FolkGuitar

3 hours ago, Letseng said:

Are you in Bangkok?

Problem is that one unit gets blocked by earwax. He can get it out to a point but not completely. This stops the unit from working (blocking microfone?). In the past he got it serviced yearly when we went to Europe. Due to present Mideast conflict we won't be going in the near future.

Sorry, Chiang Mai. I bought a rubber ear syringe and use it as a suction bulb. It takes about 5 minutes of squeezing and releasing, but it gets my hearing aids clean. At least as much as I can see with a loupe. I wonder if an ENT clinic might be able to help you?

On 3/9/2026 at 8:07 AM, FolkGuitar said:

Every day we read about fights occurring in Pattaya. Either Ladyboys attacking someone, or motorcycle taxi drivers ganging up on some poor foreigner.

20 hours ago, Purdey said:

Not so poor, I think. Some ask for it by starting the fight.

So you believe that to be justification for half a dozen people who happen to be walking by or standing near, having no dog in the hunt, to just start kicking a complete stranger just because other Thais are doing it?

Interesting insight into how you roll.

44 minutes ago, Letseng said:

Tks for the lengthy reply. Problem really is the cleaning of one part. One needs a special tool to take it apart & not brake it. May be next trip to Singapore we can get somebody.

A good idea. I was considering the same, myself. Thailand is not big on good audiology. My ReSounds get a 4-year warranty in the US, but only a one-year warranty here in Thailand. And no one here will work on them, anyway!!!

Many of U.S. retirees grew up with Polio, knew someone with Polio, or received our first vaccination against Polio in primary school. Thanks to an aggressive vaccination policy, we managed to eradicate it, as well as Small Pox, and Whopping Cough, and significantly reduced Typhoid and Measles.

Since the reduction in vaccination in Southern states, these diseases are showing up again.

I don’t want my grandkids getting sick, nor would I want them to spread any disease to their friends.

I am in favor of vaccines.

I'm a long-time hearing aid wearer. I find Thailand to be almost useless for good hearing aid service. (I've even encountered a shop that told me they don't do Audiograms because their brand of hearing aid doesn't need them. They only sell that one brand!) There are NO audiologists in Thailand, including in hospitals, who can perform 'Real Ear Measurement' to be sure that the HAs are correctly adjusted for best performance. All the shops rely on asking you 'Is that better or worse?' when doing a fitting.

Currently, I'm using ReSound aids, but the only ReSound dealer in town only dispenses one level of one model... They carry one model of several brands so I think they might be a 'black market' shop rather than a genuine brand dealer. I wrote to ReSound and got a list of all their 'dealers' in Thailand. There were about 8 of them. 4 were out of business when I called. None of the other four were willing to adjust my HAs because I didn't buy from them.

I have received fairly decent Audiograms from hospitals, but of course, they can't administer ALL the tests because of language barriers. The 'speech in noise' only works for us in English, and I haven't found English anywhere in Thailand.

I have been buying my hearing aids online for the past 20 years, using a dealer in Indiana, USA. In the past, they have been very helpful, and the costs are 1/2 to 1/3 of the usual retail from a walk-in Audiologist shop. Fitting is done online, and works well. My last pair, bought three years ago, finally broke. However, because I bought them in the USA (online), they were covered by US 4yr warranty, and so were replaced for free. Right now, I'm waiting for the new ones to arrive.

Phonak is a major player in the hearing aid market, and so should be represented a bit better than most brands. The trick is to find a Aud who is willing to deal with them. However, for simple cleaning, any audiologist should be able to do that! Cleaning isn't brand-specific. Because of the distances, I've been doing my own cleaning for years. If I can help your husband, please let me know!

3 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

Women look for guys who have tats and piercings as #1 Husband material.

The rationale is that these men are able to endure lots of pain and spend money buying jewelry.

25 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I would think usually those whom also have tattoos. #1 husband material is finding someone you trust, is honest, faithful and can provide for them and any children. Tattoos and piercings aren't as much pain as raising children.

No sense of humor this morning, Fred?

1.2 shrinks per 100,000 in Thailand compared with America's 18.5 shrinks per person (they need more too.)
That said, I find Thais to be considerably less neurotic than my fellow Americans.

Women look for guys who have tats and piercings as #1 Husband material.

The rationale is that these men are able to endure lots of pain and spend money buying jewelry.

On 3/2/2026 at 6:43 PM, ravip said:

Adding salt to water often? How about its effect to your blood pressure - specially long term?

I heavily salt my food. All my snack foods are heavily salted, too. I've even made my own salt 'tablets' (capsules, actually), and take them daily during the hotter weather. Been doing that for the past 25 years. In fact, I'm typing this over my breakfast of salted Kalamata olives and cold sausage. I've never bought into the idea that salt is bad for the body.
My blood pressure is 118/78 right now.

