Walker88

Though it matters little to this debate, and I write it more for pedantic purposes, Jews had been a minority in what was greater Palestine since around the 4th Century. For the next 1500 years or so, Jews were between 1% and 4% of the population. As the Zionist Movement grew from around the 1920s, Jewish representation grew into double digit percent. By the end of 1945, Jews were still only half as large as the Moslem population, and a third of the overall population, the rest made up of Christians. The Mandate granted the land to an ethnic group who were still a minority, though the impetus behind that decision is understandable (the Holocaust being the last straw in discrimination/pogroms/genocide going back to at least Roman times). That never sat well with the previous Moslem majority, and the past 75 years have yet to quell the tensions. I doubt the next 75 will be any better, especially if current events and this thread are any indication.

When you cannot compete with Silicon Valley, are starting to lose out to Vietnam that will offer better incentives for FDI, when exports are faltering, and when drought threatens to impact the ag sector....embrace VICE with both hands. (Just don't hire trump as a casino consultant...the guy was so bad he bankrupted several of them). Maybe hire Pansy Ho?

I have no more skin in this game than I did for the horrors of Rwanda back in the 1990s. Horror is horror, evil is evil, and people are people, no innocents better or worse than any other innocents. All of the deaths are sad. A bigger picture worry I have is that Iran will either get too actively involved, or else Netanyahu will unilaterally decide to attack Iran. Undoubtedly that would please short term thinking right wingers in the US, as well as the Gulf States. Obama and his team had true vision. The JCPOA was merely an initial step, and a time-buying step, to bring Iran into the community of nations. It absolutely stopped nuke development, although an Israeli disinformation operation sowed doubts in that ("finding" documents from ~2001 that indicated Iran's nuclear goals). The JCPOA was effective, but trump---the consummate bad dealmaker---decided he had to undue everything Obama did. The longer term outlook of the JCPOA was to buy time until the aging mullahs died. Iran is ripe for change. It's young want to be let loose to modernize the country and live lives similar to what people in developed countries live. The trend in Iran is toward a middle ground between the abuses of the Shah and the fanaticism of the mullahs. Iran has everything it needs to become an economic powerhouse, and if calmed and left alone, will become that after the mullahs die. That scares the Gulf States, because most have organically done absolutely nothing with their vast oil and gas wealth. They have remained feudal and mostly backward, few outside of the royal elite have any chance to prosper, and the royals can pillage their own coffers for their own benefit as they wish. To have a neighbor become a non-resource player would embarrass them. Worse is that the player would be Shi'ite, not Sunni. Since Biden was VP under Obama, I hope this long term belief still exists in this Administration, and that the US is quietly discouraging Netanyahu from setting things back another few generations, as well as warning Iran.

Your going down a bad path playing semantic games with him. One might argue Hamas has decided those rules never apply, and is trying to take land the way the settlers in the US, or Australia, or the Mongols or Israel with its settlements has taken land not theirs. When is it wrong, or is it forever going to be those who can do, or those who want try? With Hamas and the corrupt and, I suspect, psychopath Netanyahu, we've gone back to the law of the jungle. There are no moderates in positions of power today. In no way do I support the terrorists of Hamas. Similarly, had I been alive in 1948, I would not have supported the terrorists of the Irgun and Stern Gang. They slaughtered somewhere between 105 and 250 (depending on the source) men, women and children at Deir Yassin, and also blew up the King David Hotel. Bad start all around. Sadly, one of the terrorist leaders became Israel's Prime Minister, and I suspect that has stuck in the craw of Palestinians and been passed down as fuel for an eternal blood feud.

