BoneRanger

*Deleted posts edited out*

Agree.

I should have stated Obama inherited two wars, a collapsed banking/housing/jobs/stock market + $13 trillion debt from the 3 previous conservative administrations.

I'm surprised Obama has only had to add $4 trillion to dig the US out of that Bush recession/depression.

Fortunately, things are booming. Stock Market is up over 200% recently. Housing recovered, strong banks, lower dependency on foreign energy, ended 2 wars, 7 million now with healthcare, unemployment slashed 50%, manufacturing returning to home soil, crime down, credibility with our foreign relations.

Quite an accomplishment really considering the situation Bush left the country in.

If the US economy keeps performing like the last 6 years, that debt will be paid off.

Leaving food out for days is normal in Thsiland. So is diarrhea.

My ex wife was stubborn about food hygiene too.

By by.

They picked a tranquil space to practice yoga. Not very smart of these tourists I suppose but lets put it in perspective.

Ever been to a Temple after a Thai festival?

I guess it's perfectly OK if you are Thai to throw your garbage all over the ground.

The Federal was a time capsule.

I hear they built the hotel around 1965 for 1,000,000Baht.

Sold for 900,000,000Baht.

That's 18,000,000Baht per year in property appreciation.

Not bad.

The U.K. tabloids have been running wild with the story of Prince Andrew allegedly abusing an underage girl procured for him by billionaire and convicted pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, but Monday, The Smoking Gun managed to tie former president Bill Clinton into the scandal. The allegation isn’t (yet) quite as damning as Clinton’s other sex scandals, but it doesn’t look good.

http://twitchy.com/2015/01/05/report-sex-offender-jeffrey-epstein-had-21-different-numbers-for-reaching-bill-clinton/

Epstein, who paid teenage girls for naked massages at his Palm Beach, Florida mansion, is a convicted sex offender whose circle of powerful friends has included financiers, celebrities, politicians, and scientists.

In fact, Epstein, 61, has maintained many of these relationships even after pleading guilty in 2008 to a felony charge stemming from a lengthy probe of his lewd interaction with scores of underage girls, many of whom were recruited while they were students at a Palm Beach high school.

…

While Clinton was never deposed [in a civil suit against Epstein], lawyers obtained Epstein’s computerized phone directory, which included “e-mail addresses for Clinton along with 21 phone numbers for him, including those for his assistant (Doug Band),” according to a court filing.

Heh...

If you are gullible enough to watch FOX News, then you might be good bait for the conspiracy nut websites too I suppose.

GOOGLE "Epstein Clinton" and all sorts of wacky conspiracy sites pop up.

Here is a good one.

Did you know there have been close to "fifty suspicious deaths of colleagues, advisors and citizens who were about to testify against the Clintons, with the implication that Bill Clinton was behind their untimely demise?"

The guy couldn't get away with a quik BJ in a closet without every detail being revealed but somehow he has had 50 people murdered in cold blood.

Moan, Groan, I have said this before, together with many others, why don't you just go home, The weather in Europe would be wonderful at this time of year. I had a friend who lived in Weymouth UK, we sometimes used the deck chairs, supplied from a surly vendor, they were something like 4 Pounds a day ( Baht 200) No problem with anyone "Pestering " you, as you were completely ignored all day.

But do they leave the chairs on the spot all day from sunrise?

Or ,like the beaches in England I go to. must they collect empty chairs and only allow them to customers?

leaving the beach free for those that have their own seating .

The chairs are setup at sunrise and removed and stacked at the end of the day. The chairs are setup as regulated by the City. They are taken down with the umbrellas when it rains and put up again weather permitting. There are free areas of the beach for those who don't want the services the concessionaires provide. The area by the Dongtan police box and a larger area by Pattaya Park just to name two.

I noticed in Jomtien there is quite a bit of beach area shaded by nice big trees. Why do they crowd us out with umbrellas in the shaded areas?

It would be nice to go have a picnic or take a nap there on a hot afternoon but ...you can't.

