connda

I ❤️ Nihilists. It's so easy. Life has no meaning other than the pleasures of the senses. When that gets boring, put a gun to your head and pull the trigger. Personally I'm happy to let everyone believe whatever they wish to believe, or not believe. As they say here in the LOS - "Up To You!"

You ought to write to the Buddhist monk Pra Ajahn Brahm. He was a theoretical physicist before becoming a life-long Theravada monk. It would probably be an interesting conversation. He will on occasion draw on quantum mechanics to highlight Buddhist philosophy. Others include Dr. David Levey who holds a PhD in Quantum Field Theory and Dr. Fritjof Capra who holds a PhD in Quantum Mechanics. Dr Levey ordained as a Buddhist monk in 2018 after his career.

I'm a fan of "Schrödinger's Karma.

My favorite line from devout Christians. "Christian's aren't perfect, we're just forgiven." I love the essence of the Get Out Of Hell Jail Free Card. I could never reconcile that as a kid, or a young man, or as an adult. But my Christian friends really believe that. "I can cheat, lie, steal, and kill, but if I say the magic words, I'm forgiven. Then I can do it all again!" Ultimately there are no consequences for bad actions according to my Christian friends and family, just say the magical words and Big Daddy In The Sky has got your back. Every one else? "Straight To Hell!" No wonder Buddhism appeals to me. Action - Consequences Good actions - good outcomes Bad actions - bad outcomes Neutral actions - neutral outcomes There's nothing personal about it, no Big Daddy In The Sky or Bad Uncle In The Ground who are out to get 'cha. Just your own choices and the good, bad, or neutral consequences. And you don't even have to believe. ❤️ Of course, according to my Christian friends, family and acquaintances, no matter how good, kind, or compassionate I may be - It's Straight To Hell For You Buddhist Idolator. Personally I'm not a fan of all the idols in Buddhism, but I won't say The Christian Magical Words With Conviction! Hence "Straight To Hell And The Fiery Gates Of Perdition For You Buddhist Heretic!" I probably have latent scars on the backs of my hand and a permanent indentation in my cheek, the former from Sister Mary Margaret's ruler and the latter from Bishop Welsh's Curve-Ball, Side-Arm Wind-Up, Palm-Pitch To The Face during the loving and holy Sacrament of Confirmation when I was a kid. The guy rocked my head back so hard my dad had to be restrained. Needless to say, Buddhism sort of became more in focus for me in those younger days of my youth as from that point on I considered Christianity to be a rather violence-prone oddity that I had little interest in following no matter how many people threatened me with "You're Gonna Go Straight To Hell - STRAIGHT TO HELL!" Karma dictates that is probably an incorrect assumption by those wielding the threats and who have a tendency toward feeling they can do no wrong because - "I'm forgiven unlike you, you Buddhist Heathen, and - You're Going Straight To Hell!" My response? "Actions Have Consequences."

Yep. For the most part. It's the intention. ❤️

I won't bother reading that. But it's good for a laugh.

Like I said in a previous post, for all of the rhetoric about Thailand having "substandard care" and the UK and the West having "the best care in the world" - the reality is that the elderly gent will probably die while waiting for the NHS care. As long as he is here in Thailand, he could receive care at a university teaching hospital associated with a Thai university, like Maharaj in Chiang Mai, where he'd receive care overseen by some of the best doctors in Thailand who are professors in those universities. But if they wish to throw shade to Thai health care (like a whole lot of expats here do frequently) and opt for "The Best Health Care In The World," in the UK, then don't complain when the old fellow dies of bureaucratic neglect while waiting for NHS care. I don't want to seem uncaring because I'm not. If that was me? Honestly, it's time to get your affairs in order to prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to "check out" as gracefully as possible. The son should spend the money for a room at the closest thing to a hospice in Thailand like Dok Kaew Center in Chiang Mai. His father is near death. The son's, and prehaps the father as well, problem is they can't accept the reality of the situation. Acceptance is what is needed, not a trip back to the UK. Anicca. Birth, youth, middle age, old age, sickness, death. There in no hiding from it. That's the way of it. Acceptance.🙏🙏🙏

