Walker88

Some wonderful generalizations here! We hear of Americans who ask for the American line at international airports...how many times has someone seen this? The over/under is one. There are 330 million Americans, so 1 out of 330,000,000 does not a national trait make. As for 'loud', I think there should be a contest pitting Americans against Brits, Aussies, Germans, Russians and Swiss. For pure noise, toss in two Cantonese, who always sound as if they are fighting with each other, when in fact they might be tender lovers exchanging sweet nothings. Now lets add some real generalizations.... Brits think everybody cares or remembers about the sun never setting on some empire. Sorry...ancient history. And get some dentists in the UK! And you call that food? (Fact: Somewhere around 2005 an international poll was conducted to judge the world's worst cuisine. The UK won, Russia was second, the Philippines third.) Germans are without humor. None. Must be missing the laughter gene, filtered out by Dr. Mengele. The last German who smiled was Gretel. Aussies...are any ever sober? Are they born drunk? Do they have withdrawal systems if a few days go by without being in a fight? Has anyone ever met an Italian who didn't think he made every woman on Earth get quivery in her loins? Do Japanese know one doesn't slurp pasta, and do non-Japanese know that NOT slurping noodles in Japan is rude? Is there such a thing as a non-arrogant Frenchman? Do they sell deodorant in India, and is gang rape the National Sport? Do Chinese know what a line or queue is, especially if there's no one in the front of it holding a pennant? As we all know, meet just one person from any nation and one knows them all. Oh, and do expats in Thailand know that not every single Thai female is or was a demimondaine?

45 is a traitor. He can be charged with Sedition for 6 Jan. That is a capital offense. If found guilty, he can be executed. The more the repubs pull the nonsense they are trying to pull now, the odds increase 45 will be executed. On that day, I will rejoice, as the world will be instantly a better place.

We're now learning it was even worse. Former Chief of Staff Gen Kelly had to head 45 off. 45 wanted to nuke North Korea. The General explained to him that 30,000 cannons were aimed at Seoul, the DPRK had missiles that could hit every city in Japan as well as the western US, and millions of South Koreans would likely die. 45 didn't care and still wanted to use the nukes. Kelly used psychology, told 45 he could be the great dealmaker and try to build a relationship with Kim. That appealed to 45's ego, so no nukes. Kim subsequently hosed 45, playing nice, all the while speeding up U235 enrichment, improving his Hwasong ICBMs, and miniaturizing nukes. Another revelation from Gen Kelly was that when 45 was in the EU and scheduled to visit a WWI graveyard and memorial, not only did 45 know who was on who's side in WWI, but because it was raining 45 thought it would mess up his hair. He also said he didn't want to visit a graveyard, because all were 'losers'. 45 said he likes 'winners' who survive, not losers who die in battle. Gen Kelly was still mourning his own son who had been killed in Afghanistan, and also knew 45 had lied to avoid the draft decades earlier.

Yes. Not sometimes. Every day. We have become a nation that embraces ignorance, has decided truth is what one needs or wants it to be, and if one has sufficient 'wasta', he or she is above the law. We now have a recently elected Congressman whose entire resume---on which he ran for office---is a fraud. He claimed attendance at a prestigious HS he never attended, a university he never attended, work for two firms (Goldman Sachs and Citibank) where he never worked, that he is Jewish when he is not, and when confronted with that lie actually said Jew-ish, claiming an ancestral ethnicity (untrue). He claimed his mother died on 9-11, and later said she died in 2013. He claimed to be a star on a college volleyball team in a school he never attended and in a sport he never played. He declared a small income in 2020 when he first ran, but between $3.5 and $5 million when he ran in 2022, despite having no proof of income nor a tax return. He claimed to be the founder of a large Animal Welfare foundation that doesn't exist. He typifies the current repub Party in the US...grifters, liars, clowns and traitors. It is embarrassing. It is also dangerous, as those clowns who still fawn over 45 no longer believe in democracy, but prefer fascism.

