Lacessit

There are still people I can have a civilized discussion with, you are not one of them.

When did I insult young people? I'm pointing out they are living in much more difficult circumstances. Being patronizing does not work with me, you're on ignore now.

You've reminded me of Robert Muldoon's comment about Kiwis who emigrated from New Zealand to Australia. He said it raised the IQ of both countries.

There is no way I could enjoy the same standard of living in Australia I have here. I don't even recognize Australia now from the country I grew up in. In 1970, I bought a house in Melbourne. I paid off the mortgage in 18 months, to the chagrin of my bank manager at the time. Now, young people sign up for debt lasting 30 or 40 years, and quiver in trepidation every time there is an interest rate rise of one quarter of one percent. What does Australia have to offer me? It certainly won't be comparative freedom from regulation, or a GF that is 23 years younger than me. It won't be a legal system that is not heavily biased in favor of women either. Carping posters lose sight of the fact many expats in Thailand have had the guts to uproot themselves, learn a new language, and adjust to a different culture. Every time I go back to Australia, I get the same reaction. The men envy me, the women hate me.

HBa1C is a more reliable indicator, as Sheryl has said. Based on my own research, I evolved a diet which has taken my blood sugar from prediabetic to normal. I discarded the more extreme positions expressed by "experts." My diet is no sugar, low carbohydrate intake. No rice, potato, carrot. Absolutely no processed food. Spirits only, no beer. I eat as much fish, eggs, meat, yoghurt and cheese as I want, along with low carb vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, okra and bamboo. Tomato, mushrooms, olives and pesto. I lost 13 kg on said diet, to the point where I can break out with something like sausages and mash with onion gravy once or twice a week without affecting my body mass. As a side benefit, my eGFR ( kidney function ) has improved by 20%.

Socialism works quite well for some countries. It's somewhat ironic Americans start frothing at the mouth at the mere mention of the term, while being blissfully unaware their taxes fund one of the most socialist organizations on the planet. The US military. Back on topic, I am seeing quite a few Thais in my GF's village who are giving her their gold to sell in Chiang Rai, which to me is an indicator they are struggling.

I have found the Fascino chain seems to stock most medications. Suggestions for the OP: 1/ Lose weight. 2/ Go on a zero sugar, low carbohydrate diet. No rice, potatoes, carrots, bread. Eat as much meat, fish, cheese and eggs as you want. Broccoli, cabbage, okra, cucumber, bamboo and cauliflower ditto. Berry fruits. 3/ Eat one heaped teaspoon of fenugreek daily. It's on Lazada, 70 baht for 500 grams. Soak in water overnight, drink the water and eat the seed. Don't bother chewing, it is not particularly appetizing. Using 2/ and 3/, I have lost 13 kg in weight. My blood sugar levels have gone from borderline diabetic to normal. As they say, up to you.

I would suggest Kakadu National Park in Australia, the birdlife there is astounding. Don't go for a swim, though. The crocs are hungry. I can still remember seeing a brown hill entering there. As we got closer, the entire hill moved and took flight, leaving a green hill behind.

Don't mess with an Aussie....... Wolf Creek 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29YTo7KXd_A

I can't remember being circumcised. I'm quite happy I was, no irritation and easy to keep clean. Nothing religious involved, it was probably just recommended by the doctors of that era. Talk of it being a cruel genital mutilation is rubbish, I've never had a problem enjoying sex. Female circumcision, yes. As for the claim intact people get more sensation, I am somewhat baffled how any scientific study could come up with an experimental design to support the assertion.

One of the great sound tracks....

I don't have a problem with either soi dogs or uneven pavers. I take a walk on a nearby golf course without playing golf, or I climb the stairs of my condo if I want more cardio exercise. One thing that annoys me in Thailand is the halfwits at checkouts who fiddle around on their smartphones paying for their purchases, I would have thought after a few visits to a supermarket they'd know how to use the bloody things.

What's mind-boggling is posters who don't read the OP, where it is stated quite clearly the brake reservoir is full.

I forgot to add, the crown prince of circumlocution.

A master of obliquity and deflections. No more answers, until I get some myself.

