richard_smith237

But none of the reports suggest that Mask Wearing should continue ad-infinatum... The reports highlight that mask wearing was effective to 'some extent' along with other measures during the height of the pandemic.

There's a lot of people in Asia who hope that doesn't catch on. Because if it does, they're out of a job and their families will go hungry. It's their rice bowl. This highlights the utterly preposterous logic some posters go to try and point score - hilarious... ... Are seriously trying to take the moral high ground with this virtuous idea that bob should leave a mess so that it provides a job for someone else ??

The weight example is not valid... A person can be 190cm tall and a muscular 100kgs, he's not fat, although the BMI index may incorrectly suggest he is. Judging this issue on weight alone is misleading - but, visually, it can be observed who is so morbidly obese that they may not fit regular economy seating. In these circumstances special arrangements can be made, which are not rewards, but simply dealing with a situation in the most humane manner possibly. If there is space and the flight is not full - give that person two seats. If the the flight is full offer another option - reasonably priced upgrade to business or book on another less busy flight. Its a similar issue when travelling with a child less than 2 years old (lap seat), invariably, if the flight is not full the person travelling with the infant is given 2 seat as the extra space is useful. This used to happen to us quite often - it was a decent solution and we didn't feel we were being rewarded because we were travelling with a child, it simply that the airline check-in staff took steps to make things a little easier where they could. There is no perfect solution to this issue which is why it's discussed so much with vastly differing opinions. But, some of those opinions sometimes border on the outright bigoted.

Sure... move either of them so both have space... there's nothing wrong with that either. But this idea of yours that this is somehow rewarding gluttony is flawed... its just making a situation a little bit better for all concerned... it doesn't need to be any less humane than that.

To be fair Bob... what you describe is rather low class behavior, especially with the the stench of food. Any reason the coffeeshop staff didn't stop them ? This is what I would expect. If the staff don't 'guide' those who can't behave and follow normal standards of behavior, then I wouldn't bother visiting that establishment again. Vote with your feet. Now... Did you see anything which did like today, something which hasn't turned your world dark ?

Were you waiting for him to fall asleep so you could make his missus and offer she couldn't refuse ?

Also... as this is being discussed - I'd like to see an approach in which we maintain our humanity. If there is an available seat in premium economy, why not give it to someone for whom regular economy is a tight fit ??... there is no negative impact on anyone else. It's not about 'giving someone a reward' it's simply about about making the best of an existing situation while not forgetting our humanity.

Who checks this... should check-in staff be given the power to arbitrarily make the decision regarding whether or not someone can fit in a seat and whether their Dr's note is acceptable ?? We see the arguments with baggage issues already, imagine how this would evolve when it comes to peoples weight. ----- That said, this discussion has digressed across a couple of issues: - Outright weight - should heavier people (fit and healthy) pay more ? - Obesity - should someone who can't fit in their seat pay more ? - Airline seating is smaller than it used to be decades ago, so are airlines not also complicit in this issue ?

Another reasons the 'grinds' clog up us due to static, which is strange, but when the grind is very fine they tend to stick together due to static which can result in 'compacted clumps'... ... one method of getting rid of this is to give the beans a quick spray with water, this apparently disperses the static electricity of the bean. Questionable science I know, but it's backed up by people in the know.

Op... for a quality grinder at the high end the prices can get high. One of the best grinders you can get is manual ceramic conical burr grinder.... and they are not cheap either... For example: The 1z Presso - X-Series... will set you back about $160 which is going to seem like a lot for a grinder to many people. Avoid blade grinders - they do not create even grind which will result in poor extraction. Khun LA's example above looks like a decent option and is quite probably going to give you a good bang for your buck. That said, IMO if you don't have top notch grinder It may well be better to order professionally ground coffee delivered regularly rather than grind your own beans with a substandard grinder. With grinders, you get what you pay for up to a certain extent, below which your coffee will be inconsistently extracted, if you can't tell the difference, then this doesn't really matter too much. But, for someone wanting to improve the quality and consistency of their experience a better grinder is well worth it. If you really want to use your own Grinder and want electric there are some steel burr grinders that do a perfectly reasonable job. It depends what you want to grind for.. If grinding for a French Press, then something like the Bodum Bistro does a good job, but it may not offer the quality and consistency at the finer levels expected when extracting an espresso. James Hoffman have some good videos on this stuff (if you are interested in this stuff).

