GammaGlobulin

Thank you for your reply. I notice that Thomas Overbury took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1598, just 106 years after Christopher Columbus discovered America. Yes!, you are right that Overbury's poem is beautiful, and long, maybe overly long for the Pub, but not too long for some of us here, I suppose. One thing, though, that I would like to mention, and this is that Factory Girls, quite a number of them, are most beautiful. Regarding the image you posted, it must be obvious, seems to show a beautiful factory girl sitting in a prestige car, with fine leather seats, maybe something like a Maserati, since no rear seats are to be seen. These kinds of girls are too beautiful for me. I would get antsy if I were to have tea and crumpets with one who looked even half as beautiful as she. Instead, I really do prefer factory girls, girls who can't read much, yet have great empathy and compassion for those they meet, and those they truly care about. Yes. I really DO love farm girls and factory girls. Maybe just a quirk of mine. Mick, I think, enjoyed the same quirk as I.

Keep your pretty girls, please: Better to be waiting for the right kind of girl.... Waiting for a girl who's got curlers in her hair Waiting for a girl she has no money anywhere We get buses everywhere Waiting for a factory girl Waiting for a girl and her knees are much too fat Waiting for a girl who wears scarves instead of hats Her zipper's broken down the back Waiting for a factory girl Waiting for a girl and she gets me into fights Waiting for a girl, we get drunk on Friday night She's a sight for sore eyes Waiting for a factory girl Waiting for a girl and she's got stains all down her dress Waiting for a girl and my feet are getting wet She ain't come out yet Waiting for a factory girl

