panadolsandwich

Couldn't have put it better myself. And no doubt they pat themselves on the back - job well done.

That photo makes me so angry. If I had my way I"d feed them to ravenous grizzly beers. Werner Herzog the famous film German director saw footage of someone being eaten alive by a grizzly bear. He handed over footage of the incident to a close relative of the victim after they requested it - and this really stern German - a man seemingly made from steel, said you shouldn't watch it, ,just destroy it immediately, shaking his head and in absolute devastation - reliving the horror of watching it himself. Being eaten alive by a bear is not a good way to go - but those two deserve it. It's just karma.

Quite a thoughtful post. My constructive comment is it's better to sail down the river, preferably on a fast boat, especially seeing the Mekong is flowing well given the monsoon.. Also as far as I'm aware, there is no train from Nong Khai - although I admit that is an amusing thought. I think there was an idea to extend the train line there - perhaps you are thinking of the friendship bridge, but of course I could be wrong. I am aware of what appears to be an alarming smuggling operation over the river to Lao - but it doesn't concern me at all of course. I just tend to notice things whilst getting a massage before the happy ending. Lease a fast boat and abscond with your favourite masseuses, and girls at a *special* rate right now and hole up in Vietnam would be my constructive comment.

Win or lose I don't give a damn. I never cared. And it's a surprisingly good philosophy, to my astonishment - if you take that attitude you just tend to win all the time. But even if you don't - what the hell does it matter? It encourages you to take risks that most people wouldn't. I often look at people and think why are you so careful? I mean you only get one life as far as I'm concerned.

She was upset. I said you should never go to them, let them come to you. And mind be forgiving. Let's go to the temple tomorrow.

Starting up a universal health system is fraught with difficulties in the US. Young people quite rightly say why should I support these ageing boomers that have enjoyed free sex and drugs only to mature and entirely clamp down on it for the next generation? The elderly say I'm not having this at all, I'm not paying for some young bastard - usually invoking racial connotations. It's every man for themselves - I'm fine so you can go fuck yourself mentality. Except if everyone just chipped in you could have a system of health care that would look after the young and old. Bearing in mind when you are young - you will be old in the future. Well let the US reap what they've sown. As you sow, so shall you reap. Suck on that evangelists.

Thailand are handling this very well. I don't particularly agree with the curfew. I don't agree with people who scorn the Thai health system. They do look after their own - and I've often been treated for free - medicines included - although I suppose that is owing to my wife. Still this is a country mile from the system in US, which I've decided I won't work for anymore - no matter how much money they offer me.

I mind driving to Koh Chang and I was caught bang to rights, the police caught me about 5km down the road after passing a checkpoint. I was going at least 30km/h over the speed limit. And to make it worse when the police officer asked for my driving license I pulled open my wallet with at least 40,000 baht in it - his eyes were nearly popping out. I was playing dumb speaking in a really fake French accent. And the officer asked my wife - why the hell were you letting him speed so fast? And she's like I didn't know, the speedometer is in front of him - I can't see it - which I thought was a fairly good point. I thought I'm fucked. I had an open beer in the center console. But she dropped a name and got 100 baht out of her purse - and all of a sudden it was like - well sir just be more careful in the future handing back my license which I pretended not to understand. But still she looked out for me - as I do for her.

I didn't submit tax returns for ten years. But the tax department always gets to you. Their letters were becoming increasingly threatening - like seizing assets. So I finally just buckled down and did all ten in one day, not even bothering to claim any form of return. I was kind of startled when $120,000 was deposited in my account. I'd actually paid too much tax. I suppose that is kind of the polar opposite to say the Republican party.

Before we got married there was some interesting gatherings. My sister in law is kind of the heir apparent to the family fortune - and she knows many influential people. I met an army major whom thoroughly questioned me, like a vetting session. I was aware of what was happening, and I explained to him that I was a Captain in the Australian army. We talked in Thai and compared our experiences. Have you ever fired an M60, etc. It was perhaps one of the most bizzare conversations I've ever had in my life. But we became extremely good friends. Obviously I had his approval. And that was that. All the local police fell in line. I was in the family.

Yeah my apologies, I do go too far sometimes. Of course we can meet up and share a couple of pints. I think I'd had one too many laphroaig's. I do also appreciate your posts.

It's not a threat it is a caution. Of course I'm happy to meet up with you. However what I'm saying is there are many Thai people with vested interests in myself being unharmed. I would never start any violence, but I can definitely assure you they will. And I don't want you to get hurt. I just thought you should know. I've actually enjoyed your posts- disarmed by reality as they are - but as much as I'd like to meet you - believe me you don't want to enter my world.

Call me what you want. I don't care.. I know what I can do - I doubt you do. And if we meet up in Bangkok you should should really be careful - it's highly inadvisable. I have a lot of people working for me, and they are rather protective of me. I mean what they do - well let's just say they aren't as merciful as me.

