GammaGlobulin

Sometimes I do not remember what I say, or have said, about the USA. The cultural shifts of the USA, during recent decades, are just too disturbing for me, I guess, and... This causes me to forget or become confused by the passage of time when recalling events of my past life in the US of A. Sort of like Kurt Vonnegut's scrambling of time, or the sequence of events, in Slaughterhouse-Five....maybe.... My recollections of my past life in the US of A are almost identical to those of the main character of Slaughterhouse-Five....and that is the best way for me to explain my life, both pre- and post-Travels-in-Asia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaughterhouse-Five

Quite interesting. Thank you.

I think I said: I love what the USA used to be in the 50s and 60s... NOT the 70s, 80s...etc....and probably the USA of Tomorrow, too!

In order to remove the evaporator filters, you need a Thai woman to stand on the tables, if the woman is under 50 Kg. I am TOO HEAVY...hence the broken toilet seats.

I understand your reasoning. If I were living in New Hampshire, then I would have use of keeping my AC dry, and drying it quickly after shutdown. But, I am living in Thailand. So...OBVIOUSLY...My ACs run 24/7/365. I have not yet noticed mold buildup. I have my ACs serviced and cleaned every 4 months....

Is that still TRUE for concealed pistols? If I return to the US, I will not be travelling to Dallas to see my friend Mary Kay. Did she have a Pink Gun? I will live on the East Coast, either Mass. or New Hampshire, in Old Black Point. I would imagine that a Permit to Carry might be required if I try to walk about town with my concealed Magnum .44 with the loooong barrel. (No Joke, though. For me, at my age, I will be safer with a gun at home, than without.... Especially after watching the Texas Intrusion Video that I posted in the Original Topic.) I will also buy a Kevlar vest for my armor, and one that covers my groin area....!

That's a really NICE hip-replacement-prosthetic photo you found! Is this your photography work? Nice job! I can't tell the "brand" and manufacturer. Personally, I prefer the Titanium and Ceramic hip prosthetics...because... They stand up much better to heat, when being cremated.

I definitely completely agree with you. People here are very compassionate toward anyone in distress due to mental illness, or ill health, or personal problems beyond their control. Thai people express caring and emotions, such as worry or reaction to unfortunate events, in ways different from some cultures in the west.

Please refer to data available from Wikipedia, data drawn from United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate USA = 6.4 per 1000 inhabitants Thailand = 4.8 More importantly, this data is not broken down by the relationship of perp to victim. Therefore, it's just a guess, but I would like to check more detailed data to know if in Thailand, the perp and victim are somehow related or known to other, more often. And, if in the US, the perp and victim are less likely to know each other. Still, I mentioned Taiwan and Japan, and East Asia. In Japan, the rate is... Japan = 0.2 Taiwan = ? (Cannot be included in the UN data since the Commie Bandits of the PRC have kicked out Taiwan from the UN.) But, almost as low as Japan, at least in the past decades. So, this Data is Not Fantasy....maybe....

Before leaving the USA, many years ago in the late 70s, I owned a goodly number of guns, such as the Weatherby .460 Magnum, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, Colt .45 911, and a number of others, including the quality equipment to automate reloading spent cartridges, too. Then, I left for Asia, and I completely lost interest in gun ownership, which is the way it should be, in any reasonable world, such as East Asia or SE Asia, IMHO.... I do not like guns, and guns are basically useless in places like Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, HK, and, of course, Singapore, and many other nice, safe places, we call home. I have not returned to the USA since 1992, and I have forgotten what it's like to live there, in that pot of a melting pot, which seems to be melting, these days. I still love the USA, but I do not much care for the warped, and warping, culture of the past four decades. Maybe such widespread gun ownership could be part of many problems in the US, however.... Now, IF I LIVED in the USA, I would definitely buy not one, not two, not three, but FOUR guns, all semiautomatic, and with high capacity clips. I would also buy body armor, and keep it handy. Why? Here is why! Watch the following video to understand why.... No way would I return to the US without first applying for a Permit to Carry. (But, this is also why I will never return to the USA. I do not like guns. And, I do not like violence. And, I also do not like the new culture which is so radically different from what I was used to, and what I now enjoy. Thailand, Taiwan, Japan are great places to live, chiefly due to the culture. And, American culture was once far more similar to East Asian culture than it is now. I will die here in East or SE Asia when my time comes. And, America can keep the guns. I am so much safer here in Thailand, without guns. Thailand is so Chill, by comparison.) Where I live here, I doubt that most people care about locking their doors. Try that in Dallas, Texas, why don't you.... Regards, Gamma

I knew you would, eventually, get around to the discussion of handlebars, and, no doubt soon, bicycles.

