spidermike007

Trump no doubt blew it like nearly everything he did as a failed president. But, Biden could have done things differently. He could have had people evacuated earlier and he could have saved tens of billions of equipment, instead of gifting all that to the Taliban. That is a stain he will carry to his grave.

I doubt even 10% of the soldiers will vote for more toxic years of army rule. Away with the dinosaurs. Enough is enough. Be content with your fortunes and leave the people alone.

I lived on Samui for 9 years before moving to the mainland. When I first arrived quite some time ago it was an island paradise, over the years it got very developed, traffic became oppressive, and it just was no longer fun to be there. It got very expensive and things changed a lot. Also, alot of the locals left, and there was very little in the way of local pride in the island. It was not taken care of, and sometimes felt like a five minutes year old restaurant dishrag, that had been rung out too many times. We used to fly out of Surat airport, just to say no to BA monopoly, buy it is a haul. Now, after covid the island is starting to recover but it's still a pale shadow of its former self, so many businesses were devastated, so many restaurants closed, so many of the remaining mom and pop establishments are gone. Now they're just trying to open higher end restaurants and hotels and most of them are fairly slow and have low occupancy. The bar scene, massage scene, and the nightlife has almost entirely disappeared, and there's just not much in the way of fun action on Samui anymore. Been there three times since the start of covid. It's a very, very different place from what it used to be. Will it recover?

A small part of what we are seeing is based on increased demand and costs. A much larger part is unprecedented greed and a generational opportunity to engage in highly toxic profiteering, using the pandemic as an excuse. It is a sad example of the lower nature of mankind, and the moral bankruptcy of modern day corporations.

4 MG. of Rivotril is alot. You might want to try CBD oil. High potency. I hear it works great, and it is now easy to find here.

Some people are simply born to be ignored. He sounds like a real pain. Glad your son spoke directly to him. He sounds like a true clown.

People, forget Cheney got that resolution passed, that allowed the entire Iraq and Afghan campaign to be waged "off the books". So, that entire amount was never added to the deficit. Who knows how much that was. 7 trillion? 11 trillion? And who knows how much the accumulated deficit really is. $40 trillion? More? The US is in trouble, no doubt. An enormous crash is coming. Not a question of if, just when. The Dow dropping to 5,200? US housing prices dropping by 60%. Unemployment at 32%. It could happen. Where that leaves the baht, and Asia in general, is anyone's guess. The most striking fact about the cost of the war in Iraq has been the extent to which it has been kept "off the books" of the government's ledgers and hidden from the American people. This was done by design. A fundamental assumption of the Bush administration's approach to the war was that it was only politically sustainable if it was portrayed as near-costless to the American public and to key constituencies in Washington. https://archive.globalpolicy.org/pmscs/52336-how-the-us-public-was-defrauded-by-the-hidden-costs-of-the-iraq-war.html%3Fitemid=id.html

I don't agree. It is up to the people of Thailand, to rid themselves of the 250 army appointed, toxic, super corrupt senators. Whatever they need to do, is ok. It must happen. If not within the law, than creatively.

Nowhere else in the world have I seen people consistency take the kinds of chances and risks in the road, that they take here, with their families in the car. Nowhere. When they could have waited four seconds to make the uturn or turn onto the highway, and have a completely clear path, they instead choose to take a tremendous risk. It is beyond comprehension. I see it all the time. My eyes do not lie to me. This rarely ever happens to me in the US. The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, prevention, enforcement of the law, or concern toward the prosecution of very reckless drivers. 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. When I was growing up, we took drivers education courses. They showed us horrendous films, of semi trucks plowing into cars, and literally obliterating everything in their path. They also showed us graphic images of head on collisions. 120mph impacts. Even as a young kid, it made quite an impression. It was horrific, and it was hard to get those images out of your head afterwards. But, it left a lasting impression, and when I started driving, I understood it was serious business, and that it was a very dangerous thing to do. Also, I had the benefit of my lovely Mom, as my instructor. She spent countless hours in the car with me giving me tips, advice, and teaching me driving etiquette, courtesy and respect toward other drivers. That was priceless, and I doubt many Thai kids benefit from that kind of guidance.

I have another suggestion. Why don't they scan the bars for overage gals. That way they can maintain the aesthetic of the nation. There are alot more ugly, fat and old gals (UFO's) these days. Someone should tell them that they are too old for the trade. Imaginary interview. How old are you? 49. Oh, that is OK. What do you weigh? 76 kilos. No problem. There is no aesthetic requirement here, so your lack of beauty will not be a problem. You are hired.

We all feel alot safer now that we know the noble and righteous men and women of the RTP and immigration are focusing on truly dangerous criminals and bringing them to justice.

