spidermike007

The police here are franchisees. They rarely engage in actual law enforcement. Keep that in mind.

I never said zero. I said an 80% drop from where we are today. Around 5,500 to 6,000 is my forecast. Could take a few years.

Very conventional thinking. Let's discuss this in 3 years when your head is spinning, your portfolio has dropped by a lot, and you are saying "wow, I just did not see this coming". Sure, it happened before. But I did not think history would repeat itself. 35x earnings seems reasonable.

The biggest joke never saw an opportunity for publicity and hounding the news, that he could walk away from. And the powers that be are making the exact same mistake now, as they did when he was head of immigration, by allowing him to be a media star.

Well, some would argue that the very nature of their jobs, and the extraordinary amount of protection they have from the authorities, is in essence a franchise. I would argue that instead of the system avoiding the prosecution of cops, they double the penalty, as they are breaching every moral and ethical boundary by their behavior, and these kinds of stunts.

Well, yes. Our cultures teach us to question authority, not believe everything we are told, and be curious about the world. At least some of us have those qualities. I see many back there who are lock step, always getting in line, and always believing most of what they are told.

Very hard to say. If the DOW drops through the floor, and the major world economies collapse, there is a chance of bitcoin going to $500,000 and ETH going to $50,000. And gold going to $50,000 and silver rising to $2,500 an ounce. But, that is anyone's guess. It would likely only happen under conditions that would make 1929 look like a picnic. A major correction is coming. It is only a question of when, and how severe it is.

Thailand would likely not be where they are today, without the US spending billions on infrastructure here in the 1950's and 1960's. For free. No loans, just a gift. Of course in return they got Thailand as a place to stage invasions into Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. But, it was not a Chinese, CCP style loan and indebtedness.

Anyone wearing valuable gold, watches, or jewelry out on the streets of Pattaya at night, towards the end of a 2 year long pandemic which has seen unemployment, and homelessness skyrocketing, and incomes plummeting, has to be considered a fool, and does not have my sympathy. Darwin was right. The theory of natural selection, means we all have to exhibit certain survival skills, and common sense, 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.

Though I certainly do not look forward to it, I see a huge global economic correction coming. Call it what you will. It will likely bring a substantial drop in the stock markets, real estate valuations (Thai rural land values may be an exception, maybe), and other asset classes. I see the DOW dropping to around 5,500. Real estate in the US dropping to 40% of current values. Condos here will likely drop by 50%. We shall see. A major correction is needed. The economy remains too overheated, though some economies like Thailand took a major hit from covid, and gross mismanagement.

I challenge you to name just one country that China has helped with infrastructure, without a loan. Bet you cannot. Foreign aid on any level, is an alien concept to them. The CCP is not to be trusted. Go ahead and put faith in them. The future will likely bear out what I am saying.

Mandatory or not, count me out. But, it is likely most Thais will continue to wear masks for years, on motorbikes, at the beach, etc. Not me. I stopped wearing them the day the government announced that they were no longer required outdoors. If I am in a very crowded place, I will wear one, so that people do not freak out, but I am wearing it for them, not for me.

I have recently changed from marriage visa to retirement. It is so much simpler. If you are pressed for cash, and the difference in deposit makes a big difference, you will not have a choice and must jump over the silly hoops, unless you get an agent, which the immigration people seem to encourage these days, as they share in the profit margins. Here is a rant, from my previous marriage visa, before I gave up on that. Recently returned from immigration, after renewing my marriage visa. The upside to this visa, is that only 400,000 is needed as a deposit, and it does not have to stay in the bank, once your visa is granted. The downsides are: The hurdles you need to jump over, in order to get a marriage visa are stupid, ridiculous, unnecessary, draconian, wasteful, and silly. I understand the need for them to verify that you are a legitimate couple. Upon the first application. But, the dumb requirements should not relate to renewals. You should not be required to show fresh images of the house each time, copies of the marriage papers, the house documents, either come with a local Thai witness, or bring a signed affidavit from a local Thai each time, provide new maps to the house, and dozens of other requirements. I just do not even know what to say about the process. I felt like a street dog by the time I left. After hours of paperwork, copy after copy after copy, each page having to be signed, and then being grilling by the surly officer, I literally felt like a street dog. The level of disrespect that immigration shows married couples here, and foreigners in general, is totally uncalled for, beyond the pale, and inane. The copy woman, the guy sorting our papers, they were all nice. But, the officers? Such sourpusses. The woman who was helping us was so difficult to work with, when she finally rejected us over the tiniest thing she did not like, after nearly an hour of reviewing every document with a microscope, so to speak, and said no, I responded by saying yes. YES, you are going to do this. Yes, you are going to do this right now. YES, you are going to stop saying NO to me right now. This ends now. She looked at me and did not know what to say. I asked for the manager. The top brass came over, and we had it sorted in 30 minutes. Took nearly 3 hours. And as usual, it will be a month, until I have final approval. Is it worth it? NO. It is my last marriage visa. I will go back to a retirement visa next year, or leave the country, before I subject myself to that abuse one more time. I use the marriage visa, and they inevitably like to throw in something, to increase the difficulty of the process. Frankly, I think at least some of this comes from the rather extreme level of xenophobia and the toxic racism of the army. It filters down throughout the government. I do not think they want us here. And making these procedures difficult is one way of expressing that. Fortunately, I feel very little of that sentiment from the non governmental Thai people.

There is some very simple protocol involved in flood and even rainy season preparation. Just like I clean my drains, and the concrete channel next to the house, that the rain and washing machine, etc drain into, every channel, drain and water control device needs to be inspected and made to run at optimal performance, before the rains come. This is not rocket science. This is common sense and very basic stuff.

As a matter of fact, the United States still maintains nearly 800 military bases in more than 70 countries and territories abroad—from giant “Little Americas” to small radar facilities. Britain, France and Russia, by contrast, have about 30 foreign bases combined. How many overseas bases does China have? And have you asked yourself why? As heinous as some American policy is, they have been a trusted world leader, and have come to the defense of many a nation. Will the same be said about China? I seriously doubt it. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321/

China has one long range port. How many does the US have? Most of China's fleet is short range. They are completely out of their depth, compared to the US Navy.

Lets see how you feel about that once the Chinese take the place of the US, as the world leader. I don't expect much in the way of foreign aid. Easy to speak of this when you are not faced with tyranny.

Hopefully this is just starting. Millions have been disenfranchised by these goons. Let the show of disappointment and a anger begin in earnest.

They had lives, and were not obsessed with tik tok, posting every tiny detail about their lives in Facebook and taking 200 selfies a day.

In was not aware of any restrictions prior to Oct. 1st. Did I miss something? Those draconian restrictions which contributed to the decimation of tourism, long term, have been long gone for some time. Unfortunately, they remained in place for far too long.

There are so many things one can do to address fatigue or boredom. Exercise, good diet, green drinks, etc.

Likely Thailand wants them, so the general can brag, and feel better about themselves. But, I doubt the US would allow it, knowing how cozy Thailand is with China. The US possesses incredible superiority in both the air, and the sea, against China, and Russia, who are both bad actors on the world stage, with very bad intentions. Doubt they would risk giving that advantage up. Not worth it.

Yes. The better ones are reverse cycle.

That seems like so long ago. A lot has changed.

Not a surprise to anyone. And they wonder why nobody respects the cops here.