Walker88

No, I did not say that. You're mistaken or lying. I did say a few things about trump's economic mismanagement: His GDP growth rate was the lowest of any President since Herbert Hoover. Even before Covid, his quarterly GDP change was in the bottom 30% of all quarters since the end of WWII. Plus, he achieved that mediocre economy via massive debt, debt that exceeded any GDP change under him. The worst Depression since the 1930s was the 2008 Financial Crisis. Obama solved that and handed trump a growing economy and 4.8% Unemployment, down from a high of 10.4%. trump proceeded to run up the most massive deficit and new National Debt in US history, or $24,000 for every American. That was the subsequent cause of inflation. trump also took the growing economy and low UE Obama handed him, and produced genuine American Carnage (the phrase from his poorly attended Inauguration speech). trump left a Recession and 6.8% UE. Under Biden, the economy is growing and UE is at a 55 year low.

No, in case you missed it, trump LOST. That means "Most" do not support him. trumpers are such losers. Blubber butts, mediocre, talentless, low IQ, unsuccessful, sucking up to his false promises and fantasies, believing he can somehow manufacture a life for them other than abject failure. Sorry, the cult lost the Birth Lottery. Can't be fixed.

I think for many in the West, particularly the USA, Thailand is a "been there, done that" sort of thing. Many people who travel are looking for new experiences. There's much greater interest in South America, Europe remains popular, former Eastern Bloc countries are popular, and the adventurous are heading to Africa. China, as has been noted, is in deep trouble. Evergrande is bust, Country Garden is bust, millions of pre-paid condos are not going to be built, and the money paid---life savings, borrowings from Mom and Dad---is not coming back. UE in the 18-25 year group is 20%. Also, Covid prompted many Western companies to change supply lines and look for stuff closer to home, so China loses out there, too. A country built on cheap labor and RE as the base asset has outlived its usefulness. The BRI is looking to be an expensive boondoggle with little ROI, too, so there goes the much vaunted FX reserves. Japan has a demographic problem, a weak economy, and a falling yen. Visitor numbers look to be way down. Even Golden Week did not seem to bring the usual number of visitors; at least they were not as visible as in past years. Golden week used to bring in thousands of salarymen who spent daytimes on the golf course and nights in agogos, and also thousands of OLs wandering around "like they're in an Enya video" (line from The Big Short). For the last two decades or so, Thai officials have just assumed Thailand is infinitely and eternally attractive to non-Thais. As another poster noted, they suffer from CotU syndrome. Thailand is not the center of the Universe, and authorities have to realize it is up to them to find new ways to make the country attractive. Ask non-Thais back in their home countries what "Thailand" is, and the most common answers will be "bargirls" and "spicy food". I'm not sure one of those is an answer they want to hear. There will always be the sex tourists and old foreigners coming to 'live the dream', but even those demographics can be priced out of the market and lost to Cambodia or Vietnam. I don't work for TAT, and luckily so, because I don't have a good answer. Maybe they should go after the demographic that seems most common today, assuming it has room for more growth. That would be the Indian market and Middle East medical tourism. Absent that, 40 million is going to be the good old days.

I'm on Bob's side on this one, though the nationality of the people is irrelevant. It is simply rude behavior. Where do those who do not object draw the line? Would it be acceptable in a Michelin Star-rated restaurant? Take up 15 seats, order just water, and pull the main courses from a backpack? Nobody could pull that stunt in a NYC hi-so restaurant, so why is it okay in a Thai breakfast spot? Also, other potential patrons might be turned off by the display and choose another venue for their meal. "No outside food or beverage" means exactly that. If the wait staff didn't care, okay, but I doubt the owner would be indifferent.

Him? You mean Zeus? Or is it Thor? Maybe Allah? Yahweh? Pascal's Wager didn't note that there are not just two possibilities, as in Nothing or the Christian god. As for your Christian god, I really don't need a guy with such a miserable moral code. The guy's kid had 33 years to tell us that owning other human beings is wrong, but failed to do so. Plenty of his biographers spoke about treatment of slaves, but there was no ban on owning other human beings. Frankly, who needs that kind of deity.

