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haha
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Posts posted by haha
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my main response is - if the previous government was so great, why did they get voted out of office?
Because the previous government failed to properly compete in the villages of the north and isaarn. There still is only one party visible in those villages - TRT.
That though does not mean that the TRT gvernment is doing a better job, it just has the better spin doctors and a far more advanced advertisement. His programs are populist in nature, the results are grave.
Please read through the already mentioned threads - there it is far more detailed what his failings were. Or click on my handle and read through the posts is did, then you get my more detailed opinion on things here, as i don't really enjoy posting the same thing over again within a space of a few days.
I don't know what caused the previous government to not get reelected, but if your prognosis is correct. ..and they are still NOT visible in the villiages like the TRT are.
why would you even consider them as an option to replace thaksin?
if they don't give a s##t enough about the villagers/people out there to spend the time to talk to them, why?
so, do you think they are going to do a better job than thaksin?
thaksin is the best man for the job no matter what his faults.
as for serious consequences, do you really think the country would be better off with the other guys?
most of the problems as I see it was not the fault of thaksin. he has no control over oil prices, guys like soros, or the situation with the poor which has been a problem for ages.
the fastest way out is not a change in government, it is with foreign investment.
it is working with china and india, and it can work here in thailand.
in less than 20 years (I was in china in 1985), china has progressed from a country that looked like cambodia now to their present state which is in many ways like the usa. incredible. ..mostly because of foreign investment.
look at the differences between north and south korea. it is like night and day.
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like I was trying to point out. most of you guys only seem to want to point out the shortcomings of thaksin.
if your criticism was a little more constructive maybe the problems wouldn't be so prevalent.
being a "backseat driver" doesn't help resolve problems. it only makes the people who are trying to fix problems stressed out.
give the guy a break, and work as a team.
if you have a better way to resolve the drug problem, or for that matter any other problems, speak up. I'm sure if your idea does the job, people will be happy for your advice.
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1) encouraging foreign investments,
2) looking at alternative fuels,
3) 30 baht medical
4) loans to farmers
5) increase minimum wage
6) paid back the IMF loans,
7) underground
8) skytrain
9) new airport
10) thailand medical hub.
11) elite card/amazing thailand
12) drug clampdown
1) and the previous Chuan government did not encourage foreign investment?
2) the movement into alternative fuel comes from the palace .
3) one time lucky. Still has lots of problems though
4) a national catastrophy. Brought up the average household debt from 20K baht to 100K baht. A recent study in 20 something provinces has shown that 54% of the people who took up the loan offers cannot pay them back.
5) every government does that.
6) he was able to do that due to the policies implemented by the previous government, and because of a changing world economy
7) the underground was started by the previous government. Thaksin's involvement delayed the opening by giving contracts previously awarded to foreign bidders to his cronies
8) skytrain was done by the previous government
9) new airport is turning into a national joke. One of Khunying Jaruvan main tasks as a national auditor is trying to sort out the serious corruption issues
10) medical hub? There are opinions that it will have negative effects on the national healthcare
11) elite card!? Are you kidding me?! That is one of the biggest jokes in Thai history, comes just after the saudi jewel affair.
12) several thousand summarily executed Thais and hill tribe people. And you can buy amphetamines again at every street corner
anything else?
my main response is - if the previous government was so great, why did they get voted out of office?
as for "everything" being done by the "previous" administration, the projects could have been canceled by the new, and since they DID get completed by the thaksin administration, he should get credit for it.
if I were to start work on building a boat, and then, stopped. ...then, another person comes in to complete construction. should I get credit for the boat or the guy who completed it?
let's look at it another way....
I enter a foot race, and after a few steps, I fall down and can't continue. my buddy, thaksin, comes in and offers to complete the race for me. he runs and is fortunate to complete the race with no injuries to himself. who should get credit for completing the race?
the guy who didn't even work up a sweat, or the guy who did?
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on the other hand, it takes guts and character to try to find solutions to problems.
what real solutions are you talking about? economically, it would have taken
a true dolt to do worse over the last few years with the lowest interest rate
environment the world has seen, export led growth by other regional economies,
etc. Surely hasn't been any real progress on education, the legal and judical
system, endemic corruption, unrest in southern provinces, etc.
it has been more of the case of "a rising tide floats all boats" than any spectacular
performance on taxsins part. when taxsin took office, GDP growth was 5%, and
guess what it will be this year? about 5%. not much of a legacy to be crowing
about.