Just a question? This is like being interrogated by the Spanish Inquisition, or the KGB. How young were you when you first read Jane Eyre? About 11 or 12. Did you, like me, become sexually excited by the more prurient parts? No, I had not reached puberty. Why do you think that all three sisters were exceptional writers? Their creation of atmosphere. Why was the Bach family so gifted? Absolutely no idea. Why were Hitler and Stalin so evil? Do you love baroque music more than golf? No, but I do enjoy music as well. Why, after so many years, have we not seen another comparable to JS Bach? Bach wrote music that is suffused with joy, I hear it in all his works. I suppose keeping busy fathering 20 children and having over 200 musical compositions to one's credit implies an enjoyment of life in general. The music of today seems to be mostly lamentations over a lost love, a dog, a horse, or a truck. Depressing. After your many years as an engineer, do you believe that it is practicable to remove and sequester 35 gigatons of CO2, annually, beginning next year? Carbon capture and storage ( CCS ) is one of the great scientific hoaxes. Any scientist worth their salt knows it is thermodynamic BS, yet governments continue to shovel billions of dollars at the concept. There is not one CCS operation on the planet that is functioning to design parameters. Our best shot is to fund renewables and nuclear energy, and stop politicians from pandering to fossil fuel lobbyists. Can you please explain why golf balls are dimpled, and not perfectly smooth like ping-pong balls? Golf balls are dimpled to create spin, which gets them flying further than smooth balls. Physics. Have you ever hit a ping-pong ball with a driver? No. Have you ever seen a golpher hit in the head by a high-flying golf ball? What happened next? I know one golfer who was hit in the head, it took him about 18 months to regain control of all functions. Apparently the doctors said half an inch lower would have killed him. Have you ever fudged your golf score? No. Golf cheats get ostracized. What do you do when you run into a foursome, up ahead, all women, who are spending too much time gabbing on the green? IME women usually play faster than men, they do their talking on the move. I understand it is called multi-tasking. Do you just hit away? Anyway? Hitting up on someone is extremely bad golf etiquette. What is the most beautiful snake you have ever seen on the links? Python? I avoid getting close enough to snakes to form an opinion on their beauty. Do you feel that most golphers here understand golfing etiquette? About as well as I understand quantum computing. What is your favorite peeve about playing golf here? Allowing 6 and 8 players in a group, 4-balls are slow enough as it is. Does the clubhouse provide you with fresh towels after your shower? Are they cheap towels of synthetic weave? Or are they 100% Egyptian cotton? Yes, and they appear to be cotton. How much do you tip your caddy? A caddy is a container tea is stored in. I tip my caddies more than the standard, because I was a caddie myself once. Do you think that you have a good reputation among the caddies? Yes. I tip extra for birdies. They also have an easy day, because they don't have to go searching for balls in the rough or trees. Do you play golf for money? Not now. I would play for modest sums in Australia, or lunch in the clubhouse. Do you know why playing golf is advantageous for discussion of business, and for resolution of business-related cinflicts? This is the real question. I know that you know.. But why? Golf was useful to discuss business outside an office environment. I don't think it happens anymore, directional microphones have breached the security a golf course previously afforded. My turn. What was your former profession? Were you a jack of all trades? What are you sublimating when you make long posts going off at multiple tangents? What is your favorite sport? Despite your vow of celibacy, do you still wake up at 4 am with a stiffy? Is it orgasmic for you to start another thread? What regrets do you have about women who you could have bonked, but did not?

Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre. I admired their writing, not their bodies which were no doubt hidden by the voluminous bustles of their era. I thought George C Scott and Susannah York made a pretty good fist of bringing Jane Eyre to the screen. Thornfield was the great house that burned down. Never really took to D H Lawrence as an author, IMO nowadays he would be writing scripts for porn films. My golf shoes are Adidas and Ecco, my other daily foot apparel are Crocs and Rivers. Please. Golfing attire has nothing to do with golfing ability. IME the better dressed a golfer is, the higher their handicap. OTOH, when someone turns up on the first tee looking like a skid row bum, they are often scratch markers. The NSA is interested in everything on planet Earth, do try to keep up.

I am 79, not 85. Please do not attempt to burden me with more years, I have enough already. Yes, I am a fossil. If I ever become celibate like you, I will have attained the apogee of fossilization. It just happens I am currently reading "Micah Clarke" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Spooky. Most of my reading in my younger days was centered around Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters, although Steinbeck, Hemingway and O. Henry did feature as well. The secondary college I attended was very heavily into Dickens for the English Literature part of the curriculum, I had a considerable advantage because I had read all his works before then. Recently, Cameron Smith purportedly was remunerated $125 million for signing up with the LIV golf tour, and then proceeded to win another $6 million in only his second tournament. That much moolah deserves some respect. There is evidence golf is beneficial to longevity. Many years ago, some august American think tank conducted a study which compared the lives of captains of industry with that of professional golfers. Many top-level businessmen became bankrupt, went insane, died in poverty or committed suicide. In contrast, the vast majority of professional golfers lived on into a hale, happy and extended old age. You do get more exercise on a golf course than behind a desk. The color of the shoes is oxblood. They have an inscription on the inside sole which says Florsheim Royal Imperial ( Florsheim Shop ) in the same flowery script Ford uses. Obviously, the makers liked tautologies. On the inside upper in plainer script, is the legend 10 1/2 3E 319215 17, under that 97158 A C. As an American citizen, perhaps your NSA will be kind enough to assist you in decoding this information. I have already left my shoes and much more to my Thai GF, unless you are willing to stump up 6000 baht to change my will in your favor I can't assist you. Each to his own, I like to see women as nature made them, without the encumbrances of clothing.

Walton Goggins is superb in this cameo...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoBAzn1QmCo

Because still staying friendly to Putin would make them pariahs as well. Without trade, China would go down the toilet. The same sanctions that are devastating the Russian economy, if applied to China, is where the CCP does not want to go.