FolkGuitar

Please keep in mind before you show up; you can only donate your OWN body... ????

A package of deli meat (Iberico Chorizo, ham, salami, etc.) a handful of Kalamata olives, and piece of cheese (Edam, Gouda, Cheddar, etc.,) ... plus a liter of either English Breakfast, Darjeeling, or Keemun tea. It's expensive, but I can't deal with horse feed first thing in the morning.

When I was directly involved (I was a lecturer in the 70's.) the program was well established in almost every first-world country, often several lecturers in each country. In the US alone there were several lecturers in every state. In those days, we'd see 50-200 people taking the basic lecture series every month in tiny, little Vermont! After Jose Silva passed away, his daughter, Laura, took over the company. She re-packaged the program into sounding more like Snake Oil, and it lost many of its followers (me included.) At the same time, the 'fad' of introspection and self-improvement that had been so strong for the previous 10 years began to fade. That's about when Mind Valley bought the rights to the Silva system, removed the Snake-oil marketing, and returned the program to its original feeling. They are still selling the Basic Lecture Series, but have renamed it. Over all, the 'tools' taught in the Basic Lecture Series have been the SINGLE MOST-VALUABLE LESSONS I've learned in my entire academic life, and I still use these 'tools' EVERY day for important as well as mundane, routine tasks. Simple as this; before I took the Basic Lecture Series I was broke biker trash, with a high school education, doing seasonal work as a ski lift operator, mountain guide, taxi driver, etc.. After using the tools I learned I found myself with four college degrees and a career as a university professor. Still broke, but my grammar is better. ???? I'd recommend it to everyone and anyone who wishes to improve the quality of life.

Looking for rotisserie chicken in Thailand is like looking for bar girls in Thailand. If you can't find, you ain't in Thailand!

Me too.

Just wondering if there are any graduates of Jose Silva's mental development programs during the 70s and 80s in the Chiang Mai area?

The Thai police are doing a great job of keeping us safe. Let's put those evil over-stayers, dangerous Bridge-playing Septuagenarians, and those who endanger the rest of us by not wearing helmets when riding motorcycles, where they can't hurt us. But there is virtually ZERO police presence to stop drivers from killing each other and maiming others on the roads because there is no one in the street stopping them. In the past 22 years, I have NEVER seen a cop pull over a driver for unsafe driving, only speeding. Not for passing on a curve, not for making left turns from the right lane and vice versa, not for passing on the wrong side of a vehicle, or failure to signal a turn, etc. NEVER. Those could save countless lives. But by all means, send 5 cops to arrest one person for a few days of overstay... Yes... Of course the over-stayers are breaking Thai law. That's true. And perhaps one out of ten thousand 'may' have a criminal background. That true, too. But they aren't killing people every day on the roads. Let's get the priorities straight. How about one cop for the over-stayers, and four to catch the unsafe drivers?

Judging by the deluge of expat complaints when there is a No-Alcohol day in Thailand, staying sober for an entire day must be a really difficult task for many. As with any addiction, there are plenty of 'I don't need it, I just like it' lines being cast out, thinking that others believe them. Nothing wrong with drinking alcohol... unless it's 10am and you're already at the bar. Or jonesing over not having a bottle beside you at every meal, and few more to get through the evening. Bars and Pubs are fun! Great places to socialize. But you aren't required to drink alcoholic beverages in them... unless you have a problem with not drinking alcohol. Let that be your wake-up clue. There are plenty of AA meeting around town for those who acknowledge that there is a problem to be dealt with.

If it's not 'Nathan's,' 'Hebrew National,' or 'Boar's Head' brand, it's not a good hot dog! It's just a hot dog. ????

Hmmmm... There seems to be a competition going on between this OP and Gamma Globulin for who can think up the most inane subjects to write about.

'Terminator' was the last movie I watched in a theater. Why eat steak twice? Why visit a beach twice? Why kiss the same woman twice? In a word; enjoyable. Maybe even more than twice.

Perhaps you could give us some reasons for your comment? That might be interesting and maybe even useful for others considering getting it done.

That's a very good suggestion! Thanks for mentioning it.

Thanks for that. Do you have any experience with these shops? Any idea of the approximate cost to wrap a small Toyota? Thanks again.

Have you had your car wrapped here? Can you recommend a place close to the Superhighway, preferably with some English-speaking staff? Any idea of the approximate cost of wrapping a small Toyota 4-door? Thanks

Vic Victorinox makes some very nice knives. I prefer their kitchen 'boning knives' over all others on the market. The Swiss Army Knives are a great choice for someone looking for a small multi-tool for pocket or sheath, and doesn't mind resharpening often. The high Chromium levels in their pocket knife steel means that it can't take as sharp an edge as a high-carbon steel, but it is very wear-resistant and holds its edge well. Good, all-around knives sold a the right prices!

I miss 'Three Musketeers' bars. Do you remember them? It was a large bar segmented so that it could be broken into three large pieces 'to share with two friends.' Cost just a nickel back then. Now it's a tiny bar that costs as much as a small condo...

