FolkGuitar

47 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I noticed in the Philippines how polite everyone was.

I'd be polite, too, if I lived in a place where there are teen-age armed guards carrying shotguns everywhere you look, and half the people are carrying weapons of some sort.

Road fatalities will not go down until there is a viable live police presence ON THE ROADS. On ALL roads.  Everything else is just window dressing.

Excellent service, comprehensive health check (blood panel, Urine, EKG, X-Ray, Abdominal Ultrasound,) at Rajavej Hospital.  In at 8:30, finished with tests by 9:30,  back at 11:00 for a hands-on exam by physician and explanation and discussion of test rests. 4,900 Baht.

Several stores in Icon Square (the building behind Computer Plaza) on the North side of the Moat carry portable, foldable, roll-able, Bluetooth keyboards.

A plastic ketchup squirter bottle filled with 50%/50% vinegar-water solution, and a 24" rattan baton. I don't want bloody floors, I don't want drawn-out court cases. I just want to stop anyone who should not be in my house. Unless they have a firearm, this will stop them.  I've kept this same combo available to me since I was 18 and living alone. Never needed to use it once in 65 years.

On 6/3/2022 at 9:58 AM, BritManToo said:

How can they do revolting things?

Tip or not comes after you've eaten.

In the States, I've eaten at lunch counters where you have to put your tip in front of you before a waiter will even come and take your order. Until I put two dollars on the counter in front of me, no one would take my order. I sat for five minutes waiting, until a 'regular' there explained what was required. As soon as I put down my tip, the waiter came over and took my sandwich order.

It's not the waiter's fault. It's the fault of all American who permit restaurant owners to pay less than minimum wage to waitstaff, requiring them to live on their tips.

She did both of mine at Sriphat.  Well done, and that was a few years ago.

I still see her every 4 months for checkups for Glaucoma, which she has also kept in check.

5 hours ago, ianwheldale said:

If you can put  FF helmet over a surgical mask without it pulling the mask off then your helmet is a lousy fit and next to useless.

... or a Shoei 'Neotec' that has a flip front. No problem at all.  ????

If you don't want to wear a mask, any excuse will do, right?

I see two sides to this situation:

While very wrong, perhaps this was done by one of the thousands of other people on the road who finally got sick and tired of the near-collisions the food riders cause every day with their complete disregard for the safety of anyone else on the road, and decided on a little pay-back.  Is there anyone who has not been cut off, forced to the side, or almost hit by the unsafe driving by a large percentage of these delivery riders?

While no one should have to pay out of pocket in a situation where the rider is just trying to make a living, by the same token, a rider should not be allowed to endanger the lives of others while making that living.

21 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

Which branches have International desks?

19 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Like service for people who don’t speak Thai?

I don't speak enough Thai for conversations, but I've never had a problem with language at any branch of Bangkok Bank that I've needed to use. There always seems to be at least one person who speaks enough English.

Thailand:  Comfortable

U.S.A.:  Embarrassing  

Although we may use the services of the KSK 'branch' of Bangkok Bank, our accounts are stored in a central computer, accessible to EVERY 'branch' of Bangkok Bank, regardless of location. While we have gotten comfortable with the staff at KSK, and have opened our Bangkok Bank accounts there, all our banking history is on the main computer for Bangkok Bank, which is probably located in Bangkok, not in Chiang Mai. There is no need to worry about this 'branch' closing, except for the PITA of having to start building relationships with staff at a different 'branch,' or finding a convenient place to park.

It is illegal to smoke on the streets in downtown Kyoto, Japan.

They have created enclosed 'smoking areas' just off many of the major intersections where people are allowed to smoke without offending those who wish to avoid the bad smells. Generally speaking, most Japanese are very considerate of others, and do not wish to offend, so it's very rare to see anyone other than non-Japanese smoking in public in that area.

'Three Musketeers' candy bar used to advertise as 'the candy bar you can share with two other friends.' The bar had three distinct sections so it could be broken into thirds. It's now a normal rectangular bar, smaller than a Snickers bar.

I'm in the middle of  'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett.

Recently finished John Grisham's  'A Time to Kill,'  'Last of the Mohicans,' and David Baldacci 's 'Split Second.'

I'll recommend Nelson DeMille's 'John Corey' series. Each one was a 'can't put it down' read!

1. Plum Island (1997)
2. The Lion's Game (2000)
3. Night Fall (2004)
4. Wild Fire (2006)
5. The Lion (2010), direct sequel to The Lion's Game
6. The Panther (2012), John Corey teams up with Paul Brenner on a case.
7. Radiant Angel (2015)
8. The Maze (2022)

I no longer read paper books, in favor of e-books.

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Op... the complaint is valid... the mistake is venting on this forum

 

Yep!  It's like throwing chum in shark-infested waters.

44 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

 

I'm not sure which of any of the above are 99 44/100 % pure.

Pure what?

 

Pure Castile Soap.  If you look up 'Castile Soap,' you will see that it is made from Olive oil and lye.

6 hours ago, Bill97 said:

That is very different from what Google says about what it is made from.

 

???

I guess Ivory Soap has changed to meet the modern era. They used to advertise that it was "99.44% pure Castile Soap."  It was the main thrust of their advertising. 

However, now they ALSO sell other types of soap as well. Those may contain other ingredients.

According to the company, the original is still 99.44% pure.   https://ivory.com/gentle-bar-soap-original-scent/
 

Find a shop selling 'Ivory Soap.'  That is pure Castile-style soap, made from Olive oil and lye.

12 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Never looked. Soap is soap.

Glycerin is NOT from animals.

Actually, most things we call 'soap' have no soap in them. The big name brand bars sold in supermarkets and drugstores have none. Just a lot of different chemical sufactants, preservatives, and fragrances. 'Ivory Soap' is one of the only big brands that really are pure 'Castile' (made from olive oil as it's triglycerides)  soap. There are several lesser-know brands that are made with glycerin, but most have other chemicals added to them.

Glycerin is made from triglycerides. Typical plant sources include soybeans or palm.

Animal-derived source would be beef tallow.

I buy pure pharmaceutical grade glycerin soap base at Union Science, melt it down and add a few drops of peppermint oil to it, for a bit of tingle (like the brand 'Irish Spring') in this hot weather, and form it into bath-size bars. Pure soap, cheap as chips!