Walker88

She doesn't understand what real leverage is. For that, you need politics. Suppose a person top ticked the NYC real estate market in 2008, grossly overpaying for a building that reeks of The Beast, albeit on 5th Ave. By 2020 the building you paid $1.6 billion for has a market value of $700 million. What's worse, you have a balloon payment of $1.2 billion due. What are you going to do? If serendipity comes your way, you find yourself the front man for your Administration's Middle East policy. Owing to some regional differences of opinion, your country imposes sanctions on a gas-rich Gulf State. You have a chat with them. They're seem quite interested in putting together a refinancing deal on the $700 million value 5th Avenue Beast, that will not only cover the $1.2 billion balloon payment, but put some needed cash in your pocket. The deal gets done. Absolutely coincidentally, the sanctions of said gas-rich govt are dropped a few days later. THAT is real leverage.

Through the Korean interpreter, he disclosed that he had been "battling heart issues". I believe a better translation is: he has a broken heart

It is not US taxpayer money. Some funding released is part of Iranian funds frozen years ago. No international law allows such seizure indefinitely. Other funds involved Iraq money for electricity generated by Iranian gas. Without the transfer of Iran's funds for the gas, Iraq would go dark. You may disagree with the transfers, but at least be honest about their source. It isn't your tax dollars.

Some tourist areas are booming. The 'Miracle Mile' (Sukhumvit from Siam Paragon to EmQuartier) is as busy as I've ever seen it. The two bookend malls are jammed, the 'entertainment' areas packed, and offshoots like Soi 11, Soi 8, Soi 4 & Soi 3 are overflowing. Lots of Arabs, lots of young couples, and lots of guys drawn to places like Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy make up the crowd. It seems only the Chinese, if anyone, are scared off by a single disturbed young man and 3 random victims. Not sure about the rest of Thailand, but if that area is any indication, high season is going to be huge. Eating, shopping and nightlife---plus maybe medical tourism for the Arabs---seem to be the draws. That may not be what the govt wants, but given the overall state of the economy, they'll take it. As for the Chinese economy, the rot that began with Evergrande is spreading, with a major money manager now hit with liabilities twice the size of its assets. The worldwide move to secure supply chains by sourcing closer to home (a lesson learned from Covid) is not going to help that economy. Thai authorities would be wise to direct attention at markets other than China.

I try to tread carefully in these Israel-Palestine threads, as I am well aware some people are heavily invested. As most of the posts are just arguments back and forth, I try to add some perspective, which is, of course, just an opinion, but it is not an argument. I know there are many Jewish people commenting, and there are also anti-semites. Then there are those who do have a genuine concern for innocent life...on both sides. It all gets lost in the fighting. I am not Jewish, but I know enough history to know Jews have suffered discrimination and/or horror for a few thousand years. If I were the offspring of people who survived the Holocaust, I might be much more strident in my views as to what should be done in Gaza. I understand that sentiment, and I absolutely know I would not be above it, if it was part of my being. I guess it remains up to those without as much skin in the game to push for as much restraint as possible, so that more innocents do not suffer. That is where the US sits now. Anti-semitism is an odd thing, in terms of trying to understand why the Jews? (yes, I know Arabs are also considered Semites). I suspect it is jealousy at its true core. This is perhaps a dangerous thing to say, but no faith or ethnic group in all of history comes even remotely close to the accomplishments of the Jewish people. Frankly, it is astonishing how much they have brought to the betterment of the entire species. That level of achievement probably rubs many the wrong way. We would like to consider all of us equal, and under the law we are (or should be), but the facts show not all are equal in terms of intellect and ability, drive and ambition. Of course we cannot have a "worst", but arguably there is a "best" for all to see...and some do not want to see it. I'm not a jealous type; rather, I stand in awe of intellectual and creative excellence. I admire all intellectual excellence no matter its source, but so much has come from a people who have always been a distinct minority. Maybe I'm dead wrong, but I think astonishing success is what has driven the historical persecution of the Jews. There is a scene in Schindler's List where Amon is part of clearing the Warsaw Ghetto. He speaks of the Jewish presence over the centuries in Poland, noting their many accomplishments in business, science, the arts and academia. He then says, "that all ends today, erased from history". Granted that is the writer and Spielberg putting that in, but I think it reflects the true sentiments and motivations of the Nazis (and antisemites), besides needing a focal point for mobilizing the people (just as all dictators do).

