jas007

I don't recall having a "motto." As for Biden? Not much need to waste any energy worrying about that nonsense. Biden didn't seem to be in charge of anything, though. Biden, Trump. Whoever is running the country is running the country and there's not much you can do about it. During an election cycle, that's a different matter. For example, why not voice an opinion about Harris or whoever? That's when it might matter.

She does seem rather gullible age times. I guess she took to heart some of the theories about Pope Francis, the Jesuits, and the Vatican, that the Devil himself had somehow gained a foothold, became the Pope, and was trying to destroy humanity. It gets weirder than that, but I'll stop there.

The restaurant is not actually on the beach. It's on Soi Saranchol. And the sidewalk is still all there. I guess you can't really tell that from the picture.

Criticize all you want. That's fine. Just don't think that criticism addresses the real issue. All you're doing is fantasizing about what could be or what should be. But the reality is that it is Trump and Xi who will settle this matter. Not you. Not me. Even if I agree with all your criticisms, how would that help? How does that change the fact situation?

You said "don't try to pin any of it" on Xi. Look above if you need to refresh your memory. You said I was engaging in "bothsidesism." If you want to call it that, fine. China does not come to the table with clean hands, regardless of Xi's pronouncements. Whether or not Xi has consistently stated that the tariffs are a bad idea, Trump's position has been taken in response to China's actions over the years. So it's reciprocal. It always has been, it always will be.

How does it work to America's advantage? Well, Trump so happens to be the sitting President. He's the one that's supposed to handle foreign policy, right? Or would you like to see him fail? Do you want America to fail? Like it or not, Trump is currently the president, and that's the reality. Usually, I try to confine myself to thinking about reality. I suppose I could make up a fantasy. We could all go to live in Never-Never Land and live happily ever after. If we're going to fantasize instead of dealing with reality, we might as well do it right.

So China is a perfect country and never cheats on anything? They never manipulate their currency, they never steal intellectual property, they've never reneged on a treaty or other international agreement? China is as much to blame as anyone.

That may be true for some, but I've run across a few that were only 21 and were fluent. You could close your eye and listen to them talk and you'd swear you were listening to a a college girl from a Big 10 university in the midwest.

It's probably the best insurance anyone here has available to them at any price. I've got the same coverage. Blue Cross/Blue Shield standard benefit plan. Code 104. Anyway, the insurance pretty much covers you anywhere in the world, and inpatient treatment is covered at 100% at preferred provider hospitals, with NO LIMIT. And there are no age restrictions. I could be 100 years old and still have the same coverage. And if you find yourself in an area with no preferred providers, you're still covered, but you may have to file a claim and wait for reimbursement. Even that can sometimes be fixed. I don't have a family, so my plan doesn't cost much. $424 a month this year? Something like that. I never see the money because they take it from my monthly pension along with taxes before I even see it. I also kept Medicare Part B, so I guess I pay that every month as well. Again, I never see the money so I never much think about it.

If I ever moved into the "real Thailand" parts of the country, I'm sure I would eventually pick it up. But I've never done that. No matter where I've stayed, it's always in the middle of a tourist area. And all the Thai people I usually come into contact with seem to know at least some English. Hotel desk clerks, condo receptionists, the people working the condo juristic office, Bolt drivers, the people in the convene stores and grocery stores, and so on. A little English works for me, as I'm probably not going to engage in any deep conversation with any of them anyway. So I never tried to learn much Thai. What was really surprising to me is how well some of the bar girls know English. No official English classes, but they do well. Sure, I know some Thai words, but if I start to talk Thai, then they might think I can actually converse in Thai, even though I can't. Maybe someday I'll try some Thai lessons.

Sooner or later, both Xi and Trump are going to come to the conclusion that the tariff nonsense is not good and has to stop. Will they admit that publicly? Probably not, but you can be sure a pathway to a deal will be found. My guess: Trump is all bravado at times, but no one really knows what he's thinking. That's a good thing and works to his advantage. But. he needs for this to end. As for Xi? He probably needs to make a deal even more than Trump does, and a way will be found for that to happen. My guess: China will agree to a set of terms that seems to satisfy Trump. After that, they'll go back to China and continue business as usual, as they always do. They have a recent history of doing just that, right? They'll agree to anything, and then return more or less to business as usual. Bottom line: a way will be found to end the standoff, as a cessation of trade between the US and China is in no one's interest.

Agreed. Maybe he's been so informed and has moved on at this point.