Concerning skin-deep beauty: Each woman is a briefe of womankind, And doth in little even as much containe, As, in one day and night, all life we finde, Of either, more is but the same againe: God fram’d her so, that to her husband she, As Eve, should all the world of woman be. So fram’d he both, that neither power he gave Use of themselves, but by exchange to make: Whence in their face, the faire no pleasure have, But by reflex of what thence other take. Our lips in their own kisse no pleasure find: Toward their proper face, our eies are blinde. So God in Eve did perfect man, begun; Till then, in vaine much of himselfe he had: In Adam, God created only one, Eve, and the world to come, in Eve he made. We are two halfes: whiles each from other straies Both barren are; joind, both their like can raise At first, both sexes were in man combinde, Man a she-man did in his body breed; Adam was Eves, Eve mother of mankinde, Eve from live-flesh, man did from dust proceed. One, thus made two, mariage doth re-unite, And makes them both but one hermaphrodite. Man did but the well-being of this life From woman take; her being she from man; And therefore Eve created was a wife, And at the end of all her sex, began: Mariage their object is; their being then, And now perfection, they receive from men. Mariage; to all those joyes two parties be, And doubled are by being parted so, Wherein the very act of chastity, Whereby two soules into one body go. Which makes two, one; while here they living be, And after death in their posterity. God to each man a private woman gave, That in that center his desires might stint, That he a comfort like himselfe might have, And that on her his like he might imprint. Double is womans use, part of their end Doth in this age, part on the next depend. We fill but part of time, and cannot dye, Till we the world a fresh supply have lent. Children are bodies sole eternity; Nature is Gods, art is mans instrument. Now all mans art but only dead things makes, But herein man in things of life partakes. For wandring lust; I know ’tis infinite, It still begins, and addes not more to more: The guilt is everlasting, the delight, This instant doth not feele, of that before. The taste of it is only in the sense, The operation in the conscience. Woman is not lusts bounds, but woman-kinde; One is loves number: who from that doth fall, Hath lost his hold, and no new rest shall find; Vice hath no meane, but not to be at all. A wife is that enough; lust cannot find: For lust is till with want, or too much, pin’d. Bate lust the sin, my share is ev’n with his, For, not to lust, and to enjoy, is one: And more or lesse past, equall nothing is; I still have one, lust one at once, alone: And though the women often changed be, Yet he’s the same without variety. Mariage our lust (as ’twere with fuell fire) Doth, with a medicine of the same, allay, And not forbid, but rectifie desire. My selfe I cannot chuse, my wife I may: And in the choise of her, it much doth lye, To mend my selfe in my posterity. Or rather let me love, then be in love; So let me chuse, as wife and friend to find, Let me forget her sex, when I approve: Beasts likenesse lies in shape, but ours in mind: Our soules no sexes have, their love is cleane, No sex, both in the better part are men. But physicke for our lust their bodies be, But matter fit to shew our love upon: But onely shells for our posterity, Their soules were giv’n lest men should be alone: For, but the soules interpreters, words be, Without which, bodies are no company. That goodly frame we see of flesh and blood, Their fashion is, not weight; it is I say But their lay-part; but well digested food; Tis but ’twixt dust, and dust, lifes middle way: The worth of it is nothing that is seen, But only that holds a soule within. And all the carnall beauty of my wife, Is but skin-deep, but to two senses known; Short even of pictures, shorter liv’d then life, And yet the love survives, that’s built thereon: For our imagination is too high, For bodies when they meet, to satisfie. All shapes, all colours, are alike in night, Nor doth our touch distinguish foule or faire; But mans imagination, and his sight, And those, but the first weeke; by custome are Both made alike, which differed at first view, Nor can that difference absence much renew. Nor can that beauty, lying in the face, But meerely by imagination be Enjoy’d by us, in an inferiour place. Nor can that beauty by enjoying we Make ours become; so our desire growes tame, We changed are, but it remaines the same. Birth, lesse then beauty, shall my reason blinde, Her birth goes to my children, not to me: Rather had I that active gentry finde, Vertue, then passive from her ancestry; Rather in her alive one vertue see, Then all the rest dead in her pedigree. In the degrees, high rather, be she plac’t Of nature, then of art, and policy: Gentry is but a relique of time past: And love doth only but the present see; Things were first made, then words: she were the same With, or without, that title or that name. As for (the oddes of sexes) portion, Nor will I shun it, nor my aime it make; Birth, beauty, wealth, are nothing worth alone, All these I would for good additions take, Not for good parts, those two are ill combin’d Whom, any third thing from themselves hath join’d. Rather then these the object of my love, Let it be good; when these with vertue go, They (in themselves indifferent) vertues prove, For good (like fire) turnes all things to be so. Gods image in her soule, O let me place My love upon! not Adams in her face. Good, is a fairer attribute then white, ’Tis the minds beauty keeps the other sweete; That’s not still one, nor mortall with the light, Nor glasse, nor painting can it counterfeit; Nor doth it raise desires, which ever tend At once, to their perfeciton and their end. By good I would have holy understood, So God she cannot love, but also me, The law requires our words and deeds be good, Religion even the thoughts doth sanctifie: As she is more a maid that ravisht is, Then she which only doth but wish amisse. Lust onely by religion is withstood, Lusts object is alive, his strength within; Morality resists but in cold blood; Respect of credit feareth shame, not sin. But no place darke enough for such offence She findes, that’s watch’t, by her own conscience. Then may I trust her body with her mind, And, thereupon secure, need never know The pangs of jealousie: and love doth find More paine to doubt her false, then know her so: For patience is, of evils that are knowne, The certaine remedie; but doubt hath none. And be that thought once stirr’d, ’twill never die: Nor will grief more mild by custome prove, Nor yet amendment can it satisfie, The anguish more or lesse, is as our love; This misery doth jealousie ensue, That we may prove her false, but cannot true. Suspicious may the will of lust restraine, But good prevents from having such a will; A wife that’s good, doth chaste and more containe, For chaste is but an abstinence from ill: And in a wife that’s bad, although the best Of qualities; yet in a good, the least. To barre the meanes is care, not jealousie: Some lawfull things to be avoyded are, When they occasion of unlawfull be: Lust ere it hurts, is be descry’d afarre: Lust is a sinne of two; he that is sure Of either part, may be of both secure. Give me next good, an understanding wife, By nature wise, not learned by much art, Some knowledge on her side, will all my life More scope of conversation impart: Besides, her inborne vertue fortifie. They are most firmly good, that best know why. A passive understanding to conceive, And judgement to discerne, I wish to finde: Beyond that, all as hazardous I leave; Learning and pregnant wit in woman-kinde, What it findes malleable, makes fraile, And doth not adde more ballast, but more saile. Domesticke charge doth best that sex befit, Contiguous businesse; so to fixe the mind, That leisure space for fancies not admit: Their leysure ’tis corrupteth woman-kind: Else, being plac’d from many vices free, They had to heav’n a shorter cut than we. Bookes are a part of mans prerogative, In formall inke they thoughts and voyces hold, That we to them our solitude may give, And make time-present travell that of old. Our life, fame peeceth longer at the end, And bookes it farther backward doe extend. As good, and knowing, let her be discreete, That, to the others weight, doth fashion bring; Discretion doth consider what is fit, Goodnesse but what is lawfull; but the thing, Not circumstances; learning is and wit, In men, but curious folly without it. To keepe their name, when ’tis in others hands, Discretion askes; their credit is by farre More fraile than they: on likelihoods it stands, And hard to be disprov’d, lusts slanders are. Their carriage, not their chastity alone, Must keepe their name chaste from suspition. Womans behaviour is a surer barre Then is their no: that fairely doth deny Without denying; thereby kept they are Safe ev’n from hope; in part to blame is she Which hath without consent bin only tride; He comes too neere, that comes to be denide. Now since a woman we to marry are, A soule and body, not a soule alone, When one is good, then be the other faire; Beauty is health and beauty, both in one; Be she so faire, as change can yeeld no gaine; So faire, as she most woman else containe. So faire at least let me imagine her; That thought to me, is truth: opinion Cannot in matter of opinion erre; With no eyes shall I see her but mine owne. And as my fancy her conceives to be, Even such my senses both, doe feele and see. The face we may the seat of beauty call, In it the relish of the rest doth lye, Nay ev’n a figure of the mind withall: And of the face, the life moves in the eye; No things else, being two, so like we see, So like, that they, two but in number, be. Beauty in decent shape, and colours lies. Colours the matter are, and shape the soule; The soule, which from no single part doth rise, But from the just proportion of the whole. And is a meere spirituall harmony, Of every part united in the eye. Love is a kind of superstition, Which feares the idoll which it self hath fram’d: Lust a desire, which rather from his owne Temper, then from the object is inflam’d: Beauty is loves object; woman lust’s to gaine Love, love desires; lust onely to obtaine. No circumstance doth beauty beautifie, Like gracefull fashion, native comelinesse. Nay ev’n gets pardon for deformity; Art cannot ought beget, but may increase; When nature had fixt beauty, perfect made, Something she left for motion to adde. But let the fashion more to modesty Tend, then assurance: modesty doth set The face in her just place, from passions free, ’Tis both the mindes, and bodies beauty met; But modesty no vertue can we see; That is the faces onely chastity. Where goodnesse failes, ’twixt ill and ill that stands: Whence ’tis, that women though they weaker be, And their desire more strong, yet on their hands The chastity of men doth often lye: Lust would more common be then any one, Could it, as other sins, be done alone. All these good parts a perfect woman make: Adde love to me, they make a perfect wife: Without her love, her beauty should I take, As that of pictures; dead; that gives it life: Till then her beauty like the sun doth shine Alike to all; that makes it, only mine. And of that love, let reason father be, And passion mother; let it from the one His being take, the other his degree; Selfe-love (which second loves are built upon) Will make me (if not her) her love respect; No man but favours his owne worths effect. As good and wise; so be she fit for me, That is, to will, and not to will, the same: My wife is my adopted selfe, and she As me, so what I love, to love must frame: For when by mariage both in one concurre, Woman converts to man, not man to her.