Actually, some of the old 'tells' are disappearing. As one who has lived outside of his home country for almost all of my adult life, I used to have no trouble telling one of my countryman from non-American. Not so easy today. I'm as likely to hear a loud, opinionated, obese Aussie or Brit or German as an American. In fact, now it seems even more likely. Since American 'culture' (sic) has spread around the world, the baseball cap or especially the backwards baseball cap is also no longer a tell. (By the way, unless a male is age 15 or below, or has a rap album that has gone Platinum, he shouldn't be wearing a backwards cap). Few Americans will wear a wife beater into a restaurant or agogo. That is more European. Clothes still can distinguish among Westerners. Even if obese, Americans tend to wear cleaner and fresher clothes. Smelling bad is one of the worst offenses in the US, which is why most of us shower twice a day and wear a subtle deodorant. I worked in a fancy office with folks from a host of countries, and the non-Americans tended to overuse musky cologne and under use soap and water and rarely dry cleaned their suits. Sometimes the odor was rancid, and these were folks who made at least $500K a year. Teeth...well, I'll avoid it for the most part, but just say the US probably has more dentists per capita than most nations, and all but the followers of 45 seem to make regularly visits. I do think one can still safely assume by outfit. Chinos and polo shirts remain a staple of Americans. Socks with sandals are a no no, and if one wears socks with track shoes, the socks will be white. I admit that if I see someone wearing a maga cap, I'm instantly feeling hostile. I both know where he's from and what his politics are. Shorts end lower thigh or at the knee. I see German and Scandinavians who wear micro shorts, whereas an American would never wear those. Similarly, capri pants are less likely to be on an American. No Speedos ever, and Pima cotton boxers are far more common than bikini briefs favored by Europeans. Junk gotta breathe, and boxers allow freedom. I rarely see Americans in Thai bars or clubs getting sloppy drunk, so when I see a Westerner showing obvious signs of severe inebriation, I know it's less likely to be an American. I have noticed a marked change in the last decade or so with the loudness of voice as well as general politeness in Americans. It seems many have become aware of the reputation Americans have had and have toned things down. I know I learned at an early age to treat service staff with respect, and I find most Americans carry that abroad. It is almost a dichotomy in that while many Americans still carry a feeling that they are from a superior nation, in individual circumstances they do not feel superior to the person they address. They treat service staff politely. In the many times I have been in a restaurant and watched a customer berate the Thai service staff, I have yet to see an American do that. I'm sure some do; I just haven't seen it, nor would I ever allow it if a dinner companion did it. One is unlikely to see Americans paying the slightest attention to a football (aka soccer) match. Most still find soccer more boring than watching grass grow, and harbor a sneaking suspicion that the entire world really thinks soccer is more dull than a slow motion replay of a chess match, but are just waiting for some American to say he likes soccer so they can tell him the world punked him. One tell that remains is that Americans have a convoluted and labor intensive way of eating. Fork is in the right hand when carrying to the mouth, but in the left when cutting something. Then the knife is put down, the fork transferred back to the right hand, and the bite is taken. That is a 100% giveaway: American. Personally, I think I have become a professional expatriate. Few people guess my nationality just from appearance. I'm in shape, dress in clean clothes and speak softly. If I'm in a taxi and the driver asks, I tend to say "California", because most people have a more favorable opinion of CA than USA. Almost always the response is...."Hotel California !" I noticed some posters commenting on the bad grammar many Americans use. In writing, all English speakers will occasionally mess up your and you're, as well as there, their and they're. The one that grates on me is "should of", and that comes from the speed with which we tend to say the two words "should have". Oh, and I didn't have to look up Q.E.D. I guess I was ejumacated well. (That's a George W Bush word)

That 'embarrassment' inherited 6.8% unemployment and a Recession from 45. He also had to deal with an exploding deficit, made worse by the inflation-causing $7,300,000,000,000 new debt 45 ran up in a mere 4 years (37% of total US debt since 1776). President 'embarrassment' now oversees 3.5% unemployment, +3.2% GDP growth, a FY2021 reduction in the yearly deficit (vs 45) of $350 billion and a massive $1.3 trillion drop in FY2022. Biden also achieved a bipartisan passing of an infrastructure Bill that will rebuild the US' roads, bridges, airports and communications. Oh, and prescription drug prices---especially insulin---have been capped and reduced. Germany should have a leader that embarrasses them as much.