Facts are not arrogant. I did not invent the microchip, so I'm not taking credit directly or by association with Jack Kilby. I can point to inventors and discoverers all over the world, from large and small countries, but not a single one from Thailand. To the best of my knowledge, Maxwell wasn't Thai. Nor Faraday. Nor Niels Bohr. Nor Einstein, Newton, Planck, Dirac, Galileo, Franklin, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Rousseau, Mills, Poincaire, von Neumann, Salk....none of those who have done so much to explain what life and existence and the laws of nature are. As for exploiting other nations, most regions have taken their turn at doing it, whether it's the Greeks, Romans, Vikings, Mongols, Moslems, Brits, Dutch, Spanish, Italians, Americans....we tend to concentrate on the latest. Certainly Southeast Asia is no stranger to intra-regional conflicts and invasions, some of which still simmer today, such as in southern Thailand. My post noted that Thais are taught of their superiority, only (for some) to find out they alone so believe. That some men come to Thailand finding the women appealing has zero bearing on anyone's superiority or inferiority. It's simply a personal taste for some. A few hundred thousand (at most) men in a world with 4 billion males is not even a rounding error. You fail to see the forest for the trees, for some reason bogged down with pointless worries about wokeism or PC. In the overall scheme of things, those are not even minor issues. One might surmise that inability to succeed in your own culture and society has left you bitter and has you seeing Thailand as something it might not be. Maybe you should move back to Thailand and rid yourself of the "wokeism" that is so stuck under your craw.

My aura attracts birds. I mean the actual avian type of bird, not slang for women. (Though I do get the occasional one of those, too) Many times I've had wild birds come land on my shoulder. Some did it daily, so I took to feeding them from my hand. I had a giant, green, ringneck parakeet that did that to me for 4 years while I lived in the same house. Each day I would walk out in the back of the house, the bird would alight on my shoulder, and I could walk around my yard with it staying there. The bird's flock mates would come and land on the ground near me, and I would toss bread to them while my special bird stayed atop my shoulder. (It had a scar on its head, so I knew early on it was the same bird every day.) Never know why I attract birds. My name is not Larry and I never played for the Boston Celtics, though I had a fine jump shot.

Sociobiologists have an interesting theory on why people believe. Given that almost every culture going back to the beginning of homo sapiens---and perhaps earlier---manufactured religions of some sort, their must be some evolutionary reason why it has been 'selected in'. These scientists then consider what belief systems bring to the table. They decide the answer is stress reduction. Since stress is a killer, those with less stress are more likely to survive and propagate their gene pool. Few people want to believe existence is random, short, and finite. It is comforting to believe something is in control and that existence never ends. If something is in control, perhaps a deal can be made with the controllers. That gives comfort and reduces the stress of randomness. If the power is control is believed to be benevolent, that's even better (though the ability to make a deal with even a malevolent power is better than randomness). So a benevolent power is 'taking care' of those who believe in it. Performance also enters into it. People decide what rules a benevolent power would have, then they go about following them, believing they will be rewarded for that. Stress is further reduced. The rules need not be rational (such as avoiding certain foods or where one puts his private parts and when, or forcing women to dress like giant eggplants), as civilization itself is the force behind beneficial 'morality'. Odd rules, in fact, are just a way believers solidify their belief. Being part of a community who believes similarly not only corroborates one's view, but also provides a sense of belonging and security. More stress reduction. As science has provided actual answers to the realities of existence, the powers some control group or individual might have had is chipped away. For some people, that has led to increases in stress, while to others, it has pulled believers closer to gather in the hopes of saving their fading fantasy. Perhaps with time more people will come to terms, or become comfortable with the fact humans are merely biological machines who come into existence by random chance and who disappear for all eternity when the machine fails and entropy wins.

My favorite is "puh TIE ya".

