Fat is a type of crazy

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

2 hours ago, Sunmaster said:

I agree to a certain point. 
Wouldn't you agree that a truth in 2D (to stay with the current analogy) is true, but that seen from 3D becomes only a partial truth? A science exploring 2D might be correct and true in that dimension/reality, but if you step up to 3D you would need a science that goes beyond 2D and takes into account 3D as well. 
Our current science paradigm is not able to take into account spiritual realities, apart from their physical manifestations. Do you think it would be possible to evolve this paradigm to include those realities as well? 

I recall Carl Sagan in Cosmos using the 2D and 3D analogy. 

Science has no bounds as to what could be but bit by bit hopefully gets closer to the truth e.g. dark matter or what happens inside a black hole or some other yet to be found concept e.g. such as a form of spirituality. Testing is shining a light towards the likely truth. In the example above  they don't just feel the trunk of the elephant - they do tests to see if it is just a trunk, an elephant, or something else or just an illusion.

From a different outlook, e.g. inside a black hole or through some spiritual experience,  you might see a different reality .. a bit like in 2001 A Space Odyssey type thing. At that moment there is 2 different levels of knowledge. One is what science can prove within a small degree of doubt.  The second comes from what the individual can experience in that situation but not necessarily prove. That second individual, without scientific methods and testing,   cannot be sure their perception is closer to the truth than what science believes even if it is. They may, justifiably or not,  feel that they are discovering something new but they have to accept the limitations of their subjective experience and that it doesn't meet the objective standards of science let alone being able to defined by themselves as truth .... though it could be the truth.  

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

Au Contraire - Black holes are real. And if you do not think that the reality in them is different than the reality of living on Earth, well ...

So there ARE multiple truths

It is not different truth just different  conditions. If a new thing is found there are not 2 truths. Humans need to think further about what is the best interpretation of truth. Science is as close to truth as we can get but by definition it is not the truth as it is not settled.

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

I would be too.  Sounds terrible.

Got to be one of the most draconian controlling of sheepies places in the world now just seems pitiful.

It can seem a bit much but when you have close to no cases we like to keep it that way. Melbourne has gone into lockdown today for 5 days after less than ten new cases today. Sydney hesitated and fast went up to 100 cases a day and have locked down. If not who knows. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Better to wait till 1000. No. 

We could be like UK and US and accept lots of deaths, but there they got shots fast, so if you don't have a shot it's your fault. The process here of getting shots has been slow so few can be protected. 

39 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Just the opposite actually. 

Understanding how it works,  brings to the understanding that everything is connected. 

Understanding that everything  is connected in countless ways, outside and inside, makes the intelligent design visible, if you dare to look at it.

Intelligent design is just another name of God.

You are critical if people ask you to show that god is definitely a thing. 

But if you say that you know and understand that god, or some sort of design, or that things being connected is definitely a thing then show how you know and that it is more than a feeling. 

If it is just a feeling then fine. 

I would have thought the pub had been the most looked at part of this site with the exception due to the recent rise in pandemic stories. Seems odd not to give it prominence. Now it seems you can come back to the pub section a day later and there are few new posts from before. 

7 hours ago, BigStar said:

No, your post is meaningless self-comforting noise, as the principle is the same.  Died early at 75 ........ had probability of making it to 90, died early at 45 ........ had probability of making it to 75. Figure it out.

 

The life expectancy can rise toward, but cannot exceed, the life span. The human life span appears to be approximately 85 years, with a broad distribution in which natural longevity for individuals falls nearly entirely within the range of from 70 to 100 years.

     --https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690269/

 

These typical little self-serving anecdotes are meaningless as you don't have complete info about the medical history, the exact diet, fitness level, biomarkers, congenital illness, and the scans. Skinny fat can be worse than usual fat.

 

Just more of your little "What, me worry? It's me genes. Get nekkid!" excuse. But the TVF Science of Longevity has long discovered that excuse, so you got nothing new, just repetition and hence time-wasting.

 

You have a few more of our Principles, or rather Excuses, in your post including

 

The Guys

     I know some guys who seemed healthy but have already died.

 

No Ironclad Guarantee

     Known for extraordinary no-nonsense shrewdness, our members deal only in absolute certainties guaranteed in writing. Before one suffers the stress of denying oneself a puff pastry or of walking briskly around the block, one must first see the guarantee of precisely how much said sacrifice will reduce his dependence on his statins, ACE inhibitors, diabetes meds, blood thinners, and fake Viagra. His waistline will shrink by exactly how many centimeters? His obvious cognitive decline will reverse by exactly what percent? He may expect to live exactly how many years longer? WOT? No guarantee? HA! Thought so. “Honey? You seen me pills?”

 

What, me worry? I: The genes
     It’s all me genes. Git nekkid!

 

What, me worry? II: Fate

     It’s me fate. Might be hit by a lorry tomorrow. Get nekkid!

 

I should summarize the findings of our latest Research soon, which are actually just the same as the old findings. :) Diet and Exercise Avoidance is one of our recurring concerns, as one might imagine from looking at any group of expats.

 

So, up to u. Who cares? Anybody's free to sit in their same old bathwater as long as they wish. As noted earlier,

 

Some of us will, I think, prefer feeling healthy while we can and don't need the Excuses.

