jas007

I'm on the side of not having WWIII and its consequences.

I'm certainly not going to watch a video that's over an hour long, and I certainly don't need to. The title tells me everything I need to know: you miss the point. You just don't get it. Maybe you're the victim of Western propaganda? In any event, to even discuss propaganda misses the mark. Is there propaganda at use in the world? Of course, Russian propaganda, Western propaganda, Chinese propaganda, and so on. But how does knowing that solve the problem? You seem to be of the belief that anyone advocating for an end of the war is somehow a victim of Russian propaganda. Russia spreads propaganda, and therefore let's start WWIII and put an end to humanity as we know it? Do I have that right? The real issue isn't Russian propaganda or any other type of propaganda. We're past that point, perhaps, and on a collision course with big trouble. And there's only one way to win the game. Don't play. In any other scenario, we all lose. Do you not understand why that's the case?

Since when is the world a fair place? We aren't living in a fairy tale. In the real world, the usual suspects are madmen, desperately trying to start WWIII and apparently oblivious to what that would mean. And I assure you, the outcome would not be "fair" to any human being alive today. And as I've said, Ukraine is not calling the shots.

Everyone should know this. And by now everyone should know who is calling the shots, so to speak. It isn't Zelensky and it doesn't seem to be Trump, who may well be out of the loop. Blame the usual suspects. Anyway, none of it bodes well for the people of Ukraine. I haven't looked at the news in the last hour or so, so for all I know, they may all be crispy critters by now. We're now in a phase where the only relevant news cycle lasts for about 24 hours. Information more than a day old? Not so relevant. Perhaps Putin will show some restraint. Otherwise, the Neocon warmongers win, they get the WWIII they're so desperately trying to start, and that will be the end of the world as we know it. Sooner or later, that's where this is going, unless the war stops now. Shutting down Starlink would certainly stop the drone attacks.

For anyone who hasn't seen it, The World of Suzie Wong is on YouTube for free.

I'm pretty sure that's mot such an unusual occurrence. I think it happened to me in Thailand. I went through all the usual checks when I first entered the security zone, and then, at the departure gate, they did it again. The second time, they found a nail clipper in my shaving kit and confiscated it. I guess It was "dangerous."

That's what's so great about Wall Street, lately. They get hysterical every time Trump makes a move, even though the hysteria is not really warranted. It never fails. And it's a good way to make money. Just BTFD, as the saying goes.

All of this nonsense is headed for the US Supreme Court. It should be fun to watch. Of course, the Senate has always had the opportunity to weigh in, and so far, they have declined to do so. That's probably what should happen, though. At that point, the legality of it all would be settled. There's nothing illegal about tariffs, the only question is whether Trump has that authority under the emergency authorization. The trade court thought he did not.

I've been making lots of money lately, not because of any TACO trade, but because of all the volatility. And Trump is a good cause of volatility. So between that and the Fed Put, it's easy. When the markets freak out, you buy your favorite stocks. Even more than usual. So you're doubling gone on stocks and winning, complements of all the Wall Street fools who seem to believe everything that Trump says or does. It's a great game. Just do the opposite.

Of course.

If I'm not mistaken, one of the apps I have on my Apple TV is Russia Today. Anyway, with the advent of VPNs, people can watch whatever they want, right?

One of my best friends built high dollar custom homes. And he's had water problems in his own home that he can't seem to rectify. When I was a kid, I used to live tight next door. Similar problems, once in a while. Water can seemingly seep in from anywhere, and it's hard to track down where it's coming from. My last house had roof issues, and the cost of a new roof was around $125,000. And even at that, I might still have problems.

Only 100? Has the world firefly population suffered a serious decline? I can remember as a kid going out and catching the things in a jar. I forget why we were doing that, other than for fun. There must have been thousands of the them, flying around. Maybe more than that. Millions? I'll have to look it up. But if you only see 100, that's crazy.

And what, exactly, was your "argument"? Or your post? Explain for the Peanut Gallery.

Wow. Off the top of my head, I'd say that unless you're getting this place for almost nothing, pass on it. And even then, I'd pass on it. Water leaks can come from just about anywhere. And you can spend the rest of your life trying to fix something that can't easily be fixed.

Correctamundo, as the saying goes.

And yet he seems to be on the right track. It's one thing to be a kid. It's something else again to be a grown adult still hanging around a university because you can't hack it in the real world. I've been to more school than I care to admit. But one thing I'm sure of: the adjunct professors from the real world taught me more than any tenured professor from the elite schools. I've had both, and it's not even a close contest. It used to drive me nuts, though. From the real world professors, I'd get one of the highest grades in the class. From the Ivory League professors, not so much. Whatever. I survived. My father used to teach, when he wasn't busy being one of the best in the world at what he did. I've seen it all from the inside. And unless your idea of success is to hang around a university and never leave, then maybe you're the one that needs more education?

Question: is it unusual for the same condo to be listed with multiple agents? Or is that fairly typical? I'm in the process of moving, and when I see a condo online that I like, I do a quick search, just to see what I can find. And sometimes, I see the same condo listed with several agencies. Maybe some of those are just old listings, but I'm not sure. And the funny thing is, the same condo can be one price with one agency, and another price with another agency.

Does your Air B&B agreement not specify what electric rate is being charged? In any event, and for what it's worth, I'm in a 42 sq. meter condo in the Pattaya area, and, except for one day when my aircon unit was being cleaned, it has been turned on 24/7 for almost the last three years. I set it at 25 C and forget it. Always on. And the bills have ranged from 1600 baht a month to around 3300 baht a month. Your bill seems excessive, unless you had all your windows open and were trying to cool down your section of Bangkok.

Technically, you're right. The 1st amendment applies in the USA. But so, too, does the right of America to determine who visits and who doesn't. A fairly simple construct.

I don't know about teenagers these days, but when I was 15 1/2 back in the USA, in my state you could rent a motorbike, no questions asked. They were Honda 50cc, but enough to get you killed. And back then, for all practical purposes, I was an idiot. I had no understanding, whatever, of what would happen if I had a wreck. We had no helmets. Just idiot kids trying to be daredevils. I'm lucky to be here today.

How to avoid health insurance? Don't buy it. If you have the type of visa that doesn't require it, then you're all set. Just don't get sick. That means staying healthy. Eating right. And good genes. Accident insurance probably isn't a bad idea, though. In case some motorcycle runs you over.

In any event, NYU is the better school. It's right in the middle of Greenwhich Village and has world class teachers from the real world. People who actually experience reality. And as far as NYC goes, living there is one of the best educations a kid could receive. Harvard is a bunch of Ivory Tower idiots that couldn't make it in the real world, and so they became professors. I've been lucky. I've had teachers from NYU, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, the University of Chicago, and so on. Back in the day when those were real schools. Baron Trump made the right decision.

I'm not going to read through this thread, but this sounds like a good idea to me. Punish the regimes that stifle free speech. I can think of a few good examples. It's too bad for the average tourists, who have nothing to do with the nonsense, but maybe their leaders will wake up and see the light? Doubtful, but why not try?

I still remember back when the Hunt brothers tried to corner the market. Was it gold or silver? Whichever it was, it worked, until it didn't. It was fun while it lasted, though.