impulse

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325799290647

Just a shameless plug for discount day on a lot of online venues that have Chinese characteristics, or cater to them. May be a good day to find a deal. Or not...

I don't know about the Similians, but I've stayed in perhaps a dozen beachfront hotels in Thailand, and don't recall ever seeing "loaner" or rental life jackets for their guests to use at the beach, much less the general tourist public. Think about the logistics of cramming a life jacket into your overseas luggage, especially on the way home when it's wet. Seems like there would be a market to rent life jackets, fins and other snorkeling gear right at the beach. Especially the beaches famous for snorkeling. Along with boogie boards, SUPs, etc. (Or is that already a thing? My beach experience in Thailand is limited to the lesser known beaches) Edit: I'd add that it took me awhile to even find life jackets to buy... I had a collection of about 10 that I kept in my BKK apartment to go along with my kayaks, inflatable boats and SUPs, so I could safely accommodate a bunch of friends on my outings. I ended up finding a marine supply shop in BKK Chinatown to buy affordable gear. Decathlon has them, too, and nicer looking than mine- which were industrial grade. But they're spendy, and they weren't around when I first started watersports in Thailand.

I wonder if there's confusion between a life jacket and a BCD (Buoyancy Compensation Device). Snorkeling with a life jacket sounds boring, because you're stuck on the surface. People do it, but mostly in very shallow water. If the water's more than a few feet deep, you can't see much from the surface. If you want to go down, you want a BCD. The OP also doesn't state whether he was on an organized tour, or just swimming from shore (or a boat?) on his own. Also, vomiting blood sounds more complicated than drowning. Hopefully, more details will follow.

One more data point. No scooters, no fatalities. A ton of steel, seatbelts and a roof. Great safety features for those who can afford them.

I'm also forecasting that a bunch of her campaign officials suddenly buy mansions and Ferraris they couldn't afford last year. You know, like those BLM "activists".

It's probably not coincidental that he just said he may run for office.

You'd probably feel differently if your health and quality of life took a big nosedive the day after your 2nd Pfizer. I sure do. Over 3-1/2 years later, I still haven't recovered. I don't expect to in this life. And even so, I'm not anti-vax. I am anti-mandate, and in favor of full disclosure of the risks that come with the benefits. Which we have been denied for years.

FWIW: “I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” Trump wrote shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday. https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/09/trump-nikki-haley-mike-pompeo-administration-robert-f-kennedy-jr/

Though I don't refute the numbers (I don't claim to know), a link to a source would be helpful in making your case.

If they want to blame anyone, blame whoever covered up Biden's incapacity until after the primary races, when it was too late to put forward a decent candidate. That's Pelosi, Harris, the MSM, the celebrities... The whole lot. Edit: Except Fox. They were the only ones honestly reporting Biden's decline in cognitive ability.

In a word. Yes.

Dollars to donuts, Marn'i Washington will file a lawsuit for wrongful termination in a "friendly venue" and FEMA settles for $millions. Probably in DC or some other Dem city. And she'll be supported by The Squad. (What's left of it, anyway)

Not going to happen. Every case against him is riddled with appealable errors. Their real motive was to hurt his chance of re-election. They'll never defeat the appeals. It would be a monumental waste of taxpayer resources. They didn't mind wasting taxpayer money to keep him out of office. But he isn't eligible for a 3rd term. So they'll go home.

You can't disgrace someone who has no shame. If she was fired and/or disbarred, she'd end up on The View making $millions. And the book deals... So she wins, benefitting from election interference and malicious prosecution. She needs to be prosecuted and jailed, as a warning to anyone who wants to try the same lawfare in the future.

Forecast to your heart's content. Past performance isn't a guaranty of future results, but I don't know any better way to make decisions. Parroting the predictions of CNN, MSDNC and other lefty pundits didn't work well on the election, either... They lied to you. They've been lying to you. How many more times are you going to let them, before you hold your nose and click on Fox? It was around 2016 that I ditched CNN on my bookmarks. CNN is down at the bottom now.

The deficit is a huge issue. Aside from 2 years of Covid (2020 and 2021), it's been going up twice as fast under Harris/Biden. Mostly thanks to the Inflation Assurance Act that's squandered $trillions on stuff most Americans don't even want.

Dems lost because so many of them are evil: A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supervisor reportedly told aid workers to skip over Trump supporters’ homes while doling out aid after Hurricane Milton in Florida, according to internal communications and federal workers. The outlet added another statement from FEMA after publication: “FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation and we are deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions. While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from ever happening again,” the statement read. If she doesn't get fired, there's no hope the Dems will get back to sanity. But it seems the Biden admin doesn't fire for evil deeds, nor incompetence. (Edit: As long as those evil deeds go in the right direction...) So far, she's just been transferred to another location. https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/08/fema-supervisor-avoid-homes-advertising-trump-hurricane-milton-communications-whistleblower/

My concern earlier in the cycle is that they'd offer Harris a seat on the Supreme Court in order to get her to step aside and let Big Mike (or Newsom) be the candidate. I'm glad I was wrong.

Quick. Let's subvert the will of the voters while we still have the chance!

The Joe giveth, and the Joe taketh away. He made her VP as a DEI pick, and then sabotaged her when he no longer needed impeachment insurance. The Dems reaped exactly what they've been sowing. Lost the Presidency, the Senate, and the House. Let's see if they take the lessons to heart. I miss the old Dem party that believed in common sense.

One year for each count of election interference...

That would be great. Especially if you're aware of activities coming up. I know Thailand has boat races, scooter races, drift racing, bicycle rides, marathons, concerts, cosplay cuties, and dozens of other activities each month around the country. But it seems like you need to read the local venues (in Thai, no less) to hear about them in advance. Otherwise, we only read about what we just missed.

The sooner we get some of those members back, the sooner we can get updated on the latest tricks to save a few baht getting around on Baht Buses.

I'd kind of like to get back to a new normal, where we discuss things to do in Thailand, how to navigate visas (and now taxes), and where to buy that eclectic stuff that only expats use. And fishing reports. I miss fishing reports. Plus, my usual lament... I'd like to hear about interesting activities in Thailand before they happen. So we can attend, instead of reading about them after the fact.