heybruce

"The people of Taiwan are Chinese and when it benefits them to go with China they will go." I don't know anyone who has any problem with that outcome, if and when it happens. Provided Taiwan is allowed to choose freely.

I just scanned this topic. Has anyone tried to refute that Trump engaged in insurrection? You know, the topic of the topic? If so, I didn't see it.

It looks like you understand the finances and are researching to see if the situation is the best use of your money. I'm afraid I have no insight beyond the obvious ones I already mentioned. I do advise choosing carefully if you buy anywhere in Florida, and especially carefully considering a purchase in a flood zone or storm surge zone https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/203f772571cb48b1b8b50fdcc3272e2c. Most people in Florida live in one or both, though I'm not sure how many are aware of this. Florida has lax building standards and ridiculously high insurance rates. I'm sure the two are linked. Whether considering a condo or house check into what building standards, especially regarding hurricane resistance, were required at that time. I would be especially cautious about older condos, but for a house or condo near the beach I would abide by the Vegas rule: Don't bring in more than you can afford to lose. That's also good advice for life in Thailand.

If you buy the house with a home loan you won't be able to do this until you have built up enough equity in the house to make the reverse mortgage worthwhile. Unless you buy a house that shoots up in value right away it will take years for the equity to build. If you are considering paying cash for the house then using the reverse mortgage to live on while living in the house (and paying all maintenance, tax and insurance) it might work, but I'm sure there are better ways to invest the cash for a steady income. BTW: The bank issuing the reverse mortgage will insist that the house be insured, and Florida has the most expensive home insurance in the US. That's assuming you can find an insurer willing to insure your house.

No, I was comparing two areas in close proximity on Sukhumvit. I don't even know where the Islamic area is. I don't get to Bangkok that often. I was commenting on the difference between Nana in 2010 and Nana in 2022, the years of my last two visits to Bangkok.

What remains is nothing compared to what was there before. The old Nana area (I'm not limiting myself to the plaza) was far more of a prostitution zone than the current Soi Cowboy, which is also only a shadow of what it was. My point is that the area is just another tourist stop and no longer deserves to be described as "notorious".

Russia didn't want Ukraine, or any other country to join NATO. Many people stated that, sometimes with hyperbolic rhetoric. Did that justify the invasion? No! Let's address the question of why Ukraine and other neighbors of Russia want to join NATO. My theory is that Putin wants to recreate the Russian empire, in part to distract the Russian people from his corrupt and incompetent mismanagement of the Russian economy. These nations know that and know they need to join a defensive alliance to protect their borders and continued existence as independent nations. Do you have a better theory?

Are you acknowledging that the testimony is tainted? Is the other side paying hundreds of thousands for "expert witnesses"? Please provide proof.

What a surprise. "On Friday, Bartov revealed that he has made approximately $877,500 for his expert testimony in this case — charging $1,350 per hour for about 650 hours of work. When questioned by lawyers for the state of New York about who was paying him, Bartov replied that his bank statements showed some of the money was paid by the Trump Organization and some came from Trump's Save America PAC." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-expert-witnesses-billed-almost-900000-dollars-each-testifying-fraud-trial-new-york-city/

"the US after having led them into this" Some people refuse to acknowledge what everyone else knows: Putin started the war!

Russia invades a neighbor and you call it a US mess. Could you be any more obvious in your support for Russia?

I should note that the new redlight area is only a shadow of what Nana used to be.

Too bad. Hopefully Santitham won't suffer that fate.

I went to Bangkok for the first time since 2010 last year. All the old adult entertainment venues that once were on the SW side of Sukhumvit on soi Nana had moved to the NE side. Nana now has a Hooters and other relatively respectable businesses. Nothing like before, or what is on the other side of Sukhumvit. Edit: I did a little research. Stickman has been following the subject. It seems the land that the naughty places of the old soi Nana sat on was sold in 2014 and all the hooker places closed in the years that followed. https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/weekly-column/2014/09/the-future-of-nana-plaza/ Annies Massage, something of an institution, and other rent-a-friend places relocated to the new redlight area. https://www.anniesbangkok.com/faqs.html Nana is now just another tourist nightclub area. It no longer deserves to be called notorious.

There is a comparatively respectively Nana, and the sleazy part on the other side of Sukhumvit. Guess which side the tourist police picture was taken at.

Has Nimman become the new tourist hot spot, leaving the rest of the city with fewer?

So much BS in such a short article. "Thailand has expressed hopes that Myanmar can resolve its ongoing internal conflicts peacefully, said Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara. " "Parnpree emphasised that Thailand, as a neighbour of Myanmar, has been providing full support to facilitate the return of peace in the country."

No, then you have a mid-sized troublemaker like Iran.

Russia doesn't make the top ten in GDP. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)

There was nothing to negotiate. The law is clear, the records did not belong to Trump. He was asked to return them, didn't return them, and lied about possessing them. He broke the law. Why didn't Trump do what Joe Biden and Mike Pence did--immediately return the documents? Why didn't Trump obey the law?

So what? What law did Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, or Mike Pence violate? The law requires knowingly mishandling classified. Only Trump did that.

As I explained in the part of my post that you edited out, it is not necessary for the direct victim of fraud to complain for fraud to be investigated and prosecuted. Don't edit out my reply to your "name one person" nonsense then repeat the nonsense in your reply.

"The fact that documents were or were not returned is IRRELEVANT." You consider Trump's refusal to return the classified irrelevant? Wow!

What law are you referring to? Certainly not this one, which requires knowingly removing and retaining classified information: (a) Whoever, being an officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of the United States, and, by virtue of his office, employment, position, or contract, becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1924

I suspect banks often don't report being victims of fraud because of the reputational damage. However since banks are trusted with other peoples money and guaranteed with taxpayers money, there is no reason why fraud should not be investigated and prosecuted even if the bank kept quiet. How is Trump an opponent of the New York Attorney General? Is Trump considering running for that job?