jts-khorat

The price has increased similarly here in Germany, if not even more (sometimes it is double what I am used to), due to the very bad Cacao harvests. Like the Coffee somebody quoted before, this has nothing to do with Thai greed.

I have been to many slaughters of cows and buffaloes here in Isaan. If done in the village, a group of families will share the meat, and those doing the actual slaughtering will get some of the best parts. Best parts are, besides others, from the heart, part of the liver and the backside right before the tail, which will be eaten raw. Looking at the list of usual symptoms happening, I could guess, a lot of the often unexplained and rapidly deadly sick cases one hears about in the villages could be easily coming from this or one of the many other zoonotic diseases people pick up when they are in direct contact with sick animals and uncooked meat. Actually, the biggest risk in Isaan is not beef, but raw fish (liver cancer resulting from fish flukes is the most common reason for death in the over 60s age group in Isaan), not properly cooked crabs and of course improperly cooked pig. I basically know nobody who has not fairly often a prophylactic intake of medicine against tape worms (as do I -- Fugacar = Mebendazole). I guess, just part of living an agrarian lifestyle.

From the article it is not entirely clear, how inebriated this person was. I have, withoiut all that much problem, created bills quite a bit larger than this without being drunk afterwards. In the end, this tourist was an adult. What happened to being responsible for your decisions and actions?

Maybe true in a general sense. In regard to the price of eggs, resulting from persistent and catastrophic levels of bird flu decimating flocks in the US, he did everything to keep them high: - reduce testing for bird flu - reduce research in preventing bird flu - reduce regulations on how to establish animal health - antagonize neighboring markets with tariffs, from which cheap(er) eggs could be imported So, while he might not be able to realistically reduce egg prices immediately, he has virtually guaranteed that they will stay high for a very, very long time.

Drunk people doing stupid stuff in Thailand is as old as tourism here. I have seen people doing lots of outrageous stuff in the 90s, only nobody had a phone to film it. As everybody was having their fun and fill, nobody batted an eyelid. People were minding their own business. I think, times were better for it.

What better way to destroy the reputation of a country by threatening friend and foe alike, and when the supposed enemies just shrug their shoulders, fold completely. Before, the USA and its reserve currency dollar was simply a parasite on the world; by now, they are a hated one. Finally, the bill comes back to the US, and I at least will enjoy to see it burn.

This, ten times over!! I hardly need three different emojis denoting that I like a post, but between disliking a post and simply finding something unfathomably stupid is a big difference.

Or, simply accept that there is a large number of long-time tourists simply spending money, and a very small percentage of "tour guides" and "bar owners" (who nonetheless bring financial turnaround). I remember, as I came to Thailand in the late 90s, that I was working for months, as I heard for the first time that something like a work permit even exists. And I would never have gotten one for the job I did then (nobody on Phuket had even heard of the internet or web design, there were only 2000 fixed phone lines on the whole island). What I am trying to say is: the jobs a longstay tourist is likely to engage in is the grey economy, where people don't pay taxes and proper business setups most likely will be prohibitive for the tiny returns. There is a good chance that just checking up on everything costs more than simply ignoring this small percentage. Better spend the money on improving tourist infrastructure. But who am I to advise the Thai government?

From driving (slightly) inebriated to wholly unhinged talk. You sound completely crazy, are you high? My advice: also do not drive.

Frankly, if I hear his whining about a little discomfort, I start to develop my own theory, why he was not let off with a smallish fee, but rather invited to do a few zzz on government property. I do know -- unluckily from my own experience (one of those lessons that are not alawys cheap) -- that higher police can react quite unfriendly when questioned or put on the spot. Well, at least he has us all now properly warned, that we will not fall into the clutches of Thai police unawares, so at least he did his good deed for the day. 😉

I am not in disagreement, that he was not much over the limit; and that the likely reason he was put in a cell was some kind of fee to be negotiated (which his wife seemingly boggled up badly). However, he indeed did the crime, and that right after Songkran, where everybody knows the police are on the lookout for DUIs. His treatment was not harsh, he had 15 friends "enduring" the same... And I see the issue more from the viewpoint, that it is unlikely he will be a repeat offender (with wife, he likely will be a long-term resident, so carelessness with alcohol could endanger poeple later). I think he got off lightly, learned a lesson and has a nice story to tell. All that for not sleeping well for a night is a steal.

I would say: there was no reason for him to drink and then drive -- especially if he had his wife with him. If she also drank, a Bolt taxi is so cheap to basically cost nothing to a westerner. Don't do the crime, if you cannot do the time. Edit: and he would have been in real danger of severe repercussions if that would have been an accident and not a police checkpoint, so I stand by my point that a night in a cell is really nothing harsh at all.

Yes, you did: you drove under the influece, while thankfully not hitting anybody with your car. And yes, as everybody had the same floor, you were treated fairly. I really do not know about what you are complaining. "Deprived of the ability to sleep"... what are you, a child? Would you have preferred being deported at your own cost? Boy oh boy, do I have to tell you a story about how IDC in Bangkok looks on the inside.

I more wonder about the rapid demographic shift before 1860, when there were still 5% natives there. Scalping and head bounties had not decimated all of them, yet. Call about a change in culture...

The one who was treated unfairly was your wife, I give you that point. But you were treated by the letter of the law, there was no corruption, no deviation from normal procedure, you got a fair hearing and also a fair penalty reflecting your offense. You had a place to sleep like all the others, and even breakfast -- not quite half board, but what did you expect? Where is this unfairness you speak of?

