connda

I have a suggestion for you. Go to the up upper right-hand corner, click on your name, click on "Ignored Users", and place my name in there. Viola! Problem solved! But other than that? This is an open forum, not an echo-chamber. We all have our own views an opinions. I am making sound suggestions - not just ranting. You can chose to consider the suggestions or reject them. Fine with me either way. Up to you. The reality is that illegal to go around killing dogs. And I don't see any future in what's left of my life to where the Thailand government will ever cull dogs like they do in the West. Farangs who are at least partially assimilated into Thai society should understand that. So, for those who are really concerned about the out-of-control dog problem? Be part of the solution! And I've offered solid advice about how to proceed that is good for the dogs and good for society. And that advice is to work with others within your community to spay and neuter the dogs that you can in the community. And with that, have a wonderful day! Woof Woof!

Yep.

I work with strays in my Tambon. Which includes working with two different Buddhist temples where I help provide food, medicine, and funds to spay and neuter the residents. I have a great working relationship with the abbots and on occasion I'll home a pup with the temple. We can control them there. Then I have a 10 dogs of my own. Only my first two dogs were adopted. The rest are strays that I've personally homed. All my neighbors have dogs (that run free - mine are fenced), and the village head lives across the street. I don't receive any complaints. Honestly. If all of you who really dislike the stray issue would start to work with your local village, khet, or temple to spay and neuter dogs then you would be part of the solution. Instead you b**** and complain. I challenge every one of you who has problems with strays. Take it on yourself to work with a temple or a village head to have at least 1 dog spayed or neutered out of your own pocket every year. More if you can. It's strange. The 'stray dog' (many are not strays) issue in Thailand has its roots in Buddhism ethics: Not killing and having compassion for self-aware beings. I don't like to jump on the "well find another country" bandwagon, but if you willing choose to live in a Buddhist country then the stray animal issue is going to be in every one of those countries as well. Learn to accept it and work with dogs and other stray animals instead of despising them.

Dogs sense the fact that you viscerally hate dogs. Funny how perceptive they can be. So they act accordingly. Aggressively. Also dogs are territorial and will defend their territory against strangers. So stop being a stranger. There are ways to approach dogs. Call it "Pack Etiquette." Develop a 'child's-mind' and start someplace like here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-lick-the-dog-wendy-wahman/1101904652 Me. I walk though our village to the local park to exercise daily. When I walk, local dogs come and follow me. Calm, submissive, smiling, happy dogs. There are a few frightened dogs who will run. There are a couple of grumpy dogs that look threatening but are all bluff. By the way. Start killing dogs and you'll find yourself in legal trouble and possibly deported. Which given your hatred of the stray dog populations that are part and parcel of Thai society, will possibly be your fate. Do it in my village and I'd work with the police to catch and prosecute you. Most Thais will feel the same. Change your attitude and learn more about dog behavior. Then work with people in your village to neuter and spay strays. I do it out of my own pocket. Perhaps a different, non-Buddhist country would be a better fit for you if you hate dogs so much. But start killing strays? Don't be stupid. Actions like that here have serious consequences. Best of luck. Part of a my pack while a Buddhist monk.

FYI Counterfeit RAM? You don't know how it's designed or what possible malicious code could be embedded in it. So you take a chance on getting hacked in a major way.

I purchased a number of servers back early 2000. We had one of the RAM modules fail (those modules were not 'inexpensive') and sent it back to the vendor for replacement. The vendor told us is was counterfeit. The vendor who sold us the equipment and who was my department's primary vendor for IT hardware. Boy - that was a mistake. They should have just sent a replacement. After management became aware of the issue, everyone from the CEO, to Legal, and the entire chain-of-command of our IT department got involved. This company has about 4000 employees and has bought a lot of equipment from this vendor. I attended more than one meeting with large conference rooms full of managers and other senior IT Administrators in conference calls with the vendor and representatives from the equipment's manufacturer. What a cluster foxtrot. Now - there is the difference between individual consumers and corporate consumers. Individuals don't have much recourse other than to file complaints with your country's Office of Consumer Affairs and letters to the company. Then vote with your feet. Boycott their products.

Chiang Mai.

And what toxic sludge is in the pond?

Another "Own-Goal" by Thailand on the tourism pitch. Again.

I can just imagine the viral response when these gals post their experiences on social media to their friends, families, and acquaintances. "Let's take a vacation in sunny Thailand during the winter girl-friends!" "I read that Thai authorities don't allow gals to wear normal Western swimwear. Let's go to Cancun instead!"

Controversial Bikini Sunbathing by Foreign Tourists Sparks Cultural Debate in Bangkok and Chiang Mai; Authorities Respond Thailand wants to set itself up at the premier tourist destination in the world, but Western beachwear is forbidden and any woman daring to wear what they would normally wear while sunbathing at any other tourist destination becomes a target for Thai social harassment. It's a two-way street. Yes - tourists should be sensitive to the cultural norms of the societies of their Thai hosts. But - Thais should be accepting of the cultural norms of the societies of the guests they invite into their country for tourism.

