Lacessit

Too easy. Not married, not going to be. My GF was married before. Sin sod is not applicable. I was under the impression sin sod only applied when the bride was a virgin. I've had one of those, never again. If I was to get married again, I'd want prior proof of full-on female lust.

I would say they have plenty of tools in that area, from arrest to deportation. I understand IDC's are not the most comfortable of places. I was put into quarantine in a Thai provincial hospital, everything was free. Not comfortable at all, but my years of camping stood me in good stead. In one way I was lucky, a private hospital would have done severe damage to my wallet. My advice to my friends in Australia is don't come, it is not worth the risk.

IMO it won't come to that, all the men and women of fighting age will be focused on killing as many Russians as they can. Putin's butcher's bill is already above 10,000 Russian soldiers dead, according to some reports. And with the logistic failures, there are probably even more injured Russians not getting medical aid. It's wishful thinking, but a single bullet in the back of the head could end all this carnage.

AFAIK the insincere negotiation was when Putin guaranteed the sovereignty of Ukraine in 1994, then put more nukes into the region after annexing Crimea in 2014.

Allow me to do some debunking of my own, and introduce some facts from history. The Donbas and Luhansk areas of Ukraine were created by the Holodomor of 1932-1933, a man-made famine orchestrated by Stalin, which killed millions of Ukrainians. Those areas were then occupied by Russians who were transferred into the region. The fact Russians have been there for about 90 years does not make their presence any more legitimate in the eyes of Ukrainians. When the Germans invaded the Ukraine in World War II, they were greeted as liberators. Not surprising, given the horrors Stalin had inflicted on them. It then became a convenient propaganda tool to call Ukrainians Nazis, when in fact they very quickly learned the Germans were no better than the Russians. Tell me how it is possible for a so-called Nazi government to be headed by Zelensky, who is Jewish. Tell me how a country which speaks a different language, and has a different alphabet, can be regarded as Russian. Another fact from history. Putin signed the Budapest agreement in 1994 respecting the sovereignty of Ukraine. The Ukraine agreed to destroy all nuclear weapons on its territory. Despite the annexation of the Crimea in 2014, Ukraine has stuck to its commitment of non-proliferation. I agree possibly the best outcome would be to allow the Donbas and Luhansk areas to secede. They certainly would not flourish under Putin's aegis, the man is a thief and murderer. However, that would have to be contingent on Russia getting the hell out, and not coming back. Why do you think Poland, Hungary and the Baltic states joined NATO? I'd suggest if Yorkshire had 46 years of Russian dominance and Communist central planning, that county would be falling over itself to get signed up too. Perhaps you do not realize Russia's paranoia about NATO is a self-inflicted wound. NATO would not have expanded so far without the impetus of Russian belligerence. If you want to talk about near-insanity, it is Putin's quite clearly expressed wish to restore the USSR to pre-1991.

Key Event Senior Russian politician suggests nationalising foreign-owned factories that shut down operations https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-09/ukraine-russia-war-live-blog-zelenskky-putin-kyiv/100893696#live-blog-post-1209381915 It's getting comical now, AFAIK nationalising anything has never worked, because the people taking over are clueless on how to run a business.

I sold a car in Chiang Mai that had Bangkok plates. For some reason, I had to go to Chiang Mai Immigration as well.

I would have thought that is a vanishingly small probability in Thailand, unless one came here to be a monk.

I take it you are not renowned for subtlety. Back in the day, I never asked. All I had to do was wait for them to ask. If it took more than two or three lady drinks, I moved on.

How many women have you had sex with? It's called a double standard. What my GF and I did in the past is the past. The present and future is more important.

I used to know a massage woman in Chiang Mai, although not in the Biblical sense. Fairly ugly. She must have had something special in the sack, because she had a husband, a police officer and a toy boy all lined up on a weekly rotation. I prefer plainer women, I've found they are mostly more proficient and enthusiastic in bed. The beautiful ones are too self-absorbed.

Neither do I, there is always a price tag, even if the women concerned would indignantly deny they were prostitutes. I would not say a happy ending is guaranteed, I've experienced some starfishes back in the day.

Massage shops, hospitals, restaurants. If I had 1000 baht for each time I have been asked if I have a Thai GF or wife, I'd be driving a new Merc or Beemer. Maybe I just look rich, I'm certainly not getting the inquiries based on good looks.

United States and United Kingdom announce ban on Russian oil imports over Ukraine invasion https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-09/us-uk-ban-russian-oil-products-over-ukraine-invasion/100893952

The problem with that analogy is you are likely to cut yourself before your wife gets cut, as Putin is finding out. IIRC, Putin signed an agreement which guaranteed the sovereignty of Ukraine. You signed an agreement to love and honor, or spoke the words. Perhaps your wife is right not to trust you, if you are taking a knife to bed.

Former MI6 chief says Russian invasion of Ukraine is not sustainable https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-08/former-mi6-chief-says-russian-invasion-ukraine-not-sustainable/100889862

AFAIK every Western company is stampeding for the exits, why would anyone put money into a country when any profits cannot be exported? Perhaps he should be nicknamed " No toes ", as he has quite obviously shot himself in the foot.

Putin is in control of what, exactly? The ruble is now worth one-quarter of a Thai baht. That's assuming anyone is stupid enough to buy rubles. The official interest rate in Russia is 20%, in America it is less than 0.1%. Hyperinflation looms. He has lost the propaganda war, Russia is now an international pariah. And while he may bomb Ukrainian cities into rubble, he has got an insurgency on his hands that is worse than Afghanistan, because the insurgents are getting better weapons from the West. Rethink what? Trying to negotiate with Putin is like trying to reason with a dog that has rabies. Rabid dogs are put down to avoid them infecting others.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Chiang Rai day market, 80 baht.

Being friendly is not the same as giving active aid and support, my guess is Russia now has to rely solely on its own resources. None of the "friendly" nations want to be caught up in the sanctions currently being applied. Who wants to be friendly with a country whose currency is worth one quarter of a Thai baht?

https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=CHF&view=10Y

Watched "The Book of Eli" recently?

Investments earn income. Gold is not an investment, it is a currency hedge. Any Russian who bought gold prior to the invasion of Ukraine is now sitting on huge profits. A Swiss once observed to me Swiss francs are a good safe haven whenever there is a major crisis, as they always go up relative to other currencies. I guess investing in companies who stand to profit from the sanctions imposed on Russia would be safe havens.

A young woman at a roadside stall near my GF's village sold me ripe strawberries for 50 baht. She discounted them for me from 80 baht, as I am a good customer. Avocados in the main Chiang Rai market are 50 baht a kilo. The stall holder selects them for me on the basis of eat now, tomorrow or the next day. Yet to see a supermarket where the avocados were not as hard as a pawnbroker's heart.

Possibly so; however, I am not the person injecting their religious beliefs into the topic.