I've been visiting or living in Thailand for many years. I've also lived in several other countries representing each of the world's main faiths, so I have experienced quite diverse cultures and belief systems. That doesn't make me an expert, but it has given me enough experience to have an opinion (which may or may not be right). Thailand seems to be better at indoctrinating its citizens than most countries. While all countries teach myths to their citizens, Thailand mixes their myths with tacit (or direct) admonitions about questioning the myths. They even have laws preventing questioning or criticizing their myths. That leaves many Thais---women included---with a sense of superiority that can baffle outsiders who know what the rest of the world is like and what the rest of the world has achieved. The fact is that despite always having a population whose size places it in the top 15% of all nations, Thailand has achieved or contributed precious little to the body of human knowledge, discovery or invention....which is a polite way of saying nothing. That innate feeling of superiority can make women manipulative, as they are dealing with "inferior" outsiders and can view them as no more significant than an ant on the sidewalk. Hence some folks in this thread noted "liars. cheaters, etc." The myths, combined with general education, leave most Thais woefully ignorant of both the rest of the world and human history. Even university graduates know almost nothing about anything, as far too much time is wasted on subjects of zero importance to anyone outside of the country. Also, the education system is---to put it politely---not very good. I recall reading an article a few years ago that listed Thailand's top university as #418 in Asia. When your #1 is only #418 in Asia, never mind the rest of the world, you're unlikely to produce world beaters. The system works for them, or at least it works for those in control, so it is not going to change. With a qini coefficent among the highest in the world, those who run Thailand have zero incentive to ever change. Thais who have spent time abroad get hit with a harsh reality: the world pays precious little attention to Thailand or to the myths Thais are taught are so important and make Thais so special. Thais abroad find that the general view of Thailand, if people have one, is 'spicy food and bargirls'. About the only time in the last 100 years Thailand got international play in media was when the tsunami hit Phuket. For some Thais, that lack of concern about what they've been taught is the center of the known Universe can be a rude awakening. The ones who come to terms with it, however, can become a great partner, as they can look at everything more honestly. Even Thais who can never rid themselves of the mythical baggage can be sweet and endearing. The same mythical beliefs exist in citizens of most countries, but they do not seem to run as deep and are not as thorough as what is inculcated in Thais. To get back squarely on topic, I do not think there is any difference between a Thai woman who works P4P and a Thai woman from a hi-so family. Both bring a false, even silly sense of superiority to their dealings with outsiders, and bridging the cultural gap, should one enter a relationship, is as difficult for women of either background, or anything in between. Whether office worker, factory worker, hi-so heir, professional, or bargirl, it will take some luck to bridge the cultural gap. I am sure there are exceptions (e.g., "your" Thai wife or GF), but my experience tells me what I have written is the norm.

The US cannot stop the war. Israel is going to fight back no matter what, and the foot soldiers of Hamas---if they are true believers in Islam---believe life is an illusion whose sole purpose is to bide time before gaining paradise, ideally as a martyr. If their own kids die, so be it, as it is assumed they, too, will make it to paradise. They will not stop either. I don't think anyone who hasn't lived in the ME and had close association with true believers can even begin to understand the all-consuming power of that belief. Even Evangelicals in the US (like the current House Speaker) are mere posseurs in comparison. The Hamas leadership, comfortably safe (maybe) in Doha, cannot really control their foot soldiers. Hamas foot soldiers have that 'old time religion'. Islam was founded as a religion of conquest, where Mohd was essentially Genghis Khan with a faith. After 632AD Islam slaughtered/converted its way across North Africa up into Spain. It morphed slightly into having a profit motive, but that element was crushed by Charles Martel at Tours in 732AD. Subsequently, a moderate form of Islam arose where 'jihad' was viewed as a personal moral struggle rather than its original intent of killing or converting infidels. Read the Koran in Arabic, and no doubt is left about what jihad means. Some pockets of Islam really need a Reformation, just as Christianity and Judaism needed their own (the Old Testament allows lots of viciousness, and the New Testament, among other things, allowed Catholics to grant the Pope way too much power, plus the NT allowed for slavery, which fortunately humanists eventually abolished...religions are not known for being founts of morality.) Israel has certainly done some nasty things in its time, but it has endured long enough so that it has many fewer foes than in 1948. Egypt kind of washed its hands of Gaza. Jordan is fairly liberal, at least in its palace, and survives via largesse from the US, which it will not risk. The Gulf States are enjoying their dissolute lifestyle of "palaces, broads and booze", so only offer meaningless verbal support of Palestinians. Iran is a wild card, but the mullahs have their own domestic issues, so are unlikely to get too involved. Syria is experiencing a civil war, while Lebanon is a failed state. Israel is left facing the fanatics of Hamas, and maybe some Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Unfortunately, the sins of the fanatics fall on to the innocent in Gaza. The US is merely trying to calm things down and hope for restraint by the IDF so that innocent Palestinian lives lost are minimized. For lack of a better term, this current war is a sideshow to the US, where the much more significant war is in Ukraine. The ME has been largely contained to between Israel and Hamas/Hezbollah, and has little chance of spreading wider. Ukraine has much more significant (to US geopolitics) implications, as the US knows full well that russia will not stop at Ukraine if it wins. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, eastern Poland, eastern Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, even eastern Germany would subsequently be under threat. That has far more significance to the US than Israel/Palestine. That's a harsh reality, but it is fact. The threads on this issue get 10,000 comments because many people feel they have a closer connection to it. Ukraine, of infinitely more global significance, draws fewer reactions and less virulent reactions. Many more innocents have been slaughtered in Ukraine, but it doesn't elicit the same degree of emotionalism, not only on this Forum, but in the streets of European and American cities. Russia is absolutely, 100% purposely targeting civilians/schools/hosptials/etc. There is no doubt, while there is room for doubt with the IDF. Still, a million take to the street in the UK over Gaza, but maybe a few thousand in one and a half years of the russian invasion of Ukraine.