Interesting how different nationalities of 'tourists' take over different aspects of Thailand's 'economy'. There's biker gangs (a veritable UN), the russian mafia, the Chinese triads, and the Indians. The Nigerian drug dealers---who can even be spotted by Western schoolkids on Sukhumvit in Bangkok, have local allies who wear tight-fitting brown uniforms. All are part of that wonderful fabric of Thai society. Indians bring in a few thousand of their 1.4 billion fellow citizens and start them out selling nuts. Pretty legit business, though nobody selling nuts has any sort of work permit. Do well and move up to fake watches. Succeed irritating al fresco diners with Piajays and Rollekes, and one gets a motorscooter and becomes a loan shark. Should any ill gotten gangs be stuck with money that needs a proper cleansing, there's your restaurant and now Pattaya nightclub. Everybody wins, especially the goombahs (a Hindu word absconded by other mafia types).

The Thai economy is in the doldrums and has been for years. The PM announced an average GDP growth of 1.8% per annum over 10 years, at a time household and corporate debt soared. Tough to sustain even that modest growth with so much debt, so Thailand has to look where it can for spending. Exports are not good, and the world economy is slowing. So.....tourism. In 2019 Tourism represented 17.8% of Thai GDP. I suspect in 2024 it will easily pop 20%. Thailand is pulling out all the stops. They legalized weed. They marketed heavily to India (as the endless line of fake watch sellers shows). They grant russians 90 day stays. The govt knows where it can squeeze blood from a rock. One wrench in the works was the crazy kid who shot up Siam Paragon and killed one Chinese tourist. That likely has cost Thailand 10 billion baht minimum, with cancellations and money not spent. Odd that a single death would do that, but who knows how Chinese calculate the odds. TAT should pressure Immigration to extend easy lengthy stays to others, especially possible snowbirds. Older and wealthy people in cold climates may well be tempted to spend winters in Thailand, and they are the type of folks unlikely to be troublemakers.

Lived in downtown Roppongi for 10 years. Aparto was about 350,000 baht/month equivalent, but company paid. I remember buying a single cantaloupe for $80. Came in a lovely box. The yen fluctuated a lot over that time, but yen prices barely budged. Had a favorite ramen shop where I learned to slurp just like a local. Yes there were/are places where gaijin are not welcome, but as you said, they're dull as all get out, so you don't miss anything. Once one gets accustomed to the culture and style of life, it's an easy place to live. Everything is quite structured and repetitive. There are rules for every situation. One of the oddities gaijin learn early on is that what happens outside of the office stays outside of the office. In the office there is a pecking order, but go out as a team and after the first sip of alcohol, anybody can say anything to anybody. It is all forgotten (not really) the next day in the office. You don't talk about 'last night'. Cherry blossom time was my favorite. Little work is done, companies go out together to sit under the blossoms and get drunk. Newly hired employees first task is to find a suitable place and camp there for days, if necessary, to secure it for the company. I used to really enjoy flying myself around different parts of Japan. Because commo is in English, but many ATC folks are shy about their language ability when speaking with an obvious gaijin, I learned to affect a great Japanese accent in my English, so that that ATC folks wouldn't get nervous and give me bad instruction while in their airspace. As for Japanese women and gaijin, it's wide open.

You obviously do not understand hi-so Buddhism. How can one be truly sincere in their lack of desire for carnal pleasures or material possessions if they do not first experience them fully?

If everybody looks a lot younger than they are, what does age actually look like? Is there anybody left to look their age? I'm beginning to think there's kind of a Dunning-Kreuger or Downing Effect even with one's appearance re age.

Probably never swoon-worthy, but always in the right place at the right time. During university years I worked summers as a lifeguard on a large ocean beach, and there seemed to be a competition for women to 'do the lifeguard'. I did not disabuse them of their quaint notion. Far be it for me to ruin their summer. Now, long past lifeguard summers, but still the exact same size and shape as back then, I remain unlikely to be swoon-worthy. I still end up with lovely women somehow. Could it be the physique? Maybe the longish curly locks? Frankly, I think it's the Gulfstream. LOL

