Purdey

U.S. goods account for approximately 7% of Thailand's total imports. 18% of Thai exports go to the U.S. The countries are very different in population size, so of course the USA needs more imports than Thailand.

I watched a video of Republican president Ronald Reagan talking about tariffs. He seemed concerned about possible negative effects over the long term.

How do tariffs help when the government needs to pay interest on $7.9 trillion on foreign held treasuries? Any money it makes or saves has to be paid to foreign debt holders, surely?

In principle, candor ought to be the standard modus operandi of government operations. However, if a government officer is caught lying, isn't that covered by other laws? Lying in court, it is called perjury. The Misconduct in Public Office offence, is a common law offence that has been in place for centuries. This covers a wide range of misconduct by public officials, including lying or providing false information during an investigation. OK, the duty of candor calls for proactive cooperation, but surely if a civil servant is clearly holding back evidence, that must be covered by laws surely? I am not a lawyer, but it seems there will be so many layers of law that everyone will be afraid of volunteering any information.

A difficult situation for the poor girl. She has a tattoo so might be mistaken for a gangbanger if her face is unrecognizable upon return. Good luck.

Do any Italians hold shares in Ital/Thai?

I doubt Thais will identify individuals to blame. They know it is the government that made prices rise. Anyway, I guess only 45% of Americans own a passport so there wont be that many visiting.

What was he to do? Call for help? Perhaps someone can post instructions on how to remove a python necktie. Everything I read says silly things like carry a knife at all times, which the police may object to, or carry rubbing alcohol or vinegar everywhere you go to spray on its face.

I was wondering what percent of sales was for U.S. brands. If the demand for EVs went up, were they mostly Asian brands?

Knowing everything, what can anyone do to solve the problem? Fill in the fault lines with concrete? Even upgrading the construction of high rises is pointless if engineers take bribes to "help" rich owners escape stringent tests.

I think this is a great sign that no court trials are required. Best thing ever for that innocent guy sent to El Salvador is he gets a free holiday on the taxpayer's dime.

I remember me and a friend ran out of money once at uni because we didn't realize it was a long weekend, and in those days, they shut the banks and ATMs on weekends and bank holidays (going back a long time). We were starving. My friend was a charity volunteer, so we went around places where he had put cash collection boxes and officially told the proprietors that we were gathering the collections to forward to the respective charities. Emptying the boxes, we counted every coin and made a note. Bought food. When the banks opened, we withdrew the money owed and paid back every penny. Not to be encouraged, but hunger can make people desperate.

Eggs are still expensive at $4.91 (consumer not wholesale price). Of course, the virus affecting chickens doesn't help as it causes a shortage that will raise prices on local eggs, but also importing more eggs now will cause prices to rise higher. Not much different from the EU. So add tariffs to imports will bump that up again.

Just as Trump promised that Mexico would pay for his wall, he thinks others will pay for his tariff wall. Americans are in for a surprise. GM forecast that, just for example, a $50,000 Silverado will climb to about $58K. A Corvette's price will go up from $70K for a base Stingray to approximately $80K. https://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/03/how-will-trump-25-percent-tariffs-impact-gm-vehicle-pricing/

Imagine the videos from horrified Thais on Facebook if people simply dropped their pants whenever a cop asks about whether they are wearing underwear. Could start a trend.

What do you do when the Rama II elevated highway had bits fall off it, but the same contractor continues to work on it. Then the Audit building collapses but in-depth investigations are ordered for another project run by the same contractor.

I guess more countries need to broaden their geographic markets to exclude the USA if possible. Africa is a potential market looking at all the Nigerians here.

I have visited Las Vegas and Macau. Only went there for the inexpensive food and drink in Las Vegas while She Who Must Be Obeyed spent a bit on the slot machines in Macau. I dislike gambling because losing money isn't fun for me.

I do think China is making strides in manufacturing. Their introduction of dark factories is way ahead of others, Dark factories are fully autonomous and therefore do not require lights.

At night, using the torch on your mobile phone might help to let people see you when crossing the road. Otherwise wait until there is a large enough space to cross. Doesn't work in major cities, mind you.

Governments cannot encourage rampant capitalism and expect people not to get accustomed to a decent standard of living. You can see how demand for expensive products has grown in Thailand over the years. At one time everyone wanted a bike, now they must have a car. Now in Britain and other countries they are using the Norman Tebbit catchphrase to "get on your bike" when people all want EVs.

She has shown strength and courage to put up with a cheating spouse. At least someone else has to change his diapers these days.

Actually, I think it would be a good idea to tax churches and other places of worship to help fund education. There is no benefit for children at churches, as priests have shown. I don't understand why priests need laptops if they only use them to watch porn.

Different judge and jurisdiction lead to a variation of ruling. No point in spreading whataboutism. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

I remember reading that author F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife were the first trendsetting Americans to go sunbathing in the South of France. Up until then, white skinned westerners were the norm for the reason that only the poor got tanned working in the sun. Then it became trendy, because you had to be rich to holiday on the Riviera. As people moved indoors to work in factories, they became whiter, while the rich went abroad and got a tan. As for the helmetless on bikes, a guess would be that some people never think "it will happen to them". Also, it you are poor and cannot afford a car, the motorbike is the poor man's pickup truck, and buying five helmets just adds to the expense.