5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Speaking of lawyers, did you know one in ten people in Washington, D.C. is a lawyer? We make do with three in one thousand. No wonder you guys have problems.

A really valid comparison?? In Australia in a police station 98% of the population are police - - whereas in USA and other places the % is far less... Washington DC is in no way representative of the rest of the USA and you should know that... 

Most of us who is here, writing at this platform, who had every uppertunity to become somebody and do something for themselves and others, complaining about everything and anything, with no whatsoever understanding of where we really coming from. Things should have been better, we should cared for our neighbours  more when they needed it, whe should cared for the nature more than we did, and we should have known the consequences voting for the wrong people, instead we give up, sit down and complain! Thats what we are best at, even we have houses, cars, motorbikes, food, and savings. At least some of us have. 
 

We choose easy before difficult and thats where the problem lays. We are lazy bastards, and thats why everything goes to hell! 

 

Any country you go to.  You have a choice.  If the choices in a large supermarket or mall are too overwhelming. And too many people.  Then the person can find a small shop where the selection is limited and less shoppers. 

12 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

There are just so many new adjustments that we must make if we wish to return to our former world, pre-pandemic.

There will be no return to the pre-pandemic world.

That's something that most people don't understand yet.

There is another recession coming as well as a real-estate crisis.

We are experiencing a dead-cat bounce right now.

Winter is coming...

 

 

16 minutes ago, Baron Samedi said:

There will be no return to the pre-pandemic world.

That's something that most people don't understand yet.

There is another recession coming as well as a real-estate crisis.

We are experiencing a dead-cat bounce right now.

Winter is coming...

 

 

I find winter in Chiang Rai to be very pleasant.

During the pandemic, it seemed to be one of the better places to hunker down.

11 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Maybe, you should no longer deny that things were not just as good as you remember it?

I bet they were.

Nostalgia isn't as good as it used to be.

5 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Who is caring for your dog while you are in Chiang Mai? 

 

One of the three faces? 

That dog has passed on. Belonged to my mother in law (gone too), the 2nd face I saw for 2 years after my wife.

 

Sooo nice to pop out to a pot bar for some chats with Russian draft dodgers and then have some oysters at the Why Not? Italian restaurant in Nimman.

 

You may sweat too much tooth paste choice; we're good with 5 Japanese restaurants within a five minute walk. Nimman reminds us of Asheville, where we might take a rare weekend getaway to eat food that's not served on a bun.

 

After 2 years on the mountain top of eating very basic southern food (for my Appalachian MIL), we're pinching ourselves. I was lucky to get a green curry a week (we grow our own Thai herbs, otherwise...)

 

Def. put a time stamp on that simple life in the mountains plan, Globule-guy. It does get old.

3 hours ago, hellohello123 said:

I'm pretty sure they're not expecting you to buy 100 types of toothpaste....

He was having a panic attack, not quite the adventurous person willing to take the world by storm...he was attacked by diversity, threatened by adverts and scammed by packaging. ????

The only thing normal is the setting on a wash machine.

The world is a very different place than it was pre covid. So much has changed. 

 

I would consider going back to live in the US, if I found a sponsor, or a job, willing to pay me $3 million a year. And then, only for 2-3 years! 

 

Otherwise, I am happy to stay here. Less hassle. Less boring. Less predictable. Malls at home are fabulously boring. I kind of like them here. Good food, AC on a hot day, and amazing bird watching. And I would rather park 5 blocks away, and walk, than deal with the terrors of a crowded garage. 

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The world is a very different place than it was pre covid. So much has changed. 

 

I would consider going back to live in the US, if I found a sponsor, or a job, willing to pay me $3 million a year. And then, only for 2-3 years! 

 

Otherwise, I am happy to stay here. Less hassle. Less boring. Less predictable. Malls at home are fabulously boring. I kind of like them here. Good food, AC on a hot day, and amazing bird watching. And I would rather park 5 blocks away, and walk, than deal with the terrors of a crowded garage. 

