marvel Experience Thailand – Marvel’s first state-of-the-art themed entertainment attraction in Southeast Asia – calling on young residents to join its ranks.

The new theme park, which opened on Friday, combines immersive hyper reality, ultramodern interactive multimedia gaming and augmented and virtual reality simulation, offering one-of-a-kind experiences to both Avenger fans and non-fans alike.

Stark Mobile Lab showcases various Iron Man suit armours. 

In 2014, Hero Ventures teamed up with Marvel Entertainment to come up with the Marvel Experience mobile interactive attraction in the US. This travelled from San Diego to Philadelphia and Chicago before arriving in Busan, South Korea late last year.

Here in Thailand, it’s a collaboration between local entrepreneur Hero Experience and Los Angeles-based Hero Ventures, which have invested more than Bt1 billion in the construction of the groundbreaking attraction.

“Marvel’s story is about the adventures of superhero characters such as Spiderman, Captain America, the Hulk and others, who show off their spirit while encountering challenges. The Marvel Experience will give visitors of all ages the chance to become part of the Marvel Universe. We want our fans to feel like this story is theirs no matter whether they prefer the comic book, TV, film or video game version,” says Brian Crosby, creative director of Marvel Themed Entertainment.

“The Marvel Experience was a smash hit in the US. We received interesting proposals from many countries but we chose Thailand because Marvel has a major fanbase here,” adds Rick Licht, chief executive officer of Hero Ventures.

The various technologies, which are imported from Belgium, Australia, England, Turkey and the US, have been developed by local software designers to control the 4D Motion Ride, original 3D animated features and the 360-degree 4D stereoscopic projection.

The theme park adheres to the comic book version in illustrating a new hectic adventure of Iron Man, Captain America, Spiderman, Thor, Black Widow, Vision, Hulk, Black Panther and Wolverine. That means big fans of Marvel movie franchise might go home feeling slightly disappointed, especially if they come expecting to experience Hollywood-style special effects and to rub shoulders with superstars like Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans in a thrilling laser gun battlefield.

Director Nick Fury holds a top secret meeting with The Avengers.

“We want The Marvel Experience to be a new tourist destination and iconic landmark among Thais and foreign tourists. This is a place where families and people of all ages can find enjoyment,” says Surakiat Thienthong, co-chief executive officer of Hero Experience.

Spread over 20,000 square metres, the attraction is divided into two main zones. I spent time in both as part of a media preview on Wednesday and marvelled – pun intended – at the amount of work and money that has gone into the attraction.

The black and white complex looks simple yet smart. As would-be agents, we stop first at the Reception Building, home to a lobby, Mavel Experience Super Store, Super Hero Snack Bar and Power Refreshment, and a 220-seat Avengers Cafe serving a selection of hero-themed dishes and beverages.

All new recruits have to complete a personal information form at the office and have a photo taken for their SHIELD Agent ID card. The 140 individuals allowed per round spend two hours exploring the superhero world though parents should note that kids measuring less than 100 centimetres are considered too small to join.

The Attraction Zone features seven extensive domes with 11 stations, with 90 per cent of the space designed as 3D and 4D theatres. Staff members act out the role of trainers and muster the new recruits in front of the Holding Zone Beta to learn the basic rules.

The Jocasta Introduction Room boasts the dramatic Prequel Comic walls.  

The Jocasta Introduction room serves as the gateway proper to the Marvel Universe and it is here that new recruits enjoy a short orientation, learning about the first Avengers team and the Marvel Experience Thailand through the dramatic Prequel Comic walls.

“Marvel Comics has written this special episode for the Marvel Experience Thailand. The story is about Marvel’s iconic superhero characters who are fighting the villains out to destroy Southeast Asia, starting with Thailand. Director Nick Fury decided to set up the SHIELD base in Bangkok and invite Bangkokians to join a mission to save their hometown,” Surachart Thienthong, chief marketing officer explains.

In the News Report room, Thai anchor Pitchayatan “Bright” Chanput is covering what happens to the town while in the Stark Mobile Lab, Iron Man has a direct line from Stark Industries in New York.

Billionaire genius Tony Stark is conducting a videoconference to showcase his latest innovation to the world in a room that features state-of-the-art Iron Man suit armour including Prime, Galaxy, Spartan, Fathom, Blaze and Waverider.