I am not sure what you are saying. it seems you are suggesting there are no problems.
if that is the case, then, you should read the newspapers.
if you are suggesting that you recognize that problems exist, and that you wonder what I could possibly suggest as solutions.
well, first off, I am not sure it is my place to suggest possible solutions to people here because I am just a guest here. the last thing I would want to do is insult the host.
frankly, I think thaksin knows many of the problems and is diligently working to resolve them. he doesn' t need my help.
what is he doing, you ask?
1) encouraging foreign investments,
2) looking at alternative fuels,
3) 30 baht medical
4) loans to farmers
5) increase minimum wage
6) paid back the IMF loans,
7) underground
8) skytrain
9) new airport
10) thailand medical hub.
11) elite card/amazing thailand
12) drug clampdown
some of you may argue that he is not contributing to any of these, but he is the top man, isn't he?
if you are willing to give him credit for all the shortcomings because he is the top man, he should then get all the credit for the improvements.
some of the you would also argue that some of the items on the list are not improvements, and I might agree.
but I put them there to illustrate that thaksin is trying.
I think he is even trying to improve the education system, but correct me if I'm wrong, he is getting opposition to the changes he wants to implement by the teachers.
nothing is perfect at first shot, so, people should encourage the pm with constructive criticism on how to improve things that are showing to be weak.
all the nation newspaper does is complain about thaksin. I don't understand why they can't brainstorm with thaksin to improve things instead of always pointing out shortcomings with some of his projects that - most probably trouble him too.
he is always trying to bring up new ideas to improve the country, but all a lot of people do is cut him down when he is trying.
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Conspiracy theory nonetheless.
You must be one of the people who belive that Chalerms boys always get off because they are just so nice...
...and that certain changes in the Thai telecommunication laws only incidently benefitted mainly Shin Corps, and that it never were intended so.
Your logic was unbeatable again, and you have me convinced - huge vested interests never attempt any conspiracy, and are altruistic by design.
I don't know what the scenario is with the thai telecommunications laws, but if the people here think it is unfair, then, why don't people vote to change them? all you need to do is get people involved to analyze what is wrong, and discuss it with other people. ..then, as simple as it may seem, get your politicians to change the law.
isn't that the way it is suppose to work?
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thaksin is the right man for the job right now because he is the one trying to do things.
many of the things may not be the right things, but then, he is trying.
many people don't even try. all they do is complain.
I read in the newspaper that the king and thaksin are inviting foreign folks over for visits. that's great news because that tells me they are trying to encourage foreign investments into the country.
if sondhi and guys like him really cared about the country, they should stop denouncing foreign investors and encourage them to come into the country.
at the same time, they should help thaksin promote education, and tackle other projects to improve the country.
I have yet to hear one positive thought from them. all they do is complain about thaksin. even I could do that. it doesn't take a genius to do that.
on the other hand, it takes guts and character to try to find solutions to problems.
some of you think thaksin is a dictator like hitler. my reply to that is - you wouldn't be alive if hitler heard you complaining about him back in the 30's.
why don't you go to some of those muslim countries and debate the cartoons with some of those guys, and see where you will end up. probably not too far, wouldn't you agree?
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It seems that the senators claimed that he was involved in the business transaction but did not say what he did that constituted involvement but they wanted the court to investigate anyway. This is sort of like a fishing expedition...."we think he did something wrong but we don't know what it was so you go spend taxpayers money to find out based solely on our expectations". This is usually considered bad form in juristic circles. If you want a court to organize a proceeding you need to have some idea of what the infraction is that you want them to investigate. Even if you have no evidence you need to at least say what it is that has been done....evidently that was not done here.
I don't know all the specifics, but from the newspapers, I gather what pm thaksin did was he took advantage of some tax loopholes. ..which is legal.
I read, he employed some keen accountants to help him do this thus ensuring he did not do anything against the law.
the resulting turmoil and demonstrations tell me that many people don't like these loopholes.
so, if people are that much against the status quo, then, the next logical step is to change the current laws to plug these loopholes that they don't like. right?
