Samui Bodoh

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

A Thai court on Wednesday sentenced 14 political leaders to jail, including three incumbent cabinet ministers, after finding them guilty of insurrection during anti-government protests that culminated in a 2014 military coup.

Just out of curiosity...

How is what they did different from what Prayut and his friends did?

Didn't they both try to overthrow the legal government?

Is insurrection legal in Thailand if you succeed?

Does Thai law make a special provision if you are a member of the military?

Just askin'

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The multi-stage spacecraft carrying the rover soared into the top of Martian atmosphere at nearly 16 times the speed of sound on Earth, angled to produce aerodynamic lift while jet thrusters adjusted its trajectory.

 

A jarring, supersonic parachute inflation further slowed the descent, giving way to deployment of a rocket-powered "sky crane" vehicle that flew to a safe landing spot, lowered the rover on tethers, then flew off to crash a safe distance away.

When I read something like this I am put into a state of awe at what Humanity can accomplish when there is a confluence of Will and Resources. These scientists flew a ship billions of kilometers, created a way to shimmy down through an alien atmosphere and gently deposited a vehicle on the ground in a specific location. Think of the magnificent accomplishment that is; all over the planet this morning, some humans are backing out of their driveways and hitting their trash cans!

It also gives me great hope for Humanity in dealing with the Corona virus and other future challenges; is there any limitation that Humanity faces when it focuses its brain-power and a proper amount of resources at a problem?

The above was meant as a rhetorical question, but even as I typed, I knew the unfortunate answer; yeah, there are limitations because we as a species can't get our collective Thumbs out of our collective Asses. What might we accomplish if we put our collective minds to issues rather than indulge in petty nationalism, petty bickering and just plain stupid conflict based on nothing?

We as a species are either destined for truly great wonders beyond what is currently even imaginable or we are destined to kill ourselves off over some stupid, inconsequential, petty reason. The truly sad thing is that the latter is the more likely outcome.

Oh Humanity, I weep for thee!

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, according to one of the team's investigators, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the outbreak began.

This is scary stuff.

Humanity does have the capacity to fight disease(s) like this, and when resources and intentions are properly focused, to fight them successfully.

However, if and (sadly) when stupid nationalism and/or politics get involved, we just shoot ourselves in the crotch.

It'll be a sad commentary to future Aliens when they arrive on our planet, learn how we fought each other rather than a disease, and perished. Perhaps, in future times, the word "Human" will mean "Stupid" in the galactic language.

39 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Of course it is not just Bangkok that is suffering. It has been a horrendous problem in places like Chiang Mai for years. I used to lack sympathy - now I'm your brother.

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

My message to the people bashing others from behind their keyboards is to get some perspective. There’s good and bad in every nation.
 
And while you’re at it stop bashing Thais without cause. There are many decent people on Thaivisa of course (many nice ones read this column) but some need to get out more and meet some Thais, perhaps learn some Thai language. My message to those who use online forums to continuously purvey their negativity purvey is you only show your inadequacies and look nothing better than schoolyard bullies (not that they are likely to have got this far in the column of course, they only read headlines).

I tend to agree. However...

I was going to write a lengthy and detailed missive explaining why I don't post much anymore and why I think TVF has become nastier and more and more unpleasant, but then I realized it was a forbidden topic and my post would just get deleted.

I will simply point out that Members may decide what they post, but they don't decide if it stays on the site.

Have a nice day.

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Also, to this day I remember watching my classmates at school getting their BCG jabs in the school hall. I was hiding on a balcony after believing rumors that we’d have to drop our trousers for maton in front of everyone.

Back in the day I was part of an emergency relief operation where time was of the essence, so rather than send us all to the doctor's office, they brought the doctor to our briefing in a hotel restaurant to update shots while we listened. I needed two shots and as usual turned my head so I wouldn't see them and cringed like an eleven-year-old girl. The doctor noticed this and, after the shots were given, ordered me to look her in the eye. Three seconds later, she ordered me to have a beer.

It was 7:45 AM.

I later submitted a receipt for the beer to my organization as a medical expense, but alas the accountant wasn't sympathetic.

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

At least Prayut seemed less idiotic that Prawit – friend to watch manufacturers and cake  purveyors the world over. This absurdity personified – as out of date as the pies he so obviously consumes – had claimed there were no gambling dens.

Rooster- this is an outrageous slur on the very fine General Prawit!

The claim was not his; he borrowed it from a dead friend.

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

And questions are naturally being asked as to how such a rabble could breach security at what should be one of the most protected locations on earth. Security personnel are resigning as I write but one must ask what lessons were really learned by 9-11?

