Exsexyman

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/dalglish-to-rejoin-liverpool-forward-line-2012090539924

I think you need the wisdom of Solomon to decide what to do. What worries me is the so called Arab spring, which was aided and abetted by the west has resulted in anything but the democracy we hoped for. The reasons for this are imho twofold. First we misunderstand the very nature of our own democracy in thinking it can come into being spontaneously just by having a vote to see who the majority vote for. Second, we misunderstand the nature of Islam when it manifests itself as a political movement as oppose to solely a religion. Therefore we intervene to replace secular tyrants not understanding that religion based tyranny will likely take it's place, albeit after a token election such as there was in Egypt.

I don't doubt that given a chance Assad would eventually surpass the death toll his father caused, however already Christians and Shiites are being murdered by the 'rebels' and should they prevail I suspect there may be an even larger humanitarian crisis.

If under the badge of the U.N we were prepared to intervene and impose a secular constitution on the people and stay till it matured then intervention would be imho a good option, but the Arab league and Muslim brotherhood in Syria would not go for this I suspect. I know this sounds like reasserting colonial rule, but religion is the catalyst to the existing tribal and ethnic divisions and without removing this root cause there is no solution to be had, so keeping out of things may seem callous, but would be the least bad option IMHO.

A good, reasoned post, and your conclusion is right, it would be the least bad option. But sadly i think it is too late for that, the genie cannot be put back in the bottle. The rebels in Syria, a mixed bunch of Islamic insurgents from various countries, who may have competing interests but when push comes to shove all have one thing in common if they prevail. They would never allow a secular society to remain, as is the case now. They are being armed and supported by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other gulf states who have their own interests at stake. The Saudi support for the Syrian insurgents is motivated by a decades long desire to break the alliance between Syria and Iran,Saudi Arabia's chief rival for dominance in the Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East. This of course coincides with the geopolitical interests of the US and their allies, hence their 'non lethal aid' support for the rebels. For all the talk about having a Western style democracy in Syria, hand on heart does anybody really believe the Wahabi dictatorship in Saudi Arabia would desire or allow this to happen. It is the last thing they would want, it might give their own subjects ideas! The Western intervention in Iraq has resulted in a Shiite government in Baghdad with close ties to Iran, which has unnerved the Saudis considerably, surely not the result they, or the West banked on. The consequences are now being seen in Iraq with suicide bombings etc on practically a daily basis.

Syria is rapidly spiralling into an unholy mess, with Islamic fundamentalist fighters from many countries joining the fray, some even from the UK with British passports. An unholy alliance of Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaida and the like, all now being paid, their wages probably covered under the definition of 'non lethal aid'. The question any journalist worth their salt should ask the British Foreign Secretary is this. Are the Islamic insurgents in Syria being paid more or less than the average British squaddie is being paid to fight the same ideologues in Afghanistan!

The situation in Syria is very depressing, and it is very difficult to see a positive outcome which will benefit ALL the citizens there.

There was blood all the way up the stairs, broken wine bottles scattered about, David obviously put up a fight, he may have been 72 but he was still fit and well built. No mention now of the original cock and bull story from his ex wife about a young American boxer i see. His will changed a short while before the event. And the police are swaying towards it being an accident? Yeah right! A fair wedge will have been promised to the forces of law and order for them to come up with that conclusion. What a travesty.

Where do the Sufis fit into all this?

Above it all I would imagine.

Nope - Sufi's are actively suppressed by Shiite Iran and have been targeted and killed by Al Qaida and extremists in Pakistan

Yep, here is a Sufi mosque in Libya getting a makeover from one of their Sunni brothers who got hold of some heavy machinery.

Not to mention the desecration of British and Australian cemeteries by our new allies in Libya. Yes those Islamic fundamentalist radicals NATO installed, smashing up the gravestones of Allied servicemen from WW2, all shouting Allah Akbar at the tops of their voices. Well done NATO. Sickening.

Most Americans support gay rights, but gay marriage is against their religious beliefs and pretty much a frivolous issue compared to what the country is facing right now.

