connda

I think that is international. All woman seem to find toxic men highly attractive, especially in the West, and then if you read their social media they spend the rest of their lives wailing about it.

A "sell-off" would be 60% and personally I'd consider that to be a somewhat minor correction for all the corrections that should have happens but never happened because the market has been artificially inflated for so long. The stock market is one massive bubble. I deflationary recession would be healthy.

Yep. Not a Trump-free day goes by, does it, without the Trump-Mindworm forcing a IHateTrumper finger's to dance across the keyboards and post some vitriolic, froth-filled hatred-spittle into these forums regarding DJT. "The sky is falling, the sky is falling - and it's TRUMPS FAULT!!! Agggghhhhhh" 🐥 Sweet Jesus - four more years of this. Gawd! 🎯

Thai drivers have killed about a dozen animals within 200 meters from my home over the decade plus that I've lived here in rural Lamphun. But agreed, cows and ox make bigger dents than dogs and cats, and the occasional human.

Yeah - that "The Road Is Mine," attitude that farang riders from the US and EU have is suicidal. I know Thais who ride daily long distances, and I just don't see that same level of absolute deadly arrogance in Thai riders.

Every time I ever road on a bicycle in Thailand, I was never comfortable. I rode for 2 full years in the US while in university as my bike was my only transportation, and even on busy US roads I felt reasonable safe. Here? I know how people drive. I consider riding a bike next to suicidal. I finally just sold mine and use a stationary bike in the house for exercise. It's sad, but the alternative? No thanks. RIP

Wanna know what brings happiness bob. Contentment. Being at ease with life and the way things are in the moment. Wanna know what creates Hell? Unending wants. Go out, buy a 10,000 THB dinner, drink the best booze, take designer drugs, have an orgy, wake up with a massive hangover, rinse, repeat - because - all the hedonism didn't slake those wants one bit. You're still consumed by wants. So to end the way I started... Wanna know what brings happiness bob. Contentment. Being at ease with life and the way things are in the moment.

Op - do you research instead of parroting "experts" who are obviously anti-Trump. The Japenese Yen as held a place as a global "Safe Haven Currency" over the last 30 years, especially during the 2008 stock market crash when the Yen appreciated as stocks tanked. The yen overtaking the dollar is hyperbole at best. The USD remains the global reserve currency (58% of Forex reserves, per IMF 2024), dominates trade (88% of Forex transactions), and is backed by liquid U.S. Treasuries ($27 trillion market). The yen, at 4-5% of reserves, lacks the scale or global trust to “displace” it. Even if Trump’s tariffs (10-20% proposed) spark de-dollarization chatter, no currency—including the yen—has the infrastructure to replace the USD anytime soon. All Roche is saying is, "I hate Donald Trump - be afraid! I'm an "Expert" and I say that Trump brings DOOM! Muhhhaaahhhhhaaa." <laughs> "Is the Dollar IS DOOMED" In the long-run? Probably, unless Trump implements some fiscal and monetary measures to rein in its decline which has been a work in progress since Nixon went off the gold standard. Is the USD going to lose value. Probably. It was Trump's stated goal to devalue the USD to fix problems with the US balance of trade. Is the USD going to lose its place as a Safe Haven Currency? No. More than likely both the USD and JPY will remain "safe havens." Beware of Nightmare On Pennsylvania Avenue! Don't snooze or you'll lose!!! Donald J. Kruger is gonna get 'cha!

This is just hyperbolic poppycock. The Yen isn't going to replace the USD as the reserve currency or the world's "safe-haven currency" anymore than the Ruble or Yuan will anytime in the near-future.

The only difference now is that the US is posed to violate "treaties" with it's allies as opposed to violating "treaties" with its so-called enemies. Unilaterally pulling out of treaties is a mainstay of US Geopolitics - not just Trump. As Russia has so succinctly stated, the US is "not agreement-capable" ("недоговороспособны" (nedogovorosposobny) in Russian). Russia knows it, Iran knows it, China knows it, North Korea knows it - and now America's allies know it. However America's allies and their mouthpieces like Roche will now melt down into a puddle of goo and kick and scream about Trump being Putin's Puppet and Xi's Tool. However, both those leaders are equally distrustful of anything that looks like an agreement or treaty coming out of Washington. So now everyone hates American and Trump-haters really really really hate Trump and his entire administration as they search for spanners to throw into the works. In the meanwhile they just shift into hyperbolic over-drive and spit, froth, have conniption-fits.

