dundas

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." 

Oppo A91, 3 months old, now running on their version of Android 10. No problems so far. 

You could join iTalki or similar and not accept any students from Thailand. 

Then it might be more of a technical transgression than flagrantly breaking the law. 

Man the smoke machine, man the smoke machine!

Bangkok Found, by Alex Kerr, if you can get hold of a copy. Written around 2010, but still relevant today. 

I think Pelosi's description of Trump is fair enough, given that his behaviour is that of a schoolyard bully. 

I have a four year old Macbook Air which has had a hard life accompanying me around Asia. I bought a basic iPad recently to see if it would be a suitable and lightweight replacement for the laptop. For me, the one advantage of the iPad is the touch screen and the ability to use a pen, but apart from that it offers very little. Especially if you use Apple products, adding a proper keyboard, cover and pen can bring the price up to near that of a laptop and you're still left with a glorified phone. Buy an iPad Pro and the price is way more. I sent my iPad back within the 30 day refund limit, I'll wait until this machine is on its absolute last legs and then I'll  buy a new Macbook Air. 

One of my memories is as a 12 year old riding my father's BSA (manual gears) into a fence (I can't remember the reason I lost control). It and I survived pretty well unblemished. 

I like the suggestion of putting the bike on the centre-stand with the front wheel up against the wall and practising going up and down the gears -- just make sure you don't sit back on the seat or the rear wheel might gain traction. Then I'd try practising starting and stopping, as has also been suggested here, getting used in particular to the take up point of the clutch, and co-ordinating the clutch and throttle. The empty car park idea sounds good. What else? You need to work out how the brakes on a motorcycle work. Jam on the front brake while you're turning and you may well come off. On the other hand, relying on the back brake alone won't stop you very well. I also like the idea of wearing full clothing (long pants etc, not shorts) and proper shoes. You might save yourself some skin, that way. Allow yourself some time, and have lots of practice. And consult youtube. There's a million tutorials out there. 

For what it's worth, I ride a Honda CB500X and compared to something like a Wave it's a lot safer on the road -- it has more power,  better handling, better brakes, is a lot more comfortable and is just as easy to ride (once you've mastered the manual gearbox). 

14 hours ago, lannarebirth said:

 

For the same reason they will support a 78/9 year old who speaks imcomprehensably, who also has temper tantrums; because they hate their neighbors and they will listen to or read anything that gives them a justification for hating their neighbors. It makes them feel superior to others, when in fact they are laughingstocks. In fairness some people support a given candidate because they will make more money under one or the other, but mostly it's just mass stupidity.

Agree. In my country and in the US, we suffer from the Murdoch Press, which a former politician in my country described as 'the politics of intolerance.' Trump has been aided, abetted and force-fed by Fox News. I hope that there'll be successful law suits for the misinformation that Fox spread in the early days of the virus.