Don't know who has been spoon feeding you, but in just this thread I have learned a few things about you: -unbelievable gullible -lacking knowledge of science, and more specifically, gravity, friction, motion, optics...and a host of other things bordering on EVERY thing But if latching on to conspiracies and absurd beliefs give you joy, knock yourself silly

I'm guessing you're neither a pilot nor scientist.

Well, perhaps you can help me. See, I like to go on looooong hikes, but now you tell me the Earth is flat. I'm afraid that on one of my hikes I might get to the edge. If I happen to 'fall off', where do I fall to? It's a big damn Universe, and I'm worried I'll fall into the Pleiades Cluster or maybe Andromeda. I'm not so worried about falling into Betelguese, as that's in this galaxy, but once outside, I think there might not be mail service, and my family will worry. Oh, and while I've got your attention, can you tell me why a lunar eclipse doesn't look like a giant theta? I mean, wouldn't that be how it would look if the world was flat?

Because the guy who Photoshopped the image was a moron....though less so than the folks who believe it.

While diamond encrusted watches are not my thing, I am not of the opinion a Bentley or other supercar is 'tacky or classless'. Driving a supercar---Bentley Continental or better a Lambo or Ferrari---is one of the few things in life where reality exceeds expectation. They are a kick, and I'm glad---no matter how useless some people might think they are---there are people with the skill to create them. I appreciate that outsiders seeing a guy in one either thinks trust fund kid (if the driver is young) or Midlife Crisis if the driver is over 40. I don't care, and I don't do it to be seen. I do it because it's a kick. I prefer anonymity (same as on a Forum), but damn if I'm going to forego a personal pleasure because people I couldn't care less about might judge me. Eff'em. I don't go into their life and tell them an 85" $K QLED is silly or whatever their peccadilloes happen to be . They can buy what gives them pleasure, and I can do the same. We could all live in a 100 sq ft room and have two sets of clothes (one to wear, one to wash) and have no possessions that aren't 100% essential, but none of us do that. We acquire what gives us pleasure or utility. Some might argue supercars are wasteful because they are not fuel efficient, but I rationalize that by saying I purposely chose not to propagate my gene pool. I love practicing, but don't want to fertilize any egg. Thus, my kids who will never exist won't propagate theirs, thereby producing generations of resource-consuming entities. I'm not so arrogant to think the world needs my gene pool, and I think I've evolved beyond instinct. Some combination of those two things is what makes people think they need kids, but why should I save resources for people who choose to make kids? A generation or two of descendants is going to use a multiple of whatever I use. Now about this gym goer....when I go to the gym I wear shorts and a t-shirt, and carry only a towel to keep my sweat off equipment and an electrolyte beverage to drink while working out. I don't even bother with a locker, so I would never carry anything valuable to put in a locker. Also, I neither own a watch nor any jewelry, but I don't care what anybody else does with his money. Up to him.

