HappyExpat57

It doesn't have to be that extreme. Instead of sucking up, say, 10 billion baht in a year's profit, just take 9 billion and pay their workers that 800 baht/day. Plato said a CEO to worker pay ratio should be around 5:1. Currently it's astronomically FAR away from this. Amazon: 6,474-to-1. ... Expedia: 2,897-to-1. ... McDonald's: 2,251-to-1. ... [source: https://www.businessinsider.com/these-20-companies-have-biggest-ceo-to-worker-pay-ratios-2022-7] What we should do, as fellow humans, is customize a compensation structure that is fair and reasonable, based on market research and data, and that is tied to performance to effectively motivate and retain skilled leaders. Instead we have modern day robber barons.

Says every cheap Charlie robber baron or baron wannabe.

The price rise would be negligent, particularly if the robber barons would loosen their grip on their gold just a little bit. This has been shown time and time again. I would gladly pay an extra 15 baht for a pizza if it meant that all the staff were making a living wage.

Poverty is a man made construct. The robber barons around the world need cheap labor to continue their amassing wealth. There are more than enough resources to afford everyone a decent, dignified life and STILL keep the robber barons rolling around in their gold.

Welcome to LOS where making sense is a rare commodity.

And (I would imagine by popular demand) it's back!

"Bananas" and monkeys - some jokes just write themselves. Too bad that laughing Emoji is now banished to boogie land.

Are stories like this why they took away the laugh emoticon?

I won't point out your personal tag line, then ask you to actually read my original post. I won't do that.

If the Honda shop had balked at selling to me, I was going to get their number, return to immigration and have the IO talk directly to them. Fortunately I didn't have to go there.

I occasionally think of my dad, always fondly. My mom? The entire family would p!ss on her grave if anyone knew where it was.

I just switched from Jomtien to Chanthaburi for my TM-30, then asked the IO for a certificate of residence, application form TM-18, in order to buy a new motorbike from Honda. I've been here over 15 years and you practically need the cert of residence to buy a stick of gum at 7-11. I had the form, all filled out, along with a picture. She said they don't do those here in Chanthaburi. I was extremely skeptical as I immediately went to the Honda shop, but two hours later I'm driving home on a brand new Honda Click 160. Is this a good sign of better times or is it (yet again) up to the individual immigration offices/provinces to decide what rules to apply?

When you go for your next extension they examine your bank book carefully and check if rules have been adhered to. At Jomtien immigration a letter from the bank is also required. Costs 100 baht, the banks know exactly what to do.

Did you stop over in Tokyo then on to Swampy?

I believe Taiwan is just closed down hard. I usually fly EVA, but they won't even sell you a ticket. That was a few months ago, but I'd be leery even if they reopened.

If you go via JAL, they connect in Tokyo. Even if just passing through they require a Covid test 72 hours before entering.

I believe you are quite correct. I've a rice farmer friend in Isaan and she tells me they're getting too much rain.

I would have preferred to click on the "laugh" emoji cuz this is funny. So there ya go, wasted electrons and time.

Like they ever really stopped? Pleeeeeeeeeeez!

The issue of China's ghost cities is going to bite them in the a$$. When? Your guess is as good as mine, but it's gonna happen, and its effect will ripple around the world just like the housing bubble bursting in the US.

The very south end of Jomtien beach is pretty quiet. Vendors got chased off a few months ago, though I don't know if they crept back in like cockroaches often do.

They're trying to polish a turd. Let the shops open unencumbered as before and this "travelution" nonense will become moot.

I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS chat with the vendor to make sure they have the item in stock.

I've had worse, and some when I was actually sober!

Oh my Buddha! For 200k he could have had many wonderful groping sessions, receiving a grateful wai after each one.