Leaderboard

Gentlemen, a thousand ways to spend what is left of xx (xxx ?) years. Usual age of retirement (65) has been 14 years ago , retiring would actually mean sudden death to me. I am keeping on selling engine components which has always been my great pleasure, most people I am dealing with are half my age. I simply wouldn´t know what to do otherwise. Can´t play golf. It finally depends if stop working looks like a relief or a disaster. Recent health checks are promising, maybe with 80 I quit working but I am not sure. I let you know. Poor Khunsanuk did not have a chance to think about retirement, we should feel blessed as we are still alive.

What’s the difference between a Lentil and a Chickpea? Putin doesn’t have a Video of Trump and a Lentil

MobLand [2025 TV] Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires. In the crossfire stands a street-smart 'fixer' who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide. Highly entertaining crime caper, a cartoonish plot is forgiven with its polished production style and scene eating lead actors playing irresistible villains.

This is not, pro, one side or another, but a suitable point in time, to honour the people on both sides, who fought for their countries. And in these times, when 'cadet bone spur' carnival barking, is leading the world to fascism, I note, that whilst I am of Nordic~British origins nee: Viking, my family, has those who are German. And what is interesting, on a visit to Cologne, was an encounter with an older lady, from the German branch of the family. Her vehement distress at the thought of WW2, was not driven by any informed view of history and the camps and the Nazis etc, but by the memories of, as a girl, having uncountable bombers, fly over at night, terrifying the people and exploding their houses. So: Britain’s oldest World War II veteran, Donald Rose, has died at the age of 110. Rose participated in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, and was part of the division that liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. LINK I can only hope that our collective future, will learn from our past, and allow the current western world's, goodwill, amity and harmony (exceptions well known and noted) to continue and flourish.

