Gsxrnz

13 hours ago, NativeBob said:

rewritten by ChatGPT. it is common practice now.

thai news >>translate>>rewrite w/robot

can automate it and make hundreds "news from Thailand" websites

I think they add "in style of P.G Wodehouse" to the script.

I suddenly feel suicidal.

I was gonna ask how small the gate maker had to be, but after reading the thread I decided to recommend these guys to you.  I used them to repair a gate years ago, they were good to deal with.

albardoorsthailand.com

The internet is forever, or at least until we all get nuked (some time before Christmas).

Every picture and every word posted on the WWW has the potential to come back and haunt you. "Hearsay" has been virtually eliminated, and denial in the absence of pictorial and textual evidence is pointless.  No wonder Gen Z is so angst.

Is there a bigger gap at the bottom of that edge cap?  It may have ridden upwards over time.  If so, give it a nudge downwards.

Otherwise, grinding off a few millimeters is the obvious solution.

2 hours ago, Walker88 said:

Interesting FX moves recently, though the baht and yen are falling for different reasons. The baht is a victim of higher US interest rates and a rather moribund Thai economy that is suffering from a worldwide slowdown in general and a Chinese slowdown in particular.

 

The yen is a canary in the coal mine to anyone---especially expats retired in Thailand---who think they are going to live off a government pension. Japan has an aging population and a woefully underfunded pension system to go along with the highest debt-to-GDP of any major nation (at 260%). As the population becomes an inverted pyramid and debt service takes a larger bite of tax revenues, the only solution is to print. Massive printing means a falling currency and inflation for holders of that currency. The yen hasn't been this low against the USD since the late 1980s/early 1990s.

 

A second choice debt-strapped govts have is to renege on the promises of pensions. It isn't as if any pensioner paid anywhere near as much into the system as they expect to receive; pensions have always been a Ponzi Scheme, which worked when the population was growing and there were more young workers entering the system than old folks leaving it.

 

If I was 20 years old and just beginning my adult working life, I would forget pensions exist and plan my own future by saving. If I was a retired pensioner living off the govt pension, I might hope I age and die quickly, because the day of reckoning is coming. I cannot see the govt of any major nation being able to afford their pension and health commitments, unless they join the race to the bottom in terms of the value of their currency.

 

"If I was 20 years old and just beginning my adult working life, I would forget pensions exist and plan my own future by saving."

I did just that. Saw the writing on the wall in 1980's interest rate debacle.  Backed myself in a host of ventures and came out on top. I'll never receive a pension, but I won't miss it as a government pension wouldn't even cover my monthly booze bill.

Thankfully my sons are following me.  They had no choice - I was able to largely undo the damage done to them via state education indoctrination.

I recall visiting a Moo Bahn under construction. The wife had a friend that worked in the office. I had the pleasure of meeting two senior army officers who were managing the show, and viewed multiple vehicles and construction equipment that were painted green. Most of the numpties working on the site were wearing camo pants as de rigueur.

Didn't see any tanks, but I suppose all the green trucks with the bench seats under canvas  ferried the draftees from barracks to work.

Got offered a good cash discount, but I got the impression the nice army officer was actually trying to do a side deal on his business partners.

TIT

At least, now when they turn off the headlights, they really will be saving juice.

All "news" is propaganda.  Always has been since the beginning of time, regardless of the ideology of those espousing the "news".

I often go down deep rabbit holes in a quest for the "truth". It never fails to surprise me how evil those in charge of the world (and that means every elected politician, every unelected bureaucrat, and media and corporate bosses) really are, and always have been.

Because if there were a few honest ones with humanity's interests really at heart, we wouldn't be living in the current dystopia, with worse to come.

Maybe that's why I've become a lapsed atheist. 

Confiscation (theft) of Russian USD assets, about to be passed by the US Senate, will be the final straw for the greenback.  Many BRICS countries (being a bit less than 50% of world population and GDP) are already gun shy of the dollar after US weaponized it two years ago by sanctioning the Russkies. Probably the biggest foreign policy blunder ever made by the US, and given their track record, that's saying something!

This has only accelerated the development of BRICS and member states have been bailing from the dollar into gold ever since.  The USD's days as the reserve currency are numbered. One day very soon there will be a T-Bill auction and buyers either won't front up, or bang on a huge tail premium that will drastically increase the debt servicing of 34T+ debt.

Printing USD and exporting inflation (as well as producing munitions that get destroyed and then building more munitions to boost the economy) since Bretton Woods is fine when there is foreign demand for the currency. Different story when supply outstrips demand because 50% of the world's economies gave the middle finger to the greenback.

We may see the US become the new Venezuela, or worse, the new Un-united Kingdom.

Pickpocketing requires a pocket to be picked, and skill and finesse are required.  Slashing a backpack with a box cutter does not.

The Pickpocketers Guild should be rightly offended.

Maybe, just maybe, it's because the tourists aren't coming.  I can name at least a dozen formerly regular seasonal visitors (some for a fortnight, some for 3 months) that haven't come here since the lockdowns. 50/50 split between finding cheaper alternatives, and inflation ate their discretionary cash.

I don't think soy-boy Luxon realises that Thais are not big on lamb consumption. Although I do believe a lot of Kiwi chicken feet find their way to Thailand.

3 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Just in from Social Media.......

 

**Mystery Mega-Deal: Who Bought ASEAN NOW?**

In a shocking twist of events, the popular online forum ASEAN NOW has possibly been taken over or bought by a group of eclectic entities including Teak Door, Pattaya Addicts, Thaiger, Stickman, and a few others. The digital landscape of Southeast Asia may never be the same!

Speculation runs rampant as to who the true mastermind behind this acquisition is. Could it be the forum's enigmatic founder, George, who is rumored to have bought back the site he founded two decades ago? Or is it a shadowy coalition of rival forums staging a dramatic coup?

George, who has been seen sporting a mysterious cloak and twirling a sinister mustache in recent weeks, has been tight-lipped about his potential involvement in the takeover. Fans of the forum are holding their breath, eager to see how this high-stakes drama unfolds.

Some sources claim George might be plotting to combine all the forums into one mega-platform, complete with augmented reality features, virtual reality hangouts, and even an intergalactic chatroom! Stay tuned for more updates on this thrilling saga!

I suspect you are quite close to the truth. An excellent piece of prose, by the way. 🖕

5 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

You could buy like 250 condos and rent them out for 10,000B+/month for $23mil  USD. How much revenue does this website generate per month? I doubt it's anywhere near that but what do I know.

I did put a 🤪in my TIC observation.