And, what kind of YouTubers would these three be, if they were YouTuber backpackers, instead of scholars at King’s College in the UK? Regarding Watson, I think we all know what kind of YouTuber he would have been, here in Thailand. Watson would have spent most of his time in Pattaya, drooling. As for Crick, I guess he might have portrayed himself as some sort of god on YouTube. And, that is OK, because he is really intelligent, unlike Watson. Anytime I think of James Watson, I think of the dummy who followed around Sherlock Holmes, just as he followed around Crick and Franklin. What a fool! Regarding Franklin, she was really too nice. She did a great deal of very hard work, and was never credited for what she had contributed, as everybody knows. Maybe if she had not been a woman, but a ladyboy, instead, she would have been given more credit for her contribution. We can be thankful for Crick and Franklin. Watson, however, should never have tried to do science. James Watson is truly the type of intellect that you might see stumbling around in Pattaya, maybe getting into bar fights, or just leering at young women. Sometimes, I get freaked out by Thailand YouTubers. Yet, are they really so bad? No. Compared to at least one Nobel, they are darn right fine. King’s College London is amazing. Send your kids there…why not? Maybe they will write a pivotal thesis like Crick. The world has changed. And, maybe women are now given credit for their work, rather than their bra size. Rosalind Franklin was cheated by both Crick and Watson, as everybody knows. So, what it really boils down to is…..Can We Classify Thailand YouTubers in terms of their DNA: aa. The James Watson type of Thailand YouTuber bb. The Francis Crick type of Thailand YouTuber cc. The Rosalind Franklin type of Thailand YouTuber dd. The Rosalind Russell type of Thailand YouTuber What do you think? Rosalind Russell....All the Way! Russell has great DNA!

wódka

Be happy during the next seven days. Never once, during these days, be glum. Then, please report back here with your results.