Thailand punches above its weight in film creativity and cross-border appeal. Here's why A Useful Ghost tells the story of a widower and his dead wife who returns to haunt a vacuum cleaner. (Supplied: 185 Films) A Useful Ghost, an internationally acclaimed new film from Thailand, features a woman who dies from dust pollution and returns to possess her husband's vacuum cleaner to protect him from suffering the same fate. It's a sly commentary about power inequality, queer love, and pollution. Written and directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, the indy film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and was the first Thai film to win a Critics' Week grand prize, or Grand Prix. The award recognises early filmmakers. A Useful Ghost was Boonbunchachoke's debut feature and the first "proper film shoot" he had been on. Judges described the film as bold, free and unclassifiable, "a first feature that plays with genres, bends the rules, and offers a vision that is both intimate and universal." It's just the latest in a slew of Thai drams turning heads abroad as the industry builds on its reputation for distinctiveness and creativity. Last year, humorous tear-jerker How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies set a new Thai record for international box office takings. Mad Unicorn — a series about a start-up courier service — reached fourth on Netflix's weekly top 10 for non-English series last month. A Useful Ghost was the first Thai film to win the Critics' Week Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. (Supplied: Pakkawat Tanghom) Other successful productions included Master of the House and Ready, Set, Love, and Hunger, both on Netflix. According to audience analytics firm Media Asia Partners (MPA), Thai content among South-East Asian nations had the most cross-border appeal in Asia. The "travelability" of Thai content (how much of it was consumed overseas vs domestically) was even catching up to Japan, the agency found. So, what is it about Thai cinema that’s pulling audiences from around the globe? 'Thai film is like Thai food' Thai people loved a good drama, A Useful Ghost writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke told the ABC. He said they measured a film's success by how emotive it was, driving creators to make dramatic and emotionally rich films. "One of the criteria of whether a film is good or not, is do I cry when I watch it?" "Thai film is like Thai food — the flavour needs to be strong," he said. Thai film is bold and strong, like its food, another cultural export by the government. (Supplied) "Culturally authentic" hyperlocal elements in film also resonated with audiences, said Mary Ainslie, an associate professor in film and media studies at the University of Nottingham. Besides seeing representations of local identity, these depictions appealed to foreign audiences because that knowledge made them "cultural insiders", she said. "That's about constructing yourself as a very cosmopolitan person, and that's very attractive." Unbridled creativity Being over-the-top is not limited to drama series or movies. Advertising is often where film directors cut their teeth before producing feature films and Thai commercials have a reputation for being "consistently" creative and unconventional, said Paul Nagy, the chief creative officer at VML Asia Pacific. Mr Nagy judged the film adverts at the 2024 Cannes Lions awards when Thailand won nine awards from 210 entries — the second highest win-to-entry ratio in the Asia-Pacific. A Useful Ghost was Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's first feature film. (Supplied: 185 Films) "One of the major takeaways for me last year was just how incredibly creative and joyful the work coming out of Thailand was," he said. "It stood out head and shoulders above the rest of the world compared to what everyone else is doing." He said the Western world often followed formulaic narratives in storytelling, whereas Thai creators threw out the rule book and leaned into what felt most interesting. "They don't feel the same kind of constraints as the rest of the world in the same way to tone things down," Mr Nagy said. This made it fertile ground for creative story telling as nothing was too over-the-top he said. He cited as an example a government road-safety advertisement where a motorcyclist's brain came out the back of his head the faster he went, a metaphor for him losing control. Thai advertising is known for its creativity. "If you're learning your film trade in the advertising industry in Thailand you're unconstrained. "That's why they do such exciting film work when they leave the advertising industry." He said with how sophisticated AI has become at creating traditional advertisements, the rest of the world needed to quickly learn from what Thailand was doing to remain competitive. "We are moving into an era where average is going to be invisible and that's one thing the Thais never are … and that's their starting point." Economic growth and digital connectivity Much of the latest wave in Thai cinemas was the result of a rapid modernisation and an increasingly affluent middle class, said Dr Ainslie. Thailand has the eighth-fastest broadband internet in the world and 91 per cent of its population is connected to the internet, according to the Digital 2025 report by Meltwater and We Are Social. The global average is 68 per cent. Dr Ainslie said modernity was no longer limited to large cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai because the provincial rural population was now affluent, middle-class who were "globally savvy", well-connected, and had travelled overseas. Thai directors were also being trained abroad and returning home and studios had started conglomerating into oligopolies creating an ecosystem of cinema and production companies, she said. Film as 'soft power' Thailand is recognised by international film producers as an attractive filming destination because of its scenery, affordability, and labour force with mature production and English-language skills, aspects the Thai government is capitalising on. Dr Mary Ainslie says the Thai government has been pivotal in supporting the film industry's growth through incentives. (Supplied: Mary Ainslie) This has created even more opportunities for Thai crew to work alongside international productions to hone their craft to an even higher standard, Booncunchachoke said. Last year, 491 foreign films like Jurassic World: Rebirth and shows like White Lotus were shot in Thailand which generated THB 6.58 billion ($309.8 million) for the economy. Along with Pad Thai, mango and sticky rice and Muay Thai, the Thailand's government has identified film as another cultural export instrumental to its influence by persuasion, or soft power. In November 2024, the prime minister met with executives from Netflix, HBO, Disney, and the Motion Picture Association, The government also announced increases in cash rebates of up to 30 per cent for eligible foreign productions if they employed Thai cast and crew, used designated tourist areas as film locations, and portrayed Thailand or its culture in a positive light. A Useful Ghost draws on a famous Thai ghost story of Mae Nak. (Supplied: 185 Films) Becoming Thai-pecast The Thai Film Office is part of the government's tourism department and has been integral in growing the industry, but Dr Ainslie warned the incentives biased certain productions which could also lead to a typecasting of Thailand. This could be frustrating for filmmakers wanting to make other kinds of films, she said. The lack of diverse depictions could also result in the curating a history to fit a certain state agenda. "If you construct an image, the image ultimately becomes truth, becomes a representation," Dr Ainslie said. "It becomes an imagined community. It becomes invented tradition." One example was the "salacious and hedonistic" depictions of Thailand associated with sex tourism, lawlessness, and drugs seen in The Hangover Part II and The Beach. A Useful Ghost takes on local and universal topics like pollution, power dynamics, grief, and a famous ghost story. (Supplied: 185 Films) "It is an image that is very profitable, but in some ways, it is an image that is based upon exploitation," Dr Ainslie said. After the pandemic, young Thai people participated in widescale anti-government protests. Boonbunchachoke hoped media and cinema would follow suit in challenging the establishment, but felt that traction for freer expression had waned. Nonetheless, he noticed some commercial film studios beginning to take risks beyond their "comfort zone" of crowd-pleasers and join independent films in taking on darker and grittier topics. He has also noticed independent film houses starting to censor themselves less and becoming more creative in how they criticised the status quo. "I think nowadays [these film makers] kind of know and [are finding] new ways to speak and talk about the issue without compromising too much," he said.

