Gecko123

The plan was to assassinate Lula and his vice president with the help of the Brazilian military. The plot only failed because the military failed to support the coup attempt. To punish Brazil for prosecuting Bolsonaro, Trump slapped high tariffs on Brazil which only recently were reduced do to consumer cost-of-living backlash in the US. This is the type of leader Trump supports. Part of the argument for not incarcerating Bolsonaro is that he suffers from bouts of hiccups. Bwaaaah. I say no special treatment for this criminal or the other criminal in the White House.

Speaking Thai doesn't make you immune from attempts to overcharge. If someone is determined to overcharge you, they can use small talk to size you up and butter you up with flattery before going in for the kill. You just have to aware of prices, and ask what the price is before you commit to buying if you're not sure.

Is this not a potential ulterior motive for establishing the paternity of the child? "a child born overseas to a Norwegian father and non-Norwegian mother is automatically eligible for Norwegian citizenship regardless of the parents' marital status. To receive Norwegian social benefits like child benefit, however, the child must typically reside in Norway for a specified period." I find it extremely difficult to believe that the first choice of a Thai husband looking for a surrogate to father a child with his Thai wife would be a foreign man. The child would likely have Amerasian features which would serve as a forever reminder that the child was not his. The idea that the Thai husband would be A-OK with a foreign man banging his wife (rather than using artificial insemination) runs against the possessive tendencies I've commonly observed in Thai men (not to mention men worldwide). The OP said he was happy because the child would be raised in a "good family," but then goes on to say that the husband has a mistress. Not sure if that fits into my concept of what constitutes a "good family", but to each his own. If this story is true, which I am now doubtful of, I am skeptical that efforts to establish paternity do not have an ulterior motive, most likely either child support or foreign citizenship. All of the details provided by the OP (five children from prior marriage, mistresses, "she practically raped me", husband asked me to father a child with his wife) seem to serve as a thinly disguised self-congratulatory ode to his sexual desirability, virility and fecundity. It seems to me that the OP is promulgating the myth that Thai women (and now apparently Thai men) will stop at nothing to have an Amerasian child even in the absence of any pecuniary interest or if it is outside of a marital union, which I frankly find to be more than a little bit offensive.

Can you just tell us more details about how you came to know this couple, how long you knew them before they proposed making you the sperm donor, and what it is about yourself which you think made them think you would be a good candidate? Right now, without more background details, I confess this story is boggling my mind.

In agreement with you that Thais are resilient, and that the upcountry family homestead still offers the security of a roof over the head when times get rough, but mechanization of many farm activities has reduced rural Thailand's ability to function as a safety valve when urban unemployment rises.

I would say that, in general, bi-raciality confers neither an inherent advantage or disadvantage to the child in rural Thailand. Certainly, in a 1-6th grade setting, the child's bi-raciality could easily go unnoticed or at least unremarked upon by his or her classmates. Things might be different in a 7th-12th grade environment where some bi-racial kids might experience teasing, or possibly bullying, due to his or her bi-raciality. All of this however would pale in comparison to the stigmatizing a bi-racial child might experience in the West. It should be pointed out that in rural Thailand many - if not the majority - of Thai female/Western male couples fit the stereotype of having met in an urban setting before settling in the female's home town. So you will encounter, oftentimes very subtle, attitudes about 'we all know how you met your wife' no matter how much effort you put into making it appear you met your wife at a yoga or Mormon spiritual retreat. It should also be mentioned that as many of the foreign men in rural Thailand are older, and they met their wives near the upper end of their child bearing years, there aren't that many bi-racial children in many rural areas of Thailand. As others have mentioned, the likelihood that a child will be stigmatized in a rural village will depend heavily on the social status and likability of the Thai mother, and the degree to which the Thai/foreigner marriage is perceived as solid. It is delusional to think that because a bi-racial child has half-Caucasian parentage he or she is going to be fawned over or receive life-long celebrity status because of this. Yes, a foreign husband might have the financial resources to offer the child educational and leisure opportunities and nutritional support they might otherwise not have access to, but the foreign husband, especially if they can't speak Thai, can also be a liability for the child in terms of social integration into the rural community or providing educational or life guidance to the child (if there is a language barrier). Also, anyone who has lived in rural Thailand for an extended period of time will tell you that these marriages do dissolve at probably a higher rate of incidence than Thai-Thai marriages, with the child almost always remaining in the village with the mother and the father departing. Most Thai villagers will have some degree of awareness of this. My point is that while a foreign husband is often seen as a major opportunity for a Thai female to upgrade her lifestyle (which, by the way, can trigger jealousy and envy), there are drawbacks to inter-racial and cross-cultural relationships and there seems to be a growing awareness that these relationships involve trade-offs rather than being seen as hitting the jack-pot financially, or if you delusionally insist, genetically. All of which affects how the bi-racial child will be perceived in a rural setting.

To me it looks like someone who became badly flustered when his prepared remarks were interrupted by someone who had a grievance to air. His apology appeared highly sincere to me, and I would challenge the ASEANNOW body language experts to explain how they arrived at a contrary conclusion. It appeared to me that he was simply trying to say that this was not the proper venue for the airing of grievances, but his lack of diplomacy, command of English, and lack of public speaking experience caused him to panic. I think this unfortunate incident might be being overblown in the media because of the headline grabbing optics of beauty pageant contestants storming out of a meeting.

What I meant was that had Trump attended the hearing, he would have been obliged to comment to the press about the merits of the arguments. If you listen to the oral arguments they involve very esoteric interpretations of constitutional and trade law which there is no way Trump is capable of mastering or speaking coherently about. His lack of command of the underlying legal issues would have become immediately apparent. I was aware that members of the audience, including the President, would not have been given the opportunity to address the court. Neal Katal's presentation and response to justice's questions begins at the 1:15:00 mark on link, not 1:15 as I previously indicated.

Neal Katal did an excellent job arguing on behalf of Learning Resources. His arguments begin at 1:15 mark on attached link: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-1287 I have to say that I strongly suspect that the reason Trump backed out of attending this hearing is because there is no way on God's green earth that he would have been able to articulate the merits of the legal arguments either in favor of or against granting him the tariff powers he is seeking.

That was a good one. I'm sure she and other staff laughed about it again afterwards too.

Claiming that jealousy is what's motivating the negative comments on this thread badly misreads what people are reacting to. First of all, I suspect that the vast majority of people commenting negatively already live in Thailand, which begs the question what are they supposedly jealous of? Even if a poster was on a meager pension, had to rely on an immigration agent to get their visa, was living in a shoe-box rental with a tiny fridge and a hot plate and a bathroom down the hall, chances are they would have more stability and wherewithal than a couple with largely untested social media and distance workout training skills. Maybe not right this second while the couple still have a savings cushion, but down the road will that still be the case? I suspect that the majority of posters on this thread are likely married, living in homes or condos they have a financial interest in, have reasonable pensions and backup savings. What you are hearing here are the voices of experience, not green-eyed little monsters. I am sure that many many posters have anecdotal stories about people whose Thai dreams have gone up in smoke due to poor planning. Did either of the people featured in this article invest in learning the language, or consider what would happen if they encountered a major unexpected expense or if they grew disenchanted with Thailand? Just for purposes of comparison, I started studying Thai 9 years before moving here, and planned my move for close to 5 years before moving here. So, forgive me, but to my ear, somebody moving here on a lark with what I consider to be half-baked plans strikes me as foolhardy. People also say 'let other people live their lives, they're not hurting anyone." Fair enough, but when you get on social media as an "influencer" braying about how you can find an apartment for $200/month, and your bowl of noodles only cost you 25 baht, you're kind of encouraging people to go down the same path which is kind of irresponsible when you overlook and downplay all the things that can go wrong. Just to name a few which haven't been mentioned already: a sharp devaluation of your home country currency, a change in visa requirements (the DTV visa being relatively new seems particularly vulnerable to potential revisions), the growing struggle to successfully monetize a U-tube channel, educating children in Thailand, the expense of relocating back or being able to afford real estate in your home country in the future, and difficulty rejoining the workforce after a long absence abroad. What you're hearing from me and others who have expressed dubiousness isn't jealousy. Its the voice of people who have seen others (and perhaps experienced themselves) what can happen when planning and discipline are in short supply.

