mfd101

A more accurate description might be: Weak autocracy.

A translinguistic pun: état/state (of being). And the irony was at Thaksin's expense (sigh).

I have lots of dreams. One is to live healthily for at least another 20 years (I'll be approaching 95 then) so I can continue to look after my b/f (approaching 55 then) and his benighted family. Another is to win the lottery so I can buy a decent SUV able to withstand the Thai rural roads and my b/f's driving (unlike our little Mazda 3, approaching 8 years old, which was not designed for either). And I would love to take my b/f to see Europe for the first time - take him to all my memories of Paris where I lived for 2 years, and to Spain & Portugal, and places I've never been in Central Europe & the Balkans (up the Rhine & down the Danube) ...

Actually a coup d'état is when the military usurp power and take over from the elected government in power as happened in 2006 to Thaksin. It also happened to his sister, Yingluck in 2014. Another term that could be used in place of a coup d'état is treason against the state. Never heard of irony? Never heard of puns?

Ditto re house burglary. But they became extra cheerful when my b/f happened to mention in passing that he had just paid a tidy little sum in to the police Knees Up fund.

It's what's called a coup d'état: his state of being has had a sudden buck up.

You may need to keep your pants in a fitting state ... My b/f & I will certainly be there to do the deed (but not in the first 5 minutes) when/if the legislation passes. I do imagine that the news might travel rather slowly to the provinces.

A more appropriate call for the GG than his one on the PM the day before. Similar status in each country.

There's only 1 above him and he beat him to the top job only a few weeks ago.

And whos going to do that?

Here in Surin I've never been asked for map or photo of me at the gate, but I have both with me each time just in case. The one time several years ago they came calling the first we knew was the head woman of the village down the way a bit phoning and asking us to go down to her place where 3 Immig officers were waiting for us. I can only guess they were intimidated by the big white fence all round & the 2-storeyed house. Never had a visit since.

Day begins with double espresso each for b/f & me. Then 2 or 3 times a week for brunch to PTT here in Prasat where my favourite is beef laab with papaya salad & mint & kale. I have that almost every time, but varied in the few days of 'cold' weather when I have a large soup. Also occasionally I need to have beef, rice & 2 eggs at the stall next door to keep the lady there happy. When going to BKK Bank we eat next door, usually noodles with beef etc + 2 scrambled eggs. If I'm preparing brunch only for me at home it'll be Western-style healthy - lots of blueberries, strawberries, poached eggs on rye toast ... Always followed by single espresso for b/f & me. Once a month when we go to the outskirts of Surin city for Tops and coffee beans, we brunch at a variety of Thai & Chinese restaurants. Yesterday we did a large pizza - or rather I did & b/f ate more or less à la thalandaise. Evenings I cook for myself - Western-style healthy with plenty of vegs, & salmon a favourite. B/f eats at the family farm where he cooks for his aged parents before returning home for our 3rd espresso of the day.

With great difficulty. But treating the symptoms won't help either.

Current Senate's life expectancy is only a few weeks at this stage ...

As an aside, I note that Greece - a highly socially conservative, Greek Orthodox country - passed legislation yesterday to allow same-sex marriage.

Today's 'Australian' has a review of the MG4 electric hatch. Remarkably good (not perfect) and very reasonable price.

In politics as in government, individuals come and go. Problems remain - addressed, unaddressed, solved, insoluble.

Sensible thing would be a sensible compromise. Noting that the point of the proposed handout was to buck up the economy (through consumerism rather than intelligent investment), the obvious compromise would be to confine the handout to the 50% poorest people (ie those with little or no visible means of support). My family would be beside themselves with joy. So much better than silly Falang brother-in-law, dribbling it out. All gone in 2 weeks.

As always, treat the symptoms (and fail), rather than the causes.

Yet here in Isaan it is Chinese Thai doctors and Chinese Thai techos one trusts for both quality & price, rather than the 'pure' Thai variety.

All too easy for the 'easy' bit (2 women or 2 men getting married) to be confused with all the difficult & complex bits (trans, children, queerdom etc ). Confusion is the dinosaurs' principal method.

All conducted in ignorance of the (non-)rôle of the GG - no power to do or agree on anything except as a matter of form.

A load of b/s. And it's b/s whether mostly true, all true or all false. The wonders of Usofan kulcha.

We thought we came home from a week in BKK in mid-Jan with symptoms of covid, and still a lingering cough & snot from time to time. But I'm inclined to think it was the heavy pollution in BKK that - for the first time ever - set us off, and now persisting at low level in a south Surin more polluted than I ever remember it being.