Rejoice elderly Farangs.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, seedy said:

We can easily grow enuf food now to feed every person on the planet.

Problem lies that we are using valuable real estate to grow crops to grow meat for Western consumption

Problem is farmers don't work for free.

If people can't grow their own food, of have no skills to earn money, then what use are they?

You think worthless people should be given a free life?

Then breed more worthless people?

 

Pretty soon the world will be full of worthless people, and there'll be nobody left that wants to work.

Edited October 22, 2021 by BritManToo

[cdemundo]

Predictions of the future have been fun to read.

I am a little disappointed that flying cars and cities under the sea are behind schedule, Popular Science, Popular mechanics.

I am glad that that timing on dystopian society was wrong, Orwell.

I am disappointed that household robots are not here yet, Jetsons.

 

Modern soothsayers don't "say the sooth" all that much better than old time oracles.

[zzaa09]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Problem is farmers don't work for free.

If people can't grow their own food, of have no skills to earn money, then what use are they?

You think worthless people should be given a free life?

Then breed more worthless people?

 

Pretty soon the world will be full of worthless people, and there'll be nobody left that wants to work.

Not to worry.....Mother Nature is working on that as we speak.

Her selected extermination program should be just around the corner.

[hotchilli]

On 10/22/2021 at 4:10 AM, Old Croc said:

Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq.

 

I knew people of my  "golden" generation who didn't come home from these Northern Hemisphere wars.

Korea, Vietnam... northern hemisphere?

[Salerno]

20 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Korea, Vietnam... northern hemisphere?

They'e not Southern ergo ...

[zzaa09]

11 minutes ago, Salerno said:

They'e not Southern ergo ...

Some may not know how these things work. 

[Old Croc]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Korea, Vietnam... northern hemisphere?

Geography your strong point?

[soalbundy]

13 hours ago, sirineou said:

I hear what you are saying , and have the same concerns about my daughter as you do, Though If she manages her life properly she will do OK, She is an only child, and stands to inherit a petty penny from Me, my ex-wife, and her grandmother 

The thing is that we dont know what the future will bring.

" In 1798 Thomas Robert Malthus famously predicted that short-term gains in living standards would inevitably be undermined as human population growth outstripped food production, and thereby drive living standards back toward subsistence." 

And given the information he had at the time he was probably right. What he failed to consider was unforeseen consequences that can be either positive or negative.

 

Similar predictions  are made almost every decade. .

-We were going to run out of oil, Plunging the world in anarchy . It did not happen,because of the unforeseen consequences at the time of new forms of energy being developed, , new deposits and new extraction techniques developed. 

 

-Nuclear war was going to drive us into the stone age, Did not happen. (Yet)

etc. 

The point is that we don't have a crystal bowl . Let's hope  that development, some  we can't even begin to imagine and other that we can, will help our children have a life as good or better than ours.

I am optimistic. ????

I understand what you are saying and I agree with you but we are in a transitional stage, the past social frame work hasn't yet collapsed and the new frame work has only its foundations, the walls and girders have yet to be erected, these days things happen quickly and speed isn't without consequences, there will be upheavals and the nashing of gums before a new social order has been built and many will at first be left behind. Life isn't fair but it wan't meant to be. At a certain age it doesn't matter what will happen in the future, it doesn't belong to us. The trials and tribulations of the human race, all the way back to the Paleolithic, show us that we are a persistent, long lasting, awesome animal bound for the stars.

[sirineou]

1 minute ago, soalbundy said:

I understand what you are saying and I agree with you but we are in a transitional stage, the past social frame work hasn't yet collapsed and the new frame work has only its foundations, the walls and girders have yet to be erected, these days things happen quickly and speed isn't without consequences, there will be upheavals and the nashing of gums before a new social order has been built and many will at first be left behind. Life isn't fair but it wan't meant to be. At a certain age it doesn't matter what will happen in the future, it doesn't belong to us. The trials and tribulations of the human race, all the way back to the Paleolithic, show us that we are a persistent, long lasting, awesome animal bound for the stars.

Agree 100%

My hope is that new development will accelerate the process .

[NoshowJones]

On 10/22/2021 at 7:04 AM, bkk6060 said:

Thailand will be due for some big inflation.  Just wait it is coming when the demand increases.  Those 30,000 b a month UK pensions could well end up being a semi-poverty lifestyle.

Some will no longer be able to afford it here, unless they decide to live in total obscurity.

The big dream soon, could well turn into a nightmare.

