thaibeachlovers

I wasn't aware that such was necessary, but if I had been considering a visit, now that I know the situation I would be cancelling any visit to ( once upon a time but no longer ) LOS. I can remember when Thailand actually welcomed tourists and made it easy. I got 90 days visa exempt at the border and unlimited back to back visa runs to Malaya. Happy days back then.

In the wet season the city flooded regularly back then as reported by Trink in his newspaper column.

and the population was a fraction of what it is now, which is IMO the biggest driver of building human habitations where they should not be built.

I pretty much disregard anything that comes out of the UN. They haven't done much recently to give me confidence in them.

Bkk was apparently full of canals till they filled them in for cars to use, so perhaps they could dig up the roads and return it to what it was. Seriously, they've had 10 years to prepare, and what have they done? If it all turns to <deleted> they only have themselves to blame.

Seems all good to me. The country was being destroyed by the tourist hordes prior to covid, so any serious reduction can, IMO, allow a rethink of the tourist model. I doubt there will be a return to the cheap and cheerful model as in the 90s, but Thailand could concentrate on providing a quality experience for tourists that want more than to blob around a swimming pool, or get drugged up on a beach. We put up with low quality accommodation and transportation back then because it was cheap. Probably not cheap any more, so wise up and do more than mouth platitudes about so called "quality" tourists. They ain't going to come unless the destination is worth it. Who knows, this could be the time to return Thailand to the Land of Smiles for real.

Depends on the visa extension. Can do if based on retirement, but not if based on marriage.

You are way behind. Japan, according to an article I saw on tv, has had latex lovedoll brothels for years https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/sex-robot-brothel-opens-japan-14792161 Sex robot brothel opens in Japan amid surge of men wanting bisexual threesomes I wish posters would stop referring to "blow up" dolls. These are realistic and do not require inflating. Just wait till they put one over a robot- women will be left out in the cold. Sex androids will do whatever they are programmed to do, and won't take everything in a divorce.

True, but while I don't post much on other subforums, if at all, I do read them. I was never exclusively on this thread when I was spending hours a day on TVF.

Yeah, it's hard to give up my only link with the country I loved for decades of my life, and sometimes I see something I just "have" to reply to. I try not to spend too much time on here now, but the dark side is strong.

If that is a goodbye, farewell. I didn't read most of your posts for reasons previously discussed, but you seemed to have well reasoned points of view, even if I don't agree with some of them. I assume you may have something to contribute elsewhere on the forum in 2024 and I look forward to that, assuming I'm still among the living inhabitants of planet Earth. I can't say I will join you as this thread ( and the forum ) keeps sucking me back in just when I think I've managed to escape.

Can't disagree with that. I think my view that all life is of equal value in the cosmic scheme is well known by any regular poster on this thread. IMO life force comes from the creator, and after the biological transport machine that "we" inhabit dies, that life force returns to the creator.

That only works if one believes that God cares about individual humans. I don't. IMO in the vast cosmic scheme, a virus is of the same value as a human being. If one can ask why God created cancer in children, one should also ask why God created humans with the ability and the will to kill each other in the millions. I think more people died needlessly in war than ever died of childhood cancer.

That's easy. Science is worth it to the people that pay the scientists.

Agree 100% with first paragraph. Unfortunately we are able to wreak destruction on the beautiful planet we were given to live on, so we are actually of more importance than other species that can only live their lives. The way we are destroying the environment may see us gone soon enough though. Zager and Evans got it way back in 1969. In The Year 2525 Song by Zager and Evans In the year 7510 If God's a coming, He oughta make it by then Maybe He'll look around Himself and say Guess it's time for the judgment day In the year 8510 God is gonna shake His mighty head He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been Or tear it down, and start again In the year 9595 I'm kinda wonderin' if man is gonna be alive He's taken everything this old earth can give And he ain't put back nothing Now it's been ten thousand years Man has cried a billion tears For what, he never knew, now man's reign is through But through eternal night, the twinkling of starlight So very far away, maybe it's only yesterday

Agree. Perhaps the greatest example of human silliness is believing that actors who are good at playing a manufactured part in plays/ movies etc are actually experts on such things as climate. Indeed, sometimes such becomes so ludicrous that one can only laugh, such as when the UN assembly actually gave time to a teenager to lecture them on climate and publicly acclaimed her as some sort of important person, not forgetting the sycophantic media that gave her a platform to rant on.