Diabetes is linked to foot ulcers which can have a high degree of morbidity. This is not rare. For those who argue that his guy needed health insurance, my guess is that he couldn't obtain health insurance given his age and his diabetes. But - he could have opted for Med-Evac insurance if the need arose. Well, he didn't and his son will be bankrupted - maybe. GFM may keep him on his feet after dad passes away. "Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a major source of preventable morbidity in adults with diabetes. Consequences of foot ulcers include decline in functional status, infection, hospitalization, lower-extremity amputation, and death. The lifetime risk of foot ulcer is 19% to 34%, and this number is rising with increased longevity and medical complexity of people with diabetes. Morbidity following incident ulceration is high, with recurrence rates of 65% at 3–5 years, lifetime lower-extremity amputation incidence of 20%, and 5-year mortality of 50–70%." https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/46/1/209/148198/Etiology-Epidemiology-and-Disparities-in-the

No it's not. It's voluntary. No one is force to contribute. Those who wish to, can. Those who choose not to, don't have to. Nothing "right" or "wrong" about it.

I don't have any problems with people setting up Go Fund Me campaigns if they feel an need. No one is forcing those donating to help. People don't have to give anything. Up to them!

If China decides to repatriate Taiwan, and a NATO-led "coalition of the willing" chooses to get involved in a hot-war, what will come into the consular remit is the transportation of UK citizens (and for other Western countries, the evacuation of their own citizens from the hot-zone in Thailand if it actually goes hot), although first they will issue a travel advisory for their citizens to get on the first plane out of Dodge. Evacuating their citizens is a Geo-political Brownie Point and shows "they care." They don't really, but it looks good. They'd much rather their citizens to leave under their own power and on their own dime.

"He came to Thailand for retirement? Could have saved 300£/month easily. This would be now enough (40.000£ probably) to take a fly wherever he wants." He wouldn't have to. Med-Evacuation insurance costs between 300 to 600 GBP annually. Like I said, people come here and don't plan. If I lived in a country with socialized medicine and chose to retire in a place like Thailand, I'd definitely have Med-Evacuation insurance in order to get me back to my home for medical care if I thought local health care was substandard or if I had no other means of insurance. Really.... elderly folk who have chose to retire here... a serous question for you: if you really believe Thai health care is substandard - why the hell are you living here in the first place! What's your plan if you need "quality health care." You should have either stayed home where you can receive what you perceive as top-tiered health care, or you should have retired to a place where there is - in your own mind - top-tiered health care. By the way, I consider the health care here to be very good even in the government hospitals. I should probably start an AseanNow poll. I'd really like to know how many AN members have actually seriously planned for major health care needs, especially their own eventually demise and the care they will need during the process of their body breaking down and dying. That would be an interesting poll. Knowing Westerner's aversion to death and dying in general, I'd bet most just ignore it. Here's some interesting questions to ponder from our beloved Expat Community: First - how many of the elderly expat retirees here ignore the fact they will eventually die? Second - how many of the elderly expat retirees here ignore the fact that their body will eventually get sick, deteriorate, and die? Third - how many of the elderly expat retirees here have a plan to handle their eventual sickness and then death? Fourth - for those who come from a country with socialize medicine, how many purchase annual Med-Evac insurance to get them back home instead of waiting for the inevitable and then starting a GoFundMe page instead - or - have an insurance policy with a Med-Evac rider? Fifth - do you actually believe it's your foreign office and embassy's responsibility to help assist you solve your health care emergencies when you failed to do the due diligence and plan for them yourself?

Like the ICU nurse whose face got totaled in a motorcycle accident, the trope that Thailand's health care is substandard is just that - a trope. I fully expect that if the son gets dad back to the US, he'll succumb under the care of the NHS. Regarding the British Embassy not being responsive to his father medical condition? It's not the job of the embassies of countries to provide care for their expats or even to facilitate the care of their expats. It's the expat's responsibility to plan ahead of time and make arrangements for emergencies and the eventuality of their eventual sickness and death. To be blunt, if you can't do that, you shouldn't live here. If you depend on socialized medicine, they stay in your own country where you're safe and cared for by the State. My advice to the son: Your dad is a very sick man. All beings who have life eventually fall into sickness and then death. It's the way of this world. Take the time to make his remaining time on Earth as good as it can be considering his condition. Develop acceptance and plan for his death. It's gonna happen. Spend your remaining time bonding with your dad and then help him in his last days as a loving son. Develop acceptance. Both of you.

