richard_smith237

It is called Art when they are invited and requested to draw on the permitted "canvas". If they paint on someone else's/public property without consent, it is a vandalism. Exactly... the above is vandalism / Graffiti is not art... ... this is what can be considered art.. and its not called Graffiti - its 'street art' and curated by skilled artists, often commissioned, or with permission.

It would be rather halfwitted to consider this 'art'....

There’s already more than enough graffiti here without foreigners - especially Westerners - adding to it. Besides, Russians are not part of Western culture; they’re generally regarded as Eastern European or Eurasian. That said, I fully support the strict measures being taken. However, these rules should be applied equally to everyone caught vandalising - locals included. I like the idea of confiscating the bike. Offenders should be required to clean up the area and remove all graffiti before they get their bike or any other transport returned. And if they have no transport, they should clean up the damage instead of paying a fine. This approach also addresses the issue of punishing those who cannot afford fines, making it a fairer system for everyone.

That quote - “Insisting that it's for the public's good, are the first words of tyranny” - is a seductive soundbite, but it's intellectually hollow when unpacked. If “the public good” is automatically suspect, then we might as well dismantle clean water systems, abolish fire departments, and cancel traffic laws. After all, each was introduced “for the public good”... Does that make stop signs the seeds of dictatorship? Tyranny doesn't begin with concern for others - it begins when no one is allowed to question authority, not when public health measures are debated transparently. Democracies thrive precisely because we weigh collective benefit with individual rights, not against them. Rejecting every action taken for the public good isn’t liberty - it’s nihilism dressed up as freedom, just as disingenuous as every claim you’ve made in these anti-vax threads.

I'm not a doctor, but was white-coat for a couple of years. An intern with 1 month experience repeated 24 times...

You've never left...

He will provide a typical response that these are not diseases... or they can be avoided -and then follow up with is dim quote "nature has the answers" !!!! Fools can't be reasoned with - we're just being dragged down to that level when replying to such moronic claims....

He'll dig up some dusty anti-vax blog where a self-certified "holistic wellness guru" in Illinois swears that a single patient developed cataracts after a polio shot - and voilà!..... That’s all the scientific proof he needs. Forget decades of peer-reviewed research and global medical consensus - Debbie from the crystal healing spa said so, and that’s case closed.... Though... there was a strong rumour when growing up that whaking-off too much leads to blindness... So Debbie from the crystal healing spa may running a sideline !!! --------- Ridicule aside: vaccines are not 100% risk-free (no one is suggesting they are), but when viewed in aggregate, they remain vastly superior to the alternative of no vaccination at all. Intelligent people grasp this broader, population-level benefit. The anti-vaxx arguments is similar to arguing that grapes are dangerous because people have choked on them. As with any medical intervention, there will always be an extremely small minority who experience adverse effects. The problem is that anti-vaxxers take these isolated cases, blow them wildly out of proportion, and portray them as if they represent the typical outcome. They’re not wrong that adverse events can occur - but their narrative is exaggerated, profoundly disingenuous and misleading. Take cataracts, for example. Yes, there are a couple of rare reports where vaccines have been ‘suggested’ as a potential cause. But that hardly equates to “vaccines cause cataracts”. Those cases are an infinitesimal fraction of the millions vaccinated. To put it in perspective, more people would be harmed simply walking across the street to get their shot than those who suffer such adverse effects. COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (BNT162b2 – Pfizer-BioNTech) Study: A previously healthy 20-year-old male developed bilateral cataracts leading to significant visual decline (from 20/20 to 20/300–400) following the first dose of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine. The cataracts were likely a result of systemic inflammation after vaccination. Source: Kim DH, Hsu D, Li Y, Sulewski ME. Cataracts in setting of multisystem inflammation after COVID-19 vaccination. American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451993622004005 Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Study: A 12-month-old girl developed unilateral anterior uveitis with rubeosis and cataract three months after receiving the MMR vaccine at 9 months of age. Aqueous humor analysis revealed the presence of rubella-specific immunoglobulin G in the affected eye, supporting the association between the MMR vaccine and the development of cataract. Source: Ferrini W, Aubert V, Balmer A, Munier FL, Abouzeid H. Anterior uveitis and cataract after rubella vaccination: a case report of a 12-month-old girl. Pediatrics. 2013. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/132/4/e1035/64878/Anterior-Uveitis-and-Cataract-After-Rubella?

Reading the utter bo!!ox posted in the 'off-the-beaten-path > Anti-Vax' threads would do it I reckon !!!!

