Fat is a type of crazy

2 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Perhaps a distinction should be made about false ego and true ego, or desire and will, if you prefer... but I seem to remember that you've branded spiritual science as " bad science " a couple of times,  so.. 

I concur definitions are difficult. Detachment from desire may be admirable but how to do it without tying yourself in knots or separating yourself from any form of stimulation. Will can be the same -  a will to survive could be helpful but will can become stubborn resistance to reality. 

Fighting the above? Will to defeat will. A desire to usurp desire. As you say there may be good and bad of each and it comes down to some more key idea - could be honesty. 

I still don't know what spiritual science is. I get exploring the body and seeing what makes us tick but I think it is bad science if there are conclusions that there is a spiritual world but there is no testing to back that up.  If someone thinks there may be that's fine.

3 hours ago, Sunmaster said:

The way I see it, the connection is always present, for everyone. I was made aware of this in an unexpected and breathtaking manner during the spontaneous kundalini awakening I had 23 years ago. What prevents me (and most others) to be fully aware of this connection on a daily basis though, is the deep seated attachment to the ego. Its very existence depends on the illusion that we are separate from everything else. The "I" (ego) can only exist if there is a "you" (the world) as well. 

To re-establish that connection and make it a lived reality is central in my life, and the detachment from the ego is the key to realize it.

No need to detach from ego in my opinion. Ego to me is a  belief in yourself. 

My approach is to go with the flow .. sometimes I think I am a bit special ..sometimes I realise I am clearly not. 

It comes back to my feeling that trying in these matters is often a failure because you are just pitting one part of yourself against the other. 

4 hours ago, vangrop said:

They close it with pleasure less maintenance work. You know Corona is a gods gift for all those people hiding behind it as excuse to perform as less as possible. Especially among civil servants.

Most public servants have to work harder or smarter than ever helping people get through covid - health, taxation and government assistance, immigration control etc. 

Almond milk is often 2 per cent almonds. Just eat a few almonds. So much water used in California for them - stop them and people probably don't need restrictions in Summer

Milk was a lot cheaper than Soy Milk in Australia. Lately though Coles has a cheap one that is pretty good so it's about the same price. Have a bit of both. Cows in Australia and New Zealand have better food and better treatment than elsewhere but still not fun to be a cow

The different states of mind on psylocibin are really interesting in terms of working out how  consciousness works and what makes us us. 

I know those who took mushrooms and the short term effects of feeling like it was significant and seeing strange things.  I am guessing its not good for some people. 

Some might have considered it a link to a different world but given it is, by definition, actual chemicals affecting body chemistry, it is probably a link to other parts of our own self, and the basis for a stronger argument that there is no god rather than that there is a god . 

15 minutes ago, Tanomazu said:

Exercise is mindnumbingly boring though, you have to admit. I mean how tedious to run on a treadmill like a hamster, or even to go jogging in the same places time and time and time again. To say nothing of weightlifting, 3 or 4 sets of the same over and over and over and over again. Of course I excercise, we all have to do it, but boy is it tedious.

 

Of course dieting is even worse, to deprive yourself delicious ice-cream or other things that you would enjoy. Is there anything less joyous than a bodybuilder's diet? Just awful.

 

Or to go full on nutcracker and go vegan or some such.  How boring are Vegetarian's diet. Horrible. You can take things too far.

I think it can come down to if you feel you are succeeding or not. If you can keep progressing or at least maintain where you are at  it can make you feel good.  I am surprised how many need personal trainers at the gym. Just get on with it. Don't expect amazing results - just maintenance is fine. 

I am in lockdown here which means the gym is closed so I am going running in the local hills and some other stuff - better than nothing. 

Find something fun. The gym had these ebikes where you could compete with other people in other countries. That was fun - whether it was to get to the top 1000 or top 100 or no 1 in the world. I got in the top 100 or so for speed in some things but got to no 1 in one game for a while and it was fun. Less people played it but still fun. So if you have the dough or a good gym I recommend it. My gym stopped supporting the bikes and that was that. 

18 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Ah, the Chinese model then? Government knows best.

Not for me, or anyone I know. Sadly though, a lot of sheeple around.

The reality is cameras and controls and such are active  in many countries but by far worst in China where, on the one hand you have people of certain faiths locked up, and on the other hand each person is rated as to if they are a good citizen - down to how much alcohol they buy. Horrifying. 1984. That's my point and  it is hoped tough decisions are made to curb those controls. 