Agree. IMO much of science eg the science of building better weapons to kill each other and plastics that pollute the planet end to end has been disastrous for humanity and the planet, and some of it IMO is an abomination.

Unfortunately, to live the lives they do, some scientists "prostitute" themselves to provide the "proof" needed for wicked people to prosper. Till scientists are paid from public funds and politicians have zero control on them, expect nothing to change, IMO.

To prove the earth is round one only has to see the horizon on the ocean to see that it's curved. I don't know how they came to believe the earth is flat, unless they never saw the ocean's horizon. Things like that, and that the earth circles the sun can be proven by simple logic- no need for highly paid scientists to prove such. We spend billions on learning how the universe was begun, but in a world where multi millions are living lives of untold misery the money would be better spent on finding out how to live better lives- one does not have to believe in God to know that's a much more worthwhile use of resources than discovering dark matter exists in space. Much of science has benefited humans ( but not so much other species ), but also, much of science is loathsome, as in animal testing. If ever we needed belief in a greater power to give us some morality, it's right now, as the human world descends into greed, corruption, cruelty and chaos.

I normally scroll past your long posts, for reasons as previously discussed, but the picture of the 2 dogs made me read this one and I'm in full accord with your viewpoint "You cannot discover the secrets of life by desecrating it. The cruelty done to animals in the name of science is beyond words. "But it's to save human life!!" So the argument would be that to defile other life is okay as long as it's for the benefit of humans? A pathetic argument indeed. Is there no other way? Yes, there is. Far as I'm concerned, such wanton acts of barbarity only prove how little humanity deserves to live long and prosper. Indeed, the way humanity is behaving at present with overpopulation, environmental destruction etc etc etc is IMO heralding the end of mankind's reign on this planet

I was trying to explain why I DON'T believe that we make our own realities, but to do so I had to give some sort of evidence as to WHY, and that can only be from my personal life experience. It's not like there are school text books about it. If I was wanting to write about my personal troubles, this isn't the thread to do so on, but in the end, we are all contributing from our personal experiences, and sometimes they are relevant to illustrate the point we are trying to make. If personal experience was "out of bounds" for this thread, it'd be completely pointless, as belief in God can only be a personal experience. Do you disagree? I'm trying to avoid getting back on here in a big way, but sometimes, something is said that IMO is worth the effort.

You're dreaming if you think NZ has "lavish" social benefits, or that the pension allows one to live a life of luxury. The only thing "free" about the health sector is being in hospital or suchlike. To even see a consultant one must pay large to see a GP first, and then wait a long time for an appointment. The public health service is apparently so short of staff that it's crumbling as I write. The heart meds I need I could buy over the counter in Thailand, but in NZ I must pay the same as a millionaire to see a GP to get a prescription. As for dental; it's so expensive that people could fly to Thailand for a holiday, AND get their teeth done for less in total, before covid. I doubt the rich have a problem, given their ability to pay for private health care. Rent a house on the pension- you're having a laugh? You are right about the military though. It's been emasculated to the extent that it's virtually invisible. We don't even have fighter planes any more. However, you're barking if you think we have "fabulous social safety nets" instead. I'm all for redirecting some taxes to rebuilding the military, but that's probably never going to happen. If I thought I was in any way like Biden, I'd have to sit in the naughty corner for a month.

Sorry, but if you and he are right, I would have to hate myself more than I could say on here. I don't think I do, as I would have had to hate myself before my brother died, and why would I do that as a toddler? Where I am now can be traced directly to the death of my brother. I'm not alone. Millions if not billions would have to hate themselves to end up with their lives. I choose not to believe that hate is the predominate emotion in humanity. IMO hope is the greatest human desire.

Apologies. Just noticed the last sentence which should read "It's certainly noticeable at the supermarket and petrol station. Too late to edit the post.

If that is true, then I must really hate myself to create my present ( and much of my past ) life. Also, the way my life turned out depended on the death of my 2 year old brother, and the effect that had on my parents. If we create our own reality why would I wish so much grief on my family at an age when I had no concept of life? I prefer to disagree with your statement. Far as I'm concerned, <deleted> happens because it happens, not because it was imagined prior. In the end, life is chaos, IMO. IMO religion is the attempt of people to make chaos rational, by believing there is some sort of "plan" for it all. I do not. I believe that God created life the universe and everything and then left the universe to get on with it.