Over in the Mobile Command Centre, SHIELD director Nick Fury and the superhero agents are offering a briefing on the mission to fight Madam Hydra, MODOK and Red Skull.

The briefing over, the first training session is held in the Holoblaster Shooting Gallery where 3D multimedia gaming from America sets the scene for a sky-high battleground. The room is fitted out with six stadiums with huge 3D projectors, each providing 35 seats.

Slipping on the provided glasses, recruits can build up points by shooting Super-Adaptoid and his robotic troops. It’s not easy to find your gun number or your position when everyone is aiming at the same screen and this is definitely an area where the operators need to improve both accuracy and speed.

New recruits join a laser gun battle in the Holoblaster Shooting Gallery.

I particularly like the 360-degree, 3D Simularium, which is equipped with a state-of-the-art laser projector and run by a complex media server. This striking theatre dome resembles the recently revamped planetarium in Bangkok’s Science Centre for Education though here it shows Captain America, Black Panther, Vision and Wolverine attacking a den of Madam Hydra and her followers buried somewhere on the snowcapped mountain.

We’ve no sooner arrived at the Transport Corridor when the headquarters is hit by villains and a siren warns us to prepare for evacuation. Director Fury and the Avengers welcome us on board a transport shuttle, powered by 4D Motion Ride system.

Produced by a Turkish manufacturer, who has supplied attractions for world-class theme parks like Universal and Disneyland, this flight simulator is equipped with a 3D projector and moves softly forwards and backwards as we make good our escape from the villains.

The craft sets down at the Training Centre where the recruits take a fun class with the superhero masters. Equipped with imported interactive gaming from America, Black Panther teaches us how to jump across from roof to roof, Iron Man shares some tips on balance while flying through the sprawling cliffs and Hulk gives a punching lesson.

The Simularium dome is equipped with a state-of-the-art laser projector and powered by a complex media server.

I get to say goodbye to my heroes in the Secret Meet & Greet corner, which has five rooms with Black Widow, Black Panther, Iron Man, Captain America, Ant Man and Spiderman standing by to capture a memorable portrait with recruits.

Office worker and major Marvel fan Hongsucha Leenatam, 33, who joined the preview, was less than impressed.

“I love Marvel. With Marvel Experience, I expected to participate in several scenes or interactive gaming. I understand this park is based on the comic book and not the Hollywood version. But to me, the theme park is trying to put content in our heads through watching cartoons rather than giving us true experiences,” Hongsucha says.

“I like the Simularium. It has a pretty good 3D illustration. And my congratulations go to the staff, who stayed in character as senior trainers all along the journey. Tickets are very expensive for two hours and so few attractions. ”

Officer worker Gitdipong Sarathuthat, 34, had a similar reaction. He says he was excited when he heard the Marvel Experience would open in Thailand and came along in the expectation of joining forces with superheroes in a new mission.

The Marvel Experience Super Store offers all kinds of licensed merchandises from Marvel.

“I’m a big fan of Marvel and at first expected to experience what I saw in the Hollywood movie here. This park is based on a comic book version and so, yes, I understand the concept. However, the transport shuttle simulator is not exciting enough and very soft, though to be fair, I guess it’s designed for families rather than youngsters,” Gitipong says.

“I loved the Simularium and its animation production, while the shooting game was fun even though it was hard to find my gun number and position on the big screen. The content’s a bit weak too and I couldn’t find Bangkok or any of Thailand’s landmarks on the scenes. It looks like roaming around the SHIELD base and battlefield in the original comic and not a special episode, exclusively written for Thailand. I think the tickets aren’t reasonable for a two-hour flight compared to other theme parks with unlimited time.”

ROLL UP FOR THE RIDE

>> The Marvel Experience Thailand is in Mega Bangna shopping mall. It’s open daily from 9am to 10pm. Tickets are priced at Bt1,500 for adults and Bt1,350 for children.

>> The presentations come in Thai, English and Chinese.

>> Online booking can be made at http://www.TheMarvelExperienceThailand.com.

BOASTING MORE than 84 minerals, Himalayan Salt is aid to promote pH balance and purify the breathing system and now it’s available as a new spa treatment programme that aims to help urbanistas escape the pollution of the city.