The very sad truth is that the (woefully inadequate) security measures were deemed adequate because the demonstrators were white.

When Black people/BLM held a demonstration in the same location, heavily armed soldiers were posted on the steps, literally.

I have many friends and family in the US, and I am deeply embarrassed for them. That said, each and every American needs to take a deep breath and figure out what has gone wrong with their country.

I sincerely hope that they can figure it out, and soon; the world is a better place with a good US to lead it.

14 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Indonesian Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people

This was a crime that really hit home to me; the place that was bombed was called the Sari Club and I was drinking in there a week before the bombing. I am guessing that there are other members of the Forum who frequented that establishment as well; in that era it was one of those 'must go' places that exist around the world. In many ways the bastards realized their goal as I was forced to consider my own mortality in new ways, and I seriously considered leaving Indonesia and never returning; I did return and <deleted> You, Terrorists. I returned because the Indonesian people are truly wonderful, and I realized that those terrorist bastards were trying to hurt them as much as me.

By the way, the article notes that the terrorist was not directly convicted of the bombing. I was there, and there was no one (repeat No One!!!) who had any doubt about his guilt; the issue was collecting enough evidence that could be taken to court.

26 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

"There are many people who discredit Muslims, thinking that we are related to terrorism, but ... we are not," said Asqar Kustiwa, 63, a resident of Depok, near Jakarta.

This is so true. I spent many years living among Indonesian Muslims, and they always have been just as disgusted with the Terrorist Bastards as any one else. I have always found that those who condemn Muslims rarely have much experience with them. In my experience, Muslims eat, drink (sometimes alcohol), laugh, fart, smile, love their wife, send their children to school, treasure good friends and merely want a happy life, just like everyone else. Yes, they are a wee bit 'touchy' about their religion at first, but when they understand that you have basic respect for it, then all issues vanish and you can have a laugh, just like any other religion.

I hope this Terrorist <deleted> is watched very, very carefully until the day he dies, and forgive me, but I hope that day comes soon. I hope that day comes soon not because he is a Muslim, but because he is a mass murderer.

Rot in hell, Abu Bakar Bashir

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

So what did we learn this year – I’d be interested to see your comments on this.

Let me start with a contrarian idea; I am not terribly worried about future Corona Virus'. Yes, I know that people expect more of them in the future, and I am certain that we will see more of them in the future, but I also see that humanity has shaken off its blinders and realized that something needs to be done. The global medical establishment, for all its faults, have created several vaccines in record time and the knowledge and experienced gained means that it can do it again, as needed. The big problem in 2020 (and a wee bit earlier) was not listening to the experts; they knew that this sort of thing was coming

We as a species desperately need to get away from the idea that anyone with an opinion, an Internet connection, or a megaphone qualifies as an expert (yes, I am thinking of you, Donald Trump). We used to treat experts with respect because we believed that they had useful knowledge; I am not really sure where/when we lost that idea, but it is time to get it back. It is really, really time to get it back.

I think the most significant effect of Covid-19 will be in regards to governmental powers and individual freedoms. Sadly, I need to state very clearly out front that I am not (NOT!!!) talking about moronic conspiracy theories like' Q-Anon' or the 'Great Reset' or the rest of the manure they spew. 'Whack jobs' be crazy and it is better to give them all a wide berth.

This will be, generally speaking, the second great event in member's lives where governmental power has expanded drastically; the first was the expansion of security powers after September 11/the fight against international terrorism. Yes, many will argue that it was needed to protect humanity from crazy people who might acquire nukes, germs, chemicals, etc., and perhaps they were right (I think it is still too soon to tell). This second event has seen the rapid increase of technological monitoring in the name of fighting a global plague; it is difficult to argue that there hasn't been a need. However, it is a truism among those that study Politics and History that when a government, whether benign or malignant, acquires new powers and/or authorities, they don't give them up easily. Or, at all.

It is tempting to posit that future historians will look back and state that Covid-19 was the dominant factor defining the 2020s. I suspect that future historians will look back at the 2020s and discuss how the relationship between Citizen and State changed. Will the coming decade produce a new paradigm whereby humanity balanced the need for freedom, creativity, free speech, travel, and all the good things in life with the need to protect us from threats all around? 

I hope so.

I don't know.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Without the collective might of the EU, the United Kingdom will stand largely alone - and much more reliant on the United States - when negotiating with China, Russia and India. It will have more autonomy but be poorer, at least in the short term.

Congrats UK!

You have gone from being a big fish in a big pond to a little fish in a big pond.