Maybe he was referring, obliquely, to the tunnel of love?

What might happen if he were picked up or stopped by police during those 4 extra months? What might be the probability that he be locked up? And, if caught, is there not a much longer "ban" from returning to Thailand? Why take the risk? I have no idea, but would it not be the best choice to head for the airport, as soon as possible, and accept a one-year ban? The Bt.20,000 fine is really NOTHING, compared to the long overstay of 7 months....right?

I always feel sad and nostalgic when I recall the many train rides of my youth which I have enjoyed while travelling to and from schools, on the dilapidated Long Island Railroad, or on The Main Line, or up and down, along the western and eastern coasts of Taiwan, way before they had the new trains with AC. Those were the days when trains were trains, when you could smell the smells of the roadbed, and not feel so isolated from the world outside, as one passed through it. Also, on the Taiwan railway lines, the doorway of the car at the end of the train was completely open, with only a sagging chain to hold one back from falling out. And, one could drink as many cans/bottles of Taiwan beer as one wished, standing back there. And, one could urinate out the back, too, which provided a wonderful sense of freedom. You could put 24 cans of Taiwan Beer in your bag, and then finish most of it on the way from Tainan to Taipei, a trip that night take over 5 or 6 hours, beginning at dusk. There was so much more FREEDOM, back then, that you just wouldn't believe.... The most romantic train song on this sad list might be this one: But still, when singing about Trains and FREEDOM....then....I prefer this old standby (I am talkin' the Freedom of the Underground Railroad, here....):

I think most Thai people do not become offended if Farang show no interest or inclination to learn Thai. Why is this? a. Most Thai believe that Farang are not smart enough to learn passa Thai. b. Most of the Farang Thai see in Thailand are, in their opinion, way too old to learn passa Thai, maybe...

Kicking a Chinese lady? This is NOT Shanghai! And, this is not the Swiss Concession in Shanghai, either! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_International_Settlement I guess people in Thailand, or at least very few of them, can accept extraterritoriality....these days....maybe.... it's a nice concept, maybe, but hard to find in these post-colonial days....

This Songkran, I will keep the outside gate padlocked. Nobody can hit me from the road, without a catapult. No way am I venturing forth during the next few days, until maybe the 16th. It's too hot to go anywhere, this year. I have very fast internet, and a few computers. Also, I plan on returning to OpenSuSE Leap (Leap 15.6 when it is released in June of this year), and so I think I will just enjoy reading about how OpenSUSE Leap has improved since release 15.1, which is something that I always find quite engrossing. I plan on dumping WIN OS, for good, in favor of migrating to 100-percent Linux Desktop (SUSE LEAP), next week, when I finish building my next Desktop, which will be after I purchase a case for it. There is much for me to do inside my compound. Why go forth and sweat? Why go forth and be doused? I have never seen the Songkran road parties, in fact. I am more into the quiet/cultural activities, when I am invited....(but not this year, I think.) Wishing all a very healthy and happy Songkran Holiday, and a prosperous New Year. Regards, Gamma

On the Samsung; the AC indoor unit seems to have a function for drying the inside of case, and internal parts, which can become corroded when moisture invades certain components, or the casing, it seems. The only thing that I would question is: If you are running your AC 24/7/365, as do I, then would there be any down-time when this cleaning function might be able to work? My guess is NO. When the AC is running 24/7 there is always air being blown through the indoor evaporator unit, and this should be sufficient to keep it dry enough to prevent much condensation. Just my guess. In the past, I have had MUCHO Problems with Samsung ACs. Yes, I know that people in some Asian countries like them, maybe because they are cheap. But, I would rather pay more for HIGH Efficiency, and quickly make that money back on lower electric bills, than save money by buying a cheap Samsung. What I really need is a very light-weight and sexy Thai woman to stand on my tables to clean the filters on my ACs. If I tried this myself, the tables might come crashing down. The computer tables I built can stand up to about 100 Kg of downward force. But, after breaking my toilet seat, I just do not want to have something else break in my house. (That self-cleaning Samsung function will NOT clean the filters. You should investigate hiring a light-weight Thai woman, is my advice.)

Well, say the old Farang has a large piece of titanium inside him: Would this be worth anything to the mourners, after the flesh was cooked away?

