soalbundy

Not just some people, since smart phones and Facebook etc it's become a way of life, the young just take it to the extreme, it's a sad condemnation of society in general. Life has become shallow and empty when the loss of an iPhone can produce symptoms similar to those of PTSD, it's a material world taken to the limit. There seems to be no role models left, no leaders worthy of respect, nobody cares about anything anymore, humanity is buried under a veneer of woke hypocrisy and greed.

They usually touch inappropriately.

I'm not getting old....I am old.

It seems a little medieval at times.

In Germany I would have 3 or 4 beers after work, on a Saturday in summer I would be in the beer garden all day and put away several liters. I've been here 20 years but now rarely drink, why I don't know, maybe 1 beer every fortnight at home but I really feel it, it makes me sleepy, however on the rare occasions I continue with another couple of beers I feel fine, I've just lost all desire to drink except in company.

A non event, no swords or guns, not a drop of blood just a boring argument.

Well there you go, ride the dragon and get bitten. Repatriation seems a waste of money, send an urn with his ashes would be cheaper.

Seems a bit desperate.

His name and his religion indicate that his roots lie further afield.

So not a very cunning plan on his part.

He's not very good at the gentle art of seduction but at least he asked, unsurprisingly she said no. No means no but he knows that now.

That was an expensive argument, what's the prison sentence for arson here?

Ear tags as an owner registration? Otherwise nobody owns it.

Was the monk tested for spiritual practices at the hospital?

While I agree that platitudes don't help what do you expect the government to do? There is still a worldwide industrial slowdown, every country is affected, it's the normal capitalist cycle of boom and bust where even such production giants as China are affected. The situation is made worse by the many geopolitical flash points around the world as well as global warming, in fact it's the first time that looming recessions have occurred in such a coordinated manner throughout the whole world, normally there would be one unaffected block that could help the rest to recover but not this time. The world has had an unprecedented long boom time so I anticipate a long down time, things will recover eventually, they always do, but when, 2, 3, 5 years?

Survival is a basic instinct. One of the bar girls on koh Samui told me that during the last week of the month a young police officer would regularly come round to the rooms where the girls lived to ask for food, not money, they would let him join in with their communal meal, this was the only interaction that they had with him.

From a legal standpoint yes but this will no doubt have ramifications on his professional life, organizations don't like scandals.

Which could be stopped if they were paid a living wage as America found out during prohibition where bribery reached such epic proportions that politicians and judges were being bribed, this was brought under control when the police pay was significantly increased.

In Europe in the middle ages Catholic priests sold plenary indulgences to reduce your sins so that your punishments would be reduced on judgement day, I think that is the same mode of thinking here. I think that the vast numbers of monks take their vows seriously but one only hears of the black sheep. Buddhism in Thailand is a branch of its own, the teachings are mixed with animism and superstition probably to match the hedonistic mentality of the Thais, my wife says that the true teachings of Buddha are taught at the temple services but I rather think they go over the heads of the village people where fear of black magic still reigns.

Yay!

A sad state of affairs when corruption money and rip offs aren't enough to live on.

If only they'd gone electric.

I think I almost know what you mean, if you don't ask for permission to photograph a local when he, for instance is sweating his guts out for a pittance because you think it looks soooo original, you may end up with a bunch of fives in your north and south.

Better still, ask Obelix

I doubt Thailand will be hit with secondary sanctions, there is a lot of western money tied up here and Thailand is ant-communist, a peaceful bulwark in Asia, the west wont want to endanger that. Thailand has always been pragmatic in its international politics, any perceived danger of secondary sanctions would bring about a quick reaction to change their policies just enough to avert danger without antagonizing the other parties unduly, their foreign office has a long tradition of clever diplomacy.