Even though most of us at 15 'think' we would have loved to have an older woman teach us the ropes, many young people will be terrified when it happens to them. Magazine centerfolds and stolen glimpses are more than enough to fuel their fantasies until they grow up a bit. They just aren't ready for the real thing yet.

I was ready by 15, but I had to wait a year for my introduction to real live sex. Perhaps you were too at that age. Obviously, as they ran and told adults what happened, they were not!
That's why we have laws to protect children.
As much as we love the Mrs. Robinson idea, it is still called Pedophilia and is against the law.

I can only tell you what works for me. I have this same problem every time I catch a cold.

I will take Papaya enzyme tablets for a few days. Sometimes that's enough to do the job. (By the way, this is a great way for SCUBA divers who have difficulty equalizing to stop that problem! A few days before the dive trip, start eating 2-3 papaya enzyme tablets. No more equalizing difficulty!) The enzyme thins the mucus still trapped behind the eardrum, allowing it to drain more easily.

IF that doesn't do it, I take some Sudafed. After a day of a decongestant that actually works (I've never had any success with the OTC cold meds), I'll take a motorbike ride up and down Doi Suthep a couple of times.

That always clears up the problem for me.

The only weapon that works in an attack is the one that is already in your hand when the attack begins.

Unless you have trained with that weapon, it's of virtually no use to you at all.

Just because you put on a Ninja gi, it doesn't automatically give you Ninja skills. You need to learn and practice. That even goes for the stick you grab from the ground. You do NOT know how to use it as anything other than a caveman club! And that only works from behind...

Knives? Keep in mind that in a knife fight, EVERYONE bleeds, not just the loser.

Pepper spray? Sure, IF it's already in your hand when the attack starts. In your pocket is next to useless.

Most men believe they are great fighters, despite never having trained and being out of shape. Their last fight was in 7th grade in the schoolyard, yet they still believe they could take on anyone. Especially the Gym Rats. They think muscles equal skills. The result is in the videos we see of foreigners swinging wide haymakers with no power, mostly hitting air and having no positive effect. There is a reason professional fighters train...

I've carried a pocket knife every day since I was a Cub Scout, in every country that I've lived in. Illegal in all of them as the blade length exceeds local limits. Started with a Scout knife, moved to a 'gentleman's pocket knife' in my 20's, then switched 25 years ago to carry a tactical folder. BUT... although I have many years of fight training, I have NEVER even come close to needing it for that purpose, or even considering it!

I prefer to leave the confrontation, and do so. But hell, the reality is, I haven't even had a verbal confrontation in the last 15-20 years. What kind of 'grownup' gets into fights these days?

The best bet is not to put yourself in places where the fights start. And we DO know where and when most of those places are, don't we?

54 minutes ago, Slowhand225 said:

You clearly miss the point.
Voting is a privilege, not a right. Right ?
You must be a citizen of America to vote in their elections. Right ?

If you want to vote then you MUST do whats required of you. Right ?
Showing proof of citizenship is something EVERYONE must show to vote.

Simple, huh ?

Its not anymore complicated than that.

Unfortunately, it IS far more complicated than that! A large majority of women have changed their last names when married. If their driver's licence or passport shows their husband's family name rather than their birth name, they will not be permitted to vote. That is voter suppression.

Until I had a passport, I had no proof of citizenship. Most Americans do not have passports.

Precisely what do you recommend that they use for proof?

On 2/16/2026 at 8:32 AM, gargamon said:

Voter id is a good idea. The way Trump wants to implement it is the problem. A substantial portion of the population has no passport and don't know where their birth certificates are. Married women cannot vote without going through an onerous procedure to prove they are who is on their birth certificate. Etc. etc.

The SAVE act is voter suppression, pure and simple

I’m reposting Gargamon’s comments because they are spot on!

This act is nothing more than voter suppression.

Make a law that is fair and equal and all will be in favor.

I began making sausage when I was living in Japan many years ago, and there were no 'good' sausages to be found. I started with spicy Italian, which is very simple, and progressed through several different fresh sausages over the years. At the beginning, we did put them in casings, but over the years realize we use more 'bulk' sausage so now just put together the ingredients, then freeze individual servings.

These days, I'll just make Italian sausage right in the pan as I'm cooking. It doesn't get the melded flavors, but still tastes great!

For those who cook...

1 1/4 pounds, approximately, pork shoulder (or skinless, boneless chicken or turkey thighs, which taste horrible)
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp onion powder or dried minced onion
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp dried, crushed rosemary
1/8 tsp thyme
1 -2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (for hot sausage)
2 TB red wine vinegar

How did I ever reach old age, having an active, enjoyable social life, and yet never even thought to trim pubic hair?

I wonder what the results would be if we polled the women on their preferences in male attire?