jas007

Absolutely, That's one thing people should consider. Buy a place in Thailand only if you're OK with never seeing that money again, or at least never seeing all of it again. If you want to leave, selling a condo is much harder than buying one. Then again, depending on what you buy, they don't have to cost too much. You could have a condo here, and a condo in another country, and just come back once in a while.

The belief in American Exceptionalism is nothing new, it has been around almost since the founding of America. More recently, the Neocons have embraced the concept and blending it into foreign policy. This only started in the GW Bush era. Anyway, they seem to want to take the concept and run with it to the extent of using military power to spread American Exceptionalism around the world. So-called nation building. So far, it hasn't worked so well, but they keep trying. Failed war after failed war. The problem is that they don't really account for cultural differences. Many people around the world are perfectly happy in their own country with their own culture. No everyone around the world ants to be a card carrying Republican in a Brooks Brothers suit. And that's why they're failing.

Between all the nonsense that went on with COVID and the craziness that followed, the past five or six years are going to go down in history as the time the American people went crazy. First over COVID and then over Trump. Maybe things will someday return to normal. A time when you could be a Democrat or you could be a Republican. Nobody really cared. Most of the voting population doesn't even bother to vote, right?

Some security clearances are a dime a dozen. But depending on the type of job you have, some clearances can take forever to obtain. One time I worked for the DOJ on a special project that was supposed to take two years. Five months after I said I'd take the job they still wouldn't let me in the door without the clearance. Finally, the people in charge just said screw it, come to work anyway. I left that job about a year later and they were still screwing around with the clearance. I worked for the government on four or five separate occasions for four or five different agencies, but never anything continual like some people. I think I always had to have security clearances, but really, most of the time I didn't see anything that looked all that secret or all that interesting. I think some of the agencies just went overboard on classifying everything.

Supposedly, the A340 aircraft they used to use for those flights wasn't very economical to fly with fuel prices rising, so the flights stopped. I'm not sure if there were other reasons. Besides JFK, they also had flights from LAX. I've tried both. 17 hours was the advertised time, but sometimes it went faster. Now time, from Bangkok to LAX, the flight only took 13 hours or so. That was a pleasant surprise. I always used Premium Economy. I'm not sure I'd want to be in economy seating for such a long flight. Anyway, changing planes in Tokyo or wherever is usually no big deal. You get a chance to stretch your legs and relax for an hour or so.

I recently bought an IPAD Pro from Studio 7. I gave them an Apple credit card and within one or two minutes I was out the door with my unopened purchase. Usually, though, I just buy using Apple Pay from the Apple Website. I get 3% cash back and the item arrives from China via DHL within two or three days. They text you on the day of delivery and usually want a signature, but not always. If you want to return an item for any reason, the process is reversed. They pick it up no questions asked and credit your account the next day.

With all its faults, living in America also presents opportunities. I left when I didn't like the political landscape, so to speak, but that was my decision. Others might disagree. That's OK.

Winning the game of life? Very much so. I'm 73, in good health, and I can still do whatever I want whenever I want. I'm from the USA and have excellent health insurance I can use just about anywhere in the world. I've been retired for 18 years. That's what I wanted to do, and I did it. Anyway, I think we all sometimes forget how lucky we are. As for being an American and living abroad? I haven't had any bad experiences. And I don't mind paying taxes once a year. There are all sorts of ways to play that game. Taxes don't have to be a big burden.

However it turns out, assuming we all are still alive once Trump takes office, it will be fun to watch. Trump will have multiple problems trying to throw out all those people. The Posse Comitatus Act will need to be repealed in order for Trump to use US soldiers to round up the immigrants. Also, those people are "persons" for purposes of the constitution and have rights. Due process and so on. Perhaps some sort of national emergency declaration might preclude some problems, but it wouldn't be without a court fight. Someone suggested that they simply pay people to leave. Take their information, and for an agreed payment now, tell them they might be allowed back into the country at some later date. That would certainly be the easiest way to go. I wonder how much money each person would take to leave?

