spidermike007

I guess it's just a matter of perspective but I think drinking nearly every day is boring. Sobriety seems like so much more fun, drinking occasionally as a change of pace is cool, drinking all the time is just nasty and toxic, and makes you feel like crap.

Causing somebody's death due to reckless driving and sleepiness should be considered a very serious crime. At a minimum she should spend a few years in prison, have her driver's license revoked, have her car confiscated, and be liable to pay the family a few million baht. Doesn't there have to be a deterrent in order for society to function properly?

Absolutely not, first of all I don't do guilt, so no matter what she says, it would not have made me feel guilty. Secondarily, I don't trust the word of strangers, very rarely can strangers be counted upon. I'm not opposed to helping a stranger out from time to time, but when one asks for money I have to question where they are coming from and whether or not they're real, and usually I go with my instincts which tells me they're not.

In the many years that I've been here in Thailand I've pushed back against corrupt cops or ones who were out of bounds, on many occasions. I've never been jailed for it, I've never had anything horrible happen to me, and in many instances they have backed down. So when they say jump I do not jump, when most people say jump, I do not jump. We make choices in life.

Just say no to fools.

Nothing will be done, as Anutin is a terrible leader, very incapable, and very unwilling to take industry head-on and deal with any of the issues plaguing this nation. He is totally and completely compromised. The public urges government assistance in tackling air pollution. If you goons were not bought and paid for by big agra, the burning would stop. It is your compromised nature and your unwillingness to put up a good fight, that is the major cause of the air apocalypse we are facing. People are dying and suffering in hospitals on your watch, and their blood is on your hands. You are cowards. You are incompetents. You deserve to be voted out with a vengeance. You all deserve prison or exile. How Chiang Mai became the world’s most polluted city- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/12/how-chiang-mai-became-the-worlds-most-polluted-city At least one NGO is calling it what it is. Field burning, not forest fires is the main cause of bad air here.

Nothing will happen, we all know that both motorcycle taxis and regular taxi drivers are above the law, any and all laws, state, federal, army, whatever institution you can think of the taxi mafia is above their law. They are untouchable.

I like the idea of opposing additional funding for Israel they just don't need it they're going to commit genocide let them do it on their own however Ukraine is a different story and so is Taiwan. Standing up to King Vlad and Xi are important steps.

There's no doubt in many of our minds that he would abuse power if elected for a second term. He would feel like he was infinitely more above the law than he had been previously been, after getting away with everything he would have gotten away with, should he not be locked up from the current batch of trials. I think we would be moving toward fascism in a very horrendous fashion. He is a very dangerous man.

Remember the massive groups, following the leader around with the flagpole? Does anyone miss those days? The entire world has changed since the Zombie Apocalypse. Everything is different. Thailand was sealed shut for far too long. The cowardice and timidity was astonishing. 75 major countries that are tourist destination were fully opened, while Thailand languished, quivering with fear. Then they opened with those crazy quarantine rules. Alot of people said no thanks. And continue to do so. Thailand is not the center of the universe, and tourists are showing that there are many, many alternatives to it. Plus, none of the issues that plagued Thailand before covid were even addressed. None. And the increased pasteurization and homogenization of the place is not anything anyone wants, except the fake puritan authorities.

I am not sure I would even submit to a urine test, if asked. Is that even legal?

The presumption was that she spoke some English. Taking her on a date might be considered an erroneous signal, to a single 50 year old, lacking many prospects! I have always preferred an honest and direct approach.

I have caught covid. It was a nothing burger. Sure, it takes some people out. Many things do. Just not quite as focused on it, or worried about it, as you are.

When did I say I don't know about Jews? I said I don't approve of alot of Israeli govt. policy.

Definitely have had some luck in this life, but had to work very hard for it. So, was it luck, or entrepreneural spirit combined with some smarts? My mother told me very early on that life is not fair and that it was unreasonable to expect it to be, and that has been a lesson that has stayed with me, it's been very helpful. A sense of entitlement is an ugly thing.

