Lacessit

Really. Come to Chiang Rai for a swim in my condo pool, that will soon change your mind. Last night, had the thick blanket on the bed for the first time, and it's still October.

Centrelink will be assessing the income from the house rental against their income test. They may assess the value of the Thai residence IF the AverageBloke declares it, depending on which one they choose to regard as the principal place of residence. Yes, I know, some people don't declare their assets in Thailand. Meantime, the AUD is back above 24 to the baht, so the doomsayers are keeping quiet.

On ignore now, so neither of us waste our time.

One of the best books I have read is "Journey into Russia" by Sir Laurens van der Post. In it, he says the Russian psyche has been profoundly influenced by the great invasions from the East of the Tartars and Mongols, which kept it a society on the run. He also has a quote which is very appropriate for Putin and the Russians who support him: “Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right.”

Russia has done very poorly in exploiting the wealth of resources in Siberia, I have no doubt the Chinese think they could be more effective. They may be right.

Latest news: The Russian-backed leader in the Kherson region has ordered mass evacuations of civilians from frontline settlements, while the commanding Russian general has said all Kherson residents will be evacuated. https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/europe-news/2022/10/19/russia-evacuate-kherson/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PM Extra - 20221019

I've heard that police go on fishing expeditions.

This war is proving drones are the future of aerial war, Comparatively inexpensive, hard to shoot down due to their size. The Russians are using them indiscriminately against civilians, their utility against military targets has been proven by the Ukrainians.

I am beginning to think it is a waste of my time trying to help posters on ASEAN. Thanks for the confirmation.

Putin is getting very little help from Xi, Putin is sourcing weapons from Iran and North Korea. China is not sending any, for fear of secondary sanctions. Xi is smarter than Putin, a weakened Russia dependent on China for export income would suit his book admirably. There is also the Amur River border, the Chinese have taken note of the Russian military's abysmal performance in Ukraine. The riches of Siberia are a juicy prospect.

Three very good reasons he won't come to Thailand: 1/ He could be arrested, abducted or assassinated here 2/ It would make a coup in Russia against him simpler. 3/ He's a paranoid. It's now all about his survival. He won't even visit the troops who are dying for him in Ukraine, Zelensky does.

I don't know anything about them. This guy does.

Rules in Thailand are more honored in the breach than in the observance, handicap parking is no exception.

Someone who was not asleep in science class, kudos.

I understand 7/11 workers get about 9000 baht/month. Caddies at golf clubs were making 9-10K per month in high season, pre-COVID. Now, it is 2-3K per month. In the Chiang Rai area, an experienced masseuse with her own shop can make 15K/month. Thais in the rural village I live in part-time make 2500 - 3000 baht/month. Bartering foodstuffs is quite common.

I can remember a guy for whom big bikes were a passion, he used to compete in hill climbs. When I asked him whether he had ever used a Harley, he snorted "Weak bottom end."

I understand part of the title of this thread is the topic of religious discrimination. IIRC, a poster called Ivor Bigun has already had a thread going for quite some time, entitled " Do you believe in God and why." I see no need to duplicate it. I also don't take dictates from other posters on what I should or should not post. Do you?

If you can explain to me the rationality of believing in some entity that cannot be seen, heard, or felt, I'm all ears. The only significance of religion to me is how much misery it has caused, and continues to do so. Perhaps you are not aware both Trump and Putin have persuaded religious groups to support them. While I am not surprised by the cynicism of that, the naivety is astounding.

The OP should be able to buy noise-cancelling headphones on Lazada. A kilometre away? Think yourself lucky you are not in a condo, where they could be next door.

As I said, I don't regard Buddhism as a religion, more a set of ethical and moral principles.

It's going to make it somewhat inconvenient for people updating their 800K pass book with a cash deposit on the day of their extension. I can update on a CDM at 6 am, with the new rule I have to wait until the bank opens. Why not put a limit - e.g. maximum deposit 1000 baht per day - on the CDM's so it is only larger deposits that require ID? Given I don't even have a debit card for that account. Another example of the Law of Unintended Consequences.

Putin is trying to weaken the resolve of Europe by making Ukraine a bad choice for foreign investment. Nobody wants to invest in a country that is under a rain of missiles and drones. He doesn't care how many Ukrainian civilians get killed, or how many of his own poorly trained and led troops, with lousy logistics, get killed on the battlefield. IMO it won't be long before the Ukrainians get the go-ahead to target infrastructure inside Russia, although they will probably be more discriminating. Putin is losing, and he knows it. So now it is either a face-saving exit from Ukraine, or being toppled by the hardliners. Possibly ordinary Russians could start a popular revolution; however, most of the best and brightest in Russia have already gone. Simple math says this conflict is ten times worse than Afghanistan. I think the phrase "biting off more than one can chew" is appropriate.

Racism exists in every country on the planet, and is usually quite a good indicator of the education level. I value or avoid people on the basis of their individual attributes, nationality or skin color is irrelevant to me. Differences are a product of beneficial genetic adaptation, and the cultural environment the person was raised in. Having said that, I do discriminate when it comes to religious adherents, because I regard them as mentally deranged. I make an exception for Buddhism, because IMO it is more a philosophy than a monotheistic belief.

I've found going for a swim, then using a cotton bud, is sufficient for my ears.

There's an old saying - everything I like is either immoral, illegal, or fattening. I haven't tried Swiss Cheese Fondue. Personal experience - went on a reduced carb diet some months ago. No potato, carrot, rice, bread. Only vegetables growing above ground. Zero sugar. Could still have whisky once a week. No processed foods such as spaghetti and biscuits. OTOH, as much meat and fish as I want. Medium amount of fruit, eggs for breakfast every day. Cheese - brie, camembert, Mainland Vintage, parmesan and cream cheese all OK. I've lost 13 kg on said diet, and now find I can cast off the shackles a couple of times a week with a spag bol or bangers and mash. It's a matter of training my body to burn fat instead of sugar. Sorry, off topic.