See what happens when the Epstein subject comes up. The World is Watching

55555 Hippo Moo Deng celebrated her first birthday on Thursday. Thailand's internet-famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng celebrated her first birthday on Thursday. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Her handlers are scheduled to auction off her belongings — though it's unclear what Moo Deng owns. Thailand's internet-famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng has celebrated her first birthday, leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide fame. Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng — meaning "Bouncy Pork" in Thai — frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on "Moo Deng's cheekiness" while a skincare beautician has paid $4,500 to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings — but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo. A visitor wears a hat of hippo Moo Deng while celebrating her birthday. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, with only about 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining. "Moo Deng went viral very quickly when she was born," said Joshua Paul Dale, an academic who teaches courses on the phenomenon of "cuteness" at Japan's Chuo University. "Maybe part of our appreciation of cuteness is knowing that it's something that doesn't last very long." Moo Deng at the height of her fame last year. Moo Deng's blubbery rose-blushed face launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise including piggy banks and popsicles — prompting her owners to trademark her likeness. The pint-sized pygmy hippo quadrupled ticket sales for the zoo where her small and sparse enclosure was once broadcasted by a 24/7 live stream. Moo Deng is part of a pantheon of captive animals who have enjoyed flash-in-the-pan popularity for their cuteness online, including Melbourne's Pesto the penguin. Pygmy hippos have a life span of between 30 and 50 years. While Mr Dale predicts she may lose the limelight to longevity, he says Moo Deng could enjoy enduring appeal as fans recall "how unbearably cute she was when she was very, very small and just born". "That can kind of continue on and affect our relationship with cute things, even when they grow up," he said. AFP

Retirement = Having a Plan. Seen many fade away due to the fact they didn't have one, especially if you are planning on spending it in LOS

https://stampaday.wordpress.com/2017/12/08/atoms-for-peace/

First person on the left: the honorable President of the United States. A view of pure dignity, accompanied by a female sect member, Kristi Noem. A selection of America´s finest.

The Phoenician Scheme [2025 Movie] A wealthy businessman appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As he embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins. A stunningly original movie, not for everyone, continues Anderson’s unmistakable visual and narrative style with the subtlest of humor. Worth seeing.

Why would you think they have the right to access your devices traveling to anywhere outside the USA? US law enforcement agencies do not have any powers or authority overseas and based on their current relationship with most foreign countries, unless you're planning on traveling to Russia, I wouldn't be too concerned.

Skulls, Smoke and Spirits: Thai Ceremony Honors the Unclaimed Dead A young Thai girl holds a cleaned skull during a Lang Pacha ceremony in Nakhon Ratchasima province on April 18, 2025. The Lang Pacha ceremony is observed by Thais of Chinese descent to give a dignified funeral to the unclaimed dead In Thailand, hospitals hand unidentified bodies and those with no one to give them appropriate last rites to local foundations. These then bury the corpses in graveyards, sometimes for several years, before a weeks-long ritual when they are exhumed, cleaned and all cremated together. In Buddhist belief, the spirits of the uncremated remain trapped between worlds and cannot be reincarnated until monks perform the proper rites. “Spirits without cremation still roam,” said Pisit Pongsirisupakul, vice president of the Dhamma of Buddha Nakhon Ratchasima Foundation, which organized the event. “They suffer and they can’t be reborn. We help them move on, and that’s why this is an act of merit,” he told AFP. Buddhists believe death marks the beginning of a new life, and making merit ensures a better rebirth. “It’s not scary,” said Pisit. “When people die, we all look the same—like skeletons.” Empty eyesocket The ritual begins with volunteers digging up the graves—the event’s name translates as “cleaning the jungle”—before brushing dirt and flesh from the remains and washing them in holy water boiled with tea leaves. One man scrubbed out an empty eyesocket firmly with a toothbrush. The scene is incongruously cheerful: wearing blue surgical gloves, Pimjai Sornrach grinned broadly as she held a skull, declaring “it’s so good, it’s so good”, while her smiling friend held up a femur for the camera. “I just want to be there whenever there’s an event like this,” said Pimjai, a 54-year-old shopkeeper. She started volunteering at 17 after seeing two people killed in a hit-and-run, and says the ritual is about helping others as well as earning merit. “My heart tells me to go.” Accumulated over the course of a decade, some of the 600 corpses were only recently deceased and the smell of death hung over the foundation complex in Nakhon Ratchasima province, north of Bangkok. Some will have been Alzheimer’s patients who wandered from their homes, never to be found by their families, others include road accident victims or undocumented laborers from Myanmar. Laid out to dry, the remains are combined and divided up by bone type and laid out on mats or piled in buckets—hundreds of skulls, leg bones and others. It is a family occasion—two young girls sat alongside rows of skulls, each holding an anonymous head in their lap. ‘Peace of mind’ In the days running up to the ceremony’s climax, volunteers press gold leaf onto the bones, and reconstruct faces on a few. Each set of bones is loaded by turn into two separate crematorium towers—one for the men, one for the women—with the skulls on top completing the stacks. Monks chant and pray before the flames are lit. Later the ashes from each tower will be interred in a graveyard. Thitiwat Pornpiratsakul, 63, began volunteering after he, his wife and two sons survived a bus crash 20 years ago. “Our bus flipped over, and no one came to help us,” he recalled. “My wife and children were with me. We felt helpless.” Since recovering, he has taken part in the ritual every year. “My family and I have stayed healthy, and I believe it’s because we help in this ceremony,” he said. Organizers say the event not only honors the dead, but also highlights a need for legal reform. Pisit has long campaigned for government support to expand DNA testing and connect the civil registration system to police forensics to help identify the unclaimed. “We need a centralized database where families can search by ID and find their loved ones,” he said.

