Lacessit

Russia is not on an official war footing because Putin is concerned about the domestic repercussions. There are plenty of Russians who remember Afghanistan, which is why he uses the BS " Special Military Operation". Are you able to refute any of the facts I posted?

Russia has already lost. Western aircraft made up 70% of Russia's domestic fleet. They will now have to cannibalize planes to keep them in the air, as spare parts will not be forthcoming. John McCain once said Russia was actually a big gas station. The European markets are gone, possibly until there is regime change. Replacing them with Chinese and Indian buyers is fraught with logistical problems. Western companies and expertise have abandoned Russia, meaning any oil wellheads in the permafrost are going to be freezing over due to lack of effective maintenance. Russia has lost 4000 tanks and 8000 armored personnel carriers in Ukraine, about $30 billion worth. It has also had a fall in arms sales, as countries who buy are seeing how technologically inferior Russian weapon systems are. Russia has lost over 1 million men of military age, fleeing the military draft. That includes some of their best and brightest citizens, otherwise known as a brain drain. The Russian military has lost massive prestige, such that former Soviet republics still in the Russian orbit are thinking of secession. When a country with a GDP of USD 1.8 trillion stops publishing basic financial data, what does that say about the state of Russia's economy?

IMO assassinating Putin or Kim would achieve nothing. Any leader replacing them would be just as bad. Both dictators have spent decades eliminating any dissent, and promoting those who have proved their loyalty. In that environment, a change in mindset by any successor is highly unlikely.

I don't regard any days in Thailand as wasted, except perhaps when I am transiting through Bangkok. OTOH, I do consider I wasted many years of my life in Australia.

2 or 3 village girls as well.....

The River Styx was the main river in the Greek Underworld that separated the realm of the living from the realm of the dead, which the ferryman Charon had to take the souls of the dead across. I assume you are inferring life in a rural Thai village is the realm of the dead.

I am not sure he would even qualify as semi-fiction. Carl Hiassen is one of the funniest commentators on Florida development I have read. John D MacDonald wrote some very good fiction on some social aspects of America, "One More Sunday", "Condominium" and "Barrier Island" are examples.

Not bitter, just pointing out dogmatic generalizations are a specialty of yours. Prices are no guide to quality of service. My regular massage lady in CR ( 150 baht/hr, I give 200 ) provides clean linen on the pillow and mattress, plus fresh ironed clothing. I would not be surprised to learn your 200 baht Bangkok bargains come with clothing and linen that has been used half a dozen times.

I agree, although Bangkok won't be one of those places unless the Thais start copying the Dutch. Think of the river system of Thailand as a giant bathtub. Joining up to form the Chao Praya river, culminating in Bangkok. At 1 metre above sea level, it's the drain hole.

Apart from Bangkok, I have been to other big cities such as London, Madrid, Tokyo, New York, Chicago and Hong Kong. Too many people, I prefer the smaller cities. While I have explored a fair bit of Bangkok, it simply does nothing to excite me.

Bangkok also has year-round air pollution, being one of the world's biggest traffic jams. At least it's only 3 months in CR. I don't remember mentioning food in my post. However, we all know you like to be an expert on everything in Thailand.

Each to his own, Bangkok is a place I sleep for one night prior to getting the hell out of there.

Cities such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are much cheaper to live in than Bangkok. It's unarguable rents are lower. Medications may be more expensive, massages are lower cost. It all depends on what one wants. In the village I can have a 1 hour massage for 120 baht. In CR, 200 baht. I have yet to see any in Bangkok for less than 300 baht.

Some 500 years ago, Paracelsus observed "The dose makes the poison". Even water is toxic if imbibed in sufficient amounts. Some foods are quite poisonous if not properly prepared, e.g. lectins in red kidney beans, cyanide in bamboo, tetrodotoxin in pufferfish, thiaminase in nardoo seed. The residual amounts of those toxins do not cause problems after correct treatment.

The OP should take up golf. Walk on nice grass without any trip hazards. Thais are not taught how to read maps, for obvious reasons. An educated population would be dangerous.

Thai "regulations" make prostitution and gambling illegal. Given where Thailand sits on the world corruption index, the last sentence of your post is an exercise in futility, and wishful thinking.

Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more mis·an·thrope /ˈmis(ə)nˌTHrōp/ noun noun: misanthropist a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society. "Scrooge wasn't the mean-spirited misanthrope most of us believe him to be" Misanthrope is more commonly used, although I have never heard of a philanthrope. One of the quirks of English.

If you read as widely as I do, you would know there does not seem to be any standardized method of dealing with an EV fire. Except perhaps walk away, and leave the stored energy to burn itself out. EV fires cannot be extinguished, the have their own oxygen supply. Nor is there any specification in congested areas of how EV's should be parked to minimize risk. "In cases of a lithium-ion battery fire, firefighters will cool down the battery and place it in a container with water to stop re-ignitions" I don't know if that is Mr. Dewberry's statement, or that of a reporter. However, I find it difficult to believe a 60 KWh battery which is on fire can be cooled down or placed in a container of water, without causing serious injury, or death. Metallic lithium is the lightest of the alkali metals, before sodium and potassium. It reacts with water to generate hydrogen in exactly the same way - violent exotherm. If anything is ignorant, it is the addle-headed notion, shared by most EV owners, that they are saving the planet.

I would be a loser if I lived in Australia. Here, I'm a winner.

Would you kindly point me to an ISO standard which specifies chemical composition, physical structure and energy density to ensure the safe operation of batteries in EV's. You know, so they don't torch innocent ICE owners' vehicles in an underground car park. Mr. Dewberry's experience is reactive, in dealing with the aftermath. Permit me to doubt he has any experience or input to the manufacturing process and specifications. Which are probably different for individual brands, from a Tesla to an Atto. IMO EV's are as Wild West as cryptocurrency, and have the same characteristics of a religion among followers.

I can't do much about being old, except try to maintain quality of life via diet and exercise. I am happy with my own company, so I don't feel lonely. IMO loneliness is a choice, unless one is a total misanthropist there will always be people with similar interests to talk to.

IMO Mr. Dewberry is an ignorant fool. Batteries coming out of China meet higher standards and regulations when the profit motive is in play? Yeah right. I think it's a safe bet Mr. Dewberry has no scientific or engineering background.

China and India are buying said oil at a deep discount to what the Russians were getting when their oil and gas was being sold to the Europeans. The products were also being transported by the cheapest method possible, pipelines. There are no significant pipelines going from Russia to China or India. It has to be transported by ship, and Russia does not own any supertankers. The profit margin on the new market is much less, and Russia can't find any Western shipping insurers to take on the freight risks. In Ukraine, it is estimated Russia has lost over 4000 battle tanks, and more than 8000 armored personnel carriers. That has to have repercussions for the Russian economy.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-12/sydney-airport-lithium-ion-battery-causes-fire/102846146

They probably regretted it later in life, when their gums shrunk and the dentures no longer fitted properly. I have three implants and a partial denture, as I don't know how long I have I'll just keep renewing fillings.