dundas

Not to rain on your parade, but I think you're right in the middle of cyclone season. 

On the other hand, the visa requirements for retirees sound eminently reasonable. 

41 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

 

are you sure that was because of racism ?

Airlines need to spread the passengers out because of weight issues and the aircraft needing  being balanced when taking off and landing 

555 I doubt it very much, I could understand what you're saying if the plane was empty, but this flight (on a 763) was almost completely full. Plus the look on her face and the way she treated me said it all. She actually spent time looking fiddling around on her keyboard, before finally giving me a seat right down the back. 

I rather like that meme where a guy at his computer is calling out 'Honey, I've just discovered on the internet what all the experts and scientists don't know about!' 

I have a 'do you own research' friend just like that, and there's no arguing with her. 

She encouraged me to open up a Signal account so she could send   'some useful research' presumably in a way that was safe from prying eyes – Bill Gates, anyone?

I fact checked the first two items she sent me and they were both ludicrous. 

When I told her I couldn't verify what she had sent and when I in fact sent her a copy of the 'Honey, I just just discovered on the internet' meme, she didn't want to talk about it any more and said that the meme made her sound stupid. Well yeah, maybe so. I closed my Signal account, and we skirt all Covid related topics now. 

A whole lot better than arguing the point. 

The accused is white. The judge is white. Only one member of the jury is black.

Now reverse the colour of the accused: he is black; the judge is still white; only one member of the jury is black. 

In each case, it's going to be a black and white decision. One person will get off scot free, or near enough (extenuating circumstances etc etc), and the other person will be incarcerated, or worse. 

It's hard not to be cynical. 

Revenge can come in many forms. I think it's prudent to stop paying rent until you have the deposit back. Once you've moved out, go to the tax office. 

I flew with them not long after they were established and they were a fabulous airline, but comfort and to a lesser degree service has dropped off, particularly over the last 10-12 years -- on the cheap tickets seat pitch is now down to 31". More to the point, I wonder about their safety culture and whether or not standards are being maintained. Covid has meant that it's been impossible for me to fly with them for the last year and a half, but they're now preparing to swipe a chunk of my miles on December 31st anyway. And then there's their airfares: pricey and they've made it harder to earn miles. Plus they've put an extra stop in Phuket, whereas it's always been non-stop. I probably will fly with them again, because even when non-stop competition between Australia and Thailand returns, it isn't all that great and Thai's A350 is OK, assuming that's what they'll be using again on the route I fly. 

I haven't read many novels this year so I suppose the novel isn't dead to me but it certainly has a lot of competition. 

I'm grateful that novels ask something of the imagination, and even that they take me away from the world I'm living in (lots of noise about politics and Covid, most of it from players with ulterior motives). As for the competition, Tim-tok and YouTube tend to be click bait for those of us (me included) with short attentions spans. I'm sure it works – it's addictive – but what kind of cognitive/emotional/spiritual nourishment it provides, I'm not so sure. Maybe just momentary entertainment and the possibility of a ker-ching! in the creator's pocket. Pretty empty, ultimately. 

I've noticed that the actual shape/form of the novel seems to be morphing. For example, Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous – whether that is a  coming of age novel, a memoir, a kind of documentary into the how Vietnamese women survive in the US ... it's not totally clear cut. But in a way it reminded me of how YouTube and tiktok clips take the viewer from one idea to another, without pause. 

The Thai government isn't the only government that's looking foolish. The Australian government put all its eggs in the AZ basket, insisted that getting the population vaccinated wasn't 'a race' and now have egg on their face. 

Amazing how politicians will put their own interests (and those of their donors/benefactors) before the needs of the population. 

I'm tall (6'4) and slim, and in Thailand Uniqlo's XL sizes fit me reasonably well (I'm size L in Uniqlo's western sizing).  

For shoes, I'm a convert to Ecco (pricy, but comfortable), I'm size 46. Ecco don't seem to have a store in Chiang Mai, but they do in Bangkok. Check out the Ecco FB page for links and more. 

5 minutes ago, mortenaa said:

Infection of young people with no effects to their health is helping to create herd immunity. 

Maybe but at what cost? There are plenty of younger 'long Covid' sufferers around. 

It sounds a bit like that dream of Aussie sheep farmers: if we could sell just one pair of socks to every Chinese ... 

7 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Trump is a sore loser, and about Texas, well several Texas sized states can fit into the 

the state of Alaska with room to spare.  Won't we all be so glad when Trump and

his followers all go into the swamp.

Geezer

Wade out of the swamp, I'd say. 

It's kind of interesting, this debate where people presumably outside the US still argue vehemently as if they'd never left the place. 

For me, (and OK, I'm not a US citizen), reprehensible as Trump is, the question really is: are the Democrats any better? Obama's selection of his first cabinet was influenced mightily by Citibank, it was a government run for the benefit of corporates, it left out the ordinary people especially the middle class who saw job security become more tenuous and incomes just continue to drop,  so no wonder there was fertile ground for a populist like Trump promising to 'drain the swamp.' 

To answer my own question: the way Trump has attacked institutions in the US (and is continuing to do so even in the twilight of his presidency), the US has come awfully close to something resembling a tin pot fascist state. Trying to force state governors to ignore the will of the people is symbolic of how far he's willing to destroy the things that actually do make America great, just to serve his own ends. I really hope he continues to lose. 

8 hours ago, elgenon said:

Can also be caused by the water in the ocean? LA beaches get foggy this time of year but not because of rain.

I can remember landing in LA in the middle of a pea-soup fog. The captain came on the intercom, asking if there were any passengers with a seeing eye dog so that we could make our way to the terminal ... 

It's great news and not just for Americans! But it's not over til 'the fat lady sings' and that's months away. My main concern is the possibility of Trump fermenting civil war in the US. He's not going to climb down easily into the position of 'LOSER."