Plan B

Precisely why it should be.

The Romans thing was funny man 😂 😂

Truth hurts, doesn't it... Let me educate you some more then. If we exclude Nazism, I don't think there has ever been a worse presence on Earth than that of the British. They are the first teachers of Genocide (India). They invented Concentration Camps (Africa, Asia) and carved the face of the planet with bloody colonial borders. Self-invited to most of the West's modern wars (Afghanistan, Iraq etc.), as well as with their own wars (Suez, Africa), they follow the Americans like hyenas eating from the leftovers or try to provoke them and push them towards the blood that both of them like so much. Had enough yet?

Oh the English. War profiteers to the bone and expertly veteran plunderers, but at the same time blind enough and greedy for bloody money to overlook the rearmament of Germany -to which this time they will submit.

Nothing less than what Great Britain deserves.

“145% tariffs on China,” the thunderous announcement said, but then Trump would meet with Xi Jinping behind closed doors, and the rate would magically drop to 20%. And it’s not just that in many cases the numbers were tacitly reduced a lot, or nothing was imposed – in other cases, many exceptions were made. Mobile phones, for example, were exempt from all tariffs. That’s why the iPhone 17 that was released in September costs $800 and not $1500. In Brazil, 50% tariffs were imposed and, indeed, implemented – but with 700 exceptions for most of the products imported from that country by the US. This whole tariff story is only partly an ideological crusade of people with heretical or even misguided views on international trade. It is mainly something else: a tool for blackmail and corruption. Many in April had defied the alarmism, soberly commenting that these outrageous numbers were simply a starting point for “negotiation.” In a sense, they were right. Simply by “negotiation” they imagined negotiations between states, to reach agreements for maximum mutual benefit, as has always been done at this level. Trump, however, is not at this level. He is not a politician. He is not even a normal “businessman.” This man, who in his previous career was taken to court 4,000 times (suppliers, employees, tenants, associates, friends, the IRS, women), the man who in the 10 months since he was re-elected has made $3.4 billion selling cryptocurrencies and taking bribes from criminals to pardon them and from foreign governments, did not impose tariffs for the sake of imposing tariffs, but to "sell" exemptions, for personal, individual benefit.

Re When you auto delete the best part you don't deserve it

The times they are a-changin I still remember the signs in the receptions of many 5 star hotels in Phuket reading "We Do Not Accept Indians"...

The first casualty of war is truth.

For most of you who know nothing about Brazil and Bolsonaro, I suggest you watch Apocalypse in the Tropics horror documentary, showcasing the goal of right wing evangelical pastors who call on their flock to disrupt politics as usual. In the sort term it means voting in more conservative evangelical lawmakers to rule in their favour, but in the long run, the goal may be to sow more chaos to hasten the end times. Sounds familiar?

Many coffee shops in Netherlands do the same for first time customers. It's really no big deal.

Most of them will be killed by friendly fire just like the first time round.

The only reason Paramount caved in is because they need the FCC's approval for a billion dollar merge that's in the making. Trump had no chance whatsoever to win in court.

In the field of geopolitics: Doesn’t the bully, who bypasses pretenses and speaks the blunt language of self-interest, pay off there? Shouldn’t we finally abandon the hypocrisy of the “principles” of international law and allied morality? Hasn’t America always done this? Didn’t it trade with emirs and dictators whenever it suited it, hiding its Kissingerian cynicism behind the veils of humanitarian and democratic enclosures? It is worth weighing the new planetary ethos with its own criteria. To judge it not by the values of the post-war world, but by its own authoritarian standards. How to call a leadership that drools publicly, and on the world stage craves unscrupulous gifts and flattery? Is this a solid leadership or just timid and lost in its insatiable cravings? This is a country whose foreign policy everyone knows they can buy. A country that if they give enough – cash, minerals, or airplanes– they can align it with their own interests.

Islamophobia "A word created by fascists and used by cowards to manipulate morons." Andrew Cummins

The stupidity of the comments is staggering!

"Concerns about AI secrecy aren’t just coming from social media. Dr. Diane Hamilton, a behavior and tech expert..." Don't you mean Linda Hamilton?...

Now I'm confused. You're saying that if you use an agent the only way to get another extension is by using an agent again? And that if want to do it yourself then exiting and starting over is "standard MO"?? If that's how it is, I had no idea.

Some years back a Phuket based passport holder using a BKK agent got a 12 month extension from the immigration of Ayutthaya. All three 90 day reports were done in person at Phuket immigration and went on without a hitch. When the time came to extend to 12 more months, this time completely legit, Phuket immigration informed them that they couldn't accept the application as they'd been issued a warning from headquarters to not continue any extension that was previously issued by the immigrations of Pattaya and Ayutthaya. And that they had to leave the country and start the process all over again. Which was what finally happened. End of story.

Orson Welles must be laughing his a$$ off.

It would be naive to believe that Trump is able to deliver on the promises that made him popular. His grassroots voters and the leaders of rival countries who expect, perhaps, to benefit from his election are doomed to painful rebuttals. As in his first four years, Trump is not going to benefit the working class but his own, upper bourgeois class - already the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, is preparing to take a government post at the behest of Trump with the task of drastically cutting government spending, which will affect social infrastructure and services. In Ukraine, there will be no pacification, but a truce at the very best, that will leave unresolved all the fundamental problems with Russia and will produce the next crises. Trump may turn out to be even more dangerous than Biden vis-a-vis China and even more committed to Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel, at the expense of the Palestinians and Iran - already the latest speculation about an Iranian assassination attempt does not bode well. Trump's victory provided the undisputed leader sought by the world's nationalists, the rising forces of the Far Right on an international scale and especially in Europe. We will see the consequences soon.

Phang Nga immigration

Pleased to report that they do allow it. Just did mine 3 days ago.