The Happy Prince [2018 Movie] The untold story of the last days in the tragic times of Oscar Wilde, a person who observes his own failure with ironic distance and regards the difficulties that beset his life with detachment and humor. Beautifully photographed, an uncompromising lead makes for a memorable biography.

Ocean with David Attenborough [2025 Movie] Attenborough explores the planet's undersea habitats, revealing the greatest age of ocean discovery and emphasizing the ocean's vital importance while exposing its problems and highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery. Documentary making at its finest, with breathtaking cinematography, a convincing case for ocean sustainability presented as well as ever by 99 year old Attenborough. Not to be missed.

The Amateur [2025 Movie] When his supervisors at the CIA refuse to take action after his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a decoder takes matters into his own hands. Old school thriller format works well with a strong cast and unusaul nerd spy element.

Interesting development, I’ve been wondering what was going on with the Thai government effort towards reversing the legalization of weed. Seems the genie has grown too big to stuff back into its bottle. Too much money being made now – pull the plug and the loss of a growing billion dollar industry might result in an economic recession. Can’t have that, time to compromise, read Rx medical marijuana. What about the weed tourist industry? How are they to obtain it? Make it too difficult/expensive and they may not return. Creating a hurdle of red tape, laws and bureaucracy wouldn’t be good for anyone. Think headlines - legends of foreign tourists locked up in Thai jails for smoking pot. Seems to me their best bet is to leave it the way it is, maybe a special tax would be the best solution to keep the bureaucrats happy. But who pays the tax? What’s the difference, at the end of the day all the weed they are selling is worthless crap anyway. Laughable to suggest anyone could become “addicted” to 1% stripped weed. Forget the fact that THC has no physical withdrawal symptoms (definition of addiction).

Tulsi Gabbard told him no and he did it anyway…why have people advising you if you are just going to ignore it..?

Leaked reports expose the mission was a total failure with the damage minimal. Briefings abruptly canceled.

How could anyone trust anything that comes out of that imbecile's mouth.

Trump was in breech of U.S. Constitutional law on this one…on an international legal, he did “attack” a sovereign nation without provocation…now lets assume Tulsi Gabbard’s info was right and Iran is not close to having a nuke then wtf was the dump thinking..? But, and we have to look at this realistically, do we really want Iran to have a nuke and a delivery device with which to send it into Israel and or the USA Europe etc..? Remember, these are the fuckwits who want all non Muslims as well as some Muslims, to die…these are the people who say they want to die in a holy war so they can go to heaven get the virgins etc…so for me, no, I don’t want them to have 1. I don’t even like the idea that we have them, there are currently enough nukes around to destroy the world 100’s of times over, we don’t need anymore and the last thing we want is an unstable regime to have them…yes it includes the current unstable USA regime…

I had to wait for 4 hours for something to be done, went to CinePlex (Nagoya) and watched Tom Cruise's latest "Mission Impossible" or whatever it is called. It is an extreme action, thrilling, as expected. It requires a large cinema screen. I remember, on a Thai Airways flight, the previous part of the movie, shut it down after 20 minutes, impossible to enjoy (even if you are killing flight time) on an airplane in-seat small screen.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it only Congress who can approve this type of action which obviously has not happened The US has struck Iran's three nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, amid an ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. US President Donald Trump has confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers were involved in the attack. A US official later confirmed bunker-buster bombs were dropped on the Fordow and Natanz sites, The New York Times has reported. Shortly after the strike, Mr Trump has threatened further attacks against Iran if the nation does not surrender, adding, "Remember, there are many targets left". https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-22/what-are-the-b-2-bombers-that-hit-iran-s-nuclear-sites/105446670

Very kewl space. Been there several times and know one of the co-owners.