 

The plan then is to increase the likelihood of postponing chronic diseases by just continuing to follow along with the statistical probabilities as shown by the science. Congenital disease is in fact a thing, as many of our members can confirm; its early onset is strongly correlated with an unhealthy lifestyle; and it does tend to affect lifespans for obvious reasons you should be able to figure out. Yeah, seems more rational to observe measurable risk/reward ratios than your anecdotes about The Guys.

 

 

I knew the health histories of my friends I mentioned earlier as I sometimes helped with their hospital visits. The above graph predicts exactly what happened to them in the end. That was after the stents, too.

 

So that's been working great so far for me, as it seems to be for countless others, including--shockingly--a few forum members. More power to 'em.

 

Come to think of it, I can't recall hearing of anyone who's achieved fitness and health--as any normal person can, with less effort than commonly believed--yet regrets doing so. "Sure miss carrying around that belly!" or "Sure miss taking those pills!" Nah, nobody ever says that. Sorry--enjoy all your meds.

 

 

The only hesitation I have with your posts is the factor of personality. The tests you mention will show the picture of your health. Some people though can have the odd ice cream, and chocolate, and beer and not spiral into addiction. Some can't. That's clear with alcohol and gambling. So if you are someone who can have these pleasures in life, without going too far, then I think it's fine. A look in the mirror, and health tests you mention, will assist in telling you if it's OK, but sometimes putting a smile on your face has its' own benefits. 

You may be correct that for some going without these things will make you no longer desire these things. I doubt that applies to all people and the new reality, though possible, might make for a less fun life. It might make you a bit tight and serious and that new normal may have its own downsides. 

18 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I use that as a counterpoint to those that ask for scientific proof of the existence of God. They seem to regard the lack of scientific proof for God as significant, so I ask them for the same re romantic love. There is no scientific proof for romantic love to my knowledge.

 

The point I'm making is that if people can believe in romantic love without scientific proof, why can't people believe in God without scientific proof?

Love is a many splendored thing but it is a feeling that passes and not being able to explain the workings of emotions does not require a god.  This is just a further example of saying - don't know how it works therefore god. 

Love to me is not something in the ether that you breathe in at a particular time..an objective presence.. it is a feeling. I don't think love is in the air but just that, say spring sunshine after a long winter, has a similar effect on us humans. I can't explain how it works but I cannot tell you how many psychological and physiological aspects of the body work.

11 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

 

and that you too are not English.......even though, like Rome, we are in self-imposed terminal decline due to socialism since 1950......

 

 

Tories have been in power pretty much double the time of Labour since 1950 so don't blame Labour. 

Yes England has a lot to be proud of but it's easier for industry to become bigger with lots of low paid factory workers in terrible conditions, including kids, helping keep profits up.  Indians, Kenyans, South Africans etc etc might have a different opinion of how good life was under British rule. What's good for the countries wealth, and the rich, wasn't so good for many of the people. 

11 hours ago, cleopatra2 said:

This embodies the concept of the spirit world.

You have not answered any questions , but merely written sentences that explain nothing.

Your analogy with radio waves is flawed at the most basic level. Any person can tune a radio to the same station and receive the same signal if in the same vicinity of the transmitter , they do not need to have a special teaching to open the doorway.

Two people can tune into the radio into the same frequency , but if one is outside the transmitters range they will receive something different. (How can this be possible if the spirit world is everywhere).

 

But the issue is more basic.

Humanity as a rich history of inventing mystical beings to explain a lack of understanding and knowledge. As an example , different cultures throughout the world characterized eclipses as demons or dragons devouring the sun. Even to the extent that they would perform ceremonies in an attempt to frighten the demon off. In India people would worship  by bathing in water to help the sun fight the dragon.

 

Is it not more probable the spirit world is a made up  to explain what is uknown.

 

 

Good post. I think its fair to say myself and others have tried to go down this track.

The hope for me is not that this topic finds god even though it might be nice.

It is to discuss the concept of god and what that might say about the human body and mind. As you say people explained new frontiers of science, e.g. eclipses, by demons devouring the sun. A new frontier not fully understood by science could be the mind and body connection and people's lack of understanding might lead them to similarly attribute certain things to god. 

Sunmaster posted an interesting discussion on this topic today and much if not all of that discussion did not require a god.

Maybe some are asking tough questions or dealing with tough issues, and they want to work out some part of themselves they don't feel in control of or understand, and a coping mechanism, to deal with a difficult thought and existential mind process, is to attribute those aspects of themselves, for the time being, to god.  

That's why I don't concur that a discussion about god has to be a waste of time because, though our discussion is about dragons and demons, or gods,  we are really looking to understand the actuality of an eclipse, or in this case the mind body connection or similar.  

15 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Not very fair is it?

Everyone should be taxed the same.

From an opportunity to make money it can seem a bit unfair

If you look though at 2 people, one born rich, one born poor, it can seem fair to have higher tax rates for the richer person who is ten steps ahead, not only in income but the opportunity to make income, before things get going. 

In reality often the first dollar takes hard work. The ten millionth dollar generally not so..

It depends on how you see the role of each person in society..

Just now, BritManToo said:

I said leaving!

Keep in mind many many people have been allowed to go overseas - just need to give  a decent reason and show they won't come back in the short term . When people leave they want to come back. I have no issue with disagreeing with it - just with some conspiracy theory as to why it happens.