As for Thin Lizzy, they have a couple of songs that are OK, but are not exactly the Beatles. The fact that they do not like Romney and Ryan will probably get them even more votes.

Ha Ha. " The fact that they do not like Romney or Ryan will probably get them more votes". And yet Ryan chose one of their songs! Using your logic that makes him a bit thick doesn't it?

Most Americans support gay rights, but gay marriage is against their religious beliefs and pretty much a frivolous issue compared to what the country is facing right now.

As for Thin Lizzy, they have a couple of songs that are OK, but are not exactly the Beatles. The fact that they do not like Romney and Ryan will probably get them even more votes.

Lighten up <deleted>.

Quality band!

I saw them live five times in the UK.

I think they're all dead now...

One two three four!

Heres a tenner ,take a mate with you .

lets move on

Is this the advice you gave your friend on the topic you started earlier, 'When the poo hits the fan'?

Amusing to read various press reports today about the flak the Mitt Romney/ Paul Ryan campaign are receiving from the estate of the late Philip Lynott, the ex front man of Thin Lizzy, after Paul Ryan made his triumphant entrance to the stage of the convention, to the strains of one of Lizzy's greatest songs, 'The Boys Are Back In Town', in a sad attempt to appear "Rock and Roll". The executor of Lynott's estate, his 82 year old mother says that Philip would be "Horrified to be associated with the Republican Party, and would strongly have opposed Mitt Romney's and Paul Ryan's pro rich and anti gay policies. As far as i am concerned their opposition to gay marriage and civil unions for gays makes them anti gay which is not something that Philip would have supported. He had some wonderful gay friends, as indeed i do, and they deserve equal treatment in every respect, whether in Ireland or the United States". What an feisty old lady, pretty much the same age as Clint but slightly more eloquent!

But if Mr Ryan had to have a Thin Lizzy song to accompany him to the stage, a more appropriate choice would surely have been, 'Don't Believe A Word'! Or perhaps Talking Heads, 'Road To Nowhere'!

Does Obama's budget plan call for $716bn in cuts to medicare spending over the next ten years

Are you referring to the money that was pilfered from Medicare to pay for Obamacare?

Sigh. So Obama is a thief now? Why don't you answer the question, under which administration was the G M plant in Wisconsin closed, G W Bush's or Obama's? Not difficult, and the answer will throw some light on whether Paul Ryan is the modern day equivalent of George Washington as you seem to believe, or Tricky Dicky, as most sensible people suspect!

I have never heard of the Factcheck article whatever that is.

http://www.politifac...led-716-billio/

I didn't say Obama did anything recommended by the Bowles - Simpson report, read it again. i said that Ryan criticized Obama for creating the commission and then ignoring its recommendations. The final draft of the committees report failed to win the necessary support of its members, falling three votes short. Paul Ryan was on the committee,a fact that he neglected to mention in his speech. In the straw poll on the final draft he voted "no" - against the plan that he now accuses the President of ignoring. Blatantly dishonest.

http://www.politifac...-gm-plant-open/

Here is the link...again!

http://factcheck.org.../ryans-vp-spin/

The FactCheck link is posted two times on page 22, four times on page23 and, now, two times on this very short page.

You do realize when other posters realize you don't even read the links, it makes it difficult for others to take you seriously?

All of your other questions and statements have previously been addressed on this thread. Please try you catch up.

What an arrogant response. So you take it upon yourself to say what other posters are thinking? I was giving you the links you requested. ie politifacts. I note that you try to change the subject now. How about addressing the untruths in Ryans speech? His is a well known strategy, tell a lie often enough and if it is believed it becomes the truth, especially to those wish to believe it. You are living proof of that. Now was the GM plant in Wisconsin closed during the presidency of G W Bush, six months before Obama was inaugurated, yes or no? Does Obama's budget plan call for $716bn in cuts to medicare spending over the next ten years (The same cuts Ryan has written in to successive drafts of his famed budget), but in reimbursements to insurers and hospitals, not in payments to the elderly which would be preserved. Yes or no?

