AlphMichaels

On 12/20/2020 at 9:54 AM, Lacessit said:

And in other news, a Fox opinion host, Paul Dobbs, has debunked his own claims of election fraud on American television. Apparently Smartmatic, the electronic voting company that supplies California with its products, has sent letters of demand to all news outlets claiming election fraud with their machines. The word defamation is being used, which sends shivers up the spines of corporate executives, in a different world to here.

 

Specifically, the company charged that: "Fox News has engaged in a concerted disinformation campaign against Smartmatic. Fox News told its millions of viewers and readers that Smartmatic was founded by [the late former president of Venezuela] Hugo Chávez, that its software was designed to fix elections, and that Smartmatic conspired with others to defraud the American people and fix the 2020 US election by changing, inflating, and deleting votes."

 

In the legal letter, Smartmatic included multiple segments from Dobbs's primetime show as examples of "false and defamatory statements/implications," with some comments coming from Dobbs himself - Dobbs said on November 18 that the company is comprised of "left-wing radicals" - and others from guests like Giuliani and one-time Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/under-legal-pressure-fox-news-host-debunks-his-own-claims-of-us-election-fraud-20201220-p56p0q.html

Lou Dobbs is but one in the Fox news stooge crew.  Word has it that Rupert directed "the kids", a.k.a. nepotism redefined, to milk it for all you can whilst layering in the first stages of step back.

Time to again place/replace editorial to the end of newscasts rather than opening with it. 

16 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

 

They got lost wandering the ample hotel grounds because they weren't led on by a guide waving a flag and playing an annoying jingle on a megaphone. Hotel employees reportedly are still searching for them.

They're parking them a block from Nana.   I'm sure the security is outstanding.  

Bullocks.   Absolute rubbish.  

You start by not hiring an indigenous bank (@ an exorbitant fee) to do forecasts.  Modeling is and has always been suspect at best because they end up "adjusting".  By then it's too late. There's also a wormhole effect when taking prior data from reports as baseline if they were also poorly modeled.   I remember one back about 2010 done by a grad student for Koh Chang and Trat ecotourism.  It was a true head scratcher.   

Outsource to competent 3rd parties and take it as delivered.       

Need to get a couple lessons on indigenous veggies here then go to the fresh markets, not Makro, Tesco and/or Big C. I'm from an area in west where tomatoes are superior to anything here and I accept that. I usually place them in paper bags and leave at room temp for a couple days which improves their "ripeness". But Chinese kale, long beans, chilies, a variety of other green veggies that are spectacular, mushrooms, and some of the best fruit in the world abound here.

Ya, don't come here for a western fare of veggies save maybe potatoes which last for months. The few you find are probably from institutional growers in the north and I personally wouldn't trust them either. Everything else is likely imported from originating countries and like most of what you get in the west..., picked 1-2 weeks before it ever hits the market were you buy. Here you can buy comparably fresh product.

Razor blades. Tho I'm told they make them here, the price is sky high compared to back home. I also believe those sold here go through a different quality control process..., as in none.

If "camped out" in either, one has made the cognitive decision to consider the owner's investment in environment and WiFi theirs to use. Also likely that they've justified keeping low cost domicile and foregoing internet connect costs. Could be that rather than hanging out with one cup of coffee and a low cost computing device for hours at Tom&Tom's, one should consider looking for a part-time job to cover "luxury" expenses.

I side 100% with owners on this one. See it too much and it's become quite irritating.

I know there have been numerous posts on the topic of online reporting. Retirement visa reporting..., is it working now and what's the link. Apologies..., sure I could sift through the forum but I'm traveling right now and need to plan for my report, online or in person, for 16 June.

Thanks, in advance.

Just like the western world, Thailand has entered the age of "consumerism" which inevitably leads to personal debt. Getting the things your neighbor has because it's what everyone is doing. All points considered here, and many of them valid, when we promote through media outlets the things people want...., here it would be white skin..., the promise of better health...., fashion..., it all leads to a lost sense of priorities.

See all the kiosks in malls promoting health-enhancing products and regimens. Scares me when I read the labels and compare with the marketing claims. The (potentially) legit products I can find are all priced so ridiculously high. Others I see are total rubbish in their promotion yet too many people are sucked into the marketing spin and buy this trash.

I agree there needs to be a higher emphasis placed on protecting consumers from false advertising claims and products produced without any legitimate monitoring for quality and, yes, testing.

Who proof reads these articles before going to press? Fire the editor.

The dollar remains strong and will for the next few months. Must remember that we live in a financial world that speculates..., often recklessly..., so these moves (or non-moves) by TH have little bearing in the near term because the baht is pegged (mostly) to the dollar.

So either way, we should see the baht devalue to the USD in coming weeks. I think it will get back to and hover around 33THB.