I had no idea just how appalling was this assault until watching the video of the event. a. First, the Swiss Guy kicks two seated women who have done absolutely NOTHING. b. Then screams at them to get the F off! c. I have lived in Asia for 45 years. And, my first visit to Thailand was in 1971. And, I have NEVER seen such an egregious and unprovoked attack on an Asian woman, perpetrated by a Farang man, and also a woman who was unknown to the Farang man. d. The Swiss Guy is a guest in a foreign land. What a mindset this Swiss Guy must have. He VERY OBVIOUSLY seems to believe that he is on a higher "level" than the rest of humanity. e. This Swiss Guy can NEVER feel remorse for his attack. Feelings of remorse are just not part of his personality. The only correct thing to be done is to prosecute to the MAXIMUM EXTENT of Thai law. And, for all who know about this attack to support the woman who was attacked in such a degrading way. I really feel sorry for these women. Imagine if one of those women was your mother, your daughter, or your wife???? If something like this happened in Naples, Florida, where steps often lead to the beach from magnificent multi-million-dollar villas, the Naples police would arrest the perp, and he could be sued for millions, and millions, besides serving jail time. These women were defenseless against the Swiss Brute-of-a-Man. Shameful! Dithpicable, too!

What are the conditions of a pauper burial in Thailand? a. Will the location be completely lost and forgotten? b. Will this be a bass burial? For example, do all the pauper-bodies dying in any given week get buried together? c. In Thailand, do people ever come to pray over the buried paupers? d. Any other interesting facts about the pauper burial sites in Thailand that one should know about?

If I wanted to be safe from WW3, then I would choose the USA, for safety, if I had money. There are many good salt mines left after mining operations have been completed. These remain very dry, and at a healthy temperature. There is almost ZERO groundwater leakage, or leakage of any kind, from the surface. Some salt mines are HUGE and there would be no need to live out one's final years, both lonely and claustrophobically.... This one has an Amazing Open-Floor Plan: I could be happy in a Salt Mine, provided I could bring along a female dentist, a Thai cook, and a Chinese concubine. No Joke! If I had the money, I would buy a salt mine, and refurbish it in style. Things can last, as new, almost forever, in a Salt Mine! Safest place on Earth, during a WW3-induced Armageddon!

Important Addendum: Let us say that the old Farang in question has ZERO friends, and has made ZERO preparations, and that there are Zero relatives willing to become involved: Then.... What is likely to happen? Note Two: Will there be a post mortem, and is this enforced? Note Three: Can the DIY Document left behind by the old Farang state that any earthly belongings be given to an "acquaintance", and will this DIY Document's contents be respected and adhered to? (Or, will the meagre belongings left behind by the old Farang be sold or trashed or donated to the Temple?) Still very inquisitive concerning these points...am I...!

Better to speak English AND Chinese AND Thai, IMHO, beyond the basics. And, yes... An understanding of everyday passa Thai is pretty much a MUST for people who are not tourists, or who do not live in Pattaya, or BKK. The people I meet often are able to speak very little English, like almost NO English....so then.... How would you communicate with them if you are unable to speak, AND READ, passa Thai? Yes. Necessary. Very Necessary, IMHO.

Would it be somehow better for an old Farang to die in Thailand having made ZERO preparations? For example, if an old Farang were to die with few assets in Thailand, having chosen to keep all/any personal assets safe in the Home Country, then what would happen? Would this be the best strategy, in fact? What about if the Farang just kept a simple DIY Document, stating the preference to be cremated in a local Temple of the Farang's Choice? Would anyone respect His wishes? Or, what would actually happen. I have just read that the Farng's home-country embassy must be contacted. But, I doubt that the Farang's embassy will arrange some sort of elaborate and expensive funeral procession with tons of flowers, and chanting guys walking behind, and wailing women white sackcloth, with children ahead strewing rose-petals, and big drums banging away, and fireworks overhead. No embassy would spend the money for the average Farang. And, so would the Farang just be burned in an oven, and then what might happen to the ashes? Would they just be left in the oven, to fuel the next cremation? It seems to me that making no provisions might be best. Some suspense might even be the result of zero preparations. And, might it also be the absolute cheapest option? Of course, the Farang would not know the difference, not matter what circumstances might eventually evolve. My guess is that when a Farang dies with zero preparations, and few family members in the Home Country, then the Farang might receive more tender loving care than if the same thing happened to said Farang in his/her Home country. Anyway, it's something to think about....maybe.... Regards, And inquisitive, as ever, Gamma