Fat is a type of crazy

2 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

We are talking about Thailand, right?

I am purposefully being a bit optimistic to offset the negative nellies. 

21 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

Prob not that easy if you arrive at night. It's likely the staff who will swab you don't work 24/7. So, you have to wait for them to come to work and get to you. Then, they send that sample to the lab and you wait. Could be two nights if you arrive at night.

Could be. Though I would be surprised if, once they get organised, they wouldn't be there to meet every incoming international flight, and have an efficient and timely testing system.

26 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

And the illusion deepens beyond repair.

No illusion with cards. No more than cash. Just makes life simpler and easier. As long as you keep an eye on debt. You have a clear record of what you did, so no illusion, and as long as you take care banks will pay for hacking. 

No more standing in lines to pay bills or get cash. I like that tax cheats and those involved on organised crime are easier to find but this may seem like an intrusion on privacy for some.

12 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

world cases  246 million probably as many undiagnosed with no symptoms , covid  deaths 5  million , you do the maths, ok I make it 2% as near as, do you concur a 2 %  death rate if I get it?

I  like these sites  giving you odds 

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/preventable-death-overview/odds-of-dying/

 

I should imagine that the rate for the average poster on this site is a fair bit higher given age, weight, overall health, diet, how much they drink etc. Then there's those that have long term effects. 

It's an unusual way to tax but if the result of the tax system as it is, is that billionaires are getting richer and richer and paying no tax, it seems a good outcome.

Democrats wanted to increase the marginal rate of tax in the normal way for the rich but  Manchin and Sinema weren't having it.

Some point out that the most wealthy pay a fair share of tax but my opinion is that at some point you have benefited so much from American capitalism, and have so much power, that it's not unreasonable to pay a bit more tax.  

Capitalism is fair in that the innovative and smart and hard working benefit but from generation to generation, the cards are stacked against the poor children, as compared to the rich. So something that balances the books a bit seems fair. 

So I arrive at night and they give me a test and I stay at the same hotel I would have and I get up and find I am still covid free and off I go. I just hope hotel prices stay low for February..

11 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Sign of slacking.

109359/(15 x365) = 20 posts a day or 1 and a bit posts each and every waking hour.  You joined exactly 15 years ago today too so the maths wasn't hard.  

6 hours ago, Dexxter said:

Not sure how you got those tickets. I just looked at the Jetstar site and there is nothing available before late April from Melbourne to Bangkok. Perhaps they are all booked out but their site basically says no flights available. The return flights two months later in June are listed around AU$240 so a little bit cheaper compared to the $320 I used to pay with them pre-pandemic. But no point having a return flight if you cannot get to Bangkok in the first place.

Singapore Airlines do have tickets available for around $1000 return via a 9 hour stopover in Singapore. No thanks.

Searching a bit deeper I found a Qantas flight with a one hour stopover in Sydney (acceptable) for $1259 return. February 18th till April 12th next year. That is double what I used to pay for a direct flight pre-pandemic.

Things are still way too unpredictable for reliable travel.

 

I see in another news article that the Delta+ variant has arrived with one confirmed case. Here we go again.

 

$240 odd Melbourne to Phuket return  if you buy Club Jetstar for $55. I normally go to Bangkok and then to Koh Chang but I'll give Phuket a go or just fly domestically to Bangkok if that is possible at that time. 

7 minutes ago, AJR3RD said:

Really. How much did it cost you for your insurance policy? Covid testing? Quarantine while you're waiting for results? And when you arrive, which part of Disney Siam World created by the government will be visiting first? The former real street food vendors who've been relegated to one street? The fake floating markets? The poorest folks who've suffered mightily at the hands of a corrupt and incompetent government? Or maybe just a good deal at the Hilton? 

 

 

 

I doubt that someone in their mid fifties double pfizered is going to have a huge cost for insurance but I could be wrong. We have been told no quarantine for Australians. I have never been into floating markets or the like.  I have a girlfriend I haven't seen for 19 months. 

I must say you seem to have a lot of bad feeling about a country trying to restart tourism which is what their people are likely to want. Is it better in your mind for thai people that tourists stay away. I'll eat at a range of restaurants, get taxi's, etc. Not sure what you are trying to say in a sense.  Good deal at the Hilton would be nice. 

Jetstar in Australia have just started selling their first tickets to Thailand for February. Big sales. I booked. Incredibly cheap so if it all goes pear shaped no big deal. 

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 

Personally I'm not worried, as it's all part of God's plan, though it probably won't be nice for people. We all have to die sometime and I doubt many of us will die of old age in our beds.

 

But you said god created us then left us alone but then you say our current state is god's plan.

You say God doesn't care about us and that whether we survive is up to Gaia. How does Gaia and God fit together. Does Gaia care. Does Gaia control us. 

If you believe we are doomed then it appears you believe that climate change is in fact the key issue.

Delete

32 minutes ago, Tropposurfer said:

Sure my post will produce lots of responses but why in the world would you want to go to Koh Chang? It's in a word one of the worst Thai islands I have ever visited i.e. some of the most polluted beaches in all of Thailand, a very few usable beaches (unless you stay in the resorts that ban and prohibit use of 'their' beaches), and island except for one of its entire sides has no beaches at all but rocky impassible outcrops, a rubbish problem that sees an almost constant stink of piled up refuse on the roadsides.