Waddles is more like it. trump is, of course, obese, and he does waddle. Despite his typical whine of being 'indicated' by law enforcement, he is the guy who: ---stole highly classified documents that jeopardize national security and clandestine assets, and then lied about it ---was intimately involved in a plot to overthrow US democracy -fomented the terrorist attack on the Capitol on 6 Jan 2021, and spent 180 minutes on his fat a$$ watching it unfold and watching Capitol Police being beaten and injured (why did he call his goobers to DC and say "it will be wild !", if it is merely a pro forma certification done peacefully dozens of times in US history? YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE.) -Despite being told 3 recounts and an investigation into voting in Georgia found zero evidence of fraud, he still tried to pressure SecState Raffensperger to "just find me 11.780 votes", which has no explanation whatsoever except "Cheat for me". -Watched his long time bagman go to jail for following trump's orders to pay off Stormy Daniels -Sicked the IRS on both Andrew McCabe and James Comey in the same year -Tried (unsuccessfully) to remove the security clearance of John Brennan, because the former DCI was a critic...since his WH was incompetent, John never lost his clearance, even though trump said he had it pulled -Tried to pressure his AG to open investigations into Hillary and Biden -Withheld needed and already-approved military aid to Ukraine demanding that Zelenskyy first make up some fake material about Biden Yea, fat donny is waddling all duck-like.

Quite clearly the Democrats are now the Party of Law and Order, Rule of Law, and Democracy. The only other Party is a Cult, led by a convicted sex offender, convicted charity fraudster and a guy under 91 felony indictments for everything from stealing highly classified documents, paying off a pornstar, and trying to subvert and overthrow 250 years of US democracy.

What's the difference between 'near death' and actual death? Death. Anyone who has watched someone deteriorate mentally due to dementia/Alzheimers would have to live in a fantasy world to think consciousness is anything other than biochemistry. We are to believe that someone so gone, who recognizes no one, who hasn't a clue if they're dead, alive or a turnip, and who eventually forgets how to swallow, at the instant of death becomes fully cognizant again and in the prime of life? I fully accept that the life I have now is the one and only, and when my brain is starved for O2 and dies, everything that I am and ever was ends right there. Entropy wins. ALl the molecules that were me---including the ones that were part of the neurons that allowed me to enjoy, build memories, feel love and other emotions, get recycled into other bits of matter. That is what makes life so precious: it's finiteness.

You mean trump-appointed judge cannon in the stolen classified documents case, right? The only way trumpers will be happy if the judge is jeanine pirro and the jury is made up of the Freedumb Cockups in the US House.

I assume you are referring to trump's silly mugshot, where the bloated and out of shape butterball pretended he was some sort of fighter?

Been going to Vesuvio for years. It's the exact same recipe and exact same chefs as before the ownership change. Looking at their display case, it's even the same suppliers/ingredients. (I am told the only concession they make to local or non-Italian tastes is they have a Hawaiian pizza. Hawaiian is a favorite of Thai women.) There's a large group of Italian expats I see there if I go on weekends. If it's good enough for Italians, it's good enough for me. Nothing changed at all, except they now have a great wine list and an expanded beer list (BeerLao light and dark, Hoegaaden, Erdinger), plus a number of good wines by the glass (whereas before the ownership change, by-the-glass was horrid box wine.). In my many years of visiting Bangkok I've tried every pizza shop there is. The only one that compares with Vesuvio is Pizza Massilia if I want wood-fired Napoli style.

Did you read the article? "Jury selection" Courts do not adjust their schedules to suit traitors who are running for POTUS so they might avoid jail. It's called Law and Order and ALL are equal under the law, both of which trump hates, as he hates democracy. "Weaponization" of govt is when trump had the IRS audit both Andrew McCabe and James Comey. Attempted Weaponization of govt is when trump tried to get the DoJ to open investigations into Hillary and to Biden. Weaponization is when trump ordered his AG to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate the investigators (Durham) which turned up zero wrongdoing by CIA and only a single low level FBI employee, despite millions spent on Durham's boondoggle.