The treatment, which is dubbed the Siamese Himalayan Salt Therapy, is being offered at the luxurious RarinJinda Wellness Spa’s Ploenchit branch perched on the 30th floor of Grande Centre Point Ploenchit Hotel and involves a classic Thai massage in a specially heated Himalayan Salt Cave.

RarinJinda Wellness Spa Ploenchit’s Salt Cave

Here Infrared heat lamps draw out the pink Himalayan Salt from the walls as the skilled therapist kneads and applies a pressure point massage over the body for a full hour, gently stretching muscles and relieving tension. The salty air, meanwhile, administers natural healing with each deep-cleansing breath.

Inhaling the salt is said to promote a better breathing system while reducing inflammation and mucus in the lungs, improving respiratory conditions such as asthma, allergies, helping to regulate the body’s sleep cycle and cleansing negative energy from the body.

The room is furnished with four massage beds and, adding to the sense of peace, overhead the ceiling twinkles with stars.

The spa sanctuary treatment rooms 

Part of the Siam Wellness Group, RarinJinda Wellness Spa is one of Thailand’s leading wellness spas and is staffed only by expert therapists. The group also owns Let’s Relax, the Siam Wellness Lab, Siam Wellness Education, Deck 1, and Baan Suan Massage and the spa currently has two branches in Bangkok – the other is on Rajdamri – and the RarinJinda Resort in Chiang Mai. Facilities include a state-of-the-art heated hydrotherapy pool, Vichy shower, hydrotherapy tub, whirlpool with chromotherapy and a rainforest steam and sauna. Alternative medicine specialists and nurses are on hand to provide consultation and guidance.

The Traditional Herbal Hot Compress uses only fresh ingredients.

Despite the modern operation and lavish decorations, the spa remains rooted in Thai massage and healing traditions. Among these is the 90-minute Elements of Life programme, which uses the fire, air, water and earth to rebalance body and soul. This comprises the use of natural healing blended with Thai massage techniques and Tibetan sound therapy to release physical and emotional tensions.

The spa journey starts with the guest lying down on a Warm Sand Bed imported from Germany and enjoying a thoroughly relaxing scalp message. The heat from the warm sand represents the fire element”, while tiny quartz made from lava stone contained therein represent the earth element”. The bed is set at a surprisingly comfortable 37 degrees Celsius for the entire session and helps reduce muscle tension and increases blood flow to heal injured tissues and rehabilitate damaged muscles or joints.

The therapist then rings the Tibetan bowls around body producing a sound that synchronises with brain waves to create a perfect state of deep meditation. The Tibetan bowls are then placed on different parts of the body allowing the sound vibration to pamper from the inside. This represents the air element.

With the guest now in a state of deep relaxation, the therapist starts a 60-minute massage using either Royal Thai Massage or Himalayan Hot Salt Compress Massage techniques in line with the guest’s selection.

House-blend spa products are available to take home. 

A Royal Thai Massage sees the therapist using only her thumbs and palms to focus on pressure points and stretching muscles, and maintaining a distance from the guest at all times. The Himalayan Hot Salt Compress Massage involves the placing of a small clay pot filled with a warm Himalayan Salt compress all over your body to improve circulation and help rehabilitate injured tissues and muscles.

The treatment ends with the water element – a spray of Cold Rose Body Freshener that rejuvenates and reenergises, leaving the guest invigorated and determined to come back for more.

BREATHE A LITTLE EASIER

Siamese Himalayan Salt Therapy is available only at RarinJinda Wellness Spa Ploenchit and is priced at Bt1,800 for a |60-minute treatment.

The “Elements of Life” Treatment costs Bt2,800 for 90 minutes and an Aromatherapy Oil Massage with Herbal Hot Compress goes for Bt1,700 for 60 minutes.

Book a session at (02) 651 5225. |Open daily from 10am to midnight.

Day spa and facial treatments are also available. Check out http://www.SiamWellnessGroup.com

Diabetes has primarily been associated with lifestyle factors like diet and a sedentary lifestyle, but research by the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis said pollution also plays a major role.

The study estimated that pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016 — or around 14 percent of all new diabetes cases globally that year.

“Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, the study’s senior author.

Pollution is thought to reduce the body’s insulin production, “preventing the body from converting blood glucose into energy that the body needs to maintain health,” according to the research.

Al-Aly said the research, published in the Lancet Planetary Health, found an increased risk even with levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

“This is important because many industry lobbying groups argue that current levels are too stringent and should be relaxed. Evidence shows that current levels are still not sufficiently safe and need to be tightened,” he added.

‘A strong link’

Researchers working with scientists at the Veterans Affairs’ Clinical Epidemiology Center, examined data from 1.7 million US veterans who did not have histories of diabetes and were followed for a median of 8.5 years.

Patient information from the veterans was compared to air quality information to examine the relationship between pollution and diabetes risk.

The scientists found the risk of developing diabetes “exhibited a strong link to air pollution”.

They then devised a model to gauge diabetes risks over different pollution levels and used data from the annual worldwide Global Burden of Disease study, to estimate the prevalence of diabetes caused by bad air.

Diabetes affects more than 420 million people globally and is one of the world’s fastest growing diseases.

Acer Aspire 6-Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” Captain America Edition is a fast notebook computer especially designed for fans of the comic hero.

It’s the latest release in the series of three special edition notebooks that Acer has made in collaboration with Marvel.

The notebook comes with a premium aluminium cover that features Captain America’s iconic pentagram on a deep blue background though users shouldn’t be tempted to use it as a shield like the superhero.

Powered by an 8th Generation Intel Core i58250U processor running at 1.6 GHz and boasting four gigabytes of working memory or RAM and 1 terabyte of hard drive, the notebook is fast for business applications.

The graphics horse power comes from NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics adapter, which has two GB of dedicated video memory so it doesn’t share the resources of the main memory and thus doesn’t affect the performance of the computer.

The graphics adapter generates a beautiful display on a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS screen that provides consistent colours and viewing from wide angles. The display using the Acer ComfyView Ledbackit technology is bright and great for watching HD video clips as well as viewing photos.

The Captain America Aspire 6 runs on Windows 10 Home 64-bit edition and comes complete with Microsoft Cortana audio assistant that helps you to easily set up the notebook for first use, using either the mouse or voice command.

The large backlit keyboard is easy and comfortable to type on and uses Gigabit Ethernet and a 802.11ac wireless connection for fast browsing.

The necessary ports are all there too, namely one USB 3.1 Type C port, two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port plus an HDMI port that can be linked to a large TV for watching HD movies to it.

The notebook has enhanced multimedia performance. It uses Acer TrueHarmony technology to deliver life-like audio, while two digital microphones with Acer PurifiedVoice help ensure a great Cortana with Voice experience. It also has Acer HD webcam with HDR technology for video calls.

During the test, I found the notebook had good performance in handling Microsoft Office and browsing web pages. HD video clips also ran fast and smoothly.

Acer Aspire 6  Captain America costs Bt24,990 (VAT included),

Key Specs

– OS: Windows 10 Home (64bit)

CPU: Intel Core i58250U processor (1.60 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache up to 3.4 GHz)

– Memory: 4GB DDR4 RAM

– Storage: HDD 1TB

– Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS (1920 x1080), Acer ComfyViewTM LEDbacklit TFT LCD

– Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5

– Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Type C, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 port

– Wireless connectivity: 802.11ac 1X1 wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.0

– Webcam: Acer HD webcam with HDR

– Dimensions (W x D x H): 381 mm x 263 mm x 17.95 mm

– Weight :2.1 kg.

– Warranty: Two-year parts and labour

Beoplay’s elegant P6 wireless Bluetooth speaker comes in anodised and pearl blasted-aluminium shell with the characteristic soundhole pattern around the corners for 360-degree sound dispersion. It is splash and dustresistant. The builtin battery extends use time up to 15 hours per charge. Get one from RTB Technology for Bt16,900.

A Cybershot in the pocket

Sony’s Cybershot RX100 VI pocket-sized compact camera boasts no-compromise high-zoom performance and superfast AF, so you never miss a shot. The Zeiss VairoSonnar T240200mm-equivalent f/2.84.5 lens can autofocus in just 0.03 of a second. You have a one-inch-type sensor with 20.1MP resolution, all for Bt38,900.

