Lacessit

IIRC, you were lamenting the disappearance of some emoticons. I'm just wondering how many sad emoticons your posts racked up before the symbol was removed.

Delusional. Trolling. On ignore now, so i won't be reading any more of your bilge.

What plan is that? Getting multiple supply depots, command posts and bridges destroyed by Ukrainian HIMARS units? Being forced to supply 20,000 stranded Russians with helicopters? Having Russian holidaymakers evacuating Crimea? Is it part of Putin's master plan to lose an embarrassing number of flag officers, and ask North Korea for 100,000 troops? I've seen some absolute drivel posted on this thread, yours takes first prize.

The Mae Kok river in Chiang Rai is as high as I have ever seen it, and flowing fast. The military golf course next to it has been flooded for two weeks.

The Poles have not forgotten what it was like the last time Russians ruled over them.

I usually put posters on ignore when their views are repugnant, dumb as a can of soup, dishonest, gaslighting, trolling or lacking in manners. Looking at some of the posts on this thread, I think it's time to introduce a couple more filters for the attributes of illiteracy and incoherency.

Expressing an opinion and acting on a belief are two different things. The followers of Jim Jones were true to their beliefs, look where it got them.

The same "civil talks" in 1991, when Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal in return for guarantees of its sovereignty from Russia? The invasion of Crimea in 2014? Butchery in Syria, the same playbook in Ukraine, shelling hospitals and apartment buildings, murdering civilians? I suggest you ask Hungarians, Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, CzechoSlovaks Finns etc. why they hate Russians. Stand back when you do. You post is so disgusting in its moral vacuity and delusion you are on ignore immediately.

Putin is losing on a number of fronts. Russia is a big country, it needs a lot of domestic aircraft to move goods around. It is already cannibalizing the Boeings and Airbuses to keep planes in the air within its borders. Cutting off gas and oil to Europe is a two-edged sword. It means Putin is no longer getting the income to finance his war. The Indians and Chinese won't be buying except at a deep discount, and Putin does not have the pipelines to deliver those products in enough volume. In addition.oil wells and gas fields have to keep pumping for maximum efficiency. The Russians do not have storage capacity, Europe does. Basically, Putin has shot himself in the foot, because when Europe transitions to other energy sources, Putin loses about three-quarters of the market for his gas and oil. He's not getting any foreign investment either, that horse has well and truly bolted. He has succeeded in unifying NATO, and getting it extra members. I doubt the dictator in North Korea will accede to Putin's request, why send troops that are protecting you at home to be chopped up in Ukraine, under poor Russian leadership? The alternative for Putin is to order a general mobilisation, even the dumbest Russian would then understand Ukraine is no longer a "special military operation."

What other emoticons would you have liked to have seen added?

As the moderators have said, the laugh, sad and confused emoticons have been removed as they were being misused. I can remember one poster I put on ignore who attached sad emoticons to every post I made thereafter, a form of stalking. I'm not sorry to see them go.

Quite correct, it is Thailand making the decision to stay neutral. What is sticking in the craw of most posters is giving Russia's chief propaganda mouthpiece oxygen and publicity, the junta would have been far smarter to keep his visit as low-key as possible. But then, the junta is not noted for smarts.

It's not the rain in Bangkok, but from upcountry. The Chao Praya River is fed by the Nan and Ping Rivers, and other tributaries. The Ping is flowing very strongly. It's all heading Bangkok's way, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Nan have had extended rainy seasons this year. Think of Thailand as a giant bathtub. Bangkok is the drain hole, one metre above sea level. It only takes a succession of high tides for the volume of water coming from the north to be backed up.

Zelensky is Jewish, I'm just wondering how all the Nazis the Russians claim are in Ukraine elected him. I'll give Lavrov credit, I could not say what he does with a straight face.

"An ambassador is an honest man sent abroad to lie and intrigue for the benefit of his country." ( Sir Henry Wotton ) Permit me to doubt Lavrov qualifies for the first adjective. It is depressing to read posts by people that obviously live in a moral vacuum, blaming the West for the actions of a megalomaniac.

I have been having check cystoscopies for 16 years. Every six months. I have never had a post-operative UTI, either here or in Australia. I was never given antibiotics in Australia. Here, the antibiotic is part of the hospital package, not cheap at an itemized cost of 1000 baht. I assume you have heard hospitals do charge more for pharmacy medications. I wait for three days, then throw the antibiotic out. I've been doing that for three years without incident. The same with tooth extractions, all I need is salt water. I don't know why posters forget good manners when they disagree with another poster. I save myself further aggravation by putting them on my ignore list. Goodbye.

I remember a restaurant in California called ClaimJumpers. The challenge was to eat a 5 - gallon cake to get it free. I don't even go to buffets nowadays, I like to eat my food without having to watch people making pigs of themselves.

I was using an agent for some years, until I realised the agent was getting me to do all the paperwork, and merely assembling it, then holding my hand at CM Immigration. About 7000 baht IIRC. I consulted our resident oracle, UbonJoe, on what documents were needed and other details. Armed with that, I did my first extension on my own about 5 years ago. It is actually quite easy when the paperwork is in order. I usually apply about 2 weeks before due date, to allow for any glitches. Touch wood, so far I have had none. Thanks UbonJoe.

No. Wars are usually started by leaders who wish to distract their population from internal issues.

Doctors and dentists issuing fistfuls of antibiotics is classic CYA in Thailand. If the practitioners have followed proper sterile procedures, post-operative infection should not be a problem. My policy is to wait and see, if I start showing symptoms of infection, then it is time to use antibiotics. Having said that, once a course of antibiotics is commenced, it should be completed. Anything less runs the risk of creating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. I only take antibiotics when absolutely necessary, as they suppress the immune system.

Yes, I got that. Apologies, not trying to derail the thread.

I am not a royalist, IMO it is long overdue for Australia to cast off an anachronism. Having said that, nothing but respect for someone who served her country beyond the call of duty, and also held together one of the most dysfunctional families around. RIP.

Not all vehicles have ABS, my Vios does not. Off topic perhaps; however, I do notice manual gearboxes are a rarity here. Personally, I feel drivers would be better everywhere if they were made to qualify for their licences without ABS, and with a manual gearbox.

Easy enough for anyone if they don't buy imported premium foods and any form of alcohol, although Lao Khao is pretty cheap. In my GF's village, there are people who are living on incomes of 2 - 2.5 K baht/month, they are not starving. They raise their own protein, grow their own vegetables. There's quite a lot of bartering. Personally, I don't believe in living frugally, just within my means.

Sorry to disappoint you. Peripheral vision actually is not all that necessary if one's eyes are put to full use, in preference to staring straight ahead. As for defensive driving, everyone who got a company car in the organization I worked for in Australia was required to pass a defensive driving test before they got the keys. That has stood the test of time and Thai incompetence for me.