jas007

I'm pretty sure they're now realizing that the "Big Bang" didn't happen exactly as advertised. It's not as if the entire matter of the universe was at one time condensed down to the size of a basketball and then blew up. It's something that happened everywhere, all at once. And the current universe could be but one of many. Or, the current universe could evolve in cycles. The most recent Webb telescope observations have discovered other universes, perhaps. Or galaxies apparently older than the current universe. It's upending traditional theory.

For sure, many people are brainwashed at an early age, nut not everyone. In any event, what do you say about the people who can recall past lives? People who can recall people they've never met, places they've never visited, all in perfect detail and all accurate. Or what about the time travelers? Some of those people tell stories that are pretty convincing.

Our bodies eventually turn to dust, but that's not to say that that's the end for our "soul" or whatever you want to call it. Cosmic consciousness of a sort. The universe itself may be conscious. Our bodies just temporary receptacles of a universal consciousness. Or perhaps, we''re just living in a simulation? Recent research into quantum physics suggests that could indeed be the case. In any event, there's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that time travel may be possible, that our souls are reborn into new bodies in new places, and so on. Anyway ever hear of the Stargate project? Remote viewing? How it all supposedly works?

And that's why silver is a good deal right now. There's only so much of it above ground, and only so much is mined every year. And it's not just for investment, it's used in industry. And for years, the price has been manipulated. One of these days, the true value will surface.

You guys used to live in NYC? I was there in the mid 70s. The heyday of craziness. You couldn't ask for a more crazy place to be. I lived down in the Village, back when rents were cheap. Or maybe they just seemed cheap? Anyway, you'd have to be there to appreciate it.

The problem with the funds is that when push comes to shove, they may not have the silver you think you were buying. If you read the fine print in the prospectus, they can cash you out instead of delivering silver. As for the "value." It may be much more than you think.

What's your time horizon? That can make all the difference. I remember buying 1oz gold coins in the early 90s for $300 or so. Easy to buy, easy to sell. It's been up and down ever since, but historically, it's a store of value and has been for thousands of years. My last purchases were five or six years ago. $1600? Something like that. The more money they print, the higher the price of gold. What's interesting at this point is the cryptos. And silver, of course.

I started watching Your Friends and Neighbors on Apple TV+ last night. I think I watched three episodes, and so far, it's pretty good.

It's just a TRO. Makes some sense, at this stage. A ruling on the merits will come later, but it looks like the administration's policy may be struck down be way of the first amendment. That may be a stretch, depending. What about the requested documentation? Was it provided as required?

I'm not sure they'd have enough money to pay me to go on one of those cruises. They do cost a small fortune, though. Back in the 70s, I knew a girl who worked for the company that booked around the world cruises on whatever Cunard ship was operating back then. As I recall, she said the top of the line tickets for the around the world cruise were $50,000. Something crazy. And when you think about all the inflation over the years, that was a lot of money at the time. I might look up what a similar ticket would cost today.

I was once in Phuket when one of the Cunard ships stopped by as part of an around the world cruise. That was years ago. Maybe the Queen Victoria? Anyway, the ship was huge. It looked nice, and I'm sure the people traveling that way were treated well, but for some reason, I can't stand the idea of a cruise, no matter how luxurious. I probably wouldn't do it, even if it was free. The only kind of cruise I might consider would be on a very small ship with a limited number of passengers.

Apparently, they provided some, but not all, of the requested information.

That may well be the question. As part of its regulated authority over the SEVP, the DHS has the authority to make requests for records or whatever as a condition of a school's keeping its SEVP certification. It's a published rule, so there's ample authority. The agency's enforcement mechanism is limited to the revocation of SEVP status. If a court is ever asked to review the revocation, the issue will be whether the agency acted in accordance with its statutory authority and was reasonable. If the action is deemed to be arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion, the agencies action might not be upheld for that reason. Otherwise, what DHS did will likely be upheld. One caveat: Recently, the Supreme Court did away with the Chevron Doctrine. Courts will no longer be required to defer to an agency's interpretation of an ambiguous statute or rule. In short, a court might see the agencies actions as arbitrary or capricious.

