impulse

Looked up Mixue. That's a heck of a success story. Tens of thousands of stores around the world. 45,000 as of 9/2024. Hopefully, they just had a run on melon flavor and they'll restock soon.

Stubborn, bigoted, English speaking, educated and very employable. And not at minimum wage, where they'd displace Americans that need those entry level jobs.

Do the Rohingyas speak English, have an education level, and enough wealth that they wouldn't be a multi-billion $$$ drain on US taxpayers for years, even decades? Because the white Afrikaners do. I don't think we'd see many of them on the dole.

Meanwhile, Scott Bessent revealed that 100 nations have approached the USA for tariff deals, and they're focusing on 17 of the 18 that are most important. “All 17 have approached us. We are batching them in groups at a time,” Bessent said. “But we’ve had 100 approach us, and we are working with the top 17 to try to move them along as quickly as possible. Knowing that their levels could ratchet back up to the April 2 tariff level has made everyone come to the table with some, what I would say, are very good proposals.” I'm kinda glad they're not rushing. You get bad deals when you're the side in a hurry. His statement came from a Fox interview with Hannity.

I think the USA has had way too many globalists in positions to negotiate trade deals that are more favorable to their globalist goals than to the American people.

You mean the one he's suing for 10 Billion smackeroos for fibbing to the American voters?

Remind me, are black Afrikaners being run off their farms and murdered? Seems reasonable to offer asylum to those that are.

That would be a shame, because I support dual pricing. If everyone had to pay the foreign price, the places would be almost empty, and they couldn't afford to maintain the resource to a standard that western tourists demand. If everyone paid the Thai price, the places would be packed and still they couldn't afford to maintain the resource to a high standard. It's about overhead absorption and incremental business. That said, there have been a time or two that I passed on a National Park because I was only planning to drive through and check it out for a short time, so the 400 baht wasn't worth it. But I've gladly paid that when I planned to spend some time. Same with some of the tourist traps in Bangkok itself. Aquarium comes to mind. Edit: But they should give foreigner kids the Thai price.

I think they took the hospital total bonuses and divided by $20,000.

I think that one issue is that so many of the places that used to be cheap became developed and expensive. It's always taken some effort to stay ahead of the crowds. Lots of relatively unspoiled and inexpensive places still left in Thailand. But they're not the same places. Those have gone upscale (pricewise anyway). Hopefully, the masses won't find them because it takes more effort.

Is that the goalposts moving, or just the local office wanting to see confirmation that you're actually doing what you said you'd do when you applied for the DTV in the first place? Not that much different from me getting my WP the first year, but then requiring proof that I paid taxes during the year in order to renew. But that's an academic question when it's so cheap and easy to hop out and back in. On an aside, is self employment allowed for the DTV, or do you have to work for a company registered somewhere?

Good thing you posted that photo. I had a very different mental picture of ginger nuts getting delivered.

Is that from CNN, MSDNC or direct from Victoria Nuland? I'm not a big fan of Oliver Stone as a documentarian but watch his 2016 movie "Ukraine on Fire". Don't watch it for his analysis. Watch it for the historical facts he presents. This kerfuffle didn't start in 2022 or 2014. It was decades in the making.

True, Brian. Although it is also true that the incompetent handling of grabbing students off the streets or jailing for free speech is, in fact, have in g a chilling affect. So what? Not the documented fact, fewer students, tourists coming to the USA so there is and economic as well as a “good will” cost as other nations warn their citizens that going to the USA currently is not advised. So you don't figure that 0.4% of them may be bad apples that need to go home? They don't have to go home, but they can't stay in the USA and commit more crimes.

He could have made them quit killing ethnic Russkies in the Donbass after the US orchestrated a coup. But it's impossible to have a meaningful discussion with anyone who thinks this kerfuffle started in 2022.

I looked it up and the factcheckers claim he didn't buy 2 yachts with USAID money. But nobody seems to answer the question, "Does Zelensky own a yacht?" Or even whether he bought one yacht using USAID money. Though I'm sure he wouldn't own the yacht if he did buy one. He'd have it under a corporate name. Probably flagged in Panama.

Yup. Just send a few more bucks and throw a few more Ukrainians on the fire. It's long past time for the dying to stop and the rebuilding to start.

Don't let your health insurance company see that menu.

I stayed in a Holiday Inn last night. But I think you'd have to have watched American TV to get that reference.

I wonder if this has something to do with it?

That's an interesting, albeit confusing, tidbit.

Slowed down? They've been pretty much at a standstill since Putin attained his stated objectives. CNN, from February 2023.

Years ago, back in West Texas, I had a great doctor who always wanted to examine my feet. I say he was a great doctor because he would actually spend time with patients and listen to us, while most of my doctors would shuffle me out the door in 5 minutes or less with a wild guess what pills I should buy and come back if they didn't work. (He also warned me against taking any shots made in France. Said he'd rather swim in sewage.) I always wondered if he just had a foot fetish. Maybe not?

Are we boycotting punctuation, sentence structure and coherent thoughts today? I didn't get the memo.

And here I thought it would be a trivial thing.