I respect the democratic right of a country, but choosing to diminish yourself in the world doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I truly do not understand why the EU is bothering with the UK anymore. Yes, the UK has a large economy, but given all the downsides, is it worth the effort?

The UK endlessly whines and complains about the EU; why would the EU want to have that in a partner/partnership?

The UK has already demonstrated that it can't be trusted to abide by any agreement made (see exit agreement); why would the EU want to have that in a partner/partnership?

The UK, as evidenced by its withdrawal, may not want to keep any deal made for a significant period of time; why would the EU want to have that in a partner/partnership?

The UK has a good-sized economy now, but after withdrawal its economy will shrink; why would the EU want to have that in a partner/partnership?

Overall, from an EU perspective, I do not see a good reason to continue with the UK.

41 minutes ago, webfact said:

"We need to be very, very clear there's now a strong possibility, strong possibility that we will have a solution that's much more like an Australian relationship with the EU, than a Canadian relationship with the EU," Johnson said.

Hey Boris! Do you not realize that you and you alone do not decide what deal you have with the EU?

If I were the EU, I'd just walk and let the UK suffer the consequences of their actions.

I was a smoker for around 35 years, and quit just under three years ago. 

Ban smoking in Condos? Hell yes!

Ten Reasons to Quit Smoking (in no special order)

1. You won't smell anymore. Apologies, but there is no polite way to put it; smokers stink. They smell. They reek. Their breath smells like an ashtray. Their clothes are foul and gross. They leave a putrid miasma in every room they occupy.
2. You will regain your sense of smell and taste. It is truly an amazing thing; I lived and/or visited Thailand for more than 25 years, but after I quit smoking, Thai food became twice as good. Seriously, twice as good!
3. You won't look like a dried-up lizard. Smoking makes your face/skin look old; quitting smoking means putting 'lizard-ness' off for a decade or two.
4. If you quit smoking, you don't have to listen to people like me, your spouse, your kids, your friends and complete strangers telling how smoking is bad for you. Wouldn't it be nice if we all shut up? If you didn't have to hear us?
5. It is easier to pull/keep chicks. Simply put, it is easier to pull and/or keep a hot chick as a non-smoker rather than as a smoker. Nuff' said.
6. You won't get sick as often. Yes, I know, perhaps smoking helps with c-19 and perhaps it doesn't. But, a non-smoker will catch fewer flus, colds, infections, etc. than a smoker; it is a scientific fact.
7. You won't hurt those around you. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and damages the health of many, many, many more; don't you want to stop hurting your wife? Your kids? Your friends? Your neighbours? Strangers on the road?
8. You'll have more breath. Smokers; when was the last time you climbed three flights of stairs without panting or wheezing? Without some shortness of breath? Without stopping for a sec to catch your breath at the top?
9. Money. Cigarettes are expensive and you get nothing (literally nothing) for your money. One example; by quitting when I did, I saved approximately 190,000 Baht. What would you do with an extra 190,000 Baht? Whooo-Hoooo!
10. Impotence. It is a medical fact that smoking reduces the lead in your pencil. Further, it is also medical fact that the more you smoke, the more the lead in your pencil is reduced. Simple question; what's better? Smoking or sex? If you chose sex (and you really should have), then it is time to quit.

And a bonus #11; you won't be an addict anymore. Being an addict, whether it is Nicotine, Yaba, Alcohol, Opioids, Meth, Heroin, Crack, or anything else, diminishes a person.

If you quit smoking, you'll be a better person to be around, your sensations and pleasures will improve, your health and appearance will be better, you'll do better with the girls, you'll have stamina again, you'll save huge amounts of money, and your sex life will improve.

If you keep smoking, your stink will drive people away, you won't enjoy food and drink as much, your health will decline, you will become 'Lizard-like', hot girls will laugh at you and throw rocks, you'll be awful in the sack, you'll be poorer and no woman will want you.

Ban smoking everywhere!

21 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

My yellow shirts are gathering dust at the back of a closet.

If all of you owners of Yellow Shirts had allowed the Thai people to exercise their vote in 2013/2014, then Thailand would almost certainly be a much nicer place now.

But, y'all knew better, right?

"Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?'

Yes, as per the title, today marks the day that I am three years smoke-free. I know, I know, reformed smokers are the worst (blah, blah, blah), and usually I agree with that sentiment, but not today. Today I am proud as hell of myself and I don't care who knows it; if anyone is on Koh Samui and sees a foreigner with a mile-wide, beaming grin of pride on his face, that would be me.

Okay, enough of that.

The reason that I am writing is to encourage smokers to think about quitting, and the reason that I am posting here is that the Stop Smoking Forum helped me get through it all. You/everyone knows the medical reasons to quit, so I won't bother; I will simply say that quitting is a great thing, you'll be happy you did it, and your life will be better. Much better. Period.