Big, square prints instantly

Fujifilm’s Instax Square SQ6 compact camera lets you capture precious moments and will print the shots on 1:1-square Instax film right away. The 2.4×2.4-inch picture size is 1.3 times the size of Instax mini prints, providing plenty of room to set the scene. It’s in stores for Bt5,990.

OnePlus goes one better

Chinese company OnePlus has given its OnePlus 6 smartphone a 6.28-inch FHD+ Amoled 24bit display protected by Gorilla Glass 5, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. There’s also a dual 20+16MP rear camera. Check it out for Bt21,999.

Fine listening with the Fiio

The Fiio M7 portable High-Resolution Audio player supports wireless Hi-Res Audio formats of LDAC and aptXHD and uses Bluetooth 4.2. It has a 3.2inch display with 480x800pixel resolution, a Samsung Exynos 7270 CPU and an ESS Sabre 9018Q2C chip for decoding digital sound. With 2GB of internal storage, it retails for Bt6,290.

Charoen Pokphand Group and True Corporation are setting out to bring knowledge about the Buddha and the concept of dharma to viewers across the world with their project “True Little Monk: A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices”. The reality show, which has so far only focused on young Thais, has selected 12 candidates of different nationalities and cultures and they will be ordained as novices tomorrow at Wat Pah Sai Ngam in Ubon Ratchathani under the supervision of Abbot Phrakhru Nikrotthammaphon (Luang Ta Anek Yasadinno).

“The True Little Monk Project has been overwhelmingly well received by Thais for seven years and won several awards. That convinced Charoen Pokphand Group and True Corporation to initiate ‘True Little Monk: A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices’, the world’s first international dharma reality documentary programme conducted in English,” said Suphachai Chearavanont, chief executive officer of Charoen Pokphand Group and chairman of the executive committee of True Corporation.

“The programme aims to expand Buddhism on an international scale and bring dharma to people across the world, as well as to set good examples and inspire the public to practice dharma principles. ‘True Little Monk: A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices’ is organised in remembrance of and as merit making for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and as a tribute to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun on the occasion of his 66th birthday on July 28, 2018 as well as to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on the occasion of her 86th birthday on August 12.”

Twelve of the 500 youngsters who submitted applications have been selected for the show. They hail from the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, China and Nepal and will ordain as novices at Wat Pah Sai Ngam under the supervision of Abbot Master Phrakhru Nikrotthammaphon (Luang Ta Anek Yasadinno) as well as Phrakhru Ubonbhavanaviteht (Ajahn Kevali), the Abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat. Throughout their four weeks of monkhood, the novices will study and practise the Lord Buddha’s teachings via activities with various monks, experts and special guests.

Designed on the theme “Compassion and Kindness”, the programme aims to cultivate ethics and virtues among the youngsters. The novices will “learn” Buddhist dharma “live” by focusing on the present and endeavouring to practice dharma principles.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has bestowed a set of monk’s robes for the preceptor in the ordination ceremony.

The dedication of the 12 young boys can be watched from tomorrow through July 25 on TrueVisions Reality TV channel 60, 99, 119 or 333 as well as on smartphones by downloading the free TrueID app. TrueVisions will broadcast the young monks’ daily activities and dharma practice daily from 5am to 9pm.

Daily highlights will be broadcast from 9 to 9.45pm as well as on the True Plookpanya Channel. The programme can also be streamed at http://www.TrueLittleMonk.com as well as Facebook and YouTube using the handle TrueLittleMonk.

The new flagship smartphone from Huawei’s subbrand, the Honor 10 boasts two of the best cameras in its class.

Huawei has a lot of experience in the dual camera and the AI technology used for its prime brand smartphone and applies that to the Honor range, which targets the young generation with lower prices and of course lower specifications than Huawei flagship models.

The Honor 10 is part of the Series N, the brand’s top series, which focuses on beautiful design and good performance.

Designed by Paris Aesthetics Centre, the phone has a classy French look and its Phantom Blue model boasts an Aurora glass design that gives off a vivid gradient of colours when you look at the Honor 10 from different directions.

Huawei says the back of Honor 10 is made of 15 layers of glass to make the finish outstanding and in this it has succeeded admirably.

