mogoso

Straight people tend to be more anxious about it though.

/quote]

lmao :D

I've always been put to sleep but wake up and start asking questions. Whats that etc, which always gets me more sleepy juice

It would warm the cockles of my heart, if it didn't affect me, but to listen to Soros whine does raise my spirits. His paid for lap dog that his multiple outlets such as media matters still support whole heartedly, is ruining the US economy. Some think on purpose, I think incompetence, cronyism and political dogma is more likely. But the policies are truly inane, and priorities are skewed.

When I genuflect I turn my back and drop my pants to show my opinion

I believe the a baht weight of gold is 15.7 grams so it equates to just over a half ounce of gold or about $600 usd

My wife always brings her mom clothes, I just bring a credit card or two and take her shopping

It is possible that the banks say the hel_l with it, we don't want to do the IRS's book keeping for them, we will close all US passport holders accounts. So you would have no way to get your money into thailand or be able to cash your SS check.

Any thoughts on what to do if that happens? Short of moving.

I would think that having your SS check deposited into a US bank and the drawing it out through an ATM machine would be still availible. Wouldn't get anywhere near the money limits

"Teabaggers came into existence after the election of BH Obama all other statements in your diatribe therefore become invalid, but you knew that when you typed it out."

Oh, dear. I hope I haven't cause your rash to break out again. You disliked me using the term "teabaggers", and I suggest that you replace it with "republicans". If you do that, you'll realize that my post was correct...but you knew that before you typed it out.

Assumptions as to my political party are incorrect, but as I wouldn't expect a proper assumption from the Left, why would I expect an accurate observation of when the teaparty was started, nah the truth ain't in ya.

From pollsters who vary somewhat on the makeup of the tea party, of which I'm not a member, 15% are registered Demos and 25% are independents. The rest republicans or libertarians. What it is from my reading is people who believe in smaller gov't less taxes, personal responsibility. What I do disparage is outright lies and distortions to make a point

"Guantanamo: Obama pledged to close the detention facility at Guantanamo. On Jan. 22, his second day in office, he issued an executive order ordering Guantanamo closed in a year. Waiting, waiting, waiting...."

In case you forgot, the teabaggers wanted Gitmo to close, and Obama supported it. The teabaggers then declared that it was wrong to close Gitmo, and they prevented the senate from providing funds to close Gitmo.

"Pork-barreling: No Earmarks (Pork-Barreling) in the Budget or any bills"

Adding pork to bills has been in American politics for more than a hundred years - it was not initiated by Obama. When Bill Clinton tried a line-item veto - removing all pork - the teabaggers complained, claiming that the democratic president was doing something unconstitutional.

Teabaggers came into existence after the election of BH Obama all other statements in your diatribe therefore become invalid, but you knew that when you typed it out.

I seee dumber things in the west, like the global warming joke.

or george bush!

He's passe, the biggest joke is presently in office, only I ain't laughing

My wife judges cars (new or used) by their color. Doesn't matter the manufacturer of car but the color has to fit her sense of color.

Would you be able to live on that in the UK? Be really hard to live in Thailand on that small of a stipend. With the high rate of taxation in the UK, it'd seem they could do better. I've read the average Social Security payment in the US is $1000 per month. Some where around 640 GBP. Until recently there was a COLA (cost of living allowance) but due to the financial situation it been suspended by Congress (who voted themselves a raise)

What would be the point in the assassination of a puppet. The powers that be would just lower another puppet into the playhouse.

If would insist on traveling this difficult route to receive compensation, try White and Case. Don't know how many offices they have but they do have a Bangkok office as well as London, Washington, Miami and Los Angeles. Believe the advice given above replies is quite sound.

