spidermike007

I feel the same way, I never have to look over my shoulders here and I've never been robbed, not even close. I'm sure it happens from time to time and I'm sure that a lot of times when it happens it's Pattaya ladyboys, but I've never had any issues even in Bangkok late at night. In the Philippines security would always be an issue for me and I don't want to have to always be looking over my shoulders. And for those of us over 50, the retirement visa is simple and easy.

We all have our preferences in this life. They are all valid. Simply what works for us, and what we choose. I am not saying the PI is a bad choice. It is not for me, that is all. I agree Thailand has horrendous air issues. And it does not appear to be addressed, on any level. The corporations are too powerful and too closely linked to the army. With a leader like Pita and Move Forward, some of the problems plaguing Thailand might have been improved. With PT and Sretta, fully compromised and in bed with the toxic ones, little progress will happen. The PI does offer a choice of good food. But, it is all foreign food and it tends to be expensive. The local food is beyond horrendous. Not the case at all in Thailand. In the PI some of the air issues are due to the low grade of gas. So, it is a different kind of pollution, and affects even the small cities on the islands, which would otherwise be pollution free.

Nothing ever happens in a vacuum. Cause and effect. Oppression and being treated as second class citizens leads to unrest. This has happened throughout history. It is happening in that area now. Some political science professors would refer to it as blowback. Israel has become an obnoxious bully.

Unpopular among the cops who likely use those spot fines to buy another condo, or Mercedes.

Unfortunately, the Israeli government is jammed full of extremists, haters, and corrupt criminal fools. Highly unreasonable men. All of Israel’s most dangerous politicians are now in one place—Even before the new Israeli government was officially sworn in on Dec. 29, angry reactions began emerging, not only among Palestinians and other Middle Eastern governments, but also among Israel’s historic allies in the West. As early as Nov. 2, top US officials conveyed to Axios that the Biden administration is “unlikely to engage with Jewish supremacist politician, Itamar Ben-Gvir.” In fact, the U.S. government’s apprehensions surpassed Ben-Gvir, who was convicted by Israel’s own court in 2007 for supporting a terrorist organization and inciting racism. U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reportedly “hinted” that the U.S. government would also boycott “other right-wing extremists” in Netanyahu’s government. However, these strong concerns seemed absent from the congratulatory statement by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, on the following day. Nides relayed that he had “congratulated (Netanyahu) on his victory and told him that I look forward to working together to maintain the unbreakable bond” between the two countries. In other words, this “unbreakable bond” is stronger than any public U.S. concern regarding terrorism, extremism, fascism, and criminal activities. Ben-Gvir is not the only convicted criminal in Netanyahu’s government. Aryeh Deri, the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, was convicted of tax fraud in early 2022 and, in 2000, he served a prison sentence for accepting bribes when he held the position of interior minister. Bezalel Smotrich is another controversial character, whose anti-Palestinian racism has dominated his political persona for many years. While Ben-Gvir has been assigned the post of national security minister, Deri has been entrusted with the ministry of interior and Smotrich with the ministry of finance. https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/all-of-israels-most-dangerous-politicians-are-now-in-one-place-the-government/

Yes, but it is very rare. And they focus on trucks, not cars or bikes. The highway patrol should be patrolling the highways. Seems like a simple enough concept.

True. But you need a yacht or helicopter to access the less traveled beaches.

I like the people there. But, the entire country feels like one big Tijuana. It is depressing. Very little landscaping in the homes, even nice homes are ugly, and have barbed wire, and glass topped walls everywhere you look.The average house you would rent, looks like a slum. Tall walls, with barbed wire, to keep out intruders. And they just do not pay attention to landscaping and gardens like the Thai people do. So, most neighborhoods are fabulously ugly. Alot of slums in the big cities, and just not physically appealing. And the food sucks. The only other country I can think of with worse food, is Cuba. Granted, if you are willing to spend the money, you can find good food. But, it is not the general rule, as it is here. Also, the access to fresh fruits and vegetables is pathetic compared to Thailand. Very low quality, and often not fresh. Thailand is a paradise by comparison, when it comes to all things related to food. They use a lower grade of diesel. So, there is alot of soot in the air. The PI has an epidemic of lung diseases and respiratory diseases. Even on many of the populated islands. The hospitals are full of people who are having a very hard time breathing. It is a real issue there. Lung disease is at an epidemic level, though the authorities do not like to talk about it, and publish very little information on it. The entire country lacks the infrastructure you have here in Thailand. As I am typing now, I am enjoying a 1GB download speed, and a 500MB upload speed, all on fiber optic cable, for 600 baht a month. Unheard of in many countries, including the US! Triple the cost there. No sky train network anywhere near comparable to Bangkok. Mo MRT network either. They have one under construction, and it will be limited to ten stations. Shall I go on? I could. As far as I am concerned, the only reason to live there is the women, and a slightly more cooperative, and far less xenophobic and racist government. Alot of ex-pats are looking to leave Thailand, for a variety of reasons, but I am staying, as I enjoy a good life here. There are many things I like about this place.

There is no place for any sort of extremism in this world. Yet, the people seem to elect people who are unhinged, power hungry and madmen. Or, they install themselves, or are selected by non voters, as is the case of Xi, and Kim and many others. It is a clear view of a declining civilization. Perhaps, at this point I time, a very dark, but wise quote might apply. From True Detective, Season one. I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self aware. Nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself. We are creatures what should not exist, by natural law. We are things that labor under the illusion of having a self, a secretion of sensory experience and feeling programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody is nobody. I think the honorable thing for our species to do is to deny our programming. Stop reproducing. Walk hand and hand into extinction. One last midnight, brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal.

