mogandave

2 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

we can also talk about how just about all abuse is from people the children know and trust, family members, priests etc. and it happens because of norms of patriarchal absolute authority. You know what helps stop abuse? Educating children about consent and their bodies, so they know when something bad is happening and they know to tell an adult that they don't consent to something - this is just the kind of education the people that scream about gays and drag queens are against, funny that. 

This is why it’s so important for the schools to divide the children from the parents. 

Once they get the child to trust the teachers  over the parents, they can do anything they want.

1 hour ago, Baht Simpson said:

There you go. 

And no one cares about it. I think it safe to assume that by the time people get to an old folks home they’ve already know a good bit about sex.

1 hour ago, Baht Simpson said:

So you think people who are attending a perfectly legal event in a mall should be investigated? Jesus Christ!!  

Do you think parents that show up at school board meetings to protest should be investigated?

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I think it's time for me to exist this thread as I've said pretty much all I have to say on the matter:

 

-- I think Central's good intentioned idea of Kid's Pride was ill advised. 

 

-- But it was obviously about inclusiveness and acknowledging that LGBTQ people don't magically come into existence only in adulthood any more than straight people do. 

 

-- Central was obviously not promoting grooming or predation. To charge them with that is completely outrageous. 

 

-- Kids that feel "different from the rest" and they may feel that from very early ages deserve messages of support and inclusion from both societies and adults in authority. Without that such kids are at unusually high risk of depression and suicide.

Are there and kids that at some point do not feel “different from the rest”?

Can you link to a study that show the kids you describe are at higher risk for depression and suicide? If not, it’s just another popular lie.

7 minutes ago, Baht Simpson said:

Nice try to bring kids into it again but the comment was about no hetero overt sexuality at festivals and having sexuality rammed down "our" i.e adults throats.  

No kids at Central? 

Did you see the picture in the OP?

36 minutes ago, Brickleberry said:

As a young boy, I was frequently taken to Pantomimes: a kind of musical show for the family in which men would often dress as flamboyant women. This experience didn't traumatize me, and didn't make me question my sexuality.

Who took you? 

Was there any nudity or sexual pantomiming?

I honestly do not understand homosexuals putting up with their agenda being hijacked. It will not end well.

Apparently, Kasikorn recommended he get “YouTrip” which is supposed to be a no fees type vehicle that works (I think) like a debit card. 

Anyone know anything about it? 

He does not have a credit card, just a k-bank ATM. 

My boy is going to Italy and Austria for a couple weeks and I want to give him spending money. 

I have dollars I can give him that he can change there, or I can buy Euros here to give him, or I can just let him use his ATM there. 

Any recommendations? How bad are the ATM fees and exchanges?

He will be in Italy first. 

Thanks!

10 hours ago, Felton Jarvis said:

Not necessarily. I get statements from Social Security, Alabama State Teacher’s Retirement and my TIAA annuity every year. Surely IO could employ at least ONE person who could examine these documents. They simply love bureaucracy so much that they need tons of unnecessary documentation that costs a fortune and makes the process vague and murky. It’s an old game called “showing the farang who’s boss”.

What does that have to do with governments providing income letters?

Immigration would have no way of checking the authenticity of the documents. The same people that were lying on the income letters would be falsifying SS letters and whatnot. 

On 6/13/2023 at 1:37 AM, chalawaan said:

That was Thailand's fault, ALL the Embassies got tired of their petty BS paperwork for confirming something clearly obvious by other means  taking up valuable resources, and just said "enough!" in a diplomatic way. 

The annual extension circus and 90 day non-sense here is the one thing I really hate with a passion.  

Other means i.e. lying….

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I've never told anyone my business, not even my woman.

I never show my passport or allow it to be seen by civilians.

When back in the UK I deny I have a passport to everyone, not their business.

The trick to being a criminal, is to not speak to anyone about it. 

I don't even give out my real name.

 

You'd have to be stupid to let anyone know you were breaking any rules of any kind.

So your 'knowingly harbouring' is in effect nonsense.