I'm really glad that this has worked out well for you. But you understand how things work here. Most Western retirees don't.

For those who can't grasp the culture, it's a really bad idea to move here with the intention of retiring. Someone should make a documentary of instances like this and make it mandatory viewing for any retirees thinking that Thailand will be their dream-retirement mecca. Think again. "Well you retired here!" I was here in the 1980s and then returned to work 18 years ago. I've been here since I was in my 50s and I've lived in Thailand communities with working class Thais the entire time. I'm pretty well integrated into the culture and my entire extended family are Thais. That's a lot different than starry-eyed 60-70+ year old Western retirees showing up and expecting this to be like their home country built on top of a Thai travelogue. Then reality hits them squarely between the eyes. Best of luck!

Jolani's Al-Queda/ISIS head-choppers go door-to-door murdering unarmed Christians, Druze, and Alawites, and Jolani blames it on Assad. I've seen some of the videos (which I'm sorry I watched - I won't do that again) and it's just horrendous. In the meanwhile, the West tacitly supports the genocide. Hell, the UK even lifts sanctions. "Keep killing and chopping heads! The UK/EU/US will stand behind you and sharpen your knives!" Western Asia seems to now be the land of Western condoned genocide in the name of "Freedom", "Liberty", "Democracy", and "Western Values." Ahhh, we truly live in freaking Hell.

"Russia bad, Russia bad, Russia bad, Russia bad." Wash, rinse, repeat ad-infinitum.

41 million people in Canada. 131,700 voted his guy into the PM slot. "Democracy" UK and Commonwealth style: peasants and commoners need not vote - your betters will select your leaders for you. Now shut up and get back to work.

Here - let me help. Heroin overdose. Case closed. Next?

I'll bet dollars to donuts that I'm required to provide immigration with a copy of my 18 year old TM6 at my next extension.

"There is no such thing as happiness." Why do I get the feeling we will eventually read about you as a "webfact" side-note after you join the Pattaya Sky Diving Club?

Here ya go bob - your next life Buddhist style. A Preta. Unending wants.....

Same here. I detest live music. I go out to eat to socialize and enjoy a meal, not have my conversation drowned out by music. But each to their own.

I wonder how many AN accounts that "bob smith" has created recently to write this nonsensical trash.

No doubt BigLek will be shadow-boosted like bob smith and gamma gobulin and will become one of the few AN members to constantly have their inane posts highlighted in the topic section day after day after day after day.....well, you get it. Low-information, silly, asinine, fatuous, mindless, vacuous, posts seem to now be the main-stay of Asean Now. I can actually remember back in the day when this site, under the moniker of "Thai Visa", was generally a high-information site with the goal of helping expat members navigate visa issues and to help members integrate into Thai society and understand the culture. Now - it's alcoholics having three ways with trannies and bathroom perversions rule the roost. How low we have fallen in the last couple of decades, 'eh? The new 2025 model (bait the hooks, pop a beer, set the star-drag, and idle.......

POC = Good White = Bad

Ditto - he's French so he's irrelevant.

People are drawn to Buddhism because it offers the path to the ending of suffering. Nibbana is not annihilation. It's non-dualistic, stateless, formless, immeasurable, indescribable. You can approximate it in very deep meditation - i.e., Jhanas. Touch those subtle states and you get a glimpse. Few take the time to make mediation a priority so, they don't validate the experiences subjectively, so they are left with naught but questions. Buddha's teaching are sign-posts. You can validate the teachings through personal experience. You can talk about it forever and never gain any understanding. Buddhism isn't a philosophical discussion - Sila, Samadhi, Panna (Morality and meditation leads to understanding). No one can validate the truths of the Path but you.