OneMoreFarang

That is kind of my point. If you touch it once intentionally then you know you can touch it without problem. That doesn't mean you have to touch the copper, but "you" are not afraid anymore that it could happen.

I was told about a sticker which a motorcycle rider used to indicate his special connection to the police. Since then I am aware of this kind of communication. Just today I saw lots of taxi-no-meter parking on Sukhumvit. Somehow they all had the same sticker on the back...

It was easy to find a picture of such firewoman in action. But I still wonder where she is hiding the firefighting equipment.

Yes, you are right. My comment was about the time after you checked with a test screwdriver and/or a multimeter.

If you think all is dead, then touch all the wires. Are you scared to do that? Remember, it's all off. What I do sometime is to touch wires with a swipe of my hand. If they are life I will know. But because I swipe my hand the contact will be only for a fraction of a second, no big risk. After I did that, I feel more confident that the wires are really dead.

If you want to be sure switch everything off at the main breaker. IMHO especially in Thailand you can't be sure about anything. Cable colors don't matter, neutral and earth are mixed up, and and and.

What is the goal? If the goal is to integrate criminals at some stage back into society, then, I guess, it makes sense to train them to be integrated. If the goal is just to lock them up, then don't be surprised if they never integrate back into society. I saw that, or a similar documentary, long version, some time ago. It seemed to make sense. And it seems they are mostly successful with that approach.

Out of curiosity, what motivates you to get a tattoo? Or maybe a very specific tattoo?

This part, shown in the article, could be interesting:

I would live where I live. Maybe in a newer and bigger condominium in the same area. Maybe I would have an additional place somewhere on a nice beach. But then, I could also stay in a luxury hotel on any nice beach. That would probably be more convenient. I am pretty sure I wouldn't want to move to anywhere far away. Because that would include not knowing the area, not knowing the people, moving away from the people we know and like to see, moving away from the good restaurants which I know already, etc. I don't think place A is so much better than place B. It depends on where we feel comfortable, maybe since many years.

In how many countries are foreigners really welcome? Sure, if the Italian chef moves to town or the skilled foreign doctor that is fine. But how many "locals" really welcome those ordinary people from other countries? Thais are not different from others around the world that they like their own culture and are wary of outside influences. I don't blame them. Some influences are interesting and welcome. But unfortunately, there are lots of foreigners who move to developing countries and who then try to show the locals how to do things "the right way"...

And you will get a confident answer. And maybe it is correct. For the record: I know ChatGPT does amazing things. But it is also known to present wrong information like facts.

I didn't read all the posts until now, maybe that was mentioned already: You can buy a USB voltage and current meter, something like this: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/aideepen-usb-12-led-i1657546591-s4614678191.html That will show you with which voltage and current your phone is charged. It depends on the adapter, cable and phone. And sometimes the adapters and cables don't deliver what they promise. The above link is just a sample, I never used that specific device.

Thanks for your information so far. The picture is from my unit, after we removed the old ceiling and before installing the new ceiling. With the ceiling installed it doesn't look that bad. I guess the same is the case in many buildings. We (my Thai renovation manager) will ask the professional company when they are here. Let's see what they say. Maybe part of their current visit to the building is that they replace sprinklers in the public section, I don't know. Let's see.

The sprinkler heads in my condominium unit look old and ugly. If possible, I would like that they will be replaced with new heads. I know this is nothing for DIY and nothing for the "normal technicians" in the building. I just saw a sign in the lift that next week some specialist company will come to our building to inspect the sprinkler system and smoke detectors. I guess I will speak to them, or the management, if they can check and maybe change the sprinklers in my unit. Does anybody of you have any experience with this? Is it a major project because the system has to be shut down so that there is no pressure on the lines? Or are there just ordinary valves somewhere and it should be easy to "switch off" just a small area? Is it complicated? Is it expensive? Thanks for any information.

I guess one problem is that you really want to be sure they are better. I have a rich friend with a prostate problem. He decided that some specialists in the Netherlands are better than the best hospitals in Bangkok. To make it short: They didn't do it as good as he expected - he used more dramatic language to describe it. Money was no problem; language was no problem. I don't know the details and likely I wouldn't understand the details. But it seems it is very difficult to be sure that some specialists are better than others.

I guess you think "US base in Thailand" is about Thailand, correct? Think again!

"only 5 seniors met graduation requirements" That sounds to me like there are at least some graduation requirements. As far as I know in some (many? all?) Thai institutions everybody graduates. So having a certificate from any of those means nothing.

I have to admit I understand people from Russia overstaying here to avoid going to war back home. And are those annoying people from those nationalities the same as people who buy luxury property?

It's almost as if Americans don't see that they have more than enough problems at home to solve.

I was once with my BMW next to one of those on the Autobahn. Looking out of my window I saw one of the huge tires. And then he put the foot down and it was gone.

Likely he knew or knows many people who took drugs. I understand that he wants to keep drugs away from children. It's complicated...

You don't have to be long in Thailand to realize that there is a huge difference about what is legal and what happens all the time. I don't know how legal the behavior of your landlord is. Maybe it is legal. But even if it is not so legal, what are you going to do? Tell the police? Hire a lawyer without having money? What you experience is real life, and it doesn't really matter if it is legal or not or if you like it. I hope you sort it out somehow. It won't be easy.

I am no expert, but I wonder why foreigners buy and not (so many) locals. Is there something the locals know which those foreigners don't know or don't think about?

Great! Did they have more than 20 minutes time for that? I have to admit I find it difficult to understand the mindset to people on those ships. At the end of the trip, what can they say? I bought souvenirs in 10 different countries, and all were made in China. How much local flavor can anybody experience on a day trip?