OK... First, it is a really nice thing to see, the fact that there are still some old guys here who are up for learning passa Thai, in order to improve both their brains, and also their wellbeing as they gradually acclimate to their new home in Thailand. Also, I am happy to see that this thread has NOT been moved to the "language" forum, where it would probably remain unseen and unappreciated by most of us who lurk on this Pub Forum for people past their prime, like Miss Jean Brodie. (And, if you are too young to know Jean Brodie, then I really don't want to know you, either.) So, anyway, for those guys who are really breaking their backs, by learning 5 words of Thai, while driving their cars in Thai traffic, I can only wonder why. I really feel sorry for this gang, this bunch, who will never make good progress without a far better strategy than learning the words for cats and dogs, while driving to Seven. Seriously, now.... aa. There is a tried and true app, a proven app, which is probably the best you will ever find, for memorization of vocabulary. This app is also used by Med Students for courses in anatomy, which is one of the most challenging courses known to Man. bb. This app is also highly recommended by a PhD researcher from NZland, Averil COXHEAD. Anyone who is anyone in the linguistics sphere, knows her. She is GREAT! cc. Anyway, COXHEAD agrees with me that the app, ANKI, is the best for you, if you really want to learn a new language....FAST. dd. The app ANKI is very well maintained by a wonderful person who lives in Japan. I have been using ANKI for almost a decade, and I consider this app to be god's gift to students who need to memorize almost anything. Truly, this app is a great contribution to the society of students, young and old, who need to memorize almost anything. ee. So now, I will post this link for you here. And, I just hope that doing so will be kosher: https://apps.ankiweb.net/ ff. If you want to learn an L2, and you want to learn it faster than otherwise possible.... Then..... Download ANKI... and use it religiously. I have NO skin in the game of the ANKI app. The ANKI person who maintains this app seems to be a super nice person who truly cares about what he does, and he has provided invaluable help to many students around the world, helping them to memorize much more than they thought they could, and in a faster and more efficient way. gg. So, it's up to you. Download ANKI, download a few books, then go for it. hh. I have forgotten the name of the most helpful Thai-language primer I ever used, a book I read long ago. But, no matter, because this is not the Thaivisa Language Forum....is it? The only thing to remember, if you want to learn vocabulary more quickly.... is to download and use ANKI. Just be aware that ANKI can have a rather steep learning curve if you might wish to customize it, or change its basic function. So Solly for this far too-brief addendum. Just remember what I imagine that Coxhead would tell you...which is..... mastery of vocabulary is crucial for effective language study. Some day, maybe, no one will speak a foreign language, and everybody will speak the language most of use know as the Lingua Franca. I have spent many years learning Lingua Franca. Lingua Franca is one of the most difficult languages, and even more difficult than passa Thai. Still, Lingua Franca can be learned gradually, word by word, if one has the will and the time. Such a great language, Lingua Franca, because it rolls off the tongue like almost no other language. Nobody is too old to learn a new language! Fear Not!

Reading your good comment, I immediately thought of this well-known account.... Being invisible is a hard row to hoe. Especially, for an extended amount of time.

Wow. WAY out in the woods, you say? I am VERY envious of you. I have been dreaming about this for years. (I want some place quiet: Only Birds allowed, and no other noise.) I have never travelled to Isaan, but I have heard many good things about this place. Out in the Woods... Is where I want to be, too....

