GammaGlobulin

I offer to fund their studies at Harvard College.

Young women with stars in their eyes, girls who romanticize and dream, need to be protected from predators. There are many Rascals in Paradise here, and the young naïve women who arrive from small towns need guidance and protection. Or, maybe, the lives lost are not important? Statistically speaking, the lives lost are insignificant? (I think not.)

My Dear Friends, One of the greatest yarns, bar none, is The Tale of Two Cities. And whom among us has not wondered what we might do if we were in the sticky-wickety position of a man who considered losing his head, literally, in order to have the love of his life able to bed down with another man, a man not so noble as he? The reason I mention this, here, at this particular time, is that I have recently read a very interesting story in the news, as has also been reported on this noble forum. In my opinion, this story will continue to get some traction, and this story might become even more interesting as time goes by. Doubtless, you know, I am not one who appreciates tattooed trailer trash, and who knows what trailer trash means, anyway, like porn, unless you see it, and recognize it. The antithesis of trailer trash, I guess, must just be a feeling about people who are more caring for others, people who have benefited from a bit of education, and not the dregs of society, and also not the Rascals in Paradise. As you know, I am a REALLY Old Guy, and I would say that I have no sympathy for most views expressed, so stupidly, on social media. And, for those who become influenced by stupid and insipid social media, then, these are the ones who end up clueless about what is morally correct in life, things that can provide stability and contentment and some smidgeon of understanding about the meaning of life, if that is not even an oxymoron. So, anyway, without making this post overly long…. Again, I just wish to caution parents of young women, to teach their children well. In this, I am sure that Nancy would agree with me….for SURE. Children need guidance, these days, even up until age 22, like no other days, before. The social media which we all talk about is a potent force which can lead young women into behavior which they will very much regret, when things turn bad, for the rest of their lives. Tinder is complete nonsense, and a platform which is not suitable for any young woman, for sure. I do believe this. And, so do you, I would guess. Tinder is a platform which is feeding upon our youth, I think. There are young women, just young girls, in fact, which go on social media and then get in way over their heads, simply because they have not been provided with the tools necessary in order to protect themselves. Am I making sense? What I am talking about is INNOCULATION Theory in order to protect young women in this day and age. My Dear Friends, I know that most of you believe me to be an unthinking imbecile…right? And, in most cases, you would be completely accurate in your assessment. But, let’s take this Inoculation Theory, which I mention, which, probably, most of you have not heard about, and look at it more closely: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation_theory#:~:text=Inoculation%20theory%20is%20a%20social,of%20a%20stronger%2C%20future%20threat. What I am saying is that….We need to teach our young women well, when they are young. And, we need to provide them with the skills that might protect them from entering into toxic relationships on social media which might destroy their young lives. Sorry for posting this post which, I think, is not drivel. I feel sorry for women, both young and old, who are taken in by hucksters. Such a sad thing for them and their families, I imagine. And, I do not know why I care about this so much, except that…. truly, for a young woman to be taken in as a result of the mere naivete of her youth, and then to pay a huge price, is just so very sad. Predatory behavior is central to our natural world….and also natural to Rascals in Paradise, too. There are predators in our world, and they prey on the naïve, and often do not pay the price for this. Predators need justice dealt swiftly and hard. I hope that all men who prey on women get what they deserve, and they get it good and hard, and fast. Glob Note: There is something similar, in the Bothers K. where a man of wealth has the opportunity to prey upon a young and vulnerable woman, as you know. But, in the end, he does not act on his baser instinct. Or, maybe I got it mixed up, and it was the book, Dr. Zhivago… Note2: Years ago, we thought that young women should be protected, and not preyed upon. But, these days, maybe, we are not so meticulous in recognizing the fact that our women should be protected from harm, and also from themselves, on social media.

In addition to screening for COVID, as you say, perhaps all incoming foreigners should be administered the Mental Health Inventory, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Dynamics_Inventory#:~:text=The Health Dynamics Inventory (HDI,change over time and treatment.&text=It has multiple applications for,care medicine and integrated care.

Would you trade positions with a tree, if you could live until the end of Human history? We do know, down deep, that the odds are very much against seeing Human life persist for another few years....right? Here is a tree which has lived a long time. Would you trade places with a tree, in order to live a long time, if this also meant that you would never walk again, after having your feet turned into roots? Sometimes, questions such as these seem so fruitless to consider.

