Donga

6 hours ago, Walker88 said:

LOL.

 

The US is once again the laughing stock of the world. They can all feel better about themselves, knowing that he will be a magnet for abject failure and lunacy, just like last time, only worse.

 

I love when people try to parse his comments, claiming he's some sort of 3 dimensional chess player, and that he really means....blah blah blah. The fact is he's a clown, a willfully ignorant lazy bloated bozo, who has been a failure in life, save for his daddy's money and his Game Show, which made losers think he's some sort of great businessman.

 

That's the guy who wanted to nuke hurricanes and inject people with disinfectant to cure Covid. He wasn't joking, as the devastation of Maria in Puerto Rico, and the millions of deaths that would result from Covid were not laughing matters.

 

As for Europe and defense, I guess that should become like the US mil-ind complex and engage in massive cost overruns and fraud. THAT is how the US got such a massive defense budget. Seriously, if Germany builds another 10,000 tanks, that helps how? Most weapons nations build or buy sit unused, until they get mothballed and the next generation of massive cost overruns takes hold.

 

As for Putin, I guess if Greenland is okay for the US< "Seward's Folly" must be okay for Russia. The US has never controlled Greenland, while Denmark has had it since 1380 AD. Oh, and maybe the Apache and Comanche and Seminoles and Navajos, etc. can use force to take back lands white Europeans took from them.

 

Oh, and Syria and Lebanon? Anyone in those nations who is a jihadi type couldn't care less about 47. He couldn't dictate a Drag Queen Story Hour to them, much less any sort of policy or behavior.

 

It's 2024. What's done is done, and the days of Colonialism, Imperialism, the 'white man's burden', etc., are over.

White Man's burden eh and Donald the lousy businessman (read he was bankrupt) . Will grant you, his Covid comments were bizarre.

Days of White man colonialism, you racist or something? What's wrong with colonialism before Whitey got big ships? Ignore the Silk Road over eons. And what was Africa then my friend, Paradise on Earth, no wars, no slavery? Hear the women had it good. Sounds like that chip on your shoulder, weighing you down.

You drink the Dem Kool-Aid about dangerous Trump, after his first term was clearly more palatable for voters than Biden. And funny how Trump triumphed this time with swings from Black (am I allowed to say that now) and Hispanics or were they conned, or just plain dumb. Got any idea why the Dems and in turmoil or you have the insight of a rock.

I was no fan of Trump the first time, and had reservations this time, but Haha Harris with all the celebrities lining up, her many policy switches and otherwise lack of coherency, shone through as the campaign went on. Crystallized things that have broken in the US.

Trump's  not even in office and being taken seriously today by Putin and Zelensky. I used to think he was dumb, but have heard him speak on a range of topics sans teleprompter, hold 2 hours conversations, where Biden and Harris would struggle with 5 minutes.

Left wing politicians have degenerated to symbolism like DEI, BLM, #MeToo, Net Zero, Free Palestine while we need more nuanced analysis and practical solutions. The righteous, deceptive MSM are losing relevance as they overstretched on so many issues.

I hope Trump doesn't disappoint, along with Meloni, Milei and Poilievre, as we could well be on the path to a more sensible decade.

Political interference, arising from media activities?

Poor luvvies, having to deal with alternative views from mainstream media - not fair is it?

24 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 Much if not all of the vape products available in Thailand are unsupervised and unregulated: No one knows for sure what is in the products often  produced by questionable facilities..  Propylene glycol and glycerol often feature. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein, known carcinogenics,  also feature.  We also know that vape products  rely on;

-Nicotine, a highly addictive chemical that can harm adolescent brain development.

- Can contain unsafe levels of  heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead.

- Silica and other particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs.

- VOCs (Volatile organic compounds)

 

It truly puzzles me how some foreigners will extol the virtues and "safety" of vaping without any knowledge of  the ingredients contained in the product being ingested.  

https://hub.jhu.edu/2021/10/07/vaping-unknown-chemicals/

 

In respect to the purported less harmful effect of vaping compared to tobacco, those statements have since been walked back or retracted by health authorities. Sure, vaping appears to be less harmful than smoking. However,it still presents a health risk for  developing bodies.