....let's see if they do this.
One important thing you forgot to mention chownah was that he first manipilated all the relevant laws that allowed him to legally cheat the Thai people and there country.
When you put this into your assessment it makes your interpretation look a little bit off the point
of the fact that he and others colluded to achieve the outcome over a long period while in office, and more important while he was prime minister of Thailand.
And that is a fact.......................................
marshbags
"manipulated"?
as I understand it, there are like 500 people involved in the decisions made here in thailand. pm thaksin is just one man. are you suggesting that he paid off all these other people?
I guess it would be possible, but then, that would be one sorry situation.
that is, if all the elected officials were that bad. that would be hard to believe.
as for saying he legally cheated the thai people and their country. remarks like that without proof can be considered slanderous.
how would you like it if someone lied to your boss telling him that you did something you didn't do, and you lost your job because of that person's lies?
one other person mentioned that he is a dictator. my response to that is - if he elected by a majority of people in his country, how can you say he is a dictator?
if you are so against pm thaksin, then, I suggest you work hard to convince other people not to vote for him in the next election. ..or, convince other people to put a limit to the number of times someone can be elected as the PM.
..by the way, just how many times can someone be elected pm here in thailand? in the states they are limited to 2 terms. just curious.
"one other person mentioned that he is a dictator. my response to that is - if he elected by a majority of people in his country, how can you say he is a dictator?"
In the Reichstag elections of September 1930 the Nazi party jumped from the category of a splinter party on the lunatic fringe into that of a political force to be reckoned with. Six and a half million Germans voted Nazi and made the party the second biggest in the Reichstag.
Less than two years later this popular vote was more than doubled to give the Nazis 230 seats and make it the biggest in the Reichstag. But they never polled half the electorate in a free election. Even after Hitler won the chancellorship the Nazi vote in the election of March 1933 was only 43.9 per cent. But by then figures no longer meant much.
A bit like now....if one really thinks about it!
my 2 cents..
there is no way you can compare hitler to thaksin.
hitler murdered over 20 million people.
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for about 500 dollars a month, I live a simple happy life here in thailand.
the things I do include the following: bowling, working out at the gym, watching movies, hanging out at coffee shops, playing computer games, surfing the internet, hanging out with friends, and looking at girls.
I sleep when I want to sleep, and wake up when I want to wake up.
my favorite past time is lounging in this hotel lobby, shooting the breeze with buddies, and looking at pretty girls while I 'm doing all this.
every now and then, I go down to pattaya to hang out with buddies down there.
I don't have any debts, don't smoke, drink, gamble, or take drugs.
I laugh a lot, and enjoy the simple things in life. my goal is to get happy memories.
I feel like I have made it. so does that make me a success story?
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It's something about numbers and milestones. Personally I like the number 3760. Dunno why.
A little bit esoteric but I particularly like the number 4635.
As any Thai would tell you the lucky milestones are 99 or 999 or 9999.
Edit: Oh, yeah, and 3 cheers for BaminA. A worthy addition to this forum, she is.
my favorite numbers are 55, 555, 5555.
at any rate, I don't know how you guys do it. I still haven't reached 500 posts.
..but I'm working on it.
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yikes! I confess. you found me guilty on all accounts.
..not only am I quote, "an old coot, visa runner, and bar fly".
I am also naviete like marshbags says I am.
just to let you know, I'm also, butt-ugly, poor, and missing one of my balls.
I love rodney dangerfield, bless his soul.
I truly understand what he met when he said, quote "I don't get any respect."
at least I don't go murdering people or trashing embassies over cartoons.
doesn't that make me ok?