I find it funny that people seem to believe that old people should live forever. 77 is pretty much a full live-span. When you get to be that age, something will kill you. And yet people fight it to extend their poor quality of life longer than it should be extended. My guess is that if the elderly gentleman manages to return to the UK, the NHS bureaucracy will kill him. He'll probably die waiting for an appointment or an ambulance. People with diabetes die of what start off as "minor" infections of their extremities even in the West. As much as Westerners love to slam Thai health services, they can and do care for conditions like these. But eventually all the care in the world isn't going to stop the inevitable. But? The family will bankrupt themselves to return dad back to the UK where he'll die anyway leaving the family burdened with debt. Really - I have a question for those folks who are now in their 70s or older and who live here in Thailand: If you live in a country where you depend on socialized medicine and chose to retire in a location, such as Thailand, where you have to pay for your own healthcare and emergencies, why haven't you factored in contingencies for the eventuality of developing a life-threatening disease that can kill you? Why don't you people plan for that - the older you get, the more likely it's gonna happen. For myself and a number of other like-minded expats (BritManToo for example, we are a minority), we have already excepted that we will eventually die in Thailand. Your body is going to break down, medical care will eventually just not cure you, and then you will eventually die. It's the way of life, life ends in death. I've got a living will and the head-doctor at our Amphur hospital is a personal friend of the family and knows the wishes of both myself and my wife. It is natural for you to die in your 70s and 80s. Sure, some people live into their 90s and beyond. But your quality of life begins to really suck - why fight it? When the time comes, when my body breaks down and become irreparable, I want to be kept as comfortable as possible and be allowed to check out of this body on my own terms. I'm at peace with that. What I don't have is any desire to be med-evacuated back to my home country in a journey paid for by GoFundMe donations and the life-savings of my children and family. Why? My life and my family is here in Thailand. Also, for those who want to be sent back to their home countries where they receive state socialized medicine - you could have purchase med-evacuation insurance! It does exist. If people wish to extend their lives as long as possible and desire to be "shipped back home to receive the best socialized medicine," then why didn't you prepare for that eventuality - because it WILL eventually happen. Not preparing is irresponsible. How many AN members are going to do the exact same thing when their bodies final break down and death starts to tap you on the shoulder and remind you that this stay in Thailand and on this Earth is only temporary. How many of you people even bother to think about this - cause is will happen. Guaranteed. 100%. "Hello my friend. Did you plan? Are you ready? I am coming for you - maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, but I will gather you up and take you away because that body you inhabit? It doesn't last forever no matter how much money you have, or how much status, or how much power. It's just a body, and when it finally breaks down for the last time - well, I'll be seeing ya!"

I read that the parking garage at Maharaj/Sripat complex was damaged during the earthquake March 28th. Anyone know the status of that structure. Is it open or closed? Parking is already a major problem in that areas as it it.

Only 12 million more to go!

Somebody is being set up to be thrown under the bus.

US Tariffs Threaten Thai Economy with B360bn Blow How much of a "blow" were the 72% tariffs levies against US goods? I'm not sympathetic.

Drunk? Methinks someone will be popping positive for opioids and benzos. Best to have consumed them all as prison doth awaits for even and minuscule amount in possession.

Now a know you're bob smith for sure - bob.

Interesting. Both Lazada and Shopee carried it for vet purposes until the "Covid experts" made such a fuss that these outlets stopped carrying it back at the end of 2020. It's an extremely inexpensive way to treat worms, mange, and heartworm. Read up on the dosages and be aware that some dogs can have adverse reaction if they have a MDR1 gene mutation that tends to affect the following. Australian Shepherd Border Collie Collie (Rough and Smooth) Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) Old English Sheepdog German Shepherd Longhaired Whippet Silken Windhound I treat the dogs I work with and never have seen a adverse reaction in a typical Heinz-57 Thai dog. Good news. NickyLouie is right. Lazada is carrying it again. It takes very little to treat heartworm. Not particularly good for pups, but at the right dosages it works in adults dogs well.

But super-especially for Brits!

If a president of a superpower wanted to destroy his own country, what steps would he take? Listen to Boris Johnson and levy sanctions on a neighboring superpower and then fund a piss-ant little country on its neighbor's border to fight to their last man, woman, and child while destroying their own "superpower bloc" economies in blow-backs to their own failed sanctions?

Not even a hiccup in a massively overbought market. If the S&P lost 1/2 it's value it would be a healthy correction. Current valuations is artificial and upsurd.

Pink Floyd? Phil Collins? <laughs>