thaibeachlovers

Agree. Perhaps it's the overwhelming sense of doom that is thrust into our faces every time I watch tv news ( why do I need to know that 30 people died in a bus crash in South America when I don't even live there? ), or perhaps it's the obsession over greed and appearance, while ignoring the petty crime that blights our society. Whatever the reason, I just have no hope of a better life to come if we all work hard and live good lives. Seems to me like the bad people are winning.

You and I are very much aligned on the children thing. I fail to understand why old farangs with children in home country feel compelled to produce more in a foreign land where they can be denied even the right to see them should the mother choose to do so ( despite the law ), and look more like a grandfather than a father. I'd have been embarrassed if my father had looked that old when I was at school. I do understand why Thai women want children from the farang ATM, as it locks in the money supply indefinitely. If old farangs really want to have kids around, there are kids in orphanages to adopt. Re the world today, if I did only one thing right in my life, IMO it was not bringing children into the world as it has become. Many parents I know fear for what will happen for their children. I even wonder if for possibly the first time in history, children in western countries will be significantly worse off than their parents.

Never a problem for me as I left them to get on with it and did something else. Had I been able to speak conversational Thai, I doubt I'd have had any interest in talking about what I'd been eating and what I was going to eat, which seemed to be my wife's primary motivation in life. When the old biddies in the village gathered under the MIL's house to gossip they referred to the "farang" many times and frankly, I'm glad I don't know what they were saying about me.

The temples.

It may be a "custom" where you live, but certainly not in the village I lived in.

Perhaps the military has changed, but the one I was in didn't care about who I was, and while they trained me to do the job, they certainly didn't do anything to make me a better and stronger man. I don't think they even employed psychologists back then ( though I don't know if they do now ).

Having lived in Saudi for some years, I sincerely hope that the Thai government sets up a monitoring program to ensure the conditions under which they live and work are satisfactory, and that they do get paid what they should get paid. Any that agree to go there should not have to pay to do so- that was an atrocious scam in the time I was there.

Obviously I don't KNOW, but I agree it's a possibility that the drug developers fear that older people may be more likely to suffer adverse effects during a trial, and wish to avoid such, as it might affect the likelihood of marketing the drug. Follow the money.

IMO luck is always a factor, but genetics helps too. Humans would never have survived long had not some been immune to certain diseases eg the Black Death plague, IMO.

I fundamentally disagree that it has been presented properly, but it's all been discussed before and I doubt either of us are going to change each other's minds on that. Negative incentives may force some to comply, but IMO will come back to bite the perpetrators on the posterior in the future. Agree that we ain't for changing our minds. Unless this forum is social media I don't use social media at all. So my opinion of Pfizer is nothing to do with "social media". I doubt I'm alone in that.

OK, I'll admit it may be in the community, but it's not making anyone sick ( so far ), and no one that has been tested has been positive. Sooo, if it is in the community it's doing a great job of hiding. However, today, tomorrow or next week, next month etc the government ( and I ) fully expect it be with us. Reported a couple of days ago that one case detected in the not too far away city, so it's probably just a matter of time now. Actually, I'm surprised it took so long to get here, given the claim that it's so infectious. When omicron was first reported in NZ I even decided not to visit my friends as I didn't want to be responsible for infecting them, should I get it first, but that was so long ago, and with no evidence of infections so far I gave that up and returned to life as normal, which was nice. Now, it's only a case of waiting, and preparing as best we can. I went to the pharmacy and stocked up with over the counter meds for the symptoms should I contract it. After all, if I didn't already have the meds and got it, I wouldn't be able to go get them, as would be in isolation. Of course, I'll be very happy if I don't have to use them.

It didn't relate to the pandemic at all. It was in response to a specific statement by another poster with which I disagreed enough to respond in the way I did. I sympathise with you about your medical problems, but I fundamentally disagree that mental anguish is a "self inflicted" problem. I'm not going into the specific problems I have post op, but they are easily found with google as a side effect of prostatectomy, and are a constant reminder of everything I lost. BTW, medical treatment for prostate cancer has progressed dramatically since I had my op many years ago, and had I needed treatment today, I'm sure I would be significantly less impacted. So just in case anyone was worrying about what I said, don't let that put you off seeking medical help.

