spidermike007

I will make a most optimistic prediction. There will never be another military coup here. Think about it. The moral authority that backed the coups in the past, is long gone. And the army does not have the guts to wage war against their people, Burmese style. It won't happen. The Thai army does not have the guts for it, and the Thai soldiers, and the families of the soldiers would never tolerate their sons murdering innocent Thais. The moms would say "you murder one Thai, and you are never welcome in our family home again. Listen to me. Do not do this". And you would have massive army defections. Who will fight at that point? Not the cowardly generals? They would flee into exile with their billions, and the army might collapse, or give up, at that point. One of the fundamental differences, is the Thai soldiers are not facing the level of desperation the young Burmese are. The poverty here is not as grinding as it is in Burma. I do not think it could be sustained, if the fools started it. Thailand is a very different culture than Burma, on a dozen significant levels. And the youth now, are very different people than they were during past coups, which were violent. and were supported with a sort of moral authority, which is gone now.

I think you are referring to Russia. I find no joy in joylessness, nor a bleak, dark society. They can have it. I find a nice smile keeps the heart warm. It is a very pleasant muscle to work, and brings much joy. Many Thais are very intuitive and receptive to kindness. I find a genuine smile goes a long way here. As some said, in the West, a smile does not get you much, besides scorn. Especially if you are smiling at a young and pretty gal. Here, I find alot smile back. And that is very heartwarming. I can flirt and joke around mercilessly with a cute, young waitress here, and often she is laughing and smiling. Alot of Thais have a wonderful lightness of being, and that is pure delight, for me. In the West, I would get locked up!

It is very important for law enforcement to focus on the real crime, and root out these foreigners. Everyone knows most of the crime committed here is by foreigners. The locals are very honorable, and few of them are corrupt, or dishonest. Even the army, the police, immigration, customs and other officials here are super clean and honest. So, why focus on them? Get the foreigners!

20 to 40 years, now that I am an old fart. Why be with someone your own age, if you do not have to endure such a fate? My woman is far younger than me, and she keeps me young. In addition she does not have the disease of a closed mind, and a conventional nature, that so many older women have. Too set in their ways. No thanks. Which one do you prefer?

Good move guys. You always need to follow the will and dictates of the elite, the army, the highly conventional and conservative minority, and the most corrupt people in the nation. And most importantly, it is very essential that you completely ignore the will of the people, bring no change, progress or reform, and continue to move the nation backwards. Good work. Keep it up. Congratulate yourselves.

I think America is the country most infected with this malady. The other day I got an email and on the signature it had her name and after it she/her. Huh? Personally, I despise PC. I think it represents alot of what is wrong with contemporary culture, and especially America today. It is a major form of weakness, when you allow yourself to be easily offended, and take everything personally. Granted, there are things that can be perceived as offensive, but allowing yourself to be offended by tiny little things people say and do is a bit much! But, the people who are offended daily, by things others say, are just weak, and would benefit by growing thicker skin. Life can be rough and caustic at times, and for those of us who have grown thick skin, it is like water off a ducks back. No big deal, at all. Think what you want to think. It just does not mean anything to those with self esteem, and a sense of who and what they are. Granted, these are just my opinions, and some will take offense to them. LOL. The notion that political correctness has “gone mad” is familiar to anyone who follows even vaguely any aspect of modern political or cultural life. The phrase, ostensibly referring to language or action that is designed to avoid offence or harm to protected groups, has become a sharp criticism. It is synonymous with a sort of cultural McCarthyism, usually committed by the left. https://www.economist.com/open-future/2018/09/10/has-political-correctness-gone-too-far A Rasmussen poll found that 71 percent of Americans think political correctness is a problem today. When is being politically correct more about civility and politeness? When when does it veer into censorship? When is it justified? When is it not justified? https://www.jacksonville.com/opinion/2016-09-30/has-political-correctness-gone-too-far University of Connecticut officials sent out a campus-wide email advising its students that the school would provide counseling sessions in response to political commentator and Harvard Law alum Ben Shapiro’s slated speaking event at the university. The ironic part is that the counseling sessions were offered before Shapiro even stepped foot on campus. When I was in law school, Bill Clinton came and spoke. While I wasn't traumatized, I wonder whether the administration would have provided counselors for all the women in attendance. https://clclt.com/charlotte/pc-culture-10-times-its-gone-too-far/Content?oid=16059883

Over and out. You are dumbing down, what was a decent discourse. See ya.

I never said I was a wine expert. You imply that. I do know alot about wine, and collect it avidly. I love the Clare Valley and even know how to spell it properly. Mclaren too. However, I much prefer Burgundy, and the Rhone Valley.

Someone who devotes 10,000 hours to a subject? Someone who passes one of the most difficult exam processes there is. If you have to ask, you are either not into wine, or just a skeptic. Have you ever done a blind tasting of very fine wines, and been able to guess the varietal, region, vintage and vintner? That is an expert!

Extraordinarily good. A massive amount of research went into it. Opinions of many experts. Countless events and tastings, that only a true wine freak, like me, could appreciate. A normal person cannot be expected to understand or comprehend the amount of time, effort and knowledge that is required to pass even the lowest level of Sommelier accreditation, which is the Certified Sommelier Examination (CSII). It is mind boggling. Advanced is far fewer, and there are under 400 worldwide, who have earned the highest Master level. Only 14 people in history have passed that exam on the 1st try! The author passed the CSII. So, this is light years beyond opinion. You obviously hold literature in very low regard. My heart goes out to you on that count.

I think what you are saying is that it is very easy to die here. Choose wisely. Shortcuts can be very costly, sometimes. A short supply of judgment and wisdom on the roads, is a recipe for disaster.