Mods. You can close this. Obviously there are no AN members in Chiang Mai who practice guitar together. Thanks!

Dr. Tayakorn is top-notched and extremely easy to talk with. Educated in the UK and fluent in English.

No.

Excellent!

Prenatal Exposure to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 Induces Autism-Like Behaviors in Male Neonatal Rats: Insights into WNT and BDNF Signaling Perturbations Published: 10 January 2024 Erdogan, M.A., Gurbuz, O., Bozkurt, M.F. et al. Prenatal Exposure to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 Induces Autism-Like Behaviors in Male Neonatal Rats: Insights into WNT and BDNF Signaling Perturbations. Neurochem Res (2024) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11064-023-04089-2

Hey folks. I know some of you have strong feeling about the issue - but - if you are going to make a statement that is posed as a "commonly accepted fact' then please substanciate your opinion with a citation or a link to a relevent topic from an authoritative source. Let's all play by the same rules. Forum Rule 5: In factual areas such as news forums and current affairs topics member content that is claimed or portrayed as a fact should be supported by a link to a relevant reputable source

Forum Rule 5: In factual areas such as news forums and current affairs topics member content that is claimed or portrayed as a fact should be supported by a link to a relevant reputable source

Forum Rule 5: In factual areas such as news forums and current affairs topics member content that is claimed or portrayed as a fact should be supported by a link to a relevant reputable source

OP's claim: "Many studies have shown this" Can you provide citations or links to the studies that support your statement as per Forum Rule 5? (Forum Rule 5: In factual areas such as news forums and current affairs topics member content that is claimed or portrayed as a fact should be supported by a link to a relevant reputable source.)

Show the kid this. I'm old enough to remember "party lines" and manual central switchboards.

Devil's advocate: So he is in a prison hospital with secure wings but investigators are unable to visit because of hospital privacy rules? He Is In Prison! What privacy rights? They are making excuses on the fly. It makes me wonder how many prisoners in Thai prisons have heart problems and yet never get assigned to a hospital ward? It would be an interesting poll among the Thai population with family members currently serving time but are unwell.

It will be years before we get anything resembling a "complete picture." And there will not be a "complete picture" until we all collectively agree to engage in rational scientific debate, and I'm not sure how long it will take to get there again. My personal bottom line: I simply can not understand what I consider to be the irrational fear of SARS-Cov-2 and I never will. I can't grasp other's fears regarding coming down with Covid. Beginning in 2020, I never was worried, never fearful, constantly observing and analysing data month-to-month, (now year-to-year) to stay informed and with those observations, determined that for me, I wasn't masking, social distancing, or taking novel mRNA Covid shots unless threatened with deportation. If threaten with deportation I'd have opted for the Chinese shots based long-term tested, proven inactivated-virus vaccination technology. It never came to that. Got Covid 5 months ago and it was a mild flu. I'm fine with natural immunity. Considering literally everyone I know, vaccinated or unvaccinated, eventually came down with a case of Covid (and nobody died or was even seriously sick) - I see no logical reason to take any Covid shot. Why should I? I haven't taken any shots other than a international vaccination series prior to moving to Thailand , and I haven't have a flu vaccination for 20 years, and I haven't had the flu in 20 years. I feel sorry for fearful people. It's sad and I sincerely wish that all of these people can find courage again. So if you are fearful, please: wear masks, social distance, and take all the shots and boosters that are released, and may you all find your collective way through.... Eventually everyone will get sick (from something) and then die. Spending a life gnawing and worrying about getting sick from one of many pathogen that may be fatal isn't "living." I pray - May all you consumed with worry and fear find peace. That's from my heart. So, this is enough. I'm backing out of Covid discussions unless Covid shots eventually become mandated in the future. I'll deal with it if it happens. Best of luck. Do what you need to do to feel safe.

Yep. When I lived in the South. Yeah, there are still raging anti-black racist that, but they are far fewer than the government and media hyperbole. WIthin my extended NC family, there we had a couple of the men who were pretty much raised racist (grew up in the 1940s and 1950s), but the extended family really pushed back. My North Carolina extended family were good people. So it was pretty interesting when my wife's cousin married a black guy. The extended family told her cousin's father to get over it. Times have changed.

I'm old school too. I started IT working on main-frames and an IBM AT. However. I don't have the patience to work at a snails pace. I don't run top-end PCs, but mid-line models running Linux. I usually have one (or two) older computer, and one "new" one that either really is brand new, or that has been upgraded. I'll buy a computer, upgrade the hardware once, and then buy a new one when the old one is too clunky and problematic I'll continue using it as a stand-by and then buy a new computer.