AsianAtHeart

This is a most excellent question. I will try to explain it in a "nutshell" version in a moment, but first, your question reminded me of a true story that occurred many years ago in communist Russia. Communist countries, as Russia was in those days, are tenaciously opposed to Christianity--as you may know. Having lived in one, I have experienced this firsthand. Your question could easily be applied to the communist regimes. So, on to the story . . . . A young schoolgirl in Russia heard nearly everyone saying "there is no God." Her teachers emphasized it. The textbooks did. The government leaders and officials opposed the notion of a God. All of those to whom children might have paid their respect seemed in agreement--"there is no God." The vigorous manner in which this godless concept was promoted caused this intelligent young girl to question. "Why do they all say there is no God? If it were so, why would they need to say it?" she thought. She pondered over the matter, but had no way of proving anything, one way or the other. Yet something led her to question the truthfulness of what the leaders were all saying. One cold, bleak, snowless winter day, she had an idea. She was ready for a break from school--she didn't like school very much. "God, if you exist, please show me. Please send enough snow that we can have a snow day and not have to come to school," she prayed--not being certain if there was a God who would hear and answer her prayer or not. As she slept that night, though it had not been in the forecast, snow came in abundance. The next morning the buildings were half-buried in snow. School was closed for several days because of it. And one little girl in communist Russia knew the answer to the question "Does God exist?" * * * * Now, the reason so many are so interested in sharing the truth that there is a God who loves us and is interested in our well-being is that it is a truth which an enemy of God has been quite successful at nearly burying in lies. It is God's enemy that wants to eradicate all knowledge of God from among God's creatures. Sometimes the enemy works by spreading outright lies--such as to say that God does not exist. Sometimes he just mixes some error with the truth, such as saying that, yes, God exists, but God has no interest in people--He just created us and left us alone. Another common lie mixed with truth is that God will burn people forever in hell. The enemy also induces people to blame all the bad things that the enemy himself has done on God, getting people to ask why bad things happen to good people. Confusion, error, argument, lies, falsehoods, hatred, cynicism, and more are all tactics employed by God's enemy. In some ways, God is at a disadvantage in this war in which the first casualty was the truth. God cannot, and does not, lie. Even if one knows that there are two sides, and that one side lies while the other tells only the truth, how does one know which side is which? This is especially difficult because God's enemy can tell the truth when it suits him. I'm reminded of a puzzle--a brain teaser, if you will--along these lines. An online version of it can be found here: https://suresolv.com/brain-teaser/liar-and-truth-teller-riddle-step-step-easy-solution We are all essentially in that traveler's situation. It is an excellent analogy to the spiritual war that is going on around all of us. Some are on the side of the Truth-teller; some are on the side of the Liar. Both sides are eager to speak to us and try to persuade us. But it is our prerogative to make the decision for ourselves as to whom we will believe and follow. Does God exist? The very question itself was first framed by God's enemy who wishes to suggest to our minds that God may not exist. And with a majority of people, his lies have achieved their intended effect; many have rejected God, even coming to the point of believing He does not exist. But, however sincerely a lie may be believed, it is powerless to alter the truth.

That camera wouldn't, but when the image came to the notice of headquarters, the missing plates, coupled with the excessive speed, would throw down the gauntlet to the police department, who would probably then take on the challenge of accessing the data from highway cameras to track the route of the car and figure out where it had gone. They could catch up with you, given time and the will to do so.

Evidently, immigration here hasn't learned about confidentiality. Our transits are all open to public scrutiny.

It has been 62" by virtually every airline for decades. They don't usually measure, and the measurement on a rounded-corner suitcase can be a bit fuzzy anyhow, so they probably allow for about 2" of fudge factor. They also might give an allowance for projections like the handle, wheels, or buckles. Most suitcase manufacturers know the limits of what is generally accepted and I think they generally adhere to those limits, so airline employees will rarely bring out the tape measure, assuming that the suitcase is at the standard limit. I think with boxes they may tend to be more strict. I have often traveled with boxes simply because they are lighter in weight for the volume that they can carry. They sometimes brought out the tape measure, but I was always careful to keep it within limits (which meant cutting down a 64" box to a 62" size). For me, the weight limit has usually been the most limiting factor. Nowadays the way luggage is treated, boxes do not fare as well unless they are packed VERY well. Definitely make sure your box is FULL, with no wiggle room, if you should choose to use a box.

