spidermike007

I don't like government officials much, and the same tends to apply to law enforcement and immigration. But, this is one area where the US beats Thailand. I find most immigration, customs and border protection agents in the US to be serious, but pleasant. In Thailand they are rarely pleasant. They are often surly. Surely, they could change this attitude if they cared one iota. I don't think they do. I think they are too arrogant to care.

I feel like I do detect people noticing the lack of a mask being worn. But, I don't see any still eye. It is closer to envy. Wow, you have no fear, and you don't conform. What a state of mind that must be.

Likely correct. I don't argue with them. I do politely remind a friend from time to time, who will wear a mask outdoors, that covid is long gone. How they might look at me means far less than zero. What they think of me means far less than zero. When covid was around, I would wear a mask indoors, to be polite. Now that it is gone, no reason for me to wear a mask because they are scared. That is on them, not me.

I am not a virologist, yet I know far more than 20% were not infected here, and worldwide. I also can presume it has alot to do with the immune system, diet, lifestyle, and many other factors. Do these guys even take any of this into account? Or, is their knowledge and wisdom so lacking? It is a virus. Not everyone gets a virus. Duh.

There is a very simple solution to this problem. If the authorities were interested in solutions. The burning has to stop. There are alternatives, to this 19th century technique of burning after the sugar cane harvest. Either the government starts to encourage farmers to switch to more environmentally friendly crops, or they start to penalize farmers for burning. This heinous burning, is leading to a tremendous degree of environmental degradation, and alot of lung disease. So here is what I propose- 1. Fine the farmers 5,000 baht for a first offense, and give them a stern warning, that burning is now prohibited, and the second fine will be very harsh. 2. For a second offense, fine the farmer 100,000 baht, and warn them that if the burning continues, their land will be confiscated. 3. On the 3rd offense, confiscate their land. Period. No questions. No legal proceeding or appeals on the part of the farmers. Allow others to come in and purchase the land at a fair price, with the caveat that sugar is prohibited as a crop to be grown on that land. The news would travel faster than the toxic smoke, and farmers would change their ways overnight, and move into the 21st century. Then they can move on to tackle the sale of diesel vehicles, and the government's enthusiastic support of such. It is inane in this day and age. Most nations are moving away from diesel for good reasons. When they are not well maintained, they foul the air, with large, nasty particles. And who properly maintains their vehicle here? Lastly they can convert all of the 10 remaining diesel and coal fired power plants. Thailand has already done a very admirable job with renewable power plants. There are over 50 powered by hydro, geothermal, wind, solar and biomass. That is impressive. The government should offer incentives, for the farmers to switch crops. This is 2021. Rice and sugar worked in previous centuries. Now, they do not make any sense. Too labor intensive, too much degradation of the land, water, air, and resources. Let's get with the times. Let us move forward. Likely far more than that amount of people that are suffering right now. And the authorities do not seem to care, one iota. If they did, something would be done. Instead, only hollow promises. We will enforce the ban on burning. And it never gets enforced. No penalties, no nothing. We will do something about poorly maintained diesel vehicles. And nothing is ever done, because the cops are too lazy, and the highway patrol refuses to patrol the highway, and the special hotlines you set up, do not know anything about the program, or the laws.

Fake news. There is no centralized database, and I doubt there ever will be. We have gotten countless speeding tickets, with the unrealistically low posted speeds on alot of highways, and ignored all of them. No issues with license renewal, nor registration renewal, ever.

I have a friend who is a surgical nurse at a large, local hospital. She says she cannot remember the last time they saw a covid patient. It is over. Some have a hard time letting go of the panic. Some don't want to let it go. Masks serve little to no function now, other than preventing inhalation of pollution.

Prosperity, huh? Most Thais would disagree with you. I sure hope you are receiving a large monthly service fee, for the army PR work you are preforming.

For someone we all considered smart, he sure seems to have made an incredibly dumb move in over paying by as much as $25 billion, for Twitter. I hope Twitter fails. I consider it a rather toxic platform.

Best reply? I take my time. I will be checking you out, vetting your worthiness, and determining if you are a real gem. This process could take years. We need to spend real time together. I am a real man, and real men do not make decisions online. A cup of coffee first and 30 minutes. Period. Then a date. Then we shall see. So, if you are in a big hurry, for a big payoff, I am definitely not your guy.