So he accumulated 129 million baht in assets while serving in the Thai military? I smell a recruiting commercial if the army pays THAT well.

You're welcome. I'm sure your tatts have great personal meaning. I do know there are several topics to avoid in polite company*, but since this Forum isn't polite company, one can tread into taboo territory. If people are truly honest, I don't think most tatted up to reach the Maslow hierarchy of self-actualization, but because they thought it would make them look 'bad' and 'different' (albeit like everyone else). The fact that tatts always existed, but suddenly became mainstream, screams fad....and fads pass. To each his or her own, but as humans we cannot help but have an opinion. I cannot help but think they look silly. Just my opinion, of course. SImilarly, I cannot train my mind and convince myself the "old geezer" with the fresh tatts got them because they have special meaning. I suspect, and would even bet, that when sitting in the chair getting inked, the guy was telling himself 'the babes are going to get weak in the knees when they see me with this; their loins are going to quiver'. *politics, religion, smoking, circumcision, tatts

Yes. Canaries in the coal mine. Tatts began with the youth, and then "old geezers" decided Tatts are Babe Magnets. As youth are wont to rebel, perhaps this nascent lack of tatting is youth rebelling against their (great) grandparents. Watch this space. In 5 years long sleeve shirts and visible laser scars might be the norm, as folks will feel embarrassment they succumbed to the passing fad. Tatts will go back to being the purview of drunk sailors and members of motorcycle gangs. And Midlife Crisis will go back to a Porsche, not a Maori Warrior tatt on flabby, wrinkled skin on a guy who looks 8 months pregnant.

Fads and fashion come and go. Tatts are now long in the tooth. When "old geezers" adopt a fad, that pretty much assures the fad is just about over. Of course one can do whatever one wants with one's body, but fresh tribal tatts on a 60+ guy with a 100cm waist---in my opinion, of course---look pretty silly. I cannot help but think "I guess the guy couldn't afford a Porsche". For hundreds of years tatts were a fringe adornment. Suddenly they sprung up everywhere, first on Millennials, and then they moved up and down the age chain. The US, which beats every fad to death and then some, developed all kinds of reality TV related to tatt parlors, tatt competitions with losers "sent home", etc. Like any fad, they get wildly overdone. To not be like everyone else is to lack tatts. Unlike leisure suits or spats or top hats or powdered wigs or bell bottoms or mullets or a thousand other fads that have come and gone, the folks who chose tatts have no way out. Lasers can rid a person of simply ones, but the full arm sleeve or full back tatt are going to the grave with the wearer. I have noticed an increasing number of young women---I've been in a few agogos in the last six months, but only to escape the rain---are choosing not to get them. I've asked the unadorned, and they say they don't like them. If that is an emerging trend among youth, that's further indication the end is nigh.