Admittedly there is some nice shaded beach in the Dongtan (or is it tan dong?) but it's pretty gay with lots of public man on man massage happening.

No thanks.

Isn't normal for people of this status to be live lavish lifestyles and be banging away like a screen door in a windstorm?

Palaces, servants, treasure, jets, harems, champaign & sex. Thats what its all about. No?

Billionaire Sex Offender's Phone Book Contained E-Mail Addresses, 21 Phone Numbers For Bill Clinton

Now that Prince Andrew has found himself ensnared in the sleazy sex slave story of wealthy degenerate Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Clinton can’t be too far behind.

Buh bye, Hillary!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/bill-clinton/bill-clinton-and-jeffrey-epstein-908671

"Billionaire Sex Offender's Phone Book Contained E-Mail Addresses, 21 Phone Numbers For Bill Clinton"

Looks like a legitimate news source

Lets see. What else is in their headlines:

"Black Jesus Handing Out Funny Money"

"Man Arrested For Lewd Act With Stuffed Animal"

"Drunken Zombie Santa Terrifies Teenagers"

"Naked Man Took Catnap On Dog Bed"

"Al Sharpton Secret FBI Agent"

"Idaho Cops Confront Super Hero"

"Jersey Cops On The Hunt For Breast Pump Thief"

"Police Hunt Vandal Who Has Difficulty Spelling"

"Iowa Man Arrested For Assaulting Woman With Chicken Sandwich"

"WallMart Shopper Hid Cows Tongue In His Trousers"

"Duo Targeted In Daylight Cookie Jacking Attempt"

I do like the Honda MSX but wish they made an adult size with a 300cc or 500cc.

Since FOX has so much impact and is a popular topic on the political discussions here, I submit a foreigner, Rupert Murdoch has more influence on the 2016 campaign than almost anybody else.

His 'war on journalism' has been well documented in the revealing video below with insights into the minds of Murdoch and Roger Ailes.

The USA has had a public debt since the year the constitution was signed.

The real problems began with voodoo economics during the Ronald Reagan term going from $997 billion to $2.85 trillion.

Reagan piled up more debt than all previous presidents combined.

Then the 2 Bush's ran it up to over 10+ trillion. GW Bush added around a trillion in his last months in Office when the bank bail-outs began.

Obama was up against an economic depression and began writing checks the day he took office.

So discounting the interest on the 10+ trillion, how much more has Obama added I'm wondering?

Get the Michelins or Pirelli in the stock size.

KTM Duke200

A bit beyond the other bikes he expressed interest in isn't it at 229K+ baht.

Going to be a significant dork factor on the tiny MSX.

Saw a second hand Duke 200 for 180,000.

Good on the foreign boyfriend for running these guys down and actually coming off the bike at the end of the chase.

Robbers did this to a ladyfriend in Bangkok and she went down hard, cracked her skull.

Off to Army bootcamp for these guys army advice.

KTM Duke200

IMHO, the vast majority of the people coming to Pattaya-Jomtien these days (and over the past few years) are Bangkonians. That trend does not appear to be abating; I expect it to increase in the future. I am seeing Russian tourists, but fewer than last year. I am seeing more Chinese tourists than last year.

I think allot of Bangkokians discovered Pattay/Jomtien during the big floods of Bangkok a few years ago.

Also I noticed lots of the hotel sized condo rooms went on sale after that. 1 million baht rooms.

The Bangkok new year crowds left town Sunday and the streets are eerily quiet this Monday.

The Russian tourist boom is over. Look for all the Russian language signs converting to Chinese.

Moan, Groan, I have said this before, together with many others, why don't you just go home, The weather in Europe would be wonderful at this time of year. I had a friend who lived in Weymouth UK, we sometimes used the deck chairs, supplied from a surly vendor, they were something like 4 Pounds a day ( Baht 200) No problem with anyone "Pestering " you, as you were completely ignored all day.