I suspect my existence has been easier than 99.999% of all the people who have ever lived (in stark contrast to the fellow posting above me....goodness, that's horrific !) That doesn't mean it was without challenges, but given all the possible permutations, I know it could have been infinitely more difficult. I wasn't born a female in rural Afghanistan during the Taliban years. I wasn't born when Europe was being ravaged by the Black Plague. No Genghis Khan nor tribes of Visigoths or Vikings slaughtered their way through my village as a kid. If one looks at all of human history since homo sapiens emerged, and could choose a time, place and collection of physical characteristics, the result would not be so different from my own materialization and path through life. Maybe there will be a better time and place to materialize in some future time, but up until now coming into existence in a peaceful and developed country, male, Caucasian, of bright parents, of modest to better economic means, not being short (6'+), being athletic, being well above average intelligence (inherited, not earned), and at least not being butt ugly is an ideal. Failure, given all of that, would have to have been sought out. Along the way I had some setbacks, but nothing that couldn't be overcome. I lost some loved ones to disease, a few to terrorism, and those will always hurt, but I suspect I'm far from alone in that regard. If my life has turned out well, I owe it more to dumb luck than anything I might have done. I'm well aware that life is far from fair. Toss in anyone's deity, if one happens to believe: terribly unfair. A civilized society can make all equal only to a certain extent, such as under the law. The Universe, however, sets the real rules about how one gets to exist, and fairness and equality have absolutely nothing to do with it. So much is random, and if free will exists, it comes with severe restrictions and limitations. Everyone plays the cards they're dealt, but some are born with seven high in mixed suits, while a few are dealt a straight flush ace high.

I suppose you prefer the roadkill trump wears on his orange noggin. Classy.

I lived many years in Japan. You are going at a good time, and a bad time. The yen is 150/$. Homes that might have cost $1 million in 1989 can be had for a few thousand USD, as the population is tumbling and supply is high. It isn't as expensive as it was when the yen soared to 80/$. On the bad side, Japan has lost its sense of self. The countryside (inaka) has become as depressing as Ceaucescu's Romania. People are giving up. Back before the Dai Boraku, when Japan was going to own the entire planet, the expectations and pride of the people had reached stratospheric levels. Those expectations have been dashed by 30+ years of mediocrity, and it is finally taking a toll of the mental well-being of the people. Japan has always had its oddities, even during the boom years. One could hire pretend offspring to come comfort old folks, as the real offspring had no time to see Mom and Dad. Filial piety there is a myth. To meet the obligations of Obon, where one goes to pay respects to ancestors, one could hire stand-ins while you go play golf. Every imaginable fantasy, including prurient ones, can be found in Cake & Tea shops. Tamagotchis really were many Japanese people's best friends. Others have noted 'schoolgirl panties in vending machines'. There are also beer vending machines that operate on the honor system that one is of legal age to drink. If you want to begin to understand Japanese TV or humor, see Lost in Translation. Incredibly accurate in so many ways. I remember a weird TV 'contest' where women stuck just their heads into a large box. Each woman had a steak stuck to her forehead. The box was filled with rats. The woman who endured the rat-fest longest was declared the winner. On the plus side, the concept of National Treasures is delightful, if it still exists. Masters of whatever they have chosen to do, and recognized by the govt. I used to fly a small plane around Japan. I loved flying around Mt Fuji, or taking a trip to Oshima and have lunch. Another plus is that it is very safe. The language is also easy to learn, but its subtleties take years to master. Also, Japanese women can be very matter of fact about their carnal desires, especially if you don't expect them to walk across a room on their knees to pour your sake. Not sure if this is a plus, but perversion is a national trait. You'll see salarymen reading the most graphic manga in plain sight, and it usually involves middle aged men and schoolgirls. You'll learn about Goths, Yamambas, Garus and Super Loose Socks. Something for everybody. Oh, and one last 'warning'....all those stickers you see posted every night on power poles and signs, advertising women who will come greet you, imply that Lisa Blackpink or Margot Robbie are the women who will come to your home. Don't believe it. LOL.