But this is a different set of circumstances. This is not about the Department of Education or any of its supposed threats to schools "targeted by the Trump administration." That may well have happened, but this is a different issue, I think. The State Department is responsible for issuing visas, including foreign student visas, and the Department of Homeland Security acting together with the Dept of State with respect to foreign students, set up a program called the SEVP. In order to obtain SEVP certification, the schools must keep a set of records: Standard SEVP Requirements for All Schools • SEVP-certified schools must generally: • Maintain accurate student records (enrollment, academic progress, attendance). • Report changes in student status to SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System). • Update the Form I-17 for material changes (like address or leadership changes). • Allow SEVP to conduct on-site reviews at any time. • Apply for recertification every two years. • Schools must comply with federal laws and regulations, and ensure their programs and operations meet SEVP standards. So, it appears as though the Trump administration was just asking for records the school was supposed to be maintaining. How is that a problem? I wonder if they have asked for similar records from other schools?

Complying with what, exactly? Are there are standards involved? Any regulations of guidelines? Sorry if I'm not up to speed on this. I haven't looked into it. It seems like the State Department may have just decided Harvard was allowing its students, including foreign students with visas, to terrorize other students. OK. Did 30 seconds of research. Apparently, schools that admit foreign students do so by was you a special program called the SEVP. This program has a set of requirements generally applicable to all schools that wish to admit foreign students on visas. Those rules are published. In the case of Harvard, the school was asked to provide all the documentation it had concerning the records kept and rule violations. Harvard has furnished some of the requested information, but not all of it. As a result, they were given a time window of 72 hours during which they could provide the requested information. They did not comply. So, maybe the US government was justified. We'll see. I'm sure the courts can rule however they want and invent a rationale for whatever they rule.

I'd hardly call it a "striking turn of events," and I would hardly call it a "surge." In any event, the dollar has been under a lot of pressure lately around the world. A geopolitical temper tantrum, primarily as a reaction to Trump's tariff proposals, coupled with concerns over mounting US debt and the effects of Trump's agenda. Here's a chart. A USDX level of 100 is deemed to be a critical level. A break below that level portends trouble. So the trajectory is down. For what it's worth, the US Fed isn't the only Central bank playing the money printing game. It's a race to the bottom, in terms of the world's fiat currencies.

But that's why there needs to be some sort of standard or guidelines applicable to all schools. Arbitrarily singling out Harvard might not hold up in the courts.

I haven't thought about it at all, but off the top of my head I could see how the courts might have a problem with this decision on Harvard unless there's a similar standard applied to all schools accepting foreign students.

As a general rule, it's better to rent than to own, as the saying goes. In any event, as others have said, the 30,000 can easily morph into a larger amount over time, in addition to whatever money you end up spending on her for whatever. New phone, new clothes, etc. Still, if you're the kind of guy who spends 30,000 or more every moth on entertainment, and if that amount is no big deal to you, then why not? You can always trade in for a newer model.

I've thought about doing the same thing, especially since housing costs are so reasonable in both places. So long as your condos are secure, just have two condos and go back and forth, depending. It's not that hard to do. Keep my O extension in Thailand active, and see how it goes in Vietnam.

I'm not going to read all the posts in this thread, but here's some advice: see a competent attorney. It should't cost too much and it's important, right?

News Flash: The sky is not falling. Or, whatever the problem, it has been a problem for years. The mainstream media wants so desperately to characterize a little bond market volatility as the end of the world. But really? Anyone with an IQ above room temperature has known the story for a long time. The Moody's downgrade? A political hit piece. No once cares. It's not news, except to the people who don't know what's what. Is trouble brewing in the bond market? Perhaps, but what else is new? More trouble ahead? Sure. But it's not the end of the world and it's no big secret that every central bank in the world is playing the same game. A race to the bottom. Lower interest rates, lower interest rates, lower interest rates. More money printing. The "solution" for every problem. And for what it's with, the US debt to GDP ratio is pretty much normal. What's the outcome? Short term, who knows, but I'm not losing any sleep over it all. Look for more inflation, a slowing economy, and a Fed that doesn't know what to do, but at the end of the day will cave in and protect the banks. They can't raise rates. The banks can't afford it.

Google Maps is a good source for honest reviews, as many of the reviews obviously come from tourists who may never be back again. They're probably not worried about posting what they think. For example, if I'm thinking about a particulate hotel, I always check the reviews. I sort from worst to best. And if the hotel has a problem, it'll likely be reported. Construction noise, poor location, cleanliness, etc. On the other hand, if there are hundreds of reviews and the great majority are great, then there's probably some truth to that. Ditto for restaurants.

I guess it got moved to another location for some reason, and now it may be closed, I think. It's too bad they don't have more bars like that around that area. Something different from the usual go go bars.

Some of these YouTube creators would be well advised to spend less time talking and more time listening to the videos they're reviewing. It's almost as if he thinks he needs to repeat everything that will be said.