StrandedBusinessPerson

On 1/30/2017 at 11:16 AM, The Dancer said:

https://www.thailandvapers.com/threads/updated-public-vaping-may-no-longer-be-legal-fined-for-possessing-vape-gear.16359/

Old story. There needs to be an update to this situation by someone who knows what that is :) 

cool video Anotheruser! Does anyone know a place in BKK where these are in stock? I am in town just for a few days. thx!!!

The question as asked is almost non-sensical: "SURVEY: Is President-elect, Donald, the right person to be the next President?"

In the US, the President-elect is the only person to be the next president unless he or she dies or becomes incapacitated before inauguration. 

Is Trump the right person? He's the only person who has that right, as designated by the electoral college. You may not like him, and as an American citizen, you have that right as well. 

Personally, I hate the idea, but that's the way the democracy works in the USA. A whole lotta people fought and died defending that system, and I have to respect that. As a veteran myself, I find it repulsive when Michael Moore compares the electoral college to "colored-only" drinking fountains, - and he is wrong when he calls the electoral college an illegal system. <deleted>! 

But this is what America has become: one large swath of the population is a bunch of whining babies who need comfort kittens and a safe space whenever something happens they don't like. They don't work, and they are dependant on the government for basics like food, clothing, housing and education. (Another large swath of the population is dangerous, drugged up, and has a boatload of guns locked & loaded.) 

That's pretty much why I live in and love S. Asia. It's not that. I also said I would not live in a country ruled by GW Bush, and I moved; been here ever since. Love it or leave it, has always been the best advice - unless you want to change the constitution and laws by working within the system. After 30 years of trying, I gave up. But that's also a right that Americans have. It's truly the great experiment (ongoing). 

My one winge this year was that I was unable to vote as an expat. I no longer maintain an address in the US, and hence, no longer pay state tax. While federal law says I can vote, there is no state in which I can register my vote. I am consoled only by not having a strong preference, one way or another. Clinton is a crook, Trump a madman and Johnson is an idiot, with the rest irrelevant. 

But at least when Obamacare is rolled back, I won't be fined $900 per year for not having worthless health insurance that I can't use. That's the bright side for me. And perhaps my brothers and sisters back in the USA, will now get a better deal than $450 per month with a 7K deductible. 

A decent debate this time. Hillary won. Donald is hopeless. The American public is screwed (again). Life goes on...

(Hidden post removed)

Try this Mankon: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41086.htm 

As for the "Foreign" in VFW, that's just the name as it's always been (I think). 

But it's nice to know they are in Thailand. Funny, the website does not list anything outside the USA: http://www.vfw.org/. I'll have to visit the next time I'm in town...

Interesting observation, but from personal experience I can't say that I agree. Moving from a home country to another - permanently - had been a growth experience, and mind-expanding. However, since I chose Nepal from America, it was like going back in time, and still feels that way. When I bounce to Thailand, it feels like I have moved to the future. Inevitably, I bounce back, to a place that reminds me most of America in the 60's and 70's. Wolfe said you can't go home again, but I feel I have, to some degree: to a place where personal freedom is still "a thing." To a place where government gives little thought to me, and taxes are low. To a place where I can do whatever the F that I want, within reason, and where no one is hurt. Thailand was once a place like that, but not so much these days. BKK is still however a wonderful city to visit, and now surpasses London as the top tourist destination in the world. But I feel more comfortable as an expat in Kathmandu, perhaps for the reasons that the OP states, but perhaps because it is a place that time has forgotten, even for just a few decades or so. 

Seems like there is plenty of blame to go around, but the OP asked "who should be responsible for dogs outside shops?" - well, that would be the people running the shop, who should report strays to the appropriate government agency - that is unless they want to be sued. Just like they should report sticks of dynamite or clean up shards of glass on the pavement, shop owners are responsible for the safety of their establishment, within reason. But who is responsible for the child's safety is ultimately up to the parents. Who knows what the little girl did to provoke an attack... after all, most street dogs are harmless if left alone. Regardless, here's hoping the child recovers.

Working here in Thailand for a few more days but my phone keeps dying during early in the evening. Must be the 4g. So looking for this

http://www.mophie.com/shop/iphone-6-plus/juice-pack-iphone-6-plus?=88

But all the shops I've been are sold out of the 6+. Any help is much appreciated.