Lockdowns are about more than not going to the bar for a few months. People have lost their life savings, their businesses, their lives have been ruined and they didn't even have the disease, all due to lockdowns.

I agree 100% with your first 2 sentences. However, I fundamentally disagree that it's "a matter of scientific fact against belief". Those that believe in the "science", IMO have not presented it in a way that is convincing enough to be believed by many. Shouting at us and spouting insults do nothing to change our mind. Such was not the case with the ozone hole, and I doubt anyone came out against the real and apparently effective solution. As with climate change, the pro vaccine demographic need to do a better job of presenting their side to get everyone on board. As an example, I refused to get Pfizer as I don't trust the "science" on it, but when an alternative was finally approved and available, I signed up as soon as able to and have had my second dose of the same ( NOT Pfizer ) vaccine. I will be having the booster in due course. So I'm NOT anti vaccine at all- just anti Pfizer. My laugh icon was for the second to last sentence- I doubt many are "oblivious" to anything to do with covid..

Not my Thai family and they used chopsticks occasionally.

I have nothing against them. I just wasn't interested in speaking with them. I wasn't in LOS for the conversation.

Not interested in debating with someone that has fixed ideas and denies others their beliefs because they don't fit with yours. Nothing is fixed and no such thing as "this reality". Welcome to the ????.

IMO you will be waiting a long time. It's like skipping to the last page of the book and losing interest in the rest of the book. I'm sure he's more interested in other aspects of the story. So far he's only told the story of a few of the kings. I hope he continues with more. I enjoyed the books more than the tv series, but don't know if I would if he writes books that follow the tv series. BTW, I hated the entire last series, but changed my mind when I watched it again on DVD. It isn't that bad after all. I think I was PO that Arya didn't get to gut Cersei, and that Cersei didn't suffer enough. Also a lot of stuff didn't make sense, like if all the Dothraki died charging the army of the dead, how come so many were left at the big scene in the last episode? Also, if the wildlings were no longer enemies, why did they keep the Black Watch if no enemy to guard against?

That's not the issue. Used to be the military had a large pool of rough men to use as cannon fodder, but now society has degenerated IMO to the point that the average youth just couldn't cut it in the military. Not a problem when only a small number of men are required for an all volunteer highly mechanised military, but will be a problem if things get so bad conscription is imposed, IMO. BTW, when I was in the military I never ever felt that the government had my back. They certainly didn't give a <deleted> when I left as there were too many little tyrants to tolerate, despite having spent many thousands of $ to train me. Treated us like <deleted> while in and not interested when we left.

Exactly. IMO western women learned to use sex to get what they want, rather than as an enjoyable activity. I prefer the Thai version, except when it's the darker side of society, as in not taking precautions and then abandoning the girlfriend after she gets pregnant. IMO if you make it you own it.

IMO you tink too mut. No such thing, IMO, as one reality. Infinite dimensions, infinite possibilities in God's creation.

I hope they invent "real" virtual reality while I can still enjoy the limitless possibilities. Imagine doing the hokey poky dance with any celebrity of our choosing!

Our soul is "us". Our bodies are just biological transport mechanisms. As for where it resides, and what happens to it after the body dies depends on whether one believes in God and an after life, or not.

When I type this it's transmitted by electricity. Whether the text is "contained "within" the electrical impulses" or not I have no idea. Such knowledge is not within my purview. All I know is that if a movie can be transmitted by electrical impulses and then put on a screen for us to view, it can't be so far out there to believe that the electrical impulses in a brain can also be put on a screen for us to see, and also to record, just as a tv movie is. Just because the means is not available to do so now, it does not mean that those means will not be available in the future. Many things will be invented in the future that we are unable to even conceive now. Would a Neanderthal man even think it possible for me to be using this computer to communicate with you?

I don't know any of them, and no one I know knows any. Why would we be scared of it? In any event being scared isn't going to make any difference re catching it, IMO.