Evil Penevil

Majoe

The population of the Gaza Strip will grow about 1.0% in 2024, according to the Palestinian Central Statistics Bureau. "Based on the data, the estimated growth rate in Gaza Strip for 2023 will decrease from about 2.7%, according to PCBS estimates for 2023, to only about 1% during 2024," the PCBS stated. https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/portals/_pcbs/PressRelease/Press_En_WPD2024E.pdf It's difficult to claim genocide is taking place when the population is still growing., even if the growth rate has slowed significantly. Palestinians SHOULD have gone to the Arab state which would have been created by the U.N. plan for the partition of Mandatory Palestine. However, the Arab League and the Palestinian leadership rejected the U.N. plan because they wanted ALL of Mandatory Palestine. Arab armies invaded Israel with the goal of pushing the Jews into the sea, but got their ass*s whipped by the newly formed Israel Defense Forces. Through its victories on the battlefield, Israel was able to take over 78% of the land that had been Mandatory Palestine. Arabs who hadn't already fled Israel did so at that point, retreating to the areas of thr former Mandate controlled by (Trans)Jordan, Egypt or another country. Palestinians are generic Arabs. No differences in language, culture and religion seperated the Arabs who lived in the former Mandatory Palestine from those in Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Iraq. There were some cultural differences between Palestinians and Arabs in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Yemen, but nothing that would prevent them from integrating into those areas. Palestinians had plenty of places to go when they lost Israel. A chart from the PCSB (same link as above) shows the distribution of Palestinians. The category "1948 Territory" refers to Arab citizens of Israel. And long before Oct 7. Pogroms by Arabs against Jews in Palestine in the modern era go back to 1920-21. Very serious attacks took place in 1929 and waves of attacks occurred between 1936 and 1939. Anti-Jewish Violence in Pre-State Palestine/1929 Massacres "Arab violence against Jews is often alleged to have begun with the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 or as a result of Israel’s capture in 1967 of territories occupied by Jordan. But even before the Mandate for Palestine was assigned to Great Britain by the Allies at the San Remo Conference (April 1920) and endorsed by the League of Nations (July 1922), Palestinian Arabs were carrying out organized attacks against Jewish communities in Palestine." https://www.camera.org/article/anti-jewish-violence-in-pre-state-palestine-1929-massacres/ It's important to note that before the U.N. awarded territory to the Jewish state, early Zionists (pre-1948) bought all the land they occupied. None of it was "stolen." The Muslim Arab opposition to Jews in Palestine was based on pure religious hatred.

Halloween

Pumpkin

Odor

Down

I just completed this quiz. My Score 50/100 My Time 208 seconds  

Anyone who criticizes Israeli government policy is NOT automatically called antisemitic. Millions of Jews inside and outside Israel have protested against Netanyahu and they are certainly not antisemites, nor have they been labeled so. Take a look at this link: 2024 Israeli protests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Israeli_protests The same is true for non-Jews who protest Israeli gvernment policy. They are NOT always called antisemitic. However, some who do protest against Israel are indeed antisemitic and the accusations of antisemitism are true. Old-fashioned raw antisemitism can masquerade as anti-Zionism and it's entirely right to denounce it as such. Where does the line go between anti-Zionism and antisemitism? Basically, if opponents of Israel use "Zionist" as synonym for "Jew," then it's antisemitism. Holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government is a modern version of the oldest expression of antisemitism, blaming all Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus. This also goes to the heart of the whistleblower's complaints against the BCC. Jewish employees were being harassed because of what is happening in Gaza, although those employees have no influence or direct involvement in the Israeli government's policy. Updating other common antisemitic tropes, such as Jews control governments, international finance, the media, etc. is also antisemitic. The overriding claim that a a small group of Jews wields undue influence is central to antisemitism. It may be unintentional, but several of @pacovl46's comments are troubling: He apparently supports some heavy-duty retributuion against Israel and its citizens. So I have to ask @pacovl46: are you referring to the elimination of the state of Israel and the dispersal of its citizens? What will happen if Israel gets it "big time?" He is positing a plot by Jews to fulfill a hidden agenda he calls "the Israeli big picture." That's classic antisemitism, straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Protocols-of-the-Elders-of-Zion The existence of a homeland for the world's Jews is what is "provoking and antagonizing" Hamas and other terrorist groups. Through the years, Israel has taken the steps necessary to defend itself and that has had unfortunate consequences for Palestinians. But to blame Israel for the attacks against its citizens is again classic antisemitism. For a widely used and respected definition of antisemitism, check out the International Holocaust Rememrance Alliance page: https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism

Comic

Dual pricing is by no means unique to Thailand. It occurs in the U.S. and just about every other country with tourists. The big difference between U.S. and Thai dual pricing is that in the U.S., it's based on local residency rather than nationality. It's illegal in the U.S. to give discounts or other favorable treatment solely on the basis of race or nationality, but it's OK to give discounts based on residency. It's a more common practice in the U.S. than many realize. The neighborhood in which I lived in New York City was visited every day by thousands of tourists as well as tens of thousands of commuters who worked in the area. Full-time local residents with apartments or rented rooms within in the area were given considerable discounts (10% at grocery stores, 20% or more at bars, restaurants, shops and services like hairdressing and dry cleaning). Residents got a discount card from the management of the buildings where we lived. That way the local businesses could charge "outsiders" higher prices while full-time locals paid less. Here's another example from a road trip I took. The Chesapeake Expressway is a stretch of highway of only 16 miles and I paid $8.00 to use it, over 10 times more than a local resident would pay. Only residents of the state of Virginia with a Virginia driver's license are eligible for the discount member rate. The state cranks up the rate on weekends because thousands of tourists use the Chesapeake Expressway on their way to a major U.S. tourist destination, the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Non-U.S. citizens who live in Virginia can get the Expressway discount and the same applied to the "resident discount cards" in NYC neighborhoods. It's a common practice everywhere in the U.S. with major tourist attractions. When I was a child, my family lived close to a U.S. national park. Local residences got free admission to the park. I believe Thailand should give foreign residents who work and pay taxes in Thailand the same price as Thais, but I don't think it is a big problem and certainly not racism.