I kind of like the guy. Bit, listening to that voice day in and day out? I think that more or less disqualifies him, unfortunately. He is light years beyond the pack of junk that has announced thus far.

We are likely to see a worldwide recession soon. And there is no way Thailand can avoid the hurt. Such an infinite amount of sabotage and destruction was done by Cha Cha, Prawit, Anutin, Phiphat, and Co. There is no escaping the effect of that now. They are just beginning to realize how much more difficult the tourism restart is going to be, and much of the "nightlife and the industry" remains devastated. Millions of jobs were lost. What is real unemployment here, now? There is a huge price for allowing dinosaurs to stand in as leaders.

The Anti-Corruption Directorate Office and the police authorities have been working tirelessly to prevent and suppress corruption in the public sector. Hah! It is astonishing that something like this can be said, in all seriousness. Sorry. We know this is not true. Nothing about it is true. This office is one of the least serious offices in the nation.

They only catch them, if and when they want to catch them. They never wanted to catch the Red bull guy. Always remember, anyone worth over 250 million baht here is above the law. Billionaires? Any and all laws.

No. That would be a gracious concession on the part of immigration, and that is just not within their nature. I have been told you can't renew more than two weeks from the expiration date. Was that bad information? There might be some exceptions, but be prepared to lose the remainder of time left on your visa.

And the biggest problem with carrying a gun is the possibility of using it. If you kill a Thai, your life is likely over, as you know it. Are you prepared to take a life over a perceived threat? When the threat could be juveline bluster? I am not. I find in most situations if I show sincere kindness, humility, and respect, to someone who has taken offense by something I have done, he just backs down, and accepts the apology. A situation can easily be escalated with the wrong attitude. But why? There is no upside for us. Only downside. Only problems. And they are the kinds of problems we just do not need.

I wonder if he devoted more than one minute to coming up with this plan. It would appear this is proof that the art of parenting is on the decline. Who raised this absolute fool? What a dunce. How did he think he was going to actually get away with this? The real question is why is this dummy so extremely emasculated? So what if she is hot and sexy. Who does this kind of thing for a woman? What a fool. He is doing no justice to his gender. A true half man.

I tend to disagree. The bottom line is that there is never any upside to engaging a Thai person, much less a group of them, in a fight. If you kick their butt, you lose. If they kick your butt, you lose. No upside to that formula. Best to just keep your cool, show respect, and avoid fights in public. Remember, this is a land of face. Even something as benign as a street race, can mean they end up losing face. Which for well developed, normal people is not a big deal. But for seriously immature men, thugs, punks and mental midgets, or boys, it is.

Very accurate. And many of us have enough self esteem, which allows us to have thick skin. And self awareness too, which often takes some introspection and inner work, which is extremely rare here. I can handle an insult or a perceived lack of respect. I know who I am. Many can't. Many just lose it. Real men don't cause harm to others, due to an insult. Half men, cowards, punks, thugs, men who look like men but have the emotional development of a 13 year old often will overreact.

It depends on the gal, and it really depends in how long she was in the business. Many of us think there is a sort of sliding scale of psychologocal damage. Up to 150 men, no big deal. I think an awful lot of women in the West have that number beat, despite the low numbers they often quote. 150-500 men she is experienced, but will likely be fine. 500-1000 men (very common here, though also common for a civilian in the US too!) is approaching the point where there might be some permament damage. Depends on the depth of heart. 1000-2000 men, and there is likely to be long term bitterness towards men. 2000 men and over is (ATW) what we refer to as "around the world". Little chance of being able to engage emotionally in a healthy manner, ever again. There are likely exceptions. But not many.

I find that to be just the opposite. I love so many things about this place. Now, if you were talking about the US, I would agree. That place is depressing, predictable, monotonous, stupid overpriced, boring and stifling. Not here. Not for me.

It is systemic. Parents favor boys, and tell them so. They end up feeling superior even though it is patently untrue. There is such an abundance of delusion within that favoritism.

Notice how many of these cases we are seeing all of a sudden, just prior to the election. As if we are being asked to believe ChaCha and the cops are sincere about fighting corruption. 8 years too late. You had ample time to demonstrate an interest in cleaning the place up. We all know who and what you are.

I always check my passport stamp, to make sure the dates are correct, since I use a one year, multiple entry retirement visa. If there is no entry stamp, immigration obviously goofed up. To lock a tourist up for their immigration's own mistake is utterly heinous, deplorable, shameful, bitter, xenophobic, nasty and foul. I complain about immigration often. I consider them to be one of the least pleasant, and most toxic branches of this horrendous administration. Your honor, the defense rests.