Coss

When I saw this I thought, Old man = losing it "In Tibet, sticking out your tongue has been a traditional greeting since the 9th century and is seen as a form of respect." really? note - ask Maori about this... I see that despite the Maori and Tibetan peoples, not having the opportunity to meet until ~300 years ago, this is a widespread demonstration of respect: or not

My 10 bahts worth... I'm possessed of small interest in Dave the Rave, but will toddle off and read the Stick shortly. To your question on the relative merits of someone getting lots of expensive health care and so on, having not paid into the system for long time, due to being otherwise engaged, in the pursuit of being a handsome man: This is the same question that Kiwi millennials pose, on the idea that their taxes support the over 65 year old citizens, via superannuation. And the health system at large. I imagine that the UK and the Kiwi and the OZ systems, are all slightly different versions of the same Som Tam. Firstly, it's not a system wherein benefits to an individual depend on what he/she has contributed. Though there is a residency requirement for superannuation in NZ, i.e. one has to be present in NZ for x= something, y+ something, ÷ something, to receive said pension. The health system is free to residents It's a system that says society as a whole, wishes to contribute to those less well off, in the following manners... (insert benefits here). My point to the millennials, is that we (the rest of us), have paid for their parents and grandparents, pensions and so it's part of being all grown up now, for them to do the same. Some of these millennials, are the reason the term 'man-baby' was coined. Further, this is also the same argument of the 'merican republicans, a group that seems impervious to logic, reason and shame. My point to them is, look at the population, as if it is a dairy farm, if you keep all the cows healthy and happy they will remain productive or even become more productive. Keeping them healthy and happy, includes looking after the sick ones and the old ones. etc etc Bubi thank you for the discussion point, as we are all getting close to closing time, these matters are of import to many of us. i.e. I'm 16 months from pension and intending to spend it, in the People's Glorious and Heroic Republic, over a period of (life span - 65) years. ____________ Wot an AI thinks is the answer to Bubi's question, posted as an image so as not to provide fodder for the bots:

Norman Gunston

'Confidential' document reveals Cambodian police are searching for Head Hunters gang members A “confidential and sensitive document” obtained by Stuff has revealed Cambodian police are searching for five Head Hunters gang members. The Honorary Consulate of Cambodia in New Zealand has confirmed the authenticity of a “confidential and sensitive document” obtained by Stuff, written from a top Cambodian police official. The letter reveals police in the South East Asian country have been ordered to crack down on a group of what it referred to as “big motorcycle criminals” living in the country’s capital, Phnom Penh. The letter described the Head Hunters as being “involved in many drug cases and illegal crimes”. It also named the men as well as listing their dates of birth and passport details. However, the letter does not say whether the men are alleged to have committed any crimes. The letter was written by Cambodian national deputy police chief, brigadier general Dy Vichea, who ordered capital police to pay close attention. Vichea is married to the daughter of Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen. The letter also claims to reveal the source of Vichea’s information. According to the document, New Zealand police warned the Australian Federal Police (AFP) that Head Hunters members were in Cambodia. When asked about that, police here said they were not searching for anyone in Cambodia, but would not answer questions about whether it had informed Cambodian authorities about alleged gangsters in the country. The AFP operates a liaison office in Phnom Penh which is attached to the Australian embassy. In 2016 it formalised its cooperation with Cambodian police to tackle drug smuggling with Strikeforce Dragon. Cambodia does not have the death penalty for drug possession, but those caught can see many years or even life in prison for possession. In 2019, Cambodian police blacklisted members of the Australian Rebels gang from entering the country. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300847796/confidential-document-reveals-cambodian-police-are-searching-for-head-hunters-gang-members

A next prawn, or sausage - https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/neo-nazi-racist-groups-a-bigger-threat-to-the-us-than-russia-and-china/O2VKOWFATZBLXIDGQS5YJJHB4M/ and why the Trumps Donald, were at the UFC 287 https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/combat-sports/131728937/ufc-287-donald-trump-ringside-before-israel-adesanyas-big-fight Donald Senior at ringside and Donald Junior, providing commentary in some way. Because if you need a bunch of dim blokes to follow you, it's best to be seen at the events they love. Mind you it could be that Eric is trying to pick up some tips and enter the ring at some stage?

cold roast lamb in bread rolls with a cold tomato gravy for me.... Kong ! you're slipping ! Chickens don't have a second entrance ! why? Mind you, in the interests of pernickety minutiae - it is possible that Kong has not seen the original post

In the spirit of a non religious - nice to have a holiday for whatever reason - sense of good will: Happy Easter everyone ! And now, definite proof, of where Easter eggs come from. Given the chocolate nature of most of them, maybe he's using the 2nd exit?

