Fat is a type of crazy

20 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Several thousand Australian tourists are currently stranded in S. E. Asia, including in Thailand, because half of Jetstar's fleet is grounded.

One Brit who buys a dirt-cheap special holiday, with apparently little financial backup, becomes headline news on AseanNow because his flight also gets cancelled.

Not much doubt about for whom this forum is now aimed, despite the pretense of it being for all foreigners in the ASEAN region.

Made big news in Australia. Too many maintenance cuts to Qantas and Jetstar it seems. People taking sick leave. Low unemployment so hard to replace. My flights 2 months ago were 3 and 6 hours late. They have to be careful because people can only take so much before they give up on the cheaper tickets. I did book a cheapie though for next May for $350 return to Phuket to get rid of some vouchers. Hope they get their act together by then.  

53 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Even more people laughing after that. 

Cringe a bit sometimes. Not sure what there is to laugh at.  What are you laughing at exactly?

The President is a figure head of course. Many youthful smart people around him to get things done. I think the key point is all of us, though we may be reasonably intelligent, struggle to eloquently express ourselves sometimes. A person who is eloquent is more likely to be intelligent. But being intelligent doesn't mean you are necessarily eloquent in the same proportion. Might mean you are a bit old, slower, but still intelligent. Still able to effectively delegate. Not many Obama's or Clinton's around but he can be judged on what he achieves which I think is pretty impressive and you no doubt don't.

8 minutes ago, giddyup said:

So, you think if I call about 5am local time it might be easier? I'm tearing my hair out trying to actually speak to someone, it's the only way to deal with my transaction.

Do you call using their international number?

I am in Melbourne. I have had the same experience as you if I call later in the day and particularly at night.  I would say between 7 and 9 which is 4 to 6 your time.

If that doesn't work I find if you pick an option that suggests you want to open an account they'll put you ahead of people who just have an enquiry - but the staff member will still be able to help. Worked with Jetstar too last week when I had a question about vouchers and couldn't get through, in fact the line dropped out, but then said I was buying a ticket and got through fast.  

I have my main accounts with ANZ. Often the big banks are hard to get through but I find if you call between 8 or 9 in the morning Australian time there's a fair few staff but not so many callers.

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Credibility with whom? I don't know anyone that doesn't want her gone next year.

It seems like she was a bit more popular back when she gave that speech than she is now.

22 hours ago, huangnon said:

She is a member of the WEF. This is her page on their website: https://www.weforum.org/people/jacinda-ardern

 

It's a conspiracy in plain view. If you don't know about this organization, maybe you've heard about their "Great Reset"? Watered down as "build back better", and other terms.

This is a famous pic from their website, and basically outlines their mission statement:

 

 

 

It's reasonable to be a bit suspicious of such a group that is funded by large corporations and other wealthy donors, and who meet once a year in a beautiful town like Davos, to pontificate about the future of the world.  

On the other hand, the problem in life can be that those who try to do something BIG, make big changes and talk in terms of big ideas, can be fodder for conspiracy theories when the intentions may not be conspiratorial or negative.

The Great Reset seems to be about finding new ideas to rethink the way things are done post covid. The term sounds bad but the idea makes sense.  Build back better was of course Biden's policies to deal with climate change etc. 

The catchphrase you quote was from a 2016 talk by a Danish politician, predicting life in 2030, where the message was 'all products will become services' and the full quote is 'You'll own nothing and you'll be happy. Whatever you want you'll rent and it'll be delivered by a drone.'

That prediction has some truth with all sorts of rental sharing sites etc appearing for things such as clothes to homes to cars. Ideas with merit can be distorted.

As far as Jacinta Adern's involvement I couldn't see much except a strong speech on Climate change in 2019 along with David Attenborough. They probably like having her associated with them as she has some credibility. Keep in mind she is a Labour politician which is akin to the left of the American democrats - hardly a close friend of large corporations in the bigger picture.  

Best to keep an open mind on these things. 

15 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Beer, Wine , Crisps , Toothpaste , Chocolate , Biscuits ,Pickled Onions , Cheese , Cashew nuts , 

Correct. I love my chocolate, nuts, good muesli, a wine from time to time, a good beer all probably more expensive in Thailand. 

I would rather be a tradesman in New Zealand or Australia on a safe work site earning excellent dollars but paying a bit more for a takeaway. For a Thai tradesman beer and food is a much bigger chunk of your wage.