Thanks Patong - As stated, the studies tend to exaggerate the harmful ingredients, and if you look around the websites of the manufacturers the most alarming substances are not used now.

Agree they should be tightly regulated and the FDA leads in this regard.. https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/products-ingredients-components/e-cigarettes-vapes-and-other-electronic-nicotine-delivery-systems-ends

This recent paper explains the benefits and risks of vaping... https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/feb/most-smokers-wrongly-believe-vaping-least-harmful-smoking and fair to say the media has fallen into line with the anti-vape sentiment.

No walking away from fact that nicotine is certainly addictive, and at a high dosage is harmful. As is alcohol. Every effort should be made to keep the under aged from access.

I stand by my view that vapes, being free of carcinogenic tobacco, are less harmful than cigarettes and have their place in a well regulated system.

17 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

It would be far more effective if  an effort was invested in explaining why they should not use the product. It worked in respect to cigarettes, so why not stick to something that works with most people?

They haven't got enough convincing data yet. But they could raise scare campaigns I suppose.

There are studies that purport to show harm, but they are rather spurious in their findings, e.g. talk about ingredients that are no longer used in their manufacture. Then there's the red herring about Big Tobacco when most of them are made by Chinese or other Asian companies. There are respiratory concerns and people with asthma probably shouldn't partake, but then if they're smoking cigarettes, whose to say which is worse for them?

There are UK studies that show cigarettes smokers are better off switching to vapes.

From UK Cancer Society... There is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer. But e-cigarettes are not risk-free. They can cause side effects such as throat and mouth irritation, headache, cough and feeling sick. These side effects tend to reduce over time with continued use.

No doubt they shouldn't be marketed or available to children or teens and suggest in countries where alcohol is controlled fairly well in bottle shops, that the same to apply for vapes.

My path would be to have them available, regulated and taxed.

Are you rabid folk unable to distinguish between illegal immigrants vs ones that the country wants, mostly skill based?

Or are you that stooped in your anti-Trump zeal that you blithely ignore?

There's a big difference between the migration policies of Australia and Germany, and not difficult to see which path Trump will take.

And so he's learnt some home truths from Musk, so? Is that such a crime? Pity Biden didn't learn on his watch.

Early seventies and stay active with early fifties wife, whose Dad is 97 and she wants me to stick around. Little niggles kept at bay with running, exercising, yoga, diet and drink less than before. Still enjoy travelling and like to keep abreast of what's going on around the world.

Wanna outlive Putin and Xi Jinping, see how the world is in 20 years time.

Getting older in Thailand be much better than the West - couldn't do an old folks home, let alone the Woke and other values.

4 hours ago, nglodnig said:

Wotta surprise it's from the Telegraph

Forget the Messenger. 

What aspects due you disagree with and why?

Cos it's only the beginning of the dial moving away from soft Left policies, where they're losing their traditional base.

On 12/19/2024 at 1:51 PM, Lacessit said:

It means the people who voted for him are not as bright as him.

Bit like in Oz - what the Yes referendum luvvies thought of the No voters - either misinformed or racist. Vast majority were neither. Just wide awake to the inane righteous narrative from the inner cities and activists, backed by most media, gullible big business and celebrities. Similar to the recent US election.

Trump is a narcissistic, unpleasant chap in much of what he says, but he's not dumb. He'll be a short snippet showman, doesn't care what mainstream media thinks as he realises that to his target audience and swinging voters they are largely distrusted and irrelevant.

In long interviews he displays a good understanding of what ails the US. The country needs industry humming again, and a dramatic overhaul of some of their institutions. 92% Dem vote in DC says a lot, is unhealthy and it manifests with overzealous regulations and soft Left leanings in academia, judiciary as well as environment. Ditto Canberra.

What's more, key leaders around the world, particularly in the Middles East and Europe, either respect him, fear him or both -  especially compared to Biden and shudder to think how laughing hyena, Harris would have gone down with the likes of Putin and Xi Jinping. Trump also doesn't like his people having to go to war, which is a refreshing change.

1 hour ago, connda said:

Are we really better than the Russians, Indians, Arabs and Chinese in the eyes of Thais?