The pre-covid Japanese approach to wearing of masks is perhaps the most socially responsible I have witnessed and without the hysteria of wearing a mask because everyone else is etc.... Before (and after) Covid, I travelled to Japan a couple of times per year and have a number of close Japanese friends, so have witnessed the before and after as well having held discussions on the topic with Japanese friends. The approach of the Japanese towards masking was somewhat of an enigma to me until it was explained. - If a person or someone in their household is unwell they wear a mask whenever in proximity of others. - A minority wear a mask for self-protection, this would be more common with people putting a mask on when on the subway, but taking it off when walking down the street. - A minority wear a mask for pollution purposes when out and about. Post covid quite a lot of people were wearing masks in the busy area's of the city, there was still a mask mandate - this mandate was dropped in March of 2023. - Back in February, about 80% of people wearing masks in the city. - No one wearing masks outside of the major cities Now, a good number of months since the mask mandate was dropped, mask-wearing is at less than 10% of the population in the city. The webcam's of Tokyo in your link back this up.

Nice idea... Perhaps they could call it something like... oh I don't know.. how about 'premium economy' !!! Your idea is actually more reasonable... If a person is so large that they cannot feasibly sit in regular economy class seat or doing so impacts on the space of a neighbouring passenger then perhaps they should be seated in 'premium-economy' which usually has larger seats (more commonly more leg room though). I don't think there is anything wrong in giving larger people a free-upgrade to Premium Economy (if there is space) or asking them to pay if there isn't.

Really ???... or is this simply outside of your budget and you're trying to justify the reasons you don't go to such buffets ?? No criticism if you can't afford it, there's plenty I can't afford. But I don't criticise the intelligence of wealthy people who can afford a First Class flight. You have brought intelligence (sense) into the equation because someone can afford 2000 baht per person for a good buffet lunch - it's hardly an intelligent or sensible argument.

Agreed... and if someone comes at midday, it doesn't mean the food has been sat there lukewarm for 1:30 hrs... because people will have eaten and fresh food put in its place.

Where has locked down again ??? name one country that has locked down or instigated compulsory mask wearing this year. The media is always reporting the 'next lock down' because they love the frenzy... but where is there a genuine official report of another imminent or pending lock-down ?

Agreed.... I am actually very pro-Mask wearing, even before Covid..... but only under circumstances where its useful and not simply a byproduct of conformity or hysteria. I believe that if someone has any symptoms of a cold - then wear a mask. I believe that if someone in your own household has any symptoms of a cold - then wear a mask. I believe that we should wear masks when entering a hospital. Yet, the validity of the reasons for every person wearing a mask in any public setting have long since passed.

The rest of the world has moved on with regards to mask wearing. Its widely accepted that from a covid perspective its not longer necessary. IF your argument is that we should all wear masks because of the risks of transmission of all respiratory viruses, then you'd make more sense. Then that should also have been the argument before Covid as well. Of course, its utterly impractical for 100% of society to wear masks 100% of the time, which is what I think some pro-mask wearers want to see - these opinions become excessive. Perhaps we should still be isolating too. Such idealists are unable to identify a health reality. Of the countries I have visited in the past 18 months only Thailand is so fixated on mask wearing. Mostly because they are conforming with each other, not because of any greater understanding of why we should be mask wearing. Worse are the foreigners who have not left Thailand in the past few years who've become indoctrinated and are attempting to justify the same silly ideals with idiotic and ridiculously extreme arguments such as 'wilfully putting others at risk". Unless visiting a hospital, mask wearing is over - at least until another pandemic hits

In your haste to argue I'm not sure you read through my comments carefully enough. I agree with you at some level.... the people arguing that we should all still be wearing masks have failed to see the rest of the world move on. These same people try and use 'mouth-breathers' or some such phrases in the same manner others used 'covidiots' etc... they think they are being clever adding such emphasis to their bias. I have hardly seen anyone wearing a mask outside of Thailand for well over a year. This includes major airports. At the same time, I think its poor form not to wear a mask in a hospital. As always what occurs in the middle ground is simple balance, yet the extremes have the loudest voice and flawed argument of the extremes of a 'black & white' perspective.

