impulse

I'd add a filter at any tap you'll be using for drinking or cooking water. Lots of nasties grow in tanks and flowlines. For an example, feel how slimy your tank walls get after a few weeks.

Not of interest to everyone, but here's a great trade show for DIY'ers. Nov 22-25 at BITEC. https://www.metalex.co.th

For any DIY'ers who like welding and metalworking, this was always a great trade show before Covid, and I hope it's still good. Lots of machine tools to ogle along with a great selection of welding equipment fit for homeowners and hobbyists. https://www.metalex.co.th

As cheap as they are in Thailand, I'd suggest starting out with a stick welder and a kg of forgiving rod. I forgot the Thai nomenclature for the equivalent of 6013 rod, but it was easy to learn with. Make surre you get a rod that's compatible with the AC or DC coming from your machine. Start with a smaller diameter rod 1.6mm to 2.0mm to learn how to lay down a pass. The OP didn't mention whether his MIG is true MIG or flux core. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert, but too many variables to start (wire speed, amps, gas flowrate) can make learning tough. That's why I taught myself with a stick. Just one machine variable- amps. The rest is feel. If you're in Bangkok between Nov 22-25, you may want to traipse on by BITEC (BTS BangNa) to visit Metalex trade show, where they've always had a great selection of welding goodies. Obviously, I haven't been to one since Covid, but they were always great in the past. https://www.metalex.co.th

Here's a novel idea... Why not quit slashing and burning, especially the sugar cane fields that blanket most of Thailand with that gray haze every year?

Because that's what civilized people do. They care for innocents.

I'm certainly not dismissing the existence of gun nutters in the white supremacist, black supremacist, Muslim extremist, Jewish extremist and other camps. But FBI stats say you're much more likely, by a factor of 10 or so, to be shot by a garden variety thug, probably out on parole, probation, bail or some other form of early release.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the bus... Not sure how I feel about auto service by Mr Beer...

The author forgot to mention hypocritical. Partying hardy, while the serfs were masked up and isolated to home.

Yeah they are. Maybe not exclusively, but they own the stock.

My guess is that they all clump up in the usual places during their peak earning years, so it looks like there's a lot of them. Then they scatter to the wind when they can no longer make a go of it, so they're not all concentrated in one place. They're still around, but you don't see 50 of them on one block. More like 50 of them scattered over several small towns "back home".

Giving rise to the newest marketing scheme... The 9 pack.

One of the downsides to Thailand. If you want to pick up even a few hours of work a week- out of boredom or need-, you risk a one way trip for violating WP regulations. The way I understand it, you can't even volunteer unless you want to risk someone you've cheezed off ratting you out for volunteering without a WP.

Not in Thailand... It's 2566 in Thailand, not 2023. And in the USA, it may be 11/1/23, but in a huge section of the world it's 1/11/23. Wanna see how confusing it can be... Check out all the ways you can format dates and currency in, for example, Excel.

And I suppose you think it's a coincidence that Matt Taibbi was audited immediately after the Twitter Files dropped? Visited his home, no less. BTW, they found out he had overpaid and was entitled to a refund.

Is that alleged growth in GDP from real growth, or from gub'ment spending, leading to more long term pain? And did they (one more time) change how they calculate GDP in the runup to another election? I'm all for increasing the top marginal tax rate. It was 91% the year I was born, and the USA was as strong and admired around the world as it's ever been. Still had millionaires, but we also had great (and improving) infrastructure. Nowadays, they can't even maintain what we have, never mind making improvements. I'm ambivalent around the increase in IRS budgets after the whistleblowers who indicated the agency is being used for political purposes.

If only that was the plan... But they're not just pushing the vaccine on those at risk. They're pushing it on everyone over what, 6 months old? I'll answer the rest of your question. If you're 30 years old and have virtually no risk from Covid, but some finite (albeit small) risk of vaccine injury from known and unknown side effects, you'd be a gullible nitwit to take the vaccine. If you have a 6 year old child at virtually no risk from Covid and an unidentified risk for the rest of his life from long term unknown side effects, you'd be a nitwit to have your child vaccinated with a formulation that couldn't have possibly been tested for long term effects. If you've been triple vaxxed and still got Covid (generally more than once, like most of my family), you'd be a nitwit to get another vaccine. Being on the receiving end of a significant vaccine injury myself, I'd be a nitwit to take another bite out of that apple. If you're in the age bracket or health care condition where Covid is a significant risk, go for it. Vaccines make sense, because the risks of Covid exceed the (yet unknown) long term risks from the vaccine. Interesting study that came out in plenty of time for the Covid vaccine discussion: Results From 2001 through 2010, the FDA approved 222 novel therapeutics (183 pharmaceuticals and 39 biologics). There were 123 new postmarket safety events (3 withdrawals, 61 boxed warnings, and 59 safety communications) during a median follow-up period of 11.7 years (interquartile range [IQR], 8.7-13.8 years), affecting 71 (32.0%) of the novel therapeutics. The median time from approval to first postmarket safety event was 4.2 years (IQR, 2.5-6.0 years), and the proportion of novel therapeutics affected by a postmarket safety event at 10 years was 30.8% (95% CI, 25.1%-37.5%). https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2625319 That's why you don't mandate a brand new treatment...

You must really get confused then when it comes to writing dates. I know I do.

Those were yesterday's Dems, who bear little resemblance to what that party has become. How's that deficit reduction coming along under Mr. "Let's throw $$$ trillions at our pet projects and forecast great results to get re-elected"?

Tons of Costa Ricans have moved to the USA and gained citizenship. Nothing nefarious about that. Regarding room service, I hang out the Do Not Disturb sign as soon as I check in, and only pull it down once a week or so for fresh towels. I prefer privacy. Not hard to believe he did the same.

I don't know about the UK, but vitamins in the USA generally cost a small fraction of what they cost in Thailand. Same with aspirin, Tylenol and ibuprofen. (That's if you can even find 325mg or 500mg aspirin in Thailand) Compare prices between Lazada.co.th and your home country's Amazon if you want to figure out whether it's worthwhile to carry them in your luggage.

Not saying I'd have moved up next week's BKK arrival for this one, but it sure would be nice to hear about these events before they happen. We always seem to read about them when it's too late to participate, or even attend. BIRA racing, longtail boat races, bikini beach runs, jetski races, fun runs, WW2 memorials, and hundreds of other events happen each year in LOS. Some of them may even get us grumps away from the keyboard. Seems like there should be a forum section like "Upcoming Events"...

Perhaps because that's what's on offer in the job market? Even the most progressive dotcoms seem to be snapping to the fact that they're just not getting the productivity out of their remote workers and are increasing the hours they actually have to bathe, dress and show up at the office. Of course, if their looks are good enough for OnlyFans, that's an option. But that come with its own price.

My job drove me to live in the Asoke area, and I loved it. I didn't think I would, but now I'm a convert. With no commute I'd probably move a little further out to reduce rent costs, but I'd stay near the BTS or MRT. Between Sukhumvit, Silom, Chinatown and the BTS and MRT, everything I needed without even firing up the old Mitsubishi pickup truck. Except when I wanted to get away for weekends. Even then, if I wasn't hauling a kayak or 2 and a couple of bicycles, I'd take public transport for weekend trips as well. When I moved back to the USA (Covid refugee), I sorely missed the walking community and even the feel of "community" I got in the middle of Bangkok. Now debating where I want to retire to, and BKK would be hands down my choice if it wasn't for the 60 hour round trip to visit family who are starting to have normal age related health thingies. And health care expenses. Hard to walk away from Medicare with my pre-existing conditions.

+1 I love Seat61.com https://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm