Bill Miller

2 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Sorry, but you can't just make things up, beer was invented for religious ceremonies. 

There is a prime example of "making things up."
Beer was, as with most human products, almost certainly an accidental discovery. It would have been co-opted to religious purposes after the fact.
No priest sat down and thought, "Hmmm. I think I will invent a mind altering beverage today".
Much more likely along these lines: "Damn! I left the last of the bread in this bowl uncovered in the rain a couple of days ago!. Hold on. That doesn't smell too bad. Mmmm, not bad at all!" ????

On 11/29/2018 at 4:25 PM, mo3s said:

Ever wondered why your Thai mail doesn't arrive? Ice might explain it .. ????

"Neither rain, nor Ice, nor dark of night..."

38 minutes ago, dragons70 said:

For a 500 baht fee? 555... some call it being helpful, I call it corruption. 

I think you misunderstood, or I did not explain clearly.
This was not an IO person, but a lady from the condo office who took the time and drove 25 kilometers to Jomtien to help me out. Not, I think, a normal part of a commercial concern's duties. 
I appreciated her help, and did throw in a tip. ????

On 11/28/2018 at 11:02 AM, mercman24 said:

i see there is even a farang guy advertising his business, *not got 800,000 ? no problem * i repeat i was offered an OFFICIAL  stamp for 16,000 baht 3 weeks ago by the immigration officer at the desk, when i went for my 90 day

Same deal I was offered two years ago.
So much for "Big Joke" and his pledge to end corruption in the TI, eh?

On 11/23/2018 at 7:51 PM, Kim J said:

Unfortunately it is often the Thai way, to cook food and sell it when cold. Thai's will see nothing wrong with that.

Couple this with the general low level customer services and poor quality such places peddle the world over, there really isn't much hope of getting anything decent from any of them, particularly in Thailand.

If you want fresh cooked and hot food, go elsewhere.

Yesterday had a burger at the local bistro. Thick, hand formed beef, crispy baguette style bun, baked on the premises, real bacon bits, a side salad, great frie, etc. Yeah, had to wait a bit, but I am retired. ????
It cost the same as a Big Mac "set", but was delicious, hot, and visually appealing, and no throw away packaging. Oh, three delicious onion rings, too.

5 hours ago, VYCM said:

The thing is the rider did not STOP.

 

I see it too often, riders avoiding the checkpoints, racing pasts puting the officers life in Danger

(what are your thoughts here).

These riders carry drugs, firearms etc, how can law enforcement stop criminal activity.

The people avoiding checkpoints just carry on breaking the law.

 

It seems the only people stopping for the checkpoints are the law abiding citizens.

 

 

Yes. One of the reasons the drug suppliers use younger kids as "mules", because they will not be as heavily penalized if caught.
Sad, but NOT the fault of the cop. Sorry, Darkside, but IMO you are off on this one.

On 11/21/2018 at 6:43 PM, car720 said:

it's called advertizing.  Who was it that said that even bad press is good press?  Oh, that's right, it was Putin.

No, mistake. He said "Even bad Prez in pocket is good Prez".
????

9 hours ago, manarak said:

and why the bags are not simply replaced with biodegradable plastic bags remains a mystery.

I think there must be some problem with them, as they have been available for quite awhile now, made from cornstarch, etc.
My guess would be a couple of cents more cost per 100. ????

26 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Unfortunately it's dangerous to reuse most of the plastic bottles - or all of them - that bottled water comes in.

Dangerous leaching of plastic.

 

https://www.verywellfit.com/can-i-reuse-my-bottled-water-bottle-3435422

 

The bottles you show in the pictures sounds like a solution. Certainly the metallic ones should be safe.

I am not sure what you are saying here.
You talk about the danger of chemical leaching, then post a link to an article that says there is NO danger of leaching from modern bottles.
I refill a couple of six liter water bottles at my condo's RO machine all of the time. Costs five baht each. I then (sometimes) use a washed out Coke Zero bottle with label removed to carry with me. Not all the time, because I am disabled, and it can be difficult to manage, but I try. ????
Yeah, I am a subversive "libtard" who took the ZPG pledge (Zero Population Growth) at university, and kept it. I am not a fanatic with it, but make an effort to spare the planet for YOUR children and grandchildren. I hope you will. too.
YOU being all, Mike, 555. Not picking on ya. ????

2 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

i wish these organisations would take a break from publicising how environmentally friendly they are becoming and actually tell their staff. time after time i am given or offered unnecessary plastic bags by staff, the main culprit is 7/11.

There is, it seems, a campaign of some sort. I refused a plastic bag and proffered my carry bag at a local 7/11 the other day, and the girl was like "Oh, yeah!" , and all smiles.

21 minutes ago, quadperfect said:

Thai logic. Its why this wont last past december

If they are not given plastic bags of course it will last.
What, will they all stop eating? What did their grandparents do before plastic bags were available?
It seems to work elsewhere:countries in Asia that have bans or taxes in place include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
I still have and use a sturdy woven,

reusable plastic bag I received in Taiwan two years ago.
 

21 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

...............

I guess, like in our house, your house may be likened to this cartoon as well ...................

 

 

Yes. Yes I do. 5555

8 hours ago, dabhand said:

That missionary has powerful friends....!!

