GammaGlobulin

So many years ago, now, that I can barely, or dimly, recall. I love Benny Hill, even though he may not have been included in my intellectual peer group. Years ago, while in Taiwan, under marshal law, as I recall it, Benny Hill was very welcome, and almost our only entertainment. Those were the days when Three is Company was the highlight of our week. So amazing just how much marshal law can improve any mediocre comedy show. So many fond memories. I would sacrifice and relinquish all of my worldly wealth and goods just to return to those simpler days. What good is it to have all I have now, when all around me seems to be falling down? So many Fawlty Towers, all round, falling down...... Literally and metaphorically......

OK. Then, I wish you something, such as a good morning, from the Velvet Underground.... Today is Sunday.... Right?

Or both.

Now you have me thinking of CLING PEACHES..... And, of course, from peaches, we go to....what else but.....

Truly...!!!

Dear Folks, Intellectually speaking..... Coming to Thailand...... Does coming here sometimes represent for you loss of intellectual stimulation? A loss, compared to what you had known, in your former life? Or, to put it more plainly: This morning, a grand, gloomy-sounding notion popped into my head, and I know that you lot are the only ones who might get it without me having to draw a map and provide footnotes. It’s that particular quiet you notice when you realize you’re the last person in the room who knows the punchline to a certain kind of joke. You know the one. You start to tell a story about some political gombeen from the '80s or a GAA match that went spectacularly sideways, and you’re met with a sea of polite, blank, well-meaning foreign faces. They're trying their best, God love them, but you can see you might as well be explaining quantum physics. That's the silence I'm talking about. It’s the sound of your own references echoing back at you off a wall of polite incomprehension. It’s bad enough at home, where the herd thins out from sheer bloody-minded attrition. But for us, the self-imposed exiles, it's a double whammy. We’ve voluntarily become the last known speakers of a dying dialect—the dialect of home. You end up the sole, slightly boring curator of your own memories. So, the Topic is: How much do you miss being able to talk on a higher plain, now that you have arrived, and met your significant others? Of course, it really does not matter what country one might be in...and the point is that if you and your partner are not speaking the same native lingo...then... This always happens.... Very infrequently can you have an intelligent conversation around here, just due to the language barrier. Do you agree? Of course, you do. But, does this bother you? Let's talk about this, why not? I mean, can you talk to your wife? Probably not. Gamma NOTE: The Topic headline is about one's peer group. Do you miss your intellectual peer group, now that you have left your home country? NOTE2: Or, have you been able to find your intellectual peer group, reconstituted, here on ThaiVisa?????

Nope. But, I think it might be because I have been dreaming, during the past weeks. I have been dreaming of tooling down the Jersey Turnpike, smelling the hydrocarbons outgassed from the stacks, along the way. When I was young, we would drive on the Jersey Turnpike, and inhale the stink, along the way..... I loved the refineries when I was young.... Even if you closed all the windows in the car, when cars were not air-conditioned, the stench was..... MAGNIFICENT. We would drive on the Turnpike, from PA to near New London, every summer, and the refineries along the way was the single thing that we loved best. So, no, I have been posting less, because less is more, and because Gemini has been occupying much of my output.... Also, I post more when I get a thumbs up, and less when I get a thumbs down...because.....I am no different than any other animal in a Skinner Box. Just feed me the likes, and I will post more. Feed me fewer likes, or negative reinforcement, and I, like any rat in a cage, will produce less. The New Jersey Turnpike was truly amazing.....with so many lanes..... And even more interesting smells..... Those were the days.....

I agree with you. Never a better time. And, never a better time for JAPAN to give us an easy Retirement Visa.... Is there? Of course, we should give retirees some sort of IQ test before providing an easy retirement visa. There are some very beautiful places in Japan, for sure, that would appeal to retirees if there was only a cheap visa. My Japanese is rusty, but i could improve it, as could you, no doubt....