The problem is not that Paul Ryan made a speech littered with untruths, but that so many people, almost exclusively Republican voters, believe him. It says as much about them as it does about Ryan. Watching the delegates roaring him on when he blamed Obama for the closure of a GM plant in Wisconsin, despite the fact that 98% of the plant was closed when G W bush was still president, was, quite frankly, almost frightening. There was even a press release from Ryan in June 2008 decrying the closure, six months before Obama took office! To appreciate the full audacity of this blatant untruth it is worth noting that Mitt Romney published an opinion piece in the N Y Times in November 2008 under the headline, 'Let Detroit go bankrupt'. Politifact has analysed Ryan's claims about medicare in his speech and found them to be "mostly false'. And amazingly Ryan criticized Obama for creating a bi-partisan debt commission and ignoring it's recommendations, recommendations that Ryan voted against as a member of the commission. Ryan's speech was an example of just how far the Republicans have strayed from the truth, and a terrible indictment of politicians in general. But this guy has set the bar to a new low. If the American people vote this 'stranger to the truth' to office in November, they will become the laughing stock of the world.

And how would you label many of our members, including yourself, that fell for the FactCheck article hook, line and sinker?

Please provide a link where your 98% figure came from.

Please provide a link with evidence that Obama did anything recommended by the Bowles-Simpson Commission.

Please provide your link on medicare from Politifact.

I have never heard of the Factcheck article whatever that is.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/aug/29/paul-ryan/paul-ryan-said-president-obama-funneled-716-billio/

I didn't say Obama did anything recommended by the Bowles - Simpson report, read it again. i said that Ryan criticized Obama for creating the commission and then ignoring its recommendations. The final draft of the committees report failed to win the necessary support of its members, falling three votes short. Paul Ryan was on the committee,a fact that he neglected to mention in his speech. In the straw poll on the final draft he voted "no" - against the plan that he now accuses the President of ignoring. Blatantly dishonest.

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2012/aug/29/paul-ryan/did-barack-obama-break-promise-keep-gm-plant-open/

The problem is not that Paul Ryan made a speech littered with untruths, but that so many people, almost exclusively Republican voters, believe him. It says as much about them as it does about Ryan. Watching the delegates roaring him on when he blamed Obama for the closure of a GM plant in Wisconsin, despite the fact that 98% of the plant was closed when G W bush was still president, was, quite frankly, almost frightening. There was even a press release from Ryan in June 2008 decrying the closure, six months before Obama took office! To appreciate the full audacity of this blatant untruth it is worth noting that Mitt Romney published an opinion piece in the N Y Times in November 2008 under the headline, 'Let Detroit go bankrupt'. Politifact has analysed Ryan's claims about medicare in his speech and found them to be "mostly false'. And amazingly Ryan criticized Obama for creating a bi-partisan debt commission and ignoring it's recommendations, recommendations that Ryan voted against as a member of the commission. Ryan's speech was an example of just how far the Republicans have strayed from the truth, and a terrible indictment of politicians in general. But this guy has set the bar to a new low. If the American people vote this 'stranger to the truth' to office in November, they will become the laughing stock of the world.

Sorry to be , perhaps insensitive with this subject , but a jump from two storeys should be seen as being only symbolic

I think you're dead right - like a cry for help - bet it hurt like buggery though

I will have to take your word on that one!

Apparently the re-offending rate by released prisoners in Norway is far lower than for instance The UK. So they must be doing something right.

go harry , asap .

the humiliation and embarresment , he has brought to the queen and country is unforgiveable .

he should be punished , sripped of his royal priveleges , and kicked out of the army .

i hope his father , being a retired army officer , gives his son a good talking too ,in a physical way .

His father was a naval officer. His father was also an adulterer so perhaps his father isn't best suited to giving Harry 'a good talking to' in any way at all.

His father was an army officer. The Prince of Wales was a navy officer!

Any time I hear of someone tragically dying in this manner, it takes me back to my youth and makes me think of the Roadrunner cartoon where the Coyote opens his chute and forks, knives, and spoons come out of it.

Good to have you back Tokay. Where have you been?