Ahem, Pikeys, the ones that came to NZ and caused such havoc a while back, are now the phenomena of a musical! Faaaaaark! The unruly Tourists... see here https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/300306987/unruly-tourists-the-opera-an-unlikely-show-inspired-by-the-2019-notorious-brit-travellers Beaches were spoiled, people were scammed and members of the public were violently threatened by the notorious Brits. I had to google him, but jeez, can't you find another local?

But have you ordered one? and what happens when the butter runs out?

Trump is almost gone from the public gaze down here, I was at a BBQ (Lao style much great food and incredible eye candy) last evening and obviously none of the Lao folk, had anything to say about him let alone America or indeed much else, outside of NZ, OZ, LOS and Laos.. The one Aussie who brought up the indictment, as a way of dismissing Trump and all that has Drumpfed before, also said that: this indictment, as underwhelming as the individual charges are, is the 1st prawn on the barbie. It's still got to have it's shell removed, so as to get to the meat and when that's done, there's a line of them, all cooking quietly and waiting for their turn.

Lindsey Graham, literally begging, for money for Trump

Driving in OZ and NZ is a lot easier than it sounds, I regularly go and see my 91 yr old for lunch, 600km round trip with a 2~3 hrs lunch with him, at the mid point. Normally a 12 hour day The only long distance I've done in LOS is Bangkok~Surin~Bangkok a few times when I was chained to the Thai wife. Surin North East, not the Island in the sea. Laos, I've done, Vientiane~Luang Prabang~Houayxay~Chiang Rai~Chiang Mai~Nong Khai~Vientiane - note: a good way to get daughter, same age as fiancee, and fiancee to get along. Keep them in the car together on a long trip and share a room, for overnight stays. Daughter did duty as a Chaperone, as I wasn't allowed to take MLG out of town overnight, even in separate rooms, without a Chaperone. I got to meet a lot of her friends this way. Seems to have worked. Mind you none of the above is/was a brain fart momentary decision, all was and is, done with prescribed planning and aforethought

Police identify hacker, allegedly holding personal data of 55 million Thais as “9near” https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/police-identify-hacker-allegedly-holding-personal-data-of-55-million-thais-428581 so is “9near” his real name? or pseudonym for something else like Trace (7R4C3) Shield (5H13LD) Claw (CL4W) Savant (54V4N7) Kid (K1D) Smog (5M06) Patriarch (P47R14RCH) Moonlight (M00NL16H7) Mime (M1M3) RICKYBOOM Oblivion (0BL1V10N) Crunchy DOOM Wolf (W0LF) Oddity (0DD17Y) Quad (QU4D) Phobia (PH0B14) Nix (N1X) Saber (54B3R) Infinity (1NF1N17Y) or is it really Somchai? If they know who the hacker is, make arrest, show photo of arresting officers pointing at some penniless itinerant Burmese labourer.

A Cambodian national was caught trying to smuggle 779 kilograms of pork into Thailand through Sa Kaew's Muang district on Tuesday, according to police. Soroun Suot, 42, was arrested while driving his white Toyota truck on Highway 359 from Sa Kaew to Khao Hin Sorn. Police said the suspect confessed to receiving the pork shipment from a Cambodian contact at the border in Aranyaprathet district. The contact asked him to deliver the pork to a retailer in Bangkok for a payment of 5,000 baht, police said. The retailer usually picked up shipments of smuggled pork at a filling station, they added. The suspect was charged under the Customs Act and Animal Epidemics Act and sent for interrogation at Muang Sa Kaew Police Station. Packaging for the smuggled meat showed it was imported from Russia as well as Brazil. Russia suffered a serious outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) last year, while Brazil has also confirmed the presence of ASF. The viral disease poses no risk to human health but can decimate swine farms as it is highly transmissible and leads to high rates of death among herds. In January last year, Thailand became the last country in mainland Southeast Asia to confirm the presence of ASF, when the virus was discovered at a slaughterhouse in Nakhon Pathom. The smuggled pork discovered on Tuesday was sent to Sa Kaew Provincial Livestock Office for hygienic disposal. Last year, the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand warned that rampant pork smuggling threatened to ruin the Thai pig industry.