We are only really better than the Russians, Indians, Arabs and Chinese in the eyes of Western AN members who are "mostly white, older, male, English speakers" who have been raised since birth to be vehement anti-Russian and anti-Chinese haters.  Their dislike of Indians and Arabs are part & parcel of their colonial upbringing and their world-view that Indians, Arabs, and other POC are "the white man's burden."

Basically most Westerners are cultural racists who feel superior to all others on this planet.
Thais ethnocentrism for the most part is only within the borders of their own country.  Yeah, Thais are unabashed nationalists but it is difficult from them to haul that nationalism to other more advanced countries.  Westerners, especially expats who made their move overseas late in life, take their ethnocentrism with them in their baggage wherever they go.

And "no." I don't count myself among these natural-born Western racists.  I've traveled internationally since I was a young child and was raised in a family who rejected racism in all it's ugly forms.  I was raised to look at people as individuals based on their merit, not as part of the national identify of their country of birth. That latter view just leads to racism.

 

Haven't you contradicted yourself, connda with "Basically most Westerners are cultural racists who feel superior to all others on this planet." followed later with "I was raised to look at people as individuals based on their merit, not as part of the national identify of their country of birth."

Just saying, take care of being judgemental and righteous at the same time.

In the Isaan village my wife comes from, the divorced ladies who look for a partner, say on Thai Friendly are drawn to farang and I've seen that in other instances, e.g. those of that generation with better education, or outside Isaan, also more comfortable with farang. The generation below are more open to Korean, Chinese partners. For what that's worth.

Are farang any "better"? Not really, though probably more inquisitive, more traveled, less rigid socially as there are many farang nationalities. So Brits get on with Aussies, who get on with Kiwis and the Europeans get on with everyone as well. I just think the Indians, Chinese, Russians, Arabs etc are generally more insular by comparison. The Russians I've come across have been fine, though I don't live in Phuket or Pattaya, and don't see them as socially mobile as most Europeans.

As far as behaviours, I believe the Japanese are the most consistently mild mannered, with very few Yakuza amongst them haha. In Indonesia they mixed more with Thais than your average farang. Not sure about here as don't come across many.

Outrageous behaviour can come from any nationality.

Don't think I'm racist as such, but warm to other farang more than other racial groups and have a particular disdain with women walking around in the heat with their bodies covered from head to toe, and even their faces sometimes. Just can't get my arms around that but the Middle East is one of few regions I haven't lived in, but was very comfortable in Indonesia and Moslem northern Nigeria.

How do Thais generally see the different groups? There seems to be legacy bias against Indians, Arabs and to an extent Chinese, but maybe watered down with the younger generations. And anyway, Thais really are very tolerant, so the needle probably doesn't move that much, other than their personal experiences.
 

How about the Thai Police, who often a drubbing on this site? No posts yet, about the pricks not paying them enough 🤗

Well done Thai coppers!
 

15 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Apparently, Massad is Palestinian. He made his comments on some unknown niche website. Now the media has blown it up into national news. The radicals should be ignored not highlighted.

Yes, but he his hardly a fit person to be an objective Professor teaching on Zionism. His comments are evidence of that.

This biased scourge permeates our Arts faculties in the Anglosphere and needs to be recognised and addressed.

1 hour ago, jaywalker2 said:

Trump's Cabinet includes 8 billionaires (including Elon, the richest man in the world) and 5 multi-millionaires (some of whom will, I am sure, be billionaires within the next four years). RFK Jr is the poor man on the totem pole. His grifting has only earned him $15 million (and a trophy wife in Cheryl Hines), although I'm sure he intends to rectify that.

 

Draining the swamp indeed.

These guys aren't the swamp, more like the doers.

The swamp is reflected by the 92% of DC voters abiding by Biden 😜 The bloated bureaucrats, lawyers, lobbyists, NGOs, regulatory bodies, DOJ & Environment zealots, etc etc. 92% is unreal, unhealthy no matter what side of the political divide you're on.

Trump will take a hacksaw to this malignant rump and give the Americans more freedom in many ways.

Already seeing the progress in Italy and Argentina, next Germany, then Canada. Finally the Western world is waking up.

7 hours ago, Purdey said:

I asked how they interpreted as in what did they say 

Apologies, as I clearly misread your post.