Kind of like 'contracts' Thai women sign to go work as house maids, but end up working in a brothel. Though I haven't seen the Thai farm workers' contracts, I suspect part of the contract is that they would be paid. Not paying them is reneging on the contract.

Lovely woman. Enjoy your life together.

I must be swoonworthy, as just the other day I was walking past a massage parlor, and someone yelled out to me: "Ooooh, you so han sum ! I want to have your baby !" The compliment was only slightly diminished due to the caller being a ladyboy. It's the thought that counts.

My GF is 21, and she looks two decades younger than me. Does that count?

You note 6 things, and I'm batting .333 on your list. Former case officer....and I can make my pecs bounce one at a time or both at the same time. When I get cold, sometimes they bounce on their own. Scares the bejesus out of people, as they think it's either a heart attack or I'm auditioning for Aliens 4 and a monster is about to pop out of my chest. It's just way too many push-ups, bench presses and genetics. (Apparently, the more muscles one can control voluntarily---like wiggling ears, flaring nostrils---or in my case bouncing pecs, means one can develop them more. Great dancers and athletes can control a good many of their muscles, due to extensive innervation, which equates to coordination.) As for old looking....I'm probably not like all the other posters here, as it seems everyone looks two decades younger than they are. I can't beat that. Then again, I don't have cataracts, but I suspect many of these guys who 'look' so much younger do have them. If guys are not lifting weights, I guarantee they don't look as young as they think they do. Walking or bicycling---especially in the sun---isn't going to do it. Lack of muscular definition equates to looking older. Rounded shoulders, a slight paunch, turkey gobbler neck...weight training can hold all of that off, but not just cardio. Also, lifting heavy weights for a few reps gets the body to produce both testosterone and HGH, both of which do many things, including making the skin more supple and not look dried out.

Assuming some common foreigner food choices..... Best steak: El Gaucho Best Pizza: Vesuvio Best Burger: Artisan Best Noodles: Thong Smith Best Mexican: Margarita Storm Best Upscale Thai: Benjarong Best Common Thai: Don't know the name, but it's on the small alley to the left off Soi 8, coming from Sukh. Best Wait Staff Uniforms (not to be confused with best service): Orange Hot Pants at Hooters

Boomers are the last generation with a libido. Subsequent generations are afraid of actual direct and physical contact, preferring instead to message people who aren't there, send selfies or photos of their meal, or make TikTok videos with them trying to dance or make cutesy faces. Boomers' "LIKES" come in the form of their partner enjoying an orgasm, while subsequent generations live for "LIKES" on the breakfast photos or selfies where they pretend they're actually living life.

I never miss an opportunity to educate the uninformed, even if they're trolling, because despite their claims of trolling, I know they still live in a fantasy world made up by their messiah. I consider it a public service, or almost a Kipling-esque sort of burden.

Since you used this to take a silly shot at the people who believe in democracy and capitalism, I will remind you of that pesky little thing called Reality. Perhaps Thailand should study the success the Democrats have brought to the US, since both the economy and stock market perform better under Democrats. There has not been a single Republican administration ever that has not presided over the start of a Recession...and that despite the massive deficits Republicans tend to run up. Thailand's 'growth' over the last ten years is like typical Republican fantasy: low growth only achieved by massive debt. In other words, zero organic growth, only debt fueled growth. trump is the latest example: the worst GDP change of any POTUS since Herbert Hoover and the only POTUS since Hoover to leave office with fewer Americans employed than when he took office (after Obama saved the us and world from the subprime disaster). And how did trump achieve that below mediocre record? He ran up a new $7,800,000,000,000 debt, or $24,000 for every man, woman and child in the US. <----Is what caused the inflation Biden and the Fed are now getting under control. Repubs will try to argue "Yes, but Covid". Well, the bloated orange traitor took office in Jan 2017. Covid first hit the US noticeably in March 2020, and the first funding allocated to address it was not until April 2020, 3 years and 3 months into the 4 year trump American Carnage. Just like in his business---6 bankruptcies, inheritance of over $500 million from Dad, plus Dad co-signed every trump loan until the day Dad died---trump is an economic nightmare. Indeed, the Thai PM should study both the successful Democrats and the failure that is trump. Lessons to be learned from both. A picture tells a story: from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a division of the US DeptCommerce