Probably not a good idea to make it widely known you are working from Thailand. Just exercise discretion. You should be fine.

A local woman, it seems. Immature, for sure.

Why do you care so much? Does it offend you if it is so? Why?

Nope. Just an immature, undeveloped personality, over reacting to criticism. Likely a result of terribly low self esteem. I would recommend 3,000 hours of therapy. LOL.

No. It happened. The expat population is lower now. In the past 3 years many left. A friend of mine uses a foreign lawyer in Bangkok, who is one of the top attorneys around. He said his office cannot find enough hours in the day to meet with expats who are leaving, with their Thai spouse or family, and dealing with legal arrangements and wills for their remaining Thai families, properties, etc. He said he has never seen anything like it, in the 30 years he has been in practice here. Woe is Thailand. Where is the hope for the future? The dinosaur creeps are moving this nation backwards at a breakneck pace. Truly regressive reptilian leadership. And now, a good guy is elected, and what do they do?

I am convinced there are already multiple cures for cancer. Trillions have been spent on research, for decades. There is simply too much at stake. Entire Oncology departments in hospitals, Big Pharma, the crooked FDA, the entire medical industry, insurance, etc. I don't think they want a cure. We certainly do. But them?

If they are so worried, why didn't they stand up and lobby, and out pressure on the army appointed, fake senators?

Let us refer to the lost year as a continuation of the Prayuth Decimation. The people do not deserve this. The government thieves and cons do richly deserve this, for denying the will of the people.

Where I come from reviews are part of everyday life. If you offer a substandard product, or an ultra small portion as a restaurant, people are going to talk. Your business will not suffer from one bad review. Something here smells fishy. Perhaps an immature owner with a very fragile ego?

Denial, denial and more denial. Trumps utter hatred of truth and facts always made him a dangerous man. Nothing has changed.

It was not his fault. But, his tepid response and his typical denial likely delayed a full scale federal response and increased the fatality rate. So, you could say he has alot of blood on his hands. In Jan 22nd. "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It's going to be just fine," he said. On March 11th: During an Oval Office address, Trump said that for "the vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low" — though he did warn that the "elderly population must be very, very careful." In May 19th: "When we have a lot of cases, I don't look at that as a bad thing," the president said. "I look at that in a certain respect as being a good thing, because it means our testing is much better. So, if we were testing a million people instead of 14 million people, we would have far few cases, right? In Sept. 21st: During a campaign speech in Swanton, Ohio, Trump claimed without evidence that the coronavirus "affects virtually nobody," downplaying the risk of the extent of the pandemic and the danger that it poses to individuals. In that campaign speech, he suggested that the virus is dangerous only to older people with heart problems and preexisting conditions, sentiments that go against the guidance of most public health experts. "It affects elderly people, elderly people with heart problems, if they have other problems, that's what it really affects, that's it. In some states thousands of people — nobody young — below the age of 18, like nobody — they have a strong immune system — who knows?" Trump said. "Take your hat off to the young because they have a hell of an immune system. It affects virtually nobody," he added. "It's an amazing thing — by the way, open your schools!"

It would be very risky to lock up Thaksin at this time. Very, very risky. I hated Bush Jr. at the time he was president. Then came Trump. And Jr. seemed like a statesman and a patriot by comparison. I feel the same way about Thaksin. Loathed him at the time. Now, compared to Prayuth he seemed like a stable genius, a highly competent leader and a man who actually cared about the masses. Corrupt? They all are. At least he got stuff done. There is a reason why millions still love him, and only a slim minority of highly conservative, very conventional, very closed minded people still support Prayuth. What this guy should be saying right now is: We are very, very sorry. We are stubborn and obstinate men. We have been big bosses for a long time, and been surrounded by yes people. So, it very hard for us to be humble. But, we have seen the collapse in the export market. We have seen the utter demise of the tourism industry, that some corrrectly blame us for. We realize Covid was just one factor. Keeping the nation closed for far too long was a big mistake. We have seen that millions are out of work, and we fear this economic meltdown will last many years. Did we cause that? Well, we admit we are at least partly responsible. Prayuth has never had any sincere interest in helping the proletariat here. They are the furthest thing from his mind, unless he needed them for an upcoming election. Then, it is only a charade. By comparison, Thaksin actually did things that benefitted the masses, and the elite despised him for that. Yet, all these years later, millions still love and support him. And by comparison, Prayuth is deeply despised by all but a small percent of the nation. Why? Because he is the very definition of an empty suit, he and his deeply flawed health minister allowed Covid to spread, with their highly selective economic shutdowns, and their historic vaccine failure. In addition, he has done little to nothing to help his people in their greatest time of need, and he spends his days protecting goons. I could go on. Nobody I speak with, nobody I know, no Thais I encounter support him, at this time. All is lost. Woe is Thailand with dinosaurs like these guys in charge.

That is total nonsense. He replaced 8 foot alligators, with 14 foot crocodiles. Analyze his cabinet. Nearly every one of his appointments were men and women totally lacking morality, character, ethics, or capability. His presidency was likely the 44th worst in American history. His foreign policy was an absolute disaster. His trade war with China failed miserably, as did his "negotiations" with Xi, Kim, MBS, Putin and nearly everyone else. The man cannot negotiate his way out of a paper bag. I do not like the choice of Biden as a choice for the dems. I think it is a huge mistake. But, I would vote for Mylie Cyrus over Trump. His base is narrower than it was the first time. He will lose. But, being a loser is something he is accustomed to.

Many of us sure hope so. Some forward movement is desperately needed. The age of the dinosaurs needs to be put into the past. Super low quality, bottom of the barrel leaders like Prayuth, Anutin, and Prawit are coming at a huge cost to the nation, it's image, whatever remaining influence it has, tourism, and the economy.