Evil Penevil

Using up the last of the shrimp with shrimp and Spanish rice on a tortilla, with sour cream and guacamole on the side.

Salad with shrimp. mango, raspberries and baby spinach: I followed that with coconut battered shrimp (oven baked) on cilantro rice with mango dipping sauce: Evil

As far as I know, no one on any of the Pattaya boards has ever met Changfai in person, so it's impossible to say what he is like in real life. But he certainly displayed extreme aggression in his posts on Secrets. I realize there's sometimes a fine and not always clear line between acceptable banter and insults, but Changfai placed himself on the wrong side of that line. There was nothing friendly or funny about his posts aimed at other members; his only intention was to hurt and insult in the hopes of disrupting the board and driving members away. Who knows why? Maybe he's a psycho loner IRL, but most likely it's because disrupting an Internet forum gives him a sense of power. On Secrets, he used to mercilessly stalk the BM who used the handle GoGoLover. It was pathetic. Mega-trolls like Changfai; Budapest Baggins (Pattaya's most evil-minded hobbit); and the Canadian whose hair is black always have numerous handles. Mostly they use them for lurking, but occasionally they'll allow the extra handles out from under their cyber bridges and onto the forums. Nowadays multi-handle trolls get caught by the Mods quickly if they start to post. But as long as they refrain from the type of comments that got them tossed off other boards, I don't see any harm in letting them lurk at the lowest board level. Changfai, Gabor! Evil

I poached an egg yolk in the leftover zuppa toscana to make it a meal. Polish pierogies (dumplings filled with mashed potatoes) on a bed of sautéed mushrooms and zucchini.

Vietnam Finalizes March 15 Reopening Of International Tourism, With Some Conditions ChandraGarran04 Vietnam is reopening its borders to fully-vaccinated international tourists starting March 15, in hopes of resuscitating a moribund tourism industry after a painful two-year closure. Visitors will still face some impositions — one-day isolation, COVID-19 tests, checking in on a mobile app — but be able to fly into Vietnam’s major airports, or arrive by boat or vehicle, and freely travel about the country. The news conjures up a recent past when Vietnam was riding high as a global destination darling, with tourism development spreading rampantly across the country, its natural and manmade wonders drawing 18 million foreign visitors who accounted for $12 billion in spending. Those 2019 numbers were wiped out by the pandemic. But now the industry and people around the world yearning to be in Vietnam have the first definitive date for a full reopening. It’s expected to be a years-long revival. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday finalized the reopening plan as the country continues on a recovery path through its “living with the virus” strategy. By the directive of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Vietnam will scrap all of the travel restrictions previously implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Vietnam will restore visa exemptions for 101 countries, including Japan, South Korea, the UK and Italy. It’s also expected to resume e-visa services for 80 countries including the US. Vietnam's tourism industry relies heavily on foreign travelers. | Source: Shutterstock Foreign travelers age 12 and older will be permitted to enter Vietnam next month if they comply with the following: Full vaccination against COVID-19 Negative COVID-19 test result (within 24 hours prior to departure from country of origin for rapid tests; 72 hours for RT-PCR) COVID-19 antigen test upon arrival 24-hour self-isolation in an accommodation until a negative COVID-19 result is furnished At least one COVID-19 mobile app installed and running throughout the stay Health monitoring for 14 days Medical insurance for COVID-19 treatment worth at least $10,000 Those showing COVID-19 symptoms like fever and cough would have to be tested when they land at any of the international airports in Vietnam. Given the current upward trend of daily COVID-19 cases in Vietnam, a more detailed health and safety protocol for inbound travelers is expected to be released in the coming days. Vietnam closed its borders March 22, 2020 and its strict tracking and quarantine policies initially spared citizens from the pathogen. But a major outbreak crippled the economy last year. Vietnamese carriers have already started flying again to and from Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore and 16 other cities on February 15. | Source: Shutterstock After months of lockdown in the second and third quarters of 2021, Vietnam gradually restarted tourism in November via chartered flights, allowing fully vaccinated tourists to visit five destinations. The government said this week that the previous policy on pre-booked tour packages with designated travel firms will be scrapped. In January, the government further lifted restrictions and restarted regular international flights to and from select cities in Asia and the United States. Fully vaccinated travelers had to isolate at home for three days, instead of spending an expensive week in a quarantine hotel or centralized facility. This progress in Vietnam’s economic recovery phase comes after the country this month ended all restrictions on international flights. After getting the green light from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, local and international carriers such as Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines on February 15 started flying again to and from Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Singapore, and 15 other cities. Since March 2020, only diplomats, experts, and repatriated Vietnamese were granted permission to enter the country. Even then, travelers needed to furnish several documents, including a costly entry permit and visa. Data from the General Statistics Office show that there were only 157,269 foreign arrivals in Vietnam in the whole of 2021, 95.9% down from 2019, before the pandemic disrupted the tourism industry.

The times, they are a changin' This would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago.

Yes, exactly. The salt draws some of the excess moisture out of the eggplant. I dusted the slices of eggplant with salt and let them sit for an hour, then rinsed off the salt and patted them dry with paper towel. The slices were lightly coated with flour and fried in hot sunflower oil for a minute on each side to make them crispy. They went into the baking dish in layers, with each layer topped with tomato sauce and the pieces of cheeses. I baked it for 20 minutes under foil, then another 20 without the foil. Evil

I made zuppa toscana (Tuscan soup) in two versions: traditional (Italian sausage, potatoes, bacon, mushrooms, onion, baby spinach and shaved Parmesan cheese) for myself ... and then substituted baked zucchini for the sausage for my niece. She doesn't like Italian sausage. I also made eggplant Parmesan, but it's hard to see the eggplant under the tomato sauce. I also has minced onion as well as mozzarella and shaved Parmesan cheeses. Unfortunately, it didn't photograph well.