Since you used this to take a silly shot at the people who believe in democracy and capitalism, I will remind you of that pesky little thing called Reality. Perhaps Thailand should study the success the Democrats have brought to the US, since both the economy and stock market perform better under Democrats. There has not been a single Republican administration ever that has not presided over the start of a Recession...and that despite the massive deficits Republicans tend to run up. Thailand's 'growth' over the last ten years is like typical Republican fantasy: low growth only achieved by massive debt. In other words, zero organic growth, only debt fueled growth. trump is the latest example: the worst GDP change of any POTUS since Herbert Hoover and the only POTUS since Hoover to leave office with fewer Americans employed than when he took office (after Obama saved the us and world from the subprime disaster). And how did trump achieve that below mediocre record? He ran up a new $7,800,000,000,000 debt, or $24,000 for every man, woman and child in the US. <----Is what caused the inflation Biden and the Fed are now getting under control. Repubs will try to argue "Yes, but Covid". Well, the bloated orange traitor took office in Jan 2017. Covid first hit the US noticeably in March 2020, and the first funding allocated to address it was not until April 2020, 3 years and 3 months into the 4 year trump American Carnage. Just like in his business---6 bankruptcies, inheritance of over $500 million from Dad, plus Dad co-signed every trump loan until the day Dad died---trump is an economic nightmare. Indeed, the Thai PM should study both the successful Democrats and the failure that is trump. Lessons to be learned from both. A picture tells a story: from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a division of the US DeptCommerce

His comeuppance could be so potentially severe that he will welcome the safely of a jail cell. Most of his recent financing came via SIVs from Deutsch Bank. SIVs are "Special Investment Vehicles" and are off balance sheet. Parties with cash are one side, a borrower is the other, with DB taking a fee for setting up the SIV. For trump the parties with funds are russian oligarchs. donny, jr and eric made comments stating this in the past, as in "We get all the funding we need from russia". If trump loses his NY properties, he's going to have a lot of trouble repaying his SIV borrowings. The folks whose money he will not be able to repay are not kind and gentle sorts. They will peel his skin off just as a warm-up. Leavenworth for his classified doc felonies will be looking like a nice safehaven. "Please, your honor; I'm guilty as sin. Jail me. NOW!"

A degree in Whataboutism from trump U? On HRC's server she had docs classifed CONFIDENTIAL and one or two SECRET. trump stole docs with much higher classifications, including TS/SCI, Codeword, SAP, HCS and RD. HUGE difference. Nothing HRC had in any way could jeopardize national security, whereas everything trump stole seems to have been specifically chosen because of its importance in matters of national security. trump also liked about returning docs, and as we are now learning, he shared highly senstive intel on US nuclear sub capabilities with a mar-a-lago member, who subsequently has told 45 people. Intel officers from hostile nations---like China's MSS---are members of mar-a-lago. I suspect any intel chief would approve the $200K membership fee for any case officer who wanted to join the club, knowing how careless, cavalier and dishonest trump is. I wonder why a country club owner and wedding planner needed such documents. HCS? Even as POTUS he should not have those, but I suspect one of the lackeys he appointed as DNI (Grenell or Ratcliffe) gave him those. As for declassification---2 points---1) there is a set procedure and paper trail for declassification. trump did not do it, so he lied when one of his early excuses was "I declassified everything with my mind", and 2) not even a POTUS can declassify RD; only Dept of Energy.