Lacessit

You seem to forget we have been spending Australian blood and treasure in supporting your wars, from Korea onwards. That dog won't hunt, your surveillance capabilities would have a huge hole without Pine Gap and North West Cape in Australia. We made ourselves a nuclear target with those two facilities. In 1996, BHP bought Magma Copper for $3 billion. Ten years later, every mine in the portfolio was shut down. The same company spent $20 billion on shale assets in the US in 2011, sold them about 8 years later for $10 billion. Now we have some cockamamie deal to buy second hand nuclear submarines for $350 billion. This is after buying helicopters from you that keep crashing. Americans must think Australians are mugs. It's hard to disagree with that viewpoint. Australia invented the Jindivik pilotless aircraft, the first of its kind. Atomic absorption spectrometers are a standard feature of analytical laboratories worldwide. An Australian scientist, David Warren, invented the black box recorder present on all passenger aircraft. Australia's PBS means nearly all prescription drugs ( month supply ) cost about $7. In America, you'll pay more than that for a single pill. Australia is a world leader in medical research. You have Howard Florey to thank, for the penicillin used to cure your clap.

Putin has repeatedly said he wants to restore the Soviet Union to its former glory. That means all the way to a divided Germany, and the whole of Eastern Europe under the Russian yoke again. You are in fantasy land if you think he will stop at Ukraine. Any temporary peace will simply be used by Russia to rebuild their war machine.

A daub is still a daub, irrespective of whether it is worth $1.3 million or $350 million. So who would the National Gallery sell it to, at the latter valuation? No-one can say whether Pollock was sober when he painted Blue Poles. He was an alcoholic for most of his adult life. Substance from a drunk? Spare me. IMO Pollock is not fit to clean the brushes of Australian painters such as Albert Namatjira, Sidney Nolan, or Pro Hart. If you get the chance, go to the Western Australian Art Gallery and look at Nolan's "Desert Storm", a seven panel depiction of the Pilbara. That's real art, not paint dripped at random.

The Australian National gallery paid $1.3 million for it. We are still unable to cure ourselves of the compulsion to buy Yankee trash.

I came here because I knew if I stayed in Australia after I retired, I would probably die out of sheer boredom. There were the common reasons as well - beautiful women, low cost of living. Thailand was on top of the list, having researched Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and The Philippines.

I have to wonder how a 1 yo can acquire a UTI, more usual with guys who barfine.

Probably accommodation in the Nimmanheiman area if the OP is looking for a party vibe. Out of town, San Kamphaeng Hot Springs, Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon are all worth a visit. White water rafting at Mae Tang, Tiger Kingdom near Mae Rim. If she is broad-minded, IMO Chiang Mai Erotic Gardens is a real hoot.

There used to be a Thai woman in Chiang Mai who specialized in prostate massages, no sex before or after. IIRC 2000 baht.

A manual prostate check by a urologist here should not cost more than 1000 baht. A blood test for PSA will cost even less.

Reading the article, there are opinions by people who have spent a lot of time on the topic. However, there is no officially-sourced statement that says pensioners of any nation will be exempted from taxation.

You think Putin is going to give up Eastern Ukraine in any peace deal? What are you smoking, I want some.

It's tragic when people who never finished high school, and have no knowledge of the history of Ukraine and Russia, can post complete codswallop on social media.

Meaning what?

Can you post a link or the text of the article?

IIRC Trump said he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue, shoot anybody, and get away with it. If Xi threatened the national survival of the US, you don't think the President of the time would not be doing the same? Trump has been Putin's ally all along, Zelensky is fighting for his nation to survive. The US has previous history, if you remember the plots against Castro, and Salvador Allende.

Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons in return for the guaranteed security of its borders. Which Putin reneged on, of course. Perhaps you would have preferred a prepared Ukraine using nukes to defend itself? Be careful what you wish for.

I have top level private health insurance in Australia. I am not insurable in Thailand due to pre-existing conditions. In Australia, there is a network of professionals sharing information. Any GP or specialist can access my complete medical history during a consultation. AFAIK there is no such system in Thailand.

Eastern Ukraine is some of the best agricultural land on the planet. Effectively, you are in favor of genocide of the Ukrainians. Stalin started it, Putin wants to finish the job. Perhaps you are simply too ignorant to understand this.

No doubt Biden had a bad debate. When I listened to his SOTU address a few months ago, he was cogent and forceful. There have been several Presidents where the function of running the country has fallen to the advisers, Eisenhower and Reagan were not fully functional towards the end of their Presidencies. Having said that, I'd agree it would be better for the nation if Biden stepped down. The problem is the Democrats are then between a rock and a hard place, because a newcomer has not been in the national eye. And you can bet Trump will do his usual dishonest personal attacks.

It's not. IME most doctors here throw a bucketful of pills at the patients. I have only met one doctor in Thailand who has bothered to inquire about my previous medical history. I also wonder about the cost of anaesthesia, as it seems to be very high here compared to Australia.

The statistics say an infected person wearing a mask is 70% less likely to transmit a respiratory infection. An uninfected person is 30% less likely to become infected if wearing a mask. Most unvaccinated people survived COVID. However, the statistics say an unvaccinated person is 6-7 times more likely to require admission to an ICU, and also 50% more likely to develop long COVID. Trump holding rallies, and refusing to wear a mask because it spoiled his makeup, is as irresponsible as it gets. But as he said recently, I don't care about you, I just want your vote. I am posting facts. If you don't like them, I have others.

It's got to the stage where the Trump faithful will accept anything he says as gospel truth, even when it is a blatant lie. He mostly gets away with it, others don't. Fox had to shell out $760 million to Dominion for supporting one of Trump's lies.

I take it you won't mind my lack of sympathy when you are banged up in a Thai prison, with rice soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You don't have to have an accident to be jailed here. Even first time offenders can cop a sentence, depending on circumstances. Statistically improbable, but at least I know I can't be nailed for drink-driving.

I forgot the adjective would-be.

There is a difference between forcefully and ad hominem attacks. Usually, if I post facts in response to said poster, it's deflection, begging the question, or a personal comment.