Two thoughts about this. A majority of the teachers here are substandard, and do not even know the lesson plans they teach, and cannot even pass the tests they give their students. To call the Thai educational system low quality, poor, ineffective, and outdated, would all be an understatement. Much reform is needed, and an argument can be made that the extremely toxic elite here, want to keep the system the way it is, for reasons of avarice, selfishness, and a false and ancient notion that it will protect their status. Those vermin have alot to answer for. By international standards, the two top universities in Thailand are Mahidol and Chulalongkorn. World University Rankings created by Times Higher Education takes into account the reputation of research done by universities and how often papers produced by universities were quoted around the world. They have Mahidol ranked at #610, and Chulalongkorn ranked at #801, worldwide. That is the best this nation is capable of. Shows you how important education is to the elite (who send their kids overseas for college) and this spectacularly toxic administration. I know this thread is primarily about grade school, but I doubt there are international rankings for that. In the West the value of a college degree is questionable. The cost of a college education relative to the benefits are marginal. Unless one graduates with a medical degree, medical tech, nursing, an MBA from a top 20 school, or a degree in engineering, the prospects are not what they used to be. And the debt can be outrageous. College seems to be a racket these days. Big business. And who wins in the end? The university. Vocational school, or specialized training, may have more application, in this world. Not sure the same applies here, as opportunity is very limited, without college, unless one is entrepreneural.

Red alert. A terrible crime is being committed. RTP cosplay alert. Someone is impersonating an RTP franchisee!

There are so many reasons why alot of very smart couples are saying no to children. We did, and we love being childless! Kids are cute, but they are highly over rated. If you look at the curves birth rates are falling all over the world, except in Africa, the forlorn continent. Falling in China, Thailand, Japan, etc. Some are predicting China's population to fall to 650 million within 50 years, the crisis is that bad. I don't call it a crisis. I think it's a huge blessing. China's birth rate in the last year has fallen to the lowest level on record while American research shows more adults who do not already have children are saying they are unlikely to ever have them. Hooray!!! https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/the-51/20220121-global-decline-in-birth-rates-should-we-worry Japan's population is projected to fall from a peak of 128 million in 2017 to less than 53 million by the end of the century. Italy is expected to see an equally dramatic population crash from 61 million to 28 million over the same timeframe. They are two of 23 countries - which also include Spain, Portugal, Thailand and South Korea - expected to see their population more than halve. Hooray!!! https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53409521

First he steals an election, and now he is giving illegal gifts. There is no limit on the immorality of this man.

I am from NYC. But, I spend most of my year here.

Correct. 1. None of the issues existing before Covid were ever addressed. Typical Thai style. These goons in charge won't take responsibility for anything. 2. Many economies have been devastated, and Thailand's tourist base of primarily lower income Indians, Chinese and Malaysians, and Arabs were hardest hit. 3. Thailand cannot and will not attract wealthy or even affluent tourists, for a dozen good reasons. No sacrifices are being made, to make Thailand more appealing to them. 4. Thailand is a nation in reverse. It is moving backwards, and represents the polar opposite of progress on countless levels. It is simply NOT becoming a better version of itself. The environment, traffic and public safety, horrific law enforcement, corruption, air quality, etc. Add to that heinous luxury and wine taxes, and you have an environment wealthy tourists avoid like the plague. 5. You cannot shut down the entire tourism industry for 2 plus years, decimate the nightlife, hotels, restaurants and countless related businesses, engage in a very poorly planned vaccination program, create a climate of fear and panic, and then just expect because you open your doors again, millions will flood in. The world does not work like that. 6. Thailand is NOT the center of the known universe. It is becoming less relevant by the minute. Tourists are forgetting Thailand. Thailand needs foreigners 100x more than they need Thailand. I could go on and on and on. The goons just do not get it. At all.

They can renege on this promise just like they reneged on letting Pita become PM, after he was duly elected. They just don't care. They change things willy-nilly, seemingly without any consequences.

I meant in the US. Most do not even know what a Jew is here.

The Riddler has resurfaced, only this time he's not plaguing Gotham, but rather Thailand and the RTP. Let's bring out the genius detectives and let them solve the riddles.

We are not guilty as charged. Pattaya is not a sex capital, and there are no underaged girls available. They are making this stuff up. It is very hard to buy sex in Pattaya. They don't know what they are talking about. And we don't know why or how they came to reach this point of view, and we do not have any idea how they're getting their information, but it's so incorrect, and it's so improper, and it's so embarrassing and we just don't know what to do. We are absolutely befuddled, and in a complete tizzy. After all, as officials of the city it's not like we're making any money on the sex industry, so why blame us?