Etaoin Shrdlu

Two of my daughters played basketball in high school here in Bangkok. They very much enjoyed the sport and were gracious both when their team won and when their team lost. The only time they questioned the fairness of a game was when they had to compete against a team that had trans women on the squad who towered over everyone else and were much stronger. In my opinion, sport is perhaps the one area where discrimination based upon biological sex is warranted, at least when size and strength are significant factors. There may also be subtle differences in neurological abilities such as spatial cognition and motor skills, but I don't know. I also am aware that both the WNBA and NCAA women's basketball use ball that is one inch smaller in diameter than the ball used in the NBA and men's NCAA basketball, so there is recognition of differences based upon sex.Why make only this distinction end not one regarding trans women? I am not against trans people participating in sport, but I don't think that their participation should come at the expense of biological women.

Bike looks like a Norton single.

Yes, the app will enable the camera and you'll be asked to center your face in the screen and perhaps blink or show your teeth to make sure the camera isn't pointed at a photo of you.

I see that this story is about homeowners in California. The Golden State is known for its strict regulatory environment when it comes to insurance. This is usually good for consumers, but it can backfire, too. It seems that Cali does not allow insurers to charge higher rates based upon increased risk on a property, leaving only non-renewal as an option to balance their portfolio. Here's an article describing the situation: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california-news/wildfire-home-insurance-natural-disaster-climate-change/3230089/ and a key paragraph from this article: "Unlike other states, California does not let insurance companies consider current or future risks when deciding how much to charge for an insurance policy. Instead, they can only consider what's happened on a property in the past to set the price." The bit about using aerial surveillance to gather underwriting info is a bit troubling, but I guess if it legal and cost-effective, they'll do it until stopped by law or regulation.

About question #2 My sister owned a horse for many years. He was a very smart horse. As far as horses go, he was a genius. My sister kept in in a stable. You could say that my sister's horse was a stable genius. When my sister's horse faced away from me, it reminded me of a different "stable genius".

Reminds me of back in the day when Bernard Trink used to give advice on when Foodland had canned Dinty Moore beef stew on sale.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle and how it applies to a new aquarium: You need to start with a very small number of fish for the first thirty days or so while the tank cycles. Once it is mature, you can add fish. If you have too many fish in a new tank, the ammonia produced by their waste will kill them before it can be broken down into nitrites (less toxic) and then nitrates (even less toxic) by bacteria. It takes time for the population of bacteria to grow to the level necessary to consume the ammonia and nitrates. As a general rule of thumb, it is advisable to remove between 10 and 20 percent of the water in an aquarium and replace it with fresh water each week. I have used Bangkok tap water and have not had any issues. I suspect village water will be ok as the chloramine used to treat the water has probably dwindled to negligible amounts while sitting in the cistern or tank at your house. Also, there is a limit to how many fish can be accommodated in a tank and it depends upon the amount of surface area and aeration provided. It is quite common for fish bought in the market to have parasites and fungal infections. I may be best to keep new fish separate in a solution of anti-fungal medication for a day or so. There is a lot of info available on the internet, so do some checking and I think you'll find lots of answers.

I remember Stan. Also Crazy Jeff.... Really a bunch of characters there.

I think you're correct. Woody may have been the one that bought out the others, but I'm not sure. I do remember Peter, but I didn't frequent Chequers that much.

Yes. Nana was a much different place back then, but so was Bangkok for that matter.

I'm sure it goes back at least to the 1980s. It had been there for a number of years when I first found it in the early 1990s.

One of the first establishments I came across in Bangkok. More than forty years ago now. How time flies!

I think this is the one that had car license plates on the walls and was owned by a Norwegian and later run or owned by his wife. Been a long time, though.

If I remember correctly, the owner's name back in the day was Woody. Was well-off from starting a DIY company in the UK. Others with a better memory may correct me if I've gotten this wrong.

Jools was fun when run by Kim and later by Big Dave. Lots of character (and characters)! I recently had the occasion to walk down Soi 4 and saw that the location is now a 7-11. Sacrilege!

I think the Cheap Charllie's Bar in Soi 50 is the reincarnation of the one that was in Sukhumvit Soi 11 for decades. Was lots of fun back in the day. Need to check out the new location.

Those who respond to my post.

"Post-event, insider sources hint at an exclusive luncheon at the Government House, where PM Srettha and Nadella will navigate the roadmap for collaborative tech ventures and strategic investments." Translation: Nadella will tell Srettha what tax relief and other concessions will be needed in order for these investments not to go elsewhere.

I think most Samsung aircons have a manual power switch somewhere on the front panel or under the front cover. I have used it on one of our aircons in the past. If you have the user's manual, it will show where it is located. If you don't have the manual, google the model number. This won't be a fix, but perhaps more convenient than using the breaker.

My time in PA was spent among the yinzers. Learned lots of regionalisms. Got a lot of "you're not from around here, are you?".

A planet where the older term was used. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2020/07/buck-butt-naked.html

Have you tried using pliers or vice grips on the (probably plastic) nuts holding the bolts on the underside?

I once had an issue downloading a large file using True. I called the call center and explained that my download was being throttled and asked that they please stop. The call center staff contacted a technician and the throttling stopped. Perhaps AIS would do the same.

Yes, I find it a bit surprising as well, but the officer definitely said something about having to retrieve files and I thought he referred to somewhere other than the local station. I could have misunderstood part of his explanation and it has been a few years now since that conversation, so I hold out the possibility I may have misunderstood or don't remember exactly what he said.

Thanks. The term "buck" was/is also used as a negative term to refer to a young male of another minority, although I find it more difficult to see a link to nudity. I think you're correct in that it is just "buck naked" misheard and probably not political correctness run amok.