 

I fear you are right, if only Thailand was a normal country ruled by a democratically elected government instead of a general and his soldiers at the point of a gun.

I remember when I first came to live in Thailand, I made good friends with a Farang who lived nearby.

He told me that I should read a bit about Thai history although he never mentioned all the coups since 1932. I have no interest in the history of Scotland my home country, so why should I be interested in Thai history, although I do know a bit about American and Irish history.

I honestly think that if I had known about all these coups before I came to Thailand, I would have probably ended up in the Philippines.

I didn't know anything about bars and barfines, or even the Thai reputation of prostitution then either, so why should I know anything about all the coups?

[NoshowJones]

On 10/22/2021 at 8:18 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

Do you know the meaning of the term Banana Republic? 

If you have lived in Thailand for any amount of time, then you will know.

[NoshowJones]

On 10/22/2021 at 9:15 AM, cdemundo said:

The US has been very naughty, trying to live up to the Mother Country I guess.

 

https://kottke.org/12/11/britain-has-invaded-all-but-22-countries

 

Yes, and they have the cheek to call themselves "Great" Britain. 

[BritManToo]

On 10/22/2021 at 7:04 AM, bkk6060 said:

Thailand will be due for some big inflation.  Just wait it is coming when the demand increases.  Those 30,000 b a month UK pensions could well end up being a semi-poverty lifestyle.

Some will no longer be able to afford it here, unless they decide to live in total obscurity.

The big dream soon, could well turn into a nightmare.

 

Big inflation = devalued currency = more Baht for our western pensions.

Our 30kbht UK pensions will soon become 50Kbht UK pensions.

[Caspersfriend]

18 hours ago, allanos said:

 

Nevertheless, I do thank the universe for my place in it, where and when I was born

Is that the universe or Universe?  Whichever, could be a new topic for discussion.

[NoshowJones]

On 10/22/2021 at 10:25 AM, BritManToo said:

But for the first time in history our wives could take all that from us.

and you sat back and let them just because some solicitor says so. Going for my divorce back in Scotland, I got a letter from my solicitor saying he wanted to see me. He then told me my wife is going for half of everything including the sale of the house.

It certainly did not end that way, nowhere near it, and it did not even reach the court.

[seedy]

6 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

and you sat back and let them just because some solicitor says so. Going for my divorce back in Scotland, I got a letter from my solicitor saying he wanted to see me. He then told me my wife is going for half of everything including the sale of the house.

It certainly did not end that way, nowhere near it, and it did not even reach the court.

Hear Hear

Did the same sans lawyer

She wanted the moon, I gave her a picture of it 555

CYA all the way - or P and M about it for the rest of your miserable life

[NoshowJones]

On 10/22/2021 at 10:43 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm very happy that our side won WW2. WW1 was IMO the epitome of a pointless war, but I'm really happy I'm not living under Nazi rule.

Although we are not exactly living under Nazi rule with these unelected soldiers, things are getting worse, and there does not seem to be a way of stopping it.

Over to you protesters.

[ourdon]

 

 

I think some of you people (you know who you are) have broken in to the TAT drug supply.

 

You're supposed to share dammit!

[NoshowJones]

19 hours ago, Scott Tracy said:

Who needs world wars when a virus can kill nearly half as many people as world war 1?

Correct me if I am wrong, but the vast majority of these people had health issues, mostly due to being obese, being heavy smokers and heavy drinkers, took no or very little exercise, etc, and had very little immune systems.

What would the Cvirus death statistics be if nobody had questionable life styles?

Edited October 23, 2021 by possum1931

[swissie]

When referring to the "Golden Generation", I was referring to folks from "The West". (Europe, US, Canada). So the term "northern hemishere" was ill-chosen as not precise enough. My apologies.

Reasons for pessimism:

- Climate change unstoppable, as our counter-measures are too weak and come too late to reverse the trend.

- World population still increasing while food production stagnating (soon pesticides to be outlawed, easily reducing yield per hectare by 30%). Increased "desertification" of the landmass.

- The Socio-Economic time bomb: The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and the labour force in the West hasen't gotten a (net) pay raise in 40 years.

- Robotics and AI will eliminate more jobs than they create.

Overall, those huge problems coming our way are of such proportions, that human ingenuity, technological advances and even the will to tackle those problems, will not be enough. The quality and the quantity of those huge problems may just "overwhelm" humanity.

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, swissie said:

Reasons for pessimism:

- Climate change unstoppable, as our counter-measures are too weak and come too late to reverse the trend.