Dr. Kory is anti-vaccine as they come... He espouses conspiracy theories that public-health agencies are deliberately hiding vaccine-related infant deaths and systematic suppression by “They” - a hallmark of anti-vax rhetoric.... His regurgitated claims are called out in this article. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/antivaxxers-resurrect-the-false-claim-that-vaccines-cause-sids

I would have though all the Immi officer needs do to is to 'correct the date' in his system... All the TDAC card is, is a digital version of the TM6 - so surely they can make simple edits at the counter ?... No ?

That is some spectacular Thai Bureaucratic shyithousery right there !!!!

The issue in 'any' of the tourist area's is the duel enforcement.... In Nana area there have long been reports of the BMA charging foreigners 2000 baht for dropping a cigarette butt (littering) meanwhile Thai's working the area smoke freely (and dump the butt)... its targeted enforcement. My guess is, not one Thai will face this 5000 baht fine for smoking on the beach... Why? because authorities know (or will assume) they can't pay the fine, so they just won't bother and file it under the 'too much effort to deal with look the other way' bin... Similar happens with Helmet wearing - in area's such as Pattaya and Patong, Thai's are ignored while foreigners are stopped for not wearing a helmet... Mostly... I say mostly because the other day I saw a video of a youngster on a bike stopped for his pillion not wearing a helmet - we was given burpee's as a punishment. OF course, I'm not condoning any of the above, smoking in public area's or non-helmet wearing etc... But, I am highlighting how this gives further fuel for the BiB and Authorities to charge foreigners more fines, while continuing to ignore the Thai's.

Some woke monkey put both their feet in their own mouth with this one. The manner in which some people trip over themselves to accomodate minority groups and end up cutting off their own noses in doing so is truly astonishing... Its not just an inult to our own culture, but an insult to those who wish to experience our culture which should be celebrated at all times Some overly eager progressive monkey has well and truly outdone themselves with this blunder. The way certain individuals contort and trip-over themselves in their rush to ignorantly appease minority sensibilities - only to end up undermining their own principles is nothing short of baffling. It's not merely an affront to our own cultural heritage, but a disservice to those who genuinely wish to engage with and celebrate it. Our traditions should be upheld with pride, not diluted in the name of misguided virtue.

A different subject - but given the standards of training.. then No.. Not at all - no 'standard' police officer should be permitted to carry a gun anywhere - until they are fully trained as part of a dedicated fire-arms unit. But, IF there were specialised fire-arms units, then yes, they should be permitted to carry where-ever they see fit. In the UK the British Transport Police firearms officers use the London Underground network - not primarily to patrol on trains, but to move between jobs via Tube trains and are known to do so fairly regularly. There is no policy in the UK the that prevents 'other' firearms officers from other divisions from using the London Underground network. I'm using the above example as a parallel - there is no reason not to permit trained fire-arms professionals from using public transport while armed when on duty This opens up another issue - storage of weapons when off-duty. In Thailand they just keep hold of them, carry them in a bag, or leave then in the car when they hit the bars, or on the side at home. Whereas in the UK - firearms officers cannot take their weapons home. They either store them at BTP or Met police stations with authorised storage facilities. And / Or in regional operations centres, such as the Met’s MO19 bases. This highlights the stark differences between gun control between the UK and Thailand...

You don't think that there's a massive difference between police attending a violent crime on the station and an officer's personal travel on the train? Read again.

They carry them everywhere else while on-duty, busy streets etc... What difference does it make on the BTS ? Are the Police permitted to enter shopping malls with their guns when on duty ?... i.e. attending a crime or even simply gabbing a coffee. If, the Police are to attend a violent crime on the BTS station, are they expected to 'leave their guns' elsewhere ? This is all just a little bit silly IMO.

Great... but if the general vibe from other threads and chats I’ve had is anything to go by, Thailand has plenty of loons these days. Not to mention an oversupply of cranky older folks who look like they’ve been auditioning for the role of "Disgruntled Curmudgeon #3" since the '80s... Sure, you’ll find the occasional grumpy Gen X’er or Millennial wandering about with a storm cloud overhead - but in my humble opinion, they're less common (at least proportionally). You, of course, are an exception to this generalisation as are many..… but let's not pretend this forum and bars aren't crawling with folks who missed their calling as pub ranters or nutjobs. Case in point: I made the rookie mistake of returning a friendly nod in a bar the other night - just a simple gesture of human decency, nothing more. But oh no, that tiny flick of the neck was apparently enough to summon a very inebriated, rather moist gentleman to our table, like some sort of boozy genie emerging from a lager lamp.... He was over-thrilled to be in Thailand - happiest bloke on Earth, at least in that precise moment. I genuinely thought he was seconds away from asking me to be his best man. His date, meanwhile, looked like she'd rather be watching paint dry underwater.... jaded and clearly bored with his dribbling... To his credit, he was a nice enough. But a loon all the same. Boomer vintage, if I had to guess - probably clocking in at about 65, judging by the enthusiastic slurring and what I could make out... My mate and I saw the writing on the wall, settled the bill, and made a graceful exit stage left. Grumpy? No. Liability? Potentially. Boomer? Almost certainly. loon? without a doubt !!!