Horrible. That's why I volunteer here: https://elephantwatch.wordpress.com/

Horrible. I feel so strongly about the way captive elephants are treated (and the dangers they pose), I help out here in Nepal: https://elephantwatch.wordpress.com/

My favorite place to live in Asia, and where I live now is Kathmandu Nepal, despite earthquakes and oil blockades. It's much cheaper to live here than in Thailand, and if you are a retiree on a fixed income, this place is perfect. Food and healthcare are great, a non-intrusive small government is the way to go, and the people are fantastic (disclaimer, I am married to a Nepali). However, I do miss the beach and do spend quite a bit of time in Thailand for that reason, as well as to occasionally work. That's the downside to Nepal, it's not a place where you can both live and work. There is not much money here to go around.

Outside of Nepal or Thailand, there are few other places that I would consider living. Any developed western country is out, and Africa (as noted above) is a bit of a mess. I do however like Brazil and a few other spots in S. America, but in my mind, S. Asia rules.

I once lived in HK, but that was before the Chinese takeover in 1996 or so, and I did really enjoy my flat in Kowloon. That most resembled my childhood environment, growing up in Brooklyn. Which I think is key to me, finding that childhood spot that you can never go home to again. I remember my first visit to BKK, and thinking there were some similarities... but now all most all of the older charms are disappearing fast, and BKK has become too much like every other large city in the industrialized world for me to feel comfortable.

I'll stay where I am now, and perhaps even doubly retire out to a small village in the hills and grow rice, chickens and a few goats during the later years...

It's really amazing how "small" the specs you actually need in an iMac (& running OSX) to do 3D work. I am using iMacs running Yosemite from this era: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i5-2.9-27-inch-aluminum-late-2012-specs.html and they run Cinema 4D, VUE Xstream, and anything else that I need just fine. The only upgrade was to max out the ram @ 32 GB. That said, the 1TB hard drive that shipped with that model rots, and changing it with a reasonably priced SSD voids the Applecare warranty, so I am waiting a few more months... I have no experience with the fusion drive, but it's gotta be better. Still, not noticeable during render, but boot up time seems to take forever compared to a simple MBA with SSD. In fact, running C4D on that little MBA (13 in, mid 2013) actually works as well, albeit not as pretty on the dinkey screen, but I've had to do an edit on the road and it works. SO, long and short, that iMac 5K should be a screamer, so best of luck!

Thanks guys! I really appreciate your responses.

You mentioned that the picture is important. What can I do to make mine more 'acceptable'. For example I have a beard. Should I get rid?

Short hair?

Body shot or close up face shot?

And anything else I should know.

Yeah, looks like I'll check out Ajarn as well!

Shave your beard, get a decent haircut, wear a suit and a neck tie. Being well dressed and mannered is already half way in.

Create some sets of resumes and visit schools in person in the area you'd like to live/stay.

You might consider to read "my private dancer" first....Best of luck.

Not to distract from the OP, but curious about Age. If you are a retired teacher over age 55 with great qualifications, but with wrinkles and gray hair, what are the chances?

thx.

Cows in america are butchered more humanly (bolt to the back of the head). Just say'in.

I see we are a cynical bunch here, but let's pull our fangs back for a moment. Rewarding students to "be good" in context of civil society is a great idea. Call it what you want, (badges, stamps, passport, report card) whatever the mechanism, it may be necessary. Educators try to provide incentives (at least they did in my day) for children to learn, even if it is (was) propaganda. The point being that as a society, we learn to be trained. As a retired teacher myself, in today's brave new world I see a complete lack of training to the light side of the force. But there is an overwhelming incentive to move to the dark side, as mentioned in this thread many times. Kids are bombarded with crap 24x7, and educators are at a loss, with no "Iron Dome" to deploy. So a good deed report card, why not? Why not note in a student's record the good that they have accomplished to date, just as vigorously as we note the transgressions? Any parent alive (that is mentally functional) knows this technique. "If you behave this way, good things will happen...if you behave that way, watch out." If a parent forgets a child's good behavior and focuses on the bad, all the child get's from that is a degeneration into the underworld. What mechanism that you use is irrelevant, as long as reverence is achieved. By this screed so far you can see I am a bit passionate on the topic... and that's because I grew up inside probably the greatest public school system ever devised by man to date (I am a 60's child) - but one that has now fallen to one of the worst, in just a few short decades. Sure we were brainwashed to think the Commies were set to blow the bejesus out of our country and lifestyle at any moment, and that your classroom desk was your protection during a duck and cover drill... but we were also taught there is a difference between right and wrong, regardless of the doublespeak used... we were trained to follow the "right" path... to follow the light. And as we learned that light comes in many shades of gray, we grew better goggles that filtered out the crap. God help the children of today, who are born and then left in the dark.

