mfd101

Low turnout; bye-election; new PM ... Clearly PP have work to do for the big one when it comes.

Announcement: Trump resigns from race for the presidency. Goes in to hiding. Now that would be good: Kamala vs JDV.

In my b/f's village - Khok Salaeng in Phanom Dong Rak part of sth Surin - the old folk speak mainly Khmer amongst themselves. My MIL (age c80) also speaks rural Thai. My PIL (age 78) speaks Thai with a heavy accent and is much more comfortable in Khmer. Neither of them is literate in either language. Their offspring of multiple marriages (ages 60 down to my b/f at 35) all speak both Khmer & Thai and swap back and forth in mid-conversation as they choose. They are mostly illiterate or semi-literate in Thai only. Their older kids in turn mostly understand Khmer but seldom speak it and often refuse to do so, subject as they are to heavy nationalist propaganda at school. In other words, Thai Khmer is steadily dying out. Lao speakers are also common throughout south Surin but - if not in the towns - mostly live in separate neighbouring villages unless intermarried.

Unfortunately, because of 'Western' (specifically US & German) palpitations, it looks like it's heading towards compromise or a Korean standstill. With which noone will be happy. And both sides will be preparing for the second round in 3 or 4 years.

Over time the US has shown great capacity for reinventing itself. A capacity which gives continuing hope for the future and not just of the US, whatever the current mind-boggling problems might be. As his performance in The Debate suggests, Trump has no capability now for self-reinvention. He has nothing more to offer than what we all saw the other night. Which was pretty awful and - in my view - rules him out for the Presidency. But La Harris is learning & growing on a daily basis. Does that make her perfect? No. There'll be many a stumble but she'll grow in to the job and ... Well, we'll see. So the choice is between hopeless and hopeful.

Would have been fascinating to actually see it happening. (From helicopter likely the only way, I guess. Given that it went on for 9 days, it should have been possible.)

In general I would say that having ANY unnecessary operation carried out on any part of your anatomy is crazy. Try the alternatives first!

I saw my first one of the season a couple of days ago. On past performance there should be 4 or 6 of them around each day for the next few months before they disappear again. Very beautiful and lovely to watch as they peck peck peck their way across the lawn-covered clay. I think of them as woodpeckers who are after a change of scenery. They certainly (at least to my entirely untrained eyes) look like woodpeckers.

Saw Palmetto pills can help (not fix). In Thailand called 'Sametto', available at any pharmacy. Other than that, greatly reducing your sugar intake (in all forms) makes a big difference.

Obviously the USN (if at all).

The only thing that will make China reflect and step back is to sink one of its 'coast guard' vessels in process of carrying out aggressive acts (eg ramming a Philippine ship).

So Act II, Scene I has been cancelled? Sob sob, can I get a refund?

'New constitution' sounds gutsy. Dinosaurs won't be happy.

Multitasking is a concept unknown in Thailand. Lack of higher education or indeed any at all, plus unable to respond to work pressures. Every time I ask my b/f about X while he's in the middle of Y I get snapped at.

Just another Republican method for excluding voters unlikely to vote for them.

I wonder what the historical record over, say, the last 20 or perhaps the last 80 years would show about the wunnerful useful gratitude-enhancing activities of VEEPS.

So far - over 2 months & including The Debate - it appears that the more people see of her, the more they like her. Funny that.

Over the last month Harris has displayed the capacity to learn & grow. Trump just displays the same old unmerry-go-round grinding on & on. The results on show today.

So if your 'home' country has a DTA with Thailand - as most expats' home countries certainly do - then what's the problem? The DTA is designed to PREVENT double taxation, not to ENABLE it!!!

Question: Is there a set date on which the Fed will announce a decision one way or the other (as would happen in Oz)? or can it announce a decision whenever it feels like it?

Yes, everyone needs to read this. No point in bleating. The Thai government having signed up - along with over 100 other governments - it now needs to at least go thru the motions ...

My b/f has several brothers, half-brothers and male cousins. He spends most of most days with them at the farm or at the cockfights. His cock doesn't seem any the worse for wear.

Yes, and La Harris would immediately be sworn in as President. Which would enrage Trump and likely bring on a stroke or heart attack ... 😀

It's all about productivity. Low wages, low skills, low outputs. Increase wages ... what happens? In Thailand, probably not much except a slightly lower level of participation in the 'formal' economy. As the Vietnamese example demonstrates, the transformation will come when Thailand finally has a C21st education system from 5 years to 25 years old. Should be fine some time in the second half of this century.

Brown envelopes circulating at high speed at the moment, I should think.