Deplorable... It sounds like you can't really write English yourself. Rather hypocritical in my humble opinion. I can speak at least a dozen languages, I never understand why other people can't do the same thing. English isn't even my first language. But if that is the height of your rhetoric; well it's exceptionally dismal.

I don't particularly care anymore. If the populous wants either candidate (note not much of a choice) then chok dee. The decline of the USA is like watching a train derailing into a nuclear silo. If that is what the people want, well my view is well, just go for it.

Well we seemed to have arrived to a post stickman era owing to many things. I never really understood most of the posts. Most contained misogyny, western arrogance, and to put it kindly - simple ignorance. Being fleeced seems to me a kind of karma. I could always see through people, what they want, their desires. This doesn't even take much mental calculation to compute - usually over a pint of beer. I drink a lot to numb the pain of being hyper aware. I think most westerners come to Thailand expecting romance - 'we'll be holding hands in Lumphini park'. I mean, it seems incredibly obvious to me.

Yes, it's called leadership and the failure of it. He's responsible for thousands of deaths because he cares more about his re-election and of course himself. Two thousand Americans dying per day doesn't appear to bother him - and why should it? He's so self obsessed with himself he just can't even comprehend that simple fact. You might as well say to him we killed two thousands flies today, whilst he's watching fox news. And then of course the boringly predictable technique of trying to blame it all on someone else. And mind Americans voted this guy in, and might well do again.

Of course we all wish it wasn't happening. Now isn't the time to cast blame. I agree. Except the US has set itself up for this failure. Decline.

Here's a thought - well just to get you thinking. In the war against Iraq and Afghanistan there were 4426 deaths on the US side. In the US right now 2000 people are dying every day. Let that sink in. Excuse the language - but the US is fucked and in serious decline.

We seemed to have downsized to a hardcore cabal of forum members. I've been here for at least 15 years. I tried pattaya addicts but it was just too much for me - or more like too much for them. Anyhow I'm thankful for posters like Bubi, Coss, Chocalate Steve, Mekong, Flash and even Cav. I exclude myself because I've become rather disillusioned by my posts. I look back at them with a wistful longing. I always knew that I was better than that. Writing with a pint of scotch in your belly isn't conducive of great writing. Still I mind of some brilliant posts over the years. Some of those trip reports were absolutely brilliant. Insightful memoirs really. I have to say I really like Bubi posts for there kind of inimical satire and wry commentary of the whole scene. Whores in retirement - well we can all smile at that.

I was just discussing this with someone a couple of days ago. Pick a good VP and (god forbid) Biden has a stroke, or cardiac attack and is (hopefully) buried - well that seems like the only plausible way out of this fiasco at the moment.

Also I just re-read Norman Lewis's excellent, "A Dragon Apparent" a trip report on a tour through Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao. Replete with eyewitness events such as seeing a grenade lobbed into a busy restaurant - this is before the US got involved in Vietnam. He spoke highly fluent French, with that kind of high handed disdain that highly educated British people do. His visit to the hill tribes was especially entertaining where they are all essentially alcoholics. A must read if you travel South East Asia.

I read Michel Faber's the Fire Gospel. A scholar on a trip to Iraq discovers a contemporary account of one of Jesus's disciples and a witness to his crucifixion. I won't spoil it for anyone, but the account of Jesus being put on the cross is one of the funniest things I've read for a long time.

Joe Biden made a rather bad gaffe in a recent press conference, which has largely been suppressed in the media. It is reported he was questioned by reporters about the recent rape allegations, when he suddenly unzipped his flys and made quick stroking motions on his member unleashing an impressive volley of white mucous that doused many reporters, then saying social distancing be damned and striding off in a huff. Unfortunately for him word got out and so another presser was scheduled. He arrived with doctors in tow and announced he had a rare congenital medical condition that causes rapid stroking of the genital region. When he was asked what the medical condition was called he had another seizure where in a flurry he took out his joint again and was attempting to abuse himself before a cohort of doctors and secret service agents whisked him off stage. A secret service agent who wished to remain anonymous commented that the presidential candidate 'Uncle' Joe was suffering a severe medical malady and although the incidents were humorous in a fashion - well we wouldn't make fun of a disabled person would we?

North Korea has always been a pawn (or perhaps a knight) to the Chinese so they can direct aggression to the west by proxy. Whether that fat cheese eating motherfucker is dead or not - he was always propped up by the Chinese. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he died of a massive heart attack. It's well known he was addicted to cheese (of all things - at least Trump is addicted to good old fashioned coke, sniff). He ballooned up like one of those toy helium balloons. Just by looking at his photo you could envision his arteries being bricked up like a farmer weaving a fence of long chain polymers. Quite frankly I'm surprised it didn't come sooner.