Sometimes I worry that Earth's moon will escape its orbit before I die. If this should happen, before I die, then..... Earth will become completely destabilized. The crops will fail. Humans will collectively fall into a long-lasting state of depression. As we know, the moon is moving away from Earth at the rate of about 3.8 cm per year. Still, maybe, if we are lucky..... Elon Musk will find a way to tie the Moon to Earth, forever, using some sort of tether. Still, I just wish this were not necessary.

Or, on the other hand.... A unique perspective from some guy up in Canada:

Actually, an important topic. When I was 18, I thought I would not live to see the turn of the century in 2000. When I was 60, I thought I would not be able to hang a wet towel from my erection in the mornings. Both of the above should not have been a worry for me. Now that I am older, I am still not yet old enough to write my will. Randy Newman is now 78, and he will always be randy. The older we become, the more invisible we may be..... Sorry... What was the topic, again?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_verification_in_sports#:~:text=Chromosome testing was introduced by,be inconclusive in identifying maleness.

Do you recall the book, Gone with the Wind? In this book, Ashley featured rather prominently. And, in the news account I read recently, the same was the case, in this case. Teach your children well before you allow them to leave for Asia.

Why did I write this post? As I said, I found myself feeling disturbed by a recent news account on a local news site, a case of a young woman losing her head after coming to a setting very foreign to her, and probably with not much support or guidance. And then, these feelings seemed to have dredged up additional instances of injustices which I have read about in the past. In addition, the Tinder-based culture, and the fact that criminals are able to travel around Asia, unimpeded, once they obtain a passport, is something worrying for parents of young people, pretty much obviously. Things remain happy and exciting in this new land, until things go wrong. Tinder is the grease which allows young people to easily hookup with others from a multiplicity of other cultures. Also, apps such as Tinder allow young and curious women to meet up with men hailing from backgrounds that no mother might relish. Sometimes, one might find out too late, meeting up with the improper stranger on a Tinder-type app can lead to unanticipated and unwanted consequences. And, even if a dating app might not be involved, then, sometimes, once a young and impressionable woman meets up with the wrong dark and handsome stranger, then ..... the young woman finds herself taking a detour, for life, behind bars. There are hucksters, aplenty in SE Asia, maybe, and these manipulators are usually not born here, but born in the West. They move to the East, SE Asia, and Asia, simply because they find the East the new West. Many years ago, these hucksters, due to lack of education, had no knowledge of Asia. Yet, now they do, since smartphones and the internet are almost free. Years ago, one would seldom find farang here tattooed up like an oriental carpet. Many decades ago, just about the only guy who was tattooed up like these carpetbaggers are, now, was Rod Steiger in the film, The Illustrated Man. Who does not enjoy having one's skin look like an oriental carpet, hand-tied, anyway?

You are the enlightened one. It takes time to reach this level of understanding.

My Dear Friends, As you know, James Michener once, long ago, collaborated on a book he titled, Rascals in Paradise. I first read this book which I found in a used book store, about 30 years ago, while living on some contested island. I have not forgotten this decent book. And, ever since, this book has colored my opinion of the foreigners I meet, wherever I go, no matter where I go in Asia. Fairly recently, I read a news account, probably apocryphal, of some older guy who influenced a much younger girl, just a kid, basically, which landed her in a word of hurt, absolutely, doubtlessly due to her naivete. And then, I began to think about the dregs of the dregs, though still only a small percentage of the whole, who wash up in Asia or SE Asia, only to cause havoc, just as Michener would have loved. Of course, in fact, Michener was always a righteous dude, and an upstanding citizen. Yet, Michener, like all talented writers, probably loved good stories of things gone wrong, similar to Somerset Maugham’s love of the same. In this young girl’s case, I think, it might have been like John D. MacDonald’s novel, later turned into a film, two films in fact, starring Robert Mitcham and also Mr. Taxi Driver….. I mean, I think this girl that I read about might have met up with a Cady, which just might have destroyed her life. There are many rascals in paradise here and there, throughout Asia. Girls hook up on Tinder with guys coming from around the world. Local girls here meet, on Tinder, with handsome men of sometimes ill repute, and these hookups lead to heartbreaking crashes affecting themselves and their families. In this fairly recent case I read, it just might have been the case that an older man manipulated a very young girl....probably similar to the way Cady did it in Cape Fear, for example. In my case, I have never lived in a neighborhood in Asia which was not just as good as the neighborhoods in which I lived in my home country. I have no complaints, and only have good things to say. However, for young girls, and less cautious girls than the norm, things can get very rocky, in a minority of cases. Outside of Cape Fear, there is nothing to fear if one sends one’s daughter into a structured environment with adequate supervision. However, when things go wrong, then…sometimes….one might encounter a Max Cady, rather than a Gregory Peck. And then, you get this.... There are many questionable guys from overseas wishing to get into paradise, here in Asia. All come from very diverse backgrounds and cultures For young people, probably it is best to stay at a university environment, and just study for a year or two, before striking out on one's own. Otherwise, one might run into a character, or two, such as Cady, with "My time is Not yet" written on his skin, sort of a Queequeg with no heart. Best, Glob Note: If one plans to exist in an area of a foreign country, one in which there is a high influx of travellers from all corners of the world, then it is best to remain circumspect and cautious. This just makes sense. Because, as Michener wrote, there are Rascals in Paradise. Note2: Personally, tats are not for me. I would never tat my hands, for example, though some do. If I did get a tat, I would write the names of all my GFs, about 23, on different parts of my body, just for fun.

