spidermike007

11 hours ago, bartender100 said:

I edge a bit towards James Norton

 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3584268/

Every director on the planet would disagree with you. While I think he is a great actor, multiple sources say he virtually impossible to work with, demands he constantly does re-writes to the script, and makes the crew's life miserable. Not worth it. Life it too short. Be impossible on your own time, and on your own dime!

Hardy would be great. He is an amazing actor, is thoroughly convincing, has the look and is young and believable as Bond. Not sure who would even be in second place. I hear the name Elba being tossed around a lot. He could probably handle it too. 

Although all acts of generosity should be applauded, a direct donation to the Thai government cannot be trusted and should be avoided. Better to find earnest and trustworthy private individuals and organizations. Far better. 

This is beyond the pale. I would have refused to pay the fine, had my family all over social media and shamed the franchisees into letting us go. Also, I would have flatly denied their requested donation of 2000 baht once we were home. Get off my property. You have done enough damage. See ya! 

It is absolutely incumbent upon us to fight the astonishing corruption of these lowlife RTP, with every nanogram of our beings. Whatever it takes. Just say NO! I say NO all the time to these creeps. Usually they back down. 

Trump was knocked out in the first round by Covid. A TKO on impact. Gone, baby gone. Get ready to say President Joe. He will make a far better president. Think of how refreshing it will be to actually have a president capable of negotiation. And one who is willing to embrace our allies. And one who does not tweet like a 13 year old. And one who does not have such a bizarre relationship with "truth". And one who is willing to hire competent people, and not throw them under the bus the first time they disagree with him. One who has self esteem, and is comfortable within his own skin. Big changes. 

Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 60% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese and Indians) are the ones who have been hardest hit by this idiotic worldwide economic shutdown. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. Perhpaps many countries will still be required to have Covid letters, as the virus is still raging in many countries. And some countries will not issue that letter (impossible to get in the US). Plus, will the mandatory health insurance still be required? Will it be even stricter than before? And just what are people returning to, or coming to? How about nightlife?

Even prior to Covid, tourism here was declining. There are countless things the government could be doing, if they wanted to attract the high quality tourists. The very first thing would be to repeal the anti fareng wine bill, that was passed by a few very corrupt senators way back when, to protect an anemic local wine industry. They are losing billions of dollars a year in revenue, that would be had from a 100% wine duty, instead of 360%. The five star hotels would have major wine events, and the entire industry would flourish here. 

They will continue to get more Indian tourists. But, as with the vast majority of Chinese, it will be lower and middle income tourists. Thailand just cannot attract higher end tourists anymore. The focus on quantity over quality will continue to erode the nation on countless levels. More is rarely better. It just lowers the quality of life for nearly everyone, creates more congestion, more smog, more traffic, longer lines at immigration, and makes life difficult, especially in the big cities. There are countless things the government could be doing, if they wanted to attract the high quality tourists, and go for quality over quantity. Rich tourists like to spend money when they travel. And they cannot do that here, as they do not like getting taken for a ride. Most wealthy people are smart with their money. Thailand could be making a fortune on a 25% luxury tax. Instead of the 100% of more, which discourages most people from buying a new watch, or  a new handbag, while on vacation. How many people do you see in the luxury stores here? They are almost always completely empty. Inane. Beyond inane. 

Quantity over quality is never a good thing, unless you are selling one dollar items at a swap meet. It just lowers the quality of the experience for all. There are so many unanswered questions, it boggles the mind. One thing is for certain. Thailand will be feeling the effects of this for a very, very long time. So will the rest of the world. 

Covid will likely re-set the whole economy. I think we will see significant price corrections across the board. Thailand is in for a world of hurt, after deliberately shutting down its economy. Millions of restaurants and small businesses will be lost forever, and millions will remain out of work. In addition, the tourism sector will take a year or two to revive, if it does. The very group that Thailand was targeting (lower to middle income tourists from China and India) were the one worst affected by Covid. 

Good topic. Will take some time to see how this all shakes out, but it is my opinion that the economic fallout from the inane economic shutdown, is going to be 200 times worse than Covid itself, and the recovery "ramp up" will be long and excruciating. Far longer than they say. It will not just bounce back. In the history of the world, as far as we know, there has never been a deliberate worldwide economic shutdown. It is light years beyond dumb.

The "slowdown" will last well into 2021, for certain. And some industries may never come back, or will be a pale shadow of their former selves. No doubt homelessness will skyrocket in the US. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work.

What about concerts? Will people be willing to hang out with crowds of 20,000, at a cost of hundreds of dollars for a crappy seat? Same with sports. Will people be willing to go into a stadium or an arena with 20,000 to 100,000 people close together, and pay crazy money for a seat?

Movie theaters? Cruise ships? Will the hordes just start descending on restaurants again, and pay inane prices for a gourmet meal? The list goes on, and on and on. 

And in the end, hundreds millions worldwide could end up far poorer than they were before. And tens of millions could end up starving to death, compared to perhaps 100,000 or so total deaths worldwide from Covid. OK. The rich stay safe and financially secure. And the rest of us? And those of us who are self employed, without fortunes in the bank? 

One has to wonder what they will open to? Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 60% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese and Indians) are the ones who have been hardest hit by this idiotic worldwide economic shutdown. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. Most countries will still be required to have Covid letters, as the virus is still raging in many countries. And some countries will not issue that letter (impossible to get in the US). Plus, will the mandatory health insurance still be required? Will it be even stricter than before? And just what are people returning to, or coming to? Will restaurants be open? How about nightlife?

There are so many unanswered questions, it boggles the mind. One thing is for certain. Thailand will be feeling the effects of this for a very, very long time. So will the rest of the world. 

There will be no second wave. Covid is gone from Thailand. Some seem to want to cling to the apocalypse scenario. We beat it. Accept that. Let people go on with their lives. The number of new cases is astonishingly low. Whatever they did, it worked. End the panic. Let it go. 

However, having said all that, from what I hear it is still more or less illegal to travel to other provinces? So, how is this being regulated? Is quarantine still in place, in many provinces, for people just coming in? I hear that is the case in Surat, and Korat, for sure. 

Let us get a life and look at the reality. Less than ten new cases a day. The longer this goes on, the more businesses lost, the more hunger, and greater difficulty in re-starting the economy. There is absolutely no justification to continue the lockdown. At a minimum it should be a gradual reopening, starting with malls, restaurants, salons, public transportation, and small shops. Will take some time to see how this all shakes out, but it is my opinion that the economic fallout from the inane economic shutdown, is going to be 200 times worse than Covid itself, and the recovery "ramp up" will be long and excruciating. Far longer than they say. It will not just bounce back. In the history of the world, as far as we know, there has never been a deliberate worldwide economic shutdown. It is light years beyond dumb.