FolkGuitar

Proof? Perhaps in an alternate universe where conclusive evidence isn't required. Seeing a spike does not 'prove' cause. It may form a working hypothesis (although biased) for further research. But certainly not 'proof.'

Loneliness is not a UK problem. It's a personal one. If you're lonely in Cardiff, you'll be lonely anywhere you go. It's up to you to go out and make friends. It's really not that hard to do. 'The Zen you find on the top of the mountain is the Zen you brought up with you.'

All part of the plan. Nothing is happening that is unexpected, and all designed to: 1. Remove as much money as possible from the American people. 2. Destabilize the American government. Musk realized that he's gotten as much as he's able, now with hundreds of millions in new business contracts, so he's gone. I wonder who the next favored player will be? Perhaps one of the folks who attended the $1,000,000 a plate dinner Krasnov hosted? (Corruption has never been so blatant before 47.) Both goals seem to be well underway.

A policeman told you this… Thanks for the laughs, guys. Kudos for originality.

I wonder how many people in this thread are having conversations with their sock puppets?

That's because it's not a crackdown. Never has been. It's nothing more than a visual display that the police exist.

Open Letter to those who think Police Helmet Checkpoints are set up mainly for farang: We're in Thailand's Rainy Season. Comparatively few foreigners here right now, but NOW is when they are running their helmet campaign. It's true, they DO catch a lot of foreigners not wearing helmets when the foreigners are here. We notice them more than we notice the Thais lining up to pay the same way we 'notice' signs written in our own language without thinking about it, but have to look and actually pay attention when the sign is in a different language. We 'see' the farangs. We don't 'look' for the Thais.

Obviously, very true. I ride every day, and I'd never ride without one. But is the government's goal to save 'one' life... or reduce total road fatalities and injuries? I don't think that's going to happen by just setting up a table on a street corner to catch the occasional rider without a helmet. That might save the rider's life, but do nothing for the accidents caused by the nutter cutting off other drivers, passing on blind curves, and ignoring traffic lights. Here's an idea: Get out on the roads and stop the insane drivers! Putting a helmet on the head of a tourist might save HIS/HER life, but does nothing for the rest of the community. And isn't THAT who the police should be protecting?

The Helmet Crackdown doesn't save lives. It saves money... ... money that the government has to pay every time someone is sent to the hospital and can't pay the bill! That includes Thais! A LOT MORE Thais than farang. Forcing helmet use reduces that cost. If there were a genuine effort made to reduce road injury/fatality, they would put police on the roads to stop the unsafe, reckless driving we see every single day!

As a Disabled Vet who relies on the Veterans Administration to stay alive, I object strongly to Musk and Kranov's reduction in staff, programs, and funding. I earned my patriotism with blood. I enlisted. I gave my country 110% when it asked me to do so, and nearly paid with my life. So many did pay. So many came back broken. Do you think it's right or moral to take away the life-giving support we Veterans require and were promised? We gave 110% when our country asked! Why is the United States treating Veterans this way? Short answer: Musk and Krasnov.

I'm just curious why people enjoy watching others die slowly? What's the psychology behind it?

It's rain. Just water. And it happens for a few months every year. Do you leave the Kingdom like the Burn-Season folks do?

My first dorm in college (a small rural school) right after high school had this phone on the wall. Turn the crank, tell the operator the 4-digit number you wanted, and she'd connect you. Obviously an old dorm. The new dorms had the new-fangled push-button phones.

If it were just Krasnov I wouldn’t worry. He’s failed at everything he’s done. BUT… I am worried about what those who are controlling him will do next.

A fantastic tool... or a mind-capturing monster. It's your choice. My smartphone stays in my pocket until I need one of its functions. I make less than 3-4 calls a month, but use the phone two dozen times a day for paying bills, looking for traffic jams, checking the weather, looking for an answer to a question (at least 3-4 times a day,) taking a picture, listening to music, or reading a book. It's a tool. Like any tool, it can be misused in the wrong hands.

