Lacessit

I go through the public hospital system, much cheaper although long wait times. Just wondering how many lemons you sucked before you posted.

I understand there's an aged care facility in Chiang Mai with round the clock care costing 45,000 baht per month, meals included. If they can't afford that, IMO they should not be here. Most relationships between foreigners and Thais are transactional. Very few 30 yo Thai women would hook up with a 60 yo foreigner otherwise.

The vertical corpse to me is preferable, because at least he will have a competent cabinet. Trump will only have toadies and yes-men, just like Putin, Xi and Kim. It's a common feature of all despots. In treating any whiff of socialism like leprosy, Americans don't realize how much they have <deleted> themselves. In that respect, the Australian experience is relevant. Perhaps the ultimate irony is America having one of the most socialist organizations on the planet, the American military. I have top level private health cover in Australia. It costs me just over $3000 a year, AUD. Hospital care in Australia is free, private insurance lets one jump the queue. The same health cover in the USA would cost me on average $8500 a year. USD. We have a system called the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme ( PBS ) in Australia, which subsidizes medications. All Australians are eligible. About 18 months ago, I was put on a course of medication for one year. Under the PBS, a full year's worth cost me less than $100. AUD. I am reliably informed the same medication in America would have cost me $84,000. USD If Trump gets in, the first thing he will do is gut Medicare, to enable tax cuts for his billionaire buddies. As he said in a rare moment of honesty, i don't care about you. I just want your vote. IMO Americans would have to be as dumb as a can of soup to elect Trump again. They'd be signing up for his version of Soylent Green.

It's called a tautology, and is used for emphasis.

So you admit you would engage in character assassination of any Democrat put forward, irrespective of name. That takes a pretty sick mind. Here's a news flash - Democrats in Australia would be regarded as right of centre. It just shows how Americans get their knickers so twisted. by any breath of the dreaded left. Bigotry. Your references to Harris being brown and having melanin, those are not racist? Enough of the horsesh!t, please. Her skin color should be irrelevant in terms of any discussion of suitability for office. Like it or not, Trump was convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 charges of falsifying business records. You'll have to come up with something better than "political witch hunt" which has been cr@p all along. I suppose in your twisted world, it's OK to falsify records, swindle contractors, put national secrets at risk, and attempt to subvert elections. And still be fit for the office of president.

Posting logical absurdities now?

I suppose if it was Gretchen Whitmer or Gavin Newsom in the headline, the character assassination would be the same, you being a Trump disciple. Supporter of a convicted felon.. Apart from that, your post puts your racism and bigotry on full display.

Valid points. However, aged care here is comparatively affordable. If you have a solid relationship with a Thai woman, her entire family will look after you.

I certainly would have changed what I did in Australia, in hindsight. Here, I think the only thing I would have done differently would be to learn to read and write in Thai, instead of just speaking it.

I am not going to be much use to the bed friend if I am drunk every night. Over 75's usually get up once or twice a night to pee. Alcohol is a diuretic which guarantees 5 or 6 trips to the bathroom. That does not sound enjoyable to me. I don't know where people got the idea getting sozzled is necessary to enjoy life. As for the other, IMO I enjoy a good dump more.

My mistake, senior moment. I should have looked at my last re-entry permit, where it is specified it is only valid for the current extension. My thanks to you guys for having the patience to reply.

After many countries left the Soviet Union during the nineties, they no longer had centralised command economies, and the inevitable stagnation. Life got a lot better for most of their citizens, quite apart from dismantling the police states most lived under. Russia is still a command economy in some ways, although it has also morphed into a kleptocracy. Putin and his cadre of about 150 ex-KGB officials want to reverse history. Stupid, and destructive of Russia. Think of how prosperous Russia would be, without the governments it has been cursed with for over a century.