That New Zealand takeaway would generally have much better ingredients but may not be genuine thai because it's not Thailand. Much of the sugary and salty muck they serve in Thailand isn't so genuine either.

A factor on my holidays in Thailand is price of accommodation as hotels are better bang for your buck.

If weight is a factor, fat women in Australia aren't that common by what I see, and Thai women are probably moving up the charts in terms of weight bit by bit. 

20 minutes ago, huangnon said:

Ardern is another of those World Economic Forum "young leaders" (same as Macron, Trudeau, Rutte, etc) inserted into Government to do the bidding of corporations, and <deleted> their people over. They're doing a great job.

OK. Some world conspiracy? What is the evidence of her working on behalf of corporations? Lockdowns?

Being a sheep is only for sheep 

Only For Sheep - The Bureau - YouTube

Dealing with differences between people in life is a pleasure and a pain. Familiarity, having a common mindset and spirit with our fellow man, are things we all like to different extents.

If a family from country x moved into your street you likely would not care. If the majority of the street and the local shops suddenly came from Country X you might feel a level of discomfort.

Not due to a perception of the inferiority of those people, but because of a lack of familiarity and a genuine difference in the habits, customs, religions, the unfamiliar atmosphere, even smells, which comes from the lifestyle of the new people. 

If you logged into Aseannow and found suddenly half the members were from Country X, a culture unfamiliar to you, you might resile from it.

Is this racism yet? When does it become racism? 

The issue is often though that the above scenario is not realistic and is often based on an inability to see the big picture.  In reality new immigrants are not hordes, changing the culture irreconcilably, but humans in small numbers relative to the population, who often, over time, take on the existing culture, add to it, work hard, and benefit the country as a whole. 

Big business loves immigrants - more people to compete for jobs, keep wages down, and push demand for their goods and services. Genuine good faith discussions about the downside of population growth, and changes to a culture and lifestyle that result, do not have to be based on prejudice and ignorance.

That last sentence can sound like racism but unless you agree with totally open borders, we can all agree, but to different extents.   

The discussion though can so easily slide into actual racism where we become lazy and stop thinking objectively and are happy to assume, for example, cliches about a people, exaggerating their impact on a society, and willingly assuming that individual bad stories are indicative of the reality of life for the country as a whole.

55 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Hmm, I've lived in a couple of the mega cities, Shanghai, Taipei, and although Singapore doesn't hit the list the whole island is simply one city, and not sure looking back they are the best places to live.

 

Now I am not trying to defend Des Moines, I've been there, but size isn't everything.

 

Sometimes a smaller city, you can just kinda feel more at home.

 

I look back fondly at the time I spent in all those places, but that was then and now I'm much more comfortable in a small city where i know my neighbors and there is just less pressure.

 

We went to one of my other locations, San Diego where my youngest daughter still lives.

 

Showing my wife around my old haunts it just struck me I couldn't deal with the people or the traffic anymore.

We went to visit some old friends in Rancho Bernardo just north of San Diego where I used to work.

Coming over the hill on I-15 past Miramar (think Top Gun) it struck me 8 lanes of traffic going south into the city, all crawling, nah I'm done with it.

 

We now live in sedate Rapid City SD, where 5 cars at a stop light is enough to trigger a 'red' on google maps!

 

As for the OP, why would anyone want to try to hide their nationality in an online forum? Nobody knows you, I don't think you need to prove anything.

 

Now if I was a call center operative in Bangalore, maybe trying to pass myself off as 'Kevin' might make sense!

 

I was just dispelling the myth that Australia is basically rural with farmers as far as the eye can see. He is probably just having a laugh. 

Des Moines and Iowa sound charming and a nice place to go.

Most Australians live in cities much bigger than most US cities. 

I liked San Diego - it didn't seem that big back then in 93 but it's been a while.

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You seem to be listing authors more famous in Australia, a country of only 27 million. 

 

Did you expect that the world might know so much about a country with only 27 million inhabitants, so far south of the equator, when Shanghai is above the equator, and has 26 million highly educated people people, with a high literacy rate, high IQ, and a maglev train from the airport to the city? 

 

Also, Shanghai people are world-renowned bankers and sophisticates. 

 

Therefore, have you read and enjoyed the Dream of the Red Chamber? 

