rattlesnake

Yes, I also think it is notable and other reports will have to be monitored to see if it an actual trend or if it is just a one-off slip-up by the news channel staff (which does happen).

"Farang" does not imply the same thing as "negro" would in a Western news report. It is a colloquial term, and while it can have derogatory undertones in some contexts, it is generally not used to belittle foreigners. On a more general note, I do expect that the very nationalist Thais will grow increasingly irritated at the political endeavour to "blend" Thailand in the global market as the current PM is intent on doing ("increased cooperation with the EU", easing visa processes, boosting tourism in the country…). This is likely to cause friction.

Yes there is, and those who deny it do so because they don't want to look for the reason.

I am not denying fertility has been declining for many years, I am saying (and I am sure you understood me perfectly the first time) that it has crashed over the past couple of years. One wonders why you would refuse to acknowledge this plain fact.

The marker seems to be 2022 in a lot of articles I have been reading. Here are a few examples, but there are a lot more: Births in Italy heading for new record low in 2023 - stats office In 2022 as a whole, births fell 1.7% to 393,000, a 14th consecutive drop and the lowest number since the country's unification in 1861. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/births-italy-heading-new-record-low-2023-stats-office-2023-10-26/ Why is Switzerland's birthrate declining so drastically? https://www.nzz.ch/english/why-is-switzerlands-birthrate-declining-so-drastically-ld.1772392 Fewer and Faster: Can We Stop the Global Fertility Collapse? And yet Finland’s total fertility rate was 1.32 in 2022, the lowest birth rate since the country started keeping track in 1776. [...] The strange thing with fertility is nobody really knows what’s going on. https://www.aei.org/articles/fewer-and-faster-can-we-stop-the-global-fertility-collapse/ Births in Italy heading for new record low in 2023 - stats office https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/births-italy-heading-new-record-low-2023-stats-office-2023-10-26/ Among the countries confronted with this situation, China is facing perhaps the most severe challenges, with falling births already producing a decline in the overall population since 2022. https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Child-care-subsidies-can-help-address-China-s-population-crisis In 2022, Japan's overall fertility rate stood at 1.26 percent, well below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standard of 2.1 required for a stable population. https://www.newsweek.com/japan-alarm-population-crisis-last-chance-1874181 Brazil census shows population growth at its slowest since 1872 "In 2022, the annual growth rate has been reduced to less than half of what it was in 2010 (1.17%)," census technical coordinator Luciano Duarte said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-census-shows-population-growth-its-slowest-since-1872-2023-06-28/

Same as in every country in the world since 2022. What is the explanation for this sudden and simultaneous wordlwide drop in fertility, across all continents and populations?

Can't see what happened on the video. Yes, the headline at the top of the video says "farang" which I find surprising, to my knowledge they used to use the proper word for foreigner in official news reports. Otherwise, there isn't any particular stigmatisation of the guy in the report, just (understandable) exasperation at the fact that he just said "sorry" repeadedly before speeding off without assisting and the boy died.

It is not astonishing at all, when you actually look at his policies. Protectionism works.

I agree, but there are also those who were never bar girls and are still married, but are just not happy with the tedium of a 9-to-5 in the West (or Europe, should I say, admittedly I overgeneralised when I included the USA which I can't speak about).

Wrong there GOAT: ปี

It is an enduring stereotype that their life will improve once they move to a Western country and sadly (based on my experience of knowing Thai expatriates in France and the UK), once they realise they were wrong, it is often too late or very complicated to go back to Thailand, plus there is a face thing which leads them to lie to the folks back home about leading the high life when they are only really working menial jobs and living in apartments, struggling to get by like everyone else without an ounce of fun in their existence.

I consider Hamas and Israel to be two sides of a same coin, as I have demonstrated earlier in this thread, so you will never see me engaging in the Israel vs. Hamas dichotomy. I will look at the topic you linked later on today.

Yes I am. I don't have time to go on all the topics.

Highlighting fabricated stories about slaughtered babies does not equate to denial of the real victims. Again, accuracy is essential.

I just wanted to match your statement "child killers" to an actual figure, for context purposes. This is such a delicate and contentious issue, with lots of omissions, distortions and even outright lies being disseminated (this is a general observation and not directed at you specifically), that I believe pinpoint accuracy is necessary.

Indeed. As I have said before, I don't think Israel in its current form can survive this exposure.

There were lots of "special edition" shows on French TV based solely on this lie, with zealous Zionists shouting dubious formulations such as "enough is enough" (strongly implying unprecedented action should be taken). This episode was pivotal in setting the stage for current events.

“I never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children,” Biden said in broader remarks about his administration’s support for Israel amid its war with Hamas and efforts to free American hostages. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for further details about Biden’s remarks. Two senior administration officials said Biden was referring to reports from Israel about beheaded children and cited several media reports of beheadings. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-deliver-remarks-roundtable-jewish-community-leaders-rcna119865

It was also engineered, c.f. my post earlier in this thread about Hamas being strategically bolstered by the Zionists to prevent the two-state solution.

The Israelis themselves backtracked on this: Israeli official says government cannot confirm babies were beheaded in Hamas attack https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/israel-hamas-beheading-claims-intl/index.html#:~:text=However%2C we cannot confirm if,specify if they were children. The Washington Post did a piece titled A flood of misinformation shapes views of Israel-Gaza conflict, where it covers the "beheaded babies in Kfar Azza" fake news. I can't link it as it is behind a paywall. For an analysis of the process: Deconstructing the ‘beheaded babies’ misinformation in Israel’s war on Gaza How the consequences of misinformation contribute to real-life violence against Palestinians [...] This misinformation profoundly impacts global public opinion and action, igniting extreme harm and violence against the people of Gaza. https://advox.globalvoices.org/2023/10/28/deconstructing-the-beheaded-babies-misinformation-in-israels-war-on-gaza/

A spokesperson for Netanyahu said toddlers and babies were found in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel, with their “heads decapitated” after Hamas’ attack over the weekend, CNN reported. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-news-live-updates-scale-atrocities-emerges-gaza-bombardment-goe-rcna119855

I confirm it is an interesting book to read.

"Are They 'Hamas'?" 12,300 Children Killed by Israeli Forces in Gaza Gruesome new data shows that kids make up around 43% of the death toll from Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have killed more than 12,300 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in just over four months, a staggering toll that's likely to grow as the Netanyahu government ramps up its assault on and prepares to invade the overcrowded city of Rafah. https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-children-killed-israel

My question to transam was simple and without hidden motive. Given the context, I prefer exact figures and specific references rather than ambiguous sweeping statements.

Infographic: Over 12,660 children killed in Gaza within 134 days https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240218-infographic-over-12660-children-killed-in-gaza-within-134-days/