He is simply too old. So is Trump. There should be age limits on the presidency, the senate and the house. And term limits too. Two terms, then see ya! The terrible truth, is that we will likely never see another "quality candidate". The ones who would be the best for the office, have the good sense not to seek it. It is too filthy, and the campaign is too grueling and invasive. One has to take into account that the entire experience of running for president has to be a horrendous thing. And I think the best and the brightest have no interest in it. It also takes a huge degree of both megalomania, and ego. Things appear to be moving downhill, and not improving. Popular American culture has reached a level of bankruptcy never seen before. The days of decent people in those 3 offices are in the rear view. Only low end, too old, or morally bankrupt people like Trump now.

Natenyahu has joined the extremists and now there is virtually no hope for peace in that region. Most Jews around the world disagree with their genocidal policies, and the settlements. I find alot of Israeli policy atrocious and very racist. Israel cannot expect the violence to stop, until they develop a reasonable and humane approach. And are willing to compromise. Thailand sends its regards. No surprise there. Have they even been sympathetic to the oppressed?

Natenyahu has joined the extremists and now there is virtually no hope for peace in that region. Most Jews around the world disagree with their policies. I find them atrocious and very racist. Israel cannot expect the violence to stop, until they develop a reasonable and humane approach. Thailand sends its regards. No surprise there. Have they even been sympathetic to the oppressed?

There is no enforcement of traffic laws here. When is the last time you witnessed someone getting pulled over for reckless driving, improper lane change, or cutting in front of a fast moving vehicle? The police do not patrol the roads and the fairly useless highway patrol adamantly refuse to patrol the highways. It is a free for all, and there is very little in the way of any sort of deterrent, other than the tickets in the mail, which I throw into the bin.

A wall makes sense in highly populated areas or close proximity to those areas. As is the case with Starr County. It made absolutely no sense in remote wilderness areas like Big Bend. As a Democrat, I can say the party is not only broken, but ruled by overly woke snowflakes. Biden is right on this one. Always oppose the extremists.

It does not feel like much of a loss. I never got Hooters. My dad liked to go there. Was a cheap thrill for him. In the states it seemed like it was a tiny bit of fun. But here?

So what is the moral to this story? One idea that comes to mind is to always keep some loose money in your front pocket so that you can easily pay for things like a taxi ride without having to reach into your wallet. The second one is to always hang on to your wallet when you're in a taxi.

Protecting a child against the consequences of committing a crime? Sounds like a broken system to me. This is why most countries have juvenile courts and jails. Lock her up.

Well a lot of it has to do with how bad the insomnia is, in my particular case I had a series of ear infections over a decade ago, that required very significant use of antibiotics, and the unfortunate end result was severe tinnitus. Be careful, as many antibiotics are ototoxic. I wound not wish my condition on anyone. Except perhaps Hun Sen, Than Shwe, Putin and Xi. It has never gone away, and it's very very loud. So the only way I can sleep at this stage is to take sleeping pills. I was adamantly opposed to them in the beginning and I told the psychiatrist that I was consulting with that I didn't want to take them (after informing her that it had been about a 6 months since I had slept more than 2 hours a night), for fear of becoming dependent on them. She gave me 6 months to live, she said at this rate your organs are going to start failing. Oh, really? So I decided sleeping pills were preferable to death. I've been taking them for over 10 years, I do sleep rather well, and I take a fairly minimal dose of Rovitril, which is non generic version of Clonazepam. I do recommend them for somebody with a significant sleep disorder. I hear cannabis oil can work for some. In my case I think my condition is too severe for that to be effective. We make our choices in life. I chose to get some sleep. .

Those of us with driving skill, and a strong desire for not only survival, but the avoidance of terrible injury, are constantly scanning the road, in front of us, beside us, and behind us. There are an exceptionally high number of reckless fools on these roads, and it is the only way to preserve our lives, and those of our families, and friends, who may be driving with us, and depending on us. Defensive driving class is over.

If the goons are serious about real change, they would have to go after the army officials, soldiers and cops who supply these guns to the market. Stop the nonsense and lock them up.

There are a few spots I would consider in the US, if I got a job that paid $3 million a year or a sponsor who was willing to pay that. Until then, I will be a happy escapee. Life back there is too hard. People are having a hard time. The politics are out of control. Very little joy to be found in America, these days. It resembles Western Rome, circa 460ad, prior to the Goths sacking the city.

The EU taxes overseas income. It is a deal breaker for many. It can also be expensive.

If Pita was not disqualified for the silly thing they found, it would have been something else. This was about money grubbing lowlifes, trying to use their illegitimate positions, to deny the will of the people, steal an election, move the nation backwards, and deny any kind of change or reform. This was a toxic power grab. The senators deserve a lifetime of pain and suffering. One can only hope the people will be bold enough to inflict that upon them.

Are we expected to feel sympathy for this fool? It sounds like he started spending stupid amounts of money very early on. That was dumb. A man must take his time and get to know her first. Darwin was right. The theory of natural selection, means we all have to exhibit certain survival skills, to thrive in this world. Self protection is just one of those skills. Some have it, some do not. Those who do not are prey for the darker spirits who live like vampires, feeding on the misfortune of others.

That seems ironic. Granted, a Burmese person was killed. But you represent a serial killing, genocidal government. Do you attend the funerals of anyone killed by your heinous army?