So you don’t know what it means, that’s what I thought. 

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

If friends come to stay with you, do you first ask to see their passport, check their Visa, then report to immigration? 

Do you think that’s what happed? 

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

What about a girl that sleeps over, do you check she's a Thai citizen, etc.? 

Do you think that’s what happened? 

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

How about motoring offences, do you report pals you see, drink driving, speeding, tax, ins, dl? 

Do you think that’s what happened?

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Once you start being a nark, where do you draw the line? 

Do understand what is meant by knowingly harboring a criminal? 

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

This sounds a bit excessive.

Unless they were knowingly harboring criminals or evading taxes.

Does the hammer and sickle not symbolize communism?

On 5/19/2023 at 9:16 AM, Dan O said:

That's absolutely correct. The story should only be about road rage and the violence. Being a cannabis dealer or clerk at Makro has nothing to do with it. I'm prevented from saying what I think about the story or I'll get a Penalty again

 

Except that a guy getting stabbed is not much of a story, You can juice it up a bit by making it a guy getting stabbed by a drug dealer. 

It’s no different in the US, A guy getting stabbed is not news. A guy getting stabbed by a Trump supporter is.

Putin is not long for this world!

6 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

There is no official record of Trump's test.

 

All you have that he took one, is his word and his doctor's.

 

Doctors have lied for Trump since his bone spur days to when he had COVID, where his doctor admitted he gave misinformation about Trump's infectiousness.

 

Ronny Jackson the doctor who took the cogitative test has a history of lying as has Trump.

 

Why would Biden lie about the test? 

3 hours ago, placeholder said:

Sure. A week ago he gave a 25 minute speech at Howard University. You would have to suffering from some kind of neurological impairmentto believe that someone capable of doing that has dementia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxqYIl3eP0M

Did he bring up CornPop? He is definitely as sharp as he’s ever been. 

I’m surprised he does not take the Montreal cogitative assessment test like Trump did just to shut everyone up.

He has a speech impediment, not Alzheimer’s. .  

3 hours ago, placeholder said:

‘Manipulative, deceitful, user’: Tara Reade left a trail of aggrieved acquaintances
A number of those who crossed paths with Biden’s accuser say they remember two things: She spoke favorably about her time working for Biden, and she left them feeling duped.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/15/tara-reade-left-trail-of-aggrieved-acquaintances-260771

 

 

You should send that to Kamala Harris. she believes Tara….

12 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Yep that's fine , only one tiny problem Can't get Insurance  and if one can it's at over the top premiums with a lot off exclusions for preexisting conditions.

So for us Old Sods that means if one Can get insurance we pay for healthcare what we Don't get.

I pay as I go, and it is not that expensive. 

Insurance for individuals should never cover preexisting conditions.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I agree with 1 and 2. Disagree with 3. The highways are utterly choked. Unless you fly, it is not easy to get around here. Thailand desperately needs transportation alternatives, and regional airports like Hua Hin should be built up and utilized more, in addition to more high speed ferries and rail like in Europe. 

Which will bring all the western issues you hate. 

How much does a ferry cost in Thailand, and how much does one cost in Europe?

I’ve been driving here since 2000 and don’t find it that bad. 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

 

I suppose if I had unlimited finances, I would probably only spend 2 months of the year here. I despise the government and immigration here, and it does feel like the nation is moving backwards. But, considering the fact that I do not have a fortune, I will stay. There are many issues to consider. Going back to the US is not an option. I would not want to live there now, unless I was being paid over a million dollars a year, and then I would only do it for 3 years, and then leave. For me, it is about quality of life, and my level of fulfillment on a daily basis, which I seem to have here in abundance. A big factor here, is the relatively light hearted attitude of the people. You just do not find that in the US, where most seem bitter, disenchanted, unfulfilled, and heavy hearted. 

