Gecko123

Anybody else notice that there seems to be a high correlation between being a Keto-fan and being a MAGA fan?

The last place I would seek dietary advice from is this forum. Just take a look at most of the meat heavy and processed food meals posted on the "what did you eat for breakfast/dinner" threads. Yes, there are a few exceptions, i.e., @Hummin whose diet looks incredibly healthy. Just stick with a variant of the Mediterranean diet and above all avoid a sedentary lifestyle, shooting for 3-4+ hours of physical activity per day.

Fine. Can anyone else besides Mr Fahrenheit 451 answer my question?

Well, an answer would be beneficial in terms of determining whether this "change of policy" was specific to a given bank who had a specific arrangement with a visa agent(s) which it no longer wants to continue or a regulatory change which will affect all banks. I can understand why someone whose visa might be jeopardized by this news not wanting to discuss the mechanics openly on social media, but my guess is that immigration already knows full well the ins and outs of how this works and its only been brown envelopes which have kept it from being shut down long ago.

Am I wrong in speculating that "change in banking policy" means that agents can no longer open up dummy accounts in the name of the visa holder? Does anyone else have any insight into the banking mechanics when using an agent and you don't have sufficient funds in the bank? Always been mystified how this works.

Another cheap shot attempt to denigrate the sophistication of his music. A quick google search for the age and racial demographics of his fan base would have told you he enjoys a very diverse fan base both in terms of age and race. Makes my point. Pretty funny too.

To all the ASEANNOW morons who blithely attempt to dismiss and marginalize his music as "urban" or "ghetto", it's far more mainstream than you apparently have deluded yourself into believing. He's been around for well over 10 years, has numerous chart topping hits, and won a Pulitzer prize for his album DAMM. I hate to break to break the news to you, but some of the people who have made derisive comments on this thread have only succeeded in embarrassing themselves. I'm not begging people to appreciate his music. I'm trying to raise awareness that there's a lot more there than some here realize. P.S. You should have used "you're" as a contraction of "you are" instead of the possessive pronoun "your" in the above sentence, Mr. 'it was stupid.'

Great analysis. Learned a lot. Maybe some of you will as well.

Masterful, sublime, heroically courageous, revolutionary, transcending, spellbinding, explosive, unforgettable, visually arresting, impeccably choreographed, empowering, invigorating, life-force awakening, iconic, put simply....sheer genius.

This is the most insightful review of Kendrick Lamar's performance that I have read so far. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/opinion/kendrick-lamar-halftime-art.html

On December 5, 1994 the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States signed a memorandum to provide Ukraine with security assurances in connection with its accession to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state. The four parties signed the memorandum, containing a preamble and six paragraphs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#:~:text=On December 5%2C 1994 the,a preamble and six paragraphs. I wonder if Trump even knows about this commitment. No agreement between just Trump and Putin will result in lasting security for either Ukraine or Western Europe. Talk about short-sighted thinking. And to think you can unilaterally "negotiate" a peace agreement without Ukraine or Western European powers having a say in the matter. Talk about arrogance and entitlement. America had better hope it never needs its allies to hang in there during its darkest hour because the list of countries the US has bailed out on militarily is getting longer and longer.

I am not a Kendrick Lamar super fan, but both his "Mr Morales and the High Steppers" and "GNX" albums are excellent. I detected choreographic influences in the performance from both the infamous Apple 1984 commercial as well as Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis.' Also want to give a shout out to the live camera work. The coordination required split second timing in order to follow Kendrick or whoever was singing and then get out of the way for the pull back shots. That would have been challenging enough to do if you were making a music video which you could splice together in the editing room, but that was a live performance. For those of you who chose to take a bathroom break during the show, here's another chance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDorKy-13ak

Absolute unequivocal GENIUS both musically and choreographically. A spit-in-your-face subversive rebuke of Trump's cultural crassness where money trumps everything and a repudiation of his autocratic and racist vision of an all-white America where you have to triple justify the hiring of anyone who isn't a straight white male. A brilliant reminder of who is the driving force behind America's cultural soul, and a throwing down of the gauntlet that no one will be going softly into the night. Far and away the most uplifting and inspiring performance I have seen since the election.

Capitol police/secret service should resign en masse in protest.

That's a really good point Lacessit. I have a background in risk management. If all these climate change denialists are so convinced that climate change is a "Chinese hoax" they ought to start a property and casualty insurance company. They'll rake in billions charging excessive rates for extreme weather events which will never come to pass.

Has it occurred to anyone else on this forum that climate change denialism is not incompatible with National Socialist ideology? The idea being that, yes, climate change will result in global famines and wars over dwindling resources and habitable land, but that white people with their material resources and intellectual capabilities will be in the best position to adapt to these changes and exploit the changed environment. That thinking is straight out of National Socialist ideology, i.e., that all of life is a struggle to survive, and only the best will survive. There are probably some people reading this saying to themselves 'sounds pretty good to me,' but the only problem is that there will be plenty of genetically inferior white people who will be culled in the process, killed off in the famines or killed off defending the homeland against the zombie apocalypse of invading climate refugees, or embarking on wars of territorial conquest. Like the average Josef Frankenheimers of 1930's Germany who realized only when it was too late that they would bear the brunt of Hitler's delusional thinking, Trump's working class and poorly educated MAGA supporters will be the ones who end up paying a dear price, and they will also be reviled for generations to come for having enabled his climate change denialism.

Blame it on anything other than climate change, all you high IQ scientific genius MAGA-ites.

Pit bulls are a breed of dog which have a higher propensity for attacking people in comparison to other breeds, sometimes resulting in grievous injury or death. You can argue that if the animal is properly trained from birth that the chances of this happening are minimal, but the fact is that few of us are perfect pet owners, and even if every effort is made to properly train the dog, the risk never goes away 100%. In my opinion, when you consider the typical "utilitarian" approach many Thais take towards dog ownership, and couple this with the general lack of awareness of how dangerous pit bulls can be if not cared for or trained properly, I am 100% in favor of banning this breed in Thailand.

What can I say? The dog owner's family seems to have a pretty firm knowledge of the dog's parentage.

My thought initially as well, but take another look at the head.

I'm sure the surviving members of the family and everyone in their neighborhood will appreciate your volunteering to take over the care of the dog, Malcolm. Dog's name is "ไอดำ" (ai dam), aka "Blackie" The only reason I'm clarifying this pronunciation is because if you are studying Thai using a transliteration system that transliterates "ดำ" as "dum" this will forever frustrate your progress in the language. I recommend switching over ASAP to the following two resources which both use the same highly accurate phonetic alphabet for pronunciation: Thai for Beginners [Paperback] by Becker, Benjawan Poomsan https://thailand.kinokuniya.com/bw/9781887521000?srsltid=AfmBOopCkzQhQtsXP2eur9YEcWAvLV-CxinN5WCyoITYIopnUoOelXVr https://www.amazon.com/Thai-English-Students-Dictionary-Mary-Haas/dp/0804705674

My question for the OP is are you sure the poisoning was intentional? A lot of toxic chemicals are used in farming communities which pets sometimes encounter accidentally. Between motor vehicles, accidental poisoning, ticks, snakes, dog fights, etc., pet ownership can often end in tears here. Sorry for your loss. I just adopted a dog. Without a fenced yard, all I have been able to do is keep a close eye on him, and bring it indoors at night.