Thanks for posting the video clip. It does have a nice, clear picture with a good field of view. I think that's the way I'll go, too. Thanks again.

Not only doesn't it answer the question, there is nothing valid about his comment. Your comment about 'reflection' IS a valid concern, and one I'll need to watch out for. Thanks.

There are some people who have something to say, and others who just have to say something no matter how ridicules it makes them appear. Thanks, Basso53! That's exactly the sort of recommendation I was hoping for. Thanks again.

I'd like to buy a good quality dash cam (front & rear) setup and have it installed. Recommended brands and where to purchase? Any good installation place recommendations inside the Superhighway? Thanks

You are not 'wrong.' You just have a different set of values. When I buy a car, I want to know about the engine. That's the important part! That's more important to me than the color. So every car maker publicly announces all the specifications for the engine because that is the important part of a car. When I buy a computer, I want to know the what IC chip is inside, and the memory capacity. That's more important to me than the color of the case, because those parts are what make the computer effective for my needs or not, so every computer manufacturer goes into fine detail to tell consumers all the specifications for them. Nobody buys a computer because the case is a pretty color. When I buy a knife, I want to know about the steel that's used for the blade, because the blade steel used is what makes the knife. THAT is more important to me than the color of the handle. Every QUALITY knife manufacturer will tell you all about the steel used for its blades. THAT is the most important information about a knife. Your manufacturer does NOT tell what steel is being used in this knife. There is usually a reason for that... Sure, we'd often want our knives to look nice, but not at the expense of a worthless piece of steel. In fact, many custom-made Japanese knives aren't even sold with handles! I had two custom knives made for me, one in Seki City, Japan, and the other in Sakai-shi, Japan, both just came with wooden dowels for handles. If You go into any knife shop in Japan, you'll see walls covered with knives... 95% of the with plain wooden dowel handles, as in the photo below. The the shop keeper can tell you the steel used in each and every one of them! No one cares about the handles. Some folks choose a knife for it's looks. Some choose for it's ability to do the job at hand. Personally, I wouldn't buy any knife that didn't have its steel known, because that is the important part of a knife to me. I know which steels I prefer for what particular job, be it a gentleman's pocket folder, an electrician's work tool, a forester's EDC, or a fisherman's friend. Each benefits from a different steel. All knives cut once. The goal is to have a knife that you only need to sharpen 2-3 times a year, with honing in between.

Just to add a note for all those who like a professionally sharpened edge... There is the 'WorkSharp Ken Onion Edition' belt sharpener available at https://www.overzeas.net/th/sharpener/work-sharp-sharpener/work-sharp-ken-onion-edition-wskts-ko/ When custom knife makers sharpen a knife, they use grinding belts MADE for sharpening knives. This WorkSharp sharpener uses several different grit belts to sharpen anything from a small pocket knife, kitchen knife, or hobby tool to a machete, parang, or even a sword, without the risk of burning an edge. It has guides for 15 degrees through 30 degrees, so there is no guesswork involved. Just slip on the correct belt, press the adjustable-speed trigger, and make 3-4 guided angle passes across the belt on either side. Switch to the next finer grit belt and make a couple more passes on each side. You can progress through all the grits, or move to the leather 'stropping' belt for the ultimate edge... even if you've never sharpened a knife before. In fact, you can even get diamond-coated belts used to sharpen ceramic blades, too! And... you can sharpen your knife in just 5-8 minutes. I just re-sharpened ALL of my kitchen knives yesterday in less than an hour. Since I started using the Ken Onion WorkSharp device, I've stopped using all the other sharpening tools I've collected over the years. While it doesn't provide the 'Zen-like' sharpening sensation you get when using Japanese waterstones, it doesn't take the hours that waterstones can require for re-profiling an edge. Just 5-8 minutes. Almost fool-proof. It also doesn't rip metal off your blade the way those 'pull-through' carbide roller sharpeners do, and does let you adjust the edge bevel angle for the cutting use required. For the home hobbyist/woodworker, there is an attachment for this that turns it into a great tool grinder for ANYTHING with an edge.

If someone has the tools and skill, taking apart an Opinel with a locking collar, removing and rebuilding the handle in nicer woods or other materials will result in a top-notch cutting tool for less than $20. Very few low-end knives have the high-quality steel that Opinel uses. Their production knives use both High Carbon Steel or Stainless Sandvik12c27. Both are great at taking and holding an edge!

While I personally don't like multi-tools as EDCs, I DO keep a Leatherman 'Wave' in my motorcycle, and have used one or two of the odd blades over the years. I think they are great for that purpose. Just not enough to want that much weight in a pocket. (I don't care for folders carried in a belt sheath unless absolutely needed.) And IF carried in a pocket, they make too large an imprint on the front of the pants, even if carried inside a 'pocket sheath.' Pocket sheaths will remove visible traces of a knife in the front pocket, but not if it's 3/4" thick and weighs a lot. Right now, there are several companies making great multi-tools, each with it's own variety of tools and accessories for those who like that sort of tool. As long as one stays clear of the Chinese and Pakistani knock-offs, there are some good ones available.