billd766

Common sense 101 says that you take your own translators, otherwise you will only get told what the interpreters have been told to tell you, which may well not be what you need to hear.

And there are far too many posts about Donald Trump.

I agree with you. When I joined back in 2003 it was called Thai Visa (TVF) which was useful and informative, but with each change of ownership, both the quality of posts and posters has got worse (IMHO) and if there are 30 threads on a page, I may find 1 or 2 of interest and worth reading. Before I read any posy nowadays I look to see what forum it is in and who the thread starter is and also I usually can see if any posters on my ignore list have posted. Whilst there are more posters on the forum, usually there are only about 100 or so regular posters and those who don't post anymore are still listed as members.

I am so happy to have all the qualified? doctors and virologists here on AN telling me that it is all a load of rubbish, and that I have no need to worry about Covid, as it is ONLY the flu virus. I sometimes wonder why doctors and the health/hospitals etc are needed at all. The answers to everything can always be found on AN and its current crop of posters.

Most people with arthritis or osteo-arthritis in the knees have difficulty walking in the first place and many have balance problems. At 80 I can get down on the floor, but if I fall down I can't get up without help from at least 2 Thais. I can shuffle around on my ass but to get up I need to turn over onto my knees (which is painful and climb up using the furniture, IF I am lucky.

But the envelope expense are variable depending on how many people contribute and how much each person contributes. Some contributors may donate 20 thb (all they can afford), whilst others may give 100, 500, 1,000 thb or even nothing. Some wats will announce each donation and others may not, but the fixed deductions will still remain. Some villages have an "insurance" contribution which is to be paid each time somebody in the village dies, and some villages don't. Our village does and even I as a farang am insured, as is my wife and son (but at 3 times the cost). There are no hard and fast rules, so the best way to get a price is to send a Thai to each wat and ask the abbot for the price. I doubt that any wat will provide a cremation only but the best way to find out would be to ask around all the wats in the area for a guesstimate before the event happens.

I think that the cremation ceremony would depend on the wat itself, rural;, urban or big city wat, the number of monks needed/asked for, how many days the body is lying there. For the cremation itself, AFAIK the body is either soaked in oil, or a gas burner is used and would be relatively cheap. It is all the add ons that cost. Food etc for X number of people for X number of days, Water, beer, whiskey, ice. soda for the kids are usually on a sale or return basis. Gifts will be required for all the guests. If the wives or the family do the cooking they will rent the stuff from the temple or elsewhere. TBH brutally honest, asking for a figure is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string. The overall cost depends on how much face the family wants. It can be relatively cheap or eye wateringly expensive. The choice, as always, will be the choice of the family.

I have also used 2 kettles full of boiling water and left it in the toilet for a while and though it did not help that much, it did help a little. If you do need to replace the toilet, then try the Thai Watsadu builders merchants as they have a good line in everything you will need. Cotto toilets had an offer to replace the toilet and do all the work for 900 thb extra. However I have no idea how far distant from the store the offer was. Whether it was 5 or 10 km or more, but I live 60 km away which may cost a lot more even if they would do the job. Cotto have a big range of single piece, 2 piece with external water tank, short or long flush buttons, handles on the side or the front, all at a reasonable price. Thai Watsadu also deal with American Standard and I think a German company as well, along with the usual toilet and bathroom fittings.

I had/have a similar problem. The plumbers plunger used to clear it and still does, the plumbers snake doesn't seem to do much at all. A wire coat hanger, untwisted, straightened and re bent works OK, My wife had a go with caustic soda and water which worked about the best, though I think that the water should be hot to boiling for a better result. The OP does not mention if he lives in a 2 storey house or a single storey. Ours is a 2 storey and the upstairs toilet worked fine all the time. I have hopefully attached a cutaway drawing of a toilet which may be of use in locating and clearing the problem. When clearing the "blockage" always wear the longest rubber gloves that you can find, a face mask and some safety glasses or goggles, if you can get them from a hardware store. There is a lot of information and videos available if you do an internet search. I have more information should you need it. Good luck.

I have osteo-arthritis in both knee caps (confirmed), the cartilage in my left knee is almost worn away and I have already had one operation. I wouldn't take the word of ANY unsupported AI information from the internet though the internet is a useful place to look for external sources of information. I would rather trust a doctor especially if they are specialists. IMO you would be better off going to a specialist and getting an X-Ray, then asking the doctor to explain it to you. Try doing a search and typing in "early knee arthritis symptoms" where there is a lot of information available. Some from AI but most of it is not. I am using Ibuprofen tablets from the State hospital and also an infusion of cannabis flower heads with honey and hot water, left to steep until I remember it, then poured through a strainer or a sieve into a plastic bottle and popped in the fridge to get cold. I take about 450 ml before I go to sleep. Does it work for me? I am sure that it does. Will it work for you? I truly have no idea, but it may.

The Russians were also the ally of Germany and they also invaded Poland, Latvia and Lithuania among other countries. Without Lease-Lend from the USA and from the UK through the Arctic convoys and the Middle East through Persia the Russians may well have surrendered to Germany.

The Trump grovelers are already out in force.

Purely out of curiosity, have you ever written your life story (or had it ghost written for you)? If you have, how many copies did you sell? quote from your post, 14 million-shmollions, or none?

Need a brain cell?

I am 80 years old and my Thai wife is 59. Why would we even consider adopting?

Why ask me and not the local hospitals? I don't live anywhere near the area.

It seems to me from this thread, that most of the whiners and moaners are Trump supporters and democrat haters.

All the CAAT need to do is issue a NOTAM (NOtice To Air Men)advising them of probable times, dates, areas and air lanes/ heights etc, to steer clear of during the season. The villages should be smart enough to notify the CAAT early enough for the NOTAMs to be issued.

Perhaps he will change his mind once again this week or next week, something he seems to do on a regular basis.

No matter what Trump says. money cannot buy everything. Whilst I am not an empty nest Mum, I am an empty nest Dad for the second time and there is still hole in my heart where both of my sons were. She certainly has my sympathy, and if she thinks that she needs therapy to help her get over it, then go for it. Ignore the chattering class whiners, and do what you think is best for you.

So you only know what was written in the post and rely on that for your information in much he same way as I do, yet you believe that you are right and I am wrong. However as you were not there (neither was I), that your interpretation is right.

Were you there or not?

Your assumptions were not false then?

So you have no idea where the items came from, no idea if they were live or not and you were never there at all. Why did you bother to post at all?

Of course she should. She was doing her job properly and diligently, when some dumb<****> Aussie strolls up with an 81mm and a 60mm live mortar rounds and some other explosives in his carry on bag. A very good show for Ms Pakkanut Dumlak for doing her boring job properly. He should be in the IDC at Suan Phlu until the next available flight to OZ, where he should be collected by the police and tossed in jail for 5 years. What amazes me is where he got them from and how did he get them past customs nd onto the aircraft from OZ in the first place.