I normally agree with you but not this time I went back to OZ a few years ago no money in my pocket no job, found cheap acommodation on arrival and a job after a few weeks,

Worked there for a few years till I got laid off, applied for the pension found a decent unit to live in just 7 km away from the city of just over 2 million and still have not have a rent increase for 6 years and no the malls are not crowded easy to park as well but then again I can't talk about the US and I have less hassle here, no reporting to immigration no need to have money in the bank and many other things, so I am happy to made that move 

On 11/5/2022 at 1:18 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

 

 

Great song- I loved it, but the VDO sucked mightily- complete <deleted> IMO.

 

 

What the heck! The Tears for Fears song went away and was replaced by Tiny Tim.

I am NOT referring to Tiny Tim, but to "everybody wants to rule the world".

No body forces you to go out of your room\house. No one forces you to go to a big mall. You don't have to spend time going over all the different products before you decide what's best for you. You can order anything and everything online without leaving your bed. If you want to go out shopping you can go to the smaller mom and Pop's shops where there are much less options and variety of products. You can go shopping early in the morning before the big crowds go and easily find a parking spot.

The BIG difference is that during lockdowns you CAN'T go out and do all those things. So it seems to me what really upsets you is the freedom.

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The world is a very different place than it was pre covid. So much has changed. 

 

I would consider going back to live in the US, if I found a sponsor, or a job, willing to pay me $3 million a year. And then, only for 2-3 years! 

 

Otherwise, I am happy to stay here. Less hassle. Less boring. Less predictable. Malls at home are fabulously boring. I kind of like them here. Good food, AC on a hot day, and amazing bird watching. And I would rather park 5 blocks away, and walk, than deal with the terrors of a crowded garage. 

Parking at a shopping mall here is very easy with a scooter. As for bird watching, I'll find a seat, and just watch an assortment of women walk by ranging from cute to beautiful.

It's pretty rare to see scooters parked at a shopping mall in Australia. I have no interest in whale-watching, not in a shopping mall anyway.

There is definitely a "new" normal, in my opinion, and which has been 

unfolding since the end of World War II.

 

No one seems to question the tripe they are spoon-fed by the mainstream media,

a dumbing-down of whole populations it seems. There has always been an

element of it, of course, but "the people" were more prepared to discuss and opine

about events on , let's say, an "intellectual" level, based on the limited amount of

media which was open and available to them, and even where their education was

not on a par with today's.

 

Modern education has a lot to be blamed for, I feel, as educationalists, right down

the line to a humble "teaching assistant" (I'm not sure what this truly is), set

the tone and curriculum for how scholars will be "brainwashed" - inculcated in a

fashion designated by the political elite. Sure, it's not as overt as that say in China,

North Korea or Russia, but it is done much more subtly . . . and effectively

in that regards.

 

What ever happened to the three R's?

 

Whole swathes of populations do not look behind the headlines, nor do their own

research among a spectrum of opinion to arrive at a balanced viewpoint. They

simply look for a confirmation bias of their own necessarily limited, or blinkered

views; a kind of self-congratulatory "I told you so", to themselves!

 

I think it is also true to say that, in a time when the news and events were only able

to be reported in newspapers and other print publications, such reports, and

journalism generally, were far more accurate, truthful and less-partisan than

they are today. Sadly, those days are long gone, and unlikely to return anytime soon!

After my last trip to States I have now scuppered any delusion I'd had about returning. The bridge is already 60% toast. I'll be burning the remainder in the next few years.

 

You can always go home but you can never go back.

 

 

On 11/5/2022 at 6:40 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

If normal is continual comments about climate change or rants about ex presidents I scorn normal.

Yes, not normal

On 11/5/2022 at 1:38 PM, hellohello123 said:

I'm pretty sure they're not expecting you to buy 100 types of toothpaste....

100 choices is impressive

On 11/5/2022 at 8:43 AM, Lacessit said:

Scorn is about all bitter people have got.

No warming for 6 years

60 baht tuk tuk Nong Khai

150 baht Hua Hin

 

That is normal, ripping off people

On 11/5/2022 at 3:02 PM, Ralf001 said:

<deleted>s <deleted> again.

 

Thailand was much better during the peak of covid lockdowns.

Not for tourists

On 11/5/2022 at 4:06 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

For example, I saw about 100 different types of toothpaste, and, at least, 500 different types of shampoo. 

