expat_4_life

Bad analysis IMHO. Joni Mitchell had it right decades ago in her song "Big Yellow Taxi" They paved paradise And put up a parking lot With a pink hotel, a boutique And a swinging hot spot Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot

I would suggest that you've got your finger on the button. I wouldn't expect that any guest speaker (likely paid to attend and speak) will offer any specific clarity on official TRD policy. If the speaker could then it would be official TRD policy in the public domain announced by official government channels.

Well, I hope your vision is fulfilled. I'm a long time member who originally came to the forums for visa advice and the Thai language forums. The Thai language forums are pretty dead TBH. Trends being what they are, probably simply because of the large influx of foreigners to the country since 20 years ago, thus reducing the necessity of learning the local lingo. There are many sub-forums that provide valuable info for local expats. The how-to folk and the local knowledge people are good. The visa forums remain a source of valuable information. RIP UbonJoe 🙏 Never really came for the World News, in the modern age of social media we can get that easily anywhere. One value I find is the Local News. I've relied in an ever increasing way on TV/AN to bring the local/regional news to me, less reliance on the English language broadsheets. In that regard, if I had a wish, it would be increasingly providing an ever improving/expanding use as a portal, amalgamator/aggregator, for local and regional News and issues.

Here we go again, if you don't love us, then you hate us, transphobic. Carry on, create a few more opponents out of people that are otherwise tolerant or indifferent. To my way of thinking Children are absolutely/totally off limits, let them mature into what they will be and make adult decisions. Nobody is teaching children hate. Everything with activists these days is black or white, no room for normal people that that are not inclined to celebrate or support a particular cause. When we aren't, we get slandered and labeled. Of course the gender bending movement has no reverse gear, just like other popular activist movements.

I'm thinking about the thread title Iran potentially triggers World War 3 Who exactly is going to enlist to fight in it? You, your sons or daughters? Draft? I won’t even say what that would lead to. Nothing to stress about. This is all theatrics.

This is simply not true (in the US anyway), some selected professions can retire at 50, Law enforcement officers and fire fighters for example. LEOs and firefighters may retire voluntarily at an earlier age with a special annuity computation if they meet the age and service requirements: at least age 50 at the time of retirement and have 20 years of law enforcement and/or firefighter service. Some US military are also able to retire after 20 years of service. You'll receive a pension after 20 years of service. Active-duty Soldiers can start pension payments, at any age they choose.

The obvious answer is nobody knows for sure - I'm sure the diplomatic channels are brimming with activity. An interesting article appeared in the FT a day before the attack, that hints at a calibrated response to the Israeli attack in Syria https://www.ft.com/content/bdbc3ad0-376e-486f-a0be-fd6eea975d20 Question is where does it stand now? Iran side: Iran is celebrating a successful retaliation. They responded to the attack on their Embassy in Syria. They showcased their military capabilities. They showcased powerful hypersonic missiles. Iran shows it is a force in the region. Iran saves face. Israel side: CNN: "No reports of injuries directly through Iranian strikes" and "Israel's military says 99% of weapons fired by Iran intercepted" and finally "The US assessment is that Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful." Israel's Air Defense is strong. US Air Defense is strong (MIC sales $$$). Israel saves face. US/Biden WH: Biden is trying to get re-elected. Any other time in his Presidency and Biden might likely be all in...BUT Jake Sullivan who runs Biden's foreign policy is a campaign guy at heart, and he knows war with Iran would damage Biden's re-election. They opted for a calibrated response/defense, with an off-ramp for all sides. FT hinted (in the link I provided) that US and Iran are in back-channel talks facilitated by Oman, "Tehran is unlikely to target Israeli diplomatic facilities in the region, said an official briefed on talks between Iran and Oman, the Gulf state that has often facilitated back-channel diplomacy between Tehran and Washington." Biden WH official readout: "Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack." KEY WORD is "diplomatic" not military response. Conclusion: There is no need for further escalation. A wider war can EASILY be avoided. Everyone can walk away from this claiming a WIN. Problem: Netanyahu, hardliners (whispering in Bibi's ears), as well as Biden WH mixed messaging. Israel appears to be going along with the US narrative (for now), but Netanyhu may want to test Biden and launch a strike on Iran. Biden WH said they will not take part in a conflict with Iran, but Biden WH also said their support for Israel is ironclad. MIXED MESSAGING. Biden said the US will not join Israel in an attack against Iran, but Bibi may want to test that statement, and may push him to do just that. Long post, but I believe this is where we are. NO NEED FOR WIDER WAR! This is an easy one to walk away from. All Biden and his team of foreign policy advisors need to do is make it very clear that this ends NOW, for all parties involved.

And here I was thinking the 2nd hand was perhaps reference to a puppet master

What's not to enjoy if one does not object to getting wet? Climbing into the pickup bed well stocked with water and a few friends, equipped with water guns, ice cold water, beer, and powder. Booming music a plus!

Failing any specific advice of a particular condo/apartment, I would suggest using Renthub website. They have search by BTS/MRT stations and list daily/monthly rates. Many filters to aid in search of suitable accommodations. Here are search results for the MRT station you mentioned. https://www.renthub.in.th/en/apartment/mrt-bang-aor Consider a few nights at one of the daily rentals for your grand daughter, then let her pick what she likes. Plenty of rooms available. Going to be an adventure for her. Good luck

My wife got a similar surprise when ordering grab about a year ago. She was browsing promotions and spotted spaghetti, 90 baht - yum yum. However when it arrived it was exactly that, boiled spaghetti noodles with no sauce. Still get a laugh out that of "oopsie" every time I remind her of it. 😂

I like to refer to this as the "2-3-4 rule" - makes it easy to remember

There are likely 100 variations of why this is the case ... Thai folks can't tell the difference between rice, white, enter, news or knee (in Thai) when I speak for example. On the flip side, many Thais that can read and write (even type) English are not so difficult to find especially among the University graduates ... but are often difficult to understand and/or cannot carry on a basic English conversation. You are not alone out there.

It makes it more likely, obviously. NATO and western governments knew NATO enlargement was provocative and would likely lead to war, but kept pushing anyway. Even the Ukrainians knew. Current CIA direct knew too and warned the US back in 2008. https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/02/27/us-nato-expansion-ukraine-russia-intervene/ Not sure either of these terms, "morons or stupid" is scathing enough to be honest. https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/nato-chief-admits-expansion-behind-russian-invasion Western/NATO leaders knew exactly what was likely coming and didn't care. They probably believed they would win out through sanctions rather than provoking a protracted war with a nuclear superpower. They even sabotaged the negotiations in Istanbul persuading Ukraine to abandon signing a draft agreement to end the conflict with Russia. Unfortunately things have not turned out their way, now they are trapped. No off-ramp without a serious loss on their hands. As it's now election season in the US, I expect the current administration will do whatever they can to prolong the conflict until November, send more money, damn the consequences, destruction and body count. Some additional historical details in this opinion piece by Jeffrey Sachs. https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/nato-chief-admits-expansion-behind-russian-invasion

Nope, but based on the way this topic is drifting, I would guess I can name 4 of them 1) periodontal, 2) plaque, 3) philosophy and 4) pedantry Poor @Dp1231just wants to be reassured that he can make his appointment from BKK to Pattaya in 3.5 hours. I would suggest he will, 45 mins out of the airport and into a taxi, then 2 hours to Pattaya. Might be tight, but will most likely be on-time.