The OP ought to search for videos by Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman. They are both on the cutting edge of research, and offer great advice on everything from exercise to sleep to diet to supplements to general lifestyle. What seems to have occurred in the last few years is that many 'accepted truisms' were tested and found to be false. Current research is being funded by the Boomer Billionaires...guys who want to live long enough to enjoy their money. What separates people like Attia and Huberman from others is that both adhere to Francis Bacon's Scientific Method and will say what research shows absolutely works, plus what research suggests works (but needs more study). The earlier one adopts the methods suggested by Attia and Huberman (or others like Dr Andy Galpin and Dr Kyle Gillett), the better. Attia and Huberman both stress resistance training, even more than cardio, owing to the body's increased production of testosterone and HGH tied to the stress involved in moving weight and mobilizing muscle. Two other things: eat excess protein and eat a collagen supplement. One's body cannot utilize protein to the same extent at 40-50 as at 20-30, but consuming excess protein allows the body to utilize as much as at an earlier age, just not as efficiently (thus the need for excess). The collagen helps with all the body organs and tissues that are built with collagen, so it aids joints and tendons, and even skin. There is one researcher who argues against protein because it keeps mTOR active (Valter Longo), but other researcher suggests just sleep (where one is not consuming protein because one is not eating for 8-12 hours), turns off mTOR sufficiently to limit its effect on cell aging. Personally, I've never been out of shape. I do the same workouts now I did when playing university sports and have the same level of energy. (Bangkok has many great gyms...and some inspiring gym members of the fairer gender.) The only thing that has changed is that I have lost explosive power (from fast twitch muscle fiber). Up until about age 30 I had a 42" vertical leap (106 cm) and could easily dunk a basketball. That ability is now gone. Pliometrics help to keep up some of the power, but I'm sad to say no more skywalking. (The sensation of floating on air almost beat sex; I miss one of the two) Another benefit---or maybe curse---of staying supremely active is that I've experienced no change in either libido or ability to raise the sails when the wind is on the howl. To the OP: how you will look and feel is up to you (unless you've spent your 40s being a sloth, in which case you are limited in what you can now achieve). Do not judge by how others look. What percent of men age 50-60 work out with weight? I bet it's <10%. How about 60-70? I'd bet <1%. 70-80? Maybe .5% max.

In many photos he either has a cigarette or a drink....or both...neither of which is conducive to a long life. There are many things one can do to 1) avoid rapid aging, and 2) maintain a youthful appearance Don't smoke, get just enough sun to keep the Vitamin D up, do regular resistance training, maintain a proper weight, minimize stress, limit alcohol intake, eat a balanced diet, get proper sleep, remain curious, and most important of all......choose your parents well ! Now here's a little bit of science for inspiration.... Many women are drawn by instinct to older men who are in good shape. It isn't the Electra Complex, but rather being in shape at an older age suggests good genetics, and women seek good genes when it comes to propagating their own gene pool. I don't know what the age limit is, but it's at least 50 years old.

Dems could have: ---Gone after 45, jr and his toothy son, who peddled influence around the world while daddy was POTUS, trying to sell the family name in India, UAE, Saudi, etc., and taking expensive Secret Service agents on each trip ---gone after jared for the 'coincidental' refinancing he got from the govt of Qatar on jared's 666 Fifth Ave property. First, the US partnered with other Gulf States to impose sanctions on Qatar. jared had a $1.2 billion balloon payment due on his building, whose current market value is only $700 million. "Somehow" the Qataris thought it was a low risk and profitable investment to float jared $1.2 billion. Within days after the refinancing, the sanctions against Qatar were dropped. It seems the repubs, rather than try to legislate---which they do not know how to do, as all they have are slogans, not ideas---are going to try to do endless Benghazis ($37 million cost yielding zero) and another Durham (additional tens of millions yielding a single undotted "i" on a low level FBI guy). The new House plans on: ---slashing the Defense budget ---"investigating" the FBI because the bureau did its job ---"investigate" the DoJ for even considering doing its job ---"investigate" the CIA for reasons the repubs have yet to decide ---Hunter's laptop Of course, given the precedent set by repubs the last 2 years, anyone who gets subpoenaed can sdimply ignore it.

