spidermike007

They did sanitize the city alot, and it did lose some character. I do miss all the funky bars of yesteryear. But, it's still a great city. The roads are a challenge. Rama II is the ugliest abomination. A decade behind schedule? Heads should be rolling.

Yes. Absolutely. My presumption would be that by turning it over to the police the last possibility in the world would be that it would find its way back to the it's rightful owner. However I'd be incredibly discreet about it, and not a soul would know about it, and the city that I found it in I would leave in the rear view immediately. Finders, keepers.

The moral to this story is never force elevator doors open, and even when you do always make sure that the elevator is there. That has to be the worst start to a job in modern history.

I guess this is very subjective but I have not seen that many beautiful 64-year-old women lately. Why marry a woman your own age if you don't have to?

That is simply a form of rationale that no longer applies to MAGA.

It may happen frequently here but it's not a reflection on the general population, we're talking about a tiny percentile of super freaks. It would be like saying all Americans are murderers because they have the highest rate of mass murders in the world.

If they're solid evidence to back up the claims of sexual acts with a 13-year-old I would advocate the death penalty, and I would encourage that it be carried out within 30 days, without possibility of appeal. Granted there would be an outcry around the world and people would be equating Thailand with a truly savage nation like the Saudis, but it's quite a different story. In addition to the Saudis carrying out rather extreme forms of punishment they also have the most hateful and extremist version of Islam on the planet to contend with.

That was a Russian novel. Are you confusing literature with reality? Certainly there have been cases in the past of a willing 13-year-old but this is just a bit beyond the pale. And it does not matter. It was very, very wrong.

Yes. Absolutely. There are many issues to consider. Going back to the US is not an option. I would not want to live there now, unless I was being paid over 3 million dollars a year, and then I would only do it for 3 years, and then leave. For me, it is about quality of life, and my level of fulfillment on a daily basis, which I seem to have here in abundance. A big factor here, is the relatively light hearted attitude of the people. I find many Thais to be delightful to be around. You just do not find that in the US, where most seem bitter, disenchanted, unfulfilled, devoid of humor, and heavy hearted. Living to work, not working to live. This is an entirely subjective topic, of course. But some of us live very good lives here. Some of us have been fortunate enough to find an outstanding woman, who is delightful to be around, on a daily basis, always has our back, and is fun, smart, and lovely. For me, that likelihood of finding that back in the US, would be very low. So, that is a big factor for me. The second factor is just the quality of life. Sure, I miss alot of the culture back home. The theatre, independent film (which I can download here with no issues at all, and a super fast 1 gbps fiber optic connection, at under 700 baht per month!), stand up comedy, live jazz, etc. But I have a lovely home that I rent, for about 10% of what I would pay in California, I live very well on an income which is not huge, have access to great health care, at a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, and do not have to put up with alot of the aggravation that I had to when I lived back there. Especially from the women, who seem to have lost all contact with their feminine nature. It is a very personal choice. I have friends who seem to be dropping like flies. I could be dead next year. You just don't know. I am not extravagant, but I live very, very well. A nice house, a new car every few years, new motorbikes for my gal and I every few years, a great art collection, plenty of good wine in the wine cooler, a new 77" OLED TV, a world class home theatre, plenty of international travel, etc. For me, it is a great lifestyle, that I could only dream of in the US. Well worth the expense and very easy to justify. Life is way too short. I recently returned from the US, which I visit frequently. The prices and inflation are mind blowing. The cheapest lunch we have found was $30 for two sandwiches. That is 1,000 baht, anytime you want something basic. A bag of groceries is 3,000 baht. A friend of mine is looking for an apartment to move to in LA, and really small, simple places are 70,000 baht per month and up. Nice two bedrooms are closer to 100,000 baht. Decent homes start at 125,000 baht per month and up. The cost of nearly everything has gone up dramatically. Runaway inflation? Likely 20% in real number. Contrary to the government lies, inflation is raging in the US. Thailand is still reasonable. It used to be cheap. Has not been cheap for a long time. But, it is still reasonable. I know people who pay 10,000 baht a month for newer 3 bedroom houses in nice towns. In major cities in the US? $3000-5000 a month. That is an economy gone amok. Pure insanity. An empire on the verge of collapse. No thanks.