That's not what I find. It's an average of 3488 baht per Thai tourist, and an average of 10,000 baht per foreign tourist. Lumping the two together yields a total average of 3,540 baht per tourist.

Undoubtedly bread does taste good fresh, but real bread, i.e. the kind made with yeast, should not be eaten in the first 24 hours for health reasons. There is still enough residual yeast active in the bread to risk an internal yeast infection. This is, however, a seemingly little-known fact.

Interesting. How times have changed!

It is my understanding that international law requires that any person be able to enter the country of his or her own citizenship, even on an expired passport. She would, of course, need to renew her passport once in Thailand before traveling again on it. Naturally, this does not mean she could enter any other countries on the expired passport. I think the six-month validity period is for travel in those other countries, not one's own.

Hers was not a crime of ignorance. She was deliberately injuring and killing others for personal pecuniary gain. Nor do I read any indication of remorse or apology on her part. Deplorable! Her sentence appears well justified, and will hopefully deter others who might think to do likewise.

How can it be possible to assume it was an accident when a gun was brought to school? Can they think that the gun was brought accidentally, or without reason?

I read that. Read my post: "if for any reason...". I think we can both safely assume the daughter is not privy to knowledge of the future; nor are we. Things happen. I remember when the Nongkhai border suddenly closed and there were Thai and Lao citizens stranded on both sides. Both got to pay heavy fees to extend their stays as guests in the country when they didn't even wish to remain there! Come in as Aussie, get to pay Aussie fees if traveling privileges should suddenly be revoked again. Come in as Thai, no worries.

This is not recommended. Australia would, of course, have no problems. But Thailand could present some problems. First off, Thai officials always want to see the Thai documents for its own citizens. It is possible to get into a mess of trouble if/when they figure out that you're trying to pass off on them that you're a citizen of another country when you hold Thai citizenship. I've been called into the back office where the "interrogation/berating" occurred for this very infraction at one of Thailand's land borders. Apart from the legalities, there is also the possible issue of conserving space in your passport. No need to get a visa stamp in your foreign passport when you have a Thai passport. There is also the fact that, if entering on a foreign passport, you can get a fine for overstay if for any reason you decide to extend your stay in Thailand--as has been reported here by one person regarding a woman with Thai citizenship that had entered on her foreign passport. She assumed she would not be charged anything for overstaying because she could prove she was a Thai. Wrong!

I agree with a lot of what you have said, and I find a lot of the "research" quoted by your debating opponent to be focused on a niche segment that would not apply broadly to everyone. There is some truth on both sides of this aisle--but perhaps some myths on both as well. Yet, to help me see where you're coming from, I am curious if, given a choice, you would choose to extract a tooth or do a root canal on it. (This does have an antibiotics-related impact.)

Really? Can they give you the legal statute wherein this method of 40,000 baht of income has been changed? If it has changed, you might politely inform the kind folk at immigration that their website has not yet been updated, and that you could not have known of the change. (Look at #5 below.) https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?p=14714

Well, up here in "the north" the waters began to subside today. Yesterday the drainage canal nearly reached the bridge. Today it was at least a meter below. And there have been no rains for the past 24+ hours. I wouldn't expect our waters to reach Bangkok for at least a couple or three days, though.

Yes, if it is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. No, if the government is despotic, anarchical, monarchical, or autocratic.

I would not be too worried about most of that list. My bigger concern is that Thailand will continue to become increasingly chummy with the USA, because Thailand's leadership is weak on independent thinking and could end up becoming essentially a vassal state of America. If so, it's Big Brother overlording us all for sure. I see Thaksin as being perhaps the most misrepresented and maligned Thai politician of all time. Yingluk was not far behind. Her brother, though, was more capable, and the Thai economy flourished during his time in office. That is a matter of record that even Thaksin's opponents will generally admit. He was an excellent businessman, and it was precisely because of his popularity and success that he was forced out--too intimidating for certain others. Thailand has a track record of this, known to anyone who has studied Thai history: political prisoners have been common. Someday the truth will come out, but I doubt Thaksin will live to see that day. I just hope he is soon allowed to return, without being troubled, to his beloved homeland.