I just saw Obama at the Connecticut Forum, take a shot at the mess that is Trump and the Trumpanzees. Emphasising Liberal Democracy. Note! for all the Dumb Arses out there, Liberal Democracy, does not mean left. Liberal Democracy, is the freedom that everyone is so rightly concerned with.

Jon Stewart has it all over them. Elissa Slotkin nailed Hegseth.

Tammy is the deal! The amazing thing, or is “Astounding” a better word? Thing is that the dump’s loyal minions see nothing wrong with any of the accusations being made here…nor that the dump is a predator, adjudicated sex offender, convicted felon who is technically, by the constitution, not eligible to hold office etc… the cult just keeps going…oddly, years later when history has been told, there are still those loyal to hitler and tojo go figure right..?

Yes…I was watching some “foreign news” last night and some guy was trying to defend the dump and why he pulled out of “the deal” Obama made…it seems the dump felt that it was “very weak…” and he “can and will do better” so the Indian guy doing the interview pressed the diaper licker harder and said “…ok, so you had a deal, maybe a wreak one…now what do you have? This seems a lot worse than “the weak deal” that was in place…” the buttlick was scrambling for a reply and came up with “…well that weak deal got us here…” the reply from the Indian reporter was “…maybe we wouldn’t be here if the dump hadn’t pulled out..?” And this is how it goes…we may be days/minutes away from a “nuclear event” and these assholes are just pointing fingers…fuck them all… Meanwhile, at home, the dump is shooting his mouth off demanding surrender as if he has a say, we have NO allies left to call in and the dump says he will decide what to do in the next 2 weeks…or maybe he won’t…the Nimitz is sailing towards war, UK and USA are doing something in Bahrain…and when a USA ship gets attacked and or sunk that’s it…when or if Israel runs out of weapons, and they resort to “the Massada principle,” and goes Nuclear on themselves and all known enemies, that’s it…. American asshat Ted “creepy” Cruz aka Eddie Munster, was on Tucker Carlson’s show saying the USA is a Christian nation and has a mandate from god to defend Israel…so him and his kids first ok..? We are fucked…we are on the titanic, headed for the iceberg and Daffy Duck is at the helm…nice knowing you all…

Fox even needed to edit in applause

Read that. Dude had some serious hair back then.

Depends on what…and keep in mind, most of the research, history, information etc, came from those who went before them/us… while it is indeed naive to think they know nothing, many of today’s kids have an entirely different way of looking at things than we did/do, some of it is fucked up and some of it is very enlightened thinking, free of a lot of the bull shit we were saddled with…I remember 20 years back seeing guys in my Thai class, “techturds” as we refer to them, who were just clueless wankers in all aspects of life except “tech.” These fuck sticks never had a date until they went to Thailand and paid for one…married bar girls (which is fine, no judgements), brought them to the USA and now these guys were experts on women and Thailand and everything Thai/farang related…they were not… NOTE: Nothing wrong with marrying a bar girl/hooker. There is however something inherently wrong with marrying your first and in some cases, ONLY, piece of ass…be it a “professional girl” or a high school sweetheart etc…

I last spoke with him maybe 5-6 weeks ago via Messenger video…we talked and he told a lot of stories of Old San Francisco as a GI and We reminisced about Fort Ord Army base…He had bee ina convalescent home, but still sharp as a tack! We talked about an hour and his wife came with food, he said “…well ok, I guess this is good bye…” bit of a loss, 5th friend in the last few 1-2 months.

H

1stly, I am impressed by your audio visual set up, in my circle, I am a computer obsessive, sound maker, video maker. I am but a babe in the woods, compared to you, well done for taking an obsession to a resounding success! 2ndly, health - what a bummer, like most here, we're all getting close, to the river Styx and it sounds like you were looking for Charon the ferryman. My 10¢ on travelling with health issues - is that if I do travel, what sort of trouble do I cause should something happen on the plane or over there? On the other hand if I stay it could happen here, and then I'd miss my, likely last chance. I've been holding off for health issues for the last 7 years, but now I'm clear for January. So I reckon, if the doctor says you'll survive the plane, then go, you can have taxi drivers and others do the lifting and you can always sleep in a seat with the good meds you will have. Cheers and good to see you're still with us.

The Friend [2024 Movie] When a solitary writer adopts and bonds with a Great Dane that belonged to a late friend, she begins to come to terms with her past and her own creative inner life. A strong lead performance in a borderline maudlin affair.