Business opportunity. Start a youtube channel doing reviews.

1 hour ago, allanos said:

There is definitely a "new" normal, in my opinion, and which has been 

unfolding since the end of World War II.

 

No one seems to question the tripe they are spoon-fed by the mainstream media,

a dumbing-down of whole populations it seems. There has always been an

element of it, of course, but "the people" were more prepared to discuss and opine

about events on , let's say, an "intellectual" level, based on the limited amount of

media which was open and available to them, and even where their education was

not on a par with today's.

 

Modern education has a lot to be blamed for, I feel, as educationalists, right down

the line to a humble "teaching assistant" (I'm not sure what this truly is), set

the tone and curriculum for how scholars will be "brainwashed" - inculcated in a

fashion designated by the political elite. Sure, it's not as overt as that say in China,

North Korea or Russia, but it is done much more subtly . . . and effectively

in that regards.

 

What ever happened to the three R's?

 

Whole swathes of populations do not look behind the headlines, nor do their own

research among a spectrum of opinion to arrive at a balanced viewpoint. They

simply look for a confirmation bias of their own necessarily limited, or blinkered

views; a kind of self-congratulatory "I told you so", to themselves!

 

I think it is also true to say that, in a time when the news and events were only able

to be reported in newspapers and other print publications, such reports, and

journalism generally, were far more accurate, truthful and less-partisan than

they are today. Sadly, those days are long gone, and unlikely to return anytime soon!

IMO part of the problem is advertising revenue.

I doubt anyone can read a review of any vehicle nowadays that discusses a vehicle warts and all. Two reasons - the journalists themselves would lose the junkets to a manufacturer's headquarters, and the advertising income would dry up overnight. Any writer with the temerity to describe a vehicle as a pile of excrement, with supporting facts, would be shown the door quite rapidly.

The other problem area is media ownership. People such as Murdoch know there is more money in catering to the lowest common denominator, than being impartial.

Going through secondary college, I was taught English Literature, French, Latin and German. I was also taught the meaning of terms such as ontology, epistemology, and empiricism.

I learned about the various forms of dishonest argument used in debate.

Permit me to doubt that breadth of background is available in classrooms nowadays.

23 hours ago, still kicking said:

I normally agree with you but not this time I went back to OZ a few years ago no money in my pocket no job, found cheap acommodation on arrival and a job after a few weeks,

Worked there for a few years till I got laid off, applied for the pension found a decent unit to live in just 7 km away from the city of just over 2 million and still have not have a rent increase for 6 years and no the malls are not crowded easy to park as well but then again I can't talk about the US and I have less hassle here, no reporting to immigration no need to have money in the bank and many other things, so I am happy to made that move 

In the US, cheap accommodations are a thing of the past. A friend just rented a small one bedroom apartment in Burbank. Decent area, but not high end, at all. $2,100 a month, +++. Short stay airbnb in this area are $1,500 a week, for a 40 meter studio. Food is outrageous. Big cities in the US are now more expensive than Monaco or London. 

15 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Parking at a shopping mall here is very easy with a scooter. As for bird watching, I'll find a seat, and just watch an assortment of women walk by ranging from cute to beautiful.

It's pretty rare to see scooters parked at a shopping mall in Australia. I have no interest in whale-watching, not in a shopping mall anyway.

In Los Angeles now. Was at a busy and popular restaurant last night. Had a booth near the area where people walked by, to go to the rest room. Had a viewing of at least 100 patrons up close. 2 good looking women, 45 homely ones and alot of whales. And that is LA. Imagine Omaha? 

8 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Not for tourists

That's why it was better.

8 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Not for tourists

Thats why it was much better.

Choose the toothbrush with a small brush head. Then it is easier to access all places. The brushes should be as thin as possible and relatively thick/dense, but also soft.

On 11/4/2022 at 5:05 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Maybe, you should no longer deny that things were not just as good as you remember it?

I bet they were.

In regards to the past, it was a simpler time; however, in the U.S. the past was more repressive for people of color, for women, and for LGBQT+ people.  Let us remember the past for the good AND the bad.

I had to stop reading it about a third of the way through maybe it’s me Tit