Totally disagree. Though, they do have alot to be concerned about at this time, I still find them cheerful. Sometimes, what we see is a reflection of ourselves. I find alot of Thais to be super kind, sweet and gracious, when I show them warmth, and a sincere smile. Compared to back in the US, most people here are delightful. I don't get that warmth, nor many smiles in the US. Rarely. Then there is the babe factor. I can be eating in a restaurant here, and flirting mercilessly with a gorgeous, young waitress. They are fun, cheerful and laughing. Assuming you are bring some humor and some game. In the US, they are usually cheerless and difficult if they are young and cute. Yikes. No thanks.

This is 2023. There is no place for highly corrupt, bloated, overly rich, super toxic dinosaurs anymore. Out with the army. Any change at this point would be a good thing.

I gave up using the marriage visa. The lower financial requirements were easier. But, the visa requirements were ridiculous, and I refuse to have to prove I am married once every year. Not gonna happen. Onerous, at best. Abusive, at worst.

https://www.eyebuydirect.com/

Improvements to the current system are desperately needed. Using the trains here is like stepping into a time capsule, and being transported back to 1965.

As I get older, I am developing a new skill set. I am becoming very good at ignoring nonsense, ignorance, naivety, and overly judgmental people. They barely register on my horizon. Social media seems to have amplified things and the media itself is "overly woke", which essentially means unconscious and pandering. As Bill Maher said recently, the things that seem important in Los Angeles, likely mean nothing in Des Moines. And how many dinner conversations do you think you will encounter in rural Ohio, about my trans child? Or my transitioning child. Or any such nonsense? It is the tendency of the progressive wing of the Dems, to ask the world to acknowledge their preferences. Not me. I do not do PC. I hate PC. Do not even consider forcing your PC junk on me. I just don't care. Water off a ducks back. Don't have time for the foolishness.

I have been told by Russians that less than 10% of the population have any real money, and 98% of wealthy Russians earned their money illegally or with crony companies, and a percent goes to Putins accounts. And unlike Putin, there are alot of smart Russians out there. It is likely a percent of the ones we see had already left Russia, as there has been a huge brain drain going on for a decade. So, their money is not coming from Russia, but rather worldwide accounts.

I buy good quality prescription distance and reading glasses online, in the US for $30-50 with a nice frame. Same for sunglasses. $10 extra for polarized. buyeyedirect.com Just say no to nonsensical pricing.

I mean innocent as in: 1. To each his own 2. Not a terrible choice if devoid of lucrative opportunities, especially in a nation that barely pays a living wage 3. When the environment offers only fractionally more for those with a very expensive college degree, which is not specialized, the options are limited. 4. You have parents who are encouraging you to go out on your own, and find a rich foreigner, and you are hoping to provide support to your baby and your family. I know some women who did it for a year or two, saved enough money to build a very nice house, and buy a new car for cash, and don't seem to have any psychological scars from it. Lastly, thankfully I don't have daughters, so it is not something I have to ponder.

Absolutely. There is nothing sinister or evil or terrible about sleeping with men for money, if it is consensual and the woman is of legal age. It is our overly puritanical views and double standards that make it so.

Yeah. Even though she was 35 years younger than me, she got busy with me because I am so handsome. Had nothing to do with money. Haha.

Nah. Most have huge loss funds factored into their budgets. Hundreds of millions. Zero impact on consumers or shareholders.

Both. The PRC is widely alleged to be a major harvester and trafficker of forcibly acquired organs. Available information indicates that Falun Gong practitioners have been the primary victims of this cruel practice, and there are now allegations that imprisoned Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities are also victims, based in part on accounts of mandatory medical testing in Xinjiang consistent with preparation for organ removal. Since 2015, Chinese authorities have claimed to only source organs from voluntary donors, but there are doubts as to the veracity of the claim. Data suggests that Chinese hospitals have performed many times more transplants than the highest estimates of ethically available donors can account for. https://humanrightscommission.house.gov/events/hearings/forced-organ-harvesting-china-examining-evidence

This man is the lowest of the low. There are life forms that live in a pond that are of a higher nature than this hooligan. However, as much bravado as he likes to express, most of us know if it really came down to it, he would wet his pants if faced with any real danger. What does that make him? A coward, an instigator, a trouble maker, a danger, and a half man.

Most insurance companies are like mafia organizations. They do nearly everything they can, to deny claims. That is where the real money is. I despise them, and self insure as much as I can.