jas007

The trend dates back years and was shortsighted, in retrospect, but was just what the Globalists wanted. The big multinational companies cashed in on the cheap overseas labor, and in the process eroded the USA manufacturing base, setting the stage for the borrow and spend binge that has now reached its endpoint. Enter the authoritarian New World Order where we all eat bugs, own nothing, and will be happy. Or so they thought. Fortunately, Trump arrived. With any luck, he can reverse the trend or at least set it back for years.

It's difficult to find consumer products made in the USA. But there are some. Benchmark Audio and McIntosh Audio, both made in New York State.. Magnepan speakers, from Minnesota.. Some of the small electronic parts may be sorted internationally. Those are just a few examples. Where do they make Wrangler jeans? Lee jeans? I think one of those companies still manufactures in the USA. Ditto for some of the car tire companies. Of course, they make some wines in the USA, as well as some hard liquor. The US still has somewhat of a manufacturing base, especially to supply the auto industry. For example, I have two cousins who have a manufacturing facility in New York State. They employ hundreds of people and have customers all over the world. Mainly in the USA, though.

Yep. It's a Iong story, but I thought I had a diabetes problem, so I want on a carnivore diet. I went from around 81 kilos down to 69 kilos, whatever that is in pounds. I'm 5'10" or 5'11". Anyway, if you cut out the carbs, your body will eventually turn to stored fat. You can burn through that in no time.

It's not just Thailand. It's happening all over the developed world. Have you seen the beach pictures of the USA in the 70s with not a fat person in sight? For contrast they'l post a picture of people at the beach in 2024. The difference is astounding. Of course, it's the food industry and the drug industry. They make money from fat, unhealthy people.

That's not typical, but it can happen. Usually, if they can't find a driver, your order will be cancelled after about 20 minutes. Or sometimes, a driver will accept the order but will be delivering multiple orders on the same delivery, and it'll take a long time. Part of it may depend on which restaurant you order from. Some seem to have drivers waiting around. Others, maybe not. Just a while ago, I ordered from Robin Hood. As soon as I submitted the order, I got a message back."Your order is in the kitchen." So they had someone sitting around waiting for an order. I think it was finally delivered about 45 minutes later.

OK. I'll mark my calendar. Part of me hopes Trump actually puts his plans in place. But the other part of me knows those plans will be blocked, one way or the pother, and that's the real danger. As I've said, business as usual is not a solution, so you had better hope Trump succeeds. And I'm not parroting Fox rhetoric. I don't usually even watch it, except once in a while when snippets appear on YouTube. I do, however, have a pretty good grip on politics and economics and the big macro picture.

Do you really believe all that? How does robbing "those who can least afford it" fix the economic system? The billionaires don't need tax breaks, and even if you took all their money, nothing would be "fixed." The system is broken and has been broken for a long time. There's no free lunch. The simple fact is this: the country cannot continue to operate on a "business as usual" track. Borrow and spend is not the answer. Deficits do matter. The country is over 35 trillion dollars in debt. Interest rates are rising and the debt is going exponential. Something has to change. More taxes are not the answer. One of two things needs to happen, long term: the country must spend less than it produces, or, it needs to produce more than it spends. All those jobs that the globalists were so eager to export need to come back to America. The's part of what Trump is trying to do with tariffs. Perhaps some of hose jobs will return. Or would you rather see America, the newest Third World country? Currently, much of the current government spending is non-discretionary. Social Security and Medicare, for example. I should probably just stop. Some people are too brainwashed by Democrat talking points to understand.

I'm willing to bet the damage may have already been done. If there's a crash coming, it's already baked into the cake, so to speak. As for Trump and his economic policies? They might just help. Or, in a worst case scenario, they can't hurt, as the damage has been done. It took forty years, but the country is now on the verge of bankruptcy. Blame both political parties. Blame the Fed. Blame Nixon and the fact that the gold window was closed in 1971. I don't however, see a complete shutdown of the system. It can be fixed. My current operating assumption is that everything will be OK for those who can ride out the next year or two, assuming the war mongers don't end the world with a global thermonuclear war.

Sure. I was just responding to the assertion that "Billions being pumped into all these AI companies and none of them are making any money." Anyway, everyone should know how the markets work. They go up, they go down. The business cycle is always there. So, when there's a draw down in the markets, there will be opportunities. The people who will be hurt in the coming months are those who are highly leveraged and who are playing with money they can't really afford to lose. Or people who are playing with money they might need six months from now.

It really does look like Trump won't be worried about inflation, and that will be a big problem for a lot of people who already can't make ends meet. Tax cuts and tariffs may well equal more money printing and more inflation. Perhaps a recession will damper some of the inflation? And AI will, over time, make for cheaper products. I think people will just have to wait and see what happens. Don't forget the bond market vigilantes.

Palantir is making money. Tesla is making money. And they've both been making me lots of money. And while Tesla is is viewed mainly as a car company, a large portion of its current valuation is premised on its future in robotics and Full Scale Driving, both of which will come to fruition sooner rather than later and both of which are plays on AI. At this point, you might as well view Tesla as an AI company that happens to make cars. As for Palantir? Some say it's not technically an AI company, and that's fine. but let's just say its software will be crucial to any company moving into the AI space. Ditto for the plans to streamline the government. Trump will be in office in a few weeks, and you can bet the D.O.G.E. people will make every effort to streamline the government and the military, in particular, using software developed by Palantir. It's just a matter of time. And that's why we're seeing the crazy Palantir valuations. Anyway, the AI thing is in its very early stages and can't be stopped. Companies that don't adopt it will be losers. It's just that simple. So, sooner or later, the AI industry will begin generate profits for more of these companies. Not all will go out of business. Is the market currently over-extended? Sure. Everyone knows that. But artificial intelligence isn't the the same as the dot.com thing. We all know how that ended for some companies. And yet some did survive. Amazon, for example.