There is no more possibility of being "even-handed" about trump than there would be a debate on whether the sun rises in the East or West. Also, a kid who robs a 7-11 cannot subsequently declare he's running for POTUS and expect courts to adjust their schedule to suit him. trump should not have stolen classified documents (open and shut case). He should have behaved in a way that got him indicted for trying to overthrow US democracy. He shouldn't have told his bagman to pay off Stormy. His problems are 100% of his own making. 100%.

I think that whole Asian Century thing got way ahead of itself. It seems nobody has any staying power recently. China is teetering on the edge. Yesterday, the stock of major RE developer Evergrande fell 87%. In one day. Country Garden isn't far behind. Millions of Chinese pre-paid for condos that now will never be built, and the bankrupt RE developers are not going to return any money. POOF ! Wealth evaporates, as happens when debt isn't repaid. Not sure how the CCP is going to address this issue, but if they mess it up, expect some serious social unrest in the Middle Kingdom. The Japanese yen is trading at 146/$ and the Japan economy isn't looking good. Korea is pretty stable, but no great shakes there either. The US economy is the leader among the G7 in terms of growth, but it's far away from Thailand and the youth do seem to not only have a different view of mongering (a major draw of previous generations, even if everyone on AN came for the temples), but are not as drawn to the 'exotic East' as earlier generations. Central and South America seem more of a draw. Spanish culture, not any Asian culture, is the current vogue. Now owing to sheer numbers, a South Asian wave is possible. In a country of 1.3 billion, India is going to have a decent size middle class. Perhaps Indians are the future expat wave to Thailand. The Russian wave is likely temporary, especially with the ruble falling again. Those who wanted out have left Russia, and its economy is doing quite poorly. There will still be a mix of expats from Europe and the Americas, but I would bet Indians are the next major wave.

Who would have thought that sucking foreign substances into your lungs could be harmful? I mean, cigarettes, weed, vaping, glue, Thai air during the burning season, Bangkok air anytime...they're all good, right? I suppose it's a bit odd---or maybe not---that cigarettes are legal, but vaping is not. Neither is any good for you, and the pleasure comes from feeding the addiction that no one ever should have developed. Smoking always struck me as odd...one has to overcome initial nausea just to become addicted to something that can kill you.

The Cult of the Absurd You either see it for what it is, or you are a part of it. Anyone who knows the schtick of trump's mentor Roy Cohn, and who has any sort of adult perception, knows what trump's intent is in whatever scam trump tries to pull off and in whatever statement he makes. His goobers, however, twist themselves into not just a pretzel, but a Mobius Strip. They excuse or offer an absurd explanation for all trump's criminal activity, and when confronted with too many facts, go back to the beginning and start over again. trump called his goobers to come to DC on 6 January 2021 saying "It'll be wild !" Why would a pro forma certification, which had been without incident dozens of times in US history, be "wild"? Why did trump hold a rally on the Mall, within walking distance of the Capitol, tell his goobers to 'march to the Capitol', speak of 'Pence doing the right thing', say "peacefully" one time (as Roy Cohn would have taught him), but say "fight" 20 times in the same speech (fight for what?)? Why did trump pull the metal detectors when informed some of his goobers were likely armed, saying "they won't hurt me". Apparently it was okay if they marched to the Capitol, possibly armed, to hurt others. No non-cultist believes that when trump called GA SecState Raffensperger and told him to "just find me 11.780 votes", that trump meant anything less than "cheat for me". There is no other possible explanation, since as Raffensperger explained to trump, recounts and investigations found nothing untoward. No rational adult believes trump "declassified with his mind" the documents he stole from the WH, and by now all should have read that there is an actual, formal procedure for declassification that leaves a paper trail (which in trump's case does not exist). Still, some cultists believe both that trump's mind declassified AND the FBI planted them. No rational adult believes trump did not have an affair with Stormy Daniels and then order Michael Cohen to pay her off. Cultists seem to believe Cohen took the initiative on his own, and for no reason that he wanted to contribute to Stormy's retirement fund.. trump cultists are losers. They have lived their entire life as losers. trump came along and for the first time in their mediocre lives trump told them they weren't losers and that their lack of success is others' fault. They NEED to believe that, so they need trump to stick around. They convince themselves trump loves America because he dry humps the flag, when in reality his pure self-interest is 100% transparent (trump had to ask CoS Kelly what the USS Arizona was, so ignorant is trump of history and sacrifice.) They cannot accept trump is a conman, liar, traitor to US democracy, a thief, a sex offender (convicted), a charity fraudster (convicted), because that would mean all he has told them about failure not being their fault is a lie. Cult leaders find a weakness in, and a hook into, their followers. They exploit the needs and the weaknesses. They deliver promises that are always coming, but never actually come....but cultists have to continue to believe and wait. They cannot give up the dream, or fantasy of finally being something.

