Damrongsak

Oy! Health issues, drug/alcohol poisoning or just stumbled and hit his head the wrong way? It's a damned shame... alone. I wish you better luck in the afterlife guy.

Crispy critter! There's something about Thai power poles that attracts vehicles. Considering that the electricity is alternating current, I wonder if half the crashes are on each side of the road.

For 6-7K Baht, I'd take her to the moon and back. ???? But she's pretty yappy.

"You have to consider your tax situation. Social security benefits are not fully taxes. Withdrawals from retirement accounts are. " -------------------------------------- Yeah, it's kind of tricky depending on one's situation. SS benefits can actually be cut a good bit if you "work", until you reach 70. Not sure if retirement accounts (like 401K or IRA) are treated like working income as far as SS benefit reduction, but certainly are taxable. In my case I'm burning some post-tax savings until I get to the point of mandatory withdrawals from my 401K. Recently I heard about the "Spousal Benefit" where one's spouse in SS could get a boost in monthly income based on your benefit (assuming it's higher), maybe up to half of your's. And they don't have to kill you! (Death benefit gets them more, LOL) A friend's wife got boosted by maybe $1,000/month because of this.

Spent a few days in Nha Trang in late October. Seems like a nice town. We didn't do a lot, mostly hung around my wife's sister's house. Did check out a couple markets and that ancient temple thing on the hill by the river.

It will be interesting to hear the full story. Mostly Asians celebrating in a community that is about 2/3 Asian and the suspected shooter appears to be Asian ... ??? I'd like a bit more nut-case control. Society here seems to be going off the deep end these days. As a 14 year old or so kid, I was allowed to take my .22 rifle, with ammo, as carry on luggage on an airplane. Unaccompanied by an adult, no less.

Bit of discussion about local brands in this older thread:

Samui airport runway too short for your big plane?

Met mine while walking around in a dumpy market in Loei in 1977. Her older sister sold clothing in the market and she was helping her Sis. I asked them if they had a handmade Pa Kak Ma and they did, but I'd have to get it later. Met them at a Wat a few days later at a Kao Pansa celebration. If that older sister hadn't been such a yapping busy body, we never would have connected. But over time we became acquainted and became friends. Life in a small town was boring back then. 44 years later I can't get rid of her, her siblings or her friends. I even imported 6 of them to the U.S. some time back. ???? At least I get my cars repaired and my lawn mowed for free. Lately we've been buying Apple iPads for the kids of her nieces. Two so far at about $300. USD each. (My hand-me-down iPad is worth about $50.)

Yeah, and some government workers have cushy health plans. Very low deductable cost and whatnot. This reminded me that when that son was born, the hospital bill was something like $5,000 or whatever. But the itemized cost included something like a 30% surcharge. That was to offset the cost of those who couldn't/wouldn't pay! I didn't get soaked because I had insurance at the time. I couldn't believe it. Some years later the Affordable Health Care Act ("Obamacare") was enacted. People of very modest income could get quite a subsidy, and preconditions weren't a problem. I got a good insurance policy for a family of 3 the first year for about $78/month with minimal co-pay/deductions. I had major surgery for an aneurism and spent a week in the hospital, ICU and all. Cost me maybe $300 - $400. Prior to that insurance, they couldn't tell me how much it might cost, but could run to $100,000.!

It can be either. The word amah may have originated from the Arabic: أَمَةٌ, romanized: ʾamah meaning "female slave" or from the Portuguese ama meaning "nurse".[6] Some however argued that it is the English form of the Chinese word ah mah. Ah (阿; ā) is a common Chinese prefix used before monosyllabic names or kinship terms to indicate familiarity, and mah (妈; 媽; mā) means "mother". Others say that the word originated from the term for a wet nurse, nai mah (奶妈; 奶媽; nǎimā; 'milk mother').[7] This word is common in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia to denote a maidservant or nursemaid.[8] Variants such as Amah-chieh or mahjeh (姐; jiě means elder sister in Chinese dialects) have also been used in some countries.[6][7] In China, amah may even refer to any old lady in general. In Taiwan and southeastern China where the Minnan language is spoken, amah (Chinese: 阿媽; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: a‑má) refers to the paternal grandmother. Similar terms in the same context include ah-yee (Chinese: 阿姨; pinyin: āyí; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: a‑î; lit. 'aunt'), yee-yee (aunt), or jie-jie (elder sister). Since the mid-1990s, it has become more politically correct in some circles to call such a person a 'helper' rather than a maid or ayah.

Thais talking about corruption: "But he got more than me! This isn't fair!"

Proper American, "Yeah, gimmee a couple more beers."

Joel Osteen is an American preacher, televangelist, and author who has an estimated net worth of about $140 million. Kenneth Copeland is another who is worth $760 million. Bishop TD Jakes, David Oyedepo and Pat Robertson are worth upwards of $100 million each. Boggles the mind.

I spent 50 days in Thailand and 10 in Vietnam last fall. I dragged my passport everywhere I went. I didn't even leave my passport (or cash) at our house in Loei when we went out to the market.

Do you know where they live (their business office) ? Pay them a visit? In this crazy world, it's possible that their inside guy at immigration is out sick or on leave. Not that you need anything special or underhanded, just that the business channel has been disrupted. 45 years back, we had to somewhat expedite my wife's passport application processing in BKK with a "tip". When we went back to collect it, the guy who was responsible said that it was his job, so he lost out on the "tip". Nothing underhanded, just speeding up the process.

Ah, but that would be "export quality" stuff, 555. Just like clothing made in Vietnam, Thailand or Bangladesh. She buys on closeout sale in the U.S.A. and takes it back to Thailand. Of course, buying "day old" medicines is a <deleted> shoot.

I'm 69 with 4 Covid shots. I was talking with my Doc about immunizations here in the USA. I was thinking flu/pneumonia, a shingles shot #2 and a diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) shot. She didn't think I needed another Covid booster as it's been 6 months since the last. I get these shots at the local drug store here and the guy currently giving them is good. I barely notice the shot. Not like getting the IV for a colonoscopy that took nurses 3 tries to stick a big needle in a vein. But I guess it's how much they are giving you and the size of the needle.

Brutal. One would think at her age she would be somewhat experienced, but then there's moments when one just exceeds the limits. Very easy to do with alcohol, especially if someone is encouraging it in a short period. Sad.

I visited in Sept/Oct on a 60 day visa. In late October, I bopped over to Vietnam for a week. Coming back in I got a stamp and a handwritten 45 day thing. Funny, but my buddy who went at the same time applied for 90 days, but only got 60, so he had to extend.

Just the other day my son mentioned having a "charging condom" adapter which merely connects the charging power pins and not the data lines. (His buddy is a network/telecom guru who is one of the internet domain key holders, or at least a crypto officer.) Personally I won't charge in a public place. You never know where those electrons have been.

Don't know. He was studying mechanical engineering, but got killed in Iraq.

Midnight inspection? They were all in bed with someone by then.

Agent 007-Eleven. Name's Bondarev. James Bondarev .