johnnybangkok

Not true. I once put a foot wrong. It was 1987. I remember it well. It was a Tuesday.

And again with the strawman argument. I wrote 30 lines on the subject but you're obsessing over the 'following his best chum Epstein's ignominious demise' as if THAT'S the important part. Your winning 'gotcha' moment isn't really the point though but since it's upsetting your delicate sensibilities so much then I will retract that part and categorically say I don't wish a violent death on Prince Andrew (happy?). I do however think he should be held accountable for his actions and shouldn't be allowed to pay his way out of trouble. Now, any chance you can argue this or are you now physically attached to those pearls?

Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking the law. But you can't even argue ignorance in Andy's case as when Epstein was issued with an arrest warrant for sexual assault of a minor way back in 2006, Andy still thought it was a good idea to have him at his daughter Beatrice's 18th birthday. And in 2008 when Epstein was charged with procuring for prostitution a girl below the age of 18 (of which he was sentenced to eighteen months, serving 13 months under house arrest), Andy STILL visited him and kept in touch with him for years after. Now you may call that gullible or you may call it arrogance OR you could just say it for what it was; his good chum Epstein was a peodophile who trafficked young girls for his rich and famous friends and as far as ol' Randy Andy was concerned, not only was that just fine, but it was not bad enough for him to cut ties with Epstein until 2011, 3 YEARS after he was convicted. You can't call it a 'whitewash' or scapegoating when the person in question is quite as willing as Andy seems to have been to be involved.

Oh please! Enough of the pearl clutching. Of course I believe in innocent until proven guilty (I actually said that in my post along with 'a pay-off isn't an admission of guilt') but I also believe that if you are innocent then you have an opportunity to prove that in a court of law. Andy had that chance but chose to pay-off his accuser to the tune of $12 million and to this day still refuses to make a statement to the FBI. He must have known how much damage to his already awful reputation these actions would do so you have to ask how much MORE damage would have been done if he had gone to court? I would argue, a great deal more. And FYI I'm not a liberal but equally I'm not a brown-nosing, doff my cap, servile pleb who thinks the Royals shouldn't be held accountable for their actions and/or are above the law. I also don't believe people should be allowed to pay their way out of trouble. But that's just me I guess.

A lots happened since that story i.e. a $12 million pay-off.

You are trying your very level best to defend the indefensable so let's just clear up a few FACTS for you. Neither Clinton nor Gates have had any accusations leveled at them other than one witness who testified Epstein told her "Clinton likes them young, referring to girls." Gates has had nothing more than he met Epstein a few times in 2011 to discuss philanthropy (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.html) and in both cases, not a single woman/girl have come forward to accuse them of anything. Prince Andrew on the other hand has specifically been accused of sexual assault and battery on Ms Giuffre when she was 17, having been trafficked when she was 16. When first accused of this, Ol' Andy denied even meeting Giuffre until THAT photo emerged and he hastily had to change his story to 'didn't recall meeting her". His legal team tried on numerous occassions to have the case thrown out but it just would not go away so Andy, in his infinite wisdom decided to do a Newsnight interview that set him back immeasureably (can't sweat - pizza in Woking type etc). He then decided the best way to defend himself (as all innocent people do) was to pay off Giuffre to the tune of $12 million. Yes, everyone is innocent until proven guilty and yes, a pay-off isn't an admission of guilt but come on! Does this look like the actions of someone with nothing to hide? And for all those trying to defend this embarassment of a Royal with the 'but she was 17 and of the age of consent' and 'it could have happened to any of us' - please!! He is/was a member of the Royal family - hardly your average Joe - and should therefore been much much more choosy in who he hung out with. Also, with the well documented amount of time he spent with his good mate Epstein, don't try and tell me he didn't know how young these girls were or indeed what their 'situation' was. He may not have known they were trafficked but don't try and tell me he didn't know they were being paid - what were they all just interns on a work experience prgramme then? He had his chance to defend himself with both the FBI and in court. He chose neither option and therefore in my opinion, rightly gets ostracised by the Royal family AND the British public and will be labelled as a paedophile for the rest of his life. And I for one think he's lucky to only have to deal with this. He should be rotting away in prison, or following his best chum Epstein's ignominious demise .

Not true. It's only the King that is exempt from UK law and although other Royals enjoy exemption from some laws, they are subject to most.

You keep going on about 'bashing/beating The Royals' when that's just not happening. No one is 'bashing' The Royals as everything regarding this matter is solely aimed at Prince Andrew and that's generally because when given the chance to exhonerate himself, firstly with the FBI and then in court, he decided paying off his accuser to the tune of $12 million was the way to go. We all understand this isn't an admission of guilt but it certainly didn't take the target off his back and THATS the point many here are making - if you're so innocent why not face your accusser head on and have your day in court? He seemed to want to do that with his ill conceived interview with Emily Maitlis (the highly believable 'I have a medical condition that prevented me from sweating" one), when he insisted he hadn't even met Giuffre nevermind had sex with her and at the time of the accusation he was at Pizza Express in Woking have dinner with his kids. You would think all of these things would be quite easy to prove but rather than do so, he thought a $12 million payment was the better option. He may very well be innocent but his actions thereafter made it look otherwise and that's why he's being rightfully bashed.