What's my story?

I was a smoker for around 35 years; I got hooked as a teenager who didn't know any better and kept doing it even as my contemporaries and friends quit around me. Yes, I knew it was bad for me (eventually), yes, I always said that I could and should quit, and yes, I was deluding myself. 

The simple truth is that I was an addict. I denied it, I denied it, I denied it, but... Self-delusion is a powerful thing.

What changed? What made me make the decision to quit? It was a combination of many things. 

I always knew I needed to stop, but one day I asked myself "if you aren't going to quit now, then when will you quit?" That started me thinking; age 55? Age 60? Age 65? Do you want to be one of those old crumbly guys shuffling through their day wedded to an oxygen tank? Do you want to end your days in a hospital bed, gasping for breath and coughing up vile, discoloured sputum? That was a... unsettling thought.

I did a border-bounce a few years back and there was a guy on my bus who had had a tracheotomy and wore a little cover at the base of his throat. I assumed that he was an ex-smoker, but when the bus stopped for a rest, he lit one up and I knew for sure that he wasn't. I looked at the guy and thought to myself "EUUGH!!! YUCK!!! I don't want to be like that!". The truly worst part of that experience was that at one point our eyes met and he could see what my thoughts were; the look of embarrassment on his face was... just awful. Sad as it was, I still smoked for a few years after that.

I took up cycling years ago, ironically because I was worried about my health as I was a smoker. I got into the habit of going all out for the last 2-3 kilometres of my morning ride to elevate my heartbeat and provide for an extra dose of endorphins. Upon arrival at my house, I used to feel 'Lung Burn' (think a bad case of heart burn and raise it 6 inches to your chest) and it was awful; it felt like my lungs were scraping the inside of my rib cage. Yes, it was as unpleasant as it sounds, but it went away about three months after I quit smoking.

Money. I live a happy, frugal life out of habit (He's cheap as hell! Ed.) and one day started really looking at how much money I was spending on cigarettes and what I got for it. The answer was a great deal of money and Sweet <deleted> All. Three years of not smoking saved me approximately 190,000 Baht. 190,000 Baht. I would have spent 190,000 Baht to quell my addiction and get absolutely nothing in return. What a <deleted> waste!

There were other reasons, many of them, but that is enough for now.

How did I do it?

The first thing you have to do is make the decision to quit. Yes, I can hear you thinking "Doh!" and "No <deleted>, Sherlock!" and "That's insightful, Idiot!", but it is the key to everything. If you take the decision very seriously, then you can quit. If you make a half-assed decision, then you will certainly fail.

Next, pick a time. I always thought that something like this should occur on a Monday morning, so that was it for me. Coincidentally, my Monday was also the day that taxes were going up on cigarettes, so it was a double-good day.

On the Sunday night just before you go to sleep, destroy all the cigarettes in your house (literally; break them and toss them in the garbage), wash and hide all ashtrays, and toss out matches and lighters. Further, make sure you have the proper money/bills (see next point). Finally, place a clear jar on your kitchen table, or somewhere you'll see it, and every morning place the exact amount of money that you would have spent on cigarettes into the jar (when I quit, I was smoking 2 packs a day at 174 Baht. I would put in one 100 Baht note, one 50 Baht note, one 20 Baht note and four one Baht coins). The first day this won't help much, but after 4-5 days, it was a great, great visual aid!

The first week is... unpleasant; there is no getting around that. Every time you want a cigarette, distract yourself and/or power through. Smash your head against the wall, run around your house, juggle, bark at the Soi dogs, whatever. Just distract yourself until the urge passes. And, it does pass.

The first 2-3 weeks are when you have a physical reaction to it, and you just have to power through. Some people take drugs to help; I have never seen the logic in that, but if that is what you need, then go for it. Some people switch to vaping; again, I don't see the logic, but if it is a step on the way to actually quitting, then go for it.

The psychological aspects of the addiction are different for everyone. I got over most of it in about two months or so, but to this day I get an occasional 'urge' to have a smoke. Some people breeze through, some go through hell; I hope you are the former but you don't know until you go through it.

That's it. It is not easy, but it can be done if (repeat 'IF') you are serious.

The rest of the battle is staying away from the vile things; they say that about half of people who quit start again, so you have to be vigilant. In my case, I am adamant that I am not going to start again, and ever watchful that I do not become over-confident. I have thought to myself that I could probably handle an occasional smoke, but then realized the insidiousness of the addiction and punched myself in the face. I have thought about an occasional cigar, but then realized where it was leading and kicked myself in the nuts. You have to be forever vigilant.

