scorecard

Living in the west / in Thailand. It's more than costs. Years back I got asked many time 'Why do you hate your birth country? (Typical western country.) My response every time 'I don't hate my birth county or any country or any person. Nowadays I really enjoy living in / emersed in a quite different culture - an Asian culture. I can't see myself returning to live in a culture (western culture) where I'm not enjoying the daily life, not enjoying the typical activities, behaviors, attitudes, priorities, food that surrounds me where I am in Asia. A couple of times I got responses 'but why don't you just try to move back to your original western county culture? I just responded 'I don't want to try', and changed the subject.

I'm waiting for / expecting one or several strong well organized clever EU countries to rise up and smack trump around his ears and kill his tariff games, and I have no doubt they can do just that.

Looks like a game player.

Is this a serious focused discussion?

A diversion, why not answer the specific question.

You mentioned "....Thais expect, as a Westerner, that I have a university degree from Europe?" You mention "...from Europe". Are you serious on that point? Plenty of other countries where you can attend classes / study online for a bachelor degree. What subject would you study for your bachelor degree? (Regardless of location, online / in classroom study.) But keep in mind that teaching employment (especially English) in Thailand is a very mixed picture. You mention teach English, are you fully up to date with current attitudes / qualifications which schools look for? There's websites which might be worth looking at re that question which can put you in touch with current teachers. Regardless, there's still schools which aren't serious about teacher qualifications and will accept any document which appears to be somehow linked. A question for you: Would you personally employ a foreigner who has a bachelor degree (in any subject) gained online for a position to teach English? Another question: If you are a foreign parent would you accept a foreigner to teach your kids English (all skills) who just has a degree in any subject gained online*? And if the degree is not in the area of English development, same question, 'would you accept that foreigner as capable of teaching your kids English (all skills)? (* Philippines doesn't have a good reputation for online degrees. E.g. Who completed the assignments etc? Does the uni offering the online Bachelor degree give assignments then provide the student with answers to the assignments?) Same question If you are a foreign parent would you accept a foreigner to teach your kids English but I add...'and the foreigner has not attended any form of study specific to teaching English? Perhaps others more up to date in this area might like to add their thoughts / experiences.

Not true there's many media reports that his approval ratings in all states etc., are falling fast.

I had a Canadian friend in B hospital Pattaya. He was seriously ill with little chance of recovery. Just after admittance the hospital accountant came to friends room, got details of my fiends bank account etc., then requested my friend sign a continuing authorization for the hospital accountant to go to the bank every day and withdraw funds to clear the charges for the last 24 hrs. This continued every day for several months until the Canadian passed on, next day the accountant made a final withdrawal, all bills settled.

Old friend just mentioned - many times the US has gone ahead, little discussion and moved big contingents of troops to many other countries. And in those days the US had a lead role in NATO, didn't bother to ask the receiving / surrounding countries, just moved the troop in, built offices and barracks, airports, weapons storages etc.

My Thai son has concerns about his 3 kids (20, 13, 9) spending so many hours on the phone. Son has tried many times to get his wife to agree they spend way too many hours on the phone but there's a roadblock - his wife. She's well educated, she's a qualified teacher, she takes very good care of my son, all the kids, meals, the house etc., but at the same time she's on her phone all day, and during meals etc. She refuses to discuss the issue. 'Everybody does it, it's normal'.

Or maybe he disappeared quickly because of a visa problem (overstay).

Nice point. Seems to me Mr Xi / China has many cards up their sleeves and will at the right time reveal strategies that will give trump a heart attack.

Does your list of contacts go further and mention who specifically is your next of kin / address / contact details etc., whether there's a will, where the original is, list critical documents / location etc., name and contact details of executor, give details of who holds a power of attorney and for what actions etc?

Examples???

More games, you're sick.

So please share.

Given your crappy history of playing games please have total respect for the 2 people who died, and the 2 people still in jail. If you have serious evidence (very doubtful, why would you suddenly have such evidence) you should have already gone to the police (2 young men are in jail), and if you want shared the evidence with other members, as long as publicizing the evidence doesn't have any negative affect on the 2 boys in jail, who many people believe are innocent and the published evidence well supports that. If true very sadly 2 young men are wasting away, already several years, in a Thai jail with many attempts to prove that they are innocent sadly brushed aside. I very much hope you're not playing a silly game and think you're funny. If you are I really hope you get severely punished. Further I hope the mods look at this seriously and consider banning you (if possible) in all your 'names'.

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I don't understand, what does that mean?

Mother of all jokers...

... and in this subject area the Phils. is 200 years behind the times. And still has very overcrowded children's prisons.

Reality...

How does health cover in Japan fit into this story?

Maybe, wouldn't be the first time trump has been involved in conspiracy or lies.

There's certainly a different attitudes to noise / loud noise in the LOS. Here's one example: I was asked to present an all day additional lecture, on competitive advantage at a good university in Hat Yai. The uni put the accommodation and local transport details in he hands of a local agent. I mentioned in the early planning that: - I had been to Hat Yai before and I didn't need / want a tour of the city. - I wanted a room with no outside sound / loud music. - I wanted a basic room with bath, nothing more. I arrived at the airport, agent meets me, she's got 3 staff with her to carry my small suitcase and computer bag. With no discussion we go to a coffee shop in the airport which turns into a nightmare of wrong orders (I asked clearly for hot latte but a luke warm cappuccino arrives. I politely mention that I asked for hoy latte, one minion responds 'but all Americans love cappuccino!' Then a Tuna sandwich arrives (not ordered by me) then a ham and cheese sandwich arrives with som tum on the side. Then a beer arrived, not requested by me. All this has consumed over 1 hr of time and I want to get to the hotel and sleep. Then agent asks if I would like to see / hear a local band. I said 'not tonight thanks'. Response from a minion 'but you're here for only one night so the music / band must be tonight'. We arrive at the hotel at 10:50 pm, the hotel billed as 5 star and I discover contrary to my request the agent has been me into a hotel penthouse suite on the top floor and the land next door is an outdoor bar with very loud live music and in fact there's three live bands all close together. The loud music floating up to my suite is very / extremely loud. I tell the agent that I requested a quiet room. She's in panic 'but it's too late to change your room. 5 minutes go down to the lobby, say nothing except ask for a room on a mid level floor on the opposite side of the hotel to the music / bar area. All done, can hear some music but I get some sleep. Morning; I go downstairs for breakfast but fist do check out and pay for the second room. Agent arrives. I mention strongly 'we need to leave now to get to the Hat Yai uni because I have to set up a presentation'. I pick up my suitcase and compute bag and head towards the van ignoring the agent. I open the van door, minion inside has the van system play rock music full blast. I insisted it be turned off.