It's not fear mongering. Look at the national debt, the value of the dollar, rising default rates in credit markets, the bifurcation of spending patterns, wealth and income inequality at record highs, food and housing inflation, etc. I chortle when I read the MAGA faithful poo-poo-ing these warning signs. You think you're somehow gonna be spared when all this goes south? No worries as long as there's still someone's having a harder time and on a lower rung than you, eh? “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” ― Lyndon B. Johnson

I agree with you that these types of stories on this forum do elicit a lot of negative comments, especially when you compare them to the gushy "I wish you all the best', "you seem like such a wonderful couple," "ignore the hater's " comments which typically fill up the comment sections of the content creator's' U-tube channel, usually coming from family and friends back home or people who have never set foot in the country or have only visited on vacation and are living vicariously through their journey. But the question I have for them (and perhaps you) is: "When does being 'supportive' and 'positive' start becoming 'enabling?" There's a lot of magical and delusional thinking, and unrealistic planning going on out there which often goes unchallenged by the content creator's loyal U-tube supporters. When their story gets aired outside of this insular cocoon, the feedback can indeed be a brutal reality check, but I'm not convinced that's a bad thing.

Yam wun sen. The vermicelli noodles are made from mung beans, not rice.

Out in the countryside you splurge on food at the supermarket and online specialty food vendors. Homemade larb moo with homegrown veggies homemade striped shiitake mushroom pork noodle soup roasted homegrown daikon radishes homegrown mixed salad green salad homegrown organic collard green pork stir fry with fermented black bean sauce homemade anchovy mushroom black olive pizza with homemade cilantro/pistachio pesto homemade coleslaw with homemade croutons

It's an ASEANNOW myth that Thais are oblivious to what's going on in the world. Tourism numbers, tariffs and trade wars, and the state of the economy is all over the news here. Ask any Thai if they're aware of Trump and the trade wars, and the answer's going to be yes. Its affecting employment across a wide range of sectors from tourism, manufacturing, farm commodity prices. You'd have to have your head under a rock not to be paying attention to what's going on. Also "loathes" is a word you chose to use. I just said that the extent to which Thais see foreigners as being a net benefit to them (or not) can bleed into their behavior towards foreigners.

I've recently experienced a rash of what I consider to be terrible service from employees at the amphoe office, the post office, my bank, a 'drilling for dollars' dentist, and a courier who jacked me around about when a package would be delivered. These unpleasant experiences were largely offset by very positive interactions with another post office, my vet, gas station attendants, and convenience store counter clerks, etc. I, too, have been wondering whether this perceived mistreatment can be attributed to anti-foreigner sentiment, but it is also possible that after feeling mistreated the first time, I developed a chip-on-my-shoulder attitude which bled into subsequent interactions. In other words, I may have become more prone to voice irritation after the first incident. The jury's still out, but I have to say in general that I echo the sentiment that I too have picked up a low-grade resentment towards foreigners from time to time and I think it might have to do with trade tensions and economic weakness that tariffs have done to the Thai economy. Sentiment towards foreigners does seem to fluctuate from time to time, and in the past I've observed negative sentiment does seem to correlate with weak economic conditions.

I've been on the phone and visited several local post offices in my rural area regarding whether or not letters can currently be mailed to the US. A few months back the two post offices close to my home were telling me that I had to go to a post office about a 45 minute drive from my house which had been designated as a branch which could accept letters to the US. I recently had a letter which had to be mailed, and before driving 45 minutes to this post office, I called several times to make sure this was the case. The branch manager later called me back and told me that all post offices could now receive mail to the US, so after hearing this, I decided to go to one of the branches near my house to tell them what the manager had told me. It turned out that in order for the branch to enter a letter into the postal computer system that have to go to a separate website: "dpostinter.thailandpost.com/login" I suspect that the reason there was a period of time when only designated post offices could receive outbound mail to the US is because there was a training issue on getting all branches trained on how to use this separate website. Even now, it appears that if you live in an area where there is not much demand for mail service to the US, the local post office may still be refusing to accept mail to the US, either because they are unaware that all post offices can now accept letter mail to the US, or there is so little demand for sending mail to the US that they just can't be bothered to deal with the logistical headache of entering the US bound letter into the new separate website. If you want to force the issue with your local post office, you may be able to enlist the help of ThaiPost's call center at 0 2831 3131 which may be able to provide technical support to your local branch.

Would proceed with caution. The imminence of husband's demise may be being exaggerated. After all, aren't we all technically "dying"? OP could next be asking about how to "hide from a husband."