I last went two years ago and am hoping to go In January or February from Australia. Hotel prices look good for middle of high season. 

I tend to stay at one of the hotels on the beach and, all or most of the beaches are accessible, though I take your points that at some spots at say Klong Prao it's not easy.

In terms of pollution I disagree. Yes you do get a bit of rubbish sometimes on the beach, especially in one section of Khlong Prao, but otherwise it's pretty good. Sadly a bit of rubbish on the beach is the way of most if not all Asian beaches but on many beaches on Koh Chang I see little if any rubbish. Compare it to many Phuket beaches and it's usually much cleaner and the water is better. 

The rubbish on the roadside I only noticed as you go towards Lonely beach at one point but that was a long time ago.  

In summary for beautiful beaches with outlooks to stunning hills and mountains it's hard to beat in Thailand. 

22 hours ago, VincentRJ said:

I have no doubt that climate change is real. However, the 'myth' that has been created  is that the climate in its natural state is relatively benign and that our emissions of C02 will cause the climate to become, on average, catastrophic for mankind and other species, and that we can make the climate relatively benign again, as it's supposed to be, by reducing our CO2 emissions.

 

This myth relies upon the obscuring or under-reporting of the history of past climate changes and the history of extreme weather events. For example, in the science of Geology, it is well-established that sea levels around 20,000 years ago, during the last Glacial Maximum (often called the Ice Age) were on average around 120 metres lower than today.

 

Doing some basic maths, 120 metres is 120,000 mm. Divide that by 20,000 and you get 6 mm. In other words, the average rate of sea-level rise during the past 20,000 years has been 6 mm per year. However, the average rate of sea-level rise since the beginning of the industrial revolution is claimed (by the alarmists) to be around 1.9 to 2 mm per year, with some recent rises as high as 3 mm per year, which appears to be very worrying for those who subscribe to the new religion. ????
 

It may be true but I don't think it's helpful to talk about averages in this case given that it appears the temperature has varied up and down significantly in the intervening period and this was at a time of relatively few people that  could be affected.  Those that were there were more likely nomadic or just died - in the heat or the cold.  It appears the latest climate change is significant and the effect in a hugely populated world, if trends continue, could be catastrophic. 

I can see why some might compare this alarmism to a need to believe in a sort of God inspired armageddon but I have some faith that 99 per cent of scientists are not part of a conspiracy to control the world or make money and that action is required.

There's been a fascinating change in Australia where Rupert Murdoch owned media has done an about face and become climate action believer from strong denier. Let's see the latest in the upcoming meetings in Scotland. 

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Indeed we had it great, except for one fly in the proverbial ointment, we also saw woman become able to take our houses off us with the full blessing of the law. I lost my golden egg to an undeserving woman.

Not all baby boomers benefitted, or should I say that the ( ex ) wives did at the husband's expense.

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

But for the first time in history our wives could take all that from us.

I'll state the  obvious and note that in previous times it was unfair because women got nothing..in fact in some cases they were part of man's property. You are right though that , in an effort to balance the scale, they have got it wrong sometimes. Hard to see though why the women would be given more than half unless there were young kids in the mother's care. Maybe it's complicated if there's a house.

I saw you are with a bit of a hotty now Britman so a silver lining and all that. 

58 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I have seen 2 grand finals and still am confused about the rules. 

Actually the last one, 3 or 4 years ago, I was told that no one could be sent off, no matter what they did! 

Correct .. but if you do do something bad, particularly in the grand final,  you could be out for the next 10 games, 20,  or whole season. But you can finish that game and hold up the trophy..

I think Australian Rules football makes the most sense. Pick it up and kick or hand pass back, forward, wherever, catch it, it is the best game. 

For the climate change, and taking action on covid, skeptics - to me you are like religious types, who stick with a certain premise, and work from there. Clearly the scientific evidence is that climate change is real and having significant effects and that the effect of covid required significant action to limit deaths. 

By all means differ on the action required, or what you are willing to put up with, but the science is in. If you are a good scientist, who can come up with the facts against the status quo, sure ... it might be a bit difficult, but there are enough good and smart people to change the scientific premise, if appropriate. Most who deny the above are not scientists but tedious media commentators and similar, with their own nonscientific agenda, in my opinion.

I get one for work and my only observation is that I have had it for about 8 years and still working well so that's something. I use it as a hot spot for internet for my computer for work and for television and it works well. 

16 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Yeah! Have heard such nice things abt Melbourne... wonder how many places have been forced out of business... and you are skinny? yeah yeah!!.. though i have found that most skinny people are pretty neurotic... nervous people.. and rather annoying but I guess it keeps the metabolism kicking better than contentment.. 

Melbourne is nice but has a 4 month winter. Today lovely and 23. Government support meant difficult for some businesses but most have stayed open. No more lockdowns from here on in. Economy did better than Thailand. 

1 hour ago, 1FinickyOne said:

and you think fat is a type of crazy?

I have spent probably 16 or 17 of that 19 months literally locked down in my house in Melbourne Australia the most locked down city in the world.  

The point being not many options for women in any case. Been with her for 10 years and happy to have been so. 

As it happens, given vaccination rates, today is the last day of full lockdown though thankfully I can still work from home so if I can just bring her here or go there I am a happy man.

2 hours ago, WEBBYB808 said:

You really think she has waited two years?

I am sure there are many who can't resist the WEBBYB808 charms, or similar,  but my girl is different.