 

One thing you cannot deny, my friend, is that, in China, and in other places around the world, great books were written even before anyone downunder knew how to spell the word, billibong. 

 

As I have steadfastly maintained, Aussies are extremely nice people, similar to people you might find in Iowa, except Aussies know how to sail, too. 

 

If I had my druthers, I would love to live where you live. 

 

And so, I sometimes wonder why you guys are so very anxious to leave and come here. 

 

Is it that you are getting bored and lonely down there? 

 

Are you worried that the world keeps passing you by? 

 

You shouldn't worry because it's your very isolation from the world, and your anachronisms, that we love. 

 

Not to mention, your very dry humor. We, in America, dote on your refined and dry humor. 

I take a little bit of umbrage at the comparison with Iowa which I think of as sort of a generic middle of America farming 'nothing much' state. The biggest city in Iowa is Des Moines with around 200,000. The population of Melbourne and Sydney would put it at no 2 and 3 in the list of populous United States cities only behind New York. The difference with Australia is the space in between.

I have sometimes thought how odd a forum like this is in terms of never seeing or hearing the voice of participants.

We may laugh with disdain if we saw and heard some of the more aggressive members while others might be surprisingly sophisticated or macho or whatever. 

I sometimes think you are a wannabe Englishmen. Evelyn Waugh or Kingsley Amis may be role models. 

Jetstar's isn't the classiest airline to book but it's one of few that fly direct Melbourne and Sydney  to Phuket.

Sale on now  - booked a return next year for $330. Not bad. Tickets in October to January this year though are going for $2000 bucks due to pent up demand and everyone having Jetstar vouchers to get rid of.

You pay extra to pick your seat so it should've been clear cut who had what seat.

11 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Very agreeable post, which i quote entirely. 

But, but, the fear to offend or being offended should not deter us from discussing the things which really matter.

 

As in Plato's cave metaphor, the ones who have seen the light, have a moral duty to try to wake up the ones who are in the darkness, even if aware of the disbelief and scorn and hostility which they are going to meet. 

 

I take your point. I think in some ways it's best to leave this topic to those who have an opinion about what god is - rather than those who dissect the opinions and outlooks of the believers. I hereby retire from this topic and leave it to those who have something godly or spiritual to say, as pushing back on such ideas based on my idea of logic, doesn't seem to be useful. 

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

Well folks, I've just fallen off the fence.

I was raised a Catholic and it didn't take me long to perceive the many fallacies of religion.  For instance, God is everywhere and within everything.  Which means God is in hell as well.  Or the fact that one could be a heinous murderer, repent, accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour, and get his golden pass at the pearly gates.  Yet some poor indigenous African who has no knowledge of Christ and the Christian God would go to hell for the mere transgression of not knowing of their existence.  Or eternal damnation to hell and any hope for redemption gone for eternity as well.  Does anyone have any idea how long eternity is?  Or Heaven as a final resting place.  For all eternity, too.  Imagine a place of pure perfection.  No further growth is possible.  You've reached the top rung of the ladder and there's no place else to go.  There's nothing to learn any longer since all is known.  No more challenges in one's existence as you win at any game all of the time.  (Not sure how that works if you're playing against an opponent - do both win?)  Any state of perfection is the true definition of death.  And there is no such thing.

Science, I've learned, holds as many or more . . . I think more . . . fallacious ideas than even religion.  While I credit religion with at least providing the world with some decent values and worthy personal traits to aspire to science on the other hand offers a dead universe.  Morals don't exist as those come out of the untrustworthy subjective mind so anything goes.  The only goal of science is to harness and control the entirety of existence.  Which is a scary thought to put that kind of power in the hands of people when those same people are making an absolute mess of the world.

 

Don't get me wrong.  Both religion and science have tremendous value.  But as far as providing comprehensive explanations, not so much.

So where else to find answers to who and what we are and what this reality truly is and how it works?  How about the people themselves?  Advice from family, friends, teachers, coworkers, professors, scientists, physicians?  Bar girls?  I've heard every theory of life imaginable from people.  Most make no sense and their logic holds no water.  Theories from the downright bizarre to fairly rationale ideas but faulty when the surface is scratched.

