spidermike007

Now is the best time. Just say no to the insurance mafia. It feels good.

Huh? Please, please, start making sense. We are talking hotels, restaurants, etc. Plenty of room for improvement. And if we are denied the ability to comment and post online, then the worst of the worst can get away with anything they like. Public forums are our right. And I won't let anyone take that away from us. Defamation laws are for extreme cowards.

One has to remember the economic devastation Cha Cha and his wrecking crew reaped upon this nation for two plus years. In addition to his failed policies. I have a friend visiting now, who has been coming here for 30 plus years. And just last night he mentioned how devastated the place looked, and the staggering number of businesses that have folded. And he has been traveling around. His comment was far ranging.

Would love to see it, but somehow doubt it will happen. I can't remember the last time we had a year this dry. Hoping for major storms soon.

This is so typical of Prayuth, the spectacularly toxic Thai army regime, and is such a travesty. Sending them back to the serial killers is pathetic. One would hope for a more humane policy from a real man like Pita.

Is that service only available for those who have permanent residency?

Total nonsense. How about the hundreds of millions who simply prefer for big brother to not be able to follow, monitor, collect and sell all your personal information, spending habits, etc. For me, it is just common sense. Has nothing to do with fear, or anything to hide. Not to mention the convenience of cash. How many times I have waited behind someone fumbling with their phone app for 8 minutes, while paying for a 45 baht item. Sorry, but I love cash. Cash is king, and real men carry plenty of it at all times, in my book.

Never, ever allow yourself to be cowed into submission by cowards and fools. The defamation laws were written by sold out cowards, to protect rotten players from reprisals, due to bad service, faulty products and bad business. They have no place in today's world. They represent a heinous over reach of toxic power. Thailand deserves whatever comes its way as a result of this. Those insane and cowardly defamation laws have been around way too long. They were written and passed by sold out politicians, for men who sell inferior products, offer inferior services, and steal alot of money. And do not intend to be answerable to anyone. Perhaps some of that will change. For those of us who have been here a awhile, we know that positive change only happens here through utter embarrassment, humiliation, and a loss of face. It never happens because it is the right thing to do, or due to fairness or equity. So, it must be thrust upon them, such as in this incident. The lack of vision prevents them from seeing it coming. Egg on the face can be a cure for many diseases and weaknesses.

Amazing Thailand. #1. In balcony falls. What on earth is happening here? Why do we see this so much? Is it the shoddy construction materials? Is it the very low heights of some of these balcony rails?

OH please. This is a man who interrupted his studies at MIT, during an MBA program at Sloan to rescue his father's rice bran oil business, Agrifood, after this fathers death. He was successful, and is paying down the 100 million baht his father borrowed to start the company. This is a serious man. Very unlike the failures before him. He then went back and finished his MBA, at one of the top business schools on the planet. Go, Pita, go. We are behind you, proud of you and trust in you. You are giving us real hope, for a change Let us hope these greedy, toxic, moronic, backwards, incapable nitwits get the message, and back down. Now, they need to figure out a way to get rid of the corrupt, army appointed senators. ASAP. By whatever means necessary. The youth have prevailed. It is a glorious day in Thailand!

China is quickly becoming the most toxic and heinous nation on earth. Kudos to the UK, if they are doing what the organ harvesters are accusing them of. Xi is a gangster and China is out of control. Defying them at all junctures is our only option.

A dinosaur needs alot of rest. And it takes alot of energy to fleece your nation to the extent he and Cha Cha likely have. Not much juice left for meetings.

Yes. Exactly. It is likely many, many billions are already in overseas accounts. The extent to which the filthy army controlled administration has fleeced the Thai nation many not be known for some time. And it is likely not many Thais assume this happened. It could be on an F. Marcos level. Prayuth, Prawit and Co. have been anything but honest and noble. Yes, Cha Cha. Goodbye and good riddens. We hope you face charges some day for your crimes.

They will be forgiven, if the military backed senators back down, and don't cause problems. The army owes that to the people, after 9 plus years of devastating results. If Cha Cha is the tiniest bit sincere about not interfering, the last year of their time in office needs to be revoked immediately. Let the people make the decisions, not highly corrupt, totally compromised men who have sold their soul to the heinous, toxic army. Not sure how much we can do as ex-pats, but something needs to be done to tame these goons. They must be brought into line, or pay a very, very heavy price, for their absolute repudiation of democracy. They are now starting to behave like fascist goombahs. Let us attempt to show them what a very miserable life looks like! Go, Pita, go. We are behind you, proud of you and trust in you. You are giving us real hope, for a change. Let us hope these greedy, toxic, moronic, backwards, incapable nitwits get the message, and back down. If they do not, if they use the EC, the courts, or their power to prevent Pita from becoming PM, it could result in real disaster. It could be the end of the Thai army as we know it. If they order the soldiers to put down the protests, there could be a mutiny much worse than we are seeing in Burma, where tens of thousands have defected already.