Are you saying that you now agree with my friend and fellow-alumnus, Noam Chomsky? If only everyone would read more Chomsky, then this would be a better world. And, what might Chomsky say, today, if he could talk, which, very unfortunately, is impossible, due to his incapacitation as a result of his stroke? "Based on Chomsky's consistent and long-standing critiques, Chomsky's assessment would be sharp and framed by his broader political and economic philosophy. The United States: An "International Scandal" Chomsky has repeatedly described the U.S. healthcare system as an "international scandal." He would argue that its fundamental failures at the present time are direct consequences of its design. Failures of the U.S. System: Extreme Inefficiency and Bureaucracy: Chomsky points out that the U.S. spends far more per capita on healthcare than any other developed nation. He attributes this to the enormous administrative waste inherent in a privatized, multi-payer system. This includes money spent on marketing, complex billing, executive salaries, and denying claims—costs that do not contribute to patient health. Fundamentally Immoral: A core of Chomsky's critique is moral. He argues that a system that ties healthcare to employment and profitability is inherently cruel. It leaves millions uninsured or underinsured, leading to preventable deaths and financial ruin for those who get sick. He sees the commodification of health as a profound moral failing. Poor Outcomes: Despite its astronomical costs, the U.S. often has worse health outcomes (like lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality) compared to other wealthy nations. Chomsky would see this as the ultimate proof that the for-profit model fails to deliver on its most basic promise: health. Undemocratic and Dominated by Elites: He would argue that the system is not a reflection of what the public wants. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Americans would prefer a government-guaranteed healthcare program. However, powerful insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies fight viciously to maintain the status quo, which serves their profits, not the public good. This is a key example of what he calls the "class war" fought by elites against the general population. Pluses of the U.S. System: From Chomsky's perspective, there are virtually no pluses to the overall structure of the U.S. system when viewed from a societal or ethical standpoint. While acknowledging that the U.S. has excellent doctors, hospitals, and medical research, he would argue that access to this excellence is rationed by wealth, which is not a "plus" but a central feature of its cruelty. Canada: A More Rational, Humane Alternative Chomsky frequently uses Canada as a direct point of comparison to illustrate the failings of the U.S. model. He would frame the Canadian system as a more civilized and rational approach, though not without its own challenges. Pluses of the Canadian System: Universal Coverage: The primary advantage is its principle of universality. Healthcare is treated as a fundamental right. Every citizen is covered, regardless of their income, employment, or health status. This removes the fear of financial ruin from illness that plagues so many Americans. Greater Efficiency: By having a single-payer system (or more accurately, a provincially administered single-payer system), Canada eliminates the massive administrative waste of the U.S. private insurance industry. This allows it to provide universal care for a fraction of the per-capita cost of the U.S. system. Focus on Health, Not Profit: Because the system is publicly funded and administered, its primary goal is to provide healthcare, not to generate profit for shareholders. This aligns the system's incentives with the public good. Chomsky would see this as a result of successful popular struggle, particularly by labor unions, who fought for healthcare for everyone, not just for their own members. Failures and Vulnerabilities of the Canadian System: Chomsky is not an uncritical admirer and would acknowledge the system's vulnerabilities, especially in the current political climate. Wait Times: He would recognize that wait times for certain procedures can be a legitimate issue. However, he would immediately reframe this by stating that the U.S. also has rationing—it's just rationed by wealth. If you can't afford a procedure, you have an infinite wait time. He would argue that a publicly managed system that struggles with wait times is still preferable to a system that rations care based on ability to pay. Threat of Privatization: Chomsky's biggest concern for Canada would be the persistent efforts by conservative political and business interests to undermine the public system and introduce more for-profit, U.S.-style elements. He would see this as part of the same elite-driven "class war" that has so thoroughly shaped the U.S. system, and he would warn that this is the primary danger to the integrity and success of Canadian healthcare. Underfunding: He would likely argue that many of the problems within the Canadian system, such as wait times, stem from political decisions to underfund it, often by the same groups who advocate for privatization. In summary, at the present time, Noam Chomsky would argue that the debate between the two systems is not a close call. He would present the U.S. system as a failed, cruel, and deeply undemocratic outlier, and the Canadian system as a fundamentally more sane and humane model that, despite its challenges, gets the big things right by treating healthcare as a public good rather than a commodity." Also, I endorse everything that Chomsky said, or might say, if he could say it. We have lost a very valuable asset. Now, I ask you, who will take up Chomsky's cudgel, now that he is down? You???? Why don't you THINK ABOUT IT, while you are waiting for your next visit to your doctor..... But, do not worry because..... With GROK 6, we will finally begin to address this issue of wait times....FOR SURE...!!!

Healthcare in the US is a disaster. I think you might also know. Far better for me to return to Canada... Land of Snow....

Important Update: This juvenile dove is still alive.... Very fat now, and walking around, dumbly, eating much, every day..... Dear Folks, I hate it when some guys post newsworthy stories, and then don't update them to provide the rest of the story.... Just call me another Harvey, I guess..... Anyway, after the dove knocked itself out on my window, and after I had thought that this beautiful bird was a goner....MIRACULOUSLY.... This dove survived, and has even become attached to my window, it seems. The dove was hit on the noggin, and now it's doing even better than it might have....or so it seems. This dove, now made even dumber by my window, seems to enjoy not venturing far..... Now, this bird is fat and healthy. Therefore, nothing for anyone here to worry about....I guess..... Such a happy ending to a ThaiVisa Topic, we rarely do see.... I love birds.

I vote this sentence the best sentence of the decade. Let's all take note, and keep this in mind. Still, let's also keep in mind that this is the definition of anxiety. Mother's little helpers were born of this type of anxiety. Maybe, we should all go back to the bush....? While in the bush, we worried less about the nebulous.... Give me a tiger, any day.

Yes. This is why..... I have always loved the story about the Princess and the Pea..... Do you know the story? And, sometimes, Fairy Tales have a hidden meaning, other than what most children, thankfully, might imagine.... Sometimes, peas grow bigger, and Bigger, and BIGGER, and Even Larger.....!!!

How many here, might you guess, live in fear of .... Spiders from Mars?

Man... Robbins has aged so much. How does he even deal with it? Last time I saw him, he was full of vim and vigor, and handsome. Now, he has so many wrinkles on his forehead.... In fact, his forehead wrinkles makes him look like one of those faces we see on Mount Rushmore..... I guess his positive thinking was just not enough.... This guy is a joke, and everyone knows it...... Still, with such a huge ego, he could care less. I wonder what it might be like to be his partner and have to sleep with him every night. Must be totally horrible.