But it's not though is it. Bidens economic acheivements are there for everyone to see but identity politics in America have got so bad that many people (mostly Trump fans) simply don't care anymore, choosing to pick on his age, the troubles of Hunter, the fact he stammers and any slight sign that he has cognitive decline. It's all they've got and they will keep hammering this point because they have very little else to criticise (see Danderman123's excellent list above). Biden and the Democrats know they have a solid case when arguing that Trump is a threat to democracy; he did after all instigate the attack on the Capitol and still refuses to accept he lost the 2020 election so it's an easy to digest, 'bite sized' ascertion that the politically weary American voter can easily understand - a vote for Biden is a vote for democracy - a vote for Trump is a step towards totalitarianism.

Easy mistake when you are talking about pensions in your original post. So you're not a boomer then? Gen X?

Much less to do with the economy than the domination by online retailers. People aren’t buying less; they’re just buying differently. The days of huge malls and thriving high streets is well and truly over and yes, if I was in traditional bricks and mortar retail, I’d be very worried.

Oh great, another boomer bemoaning their situation! Were you all born pessimists or did you just naturally grow into it? By any metric you care to mention - infant mortality, life expectancy, accelerated GDP, income inequality, living in a democracy, woman's equality, minority inclusion, hell there's even less wars - the world is a better place to live than at any time in history. Granted, there are some major concerns knocking around but are they of any more concern than the West facing off against Russia during the cold war or hyper inflation in the 70's? The world has always had it's issues but it's how you yourself view them that determines your state of mind. If you want to find fault then you always will. Lighten up. Grab a beer (or a smoke) and just enjoy what you can.

I don't want to belittle the poster but I've been playing for a long time and on a VERY good day my best drive is 280 yards. It's of course possible that he hit rock hard ground on a downhill fairway with a following wind that carried his ball to 440 yards but for a self confessed beginner, that's some very specific conditions to achieve that kind of distance. Of course it's possible; it's just not probable.

Agreed - a minute to learn and a lifetime to master! I will say it thrills and frustrates me in equal measure; there's nothing like hitting a pure drive straight down the middle of the fairway only to shank your next into the water, but it's an excellent test of character and temperament. I also really enjoy the social side of it all - out there with 3 /4 good mates, a few beers and plenty of banter. A great way to spend some quality time with people you really like that doesn't involve propping up a bar.

I agree. We did night golf at Panya last week and got stuck behind 2 X 5 balls for what was a torturous 6 hours! I do despair at the golf etiquette of some Asian golfers though who seem to have never heard of the phrase 'play through'.

Many non-football fans complain of 'long periods when the players don't seem to be doing anything' but most matches are shown (for True it's usually the next day) as 'highlights' and condensed down to 30 minutes. Many don't have the patience for the full 90 minutes but 30 minutes of non-stop action will get you a good idea of the skill and quality at play. And if you can do 5 hours on a golf course, what's 30 minutes?

Well since Rory’s McIlroy's longest drive is 427 yards and the world record is 515 yards, I think I’m going to call BS on your “longest shot @ 440 yards”. However, an exaggeration is always a golfers prerogative 😉

It always fascinates me why Yanks don't like football (by the way it's called football - only Yanks call it soccer). It's a game that is beloved throughout the world and is the working mans go to sport. The level of skill required at the top level is phenomenal (made more so by the fact there are literally 100's of millions of people playing it) and if you think it 'could be condensed into five seconds of meaningful action' then you haven't watched a Premier League game recently. I suspect it's the fact that American men aren't very good at it and have then come up with the totally Neanderthal idea it's a 'girly' sport (perhaps supported by your excellent women's football record). But then you also have a tendency to call things 'World Series' or 'Championships' when it's only Americans competing. You can only call yourself a World Champion when you beat EVERYONE else in the world.

I would rather stick hot needles in my eyes than have the vacuous, shallow, misongynistic, alcohol dominated life that you are so desperate to paint as normal.

I'm not saying that stupidity didn't play a big part in all of this and I'm sure corruption also reared it's ugly head (doesn't it always in Thai politics) but it's the double standards that get me. The rice pledging scheme was an official government policy that was pledged before she was even elected and if it turned into a scam as you say, she should have done what all politicians should do and fall on her sword. To get convicted of a criminal charge was just too much but of course this favoured the military and the 'powers that be' in forcing her to leave the country. Likewise, this particular court case also smacks of extreme bias. She sacks a guy who publicly says he won't work with her government (what are you supposed to do) and for that she is getting charged with abuse of power! Come on. Even you can see how extreme this all is and how it's one rule for the military and a different one for all of their opponents.