- World population still increasing while food production stagnating (soon pesticides to be outlawed, easily reducing yield per hectare by 30%). Increased "desertification" of the landmass.

 

I don't believe that man can change climate in any significant way, it is what it is.

White people aren't causing overpopulation, most western countries have shrinking populations. Food production is stagnating because the people who buy food don't need any more, and nobody is going to grow free food for the world's worthless.

 

[BritManToo]

8 hours ago, possum1931 said:

and you sat back and let them just because some solicitor says so.

No, I let her take what she wanted because I loved her.

The only thing I refused her was my life.

Edited October 23, 2021 by BritManToo

[Jingthing]

On 10/22/2021 at 7:37 AM, CharlieH said:

Heres a prediction for you, those over 65 now will not be here in 10 yrs unless wealthy.

The changes to immigration policy, insurance requirements, value of currency, will see a huge number forced to return to thrir place of origin.

 

Another "Golden age" of retiring to a foreign sunny land will disappear and be beyond the grasp of most.

Yes I mostly agree with that but there will need other still viable alternative countries.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/22/2021 at 10:43 PM, allanos said:

Had Churchill not been a blood-thirsty warmonger there would have been no Operation Sealion.

 

Really? Your take on history leaves much to be desired!

 

With or without the "blood-thirsty warmonger", England was treaty-bound to come to Poland's aid when the Nazis contrived a "reason" to invade. And lebensraum had nothing much to do with it. They had entered into a separate agreement with Stalin to split up Poland, and give up the Baltic states to the USSR.

 

On the other hand, Hitler's perfidy was what cost him the "prize" of taking England through "Sealion". He just had to break his earlier pact with Russia, it was in his nature to be duplicitous, and he diversified his resources. Churchill knew this about the man, of course. It was the undoing of him, the Nazis, and, ultimately, Germany.

 

There is no doubt in my mind, arguably,  that England was in no fit shape to beat the far more professional Nazi military forces at this stage in 1940, but good fortune went its way. To be trite, the rest, as they say, is history!

The German military at the start of WW2 was, IMO, the best in the world. Had it not been for Hitler, and his incompetence, likely, IMO, they would have defeated Russia and then Britain ( or visa versa ). Without Britain, the Americans, if they had even joined the war against Germany, would have had no base to invade Europe.

In a sense, Hitler was the allies secret weapon.

Edited October 24, 2021 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, swissie said:

Robotics and AI will eliminate more jobs than they create.

Robotics/ AI can eliminate most jobs, and as long as we allow the rich to dictate, IMO most jobs will be lost. We can see the jobs being lost all the time.

IMO it's because of that that the attrocious "living wage" is being foisted on us as a sop to those left behind, and when the masses wake up and realise that THEIR job is going, it will be too late

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, swissie said:

Overall, those huge problems coming our way are of such proportions, that human ingenuity, technological advances and even the will to tackle those problems, will not be enough. The quality and the quantity of those huge problems may just "overwhelm" humanity.

Agree 100% and for that reason I hope to not be around when it all goes down.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, possum1931 said:

if only Thailand was a normal country ruled by a democratically elected government instead of a general and his soldiers at the point of a gun.

I never saw a soldier during my time in LOS, other than the ceremonial guardsmen. If they were ruling at the point of a gun it must have been somewhere else from me, and I went a lot of places.

 

BTW, I live in a supposedly democratic country and I'd rather live in LOS.

[Wake Up]

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I never saw a soldier during my time in LOS, other than the ceremonial guardsmen. If they were ruling at the point of a gun it must have been somewhere else from me, and I went a lot of places.

 

BTW, I live in a supposedly democratic country and I'd rather live in LOS.

Try to imagine a normal Thai political party, trying to do what the unelected PM and his soldiers did in 2014, that is where the point of a gun comes in. Get it now?

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/23/2021 at 2:08 PM, soalbundy said:

I understand what you are saying and I agree with you but we are in a transitional stage, the past social frame work hasn't yet collapsed and the new frame work has only its foundations, the walls and girders have yet to be erected, these days things happen quickly and speed isn't without consequences, there will be upheavals and the nashing of gums before a new social order has been built and many will at first be left behind. Life isn't fair but it wan't meant to be. At a certain age it doesn't matter what will happen in the future, it doesn't belong to us. The trials and tribulations of the human race, all the way back to the Paleolithic, show us that we are a persistent, long lasting, awesome animal bound for the stars.

Generally when a civilisation collapses a stronger one takes over. A stronger one is waiting as I write, and IMO it's just a matter of time. I'm happy that that future does not belong to me.