Last year, I had four or five appointments at the eye clinic at Bumrungrad and finally eye surgery, so I had to spend some time in Bangkok every few months. Anyway, for convenience sake, I usually stayed on Soi 4 at the Ibis Styles, although sometimes I mixed it up and stayed at the Landmark. One time I at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit. It's not a bad walk to the hospital from any of those places. I only went to Nana Plaza twice during all those visits,. Some bars seemed empty, but I remember Billboard being packed with the typical looking expats. My first trip to that area was in 2000. A different vibe back then, I think. Today, they run it all like a business. Strictly business. Back then, everything seemed more relaxed. More fun. I can't see it ever collapsing entirely. Slowing down, perhaps, but it will always be there in some form.

When I was in school, I never cared about grades at all. I got whatever grade I got and didn't really care. One time in grade school they sent in the school psychiatrist to run all sorts of tests on me over a period of a few days. Rorschach inkblot tests, etc. They were trying to figure out why I did soy well on IQ tests and was such a screw up, all at the same time. Anyway, that was me for my entire academic career. 20 years of school. Back then, it was easy to get into just about any school with stellar standardized test scores and so-so grades, so I always had that advantage. And in the real world, none of it mattered at all. As for today's kids? I'm afraid things aren't going to be getting better in the job market anytime soon. AI may save the day, though, in the long run. I guess that's another thread.

Well, he just managed to be elected President of the United States for at least the second time, so whatever he's doing seems to work. I realize a lot of the brainwashed individuals in America can't handle that too well. My advice: get over it. Learn something from the loss and ask yourself how you were fooled.

Finishing at the bottom of your class is no big deal. It happens all the time for various reasons, and there's no necessary correlation between school grades and success in the real world. And for what it's worth, Trump isn't stupid.

Take a moment and look at the title of this thread: Europe Braces for Escalation: Germany Mobilizes NATO Troops Amid Putin's Nuclear Threats The war is at the point of escalation. We're past the point of playing the blame game. That''s counterproductive but apparently a necessary element of the Neocon fantasy of Western hegemony and domination for forever. I suggest that if you want to start a thread about culpability and who is to "blame" for the conflict, you should do so.

Wine is expensive in Thailand. For example, they want 999 baht or so for a wine that would be around $11 in the USA. So there's a big markup, somehow. Anyway, I've tried some of the lower priced wines and they just didn't do it for me. Not that they're much better, but I've found a few in the 820 to1000 baht range that I sort of like. They sell both at the Tops Daily stores, although the stock on any given day can vary. I'm having trouble pasting two images. The other I sometimes buy is Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz. 999 baht. One of these days I'm going to buy another bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild. I bought one once to go with some pasta. It was heavenly. It's really expensive, though, or super expensive, depending on the vintage. I see thy want 49,600 baht fort a bottle of 2009 vintage here in Thailand.

I already explained this several times. I don't give Russia "a pass." My point is now and always has been that, at this point, that's all history and doesn't matter. The parties are at a point where the war is escalating, nuclear threats are being made, and if there isn't some agreement reached, matters could escalate terribly. And one fine morning you'll roll out of bed, turn on the news, if your electric grid is still up and some news is available, and see that several European cities have been reduced to ashes. Millions and millions of people dead. Millions more dead in the coming weeks. And if things go global, the end of life as we know it. So tell me, how does trying to place "blame" matter to the resolution of this mess? It doesn't. It may play some part in determinging whatever settlement is negotiated, along with the bargaining powers of the participants, but to get to that point you have to have diplomacy. Escalating threats and launching rockets is the wrong way to go. Of course, you may think that destroying the lives of millions or billions of people is just fine, so long as you can prove your point, that it's all Russia's fault. I disagree. Humanity is too valuable to end it based on a delusional Neocon fantasy that's responsible for failure after failure after failure. You lost this argument a long time ago and just don't know it. I guess that's because you have no argument.

Like it or not, I think people are going to have to get used to all the facial recognition stuff. It's everywhere. Even my condo has it. By the time I reach the door of my building, the system already knows it's me and my picture pops up on the screen and it lets me in. Just the other day I read about some students who made an app to use with the META smart glasses. A person wearing the glasses and using the app could see the faces of those he was looking at, and get information about that person. Spooky. In China, I think, people are already going around with masks on to keep from being recognized by the cameras. In the UK, there are people going around trying to cut down all the cameras that have been installed.