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if there is one thing that thailand has for sure - it's sunlight. boy! it would be something to see a solar farm here.
one of the first things I would do is to get information on solar farms from these guys...
http://www.stirlingenergy.com/
http://www.solonmover.com/english/projekte/lproj.php
http://www.energycooperation.org/solarh2.htm
according to the stirling site, you would need a 100 miles x 100 miles solar farm to supply all the electrical needs of the entire usa.
since thailand is not as big, I wonder how much it would be for here? maybe 5 miles x 5 miles? 10 x 10?
with all the electricity produced by a solar farm, even the production of hydrogen as fuel would seem feasible even though more energy is used in the process to obtain hydrogen.
the author of the following article suggests that hydrogen is not the way to go, but with enough solar energy produced electricity, I think he is wrong. yes, a lot of electricity would be wasted to produce the hydrogen, but since electricity produced by solar energy is limitless, it is feasible.
http://www.taemag.com/printVersion/print_a...articleID=18976
those guys on the stirlingenergy site even provided images of their stirling engine, I wonder if someone here in thailand can produce it for local use?
isn't google incredible? the following links provide more information on the research going on all over the world.
http://www.azom.com/news.asp?newsID=1895
http://www.moea.state.mn.us/p2/hydrogen.cfm
http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_production_delivery.html
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It seems that the senators claimed that he was involved in the business transaction but did not say what he did that constituted involvement but they wanted the court to investigate anyway. This is sort of like a fishing expedition...."we think he did something wrong but we don't know what it was so you go spend taxpayers money to find out based solely on our expectations". This is usually considered bad form in juristic circles. If you want a court to organize a proceeding you need to have some idea of what the infraction is that you want them to investigate. Even if you have no evidence you need to at least say what it is that has been done....evidently that was not done here.
I don't know all the specifics, but from the newspapers, I gather what pm thaksin did was he took advantage of some tax loopholes. ..which is legal.
I read, he employed some keen accountants to help him do this thus ensuring he did not do anything against the law.
the resulting turmoil and demonstrations tell me that many people don't like these loopholes.
so, if people are that much against the status quo, then, the next logical step is to change the current laws to plug these loopholes that they don't like. right?
....let's see if they do this.
One important thing you forgot to mention chownah was that he first manipilated all the relevant laws that allowed him to legally cheat the Thai people and there country.
When you put this into your assessment it makes your interpretation look a little bit off the point
of the fact that he and others colluded to achieve the outcome over a long period while in office, and more important while he was prime minister of Thailand.
And that is a fact.......................................
marshbags
"manipulated"?
as I understand it, there are like 500 people involved in the decisions made here in thailand. pm thaksin is just one man. are you suggesting that he paid off all these other people?
I guess it would be possible, but then, that would be one sorry situation.
that is, if all the elected officials were that bad. that would be hard to believe.
as for saying he legally cheated the thai people and their country. remarks like that without proof can be considered slanderous.
how would you like it if someone lied to your boss telling him that you did something you didn't do, and you lost your job because of that person's lies?
one other person mentioned that he is a dictator. my response to that is - if he elected by a majority of people in his country, how can you say he is a dictator?
if you are so against pm thaksin, then, I suggest you work hard to convince other people not to vote for him in the next election. ..or, convince other people to put a limit to the number of times someone can be elected as the PM.
..by the way, just how many times can someone be elected pm here in thailand? in the states they are limited to 2 terms. just curious.
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It seems that the senators claimed that he was involved in the business transaction but did not say what he did that constituted involvement but they wanted the court to investigate anyway. This is sort of like a fishing expedition...."we think he did something wrong but we don't know what it was so you go spend taxpayers money to find out based solely on our expectations". This is usually considered bad form in juristic circles. If you want a court to organize a proceeding you need to have some idea of what the infraction is that you want them to investigate. Even if you have no evidence you need to at least say what it is that has been done....evidently that was not done here.
I don't know all the specifics, but from the newspapers, I gather what pm thaksin did was he took advantage of some tax loopholes. ..which is legal.
I read, he employed some keen accountants to help him do this thus ensuring he did not do anything against the law.
the resulting turmoil and demonstrations tell me that many people don't like these loopholes.
so, if people are that much against the status quo, then, the next logical step is to change the current laws to plug these loopholes that they don't like. right?
....let's see if they do this.
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my 2 cents...
a lot of people here like to complain about things in this country. but few propose constructive solutions to the problems.
all people seem to be focus on is getting rid of the pm. with no thought as to what to do next.
many of the problems currently existing are due to the forces beyond the control of the pm. he is just trying his best to deal with them.
you mock the 30 baht medical plan, and the loan programs to farmers. yet, weren't these programs approved by a group of politicians? pm thaksin is just one man, right?
people should be united in discovering solutions to the problems instead of whining constantly.
