GammaGlobulin

CITIBANK NYC....

Photosynthetical, you mean? You write photosynthetically; you sound photosynthetical. Obviously, you do. (The word photosynthetically is a valid adverb. However, the word photosynthetical is a new one left up to your imagination.)

You are absolutely correct. Are you a beer chemist?

Lightning Over SE Asia from the ISS .... Enjoy!

Sometimes, on this good forum, I feel as if I am writing to swillers of cheap beer, such as the beer, Olde Frothingslosh. Are you guys no more than swillers of beer, like Tom Jones? Have you people no class, at all? I tell you, truly the smaller the bubbles, then the better the mouth feel. And, it is not easy to get small bubbles, either. Leo Beer has huge bubbles. It ups to you if you like huge. But, for refined people of taste and means, the larger the bubbles, the poorer the experience. Same thing with big bbbooobbbs, in my opinion. It is always the ladies with smaller ones that are superior. Take Mia Farrow, for instance. So, if you really want to know about small bubbles, There are many articles floating around on the internet. Here is one, out of many, for example... https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2019/1/28/tiny-bubbles-how-nitrogenation-changed-beer-forever Maybe most of you know not much about bubbles or teets?

Bubbles is what adds flavor and mouth feel to beer, which is wonderful. BIG bubbles ...Bad TINY bubbles....Good. Next time you have a great beer, pour it in a glass, and see the tiny bubbles. Otherwise, pour a poor beer in a glass, and notice the huge bubbles. What causes the difference in size of bubbles in a beer of higher quality vs a beer of lower quality? BEER is all about BUBBLES, my friend. Live and learn, my friends....!

Perhaps I should have qualified this topic, a bit, but also not necessarily. If you are renting a condo, then you are correct in your assumption that you are less likely to encounter difficulties caused by the vagaries of tiny landlords who are renting out just one or two properties. If you are renting through a larger company, a rental agency, such as with a time-share property, then you might be less likely to encounter difficulties. Also, possibly, it is a totally different situation for those who are renting a house from an owner who has only one or two houses to let. Why not try renting a house from a landlord who is renting out one of his houses, where he lives next-door, or in the same village. Then, please, let us know, in the future, whether or not you will be singing the same tune. Finding a great landlord and a great property is not as easy as you might think...only IMHO.

Leo beer has BIG bubbles. The German beers I like have small bubbles. Why?

Was it the Merion Cricket Club??? This is the only one I can think of worth visiting. Super nice, for sure.... But now...it's really No Big Deal. It was a totally different operation in the 1960s and 1970s. Wish I could go back, in fact. Those days are long gone. https://www.merioncricket.com/

One cannot help but wholeheartedly agree that football, and all pro sports, is a blight upon the world, and with many good reasons. Therefore, if one were to choose a place to live, and if one had unlimited funds, and if one were born in Australia, then what would be the best place to live, for an Australian, better than Australia? Monaco, maybe? Luxembourg? Where?

It might be weird, but still, it's just weird SCIENCE. Washington controls North America, South America, the UK, Taiwan, Japan, etc., etc., etc. Maybe Africa is still up for grabs, but the US will not let China continue to make inroads there, for long. Please refer to Chomsky's accurate view of our present-day world. As for me, I wish I had the wanderlust to take off from here and travel to Australia, because I think I might really like it there. Australian people are nice, for the most part. Why Australians are leaving Australia, I do not know. They have an ENTIRE CONTINENT to themselves. They are so LUCKY. Many believe Chomsky is weird. I have read a LOT of Chomsky, over the years. He is a great scientist, and an international treasure. He is weird. But, in many cases... He is right. Nobody wants to hear the truth. Chomsky is always considered nothing but a wet blanket by those who wish to destroy our world. It will be too late for Mankind when we wake up and realize that Chomsky was......right. Here is Nim Chimpsky, also a graduate of at least one Ivy League school... Nim Chimpsky attended Columbia University. Noam Chomsky attended The University of Pennsylvania for undergrad work, before moving to MIT, I think. Which is the better school? Columbia? Penn? MIT? Just ask Nim...maybe. I go with Nim. Penn is second to Columbia.

