sqwakvfr

Actually she was an educated professional who caught the gambling bug. It happens to many who are well educated and logical thinking people. Currently in the US most states have casinos(I believe the largest state without Native American Casino's is Texas), lotteries and now the newest thing to get people addicted: sports betting. The end goal is to "seperate you from you money". So far most legal gambling locations have been successful at the peril of many people. In California there are Self Exclusion programs that one can sign up to in essence ban themselves from gambling locations. One fo the ways to mitigat the harms of gambling addiction is to place them in far away and out of the way places. I believe some in BKK want to takeover the slum neighborhood near the port (Kong Toey) and develop it into a mega casino, hotel and entertainment complex. Most government only see "$$$" when it comes to future gambling projects. Let's see if it happens in LOS.

What is the difference? Both are about obtaiining long term visa's to stay in Thailand. Granted dealing with Thai Immigration and a Thai Embassy are different but the end purpose is the same: to legally stay in the country for at least a year. Could this be all about putting and keeing $ in Thai banks. I wonder. Also, to extend an OA will require international transfers into a Thai bank account or maintaining 800K in a Thai bank account

Is Canada behind the times. An old saying that I have heard countless times is this: "An affidavit is about as valuable as the paper it is written on". This is similar to the saying "I only testa-lie while under oath". The US and Great Britain both ceased to issue Income Affidavits in 2018. So why did Canada still issue them until now? The only time an income letter has only value in terms of Thailand is when I apply for the Non OA at a Thai consulate. An ncome lettter from my pension agency was accepted when I applied for an OA back in Jan 2024.

The US Embassy ceased the Income Affidavit in 2018.

What next? Threaten to close all borders? Intensely screen all foreign arrivals,conduct interrogation, conduct a full body search to check for tatoos etc? Realistically any place that depends on tourism has to accept a certain percentage of "bad apples". Also, "never kill the goose that laid and continues to lay the golden egg". Also, is this just "PR" and no real change will occurr.

I have. Especially after midnight. About 10 years ago I was at Morongo Casino in CA and saw a woman being carried out by two security guards. She was losing at the black jack table and started throwing chips, cards and a glass at the dealer. This was during the day.

Gambling addicts come in all sizes, shapes, colors and wealth. The saddest story I heard about was a woman who won $14 million at a casino in Florida. A year later she had lost it all and then stole from work to continue gambling. If the Thai government thinks establishing a minimum level of wealth as a way to stem gambling addicion then I would say they have not done enough research. All they have to do is look at what S.Korea does. Some casinos ban Korean citizens from entering and some casinos put a cap on monthly visits. All casinos in the US have large and aggressive security force. This is because the combination of adult beverages and losiing at slots or at the tables elicit emotional and aggressive behavior. Of course TIT and all ideas that come out of this country are great.

Now in my 8th year in CNX for 9 to 10 months per year and it is what it is: A cheap place to stay a while. I have learned to have few expectations from the country and the people. Paradise is a myth and so far it has been mostly good rather than bad. It just seems to me that most Thai people prefer to keep distance from us foreigners. This is understandable because the cultures are vastly different and in many ways not compatible.

I have had 3 implants done in CNX. Each required tooth extraction and yes soft foods and liquids are recomended for the first few days. Bob, did you get an implant and crown? The total for extraction, crown, 3D X Ray and zironia crown came to just 60,000 each time. One of the implants had to taken out because it kept on bleeding and my face felt numb. From time to time the same side still feels numb even though the implant was redone. Now i hestitate to pay for another implant because just like Bob I am not certain an implant was actually necessary. Each and every time the dentist said "you need implant", "no other choice." I went along because we are in the Land of Smiles and questionning the advice of a medial professional is not culuturally acceptable. I have empathy for Bob.

No. What part of the world is Thailand in?

I'm not Indian so how does their behavior impact me? What exactly is my problem? Were you ever present during any of dining experiences in the Land of Smiles.

I'm not white, black, Russian, Indian or of Middle East descent.

I know how you feel but I no longer send food back. The second time is usually worse and who know what they did to the food. A friendly greeting and good customer service is rare. I have had to lower my expectations a lot in the last few years.

The one thing I have not seen is increased portions of the food I have paid for. It seems smaller than in the past. I also went to a Panda Express (you know allegedly Chinese food made by Mexicans) and the the two item combo with a drink was $14. The fried rice was plentiful but the beef in beef broccoli was slim. Also, the chicken in orange chicken was slim and it was a lot of breading.

I landed in LAX last week and went to eat some of my favorite places: 1. In N Out was $10 for cheeseburger, fries and a coke. It was packed and the employees looked happy. In N Out starts at $22 per hour. Managers can make over $100,000. Always pleased to eat In N Out 2. Raising Canes was $13 for 3 chicken fingers combo meal. The chicken fingers were smaller than a couple of years ago. The place was almsot empty at 1130 on a weekday. 3. Chik Fil A was really disappointing. A grilled chicken sandwhich combo was over $14. The sandwhich was not great, the fries were not great and at 1200 on a weekday the dining room only had 5 customers in it. The food and overall service were disappointing. I did not get the usual "my pleasure:. Will not be going back to Chik Fil A The economy for most is based upon what we actually pay and recieive. AKA "The economy sucks". Granted Trump only has been in office for three weeks but doubt it will get better anytime soon. I get the feeling fewer people are actually eating out.