My rice is different! Evil

Whatever success I've had with my cooking goes down to plenty of time on my hands, easy access to quality ingredients and a well-equipped kitchen. A good camera to record the results is also a plus. My lunch today: Leftover chili con carne on a big tortilla with sour cream, bacon, avocado and Mexican blend cheese.

My most recent meal: Fresh, never frozen tilapia fillets baked in butter and lime juice, then place on top of half-cooked yellow rice and returned to the oven to finish cooking. The rice soaks up the butter as well as the fish and lime juices, giving it a delicious flavor. On the plate: Evil

Vegetarian tricolor pasta with yellow squash, rainbow carrots, sweet corn, mushrooms, onion, tomato, baby spinach, garlic and herbs. I was a bit disappointed with the rainbow carrots as they only came in two colors, orange and yellow. There are supposed to be blue and purple as well. I roasted them ... ... and the squash for extra flavor before adding them to the pasta. Roasted veggies like squash, zucchini, carrots and eggplant are also a great appetizer or side dish as well as a healthy savory snack, an alternative to commercial potato chips. Sprinkled with cheese they are great! My niece likes vegetarian dishes and I made it with her in mind. I added bacon and shredded Parmesan cheese to my serving. A pre-folded breakfast burrito with fried egg, bacon and avocado. A savory bread pudding made with alternating slices of acorn squash and sourdough bread, Swiss chard, mushrooms and onions, then topped a beaten egg, milk and butter mixture and Gruyere and Parmesan cheese. I baked it for forty minutes, may be a couple of minutes too long. Evil

Janis Joplin Joni Mitchell Celine Dion

Rolling Stones Grateful Dead Big Brother and the Holding Co. (the years Janis Joplin was the lead singer)

The view from the back porch: and through a front window:

The NYC subway rat video came out 10 years ago while I was still living in NYC. It created a huge amount of discussion on social media as well as coverage in the mainstream press. Quite a few people speculated it was a domesticated pet rat that had escaped while its owner was carrying it on the subway. That notion was based on the rat's size; the color and good condition of its fur; and its lack of fear of humans. Some even believed the whole incident had been staged with a pet rat; it running up the sleeping homeless guy was simply a lucky stroke. Scientific studies have shown NYC rats never go beyond a weight of two pounds or a length of 20 inches. For me, that's pretty bad big. I think I'd have a heart attack if I encountered a two-pound, 20-inch rat up close. 😱 The reports of giant rats three-to-four feet in length and weighing 10 to 20 pounds are urban myths or based on sightings of a rodent called a nutria. It was imported from South America in the early 1900s for fur farming and escaped nutria became established as an invasive species in the south of the U.S. Captured nutria are sometimes set loose (and filmed) in big cities as a prank. Evil

New York City isn't far behind in the rat race. Scientists Show How Big NYC Rats Can Get, And It's Terrifying Evil

Get well soon, Andy! We're all cheering for your recovery. I sent my donation via the GoFundMe page. Evil

It's still sunny with only light snow where I am. Over 100K without power, blizzard warnings across Northeast amid powerful winter storm Evil

I cooked up a big pot of a wintertime favorite comfort food- chili con carne. I had it over homemade cornbread and topped with Mexican blend cheese and cilantro. Evil

Maybe the shape of things to come at what were formerly WS gogos, now rebranded as bistros and lounges? From the Facebook page of Fahrenheit Pattaya: I guess the girls will sit on the mats on the stage and hand-feed customers snacks. I might be popular with Japanese and Korean customers, but I doubt it will generate much enthusiasm among farang. But of course, if the girls are attractive enough, it won't really matter if there is dancing or not. In any case, GOOD LUCK to all WS establishments that reopen. They are going to need it. Evil

I like chimichangas, but I avoid as much as possible deep frying at home. I haven't had any really bad experiences myself with fires or burns from boiling oil, but I known some who have and it makes me very cautious. Evil

My second attempt at empanadas. They came out better than the first batch, but still not all that good.

I tried a recipe for "Turkish potatoes" I found on the Internet. I adapted the recipe to my tastes and preferences. The original recipe had only four main ingredients- potatoes, eggs, sliced cheese and a lot of parsley, plus a hefty dose of black pepper as seasoning. I cut back on the parsley and pepper, but added red sweet pepper, diced onion, garlic and mushrooms to kick the flavor up a notch. Also, the original called for frying the mixture but I baked it instead. What was a bit different was the potatoes were "shaved" into long thin strips with a potato peeler. I've grated potatoes countless times for hash browns, but had never "shaved" one. The potato strips were soaked in cold water for about an hour to remove some of the starch, then mixed with the other ingredients. I poured half the mixture into the baking dish, topped it with slices of smoked Gruyere cheese and poured over the rest of the mixture. It was baked for an hour. I had it with zucchini that had been roasted alongside the potato mixture for a non-meat meal. It was quite tasty! I had some of the leftovers the next morning with bacon and egg. Evil

Thank you for the video. I had a vague notion that the then Kingdom of Siam, along with a string of other countries, had declared war on Germany in 1917 once it became clear Germany would lose, but I had no idea Siam had sent an expeditionary force that took part in the occupation. Great info! Evil