rabang

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

The Ukrainian language developed separately from Russian in the 13th century, due to Polish and Lithuanian influences. By the 17th century, the difference was so marked translators were needed during negotiations for the Treaty of Pereyaslav.

 

Austria is a different nation to Germany, the differences in their languages is miniscule compared to Russian vs Ukrainian.

 

You have it arse-about, Russification programs have been ongoing since Catherine the Great, culminating in a 1959 order which made Russian compulsory and Ukrainian optional for study in schools.

Russkiy propaganda is so strong many actually believe all the nonsense fed from Moscow through all useful idiots. Russian is spoken especially in Eastern Ukraine, so what? French is spoken in Belgium, Switzerland and Canada, German is spoken in Austria and even parts of Italy. Should France claim Quebec? Should England invade the USA where ENGLISH is spoken?

On 6/23/2025 at 3:29 AM, jayceenik said:

The three Baltic states hate Russia and will do everything to prompt NATO to start WWIII with Russia.

The Estonian Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has openly stated that Russia should be destroyed and parcelled in exploitable (by the West) minor entities.

So, NO, whatever they say up there in the Baltic is not reliable.

Doesn't make any sense as they would be the front line in a war. Then again Russia is a crumbling empire that will eventually break up. The process started decades ago but it is moving slowly. It is insane trying to keep that land mass unified by force with all resource gains going to Moscow..

3 hours ago, save the frogs said:

 

Not sure about the origins of Ukraine or just cause, but Putin doesn't want to negotiate with Zelensky because he believes Zelensky to be an illegitimate puppet of the West, which he is. 

 

He should look in the mirror. Putin wants his own puppet to 'lead' Ukraine.

On 4/29/2025 at 10:44 PM, Furioso said:

I just arrived in Da Nang(my 3rd trip) from Bangkok a couple hours ago. I can see a big difference. It's not nearly as crowded nor overwhelming. The roads and side walks are wider and much easier to get around. Weather about six degrees cooler (for now) and it doesn't seem to have as much air pollution but maybe it's a different type, maybe worse.

 

Da Nang is much more laid back, not amped up to 15 on a 10 scale. There are many tourists here but just the right amount so they're not completely overworked and jaded. 

 

In short it looks like moderation wins again. 

 

 

It is a nice place at least for a short visit. First time I was there only 10 years ago and was treated like a true alien, sometimes in a good and sometimes in a bad way. Now it is very touristy in comparison to those times, although nothing compared to much of Thailand.

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

Internationally accepted concepts are irrelevant unless there is someone to police them. There is not. China gave the International Court of Justice the middle finger and continues to build islands and military bases in the South China Sea.

 

Your fake nausea and disgust are pathetic. You don't live in the real world. There is no other solution to stop the bloodshed. Ukraine must give up on Crimea and other lost territories.

If they do that Russian appetite will only grow.

My Thai exes were both much more willing to show affection in public than I have ever been. At least they didn't hold back at all.

1 minute ago, FruitPudding said:

 

Thais are a collective society though.

Yet they use names of each other instead of home town or province demonyms.

3 hours ago, Packer said:

And then there are all the Thai born of Indian descent, that are called แขก (guest) for their entire life in their own homeland. Ohh, poor farangs crying at not being held aloft and carried through the streets on the local's shoulders for being so utterly superior. How horrid.  🙂

It is still idiotic not to address people as individuals.

1 hour ago, MicroB said:

 

More likely he's just a retired officer who's discovered that if he makes outrageous claims, he adds a significant sum to his service pension.

Yeah, I guess any publicity is good publicity.

Of course farang is offensive, same way as n-word is in the West. Back in the 80's in my country black people were still widely called n***s even in the media and still are by some older people but anyone should understand that the term is derogatory. Farang is in the same way a racist, dehumanizing and categorizing term.

10 hours ago, Screaming said:

Most Thai's that I talk to do not consider Russians to be Farangs. They are something else altogether on the level of Indians, so they say.