No idea what your comment means. What I have noticed is you cannot refute any of the charges brought against trump. Why would he be all in on Fake Electors? Why would a country club owner and wedding planner need TS/SCI, SAP, Codeword, HCS and RD documents? Why would anyone honest lie to the FBI and claim they returned all the stolen classified docs? Where did donny think GA SecState Raffensperger might "find 11.780 votes" AFTER three recounts and investigations revealed no fraud? And just for good measure, why would donny order Michael Cohen to pay off Stormy Daniels and then book the payoff as a business expense, then watch Cohen go to jail for following donny's order? Being a convicted sex offender and a convicted charity fraudster does not say much about donny's character. 91 felony charges seem to fit his lifelong pattern of behavior. Of course the court and jury will decide his fate, but the evidence is pretty solid.

There's a certain irony in the fact that trump and much of his cult are big putin supporters, considering a threatened coup against putin by Wagner Chief prigozhin got prigozhin's plane blown out of the sky, yet trumpers go apoplectic and scream 'witch hunt' and 'weaponized DoJ' when trump is arrested for trying to overthrow US democracy. I'd bet prigozhin and the other 9 people on his jet would prefer a mere arrest to what they suffered instead.

Yes, it has been proven by the FBI and classification authorities that the documents found in his willful possession, for which he had no right, were classified as TS/SCi, SAP, Codeword, HCS and RD. As for his plot to overthrow US democracy, in the indictment re 6 June, witnesses to the grand jury, all of whom were trump appointees, testified that 1) he knew he lost the election, and 2) he was in meetings where the fake elector scheme was hatched and approved. All it will take for conviction is the first is FBI testimony stating what they found in his country club (the headings alone signify the classification level, and possible no material other than the visible headings need be made public, as that could threaten national security), and for the 6 January witnesses to testify and convince the jury that what they told the grand jury under oath is true.

You were there in Bergdorf-Goodman? The civil jury convicted trump of sexual assault, based on the evidence they heard, and awarded Carroll $6 million in damages. Thus, trump is a convicted sex offender, just as he is a convicted charity fraudster. 91 felony counts with lots of evidence may well lead to convictions of a host of other crimes, though trump certainly has a good start with sex offender and charity fraudster..

"Just find me...11,780 votes" on a tape recording, kind of sounds like evidence. As does, "Look, you can do the right thing (sic)". There really is only one way to interpret those statements. Three recounts by GA State officials put to rest any doubt as to who won. That the officials carrying out the recounts and investigation were (R) may not be relevant, but defense would be hard pressed to claim bias. Both Raffensperger and the Governor said they voted for trump, so he was obviously their preferred candidate. Still, they found nothing to change the vote, and thus stood up to trump's pressure. Certainly the grand jury thought enough of the evidence presented to them to recommend indictment. We'll see all of it in court. Should be entertaining. I wonder (NOT) if trump will release the "piles of irrefutable proof" he has showing both fraud and his victory. I suspect his lawyers, knowing they would be disbarred for presenting lies in court, will not be bringing trump's 'piles' into the courtroom. I also doubt sidney powell's lawyer will submit evidence that Hugo Chavez rose from the grave, programmed an Italian satellite, and then changed the votes in Dominion voting machines. The classified documents case against trump is easiest, as willful possession in a non-SCIF by anyone not authorized to see or retain classified docs is a felony. As ex-POTUS, trump has zero security clearance. His 'declassified in my mind' is ludicrous, and had he actually declassified, there would be a paper trail with the signature of WH counsel on every doc. Since non of that exists, and because his lying about having returned everything shows willful retention, plus his former IT chief now says trump told him to erase security camera footage showing boxes of classified material being moved, he's guilty. Personally, I'm glad there will be a trial, as his defense should be good for lots of laughs. Now I also hope that Jack Smith will add "Sedition" to the 6 January indictment, which he could do given that some of trump's former staff who testified to the grand jury claim trump knew he lost and trump was intimately involved in the fake elector scheme. Sedition is a capital offense, which could result in the death penalty.

