On 7/8/2025 at 1:20 PM, Srikcir said:

Can the Thai government halt or cut funding to Buddhist wats and so-called merit making for street-begging monks? It might as fair then to serve the Public to redirect at least some government financial assistance to the homeless and starving people. 

No - because the government doesn't fund the temples.  You're obviously not Buddhist.  Yet not a peep about Christian tele-Evangalists who make the paltry sums that individual Thai Buddhist temples rake in look insignificant.  Or denominations like Mormons who require their members to pay 10% of their earnings to the church as well as a whole lot of other churches which encourage their members to contribute 10% of their income. You come here from the West and ignore "The log in your own eye."

To the best of my knowledge our local Buddhist temples don't receive any stipends from the Thai government. Operating costs of local temples are funded by the Thais who live in that area the temple serves.  The so-called "begging" is daily FOOD collections. Monks don't "beg." They walk a know route through the community and people give food.  Sure, some people will drop a 20 or 100 THB bill into alms bowl, but monks don't ask for the money or the food.  Most village and city (Maha Niyaka) monks will accept money.  A small percentage of (Dhammayut) monks do not touch money nor do monks associated with Forest Monasteries. You're talking about a religion with a 2500 year history traveling from India to Sri Lanka about 2300 years ago, and to Thailand over 1000 years ago.  Like any organization, temples require money to run.  They have operating expenses.  Granted, there is a well know sect that I won't name due to defamation laws which rakes in obscene amounts of money and whose activities in the Theravada tradition is questionable, and as well there are celebrity monks who do the same and live opulent lifestyles.  They give Theravada Buddhism a bad name unfortunately.  Then if you find a monk begging for money on the street?  They aren't real monks. If you live here long enough and are involved with Buddhist monasteries, you learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
 

18 hours ago, dinsdale said:

 You can't make this sht up.

That's the dumbest f***ing thing I've heard in my entire life.

18 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Why aren't people/children given the preventative vaccine before they are bitten/scratched?

Because the rabies shot series is similar to the series given after a bite or scratch.  Rabies vaccines are available but not in the quantities to provide the 4 to 5 shots as a prophylaxis for every person in Thailand.  If someone is bitten, there is time to get the shots before the virus incubates. Anyway, even if you have had the prophylaxis shots, if you are bit, you still need shots.  So basically it isn't recommended for everyone unless you work with stray animals.  I do, so I get the shots.

18 hours ago, sungod said:

Define anti vaxxer?

 

One that does not take any vaccine, or one that does not take a particular vaccine ?

 

You seem to be if you aren't with us, you must be against us. 

Exactly.  You couldn't pay me to take a Covid shot.  But given that I work with a large number of dogs and cats, I keep up to date on my prophylaxis rabies shots  Yet?  

 "You refuse to get the mRNA shots!!! You're one of those ANTI-VAXXERS!!! Arrghhhh!"
Yeah - Keep taking those Covid shots.  They're good for you.  Don't forget to mask-up and social distance  Covid is the Plague. 
 

18 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I wonder what the Anti-vaxxers do when they are bitten ?....     one of them disbelieves Rabies Virus is even a virus and that it does not even exist...   

 

Why care.  It's a self-correcting problem.  However, keep up to date on those mRNA Covid shots - Safe & Effective! 

The Hub of Hubba-Hubba.

22 hours ago, Donald Bright said:

i am barred from Lazada and for some unknown reason cannot open an account with Shopee.

Good.

22 hours ago, Donald Bright said:

I thought that one or two bursts  with the plastic pellets would be enough to keep the dogs out of my place without doing any actual harm,  only the stinging sensation of the pellets hitting them.

I take your point though,  thank you.

Shoot yourself with one than reassess. 

On 7/7/2025 at 10:29 AM, Donald Bright said:

I need a plastic pellet gun for troublesome dogs. 

That's a good way to get arrested.  If I saw you shooting a dog with a pellet gun I'd report you to the cops myself. Don't do it.

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Evil does not even begin to describe what this man is. A reckless, callow, ungodly, black hearted narcissistic psychopath is closer to the mark. 

When your rational spidermike007, you make sense.  When you start down this path of rants, you're no longer rational. 

Those traits are pretty much a shared characteristic of virtually every politician in the US and the world.  Yeah, Trump has those characteristics, as does Biden, Obama, "Dubya" Bush, Clinton, most of the Senate and the House. 

1 hour ago, Galong said:

Has anyone received their 'Proof of Life' SSA form 7162 in the mail yet? I usually get mine by now. 

And no, no has received theirs yet.  Looks like they'll be mailed out sometime this month.

Topic is running here:  

1 hour ago, tomster said:

So I have seen a pretty decent drip machine (Zwilling brand) and I would like to offer black/filter coffee in her place as well as cappuccino etc. 

Drip coffee is drip coffee whether it drips out of a 20,000 THB machine or the 350 THB machine I have at home. It's hot water pouring though coffee grounds and dripping out. It's not rocket science.  You could buy the 350 THB machine I have and make three cups of coffee on demand as it doesn't seem like there IS a high demand for plain drip coffee.  Heck, just a filter cone will do the job.

13 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Chippy at the Gate, been a few times

https://maps.app.goo.gl/v6abjz3DqkDeek2p9

Thanks!

Now ya done flung a cravin' on me.  Damn you!  Anyone know where you can find excellent fish & chips in Chiang Mai?  

5 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

With a recent poll showing about 50% of members of this forum met their wives/girlfriends in beer bars, gogos, massage shops or online what specific personality traits are needed for a man to have a successful relationship with these types of women?

If this was an AN poll (although I don't remember one) I would have said that I met my wife in Thai Soapy Massage "fish-bowl" just to take a p*** on the poll numbers. 

5 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

With a recent poll showing about 50% of members of this forum met their wives/girlfriends in beer bars, gogos, massage shops or online what specific personality traits are needed for a man to have a successful relationship with these types of women?

Link?