Sale

In an Opinion piece, the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal does a good job of brushing off the Amnesty International report. Basically, the WSJ says Amnesty had to change the definition of genocie to make the accusation fit. https://www.wsj.com/opinion/amnesty-international-report-israel-genocide-hamas-gaza-811acf05?page The Propaganda War on Israel Never Stops Amnesty International lends its once-good name to the genocide lie. From the people who brought you “Israeli apartheid” comes another trendy smear: “Israeli genocide.” With a new report Wednesday night, Amnesty International assures its good standing in the anti-Israel herd. The price is to swallow an inversion of reality.

Man

Discombobulated

I'm going to be giving lumps of coal to all the bad guys who go to Pattaya.

Captain Obvious says: Because the "little people" don't agree with your take on the situation. Stockholm Syndrome has nothing to do with voting in elections. In fact, if you read the Wiki entry to which you linked, Stockholm Syndrome may not even be a real syndrome. Basically, the response by the hostages in Sweden in 1973 was very specific to the situation in the Stockholm bank and has rarely been observed elsewhere since then.

Noodles

@placnx What sources do you consider to be reliable on the Israel-Hamas conflict? What sources do you use to get your information? Please name any mainstream or alternate media; international organizations (official or NGO); think tanks; professors and other experts; government spokeman or any other source of information on the conflict you feel is reliable. Do you believe that the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran are more truthful than Netanyahu?

The response by both the Korean Parliament and the public to the attempt to impose martial law is very encouraging. They beat back the attempt and hopefully Yoon will face impeachment. It seems the democratic spirit has established itself well in the minds of South Koreans.

Ship

IDF troops are known for unconventional fighting methods but I imagine both styles of fighting ties would be outside their experience.

South Korea president backs down from martial law order after MPs vote to block it https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et

I don't know why it's so hard for some to grasp that Pattaya can flourish as both a family destination and an "adult oriented" Paradise. The bar and commercial sex scene is there for those who wantt it but is easily avoided by those who don't. I know numerous families with children of all ages who have had great family vacations in Pattaya and avoided the commercial sex side of the city. With a bit of research and planning, it's totally possible. My British niece, her husband and two children (boy 10, girl 7 at the time) visited me in Pattaya some years ago. On my advice. they stayed at the Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort on Wong Amat Beach in NaKlua. The resort has its own waterpark and private stretch of beach as well as a huge Kids' Club with a ton of activities for children from 8.00 a.m. until 6 p.m. Aside from a trip to Paris Disneyland, they thought Pattaya was the best family vacation they ever had. The kids never saw anything sleazy and the little girl cried when it was time to check out of the resort because she liked it so much. The family did most of their sightseeing during the morning or early afternoon, before most of the commercial sex businesses get going. They used car service to get around and there was nothing sleazy for the kids to see. Of course they avoided WS, LK Metro and above all, Soi 6. They never ventured out with the kids after dark. My niece said they'd seen far more inappropriate behavior on trips to Spain and Greece than in Pattaya. Drunk chavs and chavettes are far worse than bar girls. There's plenty for families to do in and around Pattaya. The Russians don't seem to mind pushing kids in strollers down WS or Soi 6 and that's up to them. But for the families that want to avoid any glimpse of the sex scene, it's easily enough done.

That's a myth. Pattaya was never an R & R destination for U.S. military personnel during the Vietnam War. Bangkok was, but not Pattaya. Very, very few U.S. R & Rers ever made the trip to Pattaya becauswe it was indeed a "sleepy fishing village" at the time. It had only two hotels and a handful of bars and restaurants. Even the USAF troops stationed at U Tapao didn't visit Pattaya much. They had a shack bar areas, first Kilo Sip, then Newland, closer to the base. Charter tourist groups, mainly from Germany and Scandinavia, spurred Pattaya's development as a tourist destination in the early 1970s, with the P4P angle coming a few years later. Remember, the first go go bar in Pattaya didn't open until 1978. The R & Rntroops had an enormous effect on Bangkok's commercial sex scene, but not Pattaya's.

"Fake" is an inappropriate word in this case. It's a false accusation of genocide. Pro-Palestinians are equating a large number of civilian deaths with genocide and that's just wrong. According to the definition of genocide used by the U.N. in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the intent mof genocide is "to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group." See Article II at https://www.un.org/en/genocide-prevention/1948-convention Israel's intent is not to eliminate the Palestinian people but Hamas as a terrorist organization. A large number of civilians have died in Gaza because Hamas used them as human shields to protect its tunnel system and other military targets. The situation is akin to the civilian deaths caused by Allied aerial bombing in Germany and Japanduring WWII. An estimated 100,000 civilians were killed in the fire bombing of Tokyo, while over 100,00 civilians immediately died from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Dresden fire bombing killed at least 25,000 civilians and the bombing of Hamburg about 43,000. Tens of thousands of other civilians died in the bombing of other cities in Japan and Germany. Why would the Israel bombing of civilians in Gaza be considered genocide when the Allied bombing of German and Japan isn't?