impulse

I've got a little bit of empathy for Wray. None for his boss (Garland) and even less than none for his boss, Biden. Almost everyone who's ever worked in a hierarchy has experienced doing distasteful deeds because that's what the boss tells (and pays) you to do. Wray wasn't steering the boat. He was just rowing. That said, he needs to go so the new management can investigate how deep the rot is, and was.

That's certainly not unique to Thailand. Here's the aftermath of a festival in Glastonbury, where they had 40,000 trash bins. https://weather.com/science/environment/news/music-festivals-and-the-trash-left-behind We had the same problems on the beach in Galveston where I was a Covid refugee for a couple of years. The difference was that we had trash bins every 50 yards on the beach, even more near the parking, and a crew that drove down the beach every morning to pick up after the slobs. That's what successful tourist areas do. I spend a lot of time walking around Bangkok, getting in my target 10,000 steps a day. When I finish a bottle of water, I often walk with it for 10-20 minutes before I find a can to bin it. That's not how you appeal to tourists.

I wonder if the area is like so many public spaces in Thailand where it's a long hike to the nearest trash receptacle? If you want to improve the image for tourists, I suggest more trash cans and more public rest rooms. You'll have less trash and fewer videos of people pooping and peeing in public.

That was before Obamacare. For which I was paying $1,400 a month with a $5,000 deductible. So I wasn't too impressed with ACA, either. (But that's another timeframe and a whole 'nother topic) I was pleased when I hit Medicare age...

I'm not in favor of what the guy did, but I want to understand his motives before I presume to judge him. The fact that the MSM is squelching the manifesto (and other information about the victim, insider trading, etc) is why I don't trust the MSM. It's almost as if they're putting forth a narrative that their advertisers can do no wrong. And yes. That's dripping with sarcasm.

Having held several different jobs at companies of varying sizes, I've had great luck with some insurance companies. And horrific experiences with others. Never an outright denial. Generally a fight over what was covered and at what rates. For example a procedure I had in Wyoming was only done at one facility in the whole state. My insurance covered a maximum of $2,000, at 80%. The only facility in the state said "tough noogies, our price is $3,000. So I was reimbursed $1600 on a $3000 bill. No biggie for a couple of thousand, but I was always worried what would happen if I had a $million procedure. It would have bankrupted me, even with "full coverage". Edit: I tried to be smart and get the procedure done in Houston the next time I visited my parents. It was only $1800 in Houston. But the insurance only covered $1000 in Texas because they claimed that was the "reasonable and customary" fee in that market. I could never find a facility that charged their reasonable and customary fee.

Thanks for that update. I had a couple of kayaks back then that lived on top of my pickup. Since I brought and paddled my own boats, I only perused the water sport center and took some photos. I don't recall the programs, whether they rent by the hour, require a membership, etc. But what a great resource in Bangkok for people who enjoy boating. Especially those with no way to buy, store, or transport their own kayaks. Sadly, I never really saw it advertised anywhere, at least not in English. Knowing what I since learned, next time I move to Thailand I'll be buying inflatables since I often got stopped when I tried to (or successfully) used the motorways. No kayaks allowed on roof mounts on the motorways. Enforcement was hit and miss. Getting to the beach or the river (Kwai) was a real PITA without getting on the expressways. So it'll be inflatable kayaks KaBoats, and SUPs for this boy next time... Plus, they fit into a closet and don't have to live on top the pickup. Hopefully, someone can chime in with more details about the cost of sailing, kayaking and/or boating at that park???

FWIW, here's (allegedly) the whole manifesto, from which the MSM is cherry picking snippets: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/luigis-manifesto

They should strike while the iron is hot by publishing transparent pricing for healthcare procedures. Prices that are generally lower than the copay alone in most US hospitals and with most American insurance. It's a hot topic after a certain incident in the news. Pretty sweet if you can convalesce on a tropical beach after your procedure, and it still costs less than back home. Not to mention old age care. If Thailand can ever figure out how to deliver consistent, predictable quality care to old farts, they'd make a pile of money. And not just from Yanks. I've never been in a low end British old farts home, but just the thought of a winter in England spooks me...