I appreciate the public debt to GDP and the FX Reserves, but I also can see that Thailand's growth from 2010 to today was solely debt fueled. Household debt soared (not including loan shark debt), bank lending, too, and corporate bond issuance was at a staggering rate 5x that of the meager 1.8% per annum GDP growth. Thailand faces a few hurdles today. They're not insurmountable, but it will take some clever policy wonks to navigate the next few years. I'm not sure the govt has the bench strength they need. The world is awash in capacity. Thailand benefited from lots of FDI, but as production facilities age or are depreciated, neighboring countries like Vietnam beckon. Tourism is picking up, and what was 17.8% of the economy in 2019 is likely to pop 20% in 2023 when all is said and done. Hopefully that is sustainable, but the new tax issue may encourage some resident expats and snowbirds to look elsewhere. Though not tourism per se, it is foreign money, so somewhat similar. I can't see where the Thai economy is going to excel, absent running up more public debt and utilizing the FX reserves. Something which is completely in the dark (to me, at least) is the level of NPLs in the banks. I know that the official numbers are accessible, but I don't put much stock in them. During Covid two things happened: one was that there was a debt moratorium that lasted many months. The other is that I read banks were allowed to book imputed interest and run that through the income statement. Loans were booked as if the borrower was servicing the debt, when they were not in fact. I worked the markets in Japan after the Dai Boroku and saw what banks were allowed to do. It was a stopgap measure that ultimately failed. Japan allowed imputed interest and had accounting rules that did not require subs that represented less than a certain amount of assets/revenue/etc. to be consolidated on the parent's BS. That led to hundreds of Caribbean subs that held losses. The worst offenders ultimately went belly up. Japan never really recovered. It's pension system is so bizarre in its accounting that I have to wonder what is actually in the coffers....and that as the population both falls and ages. Thailand lacks the massive public debt to GDP Japan had/has (see the yen still above 150 despite rallies in all other major currencies against the $), but Japan stands as a reminder that there are limits to how much the govt can help the overall economy. Thailand is also well below replacement rate in terms of population.

I'm one of those 'lefty liberals', but more old school liberal than the new version. You say there are only 2 sexes, and apart from true hermaphrodites, that is true. Two X chromosomes denote female and a Y denotes male. In the brain, of course, which is the most complex organ of any creature on this planet, things do not always develop properly, owing to a host of factors from environmental to a mother's actions during pregnancy. Some people have preferences or self images that differ from what is the majority preference or self-image. That is through no fault of their own, and since it is not you, nor any of your concern, it shouldn't bother you. Since it is not their fault, no one can condemn them, and they deserve the same respect as other innocent people. Of course we all have our own peccadilloes. I have a---perhaps irrational---contempt for fat and obesity. Despite a neo-liberal view that it is 'beautiful', I don't see it that way. I am not 'body positive', and I believe it is high time that 'fat shaming' become the norm, because it costs society and all in it far too much. Costs of fat are plopped on to the fit, via higher hospital costs and insurance where companies use actuarial tables and assume a certain % of obesity for all. To me, fat is evidence of a lack of self discipline and self control, plus laziness. I am not talking of those with a disability, as in that case there is a no fault condition. I'm talking about otherwise healthy people whose obesity is solely of their own actions. They eat too much, drink too much, don't exercise, and ignore the ever-increasing girth. Ironically, it is my experience that the people who are so 'offended' by people who now have a letter of the alphabet to denote their tendency, are fat. Obese. Blubberbutt. Land whales. Yes, the far right, non-liberals tend toward obesity. I look at far right political rallies in the US, and excess adipose tissue is the norm, just like their messiah. Butterballs. I'd be willing to bet that those on this thread so outraged about the terms some with those alphabet designations have are fat. 100+cm bloated bellies. Spare tires that Airbus might seconder for use on an A380. I happen to be 100% hetero and absolutely delighted to be in my male body, of which I take good care. I did not ask for either my preference or self-image, just as those who might have different preferences or self-images did not ask for theirs. Folks here ranting about labels of Q or T or whatever: go look in the mirror. You're bloated, right? Shirt is untucked in the hope of covering the abomination, yes? And bloated is a choice, while Q or L or T is not. Funny, that.