If you are disciplined, 50 is nothing. I've seen men---precious few, admittedly---in their 50s and 60s who look like early 40s. They haven't given in to gravity and beer, but instead still hit the gym, limit vices (the bad vices, not the fun ones so readily available to 'han sum' men), and seem as if they still have plenty of time to enjoy existence before climbing into the box. Exercise has multiple benefits, not the least of which is looking good. Resistance training makes the body produce more testosterone and HGH, which not only slows aging, but also keeps the carnal fires burning. It promotes calcium absorption in bones to keep them strong. If you're in shape, and not carrying around an extra 25 kgs on the belly like a seeming majority of expats in Thailand, you'll put less strain on your back and on joints, so fewer aches and pains. Nobody beats Father Time, but with effort and discipline one can postpone the inevitable. And since you won't undergo menopause, you can/will be as frisky as you were at age 18, and just as fertile (should the need arise). Ideally you want to maximize your healthspan, then just fall off a cliff at the end of your life, rather than endure a relentless and protracted period of decline over many years. Also, take some solace in knowing you were born the right gender. 'Do not go gentle into that good night Rage, rage against the dying of the light'

You do the Thai Ministers of this world a disservice. It's 'shoot themselves in the foot while the foot's in the mouth and their head's up their ass' With dedicated public servants who can that, a flip-flop is nothing.

I lie. I admit it. I tell them I came in on commercial, but I really come to Thailand in my own Gulfstream. I just think it's better they don't know that.

That's an odd post. There are folks here who really do enjoy Thailand, even after a prolonged period. Personally, I've had the opportunity to live in many nations, and Thailand has been home for a while, and where I now own a business. As with any land and culture, Thailand has points both good and bad. Experienced expats know how to endure the negatives and relish the positives. Granted Thailand isn't for everyone, but it is exactly the right place for some. It seems that right now it is the right place for many Russians. As for 'going back home', life is too short. Too many lands to experience and enjoy. I 'did' my home country. Nice place to visit, but 'been there, done that'. I like that spice that is variety.

In the next few weeks the entire world is going to be a test laboratory for determining just how dangerous, or not, Covid is today. The most heavily infected nation on Earth is sending its folks far and wide, just as it did in 2020. Lunar New Year is upon us. Initial data on the infection rate of Chinese arrivals in foreign lands shows that 20-50% of the travelers are testing positive for Covid. One caveat in this data is that folks can test positive for Covid days or weeks after the symptoms have disappeared and the person feels fine. A second consideration, however, is that travelers are likely the people who feel good enough to do just that: travel. This suggests that the infection rate within China must be massive, as those feeling ill probably are not getting on a plane (probably, but not surely). So Lunar New Year is going to tell us just how bad, or not, the current strains of Covid are, how effective current vaccines are in stopping severe symptoms, as well as how much 'natural immunity' has arisen in those infected with current or earlier strains. The Earth is now a giant Petri dish. Travel and world economies have been recuperating nicely from the nightmare that was 2020-21. Let us hope that Covid now is as many critics of mitigation measures have long said (originally incorrectly) that 'Covid is no worse than a cold'. We cannot afford "deja vu all over again". I will make one ancillary prediction: Given how severe China's lockdowns were, as well as the CP's propensity to impose whatever it wants on its 1.3 billion citizens, I suspect we'll need a new term---let me suggest Sinoverstay---for Chinese who attempt to hide in whatever non-Middle Kingdom nation they happen to be in, including Thailand. Maybe Thai Immigration needs to gas up its special BMW.

Poor guy grabs some food to take home, not knowing he'll never make it. The random nature of things....perhaps an offhand gesture or a dirty look that wouldn't seem to be of any consequence, yet in a land where face is paramount, it's a 'capital offense' carrying the death penalty. This is not a 'it could happen anywhere' sort of thing, as not so many nations have readily available guns. Road rage might be common, but road rage + guns is limited to places like the US, Thailand and a few others. It's a sad reminder to those of us in Thailand (or when I visit my home country), that anger or irritation is best kept to one's self, as it isn't worth dying over. The 'other guy' might be a lunatic. To borrow from "The Unforgiven", everything the guy ever was or would ever be, ended in an instant, and over something essentially meaningless. Life is cheap.

No insurance requirement, but apparently you must show proof of a Go Fund Me account, so that when you get sick, get in an accident, or suffer a heart attack or stroke you won't impose your costs on Thai hospitals and the Thai people.