Had Floyd been white or Asian, the whole incident would have been put down to a fatal Fentanyl overdose and buried on the back page. Same with the Penny case. I hope that anyone harmed by any protests after the Penny verdict sue the snot out of the race baiters calling for vengeance. That should have happened to the race baiters who fomented the "Summer of Love and mostly peaceful arson and looting", too.

You'd be amazed at what kind of pain you can push through when you're fleeing for your life. This is credited to his X account:

Sure. That's simple enough. But you're confusing "the uneducated" with "the unconvinced". Or "the unindoctrinated".

Too Many Words

Related to the park in the OP... (More accurately, the lake right next to it). Years ago, they had a fleet of sailboats, kayaks and others, along with a clubhouse for the sailing club(s). Does anyone know if all that's still there, and know anything about their programs? Edit: And on an aside, have the BTS or MRT gotten any closer to that area? That was the downside 10 years ago, no public transport to the area. These photos are from 10 years ago...

Last time I got on the tins was in 1988. Best decision I ever made.

Apparently not the sharpest tool in the shed, in spite of high IQ and lots of education indoctrination. Had he not fallen for the power of the poon to flirt with a Starbucks barista, they wouldn't even have a picture without a mask. And then he was stoopid enough to keep all that evidence on him. For a few hundred bucks of fake ID and the throwaway gun. Then there's the manifesto... All on his person and not in a river somewhere. Almost sounds like he's being set up. It'll be interesting to see what the interweb sleuths dig up on his online history. Maybe he's that stupid, or maybe he wanted to be caught.

18 months suspended, 200 hours of service work and 10 days in rehab. Doesn't seem like much of a deterrent. I wonder what the guys not named Ahmed would get?

The GDP, maybe. But does that filter down to the voters? Keep in mind that 90% of stocks in the USA are held by 10% of the people. Deep dive into those St Louis Fed numbers and you'll see that very little has trickled down to typical voters. Employment stinks. Hours worked stinks, Average wages stink. The only bright spots are for billionaires, immigrants and gub'ment employees. Edit: And I'd add that immigrant job growth hasn't come close to keeping up with immigrant population growth under Biden.

One may suffer the illusion that professionals would realize how much they have to lose if they get banged up with drugs in Thailand. I think there's a tremendous tolerance for gay underwear parties in LOS. But, like it or not, not much tolerance for illegal drugs. It would be interesting to see how many get deported. Though I suspect that there's a solution where that won't be necessary.

And if you do a deep dive into employment figures, wage numbers, savings and debt (personal, corporate and public), you'll find that the benefits of any GDP increase aren't ending up in the typical voters' pockets, or our bank accounts. Here's all the data... But most couldn't be bothered to dig any deeper than what the MSM spoon feeds them. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/ BTW... Spoiler alert. Immigrants, billionaires, and big corporations are doing okay.

You mean the graph in the OP that shows Trump getting 30% favorable ratings, while Biden only get 14% favorable? While both of them get statistically identical unfavorable ratings...

You're coming from the illusion that fact checkers and "bias indicators" aren't as biased as the ones they're rating. Some of them, even worse.

It's kind of like telling your boss at work "I'm not in the mood". We all wish we could sometimes, but most of us were on the SCIP. That's the Salary Continuation Incentive Program. Keep doing what the boss says, and they'll keep paying you. Thai women are keenly aware of where the money comes from, and the competition for that money. Western women generally make out like bandits in the divorce. That gives them permission to be "not in the mood". Even the dating ones have backups to the backup for their affections and their goodies.

Your linked survey was from Feb 2024. Before the debate, the bloodless coup and the historically stoopid pardon.

I got nothing in terms of advice. I'm a Yank and don't claim knowledge of how the Canucks are operating. Just the consolation of wishing that's the dumbest thing I've done. Even recently.