If this is what actually happened, and it sounds quite probable, my recommendation would be for a larger rock size to start with. Get river rock--the stuff that averages 2" - 4" (5-10 cm) in diameter. It's hard to drive on, so do NOT do this during dry season: make sure you have mud for it to sink into. Once that stuff gets pressed in / settled out, you can then bring in the more ordinary gravel. In lieu of this, the only other way is to put a very HEAVY layer of the ordinary gravel, one which makes it difficult to drive through for awhile until it sinks in as well. Been there, done that. I actually had to remove some of the layer as it was so thick the wheels tended to get stuck in it (the gravel that is--which was at least a foot (30 cm) thick, and more in places). Of course, if you've got the dough and the manpower, you could always lay down a cobblestone road with bricks. Some villages I've seen, such as near Mae Hong Son, have done this. In Tak province there are a number of roads with two concrete tracks. Saves money and time in making them, but can be a challenge to keep the vehicle on the tracks without slipping over one edge or another.

Was that on the side of a hill with no ditch and culverts to direct the runoff under the road? Naturally, if the road is part of the floodplain and/or basically a riverbed, you'll have a hard time keeping gravel there. But in that case, even asphalt won't last too long before it is undermined and washed out as well.

Perhaps you need to rethink your interpretation of what is written. I read it as the "friend" is likely female--no mention of the friend's gender seems apparent in the article. The "his mother's house" refers to the husband's mother, i.e. the house of the woman's mother-in-law. Nothing fishy about this--women often like to spend hours together, chatting as friends. She might be expected to be closer to a friend of about her age than to her mother-in-law. Undoubtedly, the mother-in-law could be questioned to verify the husband's story as to the woman's habits and friends.

While I am not an expert here, I do question the accuracy of the "been dead for..." estimates. I think in the hot sun, decay happens a lot more quickly. There have been recent cases in the news where a person's corpse was reduced to bones in about a month. In cooler climates, this would be impossible. Here, it is very possible that the decomposition and bloat would be accelerated. Floating in a pond would mean exposure that one would not get if left in the shade of a tree. I don't know how carefully their estimates are made, or how well they have taken these variables into account, but I would say that, if he is actually innocent, the husband will need a very good lawyer who is able to show evidence that these estimates are legitimately contestable given the conditions. The investigators do need to do a rape test on the woman and get DNA samples. As there could be other motives for the murder as well, not finding foreign DNA would prove little, but if the DNA is not the husband's, that could help to expeditiously exonerate him.

I don't suppose the rain and lack of gravel had anything to do with that. Aren't they pointing to their own tire tracks? With the whole group of them there, one would think it possible for them to go in together on purchasing a little gravel for their road--if nothing else, at least for those rougher spots.

But this is a valuable part of the education.

Deplorable! The world has sure changed, and not for the better, during our lifetimes. When I was born, my mother refused even to receive any painkiller at the hospital lest I be adversely affected. The doctor praised her with the words "bully for you!" (That probably dates me.) Nowadays, it seems the mothers spare little thought for their offspring. Very sad. The parents--both of them--might rightly be tried for attempted murder. Their child is unlikely to be in thriving health and will have life-lasting effects from this prenatal negligence.

Driver education is more important than a pedestrian overpass. The extremely poor driving skills of the Thai drivers has much to do with their ignorance of the law, ignorance of practical driving physics, such as stopping times required at various speeds, combined with a narcissistic "me first" attitude. While the latter evil is endemic and perhaps impossible to solve, the ignorance aspects simply need proper education. Driver education schools and licensure exams should include basic information relative to vehicle operation, such as braking reaction times and stopping distances, and improved education regarding the effects of alcohol on one's judgment. It's one thing to know, for example, that alcohol is bad, and quite another to know exactly how bad it is and why. Perhaps, even, people need to be reminded to look both ways before crossing a street, as a vehicle, at speed, certainly cannot stop on a dime. Both pedestrians and drivers have lessons to learn. Education needed!