The old Accident of Birth works both ways. One can be born a female in rural Bangladesh or be draft age in russia today, and life just isn't going to be comfortable. On the other end of the spectrum one can be adored merely for being born, hardly an accomplishment. One is unfair but a function of a random Universe, the other is a man made silly anachronism best left in the dustbin of history. What baffles me---then again not so much---is that there are females in my own democratic country enamored of the whole royal thing.

I had to log in so I could give your post a thumbs up, both for its practical honesty and the Smiley quote. I'm a professional expatriate, having been lucky enough to live in many countries and experience many cultures, beliefs and ways of life. (I personally hold no spiritual beliefs, but accept that many find them comforting.) I always try to be polite and respectful, but never attempt to integrate, other than to blend in as much as a tall, blue-eyed Westerner can blend in. Having experienced many lands, I know each has its pluses and minuses, but one learns to accept or endure the minuses while enjoying the pluses. Being diplomatic works everywhere. My advice to anyone thinking about going somewhere to 'live the dream' is simple: get wealthy enough to be flexible. That means liquid cash and adequate insurance, preferably purchased when young (life does require a modicum of planning). Be ready to enjoy the place chosen, but have the ability to leave if the reality falls short of the expectation. My own peculiarity is that I need a constant challenge. I was able to 'retire' in my late 30s, chose never to propagate my gene pool, and could always find something new to keep me passionate. Endless curiosity. Pretty flexible. Having a financial cushion allows one to mess up from time to time, as all humans are capable of doing, but never mess up so bad that it is debilitating. For the time being, home is Thailand. There is much to enjoy here. It is modern enough for one to have all the conveniences of civilization, but also has a rural option where life is simpler. One can choose either the city or the countryside, depending on one's preferences. The place is safe, requiring a minimum of caution (relative to other places I have lived). People are friendly, even if sometimes some wear a false front. If one has a bit of street smarts, one can avoid any unpleasantness. For my 'challenge', I bought a business in Thailand during Covid, and have had a heck of a fun time re-building it. My staff is fantastic. I will stay with it as long as it remains fun....though now I have the extra consideration of making sure my staff is okay. I think expats fail here when they lack a challenge, have delusional expectations, have planned poorly, and fall into a dissolute sort of life where they seem to be just waiting to die. I have seen plenty of expats who drink far too much, never hit the gym, chase women decades their junior who are skilled at exploiting their fantasies to extract what money they have left, and simply have no goal. I'm not against drinking, nor against enjoying the beauty embodied in young Thai women, but everything in moderation, and with eyes wide open. Thailand can be a wonderful place for a few years or even until climbing into the box, but it requires pre-planning and sober thought, as well as periodic reassessment.

I suspect that sometime in February, after a massive influx of infected Chinese tourists come in for Lunar New Year, and Thais whose vaccinations have worn off succumb to the virus, what we will hear from Anutin is: "Nobody could have seen this coming"

Covid is going to be with us for years in the future. New variants will continue to arise, and it is possible some will be virulent. Other than Delta, the world has been lucky that most variants were more mild than the original. The vaccines wear off over time. Because these vaccines are new, it takes real time data to get the answer. Similarly, it takes collection of real time data to know the effects of Long Covid. There is an ailment called POTS that has been affecting young people who had caught Covid. It involves a fluid buildup around the heart, and can be fatal. Most viruses have long term effects, but Covid is unique in that it was so widespread, so the number of people affected by residual Covid effects will be large. Early evidence notes some of these effects involve everything from heart problems to energy levels to dementia and brain changes. With time we'll learn what percentage of people are so affected and if there is any correlation with underlying conditions, or if it is just the way the virus reacts with some individuals gene pool. Authorities would be well advised to be vigilant, as the emergence of a virulent new variant always remains a possibility, and the more people infected means more opportunities for mutations. The danger from the China re-opening, especially during Lunar New Year, is that as a % Chinese seem to be infected to a greater degree than most other nations, and they will be hitting countries just as vaccines are wearing off in many people. Let us hope we can avoid new lockdowns. Businesses cannot handle that.