Obviously, the OP wishes an honest and considered reply to his post, and so, .... here goes: aa. There are no good studies showing whether or not one's L2 language learning ability markedly decreases after any given age, once one has reached the age of 50. bb. Still, verbal ability seems to remain fairly resilient even to our eighth decade, as seen from this graph. cc. Therefore, you might ask what is the most important factor which predicts success in learning an L2 language. Indeed, the most important factor is MOTIVATION. You need not worry overly much about age as predictor for success in your language learning endeavor, such as your wish to learn passa Thai. IF you have enough motivation, and IF you can sustain this motivation, consistently, day after day, with few breaks between your Thai-language studies and your golfing, then you WILL learn Thai to a fairly good level, without doubt. You will be able to listen-and-comprehend, speak, and also write passa Thai at a very decent level, after several years of dedicated study. When one is young, some say that it might require about 7 years of constant study in order to become fairly fluent in an L2 or L3 language. However, when one reaches the age of 60, for example, becoming fluent in a new language is probably not in the cards, unless you expect to live to the ripe old age of 95, which is probably also not in the cards for most of us. The best you can hope for is to speak and comprehend quite well, which should be good enough for you. And, your being 53 puts you in a very good position to become fairly fluent by age 60. Just remember that you must sustain your motivation over an extended period of time in order to reach your intended language- learning goal. dd. But why, one should ask, do I really want to expend so much effort in order to learn a language which is spoken by so relatively few, compared to other languages??? The answer is: 1. Thai is a very beautiful language. 2. Thai script is rounded, and there are no sharp angles in it. 3. Learning passa Thai is unique among languages in that learning passa Thai can help to ward off dementia. (I know this is somewhat true from my own experience.) 4. Learning Thai is fun. And, it is cool. Also, after you are able to read passa Thai, then....all the writing on billboards you see, while walking along the streets, will seem less threatening. ee. So. You are only 53? You are still young. You are the perfect age for learning the Thai language, both written and spoken. ======= You asked a question, and..... If you are not entirely satisfied with this reply, Please let me know. Best of Luck to you in finding your best strategy to learn a new language!

Your idea that Thai people appreciate...SO VERY MUCH....the farang who deign to learn Thai....is just too quaint an idea. It's like.... Oh! Do you see??? This Western god has deigned to learn our local language, and so we wish to bow down to him for his kindness and caring of our lowly language and culture. Sure, some Guide Books do say that...if you learn the local language....then you might get more undeserved respect from locals. But, really, friends.... THIS is NOT why you would want to learn a language. This should not be your principal motivation. IF you love learning languages...then learn and enjoy the experience of learning. But do not do it for any purpose other than you just love language. As we all know, we are separated from other apes, such as chimps, bonobos, and gorillas, not by our sexual prowess or proclivities, but as a result of our evolutionary gift of a highly developed ability which makes language possible, and inevitable. As you know, Chomsky does not know why Chimpsky does not have real language, and why only we do. I love Chomsky. I also once loved Chimpsky. But, Washoe was a drag. Here is a photo of Washoe...learning passa Thai. Total failure.

My tones are good, all five of them, especially my rising tone. My vocabulary is adequate for everyday life. My reading is OK, but only after much hard work on ANKI. Still, no matter how fluent my language skills might be, as usual, nobody understands me in any language I speak. Some guys are just unable to to communicate, in any language....

Sorry: I forgot to mention that, during the 1970's, I had watched Burt Lancaster's performances without true appreciation, and we young kids ridiculed him, mercilessly when we were in our teens. And now, in my old age, I see this guy's performances in a more accurate way, I think. Sure, his name, Burt Lancaster is still hilarious. Yet, this guy could act! He was great. Maybe, these days, I have a bit more understanding about this actor. Also, John Cheever: A great writer. Many of you already know him. Certainly you do if you have ever read The New Yorker, back in the day when this magazine was truly amazing. ((Thank you for changing and improving the Topic Title here. Great.))