But, actually, they are not. PNG, NZ, and Fiji, etc, all come under the umbrella of territory which is wishfully controlled by Sydney/Camembert. It's like saying Mexico, Central America, and South America are separate countries. Even though we know this is not true. Washington owns everything from Alaska to Chile. You see what I mean? Dare we say, even, that Washington owns Australia? Subs were sold to Australia...yes...recently. France is <deleted>....recently. But, whatever Washington decides, goes. Whatever Lola wants... Lola gets...

Yes, I know what is said on the internet. However, I tend to disagree. There is just NO WAY that this population census is accurate, these days.....Only My Humble Opinion. Australia is a continent, after all. How could the population on an entire continent be so low. For example: Australia/Oceania has a population of 43 million... SEEEEE????? This is what I meant by 40 million. But, I think this number is tooo low. Now you know what I was driving at. I was speaking of the CONTINENT of Australia. Got it? (Smile)....

I guess, by now, almost everybody around the world has seen the videos coming out of Kensington Ave, Philadelphia. There is nothing new to be seen here. But, just 15 miles from Kensington Ave, you will find yourself on The Main Line. I grew up there. Gladwyne is a nice and safe place with decent houses. I can recommend that you move here if you want to live a decent life. Yes, this is where my friends live....

Yes. OK. Either poor research, or, I was seeing double. Anyway, I think the census is off. In 1989, the population of Australia was about 22 million. I recall checking this out, in 1989, because I had sent several inquiries to Australian suppliers. And so, what have the Australians been doing, since 1989? Surely, they have been procreating...right? Therefore, why is it that the population census does not show all these new Australian souls added into Australian society. aa. By the way, I can recall so clearly just how refreshing it was for me to contact prospective suppliers in Australia, compared to doing the same fore suppliers in NYC or Chicago, or some place like these. Australians, at least in 1989 were always polite, friendly, and helpful. I really appreciated this, so much! I STILL think that Australians are polite, friendly, and helpful, in fact. bb. I have heard so much from a few people from Australia concerning how much Australian society has changed, seemingly for the worse. cc. I would chalk this up to gradual loss of homogeneity in Australian culture, for whatever reason. Years ago, Australia was relatively insulated from much of the world (in terms of social mores), and I thought, being the man I am, that this was just great. I had often wished that I could leave where I had been living and move to Australia. Sort of a dream of mine. And, it would still be a dream of mine if I could ONLY emigrate to the land that Australia once was. dd. No place is boring, really. There are always things to do, no matter where one might be. I would GLADLY leave here and go to Australia, in a heartbeat, if only I could live in the Australia of the 1970s, but with good internet connection to the more modern world. Australian people are nice. I enjoy their niceness. Even today, quite a few people in Australia are nice. Not sure about those Australians who have left Australia for other places, long-time, because... I do not know many.

My Friends, Maybe you have wondered the same thing. When I was young, and after reading about Australia, I had always wanted to visit this land I had so-much read about. Australia is a land of endless beaches, innumerable lifeguards, and a well established sailing community. The population density is among the lowest on Earth, and it seems that Australia really has it all. Why would anyone from Australia wish to uproot and move to some place in SE Asia, especially when there are so many foreigners just dying to get into this privileged southern heaven? Is this just a case of the Australians becoming too bored with life, a life lived where everything is so good that they are now experiencing not enough hardship to make life interesting? What is wrong with Australia, anyway, that such a significant sector of the population is willing to move to places where it is unlikely that they will ever speak the local language, fluently, such as Thailand and the United States. On the surface, at least, Australia seems such an idyllic place in which to be born, to live to the fullest, and then to die with dignity. Yet, we continually see those, a minority of Australian citizens, people who may be dissatisfied with one of the best places on Earth, come to places here which are not half as nice as Australia. What is going on? Why do people leave one of the best places this planet has to offer? One thing noteworthy is that Australia’s population has been rising fast since 1960. I think that the population is now about 40 million, which is double what it was when I first became interested in emigrating to Australia. Back in the day, Australia was perceived to be a much more homogenous society and culture. Maybe this is why, during recent decades, and due to the cultural effects of such a rapidly changing world society, some people from Australia now wish to move to Thailand. Or, it might be due to increases in non-indigenous fauna, such as the explosion of mice in Australia. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/australias-plague-of-mice-is-devastating-and-could-get-a-lot-worse/ Years ago, you might scarcely have seen anybody who would be willing to leave Australia for some other country. And yet, in recent decades, every year, the number of Australians coming to SEA is changing. So then, why is this? Another thing which still surprises me is that some people confuse Austria with Australia, and I was guilty of this when I was younger. Australians are extremely lucky to be born in an amazing place, fairly far below the equator. All in all, Australians are blessed, and I wonder if most of them know just how blessed they truly are, for so many valid reasons. Regards,

