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0900 but before 1100(when the actual mall opens) one is able to get in through one of parking lots. I could not figure out how so I went when the mall was open. I got a reentry permit in about 30 minutes. It was not very busy when I went last month.

What about a foreigner who makes a video in Thailand and a foreign viewer makes a donation like “buying a coffee”? “Buying a coffee” is the latest version of donating to YouTube vlog makers. I can’t see how a foreigner in Thailand being taxed for a donation from a foreign source. But as always TIT. Does the concepts of Logic or Fairness ever come into play?

Real world example is this. I have a neighbor who is in his mid 60’s. He thought about applying for a 1 year Self Defense (Maury Thai) Visa. He spoke to an agent and was advised a Non Imm O Based Upon Retirement was a better option. The neighbor later told me if he had applied for an Education Visa to study Thai Language then it probably would have been approved. I could see an Immigration Officer becoming suspicious if an old foreigner(not in the best physical condition) were to apply for a Self Defense Ed Visa. Of course this is just the example I know of. Others might know of different examples.

Kad Suan Kaew closed July 2022 and it looks like a Zombie movie could be filmed there.

At 3 hours it was too long. James Cameron had to show all the money spent on SFX. The story was good and it could have been told in 2 hours. Not looking forward to the sequelsthat are coming next few year.

200 is actually good. I have True 5G with a 5G capable phone and fastest I have had was 150.

I think if my next Grab driver was Vitaly from Moscow or Xi from Shanghai this would be breaking news. I think this goes back to the default position of some in LOS: Blame a foreigner or foreigners.

This just gave the MAGA more ammo. In essence NORAD failed to detect airborne intrusion. But NORAD did a great job in tracking Santa in December. 800 Billion Dollar Defense Budget and could not detect a slow moving balloon.

Did not state there was a conspiracy. Intelligence can be gathered in two ways: Covertly and Overtly. I think a big balloon allegedly “drifting” in the jet stream from China sounds like a great story. Of course by chance it just drifted over major SAC(Strategic Air Command) bases in Montana and the Dakotas(South and North). Of course SAC controls land based nuclear capable ICBMs. What would have China done if a foreign balloon had “drifted” into its airspace?

Satellites fly. A balloon can loiter. Big difference in terms of gathering information. Most weather balloons ascend to a designated altitude and not fly across the Pacific Ocean.

Why does China need to monitor the weather in Alaska, Canada and the continental US? Weather balloons are launched by many countries everyday. I have not heard of a foreign “wealthier” balloon flying over Chinese Airspace.

Does include "safest" sidewalks to walk as well?

This might not be such a great idea anymore. On Jan 27 2023 I left BKK on a flight to Tokyo and then onto Los Angeles. I arrived at 0430 and check-in at the ANA counter was completed at 0600. The line was long and slow. I waited in line for 80 minutes and the actual check-in process took 10 minutes. This might the norm at BKK now. I then went through security and immigration. This took an additional 20 minutes. I got to the gate at 0635. By now boarding had started. This is why I always get the reentry permit at immigration. I did not have any time to even stop for a cup of coffee or even get something to eat. On this day all check-in lines for international flights were long and moving slowly.

It would be expensive but consider setting up cameras or even improvise mobile phones at checkpoint and record these contacts. This would be one way to prevent “misunderstandings”.

Did you pay? Go Dutch or did the Thai Police pay? Was it pizza or burgers?

My point was when was the last time you shared Pizza or any other western with the Thai Police?

“Perception is reality and reality is perception”. The Genie cannot be put back into the bottle. Depending on how many followers she has back in Taiwan this could have negative consequences. On an unrelated matter yesterday I saw an EVA Air Airbus 330 takeoff corm CNX airport. My guess is traffic to and from Taiwan is pretty good. We shall see if this negatively affects arrivals from Taipei.

Pizza?

Add the following items to logistics: Jet Fuel, spare parts for the Patriot system, Leopard tanks and eventually the M1A-Abrams. Good to luck to the Ukrainian logisticians.

Russia has been the Wagner Group for years in several countries.

Really? An F-16 has Fly By Wire flight controls. Soviet made aircraft mostly have hydraulic flight controls. So an experienced pilot can transition from a MiG to an F-16 in 6 weeks and effectively complete combat missions. I really don’t know because the most advance aircraft I have ever flown was a twin engine Beechcraft.

One workaround is to have Ukraine directly hire civilian experts. Of course the money would be funneled from the west into Ukraine. I just can’t see the Ukrainians effectively deploy advanced tanks into battle without direct assistance from western experts. Now some are talking about F-16’s to Ukraine? Really, the only way for an F-16 to conduct combat missions would be to have former western military pilots fly them. What is the average flight hours for an experienced F-16 pilot to deploy to an actual combat zone? 1000, 2000 or more. It appears “symbolism” means more than actual capabilities? Just my thoughts as an old man who was once a soldier a long time ago. Not every soldier is capable of going to war. Training and simulations mean nothing when actual bullets are flying. Some freeze and some excel. No no knows how one will perform under real life stress. This applies to any profession.

I would disagree because of the vast differences between the Leopard 2 and T series from the Soviet era. I was tanker in the Army Reserve and when my unit transitioned from M-60 tank(diesel engines)to the M1A1(Turbine Engines) back in the early 90’s it was like going from an old VW to a Ferrari. Just learning the main gun and its systems were challenging. We were not certified for 18 months. Most active duty Army units took much less. The new radios in the M1A gave us some fits and we had a lot of growing pains. I’m certain the Leopard 2 manuals have not been published in Ukrainian yet?

What happens when soldiers who are not properly trained are sent into battle with unfamiliar equipment and weapons? The only way to avoid disaster is to have embedded advisors. I know this sounds like Vietnam but western Tanks and equipment are technically more complex than those made in Russia. NATO should at least consider civilian technical advisors along with the tanks and other equipment. Simple question is this: How long does it take to train a soldier to become a competent tank mechanic? For the US Army at a minimum a 6 month technical school and almost a year of On The Job Training and Mentoring.

Yes. The CVS Pharmacy Clerk asked to see my health insurance and I showed her my Pacific Cross card. She asked what is this? I told her this is my health insurance from Thailand. She handed the card back. I have no idea why CVS was asking for health insurance when it was supposed to be "free"? In the end I paid nothing.