Nothing so beautiful as the tulip.

YES. Thank you.....Sir Jing Thing.

My Dearest and Most-endearing Friends, Thankfully, the gecko’s song has now returned to my home, after such a seemingly lengthy hiatus, and I heard his song for the first time this year, just yesterday. I heard him calling me, issuing his unmistakable Call of the Wild, while I was having a muffin in my kitchen, late in the evening, just after finishing up the dishes, her in her apron. You know, I guess, I once posted about my fear of the gecko, wrongly assuming that the gecko might pounce on me while taking out the trash. In fact, the gecko is harmless, and his teeth are tiny, and he is, such a comely reptile, if one would just take time out to examine his markings. The reason I write about this gecko today is due to the sad fact that another year has passed, and I just wonder how many more years I will be around to welcome this creature back into my life, like the swallows of San Juan Capistrano, if I were in San Juan. I just wished to post this short message to encourage my friends here to glory in nature, and, every morning, give thanks for a new day, not to mention feeling gratitude for your lizard, if your lizard is as good as mine, always returning when you want him. I cannot say if this lizard, yesterday evening, is the same lizard who hangs out here every year, but I believe he is. If I were to every leave Thailand, an eventuality that I highly doubt, there is really no doubt that one of the things I would miss most would be the gecko, the sound he makes, and the fear-love I felt when I first set eyes on my love. Some things in Thailand are just so great, as I know you know. I am extremely grateful for my time in Thailand, for many reasons. Same as you, I am sure. Kindest regards, And, wishing you many more happy years of the gecko, Glob

Good fences make good neighbors, maybe... Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun; And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. The work of hunters is another thing: I have come after them and made repair Where they have left not one stone on a stone, But they would have the rabbit out of hiding, To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean, No one has seen them made or heard them made, But at spring mending-time we find them there. I let my neighbor know beyond the hill; And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each. And some are loaves and some so nearly balls We have to use a spell to make them balance: ‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’ We wear our fingers rough with handling them. Oh, just another kind of out-door game, One on a side. It comes to little more: There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him. He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’ Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder If I could put a notion in his head: ‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it Where there are cows? But here there are no cows. Before I built a wall I'd ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him, But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather He said it for himself. I see him there Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed. He moves in darkness as it seems to me, Not of woods only and the shade of trees. He will not go behind his father's saying, And he likes having thought of it so well He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’ Therefore, I say unto you.... Never buy a condo, or you might be taken for a fool. Rather, buy 20 hectares of land, and build your house in the center of your property. And then, grow high hedges.

Actually, truth be told, smokers downstairs can cause much discomfort upstairs to nonsmokers. This is really true. This problem can become very discomforting to nonsmokers...yet....this problem, also, is not easily solved in a building with multiple renters.

This is a problem which cannot be avoided unless you move to an unattached house. Even then, you will face smoke from many places, including neighboring countries. Best advice, therefore: aa. Invest in AC machines in every room. bb. Use double pane glazing. cc. Also, use the XiaoMi air purifiers in every room. dd. Cigarette smoke is truly a terrible problem when it rises from floors below. Nothing one can do....except....resort to technology or move to Pitcairn.

No, actually. It's just another Goodbye, Columbus. Highly polarized.

And then...I think.... IF Vivaldi were to be played in every Tambon, maybe.....heads might explode.... Like this...