Would the author have been happier if Biden had announced "now 15, and soon down to 1" and "just like that, it'll be gone by Easter"? Maybe Biden should suggest we all get an injection of Lysol? Stick a UV light up where the sun doesn't shine? That didn't seem to work, nor did horse tranquilizers. Prudence is wise. Prudence and preparation do not equate to lockdown. The author just makes a leap and extrapolates from one school and one studio, neither of which have anything to do with Biden. That the Administration might make contingency plans is called being professional. It would be a dereliction of duty to not at least prepare. While it does seem all of the Covid variants have been mutations into less deadly forms, it is still wise to stay on top of the virus. Covid is unique in that it is one of the few---maybe only virus major known---that can be spread by non-symptomatic people. It's not SARS or MERS, and not Ebola, which are only spread by people evidencing symptoms. There is no guarantee that such a widely dispersed virus cannot mutate into something deadlier than the Delta variant, since mutations are a numbers game.

In other words, you have nothing to back up your claims that a hammer is coming for Biden, and absolutely no excuse for why trump stole classified docs, lied about returning them, was intimately involved in the plot to overthrow US democracy, and at the State level tried to pressure the Georgia SecState to overturn the results there. My personal opinion is that trump wanted to monetize the classified docs he stole. (It's pretty clear the supposed billionaire has a cash flow problem now.) There is never any reason for any POTUS to see, much less steal and retain, HCS docs. When a POTUS is briefed on highly sensitive intel, the human clandestine source is merely described, not noted by name. The description is generally something like "a highly placed source who previous reporting has been regularly verified as factual". That trump had HCS docs suggests he got them from one of his two lackey DNIs, either grenell or ratcliffe. No way DCI Gina Haspel nor trump's first DNI Coates would allow trump to become aware of the identities of clandestine assets. BTW, trump also had RD classified docs. Not even a POTUS---one who follows the proper procedure for declassification---has authority to declassify RD docs. That rests solely with the Dept of Energy, because since the Manhattan Project, it has been assumed that a POTUS is not up to speed on the details and intimacies of nuclear weapons and technology. President Carter might have come close, but remember trump didn't even know the most basic things about nukes, such as the "nuclear triad".

Speaking of hammers, 91 felony indictments....some of which at the State level carry a mandatory jail sentence of 5 years...are heading trump's way like a comet. The documents case is a slam dunk, as it is illegal to willfully and knowingly steal and hold classified documents in a non-SCIF. Also, having held TS/SCI for years and having had classification authority, I know full well the procedure for declassification. trump did not follow it, cannot 'declassify in his mind', and obviously lied about declassifying. As an ex-POTUS, he holds no security clearance and has as much right to keep and see US classified documents as putin, xi or the mullahs of Iran. One wonders why those backing trump's spurious claim of declassification don't demand a full publication of each and every supposedly declassified document, so that putin, xi, the leadership of al Qaeda, the mullahs of Iran, etc., can enjoy reading them. Ms Lindsey? Can we see copies? I'm sure we'd all just love to know what penetrations the agency has of putin's inner circle, which would be in HCS documents trump stole (HCS=Human Clandestine Sources). It really makes one wonder why a country club owner and wedding planner needs such documents. As for intelligence and literacy, support for trump automatically leads to suspicions that the person sits well left of the mean on the IQ Bell Curve. I fully agree that we do not share the same level of intelligence and literacy.

Things we now "know" from trump's 4th arrest and booking: 6'3" and 215 llbs comes in many shapes and sizes, as noted by the trump image and the Chris Hemsworth image. Obama, always listed at between 6' and 6'1" is really 6'3".