unblocktheplanet

Looks like no sanctions, eh. The dics are all brothers!

Also, in reply to @internationalism, Navy hospital won't bargain. First treatment today, 10 Thai fogeys who all paid. All sorts of conditions, I was the only guy in for deafness. The idea is to gamble pressure (2.4 atmospheres) plus 100% oxygen for two hours 10-20 times. After seeing the prices at private hospitals for shorter sessions, I just bit the bullet. I'd prefer to hear so keeping my fingers crossed & spending the money.

I smell a lot of apologists replying here. Sure, medical care is cheaper in Thailand than in the West. That a corrupt court or tourism promoter says it's 'legal', that's much different than 'fair'. Human bodies are all warm whether Thai or foreign & must be treated the same.

No, both are two hours.

Current? How about today! I had sudden onset deafness in my left ear. After exhausting the steroid remedies & ruling out a brain tumour with MRI, the next step is 20 two-hour sessions of 100% oxygen at 2.4 atmospheres in a hyperbaric decompression chamber. Trouble is, there are few of these in Thailand! Bangkok Hospital, 90 minutes (not 120), B5,730 x 20 = B114,600 + doctor fees & service charges Bumrungrad, also 90 minutes, B6,000 = N120,000, etc. Yanhee Hospital, renowned for its cosmetic surgery & sex-change surgeries, B3,450 = B69k (at at least it's two hours!) Of course, the folks with the most experience in decompression (sometimes including politica; decompression) is the Royal Thai Navy. They have an enormous hospital in Thonburi, Somdech Phra Pinklao, with a dedicated Hyperbarics Unit. Hyperbarics except for diving accidents are not cover by any insurance. They're considered alt-med. I've had good luck at private hospitals for more than 30 years. However, Thais pay B2,750 (B55,000) here; foreigners pay B4,000 (B80,000). These guys are the experts so I'm going to such it up & pay so I don't have to listen to The Beatles in mono (yeah, I know, right) but, at the end of my treatment, Commander-in-Chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai, the Minister of Defence & his Permanent Secretary (could change any minute), the Chief Medical Officer of the Royal Thai Navy, the Naval Secewtariat & Inspector General and the hospital's medical director will be advised by my lawyers they are in violation of Section 27 of the Thai Constitution 2560: "Unjust discrimination against a person on the grounds of differences in origin, race, language, sex, age, disability, physical or health condition, personal status, economic and social standing, religious belief, education, or political view which is not contrary to the provisions of the Constitution or on any other grounds, shall not be permitted." I likely won't be getting any refund or apology but perhaps they may rethink this dinosaur policy to benefit the next foreign patient.

Well, I'm actually planning to grow just because I can not because I expect any useable product from the plants. Can still find real hash in the right places. Prefer Maroc or Liban to black but, of course, Manali can't really be beat. Sure would like some of those plants from Osama's garden in my front yard!

Will Bangkok's Metropolitan Electricity Authority plug me into their grid? Or how does it work logistically & in terms of billing? An inverter is what powers one's house, right? Thanks!

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’m gonna go eat worms! Now I’ve got that off my chest, I’m looking for a supplier of earthworms for gardening? Anybody know? TIA!

I think I’m probably not alone worrying about the millions of single-use drinking water bottles or multiple plastic produce bags at groceries & markets. “After Going Solar, I Felt the Bliss of Sidden Abundance” https://www.wired.com/story/after-going-solar-i-felt-the-bliss-of-sudden-abundance/ I’d really like to try this. We bought our half-house 31 years ago but I still think it might be worth the investment. At 72, I might even last the seven years to pay it off. But can it be done here? Can I produce juice to pour into EGAT’s grid in Bangkok? Where can I buy the panels & who installs them? And no, I don’t want a roomful of batteries! Any pointers appreciated. This is something passive we could ALL do for the planet instead of kicking ourselves for only leaving our grandchildren a dumpster fire.

Viktor Bout may be a very bad man, at least according to Hollywood & the DEA. That does not alter the fact that he was entrapped by foreign agents on our sovereign soil. He was not freed despite Thai judicial refusal of extradition. An American plane was on full-time standby on the tarmac at Don Muang waiting to take this "Lord of War" (oooooh!) to a US gulag. As expected, Bout got 35 years despite the US judge finding "discrepancies" & "inconsistencies" in the case against him and a "measure of shock" at the urgency of his rendition. So...who are the real lords of war? American arms dealers, all legal & all, just can take the heat of competition from a freewheeling entrepreneur. It's a dirty business to facilitate killing people, no matter who does it. We want an equal playing field, some American politicians & CEOs should get to be cellies with Viktor. Connivance & trickery isn't democracy. The US gave Thailand no Vaseline for doing its dirty work.

"Parts per million" ain't dust! No control on construction. Won't stop the burning. Won't touch those big-money players. Same as it ever was.

Okaay, do you gamblers stay in Poipet? Stories, please. For foreigners, is this a visa-free zone in Cambodia?

Update. Very efficient service at Medpark. Although the website says no walk-ins, phonecall told me they take 20 walk-ins a day. In reality, they take everybody & there were way more walk-ins than appts. No need to be early. Passport & copy, official vax certificate. Thais require passport as well as national ID as yellow book is intended for int'l travel. Open 9-noon and 1 to 3pm. Only downside for me was having to pay by QR. Don't have the hang of (or want to) those things. Cash is still king in my world. Got somebody else to pay by QR, gave him the 50 baht.

Stuffed & mounted, I figure!

There is a great cultural divide no matter how educated abroad a Thai counselor is. There are probably three foreign therapists in BK: Lighthouse https://www.psychologistbangkok.com. Bangkok Counselling Service https://www.bangkokcounsellingservice.com/. Bangkok Psychology https://www.bangkokpsychology.com/team.html. New Counselling Service https://ncsbkk.com/ncs/ has been recommended personally to me. IMO, you might also want to watch the new four-part Netflix series, How to Change Your Mind. Good luck to your friend. Hope he finds some peace.

But not conscious. For that, they'll need a puff, eh!

"He reiterated the health ministry’s stance against recreational cannabis use, saying the draft cannabis and hemp bill proposed by the Bhumjaithai Party does not contain any clauses that explicitly permit recreational use." With some intelligence, the bill also does not explicitly prohibit such use. Thai zig-zag (not the rolling papers!)?

Nah, I think A-nut-in must have night gardeners!

Mercy Foundation, founded by Father Joe Maier in Klong Toey, has been a solid resource for decades. Their orphanage deserves your support. They have mine. (And I'm not Catholic, nor is religion imposed on the kids.)

Man the lifeboats. Women & children first...

"At the moment 7,500 rai of land have been planted. "The chamber of commerce says that the business is worth 2.8 billion baht now and will rise to 4.2 million baht in three years." I think they'll get used to it...

To think, a month ago, they used to call it smuggling!

Ah, that's why they call them 'inspectors'. They get an inside look!

Baseball...been bery bery good to me! $17 a month!

To bad, eh. I like free-for-all...