The 5.84-inch screen with a bezelless and full view 19:9 design has 2,280x1080pixels resolution, which is great for watching HD video clips and viewing photos.

Performance is good too, thanks to the Huawei Kirin 970 octacore processor with four cores running at 2.36 GHz and four others at 1.8 GHz.

Moreover, the processor has a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for handling AI tasks and algorithms.

The phone comes with four gigyabytes of working memory or RAM and 128 GB of internal storage and runs on the latest Android OS 8.1 with Huawei’s EMUI 8.1 user interface.

During the test, the menus and touch screen were responsive and applications ran fast and smoothly.

I used the AnTuTu Benchmark Version 7.0.9 to measure the Honor 10’s performance and it scored 203,181 proving that it is as fast as advertised. In the ever-growing online database of benchmark results from users around the world, the Honor 10 has been ranked 28th, which isn’t bad at all for a midrange phone.

It also has fast Internet connection. I tested it on TrueMove H’s LTE network and was able to download apps fast and efficiently. I used Ookla Speedtest app to measure the connection speed and found that the Honor 10 got a download speed of 59.5 Mbps and upload speed of 39.7 Mbps.

Another indicator of its good performance is that the phone can play High-Resolution Audion music files in 24bit/192kHz FLAC format smoothly. I tested the Hi-Res Audio playback with my Sony MDR1ABT wireless headphones and found the music quality was good.

The Honor 10 features a dual rear camera of 24 megapixels and 16 MP and front AI camera with 24 MP resolution.

The rear camera has very bright lens with f/1.8 aperture so the camera has good lowlight performance. In fact, the rear camera should be regarded as 16MP camera because it uses a 16MP RGB sensor and a 24 MP monochrome sensor. That means if you shoot in monochrome, you’ll get 24 MP resolution.

The dualcamera set up allows you to easily capture beautiful portraits and subjects with blurred background.

Best of all, Huawei uses Artificial Intelligence in the autoshooting mode to achieve really beautiful shots. The A auto mode, which is called just “photo”, is powered by NPU so the camera functions on artificial intelligence that allows it to recognise more than 500 scenarios in 22 categories. Huawei says several scenarios will be upgraded at a later date, including Cloudy Day, Ancient Architecture, Bicycles and more.

After the AI recognises the scene, it pairs subjects with their optimal camera settings according to image context. The AI can also recognise multiple subjects in the same image and apply localised optimisation to each subject individually.

During the test, I found that the AI functions did indeed recognise various scenes, including scenery and food and the camera automatically adjusted the settings for optimised results.

To achieve professionally blurred background shots as good as those taken with a DSLR camera, you must use the Aperture mode. In this mode, there will be an aperture bar that you slide to adjust the aperture value. The lower the number, the more the background will be blurred.

The rear camera of Honor 10 also captures beautiful portraits using the AI system to create 3D portrait lighting with professional studio effects. The available effects are soft light, butterfly light, side light, classic light and theatre light.

AI is also used for its 24MP front camera to recognise and understand facial features more accurately. The result is professional but natural selfies.

The Honor 10 also good security too with fast Face Unlock technology. Huawei says it can unlock the phone in just 0.064 of a second. I didn’t time it but can confirm it unlocked fast and all I had to do was lift the phone.

The Honor 10 puts the front-placing ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the glass, creating a truly seamless unibody. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor also let me unlock the phone.

The Honor 10 comes with 3400mAh large battery for extra power and it supports fast charging technology, allowing 50 per cent of battery charge in only 25 minutes.

The Honor 10 is available online at Lazada for Bt13,990 and at CSC, Big C, and TG Fone.

