mfd101

Can't help noticing that the notion of long-term neighbourly relations and mutual interests (and shared goodies) seems to be missing.

Given the Thai obsession with status ('face'), widespread Western commentaries about the appalling 'judicial' processes here can't do any harm.

Sadly, it may be the best Ukraine can hope for at the moment, given the dithering weakness of (most of) the Europeans & the Yanks. Clearly, Putin has our (collective) number. Just look 'n act tough 'n mean and The West caves in. But of course this is merely Stage 1. Having won so far (if it turns out that he has), then there'll be Stage 2 ...

Yes, I do twisting & bending exercises every morning, for back & neck & legs. Never any problems.

Being rational involves being open-minded. Let the evidence - such as it is or may be - lead investigations. NASA & the Pentagon denying all knowledge may or may not be trustworthy ... Personally, I have no view one way or the other though the likelihood of intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos - with its trillions of galaxies, each with billions of stars and planets - is pretty high. Which doesn't mean they've arrived here, yet.

Golly, if they're not careful the EC itself could be banned for 10 years!

I've been to a chiropractor only once about 15 years ago, in Canberra, on recommendation of a friend. Lower back pain (very rare for me). I was sceptical from the start - superficial movements around my body with a little machine that looked like a computer mouse. Barely touched my back, but a lot of pseudo chatter. Told me to come back in a few days, that'll be $70 thanks. So I (loyally) came back in a few days. Same again. No improvement. Went to a physiotherapist. Fixed immediately. Conclusion: Chiropractic is bull<deleted>, surrounded by semi-religious mumbo jumbo.

Yes.

In my extremely limited experience - walking down near Nana, my b/f close by - it's hard to see how any 'straight' male could be mistaken. The ladyboys I passed by at 1100 in the morning were dressed in what appeared to be ball gowns and were about 6' tall ... We gave them a wide berth.

The question is: Would the results have been better if the traditional methods had been used? And, either way, what would this mean? - motivation? poor preparation before new methods introduced? psychology & sociology of education - face-to-face vs distance learning? ...

So, as usual, particular and private interests trump the interests of the nation as a whole.

That may well be the key point, but it would be nice to see a properly-structured assessment of the various possibilities nationwide, including the airlines' inputs.

True, but it does require the Thai Air Force to surrender its (improbable) privileges. Which means that there are small airports in various places, left over from the Vietnam War, but the government can't be bothered upgrading them for locals to be able to use and for the Thai Air Force golf course to be removed.

Extremism always invites a blowback sooner or later. Almost invariably in all democracies the majority of people end up in a reasonable middle seeking liveable compromise for all parties. But it takes time.

The mere fact that the (likely) choice is between a senile ol' man who can't remember where he is and a nasty and dangerous elderly criminal with dictatorial tendencies says nothing good about the Usofan electorate. Short of both of them being eliminated (one way or another) before the election, nothing's going to improve.

Yes, a (usable) airport for Surin province would be great. I and the elephants would be very pleased. Would eliminate a 1.5-hour drive to Buriram airport every time we want to go anywhere ...

Mmmm, next few days will be interesting. All options possible.

I'm looking forward to the Nobel prizes to follow.

Which is surprisingly high ... but, when you see how journal rankings are manipulated, I guess anything is possible.

Yes, and when the unions understand how the business and management work and the concept of productivity. Together they can be a formidable force for the good of both the company and the workers. Fighting against each other never produces anything good.

Fun to be in the audience all the same. And who could be nicer to tip s...t over? Never a dull moment in Thailand.

The problem is that the questions asked don't quite fit the reality of an individual's situation. Residing in a country and being a 'resident' of that country are not quite the same thing, and being a 'tax resident' of that country is something else again. In my case the Australian Tax Office has declared me several years ago to be 'non-resident for tax purposes' because I live in Thailand. So they now confiscate 32.5% of my income which comes from and only from my Australian superannuation earned as a long-term Australian federal public servant. But now my bank (NAB) asks the question: Are you a Thai resident and what is your TIN? To which I reply (truthfully) that I reside in Thailand but am not a Thai tax resident as I pay no income tax in Thailand, my income coming solely from Australia & nowhere else. And that seems to me to remain true at least until 2025 when I expect I will have to get a TIN and fill out a Thai tax form and then show how much tax I pay in Oz ...

Fidel would have known what to do.

The obsession with the Army/military as the source of all evil strikes me as an exaggeration and dangerously off-track. The Army & the generals, along with a feudal system built on tradition, hierarchy & submission, are merely the ultimate instruments used by the plutocrats who regularly bleed the national economy to continue their corrupt rule of the whole nation. If you don't understand who your enemies are, you'll never defeat them.

Not merely failure to gain a seat but clear & explicit and detailed condemnation by the UNHRC would represent major loss of face for Thailand. The government would surely wish this ...