Real men just walk away, with their heads held high, when things do not work out. Plenty more fish in the sea. Guys who look like adults, but have 13 year old hearts and minds commit atrocities when spurned. They are a boil on the face of the nation and humanity. When an act like this is committed, I advocate for the death penalty carried out within 60 days. Best for society. They have self revoked their right to consume oxygen. See ya!

Trump represents the polar opposite of both law and order, and integrity. He is selling the White House and presidential influence at a level never seen before. He is an absolute goon. He will fail. No doubt about that.

Why? Because I love my life here and have affection and respect for the Thai people? Explain yourself, as you sound out of sorts and rather disillusioned.

Trump is a terrible negotiator and picked the wrong fight. China is going to stick it to him in a big way. And though I have long despised the CCP, I am rooting for them now, as is much of the world. Mr. Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the pillars of American power and innovation. His tariffs are endangering U.S. companies’ access to global markets and supply chains. He is slashing public research funding and gutting our universities, pushing talented researchers to consider leaving for other countries. He wants to roll back programs for technologies like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing and is wiping out American soft power in large swaths of the globe. China’s trajectory couldn’t be more different. It already leads global production in multiple industries — steel, aluminum, shipbuilding, batteries, solar power, electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones, 5G equipment, consumer electronics, active pharmaceutical ingredients and bullet trains. It is projected to account for 45 percent — nearly half — of global manufacturing by 2030. Beijing is also laser-focused on winning the future: In March it announced a $138 billion national venture capital fund that will make long-term investments in cutting-edge technologies such as quantum computing and robotics, and increased its budget for public research and development. The Chinese electric carmaker BYD, which Mr. Trump’s political ally Elon Musk once laughed off as a joke, overtook Tesla last year in global sales, is building new factories around the world and in March reached a market value greater than that of Ford, GM and Volkswagen combined. China is charging ahead in drug discoveries, especially cancer treatments, and installed more industrial robots in 2023 than the rest of the world combined. In semiconductors, the vital commodity of this century and a longtime weak point for China, it is building a self-reliant supply chain led by recent breakthroughs by Huawei. Critically, Chinese strength across these and other overlapping technologies is creating a virtuous cycle in which advances in multiple interlocking sectors reinforce and elevate one another. Yet Mr. Trump remains fixated on tariffs. He doesn’t even seem to grasp the scale of the threat posed by China. Before the two countries’ announcement last Monday that they had agreed to slash trade tariffs, Mr. Trump dismissed concerns that his previous sky-high tariffs on Chinese goods would leave shelves empty in American stores. He said Americans could just get by with buying fewer dolls for their children — a characterization of China as a factory for toys and other cheap junk that is wildly out of date. The United States needs to realize that neither tariffs nor other trade pressure will get China to abandon the state-driven economic playbook that has worked so well for it and suddenly adopt industrial and trade policies that Americans consider fair. If anything, Beijing is doubling down on its state-led approach, bringing a Manhattan Project-style focus to achieving dominance in high-tech industries. Mr. Trump’s blinkered obsession with short-term Band-Aids like tariffs, while actively undermining what makes America strong, will only hasten the onset of a Chinese-dominated world.

It existed quite nicely for 200 years. America was a grand success as a melting pot of multi cultural society. Perhaps they went too far with the Muslim immigrants, or didn't quality them enough. Who knows? Some of the hardest working and most honest people I know in LA are Latinos. Immigrants make America the nation it is. But, it is ultimately about bitter, angry white men like Trump losing their dominance of society, that started all this division and hatred. This so called crackdown is simply an expression of his desire to be a dictator.

Perhaps you have been here too long? I find many Thai people to be kind and respectful. Perhaps it is in the perception. Or, it could be that you are living in Pattaya, Phuket or Samui. The most jaded locals in Thailand, for sure.