Lacessit

Harris is a trained lawyer and prosecutor, with years of legal experience. She has 3 years experience in the corridors of power, next to Biden. She can probably digest a 40 page brief at light speed. OTOH, Trump learned nothing from his years in the White House. He could not handle any brief that was longer than a single page. Talking head only, not that coherently.

Please tell me where in my OP I said I expect 7/11 workers to bow and scrape to me. I corrected a mistake. I said a simple thank you or smile would have sufficed. Your post appears to be arrogant in itself, perhaps you are into the holier-than-thou shtick.

"Evidentially"? Oh dear, another illiterate poster.

Is that supposed to be a put-down? Please try harder.

Given the posts you have made on climate change and vaccination on another thread, I guess I should not be surprised at the stupidity of this one.

You have proof of your first assertion? It's hardly surprising any population where Russian is made compulsory for years in schools and officialdom should have it as another language. Why do you think French is the official language of New Caledonia? I don't think you understand. Ukrainians hate Russians. Most of Eastern Europe does. In the aftermath of World War II, the Russians stole everything that was not nailed down, and some that was. Then set up command economies that directed the lion's share of production to Moscow. Why do you think every country wanted to join NATO? Russia has been restrained in this war? That is one of the most ridiculous statements I have read in a long time on ASEAN. Russia is targeting civilian buildings, hospitals, power infrastructure and agricultural infrastructure with shells, bombs, missiles and drones. It is releasing hardened criminals from jail to fight, who are looting, raping and killing in the occupied areas. Restrained my aching butt. The agreement to ship grain owes its existence to the fact there are three Russian gas pipelines crossing Ukraine into Europe. With Nordstream gone, that's most of what Russia has left. The deal certainly was not out of the goodness of Putin's heart. You should lay off the Kremlin Kool-Aid, comrade. It's not doing your credibility any good.

I suggest you walk. Your wife has never heard of KY? There are thousands of good women in Thailand who don't care how old or ugly one is, as long as the person is a good provider, and not abusive. It's transactional, love comes later in many cases. You take care of me, I'll take care of you. It takes time to sort the wheat from the chaff. There are also thousands of women who regard farangs as walking ATM's, to be raided as often as possible.

I sometimes wish there was a vaccine to make me smarter. Then I have to come to terms with the fact there are so many posters on ASEAN that need it much more than I do.

Nobody is paying me, I'd like it if someone did. Do you always make sweeping generalizations?

I get it. You object to 0.5 mL of something going into your arm once a year. Shock horror. Then, on average, you happily imbibe 5.5 litres of pure ethanol annually. Which has been listed as a Class 1 carcinogen since 1989. Scientists are such spoilsports, aren't they? Cheers.

I guess you took a Hercules loaded with instruments to Nepal and Tibet with you, then. So you could make statistically significant measurement at the interval level. I know, your eyes are so much better at quantifying data. Thailand is 513,000 sq km in area. The Tibetan Plateau is 2.5 million sq km, not including its flanks. For a guy who claims to have been in those regions, you don't seem to have much idea of geography. The Tibetan Plateau is a key factor in controlling weather and water supply in most of Asia. While the exact number is unknown, it is estimated the Chinese have built or are building thousands of dams on the Tibetan Plateau. I guess you forgot to inform them there's no water there. By mocking my post, you are simply putting your ignorance on display.

His only source of energy is crowds at rallies, and they seem to be dwindling. Why go to a rally if you are only going to hear the same stuff ad nauseam? He might make it to November. He might get re-elected. He might even get fresh energy from having the threat of jail removed. It's a lot of mights. Biden's decline was quite rapid, his SOTU address was lucid. Given Trump's current state of cognition, IMO it's highly unlikely he would do four years without becoming completely doolally. Then, the 25th amendment would come into play, and Vance would step up. Americans should be extremely careful what they wish for. Vance is an ideological warrior, with no experience in governing. OTOH, Walz has oodles.

I am a retired scientist. I have never been paid anything for work related to climate. Anyone with a knowledge of thermodynamics also knows climate change and global warming are inevitable consequences of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Conservative models of the Tibetan plateau predict by 2050, water flows to the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Mekong will be halved. One billion people depend on those rivers to live. Those models don't include dams the Chinese are building. If you find a stopper for those two laws, let me know. I'll be the first to nominate you for a Nobel Prize. The attached is not a model. It's a fact.

IMO it's got to the stage nobody believes any statement out of the Kremlin. It's the same as Trump in America. I am pretty sure any economic data the Russians publish has been massaged more than a 3-hour in Pattaya, although I doubt there is any happy ending.

I am fascinated by how you managed to edit your first post on this thread, which was quite offensive. Did you remove the material yourself, or did a moderator do it for you?

Do you have Tourette's?

Dogs have masters, cats have staff.

All Russians believe this, true. The Ukrainians don't, they have a different language, alphabet, and history. During the second world war, the Germans invading Ukraine were greeted as liberators. Kyiv surrendered without firing a shot, While the Ukrainians quickly learned there was no difference between a Russian and a German jackboot, it has enabled the Russians ever since to label them as Nazis. War is theft writ large. Ukraine has 25% of the world's chernozems, the richest agricultural soil on the planet. I hope you understand this.

IMO the Kursk incursion has two purposes, to give Putin a propaganda black eye domestically, and divert Russian troops from the Donbas so Ukraine can push forward there again. I'm pretty sure the Ukrainians will withdraw in good order when it suits them. The symbolism is undeniable, Kursk was the scene of the greatest tank battle in history. Humiliating. I disagree Putin did not intend to take all of Ukraine. If that's the case, what was the 50 km long attack column heading for Kyiv all about? You are correct about the size of the Russian economy. It would be a lot larger if it had not had a succession of incompetent governments since 1917. IMO Putin wants everything he can get his hands on. He's a proven kleptomaniac, ask any oligarch. The ones that are still alive, that is.

On average, I'd say my Thai GF and I would have a spat about once every six months, and it will be done and dusted in one hour. OTOH, my Australian wife could sulk for a month.

Tell me what use the launch codes are to Russia if the Ukrainians can simply drain the fuel out of the rockets. The most recent news is that Ukraine is close to Kursk, which is as embarrassing as it gets. Anyone who has dealt with Putin knows he lies like a pig in sh!t, and no agreement with him is worth the paper it is written on. If he gets the Donbas, he will be back for the rest of Ukraine. Count on it. Quite simply, the Ukrainians are fighting for national survival. So are the Russians, but they don't realize it. Probably the Kremlin inner circle does.

The real cowards are those doing character assassination behind the anonymity of a keyboard.

Don't know what your requirements are, I found the White Rose Hotel clean and comfortable, plenty of restaurants nearby. Two blocks walk away from Walking Street. IIRC 700 baht/night.

Oh dear, the weed has got you making spelling errors.

Perhaps you need to cut down on your weed consumption. Statistically, regular users have a one in three chance of becoming paranoid.