These investigators are geniuses !!!...

Yours specs must be as grimy as your camera lens (from your selfie avatar photo !!). The guy in the middle who looks like he's wearing a top isn't.... its already been ripped off his back !!

Those broken pavements may also be in a worse state 852 days later on...

Which is why your repetitive copy and pasted misinformation must be countered - its dangerous if someone is stupid enough to pay attention to you - your information can get them or their family / children killed. Diseases which are preventable by Vaccines with Approximate CFR or severity if left Untreated / Unvaccinated (i.e. stiddles favourite line - "nature has the answers".... Tetanus: 10–70% (higher in newborns and elderly) Diphtheria: 5–10% (up to 20% in children under 5) Pertussis (Whooping Cough): 1–4% in infants; <1% in older children/adults Measles: 0.1–0.3% (up to 10% in malnourished populations) Mumps: : <0.1% (very rare, but can cause deafness/meningitis) Rubella: Rarely fatal in children; 20%+ chance of severe birth defects if pregnant mother infected Polio: ~2–5% (paralytic cases), up to 70% in bulbar polio Meningococcal disease: 10–15% (even with treatment; higher untreated) Pneumococcal disease: 5–35% depending on severity and type Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b): 3–6% (meningitis), up to 100% untreated Hepatitis B: ~15–25% risk of death from liver disease long-term Hepatitis A: 0.1–2% (higher in older adults) Rabies: ~100% once symptoms begin Yellow Fever: 20–50% (severe cases) Tuberculosis (TB): ~15–50% (depending on form and access to care) Rotavirus: ~2% in infants (can be much higher in low-resource areas) Influenza (seasonal): <0.1% overall; up to 5–10% in severe outbreaks COVID-19: ~1–2% early pandemic; varies by age & comorbidities HPV (Human Papillomavirus): Very low acute CFR, but causes ~300,000+ cancer deaths/year Cholera: 25–50% if untreated (mostly from dehydration)

I agree - its not so much about the 'machine' although all other things being equal (and done correctly) the machine then does make a difference. Otherwise... Bean quality, grind consistency and correct timing of extraction guarantees the best quality. In 'the other' thread, I noticed you used a blade grinder which IMO is a no-no as it does not provide a consistent grind size... you're way better off with any 'burr grinder' (preferably a decent one) thats the biggest improvement that can be made to 'any' brewing set up.

Personally, I judge each member on their individual merit. Even in the anti-vaxx threads, there are contributors who present well-reasoned arguments, supported by thorough research and offered in the spirit of intelligent discourse. I respect those posters, and I’m happy to engage with them. They're the ones worth debating - people from whom you can actually learn something even if the information is not something to be agreed with. Then there are the others: the outright fools. The ones who endlessly regurgitate the same misleading, cherry-picked, half-baked nonsense. They don't even bother cleaning up the fragments they copy and paste from fringe websites - it’s just a wall of noise, stacked on top of more noise, all layered with misinformation. They take slivers of truth, twist them out of shape, and use them to push narratives that are, at best, disingenuous, and at worst, dangerous. It's stupidity laced with ignorance, and the result is a toxic mess. You might have a higher threshold for tolerating fools, but when someone appears to be deliberately trolling, or simply piling on misinformation to drown out any rational discussion, patience wears thin fast. Try your hand at one of the 'flat earth' threads. See how long you last before thinking, “This person is an absolute idiot"... I'm sure you'll find yourself posting how ridiculous the content is - and yes, that wouldn't be a personal attack, though its obvious such comments are made by complete fools.

The problem, as ever, lies in the endless repetition: the regurgitated memes, the lazy copy-paste jobs from fringe websites, all devoid of credible sourcing or verification. This is the lifeblood of conspiracy theories - unfounded, unexamined, and unrelenting. Hence the need for this sub-forum: a sandbox for fringe thinking. But what’s become unbearable is the sheer volume. The same tired nonsense recycled ad nauseam. How many times must we endure the same idiocy paraded as insight? The memes are stale, the arguments disingenuous, and the intent rarely more than noise. It’s not debate - it’s spam. Meme after misinformation after meme, all lobbed by those seemingly mentally incapable who believe they are free-thinkers. Eventually, we have to stop being polite and call it what it is: idiocy. And if you dare glance at the anti-vaxx threads, you’ll see the same predictable circle-jerk - four or five usual suspects high-fiving their own delusions. Any meaningful engagement is drowned out by the sheer volume of rubbish, so others, quite sensibly, no longer bother. It’s not a conversation; it’s an echo chamber, shrill and vacant.