mfd101

In terms of its capacity to project power or to influence anything at all beyond its own borders, Thailand could scarcely be described as a 'middle power'. Small, incompetent and inward-looking would be more accurate. But nothing is achieved without optimism and aspiration.

It will be interesting to see how 'family' is defined. My Khmer peasant family here in south Surin consists of: 2 grandparents (my FIL & MIL) in their 70s, 6 sons & daughters from this marriage in their 30s & 40s (ignoring another approx. 8 sons & daughters in their 50s from previous marriages), 4 husbands & wives of the daughters & sons (marriage here is matrilocal), & 9 children & teenagers, and that's ignoring assorted cousins in a village where just about everyone is 'cousin of Yong' (my MIL). And guess who gets to keep all of that lot on the not-quite-stable financial road. I'll certainly be looking forward to the government's monthly brown envelopes.

So how do you cope with governments in Western democracies where 'no relevant expertise' is the norm for all Ministers & Prime Ministers/Presidents? Funny that.

Basically I was too busy slaving my guts out to notice, first climbing the academic ladder of pretentiousness, then the Oz federal bureaucracy's slippery & dangerous ladder ... Happiness (love) came to me late, at age 62. Now quite content with life amongst the Khmer peasants of south Surin - cuddles every night, books all day. What's not to like.

59% of the votes to MFP. Quelle surprise!

What a load of codswallop!

Yes yes, just give them time. Surely the point of what the NEW Minister suggested was to soften up the admirals (and the military more generally) for the upcoming bad news ... Gently gently catchee monkee! Or would you prefer another coup?

No, only the engine-free variety.

Time will tell. At least he's making the right noises. But, as with all elected (or semi-elected) governments, turning good intentions in to good real-world outcomes is a longterm project, longer than any government other than the authoritarian actually gets ...

True, though EVs exploding is an unfortunate way of putting it. ????

We shall see. So far he's doing fine - intelligent, open-minded, approachable.

Good. Learning to say No early. And often I hope.

Not so, if his comments on the future of the Chinese subs are anything to go by.

Seems a bit ridiculous that no staff appointments can be made till after the Parliament has received the Government's policy statement. Not obvious what the connection is between the two. Meantime a Minister without staff is unable to function in any sensible way, I should think.

No, this is a case of the new Government reversing the (proposed) stupidity of a Minister of the previous government. Exactly what new governments are for.

Well, contrary to just about all the above comments (well-justified though they may be), I think this is a good sign of the new Defence Minister actually having a brain. He may not have any background in military matters but he recognizes an expensive disaster when he sees one. So he's wriggling out of the current deal and softening up the admirals for abandoning the sub altogether. Good for him. Takes guts + some squirming.

Well, we're not 2 males for nothing.

My b/f is 40 years younger than me. I lust after one of his friends & one of his cousins and he lusts after occasional guys he sees on the internet. We both laugh about it & we agree that we can have sex with someone else if we want to, but the other one should be there to watch. Hasn't happened so far after 11 years (10 years married).

The first item she was accused of seems peculiar (but perhaps I simply don't understand). Turns out she over-declared her assets, rather than under-declaring as one might expect. Why would anyone bother to pursue her for that?

Um, the last time I tried to carry my boy was on our wedding night in 2013 but it turned out he had to carry me as he's about 3 times stronger than me.

Death by firing squad would be appropriate.

Thailand's security threats are entirely internal, created by its own military forces used for internal security and 'nation building'. This is unlikely to change any time in the future that anyone can foresee. The Chinese threat issue that exercises the Japanese, Taiwanese, Philippines, Usofans and Australians relates to (1) Chinese attempts at a takeover of the South China Sea & the East China Sea - areas vital to all trade in SEA, East Asia & Oceania (2) Chinese threats to Taiwan's defacto independence as a modern democratic nation (3) China's ceaseless search for more energy sources worldwide, leading to massive 'investment' in Africa and (4) Chinese leaning heavily via illegal economic sanctions on anyone who dares to stand up to them (eg Oz). None of which is of much concern to Thailand as a security threat (as opposed to an economic one).

Age 74. Life is full of good intentions. I do 80 legs-in-the-air cycling before hopping out of bed in the morning. I then do 5 minutes of stretching for neck, shoulders & trunk. I also have a small gym beside the carport. My intention is to visit there 5 times a week for 5 minutes of weights, 30 sit-ups and 30 minutes fast walking on the walking machine thingy. BUT my (carefully-maintained) record shows that my weekly average over the last 3 years is 2.13 times a week. We do live in a large mansion however and I race up & down the stairs 2 at a time about 20 times a day ... Always room for improvement.

If you're serious about diabetes and your health in general, then cooking at home is the solution. Lots of vegies (especially the 4 cruciferous greens), nuts, eggs, berries, apples. Some red meat, lots of fatty fish (salmon). Avoid all dairy products. No alcohol, no 'sports' drinks. Black coffee & green tea are fine. Make eating-out a once-a-fortnight change.

How many days after Sunday till they announce the result? There'll have to be a recount then a rerecount ...