KhunLA

You believe that ? You might want to join the real world: "Elsewhere in Europe, Pegasus has filled a need for law-enforcement agencies that previously had limited cyber-intelligence capacity. “Almost all governments in Europe are using our tools,” Hulio told me. A former senior Israeli intelligence official added, “NSO has a monopoly in Europe.” German, Polish, and Hungarian authorities have admitted to using Pegasus. Belgian law enforcement uses it, too, though it won’t admit it. (A spokesperson for the Belgian federal police said that it respects “a legal framework as to the use of intrusive methods in private life.”) ????A senior European law-enforcement official whose agency uses Pegasus said that it gave an inside look at criminal organizations: “When do they want to store the gas, to go to the place, to put the explosive?” He said that his agency uses Pegasus only as a last resort, with court approval, but conceded, “It’s like a weapon. . . . It can always occur that an individual uses it in the wrong way.” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/25/how-democracies-spy-on-their-citizens

40k foreigners ... think I saw 6 of those where we are ???? 5 mill is as good a number as any. Does that mean 2 million hotel rooms were used, then not bad. Weekenders from Krung Thep, and not exactly news. Only thing amazing ... where do they pull these #s from: "split into 17 billion baht from Thai tourists and 400 million baht from foreign tourists" 5 million, 3 per car, 6 months, 4 weekends ... so 69k cars per weekend. If ever been stuck in the weekend to/from traffic ... then maybe true. Them spending that much money ... hell no.

Yea, he was shining for a few months, before setting the bar for the new 'how low can you go' level of sub 30/1. Actually did work out great for me, as 1st house & car were bought at good rate. Does boggle the mind why USD is so strong. Bush ... war, deficit Obama ... war, bail out deficits Trump ... deficit, but didn't follow, so don't know why Biden ... deficit, and trying for more, but up 25%

I drew this up yesterday, out of curiosity. In case anyone interested how it performed the past 22 yrs, and what USA administration was in at the time. My conclusion ... I hope Biden runs & wins in 2024 ????

That they allow unvetted immigrants in at all is mind boggling. I agree, they should be shipped to the states of the politicians that voted to do so.

Please tell us what country privacy exists ? Simply owning a phone, ANY phone, and you've given up your privacy. You need a ph#, which means a sim card, which you can't get without providing ID. They now know everything and anything they want to know, if they so chose. This goes with everything. Why do you think vendors request, most require a ph#, as do most sites, application on your computer. Apps on phone already have all the info, don't even need to ask. Once you submit your ph# anywhere to anyone, EVERYONE can find out anything about you that they want. THERE IS, AND PROBABLY NEVER HAS BEEN, ANY PRIVACY. You want privacy, don't use electronics devices. Generic / knock offs ... you get what you pay for. Xiaomi / POCO fan myself. Excellent stuff and the only phone maker I'd ever buy from.

topic .... EVs in THAILAND

Actually prefer Trump over the others, but as you say, NSM. Like that he wasn't a career politician, and nobody liked him. Really rocked the boat and exposed the system for the farce that it is. More, it exposed itself, even to the most ignorant person. Hard to ignore now. Biden, probably the worst of the lot, contributing to 40 yrs of gov't failure. But the best for avoiding any future war with RU or CH, as too invested with them. One less concern ... while staying On Topic. How & why, the exchange is in our favor is a mystery, as USA is so screwed up at the moment. Hope it doesn't imply the rest of the world is at a worse state. As stated earlier, somewhere, USA (and Thailand) can feed itself, so again OT ... one less concern. USA and again, ASEAN (TH) seem to have no problem fueling, energizing themselves, another concern. no need to worry about. With CH up the road, supply lines aren't as disrupted as everywhere else. Controlling the chip & precious metals a plus for us friendly nations. All those countries bad mouthing & sanctioning CH & RU ... oh well. Trump warned you, you didn't listen ???? So no real concerns here, for me & family. Actually prosperous times ahead.

I'd be surprised, impressed, if more than 7% They are a bit of a joke to begin with, but better than nothing. I enjoy being a blight on society. Getting, probably got back all those taxes I paid ????

If EV, surely that would have been the headliner ... ????

US Army (not GB/Ranger) Tactical Field Wireman

Best President (for now) ..................... BIDEN ???? All about the exchange rate ... nothing else matters ... ME ME ME

Not considering if on pension, and keeping current UK address for COLA & NHS use. Surely pays for itself, plus. Along with have a few 'real, good' pints with mates. USA is way too far to even consider, although our COLAs aren't frozen if living overseas. I think 1 week back in the homeland (family/friends) would be more than enough, unless playing tourist, which is a bit pricey, if not having car waiting for you.

Man Made Global Warming

Along with that camera, you might want LightRoom & Denoize AI. These 2 can save an otherwise useless photo, especially if settings are off or simply low light, under or over exposed. There's even other programs where you can completely alter the sky, though I only edit to clean things up, the camera may miss, as the info is there, just not presented as it should. Or you can choose to highlight different aspects of a photo. Or as above, if using Photoshop, complete change all parts of/create a new photo. I simply used MS Paint for that quick edit.

OK, I was there by myself, I added the guy with the flag ...

That makes 5 of us ... ???? I'm surprised many haven't joined the flying club, reading their posts.

Not sure about those pod machines. Better now since you can use generic pod (larger) and own ground coffee. But still, a small yield. I like a good 12oz / 350ml cup of coffee in the AM. Not going to get that with standard pod, and a bit watered down even with large pod. 13gr = 414ml Peeked at this chart, and someone's calculator needs batteries: https://thegreenpods.co.nz/how-much-coffee-is-in-a-nespresso-pod/

That's BlueScope rolled/insulated steel. Insulated block, 37/38 ceiling insulation. 8kw solar system w/20kw ESS (@ ฿445k). Good luck building that for the same price, and < 5 kms from the surf. 120m² @ ฿9166 per / ฿1.1mill build cost. 'ignored'

I can walk to the surf, if wanting < 5 kms 'ignored'

Brand new custom build w/solar ฿1.6 m = $57,421 CAD NO electric bill, NO RE Taxes, almost. $1000s a year saved.

Solar system for the house, condo if allowed. 3X plus the cost in my home area/USA, than what it cost for our system here. Building a house, way cheaper. Basically little (almost no) RE Taxes (town, county / province or state / school), vs USA. Monthly taxes cost more than cost of a rental here, and that's for a home, you already own, free & clear. Healthcare, affordable & available. That universal krap is useless if you can't get an appointment. Petrol cheaper than the USA, along with electric & water, & No sewer charges here. Phones, cell service & internet cheaper, I think. Hotels, sort of cheaper, until you get past true 2* and going up. Then you get what you pay for. Same with restaurants, cheaper, but you really do get what you are paying for. Very few here, would survive in the USA, or even be permitted. Not necessarily a bad thing though. Being close to China, without all the 'higher' import duties (USA), and most everything is cheaper, especially EVs of all types, with some exceptions. Auto dealer vehicle servicing, or anything that has labor involved.

Rainy season is back ... this morning's view This time yesterday, sunny and ESS just about full (40-100%), with AC running. Today, @ 55%, with no AC running, though since not sunny, fan is comfy enough. vs yesterday:

You may not want to know, might ruin that ending.