RSD1

Even if that were truly Musk’s intention with his flawed DOGE program, and that it's not just another move for his own personal gain, it would still be impossible for him to take an unbiased approach to auditing government spending. He has an immediate and personal financial conflict of interest. At best, he can point fingers at the spending he personally doesn’t like, but he will inevitably ignore or downplay any scrutiny of the spending that benefits him, plus he will likely increase additional spending in his own favor. It's a wholesale fleecing and restocking of the swamp by Musk and the majority of the world already knows and accepts this truth.

He's not doing the right things. According to a Quinnipiac University survey released on January 29, the majority, 53% of registered voters disapprove of Musk taking a prominent role in Donald Trump's administration, while only 39% approve: https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/elon-musks-popularity-plummets-as-he-goes-full-maga-his-favorability-plunges-in-the-negative-zone-says-new-poll/articleshow/117984177.cms

Here’s a summary of just some of Elon Musk’s major U.S. government contracts related to SpaceX, highlighting the financial ties between Musk and the military-industrial complex: • National Security Space Launch (NSSL): $316 million+ (U.S. Space Force) • Human Landing System (Moon Lander): $2.89 billion (NASA) • Spy Satellite Network: $1.8 billion (National Reconnaissance Office) • Rocket Cargo Program: $102 million (U.S. Space Force) These contracts illustrate the deep and incestuous financial entanglement between Musk’s ventures and U.S. government funding.

The real travesty of government spending in the U.S. is the staggering waste and corruption within overpriced domestic contracts, particularly in the defense industry. Major U.S. defense contractors routinely charge the government absurdly inflated prices, sometimes 100 times the actual cost. A simple bolt that costs $1 to manufacture for a military aircraft might be billed at $100, or more. This isn’t a secret. The government knows it happens but does nothing to stop it. It’s a well-oiled system where big U.S. corporations siphon taxpayer money while making massive political donations to ensure nothing changes. Just another cog in the military industrial complex. In comparison, the U.S. spending on humanitarian aid abroad that everyone has become so focused on now is just a fraction of what gets washed and wasted through corporate overcharging. Cutting foreign aid on humanitarian programs won’t fix the real financial hemorrhaging within the U.S. government, it’s just an easy scapegoat to distract from the real issue. If Elon, the spastic jumping jellybean, truly wants to tackle government overspending and waste, he should focus on the rampant corruption involving major U.S. defense contractors and other large American corporations, including himself and his own greedy business enterprises. His companies have secured massive, overpriced contracts with the government, making him part of the very system siphoning money from the government, which he claims to oppose and appears to be trying to stop. What he’s doing now is mostly a distraction, a red herring being used to shift attention away from the fact that he, too, is profiting unjustly from taxpayer money. If he were serious about fixing the problem, he’d start by exposing and reforming the same corporate greed that benefits him and his own corrupt business enterprises.

The CBR300R that was first released in 2014 is not too dissimilar to the CBR250R that first appeared in 2011. The 300 was a replacement with only about 5 more horsepower and a bit more torque than the 250. More or less the same bike, but I think Honda decided that being able to market a 300cc bike would sell better than a 250cc bike. Truth be told, I think the 300cc bike only really has a 287cc engine. One could probably barely notice the difference between riding the 300 and the 250.

The power of the Hyabusa is of course impressive. Too heavy and poor maneuverability though. I know a guy who sadly went down on his right in his own Soi. He got quite badly banged up. Lots of damage to shoulders and neck. I'm not sure if he even ran into anything. He said he wasn't going fast and I think he just somehow lost control. The problem with that bike is if you go down, and it ends up on top of you, even at slow speed, it's not going to be a pretty picture.

I agree, except your not going to look so cool riding one of those bikes that has a design language that looks a bit like a hangover from the seventies.

I'm here for it bro.

I've already got 7, bits-n-bobs, how many does one need?