As I listened to what people believe throughout life I find that most of it is jumbled, there's little to no cohesion, much of it is outright contradictory (you know, when you believe one thing under one circumstance and it's polar opposite in another circumstance), for certain it lacks comprehensiveness (meaning it doesn't try to fit everything together to cover every imaginable aspect of existence . . . just a bunch of bits and pieces which don't fit together as a whole), a great portion of beliefs aren't even beneficial to the individual . . . in fact many are exceedingly detrimental - but who cares, so many beliefs which are irreconcilable, and I could go on.

Now the funniest part, to me, as I've gone through life talking with all sorts of people from diverse backgrounds is that during an exchange of ideas where I attempt to introduce new thought or ideas most look at me cross eyed as if I've just been released from Bedlam.  Yet when I look at some of the beliefs being expressed, and defended to the death when challenged despite their detriment, I'm the one then looking cross eyed when I consider that most of the beliefs are as I described above.  How is it possible that ideas which hold logic, are sensible, fit together, are comprehensive get laughed at and worse while the most bizarre ideas are readily accepted as the norm by most?  Beats me.  My brother once quipped, "I'd rather be sane and thought of as insane than to be insane only so that I would be thought of as sane."  I found that to be good advice.

My search for answers has not been in vain, though.  To the contrary, it's been extremely successful.  Not that I could ever convince anyone of the fact even if I wanted to.  I've come to the conclusion that most of the discussion here is with folks who, while extremely intelligent, have zero desire to know anything more than what they currently know.  Not all, I'll add.  And so there's no point in attempting to move an immovable object.  Belief is easy enough to change.  Conviction of a belief, on the other hand, is the immovable object.  Besides, most are quite satisfied with the extent of their knowing.  And in the end that's all that matters, right?

So with that, au revoir.

 

This post is not a direct reply but a broader comment on the discussion. If someone is trying to explain something quite detailed and those who reply are a bit critical with the same old science and proof arguments - I can imagine it can seem a bit pointless. An artist might have a discussion with a scientist but get bored or frustrated if the scientist kept bringing it back to methodical questions rather than giving new ideas a chance to resonate and develop.

If, though, the artist makes definitive claims such as 'I am 100 per cent free' that sets off a defensive mechanism in the scientific mind and raises issues that need a response such as how is it being defined and what are the implications of such freedom.  If someone said something like  'I feel my beliefs are leading me on a path towards freedom and I get insights that sometimes feel like actual freedom' that doesn't need follow up as it's more talking about an experience rather than a definitive fact. 

It's the same with a discussion of science. If someone says 'I appreciate scientific method but life is short and I feel what I am experiencing is real and here it is ..' that's fine in my opinion and the discussion doesn't have to go to proof. If  someone though comes across as  too defensive to the point of saying science is wrong, a definitive statement, or making statements about the application of science that can seem wrong, not to  push back can feel like logic losing to faith.  

Criticism of scientists, or where scientific discovery is leading, or whether the lack of a formal morality to counter science may lead to bad things are fair points to raise but..again..if it's couched in definitive black and white terms I feel the achievements and benefits of science, and the shortcomings of alternative forms of morality and or of ways of finding the reality of life, can be raised as a counterpoint.  

52 minutes ago, placeholder said:

It should also be noted that Republicans starved the IRS of funding for years. Not only the investigators but also those who took calls and answered questions. The point being to make people hate the IRS. So a lot of this funding isn't going towards making the IRS bigger and better than ever. It's going to restore it to what it once was. And with what's left over, go after the wealthy who are believed to have taken advantage of the lax enforcement not just to avoid taxes, but to evade them.

The $80 billion figure does make it way bigger than it has been for at least generations. This article from 2018 shows funding had been cut in the 90's but reached a dollar peak of $14 billion in 2012 and then slowly reduced to 12 billion in 2018. In 2021 it was 12.6 billion. 

How the IRS Was Gutted — ProPublica

Biden is adding $80 billion over a number of years  - unless I am misinterpreting this, that is by any measure a huge increase that can revolutionise the department, and if well spent is much needed.

1 hour ago, KanchanaburiGuy said:

Trump's tax cut benefited the people who pay an overwhelming share of income taxes.

 

The people who received little or no benefit from Trump's tax cuts........... got their benefits beforehand.......... by already having to pay little or no income tax!

 

----------------

 

There's really no comparison between Trump's Tax Cut and Biden's Student Loan Debt Relief. They are very different things reflecting entirely different circumstamces.

