Old Croc

People have been injured when their wheel has exhausted the electricity supply and stoped instantly from speed. The rider keeps going. I remember one of the members of the Goonzquad YouTube channel sporting extensive road rash after such a crash. (They may have fixed this problem since the publicity)

Another silly topic from an individual screaming for attention. There are nowhere near as many "Western Men" living in Thailand as he seems to think. Figures are hard to confirm, but the number is somewhere around 150,000. The several millions of foreigners in Thailand are mainly from neighboring countries. The biggest category of westerners are those holding work visas, probably on temporary assignment. Many of the others are single retirees and a lot fewer expats are married and raising families. (One source I found suggests there's under 20,000 with a Thai spouse. Fewer of us have children) The OPs research on numbers of children with western fathers consisted of "looking around." I've personally never seen a westerner with more than 2 kids. I'm not saying there aren't some but given their propensity to start procreating at a higher age than is traditional, I wouldn't think not too many have a tribe of kids at foot. My point being, the idea that half-western kids are colonizing the country is ludicrous. If he had said the same about certain religions, he may have had a point.

"Poor Marty" would just be another pathetic drunken Brit, prone to disrobing, singing and starting fights. Laughable and needing a night in a cell to sober up. However, for me the fact that he was driving and had a crash puts him in another category. I would like to see him permanently removed from Thailand's roads however that can best be achieved.

I've waited, for what seems an eternity, at those very lights when coming from the other direction to turn right. It's very frustrating if you just miss them. It may have been a slight help for the rider that the two biggest private hospitals on Phuket are very close to that corner. Edit: I note that he is in Vachira which is just a bit further past the Bangkok Hospital.

These countdown lights can also be a danger for people who have not seen them before. To watch them only and take off as soon as they get to one is not the way to survive here.

If you rent in a tourist area and live as a tourist, it can be expensive. However, if you settle in a quieter area, not beach front, and live as an expat anywhere else, costs are much the same. Lotus'''s, Makros, government services, etc. are similar to other areas. Perhaps not Issan cheap, but reasonable. There are large populations of Thais and migrant workers there as jobs are plentiful, and they don't live in a different price bracket than similar elsewhere. Of course, It's no secret transport is a problem in Phuket which is why a large proportion of expats have cars/bikes.

Apparently. I have no information on this particular matter other than has been published. However, with firsthand knowledge and experience of these work gang schemes elsewhere, I know the organizers/recruiters rarely get caught themselves.

From the link: "The investigation did not stop there. Police have also apprehended an individual identified as the employer, though his name remains undisclosed in the official reports. This individual is currently being questioned to shed light on the employment of these foreign workers, reported The Phuket News."

Most likely because of corruption and cronyism Russia has more than 100 billionaires and any number of millionaires. Their families, particularly the ones out of favor with the boss, could be hiding out in places like Phuket spending the cash. Maybe that's why they are being welcomed with open arms by the current govt here. Interestingly, 67 of these Billionaires are using Cypriot financial services providers to safeguard their wealth from sanctions. That little island has one of the highest rates of billionaires to population outside of HK.

For a more balanced viewpoint here is a vid of GUM Department store in Red Square.

Some are hawking Cossack weaponry in the street.

There are problems either way with these emojis. Before they became anonymous many were using them to express personal like or dislike of a poster rather than as commentary on a post. Now, anonymously, they can still be used by the intellectually deficient to disrupt the true mood of a post without consequence. Having seen how the system was abused on another forum, I opposed their introduction on Thai Visa and stated such at the time. Initially here, several members and their mates went berserk with the power and loaded up each other with scores of likes despite any merit of a post. Their value, in numbers accrued by some, is worthless in my eyes.

My posts, rather than being superfluous, in your judgmental call, was to highlight, and hopefully slow, the many who read about a bunker and automatically go off on a zombie rant. A thinking person would be aware that the purpose of such a place is shelter from fallout and non-zombie, lawless people. To offset the potential argument that all were just joking, I asked how many people actually believe in this impossibility. Also, for your edification, many more people read threads than actually contribute to them. If you believe a question posed is only for members who have actually posted, you need to expand your thinking and perhaps stop nit picking.

My here is broader in definition than yours. Who were you including in your nobody believes post?

For clarification, this is the type of machine involved. The child was probably sitting in the back seat and the driver on the middle one. They can reach about 25 kph (I've ridden one at that speed) and are common in some rural parts of Thailand.

"a new survey found 1 in 7 Americans actually DO have plans in place in case of a zombie outbreak. That’s 14% of Americans, including 24% of millennials . . . 15% of Gen Xers . . . and 6% of baby boomers." 25 Unbelievable Things Americans Believe (list25.com)

There's a lot of talk about zombies roaming the earth after the nuclear holocaust. How many here really believe a sub-human race of mindless bloodsuckers will arise, and survive, where no one else can? Americans?

You would pay the bodyguards by providing them with life in the bunker. However, it would be prudent to leave them outside as they would probably take over when they eventually realized who then held the power.

The clue is at the beginning of the sentence, read it again. I didn't say clarified I said legislated.

I would image there would be an energy source and extensive libraries of books, games, movies and medicines. Many live with less in this pre-apocalyptic world.

Years ago, some friends and I were snorkeling from a boat over the sea grass meadow in Shark Bay. A couple of us were collecting anemone exoskeletons and dropping them in the boat. The mate sitting there suddenly screamed when he found a blue ring crawling on the seat next to his leg. He flicked it out with a knife very nearly landing it on the head of my other mate in the water! One of us had picked up the octopus hiding in a hole in a skeleton! We were a long way from any medical help, and in those days none of us knew how to keep a person alive if bitten. (Incidentally, that sea grass has been determined to be the largest plant on Earth. Meet the world's largest plant: a single seagrass clone stretching 180 km in Western Australia's Shark Bay (theconversation.com))

I've been saying that for some time, good to see someone else agreeing. Although...... I'm not so sure that is still the case.

Thai tax -Despite some head in the sand commentators refusing to entertain any possibility that it will affect expats, the statements released by the govt can't be totally ignored. Until they give some clear legislated guidelines anything could happen. Hopefully they will realise the implications and backpedal. Residential pensions - As much as some governments resent citizens spending their money in other countries, a law to restrict people to that extent would be a huge social upheaval and impossible to implement.

I think the plan is to live out their days in the bunker, not roam the earth with barbed wire baseball bats looking for food.