Yeah, why don't people just put up with any kind of sh*t that's dished up to them?

Exactly. Like it's acceptable for a parade of disrespectful vendors to be in your face all day?

I'd like to wring the neck of anyone that supports those sales tactics.

The LAST time I was on the beach, trying to sleep, the bastards had the nerve to shake my shoulder to wake me up! My blood pressure hasn't gone down since.

Hard to relax when you are contemplating a felony assault.

The vendors are way over the line with the hard sell, pestering approach. Annoy people until 'they break' and buy something. If I want a wooden frog, a leather belt, sunglasses or some dirty fried shrimp, I know where to go... and it aint the beach.

FOX & MSNBC are fundamentally undermining democracy by distorting the information voters need to make informed decisions that should be based on solid information.

Not news, but programing to promote a point of view.

They repeat the lies and distortion over and over to promote the corporate media product and management views.

The birth of this philosophy began in 1985 when right wing Rupert Murdoch took over some news station in Washington DC and began his war on jpurnalism and democrats.

Journalists that formerly covered legitimate news were ordered from the top to carry right wing propaganda. It really took off when Rupert hired Republican strategist to run FOX News.

Years later, MSNBC management adopted that model.

With the ridicolous prices they charge at the beach umbrellas/chairs: the less the better!

How much do they charge

Please inform me

Thanks

30-50 Baht for the day last time i was there.

That's an excellent deal if you need one but to have those guys block the entire beach so you are forced to pay.. SCREW THEM & those obnoxious vendors pestering everybody ALL DAY LONG!

They turned the beach into a shanty town to prevent tourists from enjoying the beach.

We love you Elly May.

Back Fabrik, the new German Bakery/Restaurant on Jomtien, 2nd Rd. has a superb collection of Christmas cookies, now at 40% off.

Yesterday, after my breakfast, I picked up a nice selection of 6 different cookie varieties and ate them all.

Just delicious. Each individual cookie has a unique flavor and texture.

The chef here really knows his stuff.

There are also 3 other stories just on the first page about Fox that he has chosen to ignore. There are even more further inside the site. His claim that "no one besides MSNBC reports and comments on anything Fox does or says" is utter nonsense.

http://www.mediaite.com/

You would have to be a complete moron to watch FOX or MSNBC for your news.

Who anyway besides MSNBC reports and comments on anything Fox does or says....and vice versa.....

You've got to be kidding. Try Mediaite and The Daily Beast just for starters. They have tons of stories on Fox News and in great detail. There are 4 stories about Fox right now on the main page of Mediaite, including the lead.

http://www.mediaite.com/

Your cite is a story in media distinctly separate from Fox reporting the story of Huckabee just as nearly every news organization is doing. That's all. No one takes seriously anything Fox says to report it as valid or viable -- trusted -- news.

My god.

You might find a few that disagree with your assessment in this article. Somebody must believe them since millions tune in each day to watch them.

FOX News is the Most-Watched Cable News Channel Among Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 for the 13th Consecutive Year

Article and numbers here: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/31/fox-news-is-the-most-watched-cable-news-channel-among-total-viewers-and-adults-25-54-for-the-13th-consecutive-year/344939/

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...or this one from a progressive liberal source that you will find completely honest and forthright:

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Fox News Dominates Cable News Ratings In 2014, MSNBC Tumbles

Article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/cable-news-ratings/

"Lots of people watch it...so it's real"

It's big business creating programing for the dumb and religious demographic.

That same audience watches fake wrestling (and doesn't know its fake) and thinks the earth is 6,000 years old.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The US campaign for prez is excessive when compared and contrasted to other democracies but there isn't any other way to do it in the United States.

The regular-term election cycle proscribed in the constitution precludes the snap election common to the parliamentary system. Nor is the US a constitutional monarchy, meaning voters elect the civilian who is to become head of state (the prez).