Two extremes of the spectrum... intelligent balance is needed here. This hyperbolic exaggeration that people who don't wear masks are wilfully putting others at risk' is utterly exaggerated and flawed, they are simply getting on with their lives as they did before Covid. There is no need to wear a mask in the general pubic unless you are unwell or want some protection from pollution.

Someone of a dumbed down over simplification... Before Covid - mask wearing in Thailand was very limited, perhaps about 1 in 20 motorcycle riders and perhaps about 1 in 50 people walking down the street and next to no-one in shopping malls. Now, post covid, mask wearing is significantly greater - thus IF your implication is that pre-covid mask wearing levels and post covid mask wearing levels is similar, you are quite incorrect. As for, "who cares ???" A lot of people do... There is an element of social pressure when it comes to mask wearing. If most around are wearing a mask, not through any understanding of the reasons but simply because everyone else is wearing a mask, then there is an element of 'following other people like sheep'... and often people want to think critically about their actions and behavior. Thus - people care because they don't want to be the one that others look poorly upon for not socially conforming by wearing a mask, yet at the same time the realise that wearing a mask isn't quite necessary any more.

Unless it's about road safety, wearing seatbelts and helmets.....

... And thats just the way it is... the woes of flying economy class - we take our chances... - We may be sat next to a drunk. - We may be sat next to someone who farts a lot. - We may be sat next to a family of noisy kids who wont sit still - We may be sat near a crying baby. - We may be sat next to someone who is grossly overweight and spills into our seat. If we are so sensitive that we can't face any of the above, the pay for the comfort and privacy of business class... Otherwise just accept that Eco is going to be rubbish and deal with it. Additionally so.. - The flight could be empty and we get 4 middle seats to lie across. - We may get a spare seat next to us. You never know.. The reality is, Economy class, its s#!t, you're never going to be comfortable, you never have much space - its about getting as many people as possible from A-B as cheaply as possible while making a profit.

On the surface, 90 kgs seems like a fair limit for a skinny pensioner with a myopic outlook. However, I know sportsmen and military lads who are easily 100kgs... why should they be penalised ? Baggage allowance is fair because its inanimate, it is not reliant on genetic differences, career differences etc... People are diverse and singling out any group through any means and charging them more is wrong. A seat is a seat and the limiting factor is if someone fits into it. Charging for check-in baggage is wrong (IMO) as it compromises safety when people take too much carry on and creates additional choke points at security check-points. If someone is morbidly obese and can't fit in a seat, give them 2 seats, unless the flight is full, in which case, offer them a flight on which they can be given 2 seats (or they have to pay for an additional seat - i.e. an additional child fare etc). How often are the flights 100% full. I've noticed more full flights recently, but still very few are 100% full and I rarely see anyone who is going to struggle to fit in a seat. So a lot of these comments are simply 'pie in the sky' and just a peacocking opportunity for some to show off their prejudice.

Or it can just be a matter of personal taste. Some people just don´t like buffet, as it is actually food out in the open being held warm or cold for an unknown amount of time. However, I have nothing against a high quality buffet. But, back to the point. Everybody do not think same as you. I agree... which is why I criticised the 'sweeping generalisation' and implication that all buffet's serve lukewarm food... They don't, there is a great variation in the quality of buffet lunches, hence this thread !!!! & If you go to a decent buffet you will see that the food rotation is quick, thus the 'food out in the open for an unknown amount of time' comment is a fallacy. And, it's true, not all of us think the same... but some just post 'negative comments' for the sake if it without really thinking it through.

Yes.. but can these 'sniffer dogs' in any country 'sniff out' a Xanax tablet ? I very much doubt it - the dogs are utlised to sniff out narcotics and explosive substances. I suspect the only way a person is going to get caught for carrying a pack of Xanax etc is of they are actually stopped by customs in whichever country they are arriving in and all their belongings are searched in detail. I was once searched on arrival in the UK... they went into everything, checked toothpaste etc - in this situation if I had some medication they would have found it and questioned me.