Yep, the CBR250R from the year of the great flood is a solid, reliable bike. As long as you change the oil every 4,000 kilometers, it seems like it will run forever with little to no issues. They’re probably only worth around 20K Baht now, but as you said; never to be sold. I have a friend with a pristine CBR650F, likely from around 2013, with fewer than 5,000 km on the clock. The bike looks brand new, he keeps it garaged, covered, and only takes it out a few times a year for short rides. He often talks about selling it since he rarely uses it, but I doubt he ever will. He keeps up with maintenance, changing the fluids and battery every couple of years, but I think he just enjoys knowing it’s there. Maybe if someone made him an irresistible offer, he’d consider it, but I have my doubts. It might seem like a waste for it to sit unused, but when someone truly loves something, practicality often takes a back seat.

bob, the only thing you know about motorbikes is to walk to the end of Soi 6 before the sun comes up, slip the bloke a ฿100 note and pray he gets you home on his 2-wheeled 100cc beater before mrs smith gets out the pruning shears and contemplates feeding parts of you to those noisy chickens in your backyard.

No, I much prefer a sport-touring riding position.

Sounds like you really know how to roll. Don't forget to put that inspiring little tidbit down on your PR application.

Single cylinder I believe and only about 25HP. Not enough power really.

About 60 people die in total everyday (over 20,0000 per year) on motorcycles throughout Thailand. Just last night I had a guy coming at me on his motorbike while I was driving along the same road as him. But he was driving in the wrong direction down a large, 4-lane wide, one-way city street. No helmet on him, he was also looking down at his phone, and it was dark/nighttime. Darwinism.

Weed before any pleasurable activity can enhance the experience; walking, speaking with friends, music, movies, food, even just spending time online. But not consuming cannabis before sex is an abomination. The physical sensory stimulation increases from weed exponentially. And until you try it, you can't comment on it.

There are quite a lot of used ones though on Facebook marketplace, recent years, with fairly low mileage and appear to be in excellent condition ranging from ฿100,000-฿140,000. No idea, though, if all of the listings are legit.

Yes, but it has the torque of a 600cc bike packed into a 250cc sized bike. Huge advantage for a place like Thailand. Nobody wants to be riding a big sized 650cc, four cylinder bike in the heat in Thailand on a daily unless you're a mad dog or an Englishman.

Thank you for correcting me. At 250K Baht that's a deal killer.

Can you imagine how the dope heads in Thailand must feel about the smelly, piss-drunk boozers causing lots of ruckus, getting loud, vomitting everywhere, getting into fights, drunk driving accidents, falling and passing out in public, and not to mention the smell of the empty cans and bottles everywhere. I'll bet the dope heads love it when they are trying to relax and quietly listen to Pink Floyd. Which are the drug tourists by the way?

I’ve been eyeing the CBR250RR for a while now, and although I haven’t had the chance to ride one yet, it seems like a solid option for a new daily banger. It’s got a decent amount of horsepower for a small bike, which should make it nimble and more maneuverable than a bigger bike in slow-moving traffic. Plus, its power output is almost double that of the original CBR250R from 2011, which is a big improvement. That said, the real question is: is it overpriced? Back when the CBR250R was released in Thailand, it was manufactured in Thailand and only around ฿100,000. Now, the latest CBR250RR is made in Malaysia and going for about ฿170,000 new. That seems like a steep price for a small, two-cylinder bike, especially when you can pick up a used CBR650F made in Thailand, with twice the cylinders and double the horsepower, in great condition with low miles for the same money. So, while the CBR250RR is undoubtedly a fun and capable bike, and a good size for Thailand in general, I can’t help but wonder if it’s really worth the premium price tag when bigger, more powerful options are available for the same cost.

Rewatching both Birdman and Roma. Both brilliant films:

Big TIME magazine article just out on Elon's takeover of the U.S. Govt. https://time.com/7213409/elon-musk-us-government-trump/ Quoting from the article: “No single private citizen, certainly not one whose wealth and web of businesses are directly subject to the oversight of federal authorities, has wielded such power over the machinery of the U.S. government,”

Change your address on your Wise account to your address in Thailand. Done. Or try to open up a Revolut account. Might be able to do the same transfer setup with them.