Methinks soalbundy the lady doth protest too much

Mystical traditions simply point to the fact that humans seek ways to reduce stress. Virtually every culture going back to Oldavai Gorge developed some sort of mystical thinking to provide easy answers to things they were incapable of understanding. Uncertainty is unsettling. If things are random, that's bad, because one cannot make a deal with random. That creates stress. It was comforting to believe a power was in charge, more comforting if that power was believed to be benevolent, yet more comfort if you could believe you could communicate with it, and more comforting still if those around you similarly believed and their belief reinforced your belief. That doesn't mean the beliefs are real, but that sort of thinking was probably 'selected in' to the species in a Darwinian sense because it led to stress reduction....and stress kills. It also allowed for communal cooperation, which provides security against outside hostile forces, such as other clans. Of course other clans maybe created their own deities, and if they were right and not you, there goes the stress level shooting higher. So your clan took on their clan, and with your deities on your side, you would win. If you lost you were dead; if you won, that further proved your mystical beliefs were the One Truth. So that's another source of "evil", which is folks who challenge your myths as you challenge theirs. This has long played out, and is doing so as I write in the Middle East. As I noted in another post, 'evil' also results from things such as bad combinations of neuro chemicals, improper brain development, or even game theory where people might behave in a negative way if they think an encounter is a one off and anonymous, whereas people will be more 'moral' if they are unsure an encounter is a one off, so bad behavior might be returned in spades at some future date.

Humans need no devil to be evil any more than they needs gods to be moral. Civilization leads to moral behavior on average, though not for everyone. It's silly to think some guy named Moses climbed down a mountain with a couple of stone tablets, gathered the guys around, and said, "Bad news. We can't murder, rape or steal". Bad ratios of neurochemicals, poor development of the brain that leaves some 5% of people psychopathic or sociopathic, character flaws like trump has in spades...many reasons there is 'evil' in the world. IN those with character flaws, evil is a learned behavior, but in psychopaths or those with bad neurochemicals floating around their brain, evil is innate. Dr Robert Sapolsky studies human and primate behavior and produced a fascinating TED Talk that discusses evil and goodness, and what is behind such behavior. It's worth a watch. By the way, a decent human is infinitely more moral than anybody's god. Most humans, even if they had the power, wouldn't send tsunamis crashing into coastal zones, nor cause earthquakes, nor give 3 year old kids horribly painful cancer. Steven Weinberg probably summed it up best: "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion."

I'm with him in terms of diet, save for the sugar. No sweet tooth. (I only have sugar in the house because some visitors like it in their coffee; i have no use for it.) Plenty of carbs, not too much fat, lots of protein, and lots of exercise and weight training. 82kg on 183cm frame and a 79cm waist. Weight can be maintained and body fat minimized, but it takes effort as well as understanding one's body requirements. I need the carbs for fuel in the gym. Blood glucose is far from even pre-diabetes. Having never been fat or even overweight, I really don't understand how it happens. Maybe with kids I understand, but why do adults---lots of expats---allow themselves to look 8 months pregnant? Do they simply not care? Weight gain is largely diet, not exercise, so "I have no time to go to the gym" is no excuse. If somebody has time to eat, they have time not to eat. Slim, fit and agile feels good. A 100+cm waist cannot feel good. I would think the discomfort alone would encourage people to stop their bad habits. I understand the disabled might not be able to do this, but the vast majority of expat land whales I see in Thailand have no disability, though perhaps an inability to walk away from the buffet table or climb off the barstool.

How do you extrapolate dark matter on to some malevolent or supernatural force? Did the use of the word 'dark' fool you? Maybe you can add the scientific proof behind your 'supernatural forces' tempting us. Are they made of leptons or quarks? Do they have mass or are they like photons?

Him or her? For Bezos, that looks pretty natural. Do the work in the gym, and that degree of jack-ism isn't difficult.

Unless I'm mistaken, the guy with the cowboy hat sitting in the car is Right Said Fred.

Not TRT. TRT is dangerous. One's body sees it has enough testosterone, so stops producing it. The thing is testosterone production is directly linked to sperm production, so guys who regularly use TRT become infertile. Also, once TRT is stopped, 25% of men can no longer produce testosterone naturally. Better to do what Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg did: hit the gym. Of course they hired personal trainers and dieticians, too. All want to live long enough to enjoy their bazillions.