...might I suggest people start thinking of ways to bring in more foreign investors?
and some more thought be put into the question, "why are so many thais so paranoid about being conquered or controlled by foreigners?"
as I see it, this singapore deal was a great boom to thailand. more money coming into the country to the benefit of the country overall. frankly, more deals like this would help put this country above third world status.
it worked for china and india.
yeah. I hear you guys in the back... china is in a bubble. that may be true. and yes, they may fall in their attempts at prosperity. but I would argue their journey towards prosperity now is better than their previous preoccupation with starvation, and isolation from the rest of the world.
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oops!!! I think I might have put my previous posting in the wrong thread.
well, what did you expect? with all these threads on thaksin, it is easy to make a mistake. sorry just the same.
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my 2 cents...
it is good that pm thaksin sold a minority share (49%) of his company to singapore.
it shows to the world the state of paranoia that some thais have about quote, "being conquered or controlled by foreigners."
yes, you heard me right. this is a paranoia to a high level proportion.
like they think some foreigner is going to come into their country and dig up the land, and drive it back to their home country. yeah. right.
I know a lot of thais are not going to like what I am saying here. but it needs to be addressed.
as a foreigner, I would like to know that my money is safe when I invest it in some condo here in thailand. I don't want somebody telling me later that they don't want me here anymore - especially when I have invested my life savings here. f##k that!
as it is, I hope all foreign investors put their plans to invest here on hold until they get some answers to this concern.
if thais don't like foreign investors, fine. let us know it now so you can't cheat us out of our money later on - like by creating a new law saying "foreigners can't own ANYTHING here anymore."
...it happened before in the past in china, malaysia, and it could happen here.
I know, I know... some of you guys in the back are saying quote, "who gives a f##k about your condo!!!!".
I want to hear all of it.
all of us foreign investors want to know the truth.
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BTW, I think the Iraq war was and is wrong, but it has little to do with Islam, more to do with oil. Saddam was no friend of Islam.
Ace
my cents...
it does not have anything to do with oil. if the usa had wanted to conquer the middle east, they could have done it a long time ago. and get this, if they did, they would have ALL the oil.
I can't wait when the world gets off the oil standard. boy! it would be interesting to see what the folks in the middle east think when the rest of the world don't need their oil anymore.
http://www.taemag.com/printVersion/print_a...articleID=18976
http://www.willyoujoinus.com/discussion/
http://superconductors.org/INdex.htm
http://www.stirlingenergy.com/
we are getting there. people are talking. just a matter of time.
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Ah that's a good question... as there's a difference between Amex issued cards and bank issued Amex cards.
Same same, just another branding.
no, there is a difference.
if your amex card is not connected directly to a checking account with some bank or brokerage account, then, you would be getting "cash advances" when you use the amex card to withdraw money. thus, you would be charged "cash advance fees" which can be high.
on the other hand, if your amex card is connected directly to a bank or brokerage checking account, then, it is effectively also functioning as an atm card. when you use the amex card, money is taken directly from the checking account immediately to pay for whatever you purchased.
that is how my amex card works.
the brokerage I use is fidelity. www.fidelity.com
check it out.
I have a Fidelity AE too... Is there any fee from the Thailand bank (Any suggestion of which Bank to use) on your statement and how is the exchange rate?
check the website for that info. www.fidelity.com
if you want a brokerage account that never charges for atm withdrawals no matter what your balance is - check out www.etrade.com
I am currently considering getting an etrade account to take advantage of this feature.
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I'm going to be transferring $US 20 K from the US to Siam commercial next week. my US bank will charge me $30 for a foreign exchange transfer or $25 for a $ transfer. In lieu of calling both banks to get their daily rates, is there another way of finding out which choice would be best for me?
Also, is $20 K going to set off any alarms on this end or the US?
the hksb at silom area allows you to open up a "dollar" account which means you would not need to convert into thai baht when you transfer the money over here.
at least that is what I was told a few years back.
I was thinking of opening a hksb account once until they told me you had to have a minimum of 5000 dollars to open an account. but who knows... maybe they have changed that requirement now.