More likely a warning to "Leave them kids alone!"

1 hour ago, cmsally said:

Where did the money to pay off the debts come from? Or were they not paid at all.

You have to read the "full story" I think. It mentions arrest of many "creditors" and seizure of "valuables."
Many of these "creditors" I would judge to be loan sharks. The article is a bit scant of details.
"It does say say" ...police had arrested 161 informal creditors on fraud charges and seized about 80 million baht worth of valuables." (I hope a partial quote is allowed)
   Many, seeing the "hand writing", probably adjusted the terms of the agreements. A legal rate of interest would be better thn arrest and forfeit of all. ????

17 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Yes.  In Jomtien, you can apply up to 30-days before the end of any permitted-stay stamp from your Non-O Visa for an extension based on marriage to a Thai.  No more dealing with the non-o scam. 

Thanks, Jack.
   Yes, I am aware (now) of the anti Thai/farang marriage attitude at Jomtien. <removed>
I was thinking of doing this on my Non-O based on retirement before converting to one based on marriage.
Do you think there would be less hassle going that route?
If timed right vis a vis one last embassy income letter I can (honestly) state that I have more than 65,000 baht/month income.
   Then we can change to "extension based on marriage".

Let me see if I have this right.
I have a nice, crisp "non O"or whatever  ME visa from Savan. issued in September. I have been doing a "bounce" every 90 days to avoid the whole, to me, confusing tangle at Jomtien ever since the "backroom lady" told me I could smooth difficulty away by handing her 16,000 baht.
Now, can I get a one year extension at any time during the year when a 90 day comes due? Thinking get a last embassy income letter and use it in June to get a one year, then get all the ducks lined up for "what is", which presumably will be more or less established by then.
Might eve be able to get a marriage license and squirrel away 40,000 in that tima frame. ????

One of the possible problems is that income and cash do not always match.
Currently my SS income is in excess of 47,000 baht/month, but after deductions for Medicare, etc., what could be shown as a deposit is more in the 43,000 baht range.
The greater part of my income is p[aid quarterly, harking back to Thai unfamiliarity with the concept of income averaging, and complicated by my 1099s, etc., showing only income, and not quarterly distribution from principle.
I do receive an annual statement from the bank of what my quarterly payout will be, but how to make that acceptable/understandable to TI?
I guess a deposit record in my BKK account is the only way for me to go. No way to show an historical "every month" at this point.
I can only hope they decide to accept a yearly average report from Bkk bank, if I can get them to produce one.
Nice if some "grace period" could be instituted for 2019, or hope Savan. continues its relaxed approach.

On 11/24/2018 at 9:34 AM, car720 said:

Why do they always show pictures of smokable reefer when they are talking about medicinal grass.  The end product will be something weirdly different.

Yes. My thought, too.
I have no interest in getting "high" at this stage of my life.
I just want higher levels of pain to go away, and would be happy if the brain repair reports are true, and several other reported benefits.
I am thinking about the sudden unavailability of Tramadol. This has been a very good medicine for me for years. My Doc prescribed it 120 50 mg. tabs at a clip. That allowed for the prescribed dose, one every six hours, for a month. I never got "desensitized", or whatever the correct term should be, because I did not take it if not needed. Sometimes a little ibuprofen would do. It is such good medicine that I was careful to maintain its effectiveness by taking a periodic break.
Because of some useless members of society deliberately misusing it, the typical government response is to make it difficult, if not impossible, for the folks who use it responsibly and medically correctly to get it anymore.
When pushed, the doctors at hospital prescribe ten tabs, and say "Okay, come back in ninety days". !!!!

13 hours ago, Ctkong said:

People give food to make merit. They are not giving it to the monks per se. Just the motion of giving to charity. Buddhism insist upon oneself to make spiritual advancement and not counting on others to help out. You cultivate your spiritual self and you reap the rewards yourself no others. ...

Yes, I agree. It is the act of giving which gains merit.
There are no rules about verifying the suitability of the recipients of your charity.

On 12/24/2017 at 2:10 PM, welovethailand said:

My info comes from those like Health Ranger. He tells the truth, thats why Google is trying to take him down. So..I don't Google important stuff.

Horse pucky. The site was (temporarily) taken down for violating rules relating to redirect techniques. The rules are published and you have to sign that you have read and will comply.
A Google webmaster violation is the reason this website was penalized by Google, not its controversial nature.
"Natural News" is, in my opinion, a crock of baloney, and probably should be permanently banned.

Anybody going on about "Big Pharma" and claiming that Google is trying to "shut it down" has, IMO, no credibility at all.
Google is a search engine, period. You can post any BS you want, as long as it is not illegal (trademark violation, e.g.) or blatantly false and harmful, like recommending that people take arsenic would be a probable no no.

I don't believe this fits the category of "mindful drinking". ☺️

5 hours ago, JackThompson said:

The retirement desk will not want more than a TM-30 - and are even "light" in enforcement of that.  It's a night-and-day difference in attitude in the Jomtien office between those 2 desks.

 

I ended up getting a Non-O-ME (marriage) Visa, because I was a renter - and under-50, so retirement not an option.

Thanks! I will give it a go on the retirement angle. I think the marriage deal may wait until we settle in a different, less hostile IO environment anyway. If there is such.☺️