radiochaser

Jeramy? Is that really you? ????

Does anyone know what they do with the muck that they clean from the storm sewers? Might there be gold in that there muck? I ask out of curiosity because of what occurred a couple of years ago at my residence. I have a sanitary sewer access in my driveway. The township used a device I think is called a pig, to clean the sewer line. I didn't see how they brought the muck up from the access hole, which is about 15 feet deep, but I did see it in the back of a pick up truck. Two employees were picking through it. Surprisingly, the mud in the creek next to the driveway smells a lot worse than the muck from the sanitary sewer! But only if you disturb it. Any way, those two guys were picking through the muck with a stick and a metal rod. I asked what they were looking for. Jewelry they said. Then on guy pulls up a gold necklace out of the muck. They then showed me rings and earrings that was found in the muck, with tiny diamonds in them. Seems that a lot of people lose jewelry in their drains or toilets. They take the muck back to the the sewer department and someone goes by every week to take the muck. I don't remember if he gets it free or if he pays for it. But the two guys told me that the guy that takes the muck gets thousands of dollars a year in jewelry from the stuff. So now I am wondering if there is any thing of value in the muck that those guys in Bangkok are digging out of the storm sewers?

I can't speak to today, but years (many years) ago, I had found an online English language translation of Japanese news. There were a couple of stories written about how Japanese police officers were murdered for their guns, which were revolvers at the time. When the criminals were caught, they admitted that was the reason they killed the police officer. There was also stories about firearms being smuggled into Japan. One story that I recall was how several .22LR pistols were found inside plaster figurines. These were cheap handguns called Saturday Night Specials (which is a racist term) that I think cost less than $100.00 each, at the time I read the story. Firearms such as this were selling for $5000.00 U.S. in Japan. A friking incredible markup! I did find this news story from 1995 about smuggling firearms into Japan. Makes me wonder about the intelligence gathering that allows law enforcement Japan, to find this information. I do know that when I was assisting other U.S. agencies working to fight smuggling into the U.S. that there were people who told authorities about smuggling attempts. Other times the intelligence was gathered from the smugglers themselves in a manner that I am unable to report (because that type of intelligence gathering is, if not classified, is at the very least restricted information). https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/07/18/Japan-police-arrest-three-in-gun-smuggling/4029806040000/

I posted the following as a response to someone else's post. But I think it may be a good response here, in some ways. As to your claim that all men had to own a firearm, to be part of the militia, I will disagree. Not all people in that time period would have had or needed a firearm. There were many trades in which a firearm would have been a useless tool. Not all people hunted, just as not all people farmed, nor did all people make cloth, or eating utensils, etc. But when necessary, those with out firearms could be called upon to join the active militia and they would be provided firearms by the government. As not all firearms at the time were privately owned, even though there were plenty that was. Did you know that many of the cannon that was used in the revolutionary war were also privately owned cannon and provided to the government to use in the war against the British Governments military? .

Yes, I do think that he had very good understanding into the Constitution. He was a delegate to the U.S. Constitution Convention! He was also influential in the writing of the Bill of Rights. Who are the militia, they are the whole of the people. And the people are the citizens of the United States. "well regulated" refer to proficiency and top-notch training. "This was written at a time when there was relatively little in the way of formal training in marksmanship ... But even the people who are not well regulated (i.e. trained) are still part of the militia, the untrained militia still being part of the whole of the people.

One hotel I stayed in a hotel in Thailand I only stayed one night. I moved to another hotel the next day after I found the first hotel had chained and locked the fire escape doors. On returning to the U.S. I went shopping for bolt / lock / chain cutters with folding handles to take to Thailand.

Wouldn't they also need bigger restrooms so they could wash up before prayer?

You got a nice looking place. Who cuts your grass? LOL. I am at the point, I hate doing it and I have a riding mower! I would pay someone in Thailand to do it. If we build a place in Thailand, then I would have a machine shop separate from the main house, for my hobby work. My wife wants my shop out of the garage!

All kinds of hoops to jump through to get the house built on the lot she bought. All the way from the local government that owns the trash pickup containers, to the county, up to offices of the state environmental agency and I just found out, a U.S. government environmental agency!

Yeah, I know about how much less expensive it is there. After I retired, my wife and I went to Thailand. She had to return to run her restaurant and I stayed for 3 months. She thought I was going to need more than $2000.00 a month to live there. Left me with $8000.00 U.S. I gave more money to relatives in Thailand than I spent on my self. Those relatives are now living in the U.S., all but one are American citizens. But, the most I spent on myself was less than $900.00 in the last month, about $600.00 and $700.00 for the other two months. I also paid for everything I needed there and everything I wanted. I didn't have to play rent, but I was paying more than $100.00 a month for electric bills due to air conditioning. I could have stayed very close to where I was living in an apartment that was better than the free apartment and cost less than $200.00 a month rent. My wife threatened to send me back to Thailand after she found out how much I spent. At first she claimed I didn't spend so little, but she knew how much money I gave to relatives and then she counted the money I brought back and believed me. I spend a heck of a lot more money here in the U.S. than I do in Thailand. Right now, other than the joy of my grandkids, I have think I can live a better, more enjoyable life in Thailand!