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Ah that's a good question... as there's a difference between Amex issued cards and bank issued Amex cards.
Same same, just another branding.
no, there is a difference.
if your amex card is not connected directly to a checking account with some bank or brokerage account, then, you would be getting "cash advances" when you use the amex card to withdraw money. thus, you would be charged "cash advance fees" which can be high.
on the other hand, if your amex card is connected directly to a bank or brokerage checking account, then, it is effectively also functioning as an atm card. when you use the amex card, money is taken directly from the checking account immediately to pay for whatever you purchased.
that is how my amex card works.
the brokerage I use is fidelity. www.fidelity.com
check it out.
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Oh yes, and on the apparent lack of an alternative to Thaksin -
That's exactly the kind of sentiment George W. Bush played off on to win re-election.
this cartoon controversy, and the fact that it has been proven that saddam supported al-queda pretty much vindicates bush position.
if people then knew what they know now, it would have been a landslide victory for bush.
personally, I didn't vote. but the events after the election show he was right.
we have some really crazy people out there, and they are willing to murder others for no more than a drawing.
abdul khan, the murdered danish movie director, this cartoon controversy, and now we get the news about the devices that iran is trying to get which are not necessary for a nuclear plant, but necessary for a nuclear bomb.
what more does it take to convince you bush is doing the right thing?
I cannot see the connection of the demonstration of the 11th and your post, can you explain it please.
If your comparison is connected to freedom of speech then sure it is part of the Thai problem, but again you refer to G.W.Bush so where does he come into it.
This thread is a news topic that is of interest to many T.Visa members relating to the next demonstration.
Surely if you want to discuss something else and give it air time and get comments it,s best to start a new topic.
Otherwise we will finish up commenting on something completely O.T.
It,s not really worthy of giving it creditability by highlighting it here anyway in my humble opinion.
No offence
marshbags
first you guys bash thaksin, then, you bash bush. then, you tell me to shut up after one of your fellow anti-thaksin guys brings bush into it?
...give me a break.
evidently, you just want a one sided discussion with mostly people who side with you, right?
there is a word for that. ..it's called propaganda.
maybe you should tell the other guy that he should not have brought bush into this discussion. then, I would never have made a comment. right?
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Oh yes, and on the apparent lack of an alternative to Thaksin -
That's exactly the kind of sentiment George W. Bush played off on to win re-election.
this cartoon controversy, and the fact that it has been proven that saddam supported al-queda pretty much vindicates bush position.
if people then knew what they know now, it would have been a landslide victory for bush.
personally, I didn't vote. but the events after the election show he was right.
we have some really crazy people out there, and they are willing to murder others for no more than a drawing.
abdul khan, the murdered danish movie director, this cartoon controversy, and now we get the news about the devices that iran is trying to get which are not necessary for a nuclear plant, but necessary for a nuclear bomb.
what more does it take to convince you bush is doing the right thing?
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many people seem to be interested in coming over.
my question is - if you all come over, who is going to work to contribute to social security?
I think everyone should work until they are 65, then, come over. for sure, you won't have enough money if you don't work until age 65.
imagine all the things you won't be able to buy if you don't have enough money. egats! life would be miserable if you don't have at least a 8 million baht condo, and a nice car to drive around in when you finally get here.
no. by all means, keep working. you like to work, right?
I guarantee you will miss your family, and all the things you are so used to in the place you are at now.
there isn't any good pizza, nor any good mexican food here. it's polluted, and all the baht bus drivers hate you. the girls will scam you for every penny you have.
why in the world would anybody want to come here?
don't come. you will certainly regret it. mark my words.
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if you are looking for giant bean bags, like in GIANT, call this phone number. 09-6907946.
company is called justin design. they do bean bags.
how did I get the business card, you ask?
well, I was at MBK last year doing some window shopping for furniture on the 5th floor. lo and behold I saw these huge bean bags about the size of 4 regular bean bags put together. I thought they were so cool, I asked for their business card thinking that I might buy one in the future.
you can actually sleep on these bean bags. that's how big they were.
Analysis: Beginning Of The End Of Thaksin?
in Thailand News
Posted
do you think chuwit would have done a better job?