THE WEEK THAT WAS Zebras, carnage, marijuana and murder - but don’t rush to interpret Thai news!

[Marpa47]

On 1/29/2022 at 9:47 PM, Dr B said:

. Again here in a rural area like Krabi, we have numerous motorcycles, and some four wheeled vehicles, proceeding along the wrong side of the road because it is more convenient.

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I got news for you dear Dr. B: I live in the heart of Bangkok and walk along Rama 3 Road sometimes.  The (silent!  They are just too polite to startle us with sounding their horn.) motorcycles (with unhelmeted rider of course), coming up behind us ON THE SIDEWALK as well as on the road AGAINST TRAFFIC because they can’t be bothered with going a few blocks out of their way to get on the right side of the road is an all too common phenomenon here as well.  There is one Khlong — Phum — that is entered / left via al narrow steeply inclined walkway.  I once observed a motorcycle racing up this to reach the sidewalk and then progress on their way, (against traffic of course).  Needless to say, had anyone been walking on the sidewalk just in front of that entrance, either they would be in big danger or the motorcyclist would have to slow down, on an impossibly narrow and steeply inclined passage precipitating who knows what kind of mayhem.  Not so much four wheeled vehicles (though I wouldn’t put it past someone).  And there a lot of bicycles, motorized pushcarts and even the occasional tuck tuck (where did they all go?  Rarely see them in Bangkok) traveling along the road, danger to themselves, the other ‘drivers’ and even us pedestrians as we sometimes have to walk into the street to get around the truck or group of motorcycles temporarily parked on the sidewalk and totally blocking it for some unknown reason..  And don’t get me going about the sidewalks here!  While there is a sidewalk, it is constantly buckling and forming huge cracks and loose blocks from the heat, filled in ( a week or so later) with macadam and interspersed with all manner of shrubs, (nicely manicured), telephone poles, streetlight poles and road signs of every description  that narrows the walkway considerably.  TIT 

[Marpa47]

On 1/29/2022 at 9:47 PM, Dr B said:

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However, the simple fact is that to enact and enforce a suitable traffic system, disregarding for now the policing element, would mean removing from the majority of the population the right to drive, and requiring them to go through a training and testing programme. This would apply to all motorists, and other drivers, and to all motorcyclists, many of whom would not qualify for licences on grounds of age alone. This would then prevent many of them from getting to school. The disruption to the whole of Thai society, from top to bottom, would be so severe that no Government could contemplate it, so it will never happen. The whole lethal system, with its appalling waste of human life, is so deeply entrenched that there is no way that it can be corrected.

That is my opinion.

Very well put.  One can only hope that somebody takes charge of this situation and turns it around.  Not impossible but as you said,….    I wonder if, by changing the rules to reflect all you observed in more ‘developed’ countries such as intelligent enforcement, education and testing on a more stringent level etc… things might eventually be changed.  Might it be tried?  If it were inculcated among the youth while still in school, might there not be a way to begin the process?  It has been said that, once the kids are on to the social issues, the process can ‘filter up’ to the parents as the kids will question and even challenge the parents, thereby modifying their behavior.  Just a thought.  And a hope.

[Marpa47]

As so many have posted here this week about the MJ issue, many with much more expericnce then mine, all I want to say is that, while I dread the day when it becomes legal and so common place that no one can avoid inhaling the smoke whether they want to or not, there are some definite hazards to smoking or even partaking of it, at least in large quantities, long term.  It has been found through some studies posted recently in the, I think NYT, that long term heavy use can cause pulmonary restrictive disease.  Personally, I know of one person, a co-worker’s father, (who was a devout Rastafarian for whom MJ is a kind of sacrament and was consumed regularly and in large quantities),  who developed severe COPD, (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).  But that was only after years of use.  But still it was a definite result and is now a documented, scientifically proven hazard.  there are other hazards, of a cardiovascular nature, (again as a result of long term excessive use), also mentioned at least one news. Article.  And ingesting this substance via a form that can be taken orally is also a possible hazard, even in the short term — if the dosage is too high all at one time, as was mentioned by another post this week.

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[The Hammer2021]

On 1/29/2022 at 1:44 PM, malibukid said:

unfortunately Thailand missed the party and was never considered a hep place, while the rest of the world was revolutionized during the 60's, heck they don't even dance here.  unless you consider certain other attractions, Thailand will never be cool.  my friends go to Ibiza.

Ibiza was cool around 67 but fell off the map only to be discovered  by South London  geezers and scouse schemies in the 80s. It was opened up by the Floyd in the film 'More' in the 60s.

Edited February 3, 2022 by The Hammer2021