How can they see the difference?

Macgregor has been singing the same praises of Russia and Putin since day one and never backs down even when his predictions are a total miss. Of his motives I don't know if he is a paid agent by Kremlin or just another right wing nutcase.

You know Macgregor has become a Russian propagandist?

2 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Of course.  It's one drunken idiot and a crowd of mostly Thais encouraging him.  Noting is done to deescalate or defuse, and he doesn't actually get violent with anyone, but eventually one security guard, who shouldn't get violent with anyone, punches him.  As soon as he is down, loads of Thais (who he has not harmed and he is no threat to) rush in to attack him while he is vulnerable.  They even attack his friend who had only been trying to calm the guy down.  If they had not been stopped, they might have killed him, and there was likely a racial element to their anger and desire to harm him.

 

I'm not sure how you can not think this makes Thais and Thailand look bad.

Yes, it looks cowardly, even if the guy is an idiot.

10 hours ago, still kicking said:

Well, I guess all the places you listed don't sell alcohol?

You must be very smart.

17 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Why do people get drunk in bars?

I would rather get drunk in a bar than in a library, gym, supermarket, bus station, public transport, laundry, children's hospital etc.

4 hours ago, Maxbkkcm said:

How did we get there? Thailand wasn’t supposed to be that laid back country? With living with less and more frugally?

 

how come is overpacked with cars, stuffs, and no space anywhere. Destroying the natural, for the artificial…

 

Isn’t it a paradox, that westeners are leaving the west for a more simple lifestyle but in reality. The lifestyle is more complex and saturated than the West. A huge paradox. That is never talked about. 

There is certainly MUCH better air and water quality back home.

Western countries, Japan and South Korea became developed countries by mass industrialisation. Thailand might not be able to repeat that in a post-modern world of robotics and AI. They would need to raise the general education level a lot and I can't see that happening so the most likely result is the middle income trap.

1 hour ago, still kicking said:

Why do some people like to retire in third-world countries? Is it just the money? I lived most of my life in OZ. My wife is Thai and has lived here for 22 years. I am a pensioner, and she is a nurse we have no problems living here.

Probably financial reasons, For some from cold winter countries it may be climate. Most westerners in Thailand seem to be British and UK has high cost of living but low wages and pesions. Not to mention weather.

Mental health issues have increased significantly since the advent of smartphones. It is interesting that several tech company owners and executives have banned social media from their own children. There is enough academic research to suggest mobile devices pose a problem for developing brains.

5 minutes ago, connda said:

1. The Chinese will be fighting on their own home turf.  So yeah - as defenders, Chinese youth will be signing up to repel the invaders. By extension: Russians will fighting to defend Russia. Iran will be fighting to defend Iran. Yemenis will be fighting to defend Yemen.  And whoever else is attacked will be fighting to defend their countries on their own soil.

2. Lessons I learned from Vietnam: The US and the West will conscript the cannon fodder it needs to send to faraway places where it wishes to project power and take want it wants by force.  Watch the propaganda:  "If we don't stop those Yellow Chinese Devils on their doorstep in China, they'll eventually take over all of Asia, then the Pacific and the Middle East, then Europe - then they'll come for Americans!!! (It's a propaganda technique called "The Domino Effect" and the clones in the West suck it up with gusto.  Why not, it works on their weak minds.)  Oh and the other propaganda technique that works just as well.  "We gotta kill them 'over there' so we don't have to 'kill them over here.'"  It's still the domino effect.  It will fill Red State recruitment offices.  In Blue States?  Those kids will be heading for Canada, Mexico, and anywhere they can get away from conscription.  Can't blame them actually.  Dying "over there" ain't defending your country from invaders no matter how much they tell you it is.  It's imperialism. Always has been; still is.

Russians are trying to invade a sovereign country in Ukraine. That is called imperialism.

At least China is trying to build connections with other countries. America is very hard trying to break them and isolate itself. Whatever one thinks of China in general, I think the former is a better strategy.