Nearly every somewhat modern Asian city I've ever visited or lived in has had a sometimes ridiculous level of noise. With that being said, I must say that Thailand is probably one of the worst offenders I've experienced so far. I have come to ignore it most days, and rarely even notice it much anymore. In my younger days, I spent too much time with a rifle at my shoulder and caused myself some moderate hearing damage. The ringing in my left ear has droned on for years, but it's only really noticeable when it's very quiet. In those rare quiet moments, I still have the loud ringing in my ears and it's much more annoying than any PA truck, dance music, and overall street noise. Even in the dead of night here, I have to leave the TV on to drown out the ringing or it keeps me awake. The one constant noise factor for me is living next door to a Mosque here in the north. Five times a day I get "The Mullah" blasting the "Call to Prayer" through my bedroom window from the Minaret. I'm all for religious freedom, but I wish that guy would take a day off once in a while.

Packing a rifle near my shoulder never bothered me noise wise, only bothersome when taken off of shoulder and firing it.

That axe your wielding in your avatar might have more of an effect as far as hearing loss.

this doesn't sound like it's for real, since when do monks assist in disruptive behavior related to politics? I would think they would be completely detached from that kind of thing.

In Vietnam they burned themselves up in protest of the government, monks are people with opinions. This could also be a way to keep the demo peaceful both by the demonstrators and by the government.

If you want a ridiculous bargain there are still many foreclosure properties for sale. Just heard of one in an urban suburb, 2 bedroom, 2 bath fee simple townhouse, 30,000 dollars. Cheaper than Thailand. Amazing.

Where in the US was this, and what condition was it in? Sometimes when stories like this get passed on little details like asbestos and termite damage tend to slip the speaker's mind.

I know a guy in Rhode Island got a fixer-upper for app. $15k, said it just needed some sheetrock and a good coat of paint.

My niece in Miami has been buying condos recently in the $30,000 range. Her husband and her know the market well, both native to the Miami area. Nothing they are buying is a fixer upper, but they are available for cheap as its a market that has collapsed

Father Joe Maier In Bangkok seems to help a ton of kids with schools an orphanage and other aid to kids with his Human Development Founation-Mercy Center. Seems to spend his money well and for the good of many.

Once i traveled with a Thai overseas and the first think at the Dinner around our hotel was " I don't like, not same Thailand" I just thought what stupid Thai.

of cause its not same Thailand because it is not Thailand. What he expect? The hole world is like Thailand? Crappy Street food and 35 degree all day?

Sometimes there are so stupid and no open mind. Only Thailand Thailand Thailand.

It might take a while to be accustomed to different food different locations. His I don't like was at least momentarily honest. My wife's reaction to mashed potatoes and gravy wasn't a smashing success, " that look bad" and wouldn't taste them .She now loves them and makes them better than I do. Her first reaction to most anything new, here or in Thailand, is not to like it, call it her default position. It takes a while but she will change her mind.

I myself like street food, I have an open mind about it. Most will be decent some bad and a few exceptional

Keep in mind the sources people, a Taxi driver, a chilli farmer from a buri somewhere... They are not the most educated people in Thailand and are quite responsive to the over simplified, classic poor vs. rich propaganda that taxsin is all about.

Is the classic poor vs rich propaganda limited to Thailand? In the US the Democrats win their elections with the same spiel. Our present Pres., talks pretty and well he should with his high fangled Ivy league education, but that doesn't equate to common sense. I've know some pretty sage country folk with no education as well as the expected numb nuts. The same goes for city slickers, some smart some barely above pond scum in intellect. To classify country folk as a whole as easy swayed by shiny things does them a disservice. The contrast would have us believe that city folk with a higher education have a better sense of things. In either case both parties are acting in, what they perceive to be, their self interest.

Proper way to dispose of a flag.

Cut the flag along the colors.

This so all the colors are separated from each other.

Then you can either shred or burn the various colored rags.

Out of respect they should be destroyed and not used as rags for other purposes.

Not kidding.

This is the proper way to do ot.

Really not that many countries in the world where they make underwear, etc out of their flag, and at the same time react when other people burn their flag.

By the way,

With so many x-military people on the Forum, Im surprised none came up with an answer.