When I can take a taxi, be it from the airport, to the airport, or anywhere in TH, and pay a fraction of what I'd pay in any western country, I think there's some room for fare increases. But it must be done in a manner where everyone has a say and files their grievances, including the taxi drivers. But the process to assess "fair fares" is underway and there are legitimate complaints to be heard from ALL sides. Not all of the 30,000+ taxi drivers in BKK are bad. But "one bad apple" as they say...,

The government needs to bring in an independent, unbiased moderator in to work the process. It's out of hand right now and nobody has really stepped up to address the situation at its core AND to listen to all sides in a common forum.

As a side note, many taxis in my area see me and smile as they pull up to take my fare. They know me and they know I respect them for their service. They also know I tip them as is customary where I'm from. I typically tip 10-20% depending on traffic and the route distance.

For Songkran haters, there's always the option of locking yourself in the home until it passes. If that's not enough, leave the country. May be a good time to visit friends and family abroad. Those who slam it must realize, it's endemic and isn't going to stop because you don't like it. Stay in..., leave the country...., or join in. If you choose the latter, get out, chant a few verses of [sawatdee pi mai kahp] with baby powder smears, and cool down with some water. Then go home and be happy.

For those who participate, yes, some will be shameless fools. I find the largest percentage of them to be farang. ENTIRELY too many will die on the highways. That's due to a number of factors better debated on a separate topic and forum.

I'll go out for a day (maybe 2) because I enjoy it.

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With the regulations on Fracking that Obama put in place expect more dropping of production in the USA

The recent regulations are minimal and on federal land ONLY. Long past due and absolutely not enough. Watered down due to GOP efforts to keep lining their pockets with big oil dollars, most revolve only around how waste water is treated. In other words, they can't dig a hole in the ground and put the waste water in it to seep back into the water table. They must store it in tanks.

But at the end of the day, it's not enough as it affects only about 10% of natural gas and less than 5% of petroleum fracking.

But be careful..., Obama is going to take away your guns.

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Good initiative......hope they carry it on.

Just a small request from me please;

Can you ask the female toilet attendants not to come and watch me when I'm urinating?

I know....I'm asking for a lot.........but may be one day...................

Had to chuckle when I read your post. Happens to me more often than I care to think about and usually "on the road" stopping off at a PTT for a bio break. How many times I've seriously considered turning for the shock value of it!

Their record speaks for itself. Always been known that the executives have "ties", buy questionable used aircraft, and are not properly held to the maintenance standards they should be.

Reportedly have 12 aircraft in service. I'd not step foot on one of them.

This could all come down to the fact Songkran this year allows for a longer holiday. Thais who have the finances to travel may simply be taking advantage of that in combination with a (for now) stronger baht against foreign currencies.

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why have the Thai police gone to the trouble of getting identical Tshirts printed ? is it so these scoundrels can go home one day saying, Been there done that and got the Tshirt?

Funny about the T shirts. They started doing that a couple years ago and then stopped. I've told a few people about them from that time and they didn't know it..., probably because they stopped. I like the idea. Not sure I want one to wear but would be cool to have one for my T shirt collection.

The likelihood he will spend any time for his crime in Thailand is zero, save awaiting transport by the US DoJ. He will be extradited to face his charges in the US.

This will never be played in a TH theater.

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Some people can't afford insurance. 3,000 baht a month is huge for some people.
What a lovely hospital. Putting health before money.
Once again if I knew where to donate I would put in a bit.

$ 3000 THB/Month sounds quite low for a plan to cover a 71 year old. I carry a decent policy now at 56 that runs me $ 52,000 for the year. Likely to go up next year. If there's a good plan out there at $ 36,000, I'd love to know about it.

Agree on hospital's move. Noteworthy.

Went to Koh Lanta last September before leaving for some contract work. Really enjoyed it a lot. Going again in May for 2 weeks. We stayed at Relax Bay. Nice. Had a great bungalow 5 meters from the beach, nicely appointed..., great bed.., great view. One of the things we liked was the sea shells..., day in and out, we were collecting. Sharing some pics that will better show why we stayed and didn't venture out so much.

I rented a car and it sat so shame on us for not venturing out more but we so thoroughly enjoyed the bungalow and resort overall, we just didn't really venture out to see much, save an islands tour which took us (via songtaw) south to board the boats.

Looking for some 1st hand experience on other options for our stay. Any tips or references on other great places we might consider?

Thanks

Go to Phnom Penh, contact an agent (good one is KO travel), or ask the hotel staff. They will come pick up your passport & pics..., 3-5 days later, bring it to you complete and charge you $ 45.

Better include winter fashion wear in the budget. Should make the lift tickets seem inconsequential from a cost comparison point of view.

Mine came back with suitcase of stuff she may wear 1-2 more times in her life but she shows it to everyone whilst sweat falls from my brow.