One more word about psychoactive drugs used to manage depression. These drugs, unfortunately, are useless. Why? a. It seems that "patients" habituate easily to these drugs. b. There is no real understanding of how these drugs work. c. There are serious side effects to this type of drug therapy which can exacerbate depression and negatively impact the patient's overall wellbeing. d. In many cases, the cause of depression is due to environmental factors. e. Above all, the mechanisms of psychoactive drugs is poorly understood. And therefore, I would say that the Thai way is better than the western medicine way, which is to say the Asian way is still the best. This way includes family support, as well as other traditional strategies. Or, just get drugged up? No way. Family support is far better.

When some people, some who have posted above, speak of depression as being a severe and palpable pain, and when others might not understand this as being real pain: Then. The people who cannot understand this concept of depression being equal to physical pain, should enlighten their understanding by taking at least a one-semester course from the likes of Sapolsky at Stanford. Here is the link to Sapolsky's short intro to his ideas about this subject: You might even want to enroll at Stanford to learn more. The thing is, when you say something like.... "I understand what you are feeling", then, you do not, unless you are experiencing it, yourself. Sapolsky is not somebody who has not also suffered from anxiety and depression. At least, this is what I have read. Anyway, this lecture is a good intro to the "feeling" of depression, and the impact of these feelings, if only you might listen. It ups to you, as they say in Pattaya. Or, maybe you think a massage might be more helpful to you or somebody you know, compared to this lecture??? I think not. Everybody wants to know how to rid themselves, or someone they know, from depression. And, just understanding depression is the best that one can do now. Enjoy!

My Dear Friends, The only reason I mention this is to ask if you, like I, have occasionally been compelled to resort to insincere praises and other Machiavellian wiles, just to keep your relationship with your landlord going swimmingly enough, and greased enough? It’s my guess that a majority of us do not own our own homes, here away from home And therefore, most of us must be renters while here. What are the strategies you use to placate your landlords and landladies? Do you curtsy? How do you stroke their egos in order to get what you deserve, after paying your rent on time? It has been said that completely-direct confrontation when something goes amiss, especially in Thai culture, is not the best way to handle most situations. And, certainly, this is true. And, if this is definitely the case, then what do you do? Do you often feel tempted to assume the demeanor of Uriah Heep, and feign the demanded obsequiousness that makes you squirm? Let me state this another way. Let’s say that you rented the cheapest room at the Peninsula in Hong Kong. And let us say that the bed was not turned down properly, to your liking. Then, in this case, would you even hesitate to raise a stink? Of course you would not. And I am not just talking about missing chocolates on your pillow at night. But here, in Thailand, things are often different, and we must accept these different strokes. If you express dissatisfaction with a service you paid for, then it is really still not acceptable to redress this, or any shortcoming, using a “direct’ approach. And, since the direct approach is never acceptable, then how do you handle things? Personally, I am unable to say what the best approach might be. Nothing has worked for me, so far… Maybe it’s because, after reading Dickens, I find pretended unctuousness to be ridiculous. And this is the purpose of my asking if the Uriah Heep approach might be the correct approach, and the enlightened approach, just to keep everybody happy when renting from a landlady who is the top hen of her tiny guest-house roost. Normally, we might think that insincerity and “umbleness” should be considered as negative qualities, having read David Copperfield, and other great books by Dickens. However, when living under the thumb of a landlady, and in order to get the best service, might not a bit of eating Humble Pie, once in a while, not improve the life of any decent rent-paying tenant? In my view, some landladies and landlords run their establishments without benefit of any college degree in Hospitality. This means that they have no schooled perspective on any “norm” of what is or should be considered acceptable service while running their fiefdom-like guesthouses. At least, we can be thankful that we are not living in Judge Alvin’s guesthouse, I guess. Having lived in Asia for most of my life, I have learned to state things more obliquely than I might, if I had lived in NYC and other nearby places longer than I did. NYC is not Thailand, I guess. And Kansas is not New Jersey. Sometimes, when I feel a bit “put upon” by my landlady, then I just compare her unfavorably to Judge Alvin, a man of great respect and true hospitality. And then, I sometimes feel relieved in the comparison. I just consider her to be an honorable reeve. A reeve of the same ilk whom I must pleasingly placate. Being a tenant here is not easy. And, being a rich or poor Dickens character in a real-life guesthouse, is equally not easy. Still, maybe it is better than being an orphan in London, or sweeping chimneys, many years ago. Too much soot. Regards, GGlobulin

Although I consider your comment to be undue flattery to me, I am not so sure that Sparktrader would ever wish to be bunched in with me or my group. Maybe you are generalizing? Just wondering, since you state you rarely have free time to read entire threads.

