josephbloggs

Superficial damage. The amount those tall buildings moved surely some tiles and plaster falling off is to be expected. What's your point?

In Italy maybe, but not here. And do you remember the Morandi Bridge collapse in 2018? Thankfully no Italian construction here.

Jesus Wept, picking up on the semantics of a single word, is that all you're interested in? It WAS an earthquake, it happened in Myanmar in case you missed the news. All these things were caused by an earthquake as that was what it is was and that was where it started. Change the word "earthquake" to "tremor" in my post if it makes you feel smug and self important, it really makes no difference to me. Changes nothing though. Seriously, why do you bother posting when all you have is to pick on a word rather than the substance? And then followed by a childish personal attack.

Not really. Global standard for checking overhead rail lines after an earthquake has a series of checks (visual, ultrasonic if need be, running trains at crawl speeds to check rail lines and signalling) that are conducted over a period of 12-24 hours. Most elevated rail lines reopen within 24 hours of an earthquake. Seems Bangkok followed the global protocol and reopened with the established time frame. Yellow and Pink lines taking a bit longer but I saw test trains running on the yellow line today so expect that to open tomorrow. Nothing remarkable about it.

Our resident construction expert shares his wisdom yet again.

It's the Le Palais resort in Koh Phan Ngan. Opened in 2014, was surrounded by controversy for years with Cambodia accusing it of "cultural appropriation". Finally killed by Covid. It is still listed as "temporarily closed" but the pictures from helbob don't look very temporary.

Six out of how many thousand high rises? It is a tiny tiny percentage. And yes, there will be more to come out, but still nearly all buildings behaved excellently. As I said in another reply it was an unprecedented event - a huge earthquake. But overall the city seems to have survived remarkably well, the majority of structures are just fine. From reading some posters hysteric nonsense on here you would think half the city had collapsed. One under construction building collapsed.

I am sure there is damage - it was a large earthquake! I don't see widespread damage at all. Where's your evidence that the MRT and BTS have huge cracks and are possibly to be condemned? Care to share please. Both are running today after extensive checks yesterday. Link?

Are you in Bangkok? I have driven around today, I went past Park Origin which has obviously got broken walkways, but other than that I couldn't see any damage anywhere to anything. If you think damage is widespread you are mistaken.

That's because it was a built using a Core Tube with Flat Slab System. This typically results in fewer and narrower columns and the central core takes most of the lateral load, not the columns. It is a common construction method that gives more interior space. Mahanakorn tower used the same method. Unfortunately until everything is in place, all reinforcements and seismic elements, then it is somewhat more vulnerable to seismic events during the construction phase. Basically you have no idea what you are talking about and are an expert because you looked at a picture and want to assume they were cutting costs by having narrower columns - probably because of something something Chinese something. I am not an expert either but then I'm not spouting nonsense based on a picture that I know nothing about, let's wait for the investigation.

Yeah, those Damn Chinese with all their collapsing skyscrapers - Shanghai is mostly rubble. And that's why in the West they only add one floor every 28 days. If you don't know what you're talking about but just want a bash why not say so? (Oh, you just did).

This comment didn't age well did it. But bash first, and no doubt not apologise later.

Ever heard of the The Land and Buildings Tax Act that was brought in in 2020? It includes property taxes for land owners that own land that is unused.

The fact that Tesla paid zero corporate income tax in 2022 and 2024, and an average of 0.4% over the three years. Those are the facts, thank you.

Ok, so you have no answer. Boring.

Wow, you don't get it. It doesn't matter what he paid in personal tax in a single year. The only year he has declared them was the year he paid $11b (or he said he paid $11b). This was because he had to exercise those stock options and pay tax or he would have lost them completely. He took the lesser of two evils. Why won't he declare what he paid after 2021? Or before? He cherry picked that year because that year he had no choice but to stump up. But the conversation is about Tesla who paid NOTHING in 2022 and 2024, and an average corporate tax rate of 0.4% over the three years. He's a patriot right? And so are you? What do you think about this man's company paying nothing and avoiding contributing to the American government which has now given him free access to manipulate investigations into his businesses and to gain an unfair advantage over competitors? You seem to keep missing out responding to that for some reason.

I mean and what has that got to do with anything I wrote about his company paying nothing in federal income tax and him being on the inside in a position to manipulate government contracts, him firing all FDA staff reviewing Neuralink products and also firing inspectors general that are investigating his companies, all in the name of "DOGE". I originally responded to someone who said the meme that Tesla paid zero in federal income tax can't be true. It IS true. I really don't want to repost my last two posts. Nothing to do with his personal income tax. And anyway, he only paid the $11b in taxes due exercising stock options that were going to expire in 2022 as he had absolutely no other choice. I can't find anything about his personal taxes since then. Can you? And if you look prior to 2021 it doesn't make good reading either. Hypocrite. A fox in the hen house.

And?

That is totally incorrect. Tesla reported $2.3b in income in the US in 2024 but paid $0 in federal income tax. Fact. Global profit around $7.2b for the year. Also paid $0 in federal income tax in 2022 on $5.5b of US revenue. Fact. Despite posting a global profit of $20b. Over the past three years (2022-2024), Tesla paid only $48 million in federal taxes on $10.8 billion of U.S. income, resulting in an average tax rate of 0.4%, far below the statutory corporate tax rate of 21%. Fact. https://itep.org/tesla-reported-zero-federal-income-tax-in-2024/ https://truthout.org/articles/tesla-paid-zero-federal-income-tax-in-2024-despite-2-3-billion-in-income/ Yes, big companies move things around, but the meme posted that they paid zero tax in 2024 (and 2022) is correct. Is he the patriot he claims to be then? If you don't think there is anything wrong with this man dictating government policy on subsidies, taxes, having the ability to fire people arbitrarily who are investigating his companies than you are beyond help.

Yeah, but that's not what happened is it.

You're missing the point, probably deliberately, as the cultists only believe in Elon. It is nothing to do with what other rich people do as they are outside of the government. Musk is there, allegedly, to cut down on government wastage, reduce the deficit, reduce corruption blah blah. Yet his companies get awarded massive government contracts, they receive huge tax breaks and government support, he has many cases against his companies in the courts - he has fired all FDA staff reviewing Neuralink products and also inspectors general that are investigating his companies. Do you really not see the contradiction or conflict of interest here? It is not about little rich people fuzzily avoiding taxes, this is far deeper and more corrupt, and only the most blinkered cultists are unwilling see this. I just don't get it.

Brilliant! So Hyundai decided an investment plan of $21bn over a couple of years and announced it before the tariffs were announced, but then this shows that tariffs work! You are the most blinkered and deluded poster on this forum and that is saying something. Does Donald Trump have a time machine? no doubt he does and it will be "the biggest and best and most timely time machine the world has ever seen as he knows more about time travel than anyone". How do you guys take this guy seriously? Please watch.

You link to an "article" that contains absolutely no evidence or verifiable claims. Nothing. In fact one of the so called authors of the "leaked report", Jacques Young, has said that his name was being used to spread false information and an anti-trans agenda. Just more right wing nonsense spouted by Musk and co and lapped up by the gullible without fact checking. Business as usual.

You have some odd fantasies you like to project on other people. She's a woman, biologically. Has never been anything other than a woman. The irony is that you right wingers say you are what you are born and cannot decide to change (see the Elon Musk transgender daughter thread) yet it's perfectly acceptable for you to tell a real biological woman that she's a man. The hypocrisy is incredible.

No. So ignorant.