My Dear Friends, What I mean is that, after about 19 months of not knowing whether we might be neither here nor there, sort of in a dream world between reality and a nightmare, should this virus thing go on too long, then we all might just wake up in the autumn of our lives, and find that the leaves have turned from green to red and brown…..if you get my drift. Knowing what I know about readers here on the Pub Forum, I know that most of you know John Cheever, not to mention John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Also, knowing that most of the guys here on this Pub Forum are just about as old as you can be, without actually dying from old age, then I know that your levels of wisdom are about as high as they can be, without actually becoming godlike. If you have never read the story by Cheever, The Swimmer, might I suggest that you quickly do so before you become even older, and lose the opportunity to become enthralled with a yarn worth its salt. You guys realize that, when it really comes right down to it, there is such a dearth of true intellectual stimulation in Pattaya, no matter how stimulating some of the people there often prove to be. So, let us just say that it might be possible to swim one’s way from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, just by going from one swimming pool, to the next, and the next. And let us just treat this as another thought experiment for purely entertainment purposes which might also help us to overcome the boredom due to Omicron. The days, these days, do seem to be becoming ever colder…and so…. …. For those who may not have read, seen, or heard about “The Swimmer”, John Cheever, or Burt Lancaster (what a hunk), here are a few helpful hints: aa. The original story in The New Yorker: I think that this story is free to read without a subscription to The New Yorker magazine: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1964/07/18/the-swimmer bb. The film Trailer (1968) cc. There are quite a number of learned articles written about Cheever and his Swimmer. I leave it to you to investigate this further. ======== My Dear Friends, As January continues to become colder, even though not many leaves might fall from trees in Thailand, still, it is possible to appreciate many of the themes apparent in Cheever's swimmer. If only where were more swimming pools on the way from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, then someone in this Pub might be able to write an update to Cheever's wonderful story. The days are becoming shorter, my friends. And, the loss of two years due to this virus has not helped our moods, I would imagine. Stay safe, Me Hearties! Read Books, too!, unlike some we know in Pattaya, who may not. Because, for some, in Pattaya, probably, there is less time for reading, and more time for swimming and diving, and other water sports, conceivably. Do not get sidetracked by baser pursuits. Keep your morals about you, just simply because doing so will lead to further happiness for you, and far fewer hassles. Follow the good path, my friends, and never look back. In the end, for sure, you will find more happiness through NOT pursuing it in the bars. Happiness is just too elusive, and should never be actively chased. Let Happiness falleth like the gentle rain, is my advice. Don't obsess about it. And, don't try to force it. Take care, My Friends. Try to stay out of the bars, Go swimming in the mornings, and relax on the beautiful beaches in the cool afternoons of January. Get more sunshine, and more vitamin D from the sun, if not vitamin D3 from pills. My very best to you, Sincerely, Glob

One of the more valuable things about the Internet is that you can easily find a dozen people, far more interesting, in a minute, than you might be able to find, if you searched for a year among the people living nearest you, lying under a banana tree, or next door to you in some McMansion. On the other hand, one can be subjected to interesting drivel, as well, which just eats up one's time, without providing substance. Yet, whom among us is to say what is the wheat, and what is the chaff. I have met many farang. Few that I have met, in real life, are wheat. Most are chaff. This place is better, I would say.

As you know, some of us have been reading this amazing Pub Forum for more years than we would wish to admit. And, I, for one, have aged immeasurably during this period of time, becoming ever more bent, and ever more wrinkled, as time takes its toll. Yet, as my memory continues to deteriorate, day by day, there is one thing I recall clearly of a decade ago, and this is the past posts on TV, almost an innumerable number of them, which often asked why…..why, when one farang saw another farang on the street, neither one would recognize the other, as if this were a “No No”. Well, the answer is this. You never know the quality of the farang you might meet on the street. He/She might be almost any type of person; one just never knows. For example, I recently had a run-in with some young man who mistakenly thought that he and I were brothers, even though he seemed to me to be very down low on the scale of primates. He was more like a wet-nosed lemur, or so it seemed. He asked me to have coffee with him, actually, after insulting me. I mean, he seemed not to understand that there might be an Omicron/Delta strain of this virulent virus in the wind. Maybe, he wanted to infect me. I really do not know why Thai people give us farang so much UNQUALIFIED undeserved respect, because, as we all know, respect must be earned. Some of us might earn it. And some of us do not earn it. But, you can't just bunch us up in one lump, can you? And so, if you see me waltzing down the street, please do not give me a nod, just due to my handsomeness. OK? Balzac was ugly, but still worthy. Also, if you see me on the New York subway....I mean.... And if you think I look like a farang..... Please do not pay any attention to me. Sometimes, looking like a farang on the subway, last station to the Bronx, does not mean that two farang must say "Hi".

OK. Thank you very much. Wishing you (and all those you care most about) an even better year than 2021, in 2022. PS: I hope to see you in 2023, actually. Take care!

Although we can't beat it, Most of us would not wish to emulate it.