Hoax

Yes, which just degrades the "quality" of this website...

Legit Window 8.1 will add 3000 baht to your cost. I've found Dell to have excellent support and they don't seem to care where you bought it.

That's what I remember... the last time I bought a laptop at "Prawn Tip Plaza", I had the choice - hacked or not. Of course I went legit and the kid would have even installed it for me if I let him, which I did not. best of luck to the OP.

but it seems the rMBpro is almost as light.

Have you held both? they are like night and day. One is a dense heavy bit of bulk and the other is more like a heavy tablet, but the keyboard won't come off. The MBA makes such a difference in a shoulder bag, and it's easy to grab if just going down the stairs.

No I haven't held them, but I will do so.

I am simply citing the reviews and the measured weight difference. However I take your word for it so far as the perception goes. Am I right that the lighter weight and longer battery life are the two objective reasons to prefer the Air? Did you have a chance to consider the new rMBpro, or did it appear after you bought the Air?

I had both side by side in the office last week. I own the 13" mba, parner has the new rMBP. I could have waited a few weeks for the rMBP, but I figured why not try the MBA, as I knew the retina display would be a battery suck, and it is. 6 hrs vs. 10 hrs+. With the Air, I've forgotten what a charger is, as I don't have to carry it outside of the house for a day job with client. It will go the 8+ hours no problem. Not so with a rMBP. U are tied to the charger, as with most other laptops. Granted, the rMBP display is gorgeous and all of that, but for a workhorse that is light and thin and goes 10 hours on a charge, the MBA is my preference. The price is almost 33% less. My partner spent about 3 grand on his, after applecare and doohickeys. I spent about 2 grand on mine with applecare and doohickeys. 2 grand seems like enough to pay for a laptop, inmo. 3 grand is over the top. cheers!

but it seems the rMBpro is almost as light.

Have you held both? they are like night and day. One is a dense heavy bit of bulk and the other is more like a heavy tablet, but the keyboard won't come off. The MBA makes such a difference in a shoulder bag, and it's easy to grab if just going down the stairs.

Haswell 13" MBPr. Smaller footprint than 13" air and not much in it weight wise.

great machine, but a battery suck compared to the MBA. I guess ya have those tradeoffs: battery life vs. really sharp display.

Can't remember the name or #, but Pran Tip Plaza main floor in the back right side while going in. There is an Apple repair shop that has been there for decades. Look for a display board full of old parts. Those guys rock.

Got the full-blown 13" air with all the upgrades, a bit more than your budget, but this machine is a beauty. 10+ hours and it will do anything my old MBP did (runs both Windows 8 and Mavs with VMWARE perfectly). The only downside is the lack of retina display, supposedly soon to be fixed in an updated model. cheers!

For all: to get the most out of your ATV, do this: install VUZE and PLEX. Then install PlexConnect for ATV. This will connect you to all the content on the bit torrent networks and allow you to use the ATV to view content downloaded via VUZE, via the Trailers hack. Of course, if you want to subscribe and pay for content, you can always do that too.

Well, I think it all depends on what you mean by "TV." If it's shows, series, and sitcoms you are more interested in than live news updates, I recommend just bypassing the entire "streaming" strategy (overcoming us blocks with ToR and others) and just download the content using Vuze. For example, you can just download all the seasons of Game of Thrones and watch at once, instead of trying to find a streaming site. The new episodes for popular shows is usually posted within days, if not hours, of airing. The content is commercial free and can be put on your home media server for sharing throughout the house. Well, that's what one American expat does here in Asia, hope it helps.