I can see a stalemate for quite some time, Ukraine with modern weapons and Russia with half to 1 million bodies, using human wave tactics.They can hardly be called soldiers, given their poor equipment and perfunctory training. They don't even have a NCO system. I can also see Russia in a death spiral, the combination of sanctions, declining demographics, absence of foreign capital, flight of Western technology and a collapsed education system will see to that. Not to mention its internal passenger aircraft routes - fairly important in a country as large as Russia - has half the aircraft it had, and the fleet is still shrinking. Check out the interest rates being offered by Russian banks on deposits. Of course, this is dismissed by Kremlin apologists as propaganda. Unfortunately for them, it is also fact. The decline of Russia actually started way back in the sixties. The Americans outpaced them in terms of computer development by a factor of about 10:1, and by the nineties the Russians were so far behind it was no longer possible to close the gap. Putin may have got away with Crimea. Now many Russians will pay for his kleptomania for decades, if not centuries. If someone was invading your country, killing your civilians and kidnapping your children, what would your response be? Do you think you can negotiate with a crocodile when it has its jaws latched onto your arm?

You may have no interest in giving aid and comfort to anyone. However, that's the end effect of your posting. You also post inaccurately. AFAIK there are no official NATO footsoldiers in Ukraine. There may be volunteers. The US has made it very clear to Putin if he escalates to nukes, Russia won't be the target. He will, and they can make it stick because satellite surveillance has him pin-pointed every minute of the day. It's why the nuclear threats and rhetoric have disappeared in recent months. I guess you are the type of guy that would be out there licking the jackboots of any invader of your own country. Russia is in no danger of being invaded by NATO. OTOH, eastern Siberia is incredibly vulnerable to being annexed by China, and they can see how weakened Russia is militarily by its adventure in Ukraine. The Mololtov - Ribbentrop pact lasted barely 2 years before Operation Barbarossa. There's far more to be gained by getting Eastern Siberia than bringing Taiwan into the fold, and much less difficult.

Actually, people like you should STFU instead of giving aid and comfort to a Russian despot who does not care how many people he kills on either side.

I am definitely more active in Thailand than Melbourne, which is too cold, too windy, or both. I'd be bored out of my skull there. Believe it or not, I regard Melbourne roads as far more dangerous for scooters, which is probably why there are so few there. Try riding a scooter with a 80 km/hr gusty crosswind, you'll see what I mean. Chiang Rai, Thailand vs. Melbourne, Australia: Wind Speed Chiang Rai: Average: Generally mild winds. Data shows an average around 3-5 km/h (2-3 mph) throughout the year, with some variations by month [Time and Date]. September might have the lowest at around 1 km/h (0.6 mph) [Sunheron]. Maximum: Information on maximum wind speeds is less readily available. Melbourne: Average: Melbourne experiences stronger winds compared to Chiang Rai. Averages range between 15-25 km/h (9-15 mph) depending on the season [weatherandclimate.com]. Maximum: Melbourne can experience strong gusts, particularly during spring (September-November) when southerly changes can bring strong winds exceeding 80 km/h (50 mph) [weatherzone.com.au]

Is a re-entry permit valid until it is used, or does it expire when a retirement extension is renewed?

Most of what I have has a function, whether it is for cooking my food or transporting me somewhere. I have a few memorabilia. We may be born the same way, we die differently. Some die peacefully in their sleep. some die after months or even years of suffering. Some die penniless and alone, some die surrounded by loved ones.

The Russians lie like pigs in sh!t about everything, as a Russia fanboy the same can only be expected from you.

You said the pipeline was shut for maintenance for three days. You're still a LIAR.

My divorce papers.

Google the word inference, it's a process of logical reasoning that does not appear to be in your skill set. Or, show me the part where it says the pipeline was operational and gas was flowing for most of September.

IMO a good suggestion. It would clarify who is unfit for office on mental grounds. Of course, Trump already is, as a convicted felon.

It might have people hanging on to their older cars for longer. It might also create an industry in circumventing them. They would not worry me personally, I am a law-abiding citizen.

Just hold your nose if you get within ten feet of him, and it's not just because of what he says.