bendejo

Where in Issan was this pic taken?

They have a pretty effective way of handling these things: they kill the defector's family. It discourages the practice.

From what I could make from seeing the crowds of them in Pattaya (pre-Covid days) I have the impression they pay for it all up front, Intourist style. Of course there is souvenirs, "merriment" etc, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are rules limiting how much cash they can bring out.

Maybe has something to do with the price of everything going up in the US. E.g. cooking oil is double what it was a year ago. And then there is everything else. Does anyone know if all McD's food is processed in the US, or do they have foreign factories as well?

Thirty years ago, and before, if you asked the average American (who was not in politics, government or the press) the name of Speaker of the House, or Senate majority leader, or even vice president you would not get a valid answer. So can it be said that Americans are smarter now? (how's that for Pollyanna perspective?)

It's actually getting worse with this new idea that guns are for promoting the ideas of certain leaders. Some MAGA types are getting itchy, asking 'When do we get to use the guns?’ I'm not a follower of either political party and have my qualms with both and it is definitely a worst of two evils situation. Just who they will be shooting at I don't know, and they don't either. But living conditions. I have moved back to the US due primarily to health reasons. Decades ago when I started traveling in Third World countries I realized it would take a long time for these places to move up to developed world living conditions, whereas the developed world could become like them overnight: e.g. the water supply crosses pipes with the sewage, the electrical power infrastructure is crippled, etc. Drinking tap water nearly anywhere in the continental 48 is a bad idea, so "don't drink the water" is longer just for travelers going abroad. When the Covid thing hit in 2020 suddenly supermarket shelves were bare, hospitals had to turn people away. Also that year the wildfires in the western part of the country were so bad the sky was dark for more than a week. The smoke was evident thousands of miles away. These pics are the same spot, same time of day (app. 3pm), 1 week apart: My point is the developed world is no longer a refuge from the hazards of the less-developed world. But in the US there is a 99.9% chance that when I cross the street at a STOP sign the approaching cars will stop. On the other hand if police stop me for a moving violation it will affect my driving record, car insurance, and I may even get my driving license suspended, as opposed to simply putting some cash in the brown pocket.

Might be a clue that the pic is from 30+ years ago.

The book Rushdie wrote before SV is Shame, a brief telling of the political history of modern Pakistan up to app. 1980. (IMO his best work.) Upon its publication Iran heaped great praise on him, even gave him some award. Some things in there that can be construed as blasphemy, and I was amazed he got away with it. Inside of SV is a few pages about a religious leader in exile in Europe being attended by a former Occidental pop singer who converted to the faith. I would think the outrage about the book was actually borne of personal offense. The "peace train" has left the station. Truth be told, SV was NOT best seller material, and without all this hoo-ha probably would not have sold even as many copies as Shame. He would otherwise have been known as "author of Midnight's Children."

I like this one: 'They had it!' Fox News host baffled over why Trump World would lie about Mar-a-Lago search warrant Pirro attempts to straighten him out, though she doesn't make sense (is that something new?). But I think an alarm went off at Fox World Headquarters: "We're losing him! get the triage unit! And for chrissakes get Ingraham in there!" Probably Ford will not be invited back.

IMO certain overseas friends of 45's administration provided a laundry list of documents they wanted, in addition to whatever other 'souvenirs' he and his helped themselves to. His fawning relationship with Putin tells all; I would think all the info in them was relayed to Mother Russia within days of January 20th 2021. Also for some reason he would suck up to Turkey's Erdoğan, "why?" is a very legitimate question.

Same old bs with a plethora of excuses that all clash with each other. E.g. "the evidence was planted." Followed up with DT claiming he declassified all the documents. He couldn't have done the latter if the former was true. Just like with 1/6: 'that was an Antifa false flag attack' while the civilian rioter who was killed is declared a martyr-hero. I would think some of those MAGA folks would take offense at this, but maybe not smart enough to figure that out. For someone who is such an habitual liar you might expect him to be better at it at his age.

I used stay in the Buakhao area, my name for that soi was Soi Pisspuddle, I called it that because the street would always be wet, with lakes. Even when it hadn't rained in days. it was mostly Ozzies and Kiwis. I recall one of the places there ran ads on tv advising people to have a good breakfast before they begin the day's drinking.

I think it's a notification that the page has been updated since you last viewed it. My AN login never times out.

If law enforcement was keeping up with this guy from the beginning of his term (I guess that would be the fraud and possible treason of collecting all that $$$ for attending his inauguration from all those Russians in attendance and putting it in his own pocket) maybe some of these transgressions wouldn't have happened. That incident of having a private meeting in the Oval with Lavrov and Kislyak with only the Russian press present was the sure cinch. If you can find the video that shows the 20 seconds or so before they disappear behind the door, you'll see Lavrov bullying the press in support of DT, as if to say "this is our asset, you keep out of it!" https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/05/10/the-strange-oval-office-meeting-between-trump-lavrov-and-kislyak/ Intelligence reported that during that meeting DT revealed some classified info, they caught him John LeCarre style. Other than saying "ooo, he's not supposed to do that!" nothing was done. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump's_disclosures_of_classified_information It's like the police telling you "we can't arrest someone for threatening to kill you or yours, but after they do it we can arrest them for murder."

Uh-oh! Leaked info from AIS research labs!

If god really wanted him dead don't you think he'd have been struck down by now? How can someone believe in an omnipotent deity and think that it can't do it's own chores?

After my remarks about Garland sleeping at his desk for the past year I am hereby humbled and take it all back. Called his bluff he did. "This is what you want, this is what you get!" Man, I just wish that orange guy would go into exile already.

Always wondered about the backstory of this one: Chinese woman who entered Mar-a-Lago with malware federally charged Perhaps it was no secret in the intelligence community that the place was an open spigot of info.

I'm curious as to whom introduced this. As much as it pains me to admit it, this was what Kellyanne would warn him of. When he wanted to make it easier to sue and censor the media she told him it could also be used against him, and apparently he's kept shut about it. Consider this: somewhere in that Florida stash is a text of this law, and DT thinks if he hides it they won't know it exists. Hey, like I said on November 8, 2016: I will never use the expression 'nobody is that stupid' again.

Because China has the big money. Looks like a Photoshpped pic using Lionel trains.

Something to do with bodily fluids? Her name is Papawee, that might be a hint.

Maybe that Ugly Pete guy in the US will start going out with after his current hype wears off.

And then there is the matter of his own adverse inference. Looks like Newsweek is pulling back on their support for him.

Recently saw Humboldt County (2008). Had it's moments. I don't get this Jeremy Strong guy who gets so many accolades (he also plays the eldest son on Succession). 90% of the time he's impassive nearly to the point of comatose. Same in this movie.

Maher told him he had him in stitches way back when with his imitation of Bob Evans as god; Evans was recently depicted in that mini-series about the making of The Godfather. There are a few episodes of The Larry Sanders Show (Gary Shandling's old series) where Odenkirk plays a greasy Hollywood type, won't even shake someone's hand unless he knows there is something it it for him. Cracks me up.