4 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO the problem is that politicians don't solve problems. IMO they create more problems.

I can't think of anything they have done that made my life better, though I can think of many things they have done that made my life worse.

No decisions. Would you prefer a government that does nothing - no public transport, roads, health care, schools, protection of forests, support payments, trade deals. Just each to their own. I bet you benefit from more decisions than you lose from - particularly in New Zealand.  

10 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Covid deaths 915 in 20 months. Road deaths 1142 in 12 months.

 

Explain the lockdown theory?

 

It defies any logic. They dont ban cars.

Lockdowns have bad outcomes. Correct.

How about no lockdowns. 10's of 1000's of cases a day and lot's of deaths. 

Australian and New Zealand outcome up to 31 December 2020 or US outcome. I'll take Australia. After that US has done better and us not so much.

Your example of death comparisons would make sense if there is low deaths and no lockdowns - in a sense the low death figures are making a case for lockdown. 

4 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

0.02% under 50yos. Why are they locked down?

Not sure. Because people get sick too and not only die. Because they pass it on to others. Because with a low rate, but with lots of cases, still a lot of deaths. Couldn't find the source on higher rate - just that it is too soon to tell- so disregard that. I did note that before. 

12 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Channel 9 news? Oh dear.

 

The official data on delta is its milder. 0.3%.

 

 

I think that 0.3 figure was from ABC news three weeks ago and Channel 9 news told me it is higher now. Didn't note the source. But the figure in the US IS 623 deaths and around 14500 cases two weeks before so a low rate, in this case a rough estimate of 0.4 sounds low, but it can result in a lot of deaths given the high infection rate. That's in a country where the majority have had needles.

Just now, Sparktrader said:

Nonsense. Most are angry with lockdowns. The delta strain is milder. Plus 99% of cases overall mild according to who. People are being ruined for nothing while pollies get pay rises.

..and public servants so I am OK. The Delta seems to be more transmissable and I am hearing mixed things about it's strength. Tonight I saw that it is worse. Channel 9 news so must be true. A lot of people are not happy and I can understand that but the majority support the lockdowns. The lockdowns are bad but the option of just keeping going just leads to a Thailand situation. The needles are coming. 

49 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Australia has done disastrously with covid! It's a nightmare of government incompetence, corruption  , anti vax propaganda, no vax roll out, chaotic off and on lockdowns, insane zero covid policy..People can't return...people can't get out! Police have suppressed dissent....

They have done a bad job of getting the needles out, and for hotel quarantine in the past, but few deaths and cases.

Sydney waited a bit recently before lockdown, as you might prefer, and cases went from 10 to 100 a day and that would have become 1000 and up and up so what to do..

Melbourne took fast action and kept it at 10 a day ...

If you can get cases low it seems good to keep them low. You might prefer a US and UK approach, before the needles, but I don't. 

 I have a work from home job - people with some small businesses e.g. catering, cafes etc  are taking the brunt - it is tough. Many businesses do OK with support.

No corruption  that I am aware of - the odd sportsmen getting special treatment and  businesses accessing support funds they shouldn't.  

Not sure that anti needle stuff is significant in Australia - much smaller in size than say US or UK. 

People could come in more easily if we had a decent quarantine facility but hotel quarantine keeps getting breached. As I said people can leave if they can show they'll stay out for a bit.

Police just stop people who break the lockdown rules  ..same Thailand ..make of that what you will..

I sense most Australians are somewhat OK with it, see the sense in it, but they need to get the needles out there fast

Delete

Judy   Lost in Space

41 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

He paid 40k for it a month go ($1200 USD). Or 4 months salary for your average Thai

I assumed it was the bike he'd been riding around on so I stand corrected. I don't like to see something working being blown up for no reason either.. 

I just sense the reality is he had probably planned in advance to destroy the bike at the end of the trip, got some work for some Thai demolition people, has spent a decent amount of money in Thailand, but could have seen it was a silly thing to do. 

In practical terms though he blew up his own cheap bike and not a rice factory or something. 

59 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

"an error of judgment" Please!

That video wasn't something that just happend. It was planned and it took for sure several hours to film it. And then some more time to edit it. At any time of that process he could have though another time: Is that really a good idea? Should I do that? He obviously decided he wants to film it and publish it.