Snowflake https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40026362 A 24-year-old South Korean who had overstayed his visa by more than a year was arrested after allegedly staging his own kidnapping in Chonburi province to convince relatives to send him money so that he could return home, police said on Wednesday. Kim (given names withheld) faces deportation for overstaying his visa by 497 days and could face other charges for faking his own kidnapping, police said. The young man’s relatives had asked the Korean Embassy in Thailand for help after Kim told them that he had been abducted, imprisoned and assaulted before escaping, police said. He had told family members in Korea he was on his way to Suvarnabhumi International Airport but had no money, police said. After being tipped off about a possible kidnapping, Police visited Kim’s home in the eastern province’s Bang Lamung district. When they arrived Kim fled through the backyard and tried to hide from them behind shrubs in a field. Officers detained him and took him to the local police station for questioning. He admitted to a Korean translator that he had not been abducted, imprisoned or harmed in any way. His only problem was that his family had declined repeated pleas to send him money. As a result, he told them he had been abducted, hoping this would convince them to send him money to return home. They contacted the Korean Embassy instead. Police are continuing to investigate the case, while the process for deporting Kim has been launched, police said.

See what happens when you're nice to someone? https://thethaiger.com/news/national/hitchhikers-gratitude-turns-into-car-theft-for-kindhearted-siblings-in-udon-thani Two kindhearted siblings who gave a lift to a hitchhiker yesterday in the Isaan province of Udon Thani saw their trust backfire when he stole their car. The victim, a 29 year old woman named Khanittha, reported the incident at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station after her black Honda BR-V SUS was stolen by the unnamed hitchhiker. Khanittha explained that she and her 36 year old brother, Apiwat, had travelled from Bangkok to Udon Thani to visit friends. However, upon arrival, they found their friends were not at home. They then decided to visit a nearby shopping mall before heading back home. While Apiwat was parking the car, a man between 30 and 35 years old approached them and asked for a ride to Bangkok. The man claimed his home was in the Krathum Ban district of Bangkok. According to Khanittha, the man appeared to be trustworthy and well-mannered, and they saw him wearing a gold necklace, which further reinforced their trust in him. They did not inquire why he did not have any belongings or a backpack...

So, put his family in prison with him? One way to solve a problem... https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2023/03/24/ex-pm-thaksin-vows-to-return-to-thailand-post-election-face-jail-time/

Revolver (2005) Not sure I understood it then and I'm not sure I understand it now. >> Jason Statham is Jake Green, a criminal recently released from prison after serving a seven year sentence. He is able to win big money at casino card games and he is pitted against Ray Liotta, who plays a mob kingpin who spends a good deal of time surrounded by tanning lights while walking around in his underwear; a very strange sight, indeed. Andre 3000 and Vincent Pastore of Sopranos fame become his underworld mentors as they combine to commit a series of death defying heists. The acting is superb, with solid action scenes from director Guy Ritchie. Unfortunately, the story becomes somewhat convoluted. Stathan, 3000, and Pastore have good chemistry and provide some good funny moments in between the bloody carnage. Liotta is quirky but his usual watchable self and overall, the cast makes Revolver worth the ride. << Jason Statham with hair. Enjoyable - Worth a watch if you can absorb the plot, or what passes for a plot.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, but indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

And the 1st indictment of many: All counts appear to be "FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS IN THE FIRST DEGREE" https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/23741577-read-trump-indictment-related-to-hush-money-payment/?embed=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F

Yes indubitably. But I'll give him a "Donald" for the category of, worst, most unwatchable, but almost impossible to look away from, television show, of the last 7 years. remember this one? Donald Trump Jr, with Russian Spy Maria Butina. And what is one of the first things that any American does, when elected President? Invite all your backers and a maybe a Russian Spy to your office of course.... Photos from the meeting eventually leaked out because the White House banned American reporters, but allowed a Russian photographer inside.

Imagine being in PlaySkool and pointing at the girls and saying "I wanna barfine them", how many would you get?

Whilst I agree in some part, you'll remember when the almost identical situation arose, when ladies didn't want to be called Miss or Mrs and wanted Ms. to be installed in the language. Well they got their wish, along with Crone, Witch and "you ugly tart".... So seeing how that went, I am confident that they/them/it/those, will drop from common usage, when this lot have advanced a few decades and find that still, no body loves them or cares what they think...

I expect, that most, will see my occasional references to Nazism and the USA as, over the top commentary from the hard left. I am quite concerned about this phenomenon, and I'm not inflating it, or scaremongering. The last thing the world needs is a USA with more hard right. Anyway, some evidence: Reported on MSNBC and others... Neo-Nazis Chanting ‘Sieg Heil’ Target Drag Queen Story Event https://www.advocate.com/news/ohio-nazi-drag-story-hour Neo-Nazi Arrested for Firebombing Church Hosting Drag Queen Story Hour https://www.advocate.com/crime/neo-nazi-drag-firebomb-church _____