zydeco

Just a guess, but it sounds like Thailand came up with zip from the Russians and Chinese. No money for Thailand. Probably only offered them a deal on the military version of day old bread.

Going to Germany? Reminds me of that old language commercial. It opens with a shot of a German Coast Guard radio operator getting an emergency message from a ship at sea. "Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is the Sea Lion. We are sinking! We are sinking!" Then, the reply: "This is the German Coast Guard. What are you zinking about?"

BRICS

You do realize that "BRICS" is an acronym invented by Wall Street, not a real organization, don't you?

You are wrong

The term "BRICS" was coined in 2001 by then-chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O'Neill, in his publication Building Better Global Economic BRICs.^[

As of 2014, the five BRICS countries represent almost 3 billion people, or approximately 40% of the world population. The five nations have a combined nominal GDP of US$16.039 trillion, equivalent to approximately 20% of the gross world product, and an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS

And just how am I wrong? Do you know what the word "coined" means? And Goldman Sachs IS Wall Street. There is no organization.

Ravaged? It rained. Not as hard as it has in the past. But it rained. No wind.

Amazing that those roofs flew off and trees went down with "no wind."

Considering that some of the roofs here are tin and palm fronds, not so amazing. Where do you live? Gilligan's Island?

Tornadoes? Nope. Hurricanes in Bangkok? Nope. Hail storms? Nah. Where are these wind storms coming from? Frankly, I spend most days just praying for a breeze. But I have noticed that my Thai friends get a little antsy and even downright fearful when the wind blows hard enough to bend a few tree branches. But in all the storms I've seen, here, I've really never seen any with winds strong enough to uproot a healthy tree. But if the authorities are fearful that high winds could do something to some of these poorly constucted high rise condos, then they might have a point.

What if the Chinese move into northern Thailand from over the Lao border and establish a trading concession? What are the Thais going to do about it? Who are they going to ask for help? Don't laugh about the prospects. China is already doing this on its direct border with Bhutan and India.

"...in counterbalance with the United States..."

It's a lot more than counterbalancing. It's China's slow inexorable take-over of the world. First they will consolidate their position in Asia with every country owing China and eventually the small Asian countries will be subsumed by China. China is ever so patient.

China faces too many domestic threats. Its populace is restive. The Chinese really are riding on the back of a tiger. It wouldn't take much for them to be flipped off and devoured. The country is polluted, its growth slowing, massively corrupt, with NO economic or political transparency, and most of the time, the very air the Chinese are forced to breathe is just short of poisonous. The place could crumble and will undergo drastic change. Thailand is tying itself to a potential disaster. But let them. As an American, I am simply unwilling to care anymore. Thailand is Thailand's business. Nobody else's. Don't coerce them, force them, or entice them. Let them do whatever they want. And live with their choice.

The US should simply announce that it is through worrying about Thailand. Thailand is on its own. Have whatever government it pleases, trade with whom it pleases, make alliances with the Russians, Chinese, and North Koreans. But Thailand should not complain when it is entirely cut off from the US market.

Every single time Russian military hardware has gone head to head against Western military hardware, the Russian junk has been smoked. But let Thailand spend its money on whatever it wants. There is only one big potential enemy in the region, China. And the Chinese will just gradually move in until the borders are erased all but formally.

Ravaged? It rained. Not as hard as it has in the past. But it rained. No wind.

Yes, it looks like the Thai government is hedging its bets.

The corporate puppet masters in the US and the rest of the world will have to up their game.

Old Chinese proverb "When you drink the water, remember the spring."

The Thais would do well to remember this when those bets are called in.

Neither the US or Europe needs to up their ante by one red cent. All they need to do is get up and leave the game, which means closing their markets to Thai products or products made with parts from Thailand.

You really think they will leave the game zydeco?

I don't think for one minute that will happen.

Time will tell.

There's too much at stake here.

What is at stake? Thailand is chaotic, undependable, inefficient, and the infrastructure that the Americans built for them in the 60s and 70s is beginning to deteriorate. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the Philippines (where there is a traditional relationship and people speak English) are beckoning.

No.

Yes, it looks like the Thai government is hedging its bets.

The corporate puppet masters in the US and the rest of the world will have to up their game.

Old Chinese proverb "When you drink the water, remember the spring."

The Thais would do well to remember this when those bets are called in.

Neither the US or Europe needs to up their ante by one red cent. All they need to do is get up and leave the game, which means closing their markets to Thai products or products made with parts from Thailand.

Doesn't the army hold a lot of businesses?

Somehow, I don't think ISIS is gong to care much about what the UN thinks. Maybe the Palestinians can take them to that court in The Hague.

Happy little club, Russia, China, Nth Korea and Thailand.

Lots to learn there. The innovative efficiency of the Russians. The quality control of the Chinese. And the charming sales personality of the North Koreans.

Wasting Australian tax payers money on his training when he is going to resign his commission at the end. What is the point and why not spend this money on another young aussie officer who is in it for the long haul. No time for these royals as they are a waste of money and past thier use by date.

I thought it was the poms who were the whingers? This is good PR for the Austrian forces and will probably be good for recruitment. Stop moaning.

Yeah! And maybe the Austrians can bring in Arnold Schwarzenegger too!

Of course, the USA bombs beautiful Cambodia back into the stone age and unleashes the murderous Khmer Rouge upon her population--and now USA is there to tell them how to educate themselves and further enable an idiot like Michele Obama and her idiot husband, who aren't even capable of managing their own affairs.

"unleashes" you say that as if it were fact. why make stories when the truth will do the same thing. yes there are a couple of tards in the white house, but you speak as if you were there at the time of your so called "unleashing". but we all know you were just a horney twinkle in your daddys eye. history does not need you to make up shxt, there is enough shxt in the truth...:-)

I wasn't there. I was around ten when the mess started, and watching the end of the Vietnam Nam catastrophe comfortably from my parent's living room television, not really understanding any of it and asking a lot of questions.

Most of the world did not know the US had secretly bombed Laos and Cambodia in those days. These facts didn't come out until much later.

The US and some of her allies, including Thailand, did in fact help supply the Khmer Rouge with weapons and unleash their campaign across Cambodia, completely destroying the country and murdering two and a half plus million people.

'Unleash' may be putting it too kindly.

Pol Pot got his start in the French Communist Party. The Khmer Rouge were trained and supported by China. The Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia was made possible by North Vietnamese intervention. Afterwards, in 1979, Jimmy Carter and Andrew Young at the UN supported the Khmer Rouge against Vietnam. But during the Khmer Rouge takeover, the fact is the US supported Lon Nol, not Pol Pot.

It only went active on 1st April, so why would you apply on 26th March.

It was work in progress up to the 1st April.

Because I could and I did. And the online form itself clearly works without much of a problem. It is just that they don't have any incentive to change PENDING to COMPLETE. It is actually no big deal for me. There is a floating market near my local immigration office and I usually make the trip to immigration an entire day out. Otherwise, my immigration office is usually pretty empty. Takes about four or five minutes to do the 90 day (usually 30 minutes or so to do the visa extension), so I really don't care either way.

Well, mine has been "pending" since 26 March. And I check everyday to see if there has been a change. So far, nothing. I'm due on 6 April. And I guess immigration is not open on 6 April? Right? So, if nothing by morning of 7 April, I suppose it's another trip as usual.