Again, either you don't understand what I've already explained, you don't understand international relations and geopolitics, or you don't understand the real world. Repeating Neocon nonsense is not helping you win any argument if that's all you have. Or else you're just a troll. Anyway, I can't provide you with an education on a Thailand message board. If you want to try to grasp how it all works, try reading up on Western hegemony and its current fading influence. Try to understand why that's a problem for some, and then read up on the implications of a multi-polar world. Read up on BRICS and that emerging legal framework to establish some order among the member nations. Much of the world, in case you don't realize that. Read about the various treaties and international organizations that were created in an effort to establish and maintain a rule based order in the world. For example, the UN was established by way of a treaty. All of the international organizations were established by way of a treaty. There are a lot of those. The WHO, the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, etc. A very long list. Once you grasp all that, you will see that, through diplomacy, countries have attempted to piece together a framework for existence. The "rules based international order." It exists today. It's a real thing. Once you begin to understand that basic concept, then look into how countries don't always act in accordance with international law. Instead, they go to war if they feels that's necessary to defend one of their core national interests. They use their military and have a "so what" attitude on the international understandings. This happens all too frequently. The US has been a flagrant violator in recent times, although the US isn't alone. The Iraq war. Grenada in 1983. Panama, 1989. I could go on. Anyway, countries don't always comply with the established international order. If they did, we wouldn't have all the military conflicts that are currently raging around the world. The" territorial nation state" still exists. If wars start and escalate, the sensible solution is to use diplomacy to settle the differences so that both parties can once again exist within a recognized framework. Today, the fighting in Ukraine needs to stop before the war escalates into WWIII and the annihilation of the human species. Diplomacy is the established way to achieve that.

The Biden administration fought for four years to let as many people into the country as possible. Many just crossed the river and walked in. Remember when they were having a fight with Texas over razor wire and other barriers Texas was trying to install to stop the flow? Anyway, the current wave on people entering the country from the souther border is unprecedented. Trump has his hands fill if he's going to try to reverse the process.

And that's the problem. They made it easy to seek asylum. Anybody can do it with an app. And then they're given a court date which will likely be years in the future. Of course, most of those will never show up. I know more about the stuff than you think I do.

Do you not have a television? All those people have to do is show up and walk across the border. The Biden administration even developed an app that people can download so that they can apply for asylum before they even arrive. When they cross, they show the application they filled out, they are given a court date, and they're let loose.

I guess that's me. I have pretty good sources, though. It's you who doesn't know what you're talking about. Why do YOU think they opened the border to let millions of unvetted people just walk in? Because they like people with no skills and criminals?

Don't they already take your picture when you enter the country? Anyway, why not, if it makes for a smoother process at the airport? I've seen this at work in the Seoul Korea airport at the Delta check-in. Look at the camera and your passport picture pops up.

A few possible reasons, or a combination of them all: The left thinks they can swing future elections in their favor by importing millions of new "voters." They do this by shipping them to Blue States, most of which have no voter ID law. Also, those people count in determining the number of representatives in congress and more electoral votes. Also, women aren't having babies like they used to, and the country needs a new batch of slave labor to do all the dirty work. Pick crops, wash dishes, or otherwise work for peanuts. Of course, the elite benefit from this - their status at the top can be maintained a while longer before the system collapses. Or, maybe they know something about how many people will be dying off as the result of the COVID jabs?

It helps to take a flight that leaves late at night so you're already sleepy when you get on the plane. Mostly, I don't worry about it. Sometimes I can sleep, sometimes I can't, in which case I just watch movies. I travel from the USA, so the flights are always long. Total flying time including any layovers can be 25 hours or more. Thai Air used to have non-stop flights that were about 17 hours, but those were stopped years ago. I didn't mind those in Premium Economy. One time I met a girl at the check in line at the airport and talked to her for a while. She was in my section, but after we boarded the plane, I didn't see her again for the entire flight until the baggage claim area. She said she had taken some Xanax pills before the flight, and those had zonked her out for the entire flight.