People cite this as a definitive source, but it should be noted that: 1. This dictionary was published 26 years ago. 2. The definition research may have been done up to 10 years or longer prior to the publication date. 3. Dictionaries are not infallible, and many Thai-English dictionaries offer only limited nuance and fall back on dated entries with little effort to update contemporary usage. The linguistic resources available to compile fully nuanced Thai bi-lingual dictionaries , even at the highest levels, have sometimes fallen short of what one might expect. 4. Anybody who speaks Thai well will tell you that the term is colloquially and routinely applied to Westerners in general and its usage is not limited exclusively to white people. 5. I am confident that these colloquial and nuanced usages will be incorporated into future Thai dictionaries, hopefully resolving this godforsaken debate once and for all.

No, it's not. It's etymological root may have evolved from the word farang set (French), but in current day colloquial usage it is a term for Westerners and non-Asian people regardless of their race.

You are completely incorrect. I recall explaining this very same thing to you about 6 months ago. Using 'mun' as a transliteration for 'มัน' is completely incorrect, and shows you are using an elementary (and incorrect) transliteration guide for pronunciation. If you still don't believe me, punch มันฝร่ง into google translate and then hit the pronunciation icon. You hear 'man', not 'mun.' As I told you 6 months ago, you need to switch over to the phonetic alphabet used in Mary Haas' Thai Student dictionary and Benjawan P. Becker's Beginning and Intermediate Thai books if you are seriously interested in advancing in the language, otherwise I can almost guarantee your efforts will putter out at best at the advanced beginner level. No advanced dictionaries or grammar guides use the transliteration guide you are currently using. The reason I'm taking this tone with you is because I recall when you announced you were starting to study Thai (less than a year ago if I recall correctly) and I think it's a bit premature for you to be taking the tone you've taken in the above post. Get back to me when you've got 5 - 10 years under your belt, sonny boy.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did not hear any discussion of whether "farang" is an offensive term in the tik tok video referenced in the OP. I assume this subject was discussed by the Russian guy in another video, just not in the video linked in the OP. I'm of the school of thought, as I think many of you know already, that 'farang' is most often used as harmless colloquial shorthand for "foreigner", and I fail to see how parallels between its use and the Italian guy greeting someone in Thailand with ni hao should be drawn. Regarding the 'ni hao' controversy, I've been wondering what would happen if the Italian guy was running around Japan or South Korea greeting everyone with the Chinese 'ni hao.' Sure, he would get a lot of amused and confused looks, but I'll bet he would also be corrected fairly frequently about how to say hello in the native language. I think a lot of Japanese or South Koreans would at a minimum be mildly put off or offended if this were to happen. The strength of feelings of national pride may vary from person to person and from region to region, but visitors should be cautious about showing respect for the culture and avoid taking liberties. It probably wasn't "racist" per se, but it was presumptuous and did not show respect for the culture or the person involved.

I can appreciate and fully accept that people have different political views. But when someone who has repeatedly made clear that they see themselves as above average intellectually and well read, chooses to turn a blind eye to the cruelty, autocratic bent, and wanton racism of Trump's incompetent and chaotic administration, and blithely ignores the dangers to our democracy he presents as if he were Eliza Doolittle blithely picking out a new parasol or lace handkerchief in a sundry shop: (1) it completely undercuts any pretensions they might have about being an intellectual heavy weight, and, (2) tells me they lack the intellectual gravitas and historical perspective to recognize the brainwashing indoctrination of the right-wing media sphere. Well sensitized to the supposed dangers of wokeism, DEI programs run amuck, welfare fraud, and transgenders reading books to impressionable children in public libraries, people like this ignore the true danger of encroaching fascism, and the downside of trying to turn back the clock and denying that America is at its essence is a multi-cultural and multiracial society. It saddens me, but more importantly, it angers me. Look, for example, at his response to my post sharing the Democracy Now piece on Elon Musk's families South African apartheid and neo-Nazi past which raised serious questions about his ideological upbringing. Saying "'thanks for sending that Democracy Now 'thingy'" does not strike me as a serious response from someone who started a thread "why, oh why, has the left turned on Elon?" and seriously wants to explore answers to the question he posed.

If GG being on team Trump doesn't give the forum's MAGA acolytes pause for reflection and trigger some serious soul-searching, I don't know what will.