Try find ''Harry Enfield'' stuff, takes the piss out of UK life. Brilliant stuff.

Especially the ''I am richer than you'' bits. Enjoy.

Yes, Harry Enfield is a very funny man. I think this will make you laugh Jingthing. An old fashioned father meets his son's boyfriend for the first time. Enjoy.

She looks like a real piece of work tatts and all. Kinda girl you take home to meet mum. Oh yes Pattaya sure is a nice place.

Give it a rest. Can't you think of anything original to say? Two posts in quick succession saying the same thing. Here's an idea. Why not just copy and paste, "Pattaya is a sh**hole", then you can trawl the Pattaya forum every morning, insert the comment on every topic. Think of the time you would save. It would then free up your day to do something constructive!

Did I hit a nerve ???

On the contrary. You are clearly the one who has a problem with Pattaya, did you get fleeced by a sweet young thing who told you that you were a sexy man? Presumably there are no tattoos to be seen where you live!

She looks like a real piece of work tatts and all. Kinda girl you take home to meet mum. Oh yes Pattaya sure is a nice place.

Give it a rest. Can't you think of anything original to say? Two posts in quick succession saying the same thing. Here's an idea. Why not just copy and paste, "Pattaya is a sh**hole", then you can trawl the Pattaya forum every morning, insert the comment on every topic. Think of the time you would save. It would then free up your day to do something constructive!

The guy was so drunk the police had a problem waking him. They then took the 2 suspects and the victim to the police station to sort things out. After which they probably gave him his motor bike keys back! You have to laugh!

Of course politicians in the rest of the world never lie! At least in Thailand they are honest about it!

All comments greatly appreciated. Seems to be in line with my general observations on my 13 or so visits there since 2004. I thought the percentage of falang owners would be a bit higher than one person estimated. And I do agree that there is a quiet push to get the bars away from the water. Obviously some developers will want the "ocean view" for their dream hotels that are on the drawing boards. Man I miss Pattaya of even a few years ago, before that latest Eastiny hotel got built.

I am 55 and was just kicking it around as a thing to do. I am a lightweight drinker and spent more time than I liked in High School and College taking care of the famly lounge so I really wasn't looking to do this as my chief goal. But there were reasons to consider it. A good friend of mine was also interested in splitting the "watchkeeper" duties in Thailand. He is more seasoned than I am.

Kind of reminds me of Branson and when someone asked him how to become a millionaire: He said something like. "it is easy. First get a billion dollars, then buy an airline".

I think I will just keep working my contractor/consultant schedule here in the USA and just take longer holidays.

Thanks

Sounds like you have got your head screwed on.Many falang bar owners cannot even answer the telephone, stock the bar up, order the stock etc, they have to rely on a trusted mamasan to do this for them. Easier said than done.I have been here long enough, and have heard so many horror stories about falangs who have come here and invested their money in a bar. They have to be there all night, watching what is going on so many have been ripped off. Very few make a living. My advice is, don't even think about it.

What a disaster for Republicans in this Senate race and in the November election generally. What the party platform says and what the candidate is saying is that if your wife or daughter was raped by Willie Horton she couldn't have an abortion. To so would be a criminal act. It's a PR disaster. An absolute disaster.

You are right. The truth of the matter is, if this crazy misogyny was coming from the Ayatollahs in Iran, or the Taliban in Afghanistan the usual suspects on here, ie Ulysses g and Chuck d would be screaming from the rooftops. But they are strangely silent when it is coming from their heros in the Republican party! Double standards? Hypocrisy? You tell me.

Ok . I asked this question because it was stated on another thread today. I thought it was a bit harsh a thing to say so that was the reason i asked the question. My problem here with this thread i started to ask that question is that many want to shut it down because they have heard it before ? But people join this forum daily so why aren't they allowed to join in any conversation?

So why not ask the question on that thread/ ask the particular poster to explain his statement.

Because i was interested in others thoughts and my question had nothing to do with that thread

But why do you feel the need to know? Serious question. Seems a bit weird to me. Maybe you should get out more, or find yourself a hobby.