Gecko123

Insightful interview with Financial Times business columnist Rana Foroohar. I suspect the phrase she has coined that "America may be on the verge of becoming a distressed asset" may prove to be prescient. .

What's really striking about the clown show parade of Trump's cabinet nominees is their lack of talent and experience in managing crises. Whether you're talking about a terrorist attack, a military attack, a banking crisis, a monetary crisis, a severe economic slowdown, a diplomatic crisis, or an extreme weather or natural disaster event, none of the ideologues appointed so far appear to have experience or skill sets in crisis management. The appointments so far appear to have made loyalty and fealty to Trump the sole hiring criteria, with almost no thought given to competency or experience. Trump's supporters may want to begin to ask themselves who is most likely to pay the price for this lack of competency and experience.

I think you are being sarcastic with this comment about @Walker88 's post. If you were being sincere, please accept my apologies. I would just like to point out to you that in my humble opinion it would be next to impossible to develop the writing skills Walker88 regularly displays on this forum without having had an extensive work experience which allowed him to develop and hone those writing skills. While I too am amazed by his claims to have been a counter-intelligence analyst as well as a hedge fund manager, he so far has not gotten out on such thin ice that it has caused me to question the veracity of the biography he has disclosed on this forum. I think your and other's attempts to discount his opinions as those of some yarn spinning Walter Mitty are misguided, and again, it is my belief that his writing skills reflect a level of intelligence and experience which deserve to be respected even if you happen not to share his political perspective.

Again...name a single Western European leader who is genuinely happy to see Trump re-elected with the possible exception of Italy's right wing Giorgia Meloni, and Israel's super-right wing Netanyahu. This is well documented, so lose the smug tone, Frankie Valli.

It would be easier for you to name one who isn't.

Yes, I was making that historical allusion.

You tell me how they're gonna find these undocumented aliens. Trump says you can tell just by looking at them. I'm sure it'll be fun walking down the street getting the fish eye everywhere you go. Maybe those whose papers are in order can get a tattoo or something so they can get through check points easier. You don't think vigilantism, street thuggery, harassment are possibilities? I do.

I interact with so few foreigners where I live in Thailand, pretty much a non-issue here. But my heart grows heavy thinking about what it must feel like to be a non-native English speaker, immigrant, or black, brown or yellow person in America post election. I imagine America is a land of averted gazes these days.

Most of the MAGA "celebration" on this forum seems to be graceless ball spiking, gloating, and relishing thoughts of retribution towards the opposition, and hostility towards marginalized communities and women's rights. I don't see very much celebration of proposed policy initiatives, or calls for unity for that matter either. Are MAGA supporters really enthused about: JFK Jr. taking over the FDA? Trump's minions revamping the Federal bureaucracy by making loyalty to Trump the main job qualification? Steve Bannon appointed to go through the Justice Department and the FBI to supposedly root out the "deep state" but in actuality intended to eliminate any oversight of the Executive Branch of the government by the Justice Department? Wealth and income inequality increasing with the passing of lopsided tax cuts which favor the rich? Ukraine being thrown to the wolves? The weakening of NATO? An even more right-wing judiciary being appointed? Regulations safeguarding the environment and worker safety being tossed to the wayside? The prospect of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare being phased out? Inflationary tariffs being imposed? An administration which thinks climate change is a hoax? None of the above bothers you? Still gloating? How about the hostile racial climate your non-native English speaking Thai wife or future Thai wife will encounter when the round ups and mass deportations begin? Or freezing of social security benefits for beneficiaries living abroad? Or other countries restricting visa availability and imposing taxation requirements for Americans in response to more restrictive American immigration policy?