Key Specs

– Networks: GSM, WCDMA; LTE

– OS: Android 8.1 with EMUI 8.1 user interface

– CPU: Kirin 970 octacore processor (4×2.36 GHz+4×1.8 GHz), AI chipset with NPU

– Memory: 4GB RAM

– Storage: 128GB internal storage

– Display: 5.84-inch 2280p x 1080p FHD+ display with 16M colours, 432 PPI Multi touch-sensitive screen

– Cameras: 24MP + 16MP rear camera with F/1.8 wide aperture lens; 24MP front camera

– Interfaces: Audio Connector 3.5mm, USB TypeC, NanoSIM card

– Sensors: Fingerprint sensor, Digital compass, Ambient light sensor, Gravity sensor, Status indicator, Gyroscope, Hallsensor

– Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz; Bluetooth BT4.2; USB 2.0; GPS/Glonass/BDS

– Battery: 3,400mAh

– Dimensions: 149.6 (L) x 71.2 mm x 7.7 mm (T)

– Weight: 153g

Both Californians are part of a surging new wave of senior Americans turning to cannabis to ease aches and pains as the craze for the drug spreads across the country and more states legalize it.

“They are coming in droves with curiosity and interest, looking for relief from pain and sleep problems,” said Macbeth, a consultant at Octavia Wellness, a San Francisco startup that caters to senior communities across the state, which has legalized recreational marijuana and is the country’s biggest market for legal cannabis.

Interest is such, she says, that Tupperware-like presentations to showcase cannabis products at retirement homes are overflowing with silver-haired potential customers.

The products include tinctures, sprays, edibles and topicals such as lotions and oils that provide relief for a wide range of ailments without getting users high.

“We had one presentation in San Jose (northern California) recently and there were 400 people wanting to go in,” Macbeth said. “We were overwhelmed.”

Several studies indicate that seniors are the fastest growing population in America to adopt cannabis and if the trend continues they could overtake the younger generation in terms of weed consumption.

From arthritis to insomnia

Marijuana use among Americans aged 65 and over increased by 250 percent between 2006 and 2013, according to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health.

Another study found a 71-percent increase in marijuana use among adults aged 50 and older between 2006 and 2016.

In California, one of 29 US states to have legalized marijuana for medical use, the industry is projected to raise $6.5 billion in sales statewide by 2020.

Experts say the older crowd is turning to the drug to treat a host of ailments — from arthritis to neuropathy, insomnia and chronic pain — and to avoid the side-effects associated with prescription drugs, including opioids.

“Some seniors are taking over 20 different prescription drugs a day … and all too often these drugs have an impact at the beginning and then wear off,” said Beverly Potter, the author of “Cannabis for Seniors,” a book that helps older people navigate the new market.

Potter said she has been swamped with requests for advice at speaking events and cautions her audience against believing marijuana is the go-to drug for all ailments, especially in light of little medical research on the effects of the drug which remains illegal at the federal level.

Still, she firmly believes that cannabis in many cases is a better alternative than traditional painkillers or sleep medication that can leave patients with bleeding ulcers or addicted.

‘Start low, go slow’

“My advice to people who want to try it is the same slogan you are hearing everywhere: start low and go slow,” Potter told AFP. “This is not about getting high. It’s about learning how to study your body.”

She said the effects of medical marijuana vary depending on whether the drug is taken as an edible — cookies or gummies — or in the form of tinctures or rubs.

Barbara Blaser, a registered nurse for 50 years and now the head of clinical services at Magnolia Wellness, a marijuana dispensary in Northern California, said the customers she encounters are not looking for the buzz of their youth but rather a new lease on life.

“Some people tell me ‘I just want to be able to work in the garden but my knees hurt’,” said Blaser, 72, who began using marijuana following a serious illness and ended up becoming an advocate.

“If properly used, cannabis can change your life and give it back to you,” she added.

And as social perceptions of the drug change and the stigma associated with it evaporates, Blaser predicts its use as an alternative medicine will become more mainstream.

Take Kyle Johnson, who recently founded a cannabis club with neighbor Mary Lou Molinaro at their gated retirement community in Brentwood, north of San Francisco.

“We started the club in March and at the first meeting we had, 160 people showed up and they were worried about letting anyone else know they were using medical cannabis or that they were interested,” said Johnson, who uses cannabis for back pain and insomnia.

“Now, people stop either of us on a regular basis and say ‘Oh, can I ask you this question, I can’t sleep, I have arthritis pain’ or whatever and we help them as best we can,” she added.

Molinaro, 67, said she points to herself when questioned by someone who equates cannabis with getting stoned.

“I say ‘look at me, do I look like I’m walking around high?” she exclaimed. “In most cases, if you use the right product and see what works best for you, you will find relief and not look like a stonehead.”