While I generally agree, there are plenty of areas in the US with friendly, happy people. 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

 This is an entirely subjective topic, of course. But some of us live very good lives here. Some of us have been fortunate enough to find an outstanding woman, who is delightful to be around, on a daily basis, always has our back, and is fun, smart, and lovely. For me, that likelihood of finding that back in the US, would be very low. So, that is a big factor for me. The second factor is just the quality of life. Sure, I miss alot of the culture back home. The theatre, independent film (which I can download here with no issues at all, and a super fast 1000 mb fiber optic connection, at under 700 baht per month!), stand up comedy, live jazz, etc. But I have a lovely home that I rent, for about 10% of what I would pay in California, I live very well on an income which is not huge, have access to great health care, at a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, and do not have to put up with alot of the aggravation that I had to when I lived back there.

I used to love CA, I wouldn’t move back now on a bet, unless I lost my family.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I used to have more issues than I do now. I worked on my attitude, which was getting in the way of appreciating Thailand for what it is, and was clouding my experience here. Used to stress over stupid stuff, as you can see from some of my past posts. Used to allow the politics to make me angry. Now it is not something I take seriously, just something I comment on, without anger or an emotional investment. Now, I just tend to laugh it off. Spent some real time back in the US recently, and it allowed some clarity and perspective, that I am very grateful for. Now, I just chuckle at most of the nonsense. Water off a duck's back, so to speak.

Inflation in the US.

Yeah, it gets better when you learn to let go of stuff.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I am in the US right now, and the prices and inflation are mind blowing. The cheapest lunch we have found was $30 for two. For 2 sandwiches. That is 1,000 baht, anytime you want something basic. A bag of groceries is 3,000 baht.

A friend of mine is looking for an apartment to move to in LA, and really small, simple places are 70,000 baht per month. Nice two bedrooms are closer to 100,000 baht. Decent homes start at 125,000 baht per month. The cost of nearly everything has gone up dramatically. Runaway inflation? I would peg real inflation in the US at 22%.

People deserve a living wage. When a kindergarten teacher makes $80k for 100 days of work, what should a plumber make?

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand is still reasonable. It used to be cheap. Has not been cheap for a long time. But, it is still reasonable. I know people who pay 10,000 baht a month for newer 3 bedroom houses in nice towns. In major cities in the US? $3000 to 4500 a month. That is 140,000 baht!

 

A newly upholstered motorbike seat recently redone on my scooter. 400 baht. A friend of mine had similar work done in the US. $275.

 

I recently had a guy come over and insulate my ceiling. I bought the insulation and paid him 2000 baht for labor. In the US? $500 and up.

 

I recently had an electrician do some work on the house. Nearly a full day of work. Paid him 1000 baht. In the US? $500 and up.

 

An oil change for my scooter costs me 200 baht, with Castrol oil. In the US? $75.

 

When I travel here I stay in nice four star hotels in Bangkok. Usually 1800 to 2500 baht. In the US? $150 for a crappy motel. $200 to $300 and up for a nice room.

 

I eat well here. In a smaller town you can get a three course meal for 150-250 baht. In the US? 2000 baht and up, plus tax and a nearly mandatory 15% tip.

I order from FoodPanda alot. In a smaller town it is 250 baht for 3 dishes, including delivery. In the US it is $40 for 2 dishes, plus $19 in delivery frees and taxes. That is stupid. 

 

I visit the emergency room here to visit a specialist, and with x-rays I am out the door for 2000 baht, at a private hospital. In the US? $300 at a clinic and $2000 and up at a hospital, if you don't have health insurance. An anecdote on this subject. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1,400,000 baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a good friend of his, in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back the next day, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon here got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1,400,000 at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at Vejthani Hospital, and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 31,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery.

 

Friends of mine, who are single, enjoy the company of a young, beautiful woman for a couple of hours, for 2500 baht. In the US? $800 an hour now for a beauty, with alot of attitude.

 

I could go on and on, all day long. I live at a level here, that I would never be able to live at, in the US, in most of Europe, in Oz, or Canada. Yes, the higher baht is an annoyance. And yes things are more expensive than they used to be. But, it is very relative.

I like that immigration in Thailand tries to keep track of “visitors”, we could use a lot more of that in the US.