Trump's economic plans are short-sighted and the post-election euphoria will quickly wear off. Yesterday's bounce in the markets was pretty much all because the Harris Walz plan to increase corporate tax rates will be shelved, thus increasing corporate profitability. But note that Treasury rates also shot up yesterday, increasing borrowing, mortgage and fiscal debt financing costs. I think it is safe to say the bond market is apprehensive about Trump. Trump's promise to cut taxes on social security may be music to the ears of the American senior citizens on this forum, but let's not overlook that this would accelerate the projected date Social security would be depleted. Undoubtably some are betting they won't be around when this happens and have a 'live for today' attitude, but the truth is that what this policy would do is unfairly burden future generations by either forcing taxes in the future to be raised to cover this shortfall, or having future entitlement programs severely cut back. Trump's policies of driving down inflation by increasing fossil fuel production, pulling out of climate treaties, and threatening to reverse the Green New Deal Act are all similarly short-sighted and fail to recognize that inflation drivers in the food and housing sectors are being driven by other factors besides fuel costs. Climate change is a big driver of food inflation because it has a major effect on farm yields as well as production costs, and while increasing fossil fuel production may reduce the price at the pump, over the long term it will increase climate related food and housing costs on a far more devastating scale. Regarding housing inflation, Trump's policies completely discount the effect climate change is having on housing costs. Sea level rise, forest fire, flood, and extreme weather events making more and more areas less habitable or the costs of adapting to living in these areas more and more expensive. From wildfires, ground water depletion, drought, hurricanes, flash floods, insurance costs or unavailability these events are becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore. Trump also ignores that a significant portion of migration pressures are climate related, preferring instead to demonize all migrants as criminals. Another factor driving housing inflation (not to mention homelessness) is corporate investment in the residential housing market, particularly single family homes, which is contributing significantly to the unaffordability of the housing market for lower and middle income families. A big driver behind this corporate push into the housing market is the wealth disparity which has been accelerated by Trump's personal income tax credits enacted during his first term. Regarding his tariff plans, I doubt these will ever be enacted, for the simple reason that they will be politically unpalatable due to their inflationary effect. In addition, if they ever were enacted, they would probably generate a tit-for-tat trade war which would throw the global economy into a severe recession, if not, a depression. The US dollar continues to enjoy reserve currency status, and the US has abused this status far beyond what is reasonable, but in a trade war scenario, you can't rule out that an all out trade war wouldn't result in foreign countries, in particular China, boycotting buying US debt, which would result in rates on US Treasuries and US borrowing costs to sky rocket, or throwing the US or global economy into a tailspin which would make 2008 look like a walk in the park. For all the bellyaching about how badly the economy is doing, at least on paper, in many ways Trump is inheriting an economy which is the envy of the world: low unemployment, a Fed in easing mode, a record high stock market. But beneath the surface there's an unsustainable debt and deficit problem which Trump appears to have no intention whatsoever of addressing. The truth is that much of America's financial resilience over the past couple of decades is a mirage because it has been financed by deficit spending for entitlement programs. When you look at how tax dollars are spent, you quickly see that either taxes will need to be raised or entitlement programs will have to be cut to solve this problem. Getting rid of the FDA, as RFK Jr apparently is suggesting, or gutting the DOJ or FBI as Steve Bannon is now suggesting, is not going to solve the problem. The question that has remained unanswered over the course of the last elections, and may well need to be addressed in the next four years is how will this imbalance be corrected. Will it be done in a humanistic or callous manner? I think Trump's working class supporters are going to soon be disabused of the notion that they will emerge unscathed from his 'I am your vengeance, I am your retribution' approach to problem solving, and I somberly agree with Walker88's assessment that they will live to regret their election choice.

This is not over yet. Hang tough and keep the faith.

At this late hour some anonymous keyboard warrior making emasculating comments about any man who doesn't vote for Trump isn't gonna cut it. If you feel so strongly about it, why not make a video showing us all what a manly man you are? Far more convincing and persuasive. Be sure to include close ups of your bulging biceps, ripped abs, and rock hard butt cheeks to titillate all us girlie men and latent homosexuals voting for Kamala Harris. Yeah, somehow I don't think I will be holding my breath.

Important reminder from US intelligence services that foreign adversaries will likely be sowing disinformation about election integrity in the weeks ahead. It's important that everyone stays calm in the weeks and months ahead. https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/joint-odni-fbi-and-cisa-statement-1

See, a kilo or two of mangosteen or sara fruit would probably have solved the loss of face problem. Turns it into a humble request instead of a demand coming from a control freak. People scoff at the suggestion of offering a gift to defuse the tension, but it works.

I'm convinced that this attitude is precisely the real reason why Hillary Clinton wasn't elected in 2016, and all the 'she's dishonest, Pizza gate, Benghazi nonsense was just a smoke screen for this type of Neanderthal misogynistic thinking. I'll give you credit though for having the guts to say out loud what so many others don't have the courage to say or admit to themselves. Germany, India, New Zealand and Australia, Scotland, England, and Pakistan, just to name the most prominent examples, have all had female heads of state. I think someone needs to crawl out of their cave and join the 21st century.

