mfd101

Bit of a worry when your technology's at 15th place but your knowledge is at 41st ...

Yes, an interesting concept of 'GDP' and 'GDP growth'. Nothing sustainable. Come & gone in a flash. As usual in Thailand, all appearances, no substance.

And did she personally profit from this (ie financially)?, or was it a political advantage? In any reasonable judicial system the first might be a criminal offence, the second likely not.

It would be laughable if it weren't going to be so ridiculously expensive.

And her heinous crime in this instance was what?

I am 'partnered' (in Oz, pre-gay marriage there) to my Thai b/f since 2013 and living here on OA since 2015. We will marru here once the law is changed (if ever! remember it will presumably not get through the Senate as currently constituted) just to strengthen both our positions inheritance-wise. Not sure I understand what the advantages might be of moving to a marriage visa ...

The obvious reason for few or no Americans having been released is their continuing usefulness as hostages: The US Administration is the only government able to lean on the Israelis sufficiently to keep making concessions ...

(Yawn). Does it matter?

You too can be rescued! Flippers and oxygen tank optional.

She's Thai. You'ld think she'ld know better!

If you look at a map of the lake and surrounds, it's not obvious what the point of a new bridge might be. As for protecting the ecology of the lake ...

74 and I'm not attracted to disgusting processed foods but I'm trying to cut down on the more attractive ones (muesli, granola, rolled oats; lovely little cakes at Amazon & Starbucks; sugar of all kinds; boiled white rice (sigh) ... ). As far as I'm aware I'm doing fine.

Well, quelle surprise!

Oh isn't she luvly! cringe cringe.

My point was & is that what makes a country interesting is what makes it different. What our wunnerful modernity imposes is universal sameness, so everyone might just as well stay at home. That's why tourism is a self-defeating industry: The more successful it is, the more quickly it destroys the reasons why people want to visit.

Good luck with that.

And so, if boring Falangs have their way, what's interesting and different in Thailand will slowly be eliminated and you might as well stay in your boring little suburb in Falangland.

You've never seen them for yourself?

Not sure what people are complaining about. For those who live on disgusting processed foods the cumulative cost of food over time will be much less because of the reduction in your life expectancy.

I always visit Kinokuniya whenever I'm in BKK. Always struck by how few people are visiting, but there are always at least a few Thais.

So I can come out from under the bed? (It's been a while, what with the plague and so on!)

Why would you be (already) using such an expensive transfer method (poor exchange rates + atm costs)?

Oh dear! Perhaps they could buy a Chinese submarine instead.

Noone seems to have mentioned that the people who get the 600+ baht old-age payment are mostly people who have spent their lives NOT in the formal economy - piece workers, part-timers of all kinds, and of course millions of peasants in rural villages. And they have their own 'informal' arrangements out in the villages eg My PILs (just a little older than me) have paid a few baht monthly for many years in to the village 'life insurance' (my term) fund. When they die, their 2 youngest sons (including my partner) will receive some 200,000 baht out of the village fund. (That is, if it hasn't already been stolen by the village Head Person.)

I hadn't realised we had come so far!