SteeleJoe

Yeah, that's a pretty safe assumption.

Iran rarely sends large conventional armies abroad the way the U.S. has but it has spent decades projecting power through armed proxy groups. Iran has funded, trained, and armed groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis movement, providing weapons, money, and military training through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Those groups have fought wars and carried out attacks across Lebanon, Israel, Yemen, Iraq, and elsewhere. So while Iran often avoids deploying large regular forces, it absolutely exports violence and influence beyond its borders through proxies. You can criticize U.S. interventions, including in Iran, and still acknowledge that reality.

So how about all the other people who died untimely deaths? They all deserved it?

There’s nothing in this thread that indicates inherent danger of that party. (Is it your understanding that people don’t disappear unless they go to that party? Because I’m pretty sure there are countless cases of disappeared people who never went…)

I may do so later, but I decided not to wade through what I assume will be a lot of negativity in preceding posts and just briefly say: Yes, the odds are arguably not great to start with but in my (extensive) experience over the last 43 years of being this country (some of it working in the nightlife industry) most guys dig their own graves with a whole lot of bad choices and that the inherent difficulty in success with such relationships is by no means a reflection on Thai women or evidence of inherent flaws… Anyway, if you’re not too stupid and you get a bit lucky…you could wind up with someone that you have two wonderful kids with and are still extremely happy with 32 years later: I did. (And FYI for those convinced that one has to have money: I was homeless, broke and with zero signs of anything improving. She supported me, financially and otherwise, and has stuck with me every step of a not at all easy path)

US inflation is worse than 13 other nations in g20? Please share your source, thanks.

Three things he said he would do come to mind immediately: "When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one." "They're dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I'll have that done - I'll have that done in 24 hours." "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States" None of those things happened.

You are correct. That does not support your assumption of a registered marriage without any ceremony. The article says a "marriage" without a ceremony. That clearly suggests they got married (which is what it means legally when you register your marriage) but didn't have a wedding. There's no mention of anything resembling a wedding and explicitly said no ceremony. This is not uncommon in Thailand (nor is the opposite, as you pointed out).

That's an odd thing to assert. "Karma" is an extremely well known concept among westerners. It's extremely common for people - including by Christians or others who would normally be disinclined to embrace tenets of Hinduism/Buddhism. It's used very casually - and often incorrectly all the time. Personally, I've shifted on my view of the concept since my time as a Buddhist: the idea that people suffering a terrible life brought on themselves encourages people to blame victims and/or be less compassionate with them. And in particular, the idea that one is being punished for actions in a past life is truly obscene: a child is born with a major disability brought it on themself despite having no control over whatever they supposedly did in some past existence? In any case, it's silly to act is if people always get what they deserve. It's simply not true.

Racist? Perhaps you're joking...

Going back to 1982,when I first arrived, that was not at all the case.

You got a new one I suppose. I, and everyone I knew, did it countless times without a passport going astray (that I ever heard of).

I've found that it's more often those of the rightish/Trumpian variety that make this mistake but it's surprisingly common: the notion that the 1st Amendment means you get to say anything you want anywhere you want at any time is just silly. Such a right does not exist and if you think about if for a moment it's easy to see how true that is and how it couldn't be any other way. The 1st Amendment prevents - in many but not all circumstances - the government from prohibiting your free speech or punishing you for it. That's it. It doesn't, for example, mean you get to say whatever you want at work and face no repercussions. I probably agree with that teacher in almost every way, but he was unprofessional and in violation of a reasonable policy that he is obligated to conform to if he takes a paycheck.

He'll almost certainly be pulled aside pretty quickly,

This the post I was referring to above. (Haven't used this site in a long time and screwed it up)

It's pleasantly surprising to see that sort of empathy on this topic, in this forum. Kudos.

I personally know of a case much longer than yours. I don't want to add to your anxiety but given how long its been, a lack of records might mess you up and anything that doesn't go routinely opens up the possibility that the normal process doesn't take place. Be prepared for the possibility of being detained until you have got it sorted out.