GinBoy2

That's the issue with Isaan Lao, try google translate and it's gobbledygook. What they do is basically transliteration into Thai script, they write in Thai what they hear in Lao. I speak real Lao, and i can understand most of what they say, but it's tinged with Thai so a bit of a hybrid

I don't really know how to define a 'real man' I'm pretty decent, never treated any woman in my life less than equal to me I've been a good dad to my kids, although as with all teenagers there were some rocky moments, but we came through it. Now I'm just Granddad. So I think I've done OK as a real man

I disagree with some of the posts. Thai is difficult language to learn, especially if you are older. I learnt Mandarin in my late 30's when I was living in China. I'm bilingual English/Spanish but my first tonal language was tough. I'm still rubbish at written Mandarin never got past 1200 characters, and probably less now. The fact that I had a tonal language under my belt made it easier for me to pickup Thai and Lao, and I speak Lao, not Issan Lao. But for a 60 something, never spoken a foreign language in his life it's not easy, or even possible to get your brain re-wired And it goes both ways. When I'm with my girls, we'll bounce between English and Spanish, yet both my ex wife and my Thai wife for decades still neither of them understand a word of Spanish. My girls get a kick outta if that they have a Dad secret they tell me in Spanish. My Thai son, who grew up with me speaking Mandarin to him does the same thing just to piss off his wife and his Mom. His Mom is of course Thai and as old as he is just slaps him around the back of the head, much to the glee of his wife

Many years ago I was hosting a work colleague from Scotland in California We were going for lunch and we were ordering, then the waitress turned to me and said "Does your friend speak any English" Still makes me smile!

I have to grimace every time I read the anti vac nonsense. I think most of the demographic reading this remember a time before vaccines. I was the first generation to receive the polio vaccine when I was 5 years old. I remember my mother thanking the doctor so much as I got the vaccine on a sugar lump, she cried when she thanked the Doctor Back then there were hospitals still full of folks destined to spend their lives in iron lungs Measles, chickenpox mumps, kids died ffs. Our mothers took us to pox parties to try to head it off, but kids still died or were handicapped because of it. The trouble with young parents today, they have no memory of what it was like before vaccines, and they buy into the nonsense of online conspiracy theories

I've been with MrsG for decades. Of course we hold hands at times, but it's generally in intimate situations, and no I don't mean sex. But we're not teenagers and walking in the street, I'd say she'll hold my arm, which is sweet and an appropriate show of affection for folks of our age

I kinda agree with you on that. A lot depends on where you start out. I find folks who grow up bilingual tend to have an easier time picking up others languages as an adult. I grew up as bilingual English/Spanish and as an adult picked up Mandarin, Thai and Lao, not the easiest as they are tonal, but I figured it out. All my kids are multilingual, did the tried and trusted method of each parent only speaking one, but different language to them. Now I would have to say, for whatever reason native English speakers seem to have the hardest time picking up languages. My ex wife could not master Spanish with me at all, and given the general age of expats in Thailand I'd postulate that difficulty gets worse the older you get, especially trying to learn a tonal language. So I also say it's arrogant not to learn Thai, more a case of they probably simply cant. It gets harder to rewire the brain as we age! On a nerdy note, and it may explain something about the aging brain, my two native languages float around in my head seamlessly, thoughts flipping from English to Spanish. My learned language's don't work that way, I never 'think' in them and I constantly translate them in my head

I'm sorry as an American bleeding heart liberal, the whole trans thing is a bridge too far. If a man wants to be a woman, well there is surgery for that and bingo you are a woman. But some guy with a dick and balls who 'decides' somehow he identifies as a woman is just insanity

Hmm, lots of talk, yet didn't see in the tax bill anything about removing tax from SS. The Trump acolyte's seem to live on his words, less so on his actions If only I was a billionaire then I could safely bank a tax cut!

The health insurance thing is a biggie. The advertorial says heath care is inexpensive. Well that may be true, but insurance is not If, and it's a big if you can actually get insurance at 65+ it ain't cheap. Compared to your medicare Part B & D take a deep breath If you do get insurance be prepared for a whole host of exclusions We, especially men, women are more pragmatic, think we're immortal until the ravages of age catch up with us. Spend a couple of weeks in a private hospital after a heart attack, and that 'I self insure' thing gets pretty real as you are marched off to the ATM before they release you

So I'm American, but I applaud the UK Supreme Court. I'd categorize myself as a bleeding heart liberal, but this whole trans thing kinda crosses the line for me. Fundamentally we all know there is a difference between a man and a woman in terms of physical ability, there is a reason why we have mens and women's sports! Just because you 'define' whatever that actually means as a woman, doesn't change a mans testosterone and physical abilities. Back to my bleeding liberal self, as much as I hate it I totally agree, on this one at least with the rabid right

Back to GG's nonsense click bate post I'm an Hispanic American, and I say ofTen. But who cares, does it matter? The beauty of the English language is that string words together, mangle the pronunciation countless accents and we all still understand each other. Not so true in my other native language Spanish. Those damn Spaniards and their snooty lisp!

Problem is Thailand kinda actively marketed this hedonistic vacation paradise. Drink, Drugs and sex, it's the image Thailand has for a certain segment of Thai tourists. It's a little like Pattaya deciding its a 'family friendly' destination. Once you're unleashed the genie in the bottle, seriously don't be surprised to to have foul mouthed drunk groping guys at all hours of the day and night. Add in a healthy dose of drugs and, well what do you expect

I'm sure Tim Westwood will be having a few sleepless nights after this!

Cute, and I don't necessarily disagree with you But the topic was will Americans in Thailand face a backlash. Try to keep up