I don't pay Bloomberg a cent and I can look it up, click on that link, and read it just fine. And if you don't want to try that, here's the headline: China Warns Nations Not to Cut US Trade Deals at Its Expense Or, try this: https://www.reuters.com/world/china-opposes-any-deals-between-us-other-nations-its-expense-2025-04-21/

What do you call this, if not a threat to the Western nations? https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-21/china-warns-countries-not-to-cut-deals-with-us-at-its-expense?sref=eo0IIyEe&embedded-checkout=true

The fact is, they're talking to the Trump administration and they want to make a deal. Whether they actually sign one doesn't seem all that important. The intent is there. As for China's threats to the West? Sure, they can threaten all they want, but that's all they are. Threats. They can't possibly believe that they'll be taken seriously. Like I say, the threats are an act of desperation and suggest that China is at the end of its rope if idle threats is all they can come up with.

Yes another act of desperation by the Chinese. Do they seriously think they can threaten the entire Western World? Western leaders are already in talks with the Trump administration. They want to make a deal, and they'll get a deal. And slowly, China will be forced to negotiate. That's coming sooner than many people seem to think

You're right. It's called Sky Beach, I think. Anyway, it's near Wongamat Beach.

That's hardly the point, though. The discussion is about Signal and his use of it.

Supposedly, both Signal chats occurred around the same time. So, maybe he has now moved on to more secure forms of communication?

Those were two different days.

There's a new restaurant the recently opened up sort of across from the Star Beach Condo. On Soi Saranchol. Anyway, it looked interesting, so I thought I'd try it. So far, I've been there a few times. Not too bad for anyone looking for something new and different. The menu is hard to describe. Thai food, Western Food, and Fusion? food. Anyway, it's different. You can sit outside and watch the world go by, or if it's too hot, the inside is air conditioned. Hawaiian pizza. Not too. bad. And Tom Yum Goong spaghetti with shrimp. Nit noi spicy.

Supposedly, the JD Vance "meeting" with the Pope was just a photo op. Before that, the Pope sent someone else to lecture Vance on compassion. Anyway, and for what it's worth, the Jesuits have a long history of meddling in politics. And for a while, they were more or less banned from most of Europe for that reason. For anyone who's interested, there's a halfway decent movie about the Jesuits in New France when they were first building what later became Quebec. 1634. The movie is called Black Robe, and you can watch it all for free on YouTube. If nothing else, it has some beautiful scenery.

RIP. Strange timing, I guess. Easter weekend. The first Jesuit Pope. I had a Jesuit education back when most of the teachers at the school were actually Jesuits in black robes. At the time, it didn't seem like much fun, but in retrospect, I got an education few people today will ever receive. The number of Jesuits has dwindled, and most of the teachers at Jesuit schools are lay teachers. There was no such thing as a study hall at my school. Every hour was filled with a class of some sort. Non-stop education. Latin was mandatory, plus one other language. Math in all four years, through Calculus II. Sciences: chemistry, physics, biology. Public speaking. Religion, English literature. History. It was non-stop work. You weren't even allowed to talk in the hall between classes. By the time I got to college, it seemed like everything they were teaching I already knew. Or a lot of it.

Did I ever say that? Of course not. But the Bretton Woods agreement in 1944 really did establish the US dollar as the world reserve currency by establishing the dollar as central currency, pegged to gold at specific price, freely convertible between nations, and so on. The treaty really did mean something and really was signed by Britain and finally ratified by Britain in 1945 after an agreement was reached with the US concerning post war aid for their economy. Was the Pound Sterling still widely used at the time? Of course. You've quoted the numbers. And from 1944 forward, its use diminished until it eventually slipped into oblivion. What percentage of the world's reserves are today held as pounds? 4%? 5%?? The slow erosion was to be expected. Long term financing contracts were in place around the world and would continue for some time, and because of various political factors, not every country moved away from the pound at the same time. So it happened slowly. Anyway, if it makes you happy to pretend the Bretton Woods treaty didn't really establish what it established, I guess that's your prerogative. Just don't pretend that because the aggregate foreign reserves were still held in pounds in 1944 means anything other than that.

If you step back and look at the bigger picture, you can't argue the fact that the stock market is up hugely over the past decade or so. Much of that was because of money flowing into the US markets from abroad, and from all the money the Fed poured into the banking system during that same period, some of which made its way into the stock and bond markets. As a result, stock are massively overvalued and will at some point revert to a more normal level consistent with all the usual factors: Interest rates, investments from abroad, geopolitical considerations, and so on. A correction would be entirely normal and should be expected. And so far, that's what we've seen. A correction. Can things deteriorate from here? Absolutely, but even if stocks were cut in half, they would still be up massively over the last decade or so. It's all normal market behavior and can hardly be blamed entirely on Trump. Unless some of you think current valuations are justified? Maybe they are, considering there Fed put and the massive inflation and corresponding interest rate cuts we'll be seeing soon. These levels may someday seem cheap. Of course, some day a Big Mac may cost $299.95 s the dollar is destroyed.