John Drake

People will vote for Trump, because Biden's policies on the border, the economy (inflation), and foreign affairs are the worst in fifty years. Trump is a horror, too. But people perceive him as the only option to a brain-dead Biden. There is an option, however, and that is RFKjr. People need to look at him. If you can't stand the two old puddin' brains, Biden and Trump, RFKjr is an easy choice.

The single biggest factor is faculty publishing in high impact journal. That means a Q1 journal where the article gets a lot of cites. Most of these journals are published in English, and outside of medical and some science journals, Thais aren't going to be able to publish very much. As is, most of their publications come from medical faculty.

Prayuth was better.

Now, does that look like the sort of guy who'd hide cocaine in his passport?

I started buying this week, gulp! Been buying a couple of ETFs. Everytime Bitcoin drops $1000, I hit the buy button for a thousand shares.

There are topics in Thailand people are much freer to say and write about than back in the US, where they might generate doxxing, loss of employment, lawsuits. OTOH there certainly is one topic you cannot discuss in Thailand and, as the subject of this topic might find out soon, there are defamation laws that obviously limit your public statements.

I'm guessing that's a new term, "passport bros." I've only begun to notice it recently. And from what I've seen of their description, they come to places like Thailand to ferret out obedient wives. I wonder if they stay here long enough to figure out the landscape. Returning home, they're in for some real surprises. Still it seems predatory in intent. Personally, I would only ask for a reduction in intensity of vloggers and would be youtubers like the guy in this topic who I'll bet wishes he had never had the urge to take all those video selfies.

Here's the bottom line: I'm comfortable here. I don't need a car. If I need to see a doctor, and I have an inner ear problem that every now and then requires quick treatment, then I can go see my doctor the next day and probably only need to wait in line for 30 or 45 minutes--unlike the US, which requires an appointment three weeks in advance or being told to go spend $10,000 at an emergency room. I see people post on AN who have all sorts of problems or I see news stories about people getting beaten up, robbed, or cheated for one thing or another--but I never go to tourist areas or hangouts for dubious activities. I've never had anything other than a tricky taxi driver take me for an overlong trip. Immigration is laborious one day per year, but I've got the time for it. My life here is sedate and non-stressful. It's how I want it.

I would go back to the US if I could live in Hawaii, with a lot of money, and private helicopter to avoid the crowded roads. Otherwise, I would opt for Central or South America before the mainland US. And I most definitely prefer Thailand over all but the Hawaii option. I really don't want to face surly American doctors, lawyers, or other "professionals." Of course, I haven't been back in 13 years, so it's probably changed. But I'll bet it's for the worse.

She's making the best out of what nature gave her.

And to add, it's not that Thai universities are not making large investments in securing better rankings. They are. The comparative problem for them is that other universities are doing the same. And additional universities are entering the "competition." That is why their rankings have remained relatively static. China especially competes heavily in the chase for rankings. And Thailand will never be able to match them.

Great news!

Now, how about a Dark Mode!!!???

I'll do what is necessary to avoid jail, penalty, and/or deportation, because I want to stay here.

Here is a good source that gives university rankings overall, regionally, and by country. And note that in the top left part of the menu, you can choose alternative ranking systems. https://www.universityrankings.ch/results?ranking=QS&region=Asia&year=2024&q=Thailand

Chula has started paying a lot more for research published in Q1 journals co-listed in Web of Science. You get 500,000 baht per published article. Thammasat is paying somewhat less: 350,000 I was told. And the cheapos at Mahidol I know are only paying 100,000.

Somebody should do a study of just whom these protests consist. From the videos I've seen, there appears to be a disproportionate number of chunky white girls in the leadership and the ranks.

Radon will get you before climate change does.

Looks like the first batch is already set to go to Iran!

And there it is, the real reason environmental devastation is taking place. Too many people. Some nations and their people have voted in the most fundamental way to decrease their population and thus reduce carbon emissions. But then their governments and world bodies step in to tell them they cannot, that they must bring in immigrants to keep those numbers up and even expand them. Japan is the greatest example. They've spent decades in developing robots and digital alternatives to requiring a person to man every booth, dig every ditch, and operate in elder care. Now, however, you have people like Biden calling them "xenophobic" because they don't want their "culture" turned into an "economy."

Speaking hypothetically, criticism is one thing. It's another when, say, people make public admissions of bribery and sexual exploitation.

Good first post. There seem to be a lot of people who come into Thailand new and, having heard stories about corruption and bribery, think they'll just fit themselves right in. Little do they realize they are stepping on other people's turf and making enemies. It's also a problem, I think, when someone posts narcissistic youtube videos bragging about sexual predation. Anyone like that is going to step in it.

I think his application for a cannabis license just went up in smoke.

So why come to Thailand and take out their rage on Thai people that have nothing to do with their situation and who, for the most part, live in much more dire circumstances than they do? There should be immediate consequences for these violent acts: jail, fines, deportation, blacklist.

Maybe just savoring those very last moments of freedom.