Alot of men, who provide support for their women, don't have much understanding of the power and influence that gives them. You don't want to listen to me? Not open to my suggestions? OK. No problem. I am moving out for a month, possibly alot longer. Here is enough for the kid, but you are cut off, until you can get your act together and start behaving like a decent woman. A 65 hour a week job is always an option for you. OK? Earth to wife. Do you understand?

Are you the primary means of support for your wife? If so, you have alot of leverage and must use it. Explain that you are unfulfilled and will consider moving on and asking for custody of the child. Thai courts often grant that. The primary consideration is who is best able to support the child. That will likely wake your unconscious wife from her stupor. Exert some control. If not, I would try any means possible to fix the problem. And if nothing could be done, I would hit the road. Nothing is worse than an unfulfilled life, except maybe a life with a control freak wife.

A rather bizarre bit of reporting. Did he save her? Did he somehow cushion her fall, without harming himself? If this kid a super hero of some sort? Hollywood should recruit him. Marvel, here we come.

When you attempt to hit someone in the head with a iron bar, you are running a very high risk of killing them and your action could be interpreted as such. The foreigner and the driver are both fortunate they are still alive. If I were in the position of the foreigner, I would have defended myself and might have savagely attacked the driver. It is quite likely this numskull had no fighting skills, hence the need for the weapon, so this is fairly easy to defend against. It is very possible the driver would not have walked away from the encounter.

Gambling is no joking matter here. Most don't play cards without gambling. And drinking, which can become a huge issue. It might be time to give her a choice between you, the cards, or the road. I used to know a guy who had a custom built, spectacular hilltop villa on Samui, with an astonishing seaview. This place was unbelievably luxurious and was probably worth well over a million dollars. He was a ship captain who for decades piloted major ships and put a lot of his life savings into this land and villa for retirement. He married the wrong woman and she was a compulsive gambler. One night she was out gambling and she put up the house and lost. Some mafia guys came by a couple days later with the police and claimed the house. The husband had no idea what had happened. He consulted an attorney who said there was not much he could do, as these thugs would just have him taken out. The guy she lost to was the former chief of police on Samui. So, a high ranking mafioso. So he kicked her to the curb, divorced her, (a bit too late) and he decided to go back to work. He was 65 years old, and he decided to go back to work as a captain, try to get back on his feet, and start all lover again. An incredibly sad and tragic tale of woe.

Good synopsis. The locals don't really count, since we are trying to measure tourism.

Very true. Or, if I was wealthy enough, I might only be here 2 months of the year. But, I live very well here on a reasonable income and there is alot of the world outside of Thailand that has some serious issues! I am reasonably content here. And contentment is a spectacularly pleasant state of mind!

Relationships barely get any better when you both get what you want!!

I like the people. The level of english skills and the women seem to be the big draw for most guys. But random guys in the street, can be a hazard, and that is variable I would want to have to deal with, regularly. I consider the PI to be far more of a ghetto experience. But, I am referring to the environment, and I think you are referring to the social aspect. I agree with that. Thais are spectacularly insular, and seem to have little to no curiosity about the outside world. The people in the PI are infinitely more open minded, and far more Western. And the language is a huge plus in the PI. Many speak good english, and I would guess if you were attempting to speak poor Tagalog, the people would try far harder than here, to understand what you are trying to say. Since they are more Westernized, they are likely more creative, linguistically. If you do not have the pronunciation and the tones down perfectly here, the people are completely lost. A total inability to dance around in circles intellectually. And they barely even care to try to understand what you are saying! That is a huge nuisance and annoyance here. The PI is a foreign country. Thailand is a distant planet.

A demonstration of faith, and hope for a brighter future, for Thailand, eh? Nothing can ever change? Nothing can ever improve? Sorry, but some of us possess hope and faith. Dreaming of a better future for this wonderful nation is not such a terrible activity to engage in, is it? Sometimes, some naivety can be a good thing, if it gives us a reason to get up in the morning.

May I suggest a public execution, within the next 30 days? Why bog down the system with someone like this, if this can be proven without a doubt.