So, there it is.

I feel better, I have more energy, my cycling is better, my sex life is better, my skin is better, my breathing is better, my overall health is better, my attitude on life is better, my general moods are more positive and the best thing is: I control my own life, I am not an addict anymore.

There isn't much else to say. If you are a smoker and you have read this far, then you are thinking about it. I know this because I was just like you. You are also thinking that you can't do it; again, I know this as I was just like you, but you are mistaken. I was able to stop, and if I was able to stop, then so can you. It is that simple. 

The only sure-fire, 100% guaranteed way to fail is not to try. 

So, try.

Good luck.

International negotiations move very slowly in order to get things right because it is absolutely vital that a country keep its word. Countries that don't keep their word include North Korea, for example.

If the UK doesn't keep its word in these negotiations, then why would anyone expect them to keep their word in any other future negotiations? If other countries don't believe that the UK will keep its word, then why would they negotiate with the UK at all? 

All those 'magical' trade deals the Brexiteers claimed would save the UK? Up in smoke. 

This is the single dumbest move I have ever seen.

Seriously, the dumbest.

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

At least the government panel looking into the case has shown its independence in recommending the indictment of the best part of two dozen policemen and other officials in the disgraceful case.  

The trouble is, who is now investigating plod? The RTP themselves of course. It really is time for the PM to show some cajones and follow up by establishing another truly independent body to unearth the details of the wrongdoing and bring cases to court.  

The public demands this but, as always, the ever-present specter of corruption looms large rendering action pointless. Until the systemic roots of this insidious and overbearing disease are excised from Thai society all attempts at real justice are doomed to failure.

"The public demands this..."

This may be an odd thing to ask, but does it really? Does the public really demand that the bribery (the word 'corruption' as it has been so over-used that it has lost its meaning) end?

Way, way back in the day I found myself in Bangkok with a few months to kill, so I took a temp job as a conversational English teacher. My favourite thing to do in my class was to pose an ethical dilemma and ask the students to discuss it; it was great for them, always had new and useful vocabulary, and I got to learn a great deal about Thai culture by listening to them talk.

One class was particularly instructive. I posited that a guy ran a red light, hit a pedestrian, broke the pedestrian's leg and then asked what the punishment should be. The students all agreed on a large fine and some jail time, then the discussion revolved around how much of each. I then changed the parameters slightly and made the driver of the car their little brother. Well, well, well, what a change! All of a sudden jail wasn't really needed (Your Honour; He's a Good Boy!) and they didn't want too much of a fine. This was my first exposure to the Thai concept that 'Everyone Else Should Obey the Law, Darn It!'.

Which brings me back to the Red Bull case. Yes, of course, everyone wants to see him behind bars and 'Justice Served', but as Thais ignore the law(s) on a daily basis, do they really care? Seriously? Has any Thai person changed their vote based on 'corruption'? How many thousands of Thais marched in protest against the Red Bull verdict/case? Lots of discussion? Sure. Lots of media outrage? Sure. Lots of 'clicks'? Sure.

Any actual action on the part of the citizenry? Well, no.

If the Thai people actually want to see changes in the behaviour of their public officials, then they have to make 'corruption' a social ill along the lines of the way drunk-driving was made into a social ill in Western countries, and I don't see evidence of that occurring. Anyone? 

And, by the way, why is there not equal outrage at the actions of the Red Bull guy's family? In any case of bribery, there must be both a briber and a bribee; why only the focus on the person receiving the bribe? Is it because Thais still want the option of bribing people for themselves, and are only outraged when it doesn't work? Food for thought...

I would like to see corruption in general and bribery of government officials in particular come to an end in Thailand (it is a cancer), but the only way that occurs is if the Thai populace turns BOTH offering AND receiving a bribe into a social faux pas on the level of pedophilia.

I ain't holding my breath.

(Apologies; two long posts today. I got too much time on my hands.)

20 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The text is there. The brain is almost in gear. Yet something does not compute. Even after nearly four decades in Thailand this seems too unbelievable! It can’t be true…or can it!?

In times like these, I (re)turn to the book(s) that allowed me to survive my late teens and early twenties. Yes, of course, I refer to those fountains of knowledge, those magnificent tomes which hold the sum of human thought, those writings that form the entirety of human wisdom.

I refer, of course, to the five-part trilogy that is The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

In book two, Ford Prefect states...

"There is no point in driving yourself mad trying to stop yourself from going mad. You might just as well give in and save your sanity for later."

Wise words for these difficult times...

'Nuff said.