In partial agreement, but I think the whole Trump thing adds a new dimension that might just change the typical course of events. Of course, Trump probably won't be able to accomplish all that he's promised. Politics doesn't work that way ands congress is already balking at some of his proposals. Plus, Biden has deliberately created stumbling blocks on his way out the door. Bottom line: even if Trump is only partially successful, people looking for a near term stock market crash might be disappointed. If Trump gets his tax cuts, is able to cut unnecessary spending, abolish worthless agencies, and cut back on the regulatory environment, business might just boom for a few years, at least. The consumer will be hurt, but in Trump's mind, that's a necessary part of the process. The country cannot afford business as usual and he has a mandate for change. I won't speculate about Canada, Greenland, ands Trump's stated desire to reacquire the. Panama Canal and I'm also assuming the warmongers won't succeed in their desire to incite WW III.

I still remember that year. For the Christmas holiday I was either going to go to Phuket or go and visit my father for a few weeks. For some reason, I decided to go visit my father. And that's probably the only reason I'm alive today. The hotel I usually stay at, The Tropica Bungalow, was more or less wiped off the face of the earth that day,

I'm in Pattaya and I recently had my air conditioner serviced. Three guys showed up and worked for 2 1/2 hours. They took the whole thing apart and cleaned everything. Total cost: 2200 baht. That's about $65 US dollars. In the USA, it could have cost 10X as much.

America? It can be a great place, but it can also be terrible, depending. Earlier today, for kicks, I did some USA real estate research. The real estate market has yet to crash. Current prices are insanity. And even if someone gave you a house, it would still be a money pit. Rising property taxes in many areas. Rising insurance rates. And then there's the maintenance and all the other costs associated with living in America, which usually requires a car, auto insurance, and high prices for just about everything else these days, including food. Not a good scenario for the typical retiree. In Thailand, my total overhead is so cheap it almost qualifies as pocket change. My other money stays in America, for the most part, and I invest it. And I can leave here any time I want. No major obstacles. I'm good right here, but I don't "hate" America. Maybe the new president can put it back on the right course.

The first thing I'd do would be to talk to a doctor. A specialist.

Anyone remember Soi Eric? That could be a fun place, and they had a good Italian restaurant at the back of the complex.

Whatever kind of speakers you have, the manufacturer probably has some stands custom made for those speakers. Why not check their website and see? Maybe if they do, they'll have specifications or a template. I'm sure I've seen speaker stands online custom made for different brands and models.

Don't we all spend our days thinking about things? Even when we're asleep, we dream. I suppose at some point a person may have a mental disorder, but to assume that's the case just because a person't mind is always working is a bit much.

I guess this sort of qualifies as a "scam": The very first time I traveled to Thailand, 24 years ago, I stayed in Bangkok two nights and then headed to Phuket. I didn't have any hotel reservations, just some names of some places I wanted to look at in Patong Beach. At the Phuket airport, I decided to get a ride from some taxi driver that was standing around, waiting for a customer. I forget what the fare was, but it seemed reasonable at the time, Anyway, on the trip to Patong Beach, he asked me where I was staying and so on, and I made the mistake of telling him where I wanted to go and that I didn't have a reservation. A little bit later, on the way, he pulled into some little travel office, went inside, and then came out and told me that the hotels I wanted to go to were all "full." That sounded fishy, because it was April. But he had an alternative and refused to continue the trip unless I booked a room at the hotel he was recommending. I'm sure he was getting a cut. I finally bought a few nights, just to get out of there. As it turned out, the place was OK, and I ended up staying there almost a month. Back then, I didn't have a phone in Thailand, so I was trapped into the deal. Today, they have official taxis at the airport, or mini buses, so things are probably better.

Where I'm at, there are definitely more Russians around beginning in November or so and continuing through April, but they all seem very polite and civilized. No noise, no loud parties, no slamming doors. Just more people around. The pool is more crowded than usual, but nothing objectionable. The condo has a guard at the beachside access, a guardhouse at the entrance, and CCTV cameras everywhere that are monitored 24/7. To get in the door of the buildings, there's facial recognition software, and you can't go anywhere in the elevator without an access card, and even then, you can you go to your floor or to the floors with the gym, sauna, and tennis courts. People don't get in here unless they belong, and in order to register for facial recognition, they need to bring a lease to the Juristic office and provide a picture. In short, it''s fairly quiet around here, notwithstanding the high season.

If Dr. Jamnadas is trying to hard sell anyone by way of his videos, I don't remember that. Anyway, you can surely watch his channel and all his YouTube videos for free. And he does know what he's talking about. Absolutely. Some of his advice may be hard to follow for some people, but if people pay attention, listen to what he says, and make an honest effort to control what they put into their mouth and when, they might just fix whatever problem they have. And one thing I found interesting is that the process of insulin resistance can start years before any problem shows up on an A1C blood test. There are other tests that are more accurate in detecting insulin resistance early, before it becomes a real problem.

For anyone interested in diabetes, pre-diabetes, and cardiac health, this cardiologist from Florida has some excellent podcasts and videos covering a wide range of subjects. I watched a lot of them one time when I thought I had the problem. Anyway, he really does know what he's talking about.

I'm currently at Wongamat Beach, but every once in a white I think about moving to Bangkok, just for a change. On the other hand, every time I go up there and spend a week, it's really nice to finally get back here. Much less hectic and I can always go up there any time I want. That was my original plan when I came to Thailand this time. Find a small condo as a base of operations, and then travel around wherever. That' still best for me, I think..

Just a guess, but if China is slowing down, doesn't that affect the Australian mining industry? Less demand for Australian dollars, perhaps?