No one is quite prepared much less imminently qualified to be the president. While the US has the Ivy League assortment of prestigious universities, there is no one or two schools of public administration or of governance such as in the Old World from Europe to China, from Eton to Peking University. Hence the US has the lengthy and grueling process of campaigning for the party's prize, which is its coveted nomination at its quadrennial national convention in the summer before the election. Even Hillary and Jeb have to be ground through the process like sausages.

The predicate of it all is that the grotesque process ensures that the person who emerges from it will not crack up in the White House given the highly partisan and no holds barred adverseral politicial system the US has, by conscious design always had.

Only the professional politicians, such as Bill Clinton or Jeb Bush, are paying any mind to it at this point out and away from it, along with the political junkies among the MSM and the off-MSM. The chronic follower and groupie junkies are posting to website discussion boards about it. In what really matters, the voters themselves take a moment in September of the election year to see who's running, watch the 3 + 1 debates during October, then the weekend before the first Tuesday of November make up their minds.

Your mind and my own mind are made up already. If Sen Warren turns out to be the D party nominee I'll vote for her in November, for sure. Conversely, if the R party ticket turns out to be Ted Cruz&Michelle Bachman, the Rs here will vote for it. There'd be some exception concerning who'd vote for whom, but not much.

I agree with your assessment of the election debacle, but I would have to disagree with your claim that there's no other way to do it. While you are correct in that we (America) have to stick with the current system due to that Constitution thingy, I believe that altering the funding mechanism, and term limits, would go a long way to resolving the mess we've managed to make of things. IMHO, there needs to be a Constitutional amendment stipulating that all elections, regardless of local, state, or Federal, are to be publicly funded. It is my feeling that the funding should be by tax, requiring every citizen of legal voting age to pay an annual Federal tax, with no exceptions, which would be place in a fund that would be equally distributed to all candidates. No outside funds would be permitted, not even from the candidate's own pocket. Each candidate would be free to spend the funds as he/she chose, but once the funds were gone, that's it. Spend it all on the primaries, fine, but you're out of luck for the election cycle. Save it for the election cycle, and you may be lame during the primaries, but it's all up to you. That puts everyone on an even footing, and opens up elections to any citizen qualified...not just the uber-wealthy and connected. Additionally, any individual elected to any office is term limited to one six year term; then he/she goes home. No more career politicians, bought and paid for by multi-national corporations, unions, special interest groups, or rich individuals. That would also free them from fund raising (the average Congress person spends four to six hours a day raising money), and give them much more time to focus on the legitimate business of running the country. Since worrying about re-election is no longer a concern, they can vote their conscience, and not worry about offending donors. This system is, of course, not perfect, but I think something like this would go a long way to resolving a lot of the election problems we face.

Public funding of campaigns is the best of numerous dubious notions to include the present system which is more than dubious. I share your view in favor of public funding of political campaigns, which is the view of a minority of Americans.

The reason I passed over mentioning public funding of campaigns is that the vast majority of the public are adamantly opposed, and until that fierce and broad opposition can begin to be eroded, public funding of political campaigns is off the table and not even under the same roof. Americans overwhelmingly believe public funding to be unjustified welfare and a free handout to politicians to run for office and to get themselves elected.

Agreed, It obviously would take the corporate money out as well as other big money, which would be a major upgrade to the process and to the system. But the public see it as giving money to aspiring politicians to initiate or to further their careers.

Term limits have not worked out well either, and I anyway am opposed to term limits since Congress got rid of the seniority system in favor of electing committee chairmen and their other leaders regardless of longevity.

Unless and until we can bring public opinion radically around on this, public funding will remain very far out of reach.

As you know, the buck or so we can designate on our personal income tax filing each year to the presidential campaign fund doesn't come out of our individual tax filing. The government sets that money aside separately, which is public financing, but it's for president and the public in general doesn't see this in the same way as for every wannabe politician in the country that is on the hustle to get elected.

Strange but true.

Limited public funding campaign sounds good but what about Networks like FOX that run a 24/7 republican campaigns, posing as news, attacking the opposition?