 

It needs a certain kind of brain to get such an idea and execute it. That wasn't a momentarily misjudgment. He shows his character. I hope Thailand deports him and I don't care for which reason. 

He spent money on filming a youtube stunt by blowing up his motorbike. A bit silly, a bit contrived  and unoriginal, and not sensitive to what is going on in Thailand. Keep in mind  it was a  second hand bike with lots of kilometres.

Past videos, as I have noted, have been OK. Showing him on the road, going to interesting places, and talking to people using their interesting cars as a discussion point. I have watched I think three 20 minute videos in total.  

I think that are a lot of people spending money on stuff when they could be helping poor people in Thailand. Me. You. Youtubers spending money on drones and cameras etc. The fact that he went to elaborate measures to blow up his own bike is not cool but my own take is I look at his body of work and say - he's not that bad and worse things happen at sea. 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

First time I've heard of him.

Last time I'll be watching him.

But he obviously has his audience.

If you want to pass judgement no problem. I am not a fan but some of his videos were pretty good i.e. staying in Koh Chang and on his bike to Lam Singh beach and then to Pattaya. Nothing to serious and nothing amazing but not bad. People jump on this last video, an error of judgement, and decide he's the worst thing since the last worst thing.

Just says something about peoples rush to judgement in general in my opinion. 

1 hour ago, tonray said:

I watched some of his channel when he first showed up but it quickly became evident that the channel had little to do with Thailand but was more him showcasing his foolish behavior in Thailand.

Not sure what about my post confused you. If you did watch the post you'll see he was offering to hand  out 1000 baht to people to destroy his bike and I gave an example where he did something similar.

I feel people here feel a sense of ownership over Thailand and when someone comes and just documents his fun they get upset. Most times he is respectful to the people he meets though he is a bit abrupt and a bit of a doofus sometimes. But I feel he is being himself and not trying to educate about Thailand but have some fun. 

He tries a bit hard but some  of his stuff is OK.  A bit stupid but just trying to end the bike tour with a bang. 

He did have a different one where he got two kids, one much larger than the other,  to race for a 1000 baht.. tough on the little kid who was doomed to lose but they gave him a few 100.

I prefer this to those who just show off their boring beautiful food and lifestyle, or tour around and do the same boring stuff, or just complain about this and that. 

The whole American political process thing through me a bit in terms of what people in Western countries are willing to accept. China is a big concern and climate change too.

Last 50 years poverty is way down around the world and the internet  lets people with half a brain around the world find the truth. Religion much weaker  in the west though still strong. The waterways, air in cities, and other pollution had been worse in western countries 100 years ago. Medicine has made huge bounds. The normal western job in 2021 is much easier  than in 1921 .

So next 100 years hopefully more of what has happened in Western democracies in other countries, more new technologies, less reliance on faith, and some tough decisions made about how to balance freedom of the people with safety of the people. 

41 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Oh--"might," so better not try. Up 2 u. In fact, though, the evidence suggests precisely the opposite. Sorry. Me, I'd find living just to chase docs, meds, surgeries, and hospital appts pretty boring. Hate wasting time and money on them, too.????

I would like to see something that says those that have a small amount of chocolate, ice cream and beer, and exercise, leads to those things i.e. that those who have none fair much better than those that have a bit.

My two cents talking pre 2020 life there: 

Asking about power cut outs and water suggests you think it is a tropical natural paradise - not really - there are nice parts but it is busy, lots of cars with big new underpasses and highways and byways. People are nice but no one thinks Westerners are special and not the best place for Thai culture;

Don't think Kamala or Rawai are special.  Karon and Kata are beautiful beaches;

Patong is busy with traffic  and a bit horrible but kind of fun and the beach is covered in jet skis and boats. You could find somewhere to stay there that is not so busy and has the stuff you need;

Goodish food options but nothing like where you are of course;

More expensive than other parts - there is nice accommodation throughout the island if you are happy to pay ;

Phuket town is charming in some parts. Nice old buildings and good food etc. 30 minutes or so from a beach; 

No or little air pollution;

Public transport is a pain and taxis a bit expensive but its not that big of a deal. The only scam I came across was poms trying to sell time share  .. turned the table.. got free accommodation for two separate weeks and said no thanks

I am looking to retire in the next 4 years and Phuket is a contender but it does seems a bit busy and brash so not sure