I question whether this is a historically accurate observation. Widespread unwillingness to accept election results is a relatively recent phenomena, and political assassinations, almost always committed by lone wolves, should not be generally attributed to the American people or culture. Regarding predictions of violence following tomorrow's election, I am sure you are not alone in feeling apprehensive. From the right, I think attacks on election infrastructure, mass shootings or a car bombing or two are most likely. From the left, there may be, as you predict, pockets of rioting in democratic strongholds. Longer term, the risk of political assassination is very elevated no matter who wins the election. If Trump wins, I predict you may see capital flight out of the US and surging interest rates, as foreign countries become more reluctant to hold US debt because (1) the US reputation as a beacon of democracy and a safe harbor for capital will be diminished; (2) fear of trade wars, (3) attempts by foreign countries to thwart tariffs by driving up borrowing costs for US debt with the goal of making tariffs politically unpalatable to American consumers, and (4) a collapse in confidence that the US government has the political will to manage its fiscal deficit and national debt.

Living outside of the US, this is the first time that I've seen a compilation of Democrat campaign ads, and I must say I was stunned by how good they were. I have been wondering what the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign has been doing with all the money they've raised, and now I know. Very gratifying, and I now feel like the money I've donated has been put to good use.

If there's any attempts by Trump to declare victory prematurely, hyper-contest election results, replace electors with handpicked electors, foment another Jan 6th riot, etc., MAGA world needs to be put on notice that America's patience with these fascistic attempts to take over the government is threadbare and won't be tolerated. Trump supporters also need to be reminded that if any of the above occurs, Trump will be acting as a private citizen not as President, and there will be tremendous public support for prosecuting him for any election related crimes in 2024 as well as 2020. America is beyond ready to move on and move forward.

You need to lose the 'they're all a bunch of scum-sucking low-lifes' attitude and treat these episodes as welcome opportunities to sharpen your social intelligence and interpersonal skills.

I was not aware that November is a merit making month, but we are also right in the middle of the harvest season when farmers are most flush with cash and I know it's part of farming culture around the world to celebrate at harvest time.

One thing I just noticed is that the same hand gestures are never repeated throughout the entire 1:36 minute routine.

Every time there's an upsurge in loud music in my moo ban, the first thing I do is check the calendar to see if there's a holiday coming up. People sometimes go back to their country home early around the holidays and like to let down their hair when they do, frankly not caring much about the neighbors because they know they'll be heading back to the city when the holiday is over. They can also play loud music to entertain out-of-town guests or family members. Loy Krathong is coming up mid-November. The 'give it a few weeks' advice is good advice. There could be some life event which would explain the loud music, and if the problem has popped up out of nowhere, there's a good chance it will stop before too long. Also, if 'gated community' means middle-class or upscale, chances are your other neighbors aren't really happy about it either and will probably be able to more subtlety get the job done then you'll be able to. My advice would be to try and do as much reconnaissance as you can as to who you're dealing with and what their reputation in the community is. If possible, maybe find a trusted intermediary to convey your displeasure. I would be extremely cautious about confronting them when the music is actually blasting. A subtle way to convey that their loud music is attracting attention is to stand outside their house as if you are innocently listening to the music. If there's any illicit activity going on, i.e., drug use, this will sometimes make the person paranoid enough that they'll turn down the music just because of the unwanted attention. If you end up asking them to turn down the music directly, a goodwill gift like a kilo or two of fruit or pork when you show up will go a long way towards making things non-confrontational. The other thing foreigners sometimes forget is that if you own a car you can get your loud music fix riding around in your car. If you don't own a car, which many Thais don't, they don't have that option so foreigners need to appreciate that, and show a certain measure of tolerance and patience.

Some pretty weird comments so far (with exception of CharlieH). Some of you guys must be in a different time zone. It's Sunday afternoon here in Thailand, some of you guys sounds like it's 3 AM on a Saturday night where you are. Thread reboot starts now. Topic is why are Japanese/Korean cheerleading dance moves so alluring.

If it's possible to do analysis at the same time you're drooling, I've been trying to figure out why these dance moves are so mesmerizing and addictive for men. I've concluded (after hours and hours of study) that the reason is that they are demure at the same time that they are very sexually inviting, which seems to give the audience permission to watch unabashedly. The 'thumbs up' hand motion is sexually encouraging. The upward and downward arm movement competes for the eye's attention with the knee bend and buttocks gyration, again, giving the viewer permission to watch with riveted attention. The switching from side to side allows the girl to display her figure from both sides, advertising her physical assets, again, very inviting. To me, the over the chest hand motion suggests the opening of a blouse, but in a very demure way. Wikipedia is telling me this dance was developed by the South Korean cheerleaders for the KIA Tigers baseball team. Whoever developed it, in my opinion, has a deep understanding of the male sexual psyche. Let me know if this dance craze catches on in Thailand's go-go bars. I'll be on the first bus to Bangkok if it does. Different song dance, but another example of Korean cheerleader choreography. The hand gestures, which are very intricate, reminded me of some Thai classical dance hand movements.

Are these MAGA people really good at playing the victim or what?