Regarding Rain: Some guys can't do without the rain. WC Fields spent the last 22 months of his life at the Las Encinas Sanatorium in Pasadena, California. In 1946, on Christmas Day—the holiday he said he despised—he had a massive gastric hemorrhage and died, aged 66.[96] Carlotta Monti wrote that in his final moments, she used a garden hose to spray water onto the roof over his bedroom to simulate his favorite sound, falling rain. Some guys find the sound of rain on the roof comforting. Others, find the sound of a cat on a hot tin roof comforting. Here in Thailand, if you live in a cheap house, you will hear both cats and squirrels and also plenty of rain. I enjoy all three.

So true, that one can never go back. "Wolfe took the title from a conversation with the writer Ella Winter, who remarked to Wolfe: "Don't you know you can't go home again?" Wolfe then asked Winter for permission to use the phrase as the title of his book." Note: You are writing well these days. Good to see it. Note2: I once knew Taiwan like the back of my hand. Just another meaning for this idiom, I guess.

Here is another topic which deserves a bit more thought, maybe. This poster is now 80, I would imagine. Maybe he wrote this post, way back in 2021, when he was 79, and now he is 80. There are two types of people, those who love nostalgia and those who do not. I do not, simply because I do not wish to be reminded of my past. In my case, I have spent most of my life sending letters, telexes, faxes, and now emails, long emails, from Asia back home to my family. I have been told that most of my letters and faxes and telexes were saved, even though this was not at my request, nor to my liking, at any time. I have no idea what will become of the millions of words I sent home during past years. I only know that I have written very long letters and faxes home, which is only something I felt that I had to do, if I could not be there in person. I have never kept a diary, just as the OP stated he never did. Yet, unintentionally, a diary has been kept for me, just due to the letters I have sent over many years. Would I ever read these letters I sent? NO! NEVER! I never read what I write because whatever I write, after it has been written, disgusts me. This is why there is no point in my keeping a diary. I am sure others feel exactly as I do about this subject of reading what we have written, and about keeping a diary. In a perfect world, we all would have enough money to hire a biographer and a photographer to document our lives, day by day, and blow by blow. But then, would any one of us have the guts to look at such a documentary of our own lives, I shudder to think of being forced to review my own personal history. Someday soon, we will have the technology to document our lives from beginning to end in 3D video with perfect sound, and all transcribed into one HUGE book using a simple app using voice recognition technology, which is now in its infancy. The question is: If your life's diary could be kept for free, and if it were almost 100% accurate, then would you even have time to watch your life's diary while you were living your life? In other words, would you have time to watch yourself watching your diary while you were also living your life. And then, if you had the time to do this, then would you have the time to watch yourself watching your diary, while your diary was being updated, and then watching that, too? I will never read my diary which was caught using letters, telexes, faxes, and now, emails. There is just too much there to read, and ccrapp I would never read. Or, if I were to stop my life now, and then just shut myself up in a box, with no external stimulation from outside the box, then, and only then, might I have time to read my diary. So, to the poster who posted this topic, I would say.... Do not fret about what you did not write in your nonexistent diary. Just do your best to enjoy what is left of your life, undocumented, from now until there is no more to write about. Don't get spooked by the ephemerality of biology, and the human lifespan. And, always keep in mind that, it's NOT just you. Because, there is ALWAYS the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, which is to say, ENTROPY, and that, no matter how much you might write in a diary, eventually, the diary will turn to nothingness. Even your first love that you might have written about in your diary...will...in the end...mean nothing to you. Diaries are just sound and fury, signifying nothing, in the end, and in consideration of what we know about Entropy. So, instead, just listen to Hendrix. And, wave on, Wave on, While you still, Can.... Dig?

I know you know Taiwan like the back of your hand.