Lacessit

Some people make mistakes when they are young, make up for it with decades of public service. Others don't do anything remarkable in their lives, then don a halo when they should be old enough to know better.

There is nothing wrong with a communist system in theory. The problem comes when humans try to bend it for their own purposes. In that respect, it is equivalent to fascism. A long time ago, there was an article in "The Economist" which illustrated the problems of a planned economy. It was called " In the lunatic bus factory" Two factories, bus and truck, Soviet Russia. The bus factory supplied the chassis for the truck factory. The bus factory made more profit on the buses than a truck chassis, so supply of chassis was low. The solution of the truck factory was to buy buses, demolish the coachwork back to the chassis, then build the truck. No way anyone can kill the profit motive in humans.

I don't understand the couch reference, please enlighten me. Crime of the century, obviously.

Perhaps you would be so kind as to state what charges were laid, if any. And if any conviction resulted. IIRC, Trump has 34 of them.

"Otherwise poor year for Republicans". Now why is that, do you think? If the best attack he can come up with is "childless cat ladies", thereby alienating every single woman voter with a cat, it does not sound great to me. Poor strategy.

IMO Trump has nothing new to say, it's the same tired old rhetoric about stolen elections and MAGA, although there are no specifics about how that will be done. The only new stuff is attacking Harris instead of Biden, and I bet he wishes Biden was still running. If he is relying on Vance to do the heavy lifting, I think he is going to be disappointed. Vance barely won his Senate seat in A Republican state.

I have to smile when Americans start frothing at the mouth at the mere mention of socialism and communism, it really is so ridiculous. The American stock market and free enterprise system is unbridled capitalism, the complete antithesis of socialism , let alone communism. Check out what the pharmaceutical industry charges for its products. Martin Shkreli ring any bells? Most Americans would not know socialism if it bit them on the bum. In Australia, we have had socialist governments on and off since Federation, they are the ones most likely to introduce major reforms. I agree the OP is extracting the urine, it's quite amusing to see the Pavlovian responses.

I understand it was Walz who first used the weird word. He followed that up by attacking Vance's stance on abortion, saying Vance should mind his own business. He's looking like a strong campaigner, and an asset to Harris. OTOH, Vance is looking like a disaster for Trump.

IME golf courses are one way to connect with other expats.

Master Sergeant is a considerable achievement in itself, tell me who cares whether it is Command Sergeant or Master Sergeant. Except for the military, and nitpickers on ASEAN. NCO's are the backbone of any military, as the Russians are finding out to their cost in Ukraine. How far did you get in the military?

That might well rebound against him when Judge Merchan gets around to sentencing, 5 weeks before the election. Judges don't take kindly to convicted offenders who show no remorse.

IMO this is one of the funniest clips in "Justified" Damon Herriman as Dewey Crowe is brilliant.

He boasts he is a successful businessman. In a certain way, he is right. All of his failed businesses have a common factor - it is someone else who is left with the financial wreckage, while Trump walks away with the lion's share of any cash. Narcissistic sociopaths can be quite charming. To them, it's just a tool to get what they want. It also does not matter how many people get hurt in the process, because they are moral vacuums. People like Trump have the empathy of a scorpion.

I have had carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists, resolved with surgery 20-30 years ago. The OP certainly does not have CTS, he would know all about it if he did. The pain alternates between a dull ache, burning, and an electric shock sensation, and guarantees sleepless nights until it is resolved temporarily by cortisone injections, or permanently with surgery to relieve the pressure on the nerve.

Kelloggs All-Bran and Bran Flakes are available on Lazada. I occasionally use PEG 3350 to help things along. Generic names Macrogol, Miralax, Glycolax etc.

You sure your name isn't Fig Jam?

Let me see, I think I have a link for a bribe to Stormy Daniels to keep quiet.

Don't forget to check under your bed tonight.

What he will do is take votes away from Trump. He's even further right. I am predicting Harris/Walz will win because they look normal against the ongoing soap opera that is Trump/Vance. Soap operas reach their use-by date. When you have senior Republicans saying they will vote for Harris, that's a house divided.

Watch the campaign contributions come pouring in. Next to Trump and Vance, Harris and Walz look really normal. Unlike Trump, Harris hasn't got any legal bills to pay.

My thought exactly, there seems to be a complete disconnect between the title of the thread and the OP. Perhaps it was there to get more clicks. I am not married to a Thai. My Thai GF has been with me for more than ten years. I don't pretend to be an expert on Asia. The OP apparently has a bee in his bonnet on that score.

You don't think Trump himself is mentally questionable? I mean, a guy who buys golf courses so he can put his name on the championship boards, when nearly all of them are hemorrhaging money? How sane is that?

Correct, the Thai tax year is the calendar year. Returns are due March 31, which can be extended to April 8 if done online.

It does sound like a lot of co-ordination and co-operation between the departments. I suppose the test of your speculation will be (a) When I go for my next extension in November, given the Thai tax year does not end until March 2025. (b) whether I get issued a TTN by the RD, or get told it's not needed because I am a national that has a DTA with Thailand, OR I am below their radar as a pensioner. Given I have plenty of documented pre-2024 savings, I am not really fussed. Just another layer of bureaucracy to keep the unemployment figure at 1%.

Good question. IMO it's a mass psychogenic illness. It does have features of anxiety, fear and social pressure, all of which are buttons Trump knows how to push.