ronnie50

Jatuporn really has changed his stripes, hasn't he? From being a leftist 20 years ago, fighting for peasants' rights and a more equitable country, to a right-wing nationalist appearing almost fascist. And why? Because he had a falling out with Thaksin, or because the penny finally dropped that Thaksin is like every other politician (in it for himself first and foremost)? Or did Thaksin do something else to him that he isn't revealing? There must be more to this than his sudden embrace of the country's military-nationalist establishment..

Thanks all. Did I read somewhere some weeks/months back on AN that in order to renew your driving license you need to have already done at least one 90 day report? Or is that not necessary?

What's the new PP airport like, have you been there?

Apologies in advance, but I can't find a post that answers this (probably burried in there).. What's needed for the the first in-person 90 day report? And do I need to make an appointment (at Changwattana) or just walk in and take a queue number? I was only planning to take my PP and the latest TM.30, TM.47 and a photocopy/printed scan of every PP page. Is there anything else? Cheers, R.

Food is one thing. Smoking is of course the worst thing you can do to your arteries/heart, and of course potentially to your lungs. If you have high calcification in your arteries (which smoking causes), you'd find a resting heart rate difficult, IMO, to get it below 70 bpm.

Health is private, but if you feel like sharing.. did you have a Calcium CT scan before the heart attack? Which artery caused it? (LAD - the 'widow maker'?)

For years, we (in the West) were told fatty deposits in food and 'trans fatty' margerines were to blame. It was a misdirect by the sugar lobby. Sugar - as you say - is probably the worst thing for us, yet it is in almost every food we eat.

If you can keep your LDL to a good level through a healthy diet then that's great. Less need for statins. Other drugs, like Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs), Nexium etc., used for years by millions, continue to be prescribed, even though long-term they could weaken your body's ability to absorb essential vitamins like B12 (making you anemic) because both food containing B12 and Iron (and also supplements) need the stomach acid to extract the vitamins and iron. A lot of evidence by major researchers have shown this time and again. Yet most doctors seem unaware.

It depends on 'what kind' of money was used to build/develop all of this in the first place. If it was bonafde developers like the one in the article, then maybe prices will fall further (the article said prices already down 25% on new builds). But if it was 'grey' or blackmarket local or international money used to develop (read money laundering), then these no-name places - largely 80% empty - could stay that way for years, as the whole idea was just to park the loot somewhere else.

Let's hope we don't return to that within this year. Call an election!

Also, try to work out a bit with weights - nothing too much - but resistance training builds a bit more muscle which is heavier than fat (even 30 mins of pushups, squats while holding dumb bells, lat pushups, and a few curls). Make it a daily routine if you can (and a 40 minute walk).

While your BP is good - as is your resting heart rate - you might need to check yourself for anemia. You might not have any symptoms yet, but it can be a cause of weight loss. And the sudden change in BP could be a sign of something else. Don't let it fall below 90/60 (Hypotension). Best to see a doctor and consider a Calcium CT Scan (measures the amount of plaque in your arteries attached to your heart). Do you consider yourself underweight? If a male small-boned/frame maybe not, but with a medium frame, then maybe yes?

Pretty good article by The Economist on the multiple possibilities of what drove this "senseless border war" (their words). It might be a paywall, unless you have a subscription (but I think they allow a couple of free viewings of the magazine per month). https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/07/31/why-did-thailand-and-cambodia-fight-a-senseless-border-war

I used them too during the depths of the pandemic and they were good. But I noticed they don't have much (of what I want) anymore). They used to have a bricks-and-mortar pharmacy in the Silom area (soi Sala Daeng?). Not sure if it's still there.

A spokesman for Supulai, one of Thailand's biggest residential housing developers, says Bangkok home sales are down to a 20 year low. And it could take 5 years to clear the backlog of homes presently on the market (more than 270,000). New unit builds down by a third and five consecutive quarters retracting, also prices also down by more than 25% in some cases. No one bidding on vacant land primed for development, the spokesman said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/property/3077392/bangkok-residential-market-slumps-to-a-20-year-nadir

Okay this won't be liked, but flame away. First, an important caveat - I don't like Thaksin any better than the flamers - and I do wish he'd go away because he's yesterday's man (at best). But I don't have illogical hatred for him, like some of the nationalists and ultraconservatives. But for those who were here post 1997 tiger currencies' crash, which Thai government since then has actually produced anything positive for the people of Thailand? Thaksin's majority government did, in fact, do several good things - including the 30 baht access to health care. Which administration since then - military and quasi-democratic - has done anything positive for the masses? I'm not advocating for Thaksin's daughter. The country is in a real mess, partly thanks to her (can't say anything about court decisions here), but what's needed is dissolution of parliament and let the young 'People's Party' (aka Move Forward Party) take the wheel if they strike a majority in the next election. Waiting for another coup is a really, really, stupid idea.

Yeah, EXCEPT his 'big beautiful bill' also eliminated the tax on 'silencers' - yes, silencers.

It's up there. Why doesn't the US import Canadian beef? It's as good as USDA, and of course it's so much closer - just truck it across the border. Or is Canadian beef getting hit with that 36% tariff? Both countries must protect their beef industries because I've never seen a Canadian steak in the USA nor a USDA steak in Canada.

For what it's worth, my own sense (and from what I've read of other posters) is the THB is being propped up for the benefit of a small minority of wealthy Thais. Still can't see how they gain. Exports, already weak, just cost more. Maybe it benefits the owners of all the big name foreign franchises, or tourism and the hotel owners in some way - but even that doesn't make sense to me..

Asleep at the wheel really.

I've been there. No it's not cod - only local fish. But it was okay. It's quite popular with local Thais - has an upstairs with seating - downstairs is quite small. It's survived longer than many other places in the little precinct - otherwise mostly Japanese and Korean hole-in-the-wall joints that don't interest me. AFAIK, it's the only 'western' food on that soi otherwise. A good burger place opposite it lasted less than a year, and the long-running Basilico right on Soi Ari shuttered last year.

A Canadian invention apparently (pineapple on pizza). The first time I saw chicken on pizza was working in the UK. Weird and usually not very good - tomato sauce was always bitter. Pizza Express was ok I guess.

All 20 of them..

Right. Though they're all just reporting what they were told by the DOL I guess. Could still be a mistake. Otherwise, wow.

At 33.70, the Thai Baht would still be overvalued by a considerable amount. With the local economy as weak as it is, I find it hard to believe that the THB isn't trading closer to 37 or 38 to the USD. With so little to offer in the way of trade, tourism and record high household debt - can the THB really be that strong? It makes little if any sense. Regarding tourism, the Viet Nam Dong is a huge winner over Thailand's overvalued currency by comparison (from a tourist's perspective). Japan's yen is still attractive - though not as cheap as it was a year ago.