 

Sure, there are things that CAN BE compared......... but they really shouldn't be!

 

--------------

 

Here's a more accurate thing to compare..........

 

People owe taxes and don't pay them. Penalties and Interest get added, so the number gets larger. But the people still don't pay.

 

Time passes and the number keeps getting larger.

 

These are what are known as  "Tax Cheats."

 

Every once in a while, the IRS will give "Tax Cheats" an opportunity to get out from under. They'll offer a program wherein if you pay off a smaller amount right away....... (sometimes 80% less!)....... they will clear your books. They call this "Tax Relief," I believe.

 

It is basically an amnesty program that allows them to collect SOME money.......... and eliminates the costs associated with having to keep chasing after these "Cheats."

 

If you want to compare something related to taxes to Studen Debt Relief........... THIS is the thing to compare.

 

Deadbeats not paying what they owe........... then getting rewarded for it!

 

Tax deadbeats..........

vs........

Student Loan deadbeats!

 

Those two circumstances are truly worthy of comparison.......... not.......... Trump's Tax Cuts vs Biden's Student Debt Relief!

 

Cheers!

 

 

The term tax cheats would more commonly be used to those who evade tax in the first place but  those not paying their debts are a big problem too. The third big problem is existing loopholes such that many corporations, and those who can afford the best advice, can find offshore and other solutions to  pay a lower marginal rate of tax that many average wage earners. 

All three problems can be helped by beefing up and funding the IRS with 1. smart well paid staff to increase audits at all levels but mainly at the top, 2. tax specialists who can identify loopholes and propose a fairer tax code, and 3. IT specialists and new computer systems that can increase the current poor technology to better data match and to identify evasion and find those who can pay their debts and choose not to. 

Biden's new funding of the IRS with an additional $80 billion can help this happen. If done correctly  it should bring in additional taxes of multiples of this. 

4 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Like most people I was brought up a product of my peers and their prejudices. By age 17 I was decidedly anti-racist. Where I came from has the highest indigenous population in Australia and the white population was and still is quite racist. I started travelling at an early age and can honestly say I have never had a shred of a racist attitude toward any race or nationality. I briefly studied sociology and anthropology at uni because I was interested in the curriculum until I realised there was no money in it as a career. Am I prejudiced against far right wingers, you bet, like all extremists. That said, there are far more right wing extremists than left. The domestic terrorism stats in any country support this conclusion in my mind. I'm very much a data driven type of person.

I am anti racist .. but still a little bit racist from time to time. I mean in thought not in deed. 

News Flash: People can often be annoying and I might generalise when I shouldn't. Happy to here you don't.

Having said that, probably all cultures have certain common, but not all encompassing, annoying characteristics. I think you like Bill Maher - he's got his controversial views on aspects of Muslim culture but not Muslims themselves. The line between racism and cultural or religious profiling on the one hand, and making realistic observations about characteristics held by a higher percentage of people within a particular culture compared to a different culture, is problematic and fraught with difficulties. 

You say you are prejudiced against right wingers - don't you mean you disagree with their ideas and the application of the ideas. That's not prejudice unless you are making unfair generalisations. I think it tends to become prejudice when it gets personal, and you sense it can  affect your way of life, making you defensive and more likely to make assumptions about many when the problem may be with the few. 

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

There's no humor in racism.

There is though in terms of the situation rather than in the targeting or humiliation  of an individual by a racist joke. 

In reality we are all a little bit racist and everything -ist when it comes to those who are different, or perceived to be different, from us. We are all learning, become frustrated by others, sometimes justified sometimes not. 

I bet you have thoughts that are -ist against a range of types of people that are different. Maybe you are prejudiced against people of a particular political persuasion. A bit.

The humour is in two different people finding common ground and coming to terms with differences. Because there is likely to be common ground. There is also likely to be ongoing differences based on race, sexuality, whatever. 

Come on Gamma. Don't judge us by those who go to an Andre Rieu concert. That would be like judging Americans on those who attend a... Andre Rieu concert. We have some good comedians, and hold our end up given our lower population, as we do for sports and acting. 

Australians in general have a good sense of humour - it's shown in the way we don't take ourselves too seriously or think we are no 1, and as such, are less likely to think we are so important to need extreme ways to show patriotism and power. 

We do have riverboats in my state - they are a bit smaller though.