While I understand that the OP might have been far out of his comfort zone, indeed he has been treated quite well. I know in Phuket, the police used the method of the holding cell quite effectively in deterring tourists likely to be caught with a DUI again (eg longer term visa holders), just to make sure that they got the message. Those cells were small, so 15 people in it would not have given all of them the room to sleep; and as far as I know, no breakfast for those who would be released anyway... The law has changed by now, DUI is a criminal offense, so no laughing matter any more. Indeed the OP could have just as easily been deported, and would have for sure if there would have been an accident. In cases that the police would take a backhander, I have heard quotes of a large multiple of what the OP had to pay in the end. I think the OP paid just a little bit of learning money, has a story to tell, and can be happy that he got off really lightly (I am assuming THb 10,000 barely hurts him). He should be thankful for that and think twice, if he want to subject his wife one more time to the same routine in case he re-offends.

While Berkshire Hathaway is not uninteresting from the outside, it is a poison stock -- all US stocks are under boycott, I am concentrating solely on European stocks (and Airbus as a worldwide conglomerate is right at the outer fringe for that). My depot is currently up more than 20% due to that strategy, which is crazy growth for such a very short timeframe. If Trump does not get deposed within the next few weeks, I guess the US stock markets will crash so hard, it would be crazy to invest currently, even if not boycotted. They are simply not a value proposition.

I bought a good number of shares in Airbus on Friday, on the news that China has restricted the export of Boeing planes to their airlines. Today I read, that the first plane was already returned to the US. Airbus is a big conglomerate, actually getting engines for some of their planes from the US, so they will get hurt in the tariffs as well. Ramping up production to fill the market gap will not happen for Airbus overnight either. But, if Trump does not reverse his crazy China tariffs within the next few weeks, I guess Airbus will come out on top strongly, and I expect the stock price to reflect this speculation shortly.

I am really surprised. I would not have thought that you would advocate for secession and a breakup of the United States. But maybe Maga followers are really that stupid that they rather want to destroy the US than live in one that is "too woke". Actually, be my guest, nobody needs the USA anymore and the world would be a much better place without it, so I agree with you. Or maybe -- actually the most likely -- you have not understood that we talk here about funding of whole cities and states? Your answer does not really seem to match my post.

Because it is a two-edged sword. Remove federal funding from too many states/cities and they might start to think that they do not need a federation at all...

Trump has proven now many times that he is a dog that barks but has no bite (and even in this case wants others to fight and do the dirty work for him -- the face of Netanyahu looked like he was sucking on a lemon during the Oval Office interview). This alone will prevent the others attacking prematurely... and the US will implode under the weight of his dumbness all by itself, just give it a little time. I privately think that China is actually increasing its military with a plan, but it is not Taiwan: I would guess the true direction of their expansion will be Siberia with all its natural resources. So they just need to kick the ball along for a little while more, confusing everybody with their anti-Taiwan rethoric. But I think they plan already the next step ahead: after they have gotten the ressources they need for true industrial expansion from Siberia and the USA has neutered itself, Taiwan will not even need to be invaded, as they will be standing alone and naked in the rain. Not a happy scenario at all, but American idiocy has made a fairly stable world with three superpowers keeping each other in check nearly impossible, so we will see a hard reset to a different stable situation, with the USA having taken themselves out of the game and Russia havign proven to the world that they are not being able to usurp more than a few farmers villages per month.

The incoherent ramblings of this old fool become more demented and illogical by the day. If I would not know, that the Americans are really strongly against being led by some old and deranged guy with dementia, I would think we have a blooming case of it right in front of our eyes?! But if it is not dementia, maybe it is collective daddy issues of the US electorate -- you know, they secretly long for the weird smelly uncle getting much too touchy-feely when drunk during a family BBQ, telling all his wisdoms about taxes, foreigners and all the other bad influences around.

I agree. To improve a country against the culture and wish of the locals has a strong whiff of colonialist thinking. White man knows better? Most Thais that I know are perfectly happy with the way things are, and I am talking a broad range of people from Isaan backgrounds to city people to wealthy, international Thais (many of which are studying here in Germany). Everywhere there is room for improvement, for sure (as I am living there, looking at you, Germany!). But the initial will to do it must come from the locals. And frankly: I was very happy with the Thailand I have been living in in the early 2000s, and likely I will be equally content with Thailand when I will be living here again in the next stage of my life -- maybe, because I bring my happiness with me in my head, instead of trying to define the happiness of all the people around me by my standards.

There is, of course, also always the option to distract the masses with an external threat, and the US is giving Xi a big target. Taking one or two shoals in the South China Sea? Attacking Taiwan or entering Siberia? Maybe even an attack on Diego Garcia, just to send a signal (even though that would smell a little bit too much like Pearl harbor, and I doubt that the Chinese are yet up for a total war)? The options seem endless for the Chinese, and indeed, they only need to span the time until the next election cycle, which is not long. I would give the Chinese an 80% chance to come out on top in a trade war, not just because they can deflect their internal public opinion easily, but also because the whole world is (trade-)fighting the Americans, while Trump is attacking China all on his own (keeping even 10% of tariffs is enough to rile up even the staunchest ally).

You can be very sure, as soon as the patience of the EU runs out, this is where they will put countermeasures up. Companies like Googe, Amazon, Oracle et al currently pay basically no tax in Europe... as soon as that changes, a USA without manufacturing will also loose their exporting service industry -- because moving services software and the data in a data center is comparably done in the blink of an eye.