Gin a body meet a body, comin frae the town, Gin a body kiss a body, need a body gloom; Ilka Jenny has her Jockey, ne'er a ane hae I, But a' the lads they loe me, and what the waur am I. Gin a body meet a body, comin frae the well, Gin a body kiss a body, need a body tell; Ilka body has a body, ne'er a ane hae I, But a the lads they loe me, and what the waur am I. Gin a body meet a body, comin thro' the rye, Gin a body kiss a body, need a body cry; Ilka body has a body, ne'er a ane hae I; But a' the lads they loe me, and what the waur am I. You know, sometimes, a Farang, especially a young one, hot after bar-girl tail, is just not worth meeting, in the rye, or while drinking rye. I really do not know how many of you, here on this glorious forum, might be Farang, or otherwise. All I can tell you is that, in most cases, I never say HI to farang here, real life. And, for good reason. Maybe I am wrong? But, why take the risk? Better to just go about one's business, and stay away from farang guys who try to chat your up, or otherwise interact with you, in strange ways. Here on the Farang Pub, one can be sure of one thing: Guys and Girls are honest. Otherwise, they would not be here. Ha! You think I am wrong? No, I am correct. My opinion is that the people who post here are far more honest than those you might find in the non-virtual world. Believe me! Or, is this just a bit of optimistic projection on my part?

Excuse the question, but.... Let us say that the GPS were to suddenly fail... Then, would not the average rodent be smarter than thee, in most cases?

Nay! Are you suggesting that a thought experiment might be useful, in some cases? a. Schrödinger's cat? b. Or, some useless thought experiment showing that time moves differently for someone moving than for someone standing still? Where would we be? How would we even know where we are without GPS? And, without the Theory of Relativity, then GPS would be impossible. Sometimes, thought experiments are useful. And, as stated originally, who cannot be convinced that London Cab Drivers are amazing...and also very polite...and also full of good humor? There are many retired men who once navigated London, here, today, in Thailand. Everybody knows this.

Thinking carefully about your comment...... And, also thinking about so many men and women today, who have been exposed to war..... Even though my grandfather progressed from being a medic in the trenches in France to becoming a successful orthopedic surgeon, and had of orthopedic surgery at a major hospital, ....... Yet, in some ways, his exposure to his war experience and the trenches in France left a lasting impact which colored his life, for the rest of his life. These days, the term PTSD is so familiar. And, my grandfather was affected throughout his life until the day he died, when the term PTSD had not yet become widely recognized. Will we ever by free of war? Young college students always ask this same question in their naivete. War always saps the strength of our youth, most of all. There is nothing beneficial about it. 2022, hopefully, will be a far better year, concerning finally freeing ourselves from the virus of ill repute. Maybe someday, by the year 3022, we will put an end to war, finally. And then, our young college students will find a more useful topic for discussion. Humanity progresses in its humanity year by year, there is no doubt. Maybe we just must remain patient. Someday, we will overcome our own humanity, perhaps.

Well, your spelling aside, for now.....which is obviously intentional,.... Can you recite the value of π beyond the decimal point to 9 digits? For doing this, I would give you a badge, for sure....a mathematical badge.

Not sure about badges. My grandfather was awarded this badge, during WW One, for saving lives as a medic in the trenches in France. OVERSIZED IMAGE REMOVED. Rather a harrowing experience. He never recovered, not even by the age of 95 when he finally died. I mean, what he saw in the trenches stayed with him, and haunted him, throughout his life. Going over the top without a rifle, just to carry another back to safety, on one's back, must be worth a badge, or two. I once thought, when i was in my early teens, that Erich Maria Remarque was a woman. So, anyway, no matter what prizes we might accumulate on TV, let us also wish and hope that 2022 will bring more Peace on Earth, rather than more war. Best to everyone here. Glob Note: I think I will read Maria's book, "All Quiet on the Western Front", one more time, probably this week. Take care my friends.

OK, Charlie..... However, most interesting to me is what her life was like up to the age of 7. As we are always told, and this may likely be true, personality is formed and fixed by age 7. More than this, 100 years ago, I am tempted to take another look at what life, in general, was like for this woman, then. I enjoy looking back in order to see just how much our world has changed in 100 years. This woman was a product of her early years, and also the early years of her parents and friends. These days, we are living in a completely changed world. For example, the very act of reading a novel has become passé these days. Look back 100 years and you might find things that you might wish had not been lost. Things like, but not limited to, the thylacine, and Groucho Marx. Those were the days, for sure. Happy New Year, CharlieH...... Best to you, and yours!