Have you noticed? They are still using attacks on Harris and Biden as their excuse for all their failures that have resulted from Musk and Krasnov's actions in the first 150 days. Nothing has changed. Blame the other guy.

And to think, he managed to get it done in just 5 months... instead of four years. Of course, by the END of the four years, he'll have bankrupted America just as he die all his other businesses.

I wonder... As he's bankrupted every business he's run, is president Krasnov's goal as a Russian operative to bankrupt America? I don't recall the exact numbers, but aren't we up to over $30,000,000 dollars wasted on his golf outings just in the past 5 months?!? Typical weekend golf trips cost taxpayers approximately $3.4 million each, with longer or more complex trips (such as those involving additional air travel or security arrangements) costing even more—up to $4.2 million for a single extended weekend. How exactly is that NOT pissing away our tax dollars? That's $30,000,000 that could be used to feed and shelter American disabled veterans or provide houses for America's growing homeless population.

I don't hate Trump. He's just a pawn in the game. President Krasnov! He's a con man recruited to do what he's always done. Con Americans out of their money. No surprises there. I do hate what it has shown us about half of Americans; that they have no compassion, no empathy, are bigoted and racist with little common sense, virtually no morality, and yet live believing they are still following Christian values because Trump says they are! Now isn't that the biggest con of all?

I've lived in Chiang Mai for over 25 years, and never felt the need to leave during Burning Season. Two cheap air purifiers in the house (2-bedroom apt) is all we've ever needed. We did put on masks for a week this year when we played outside, but that really was just because it 'looked' so bad! Outside often 'looks' really bad, but the actuality is, your kitchen frequently gets a much higher PM2.5 reading any time you fry, bake, stir fry, or grill breakfast, lunch, or dinner! In fact, do you ever eat in ethnic restaurants that have incense burning? Or visit temples with incense burning, or hell... just walking down the street and seeing all the shop keepers putting their incense out 2-3 times a day... but you don't 'see' that air pollution around you in Chiang Mai all the time. I'm 78 years old. Chiang Mai's air quality has never affected me or my family over the past 25 years. It just looks ugly for a few weeks. Please do not allow the doom-sayers to ruin what may be a perfect place for you to live.

While I agree there is virtually no 'good' driver training going on, it's 'my' opinion that most of these driving infractions would be significantly reduced if police were on the roads giving on-the-spot fines (so the drivers KNOW why they are paying) for these offences, and vehicles impounded for recurrences. Thailand: It's time to sh!t or get off the pot. You aren't saving lives by letting people drive dangerously.

I will not drive down in East Thailand any longer. The drivers passing all the cane trucks simply don't give a damn if anyone is coming in the other lane. They are going to pass the cane truck regardless! I was forced onto the shoulder (thank God there was one!) at least 4 times in less than two hours by 'strings' of cars passing the cane trucks. They just don't care, or perhaps even realize they are going to die too.

I ride a motorbike every day. And at least 2-3 times a week I just barely manage to stay alive because car and truck drivers are passing on blind curves, passing at the crest of a hill, and generally driving like dicks! Anyone on the Thai roads today will realize there are no cops patrolling the roads looking for unsafe driving. There are no cops at intersections stopping drivers from jumping red lights or making left turns from the right lane. There are no cops at the fresh markets in your neighborhood, where there is ALWAYS a traffic jam because of double and triple parking. There are few cops on the roads working to keep people safe. Just road blocks set up to collect helmet money. Many wonder why?

I try to read at least two hours a day, every day. I use e-books and read them on my iPad, and always have at least 5-10 books on it waiting to be read. I often read 2-3 books at the same time; perhaps a philosophy book, a science book, and a novel. Two for learning new things and one for the sheer joy of reading a good book. For the novel, I usually try to find authors who write long series so I can follow the character development from one book to the next.

Statistics show that men who help with the housework get laid more often. 🙂