I see your Shinawatra blinkers are back on again. You don't think it's at all coincidental that all the military led governments can literally get away with anything but when it comes to their 'competitors' (Shinawatra's, Move Forward, Thai Nation Party, the Neutral Democratic Party, Thai Raksa Chart Party, Future Forward Party), they have to be absolutely perfect or face being disbanded, barred or exiled? Yingluk tried to give more money to her base through rice subsidies and as ill thought out as it was (and badly executed as it was), it certainly didn't warrant the criminal negligence charge she was eventually convicted of, nor the forced exile she has had to endure. The Shinawatra's are certainly no angels but these double standards go to the heart of the problem with Thai politics.

It's called qualifying a prospect. Very common in sales jobs and of course from bar girls. 'Qualifying a prospect means to determine whether or not someone who is interested in your services is a good fit as a customer . If yes, they are worthy of your time and effort to turn them into a customer. Qualified sales leads have a higher return on investment and higher close rate.'

Here's one you could use for quite a few posters on this forum:- Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

God where to start. Firstly the often quoted 'But at least Trump didn't start any wars'. I love how Trumpers jump on to this as a big thing. But then again I suppose it's REALLY difficult to find other positives about his 4 year term. Other things he did/didn't do - He immediately went back on his promise to 'drain the swamp' by appointing the biggest bunch of millionaires and billionaires to his administration ever seen in US history (and then had a permanently revolving door when they upset him). He silenced the Environmental Protection Agency by appointing their greatest critic (and climate change denier) to head it all up and immediately reneged on the Paris Climate Agreement. He defrauded his own charity Trump must pay $2 million for misusing namesake charity: New York judge | Reuters. (how you don't know about this speaks volumes about the echo chambers you live in). His administration decided to charge everyone crossing the border with illegal entry rather than as asylum seekers, thus allowing him to separate families and cage children. His ill-fated trade war with China was nothing short of a disaster Trump’s Tariffs Were Much More Damaging Than Thought (forbes.com) He banned Muslims (from 'sh!thole' countries of course). Although personally exonerated, the Mueller investigation proved links between Russian interference and the Trump campaign (to include 5 convictions and 27 indictments). He was twice impeached and let off by a compliant GOP Senate. He mocked the disabled, encouraged his supporters to beat up protesters, got into Twitter fights with celebrities, dog whistled neo-Nazis and white supremacists, alienated allies whilst cosying up to Putin and "fell in love" with the dictator of North Korea. He continued to profit from his businesses at the expense of the American taxpayer, whilst simultaneously refusing to reveal his tax returns. After inheriting a thriving economy thanks to the prudence of Obama/Biden, he added $2 TRILLION dollars ($2,000,000,000,000) to the national debt just to help out his rich buddies and himself and then a further $6 trillion over the rest of his tenure. This is the largest increase in national debt since WW2. And of course his terrible handling of the pandemic saw him deny it, defer it and ignore it in equal measures to the detriment of 425,000 Americans who died of Covid under his watch. His continual denial of a free and fair election (even to this day) despite not a single court in America seeing any substantial evidence of voter fraud. You talk of the possible legal problems Biden MAY have. Here are the ones Trump already has. He is currently facing 91 charges to include already being found guilty of sexually abusing and defaming E Jean Carroll, awarding her $5m in damages. A separate civil inquiry has already found him guilty of inflating property values to secure better loan and insurance. He's being charged with the willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act and conspiracy to obstruct justice. He is being charged with 34 felony charges of falsifying business records when his former lawyer Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to the adult film star Stormy Daniels to quash her story about having an extramarital affair with the former president. He's charged with 3 counts including racketeering, forgery, perjury, filing false documents, false statements and others as part of him try to instruct the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to rob Biden of his win in the battleground state. And last but not least, lets not forget the attempted insurrection and storming of The Capitol under his direction of which he faces 4 counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights in his relentless pursuit to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election and remain in office. I could of course also go into the many, many other stupid, crass, dangerous and downright stupid things he did in his 4 year term (remember Covfefe and Thighland) but since your argument seems to rely on having a crystal ball to predict future events and MY argument relies on events that have and are continuing to happen and which can all be verified with facts and figures, I would suggest your 'love' of Trump is more to do with feelings that actual facts. But hey, go on about 'the deep state' and the 'corruption' of the Biden family; that is speculation; Trumps corruption is a matter of fact and of documented history and nothing you can say will convince any sane individual that this man should be in charge of the most powerful country in the world. He's a narcissist of the highest order and a con-man to boot.

Ahh so the truth is out. I see from another post you made in 'what happened to this forum' you have readily admitted 'I'm the living proof o it. I swear all the time, I've been banned so many time I've stopped counting and yet I'm still there with a couple of backup accounts lined up just in case.' So not comrade but banned so many times you've had to reinvent yourself through 'a couple of backup accounts'. So what were your previous incarnations? Knowing a few of your previous names might just tell us everything we need to know about you.