John Drake

Still won't let go of the insurance scam.

How much do they need to pay in order to be included in a green zone?

I want my $150 million in tax dollars back.

Yes, it's actually a fascinating story. The Military Times article makes it all come to life. And good to see credit going to the RTAF Museum. I haven't been there in about six years, but the people running it then were very pleasant, eager, and helpful. Lots of Vietnam era aircraft you can walk right up to or into. Old WW II aircraft used in Vietnam, such as a Douglas Skyraider. They had Ravens' Bird Dogs, a C123, and I even remember seeing a Spitfire parked out for exhibition. There is a lot of drama in this story and the OP doesn't do it justice.

Getting emotional is fine and well. For example, I'm absolutely thrilled with the notion that Putin has cancer and Xi has a brain aneurysm that he's stupid enough to treat with traditional Chinese medicine. I'll hop with joy the day these two dictators drop dead.

No, that is why China is dominating this region and pushing the US back to Pearl Harbor. The US may not care if it was humiliated but the other players in SE Asia saw it and will now react to it as the show of weakness it is.

The crash apparently is from 1944, two years after the Flying Tigers ceased operations. And Flying Tigers piloted P40s, not P38s, which is what this plane was.

Not yet identified. A much better, fuller coherent story available here: https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2022/05/18/thai-archival-find-may-resolve-fate-of-missing-wwii-us-pilot/#:~:text=U-TAPAO%2C Thailand — The,flood-threatened archives in Thailand.

What this story also demonstrates is just how fragile and vulnerable are countries such as Thailand who enjoy huge trade surpluses with the US. Remember this topic from a few days ago: Had it been China, instead of the US, who had been humiliated like that, I guarantee you would see all sorts of reciprocal "procedural processes" applied to Thai/Asean goods being exported to China (and Thailand has a huge trade deficit with China, almost as big as the trade surplus it enjoys with the US). But apparently this is the story of a small US manufacturer seeking anti-dumping justice in the US, while the solar installers want to keep importing cheap China/Asian made panels. So I'm guessing the US government will go against American interests again and likely side with Thais. Go ahead, kick sand in the face of the US, the government will only go to its knees and apologize for getting in the way of foreign competitors' sand castles.

If given a way out, would Putin then just reload, wait a couple of years, and try again? That is if he isn't dying of cancer.

Thailand publicly bragged for two or three years how it was going to bring Chinese companies to Thailand to evade US tariffs and sanctions. Meanwhile, it would be nice if this was an American "reply" to Thailand's pro Russian and pro Chinese "neutrality." But I doubt it.

It does conflict somewhat with the image of quality, high income tourists they've been rattling on about for the past two years.

Finally! A world leader at something!

Maybe the US and the Philippines should merge. Better than Mexico. I don't know who would get the worst end of the corruption stick.

At least they're "eying" it this time, instead of "mulling" it.

Yet Asean has that $140 billion trade surplus with the US, which, were I the US government, I would take away from selected Asean countries. I would use the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to peel away the Philippines and Singapore, which are the only Asean countries wanting to join. Push US investment and future trade only to those two countries, leaving the rest of Asean to wonder where its trade surplus went.

When I retired it wasn't to become a day trader with my eyes glued to the computer screen watching stocks go up and down all day long. Retirement usually implies a recognition of a limited number of years left to do things of value or that you've never had the opportunity to do before. That is how I imagine it. Not being obsessed by stocks, charts, money, and the latest utterance from Jay Powell. Of course, if you actually enjoy doing those things, take your fill. Personally, I couldn't think of a worse way to spend my years away from being tied to an employer or a business.

Ladyfern was the natural gas investment bust of the early 2000s. In an environment remarkably similar to today's, people rotated into oil and gas after the 2001 tech crash. Oil I believe briefly hit a low of $6 or $8/barrel. NG storage was low and their was a drilling crisis. Ladyfern with its trillion cubic ft of ng was the promised land, supposed to last 20 years. It played out in two or three. The point is that people threw money at oil and gas like they had at tech. Buyers got burned everywhere.

Ladyfern

Of course he's rich, successful and living the high life. He posts on Aseannow 24/7, doesn't he? Isn't that what you would do if you had millions like him, instead of traveling, yachting, going to fine restaurants, collecting rare art, peacefully overseeing your vast estates, sitting on the porch with a mint julep?

Thailand is not a friend. It shouldn't be considered an ally at any level. Any bilateral agreements maintaining that should be scrapped.

Asean countries enjoy an almost $140 billion trade surplus with the US. The US should immediately take measures to reverse that situation. But they'll never do so. Don't doubt for a moment that China would not retaliate were it humiliated diplomatically on the world stage like this. But the US will do nothing. Look at the tweets from the US Embassy in Thailand. Nothing but happy talk. Inept and weak. At the very least there should be an announcement from the US this afternoon explaining the need for extended safety inspections of all goods being imported into the US.

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I wonder how many other exchanges are about to do "maintenance?"

I remember all the "enjoy being poor" pumpers. Wonder where they are today? Jumping off buildings? Sitting in their garages with the garage door down and the car engine on?