Uh oh! I just posted I had covid and the doctor didn't know what I had!

I had covid. Didn't know it was at the time. Doctor told me that I didn't have the flu and I didn't have strep throat, he didn't know what I had. A week or so later, I lost all sense of taste. It was horrible. I had a huge bag of M&M peanuts and couldn't taste the chocolate in them!! Then a few weeks later I was vaccinated with Moderna so I could travel to Thailand. Even later, I find out one of the symptoms of covid is loss of taste. On the other hand, I had a lot of difficulty breathing, some of that might have been due to my COPD, and I think that my rescue inhaler helped me so much that I was able to live an almost normal life Albuterol inhalers can be purchased over the counter in Thailand. I prefer to buy Albuterol inhalers at Boots when I am in Thailand, because they are air conditioned. I had to use mine every 2 to 4 hours but it really did help me a lot!!

That is one nice looking house! Is the top floor open for breezes?

Well OK then. Wife has talked about buying property outside of Chiang Mai. She knows people up there.

I remember when hot dogs cost a dime. I also remember in Thailand when a bowl of noodle soup and a coke cost 35 cents and cowphat was 50 cents / 10 baht, when the baht was 20 to the dollar, bungalow's where I was stationed at in Thailand could be bought for $600.00 / 12,000 baht (teakwood built too), it cost $35.00 / 700 baht to take a taxi down to Bangkok. Oh the good old days. There are a lot I like about the good new days though.

Ooooooohhhh! You know how to stick a knife in and twist it doncha!?!?!? LOL .. That is beautiful. I grew up a country boy, my Thai wife is a city girl. I am not sure she would like living way out there.

Could have been iced coffee. Otherwise I don't drink water with ice in it. I did swim in a pool at my nephews condo complex. Thanks for the tip. May have been the pool, with adults and kids in it. After getting some tests, I was called the by head of the health department for the the county I live asked if I had any kids in nurseries. When I asked why that question, she told me that is where most adults catch the parasites, from the little buggers with leaking diapers. Now that I am thinking again, it could have been giardia and cryptosporidium.

Darn, I am paying 63,565 Baht a month for the mortgage on my house here in the U.S. and that is because I am paying an additional 17,657 baht a month more to the principle of the loan. A new RAM pickup truck would cost me more than what I owe on the house now after 16 years. Last time I priced a RAM, earlier this year, the truck I was interested in cost 2,472,471 baht. I would rather fix the one I have if it breaks down!

I had an STD in 1972 or 1973, two trips ago came back with cryptosporidium, and ... uh ... some other parasite. Both I suspect came from some unwashed hands after using a toilet and handling food some where I ate. Could have been micky D's place where I ate a lot of deluxe hamburgers. Other than those two times, I don't recall catching any disease over the years since 1988, when I first returned to Thailand and about every year to year and a half visit. Being a federal government employee I accrued 8 hours of leave for every 2 week pay period, and the last 10 years I accrued 5 - 20 hours a week of compensation time (I took time off instead of over time pay), so was able to travel to Thailand 4 to 6 weeks at a time.

My wife is seriously considering remodeling the house we are in now. Even though we have already paid serious money to the architect. It would be a lot cheaper than her dream house. Then do just as you say, wait it out, and when the costs (hopefully, barring an Armageddon event), then using the already drawn blue prints, build the dream house cheaper, then move the grand kids and their mom into the remodeled house and me and the wife move into the dream house. I think contractors are trying to find new build work now. Not to sure about that.

Over the last few years, I have occasionally built table tops for restaurants in the Philadelphia PA area. (I am retired and have the time to do it, when not babysitting grandkids.) Usually through word of mouth advertising. My materials cost the last time I did this was $175.00 with 6% tax, for 8 tabletops. I sold those for $400.00. Now, that same material cost $375.00 plus 6% tax! Prices of materials have gone up, in some cases, more than 100% what they cost 1 1/2 to 2 years ago. I don't need to make tabletops for restaurants. People liked the ones I made for my wife's restaurant and on finding out I made them asked me to make some for them. One restaurant told another. I can make 8 tabletops in 6 hours over a period of 3 or 4 days. I let the varnish cure for 24 hours between each coat. With the cost of materials today, I will not make them. I have no idea how many square meters the house would be (not looking for a formula). About 2700 square feet not counting the garage and workshop.

Materials cost has sky rocketed. It's my wife's dream house, she could afford $350,000.00.

Warm and muggy. South East Pennsylvania.

Here is a complaint that might fit in here. The family will go to Thailand soon. 3 adults and 2 children (4 Thai and 1 white guy). The children's mom wants to get travel vaccinations (not covid). One of the vaccinations suggested for Thailand, by the CDC, is for Japanese Encephalitis. Two shots per person x 10 = $4,650.00 / 164,482 baht. When I told the wife, she says, we are not going to the jungle. We don't need those!

Wife and I want to build a custom designed house. Original estimate 1 1/2 years ago, $350,000.00. Now, after covid and other issues, $750,000.00!