Let me rephrase that, with so many alleged x-military people.

Proper way to dispose of the US flag is by burning. A proper triangular fold and the placed on a large fire. You can give them to American Legion or VFW and they will do it for you as well as the Boy Scouts. To throw in the trash is ok if you have removed the blue field and burn it.

That's one of the reasons to escape europe, but now they start here so to, YEH indeed screw up the farang!!

Didn't the present leadership announce that the goal was to be a socialist country in a few years. If that's the case shouldn't you expect steadily increasing taxes on both Thai and farang. more on farang) So I can't understand why Europeans would be bitching as it's their preferred economic system to live under.

I wouldn't change a goddamned thing.

Seeing that's unrealistic, I'm however encouraged by the path Chiang Mai seems to be on. The future will be better!

Ok, one thing, I'd like parts of the city to be made more pedestrian-friendly and that includes pedestrians in a wheelchair or with baby pushcarts. With lots of nice, flat, shady walkways.

Also I'd like a beach, and wintersports on a nearby mountain. (As none of the things anyone is saying in this topic has the slightest chance of being heard or acted on, I guess realism is not a factor in this discussion so might as well wish for something good. )

Winter sports, my wife loves the snow. Her first snowman that she built last week after a rare decent snowfall.

tips and tea? Okay:

drink jiaogulan tea, although it's not a real tea, rather a herbal tea. Most good for the health with its antioxidants and it being an adaptogen.

The absolute best place to buy tea is in pai at the good life herbal restaurant. The ukranian chap there sells about 40 different teas, mostly from thailand and china, but also taiwan, japan. His jiaogulan is excellent, while i bought a new oolong he had recently sourced which is just so tasty i choose this tea most times i have a cuppa at the moment. I have about 19 choices at home...! He also sells a chinese (actually, i think it's from taiwan) jasmine green tea which has the most delicate delicious bouquet of any tea leaves i've come across.

I've still to find what i consider to be a decent tea shop in chiang mai though. But no problem since i only need the flimsiest excuse to take a trip to pai...!

I make at least pot of this tea (jiaogulan) daily. My wife drinks a lot of it also. Sweet and tasty. MIL sends us 6 1/2 kilos when we run low, that is a lot of postage, but its health benefits are proven to us. We don't say it'll help everybody, but it does us. MIL buys from a few local growers in Chiang Mai -Chiang Rai corridor. Scientific name gynostemma pentaphyllum.

Ms. Brit gave me mine - actually small because never wear anything big/clunky looking. Anyways for good luck and makes her happy that I wear it.

A few more posts like this and I could begin to like brit....Best reason ther can be.

My wife gave me two. They were her fathers, they have monetary value and will become my grandsons after my passing. They're not large and no one can see them through my shirt. They were the most valuable items her family owned, and I wear them to honor her gift and the spirit in which it was given.

^^

Well, it looks as if people like me may get put out of business, if the Obama administration gets its way.

Cass Sunstein, the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, has just released an updated version of his 2008 paper "Conspiracy Theories".

He contends that conspiracy theorists are a threat to government and wants Obama to clamp down on them.

He suggests 5 steps that government can take against theorists, two of which are:

* to ban conspiracy theorizing;

* to impose some kind of tax on those who disseminate such theories.

One of the things that Sunstein regards as a conspiracy theory is "that the theory of global warming is a deliberate fraud."

I'm a little surprised that this new entry into the catalogue of thoughtcrime has been made in the U.S. rather than the U.K., but there you are. I guess I'd better change my tune so as to avoid being extraordinarily rendered or chased by the IRS for conspiracy taxes....

Doesn't he also advocate the right of animals to sue humans? As usual in the BHO administration another radical kook passing policy.

Is strange weather due to warming?

Umm, we have been cooling for the last few years, so I would have to say. No

I think you are a bit behind the curve there .... eh !!

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http...ved=0CAsQ9QEwAg

Any site that concludes that the "fine folk over at media matters" is in my view bogus