Patong2021

And yet far more rational and mature than you are.

The complaints are coming from main stream media. It is no secret that an election campaign is big business for the MSM. The rely on interviews to boost their viewership numbers upon which their revenue is derived. The Harris Waltz campaign has relied on a digital media and targeted market strategy. There have been interviews. In the past week she had an extended question and answer period with the National Association of Black Journalists. Afew days before that was the interview with a local ABC affiliate in Philadelphia. VP Harris then did multiple interviews with Spanish language news networks that target the growing US latino population.After that was a lengthy interview on the Uforia network's podcast "Chiquibaby Show". The strategy is to focus on the demographics where voter turnout must be encouraged. I really like the theme music and the excitability of the hosts. (Starts at 19 minutes. The podcast was making revenue. They do a Spanish voice over. In addition VP Harris has been visiting hot election locales. The takeaway is that VP is active, just not on FOX.

EU standards for olive oil are high. One never knows what is in the Turkish, Egyptian etc. product. Unfortunately, some producers have been caught adulterating their products with crap from North Africa. In the USA and Canada, it is the wild west when it comes to olive oil. One of the risks of imported olive oil is that it may not have been tested as is required for the EU market. https://frescolio.ca/learn-more/olive-oils/olive-oil-standards-testing/?v=5435c69ed3bc

All of Putin's posts seem to be from 2022. Anything recent?

Your hatred for the USA knows no bounds even to the point of revising history to support your false narrative. The USA was one of 15 nations in a United Nations authorized intervention to prevent the ongoing genocide of Bosnians by Serbia. Operation Deliberate Force targeted the military capability of the Army of Republika Srpska, which had threatened and attacked UN-designated "safe areas" in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War with the Srebrenica genocide and Markale massacres, precipitating the intervention. Had the Serbians not targeted civilians in the Sarajevo marketplace the UN action would not have occurred.

And yet you chose to seek refuge in Canada.

In the civilized world it also means the opposite. I think that I have only seen this in Thailand. In India and Vietnam they don't do anything and will just run you down and then drive off.

Georgia or Bob?

Qatar assumes it is protected because it hosts the USN. We all know Iran is the major cause of strife in the region, but it is Qatar that finances and enables much of the regional feuds. Even if Iran is neutralized, the debauched arrogant Qataris will be buying support for the next century until its oil power is blunted.

The use of drones has changed conflict strategy, much as the use of IEDs changed the use of armored vehicles in Afghanistan, and anti tank weapons changed the use of tanks in the 1970's and 1980's. It looks to me that the war is primarily being fought with missile barrages and drones, with close contact engagements fought under drone umbrellas. It is a real shocker to me to see personnel wiped out by drones. And to be honest, the Ukrainian use of incendiary weapons dispersed by drones is repugnant. I make no bones about my opposition to the Russian invasion, but burning people alive is too much for me. The takeaways are that the world will face new threats in the coming years from terrorists who will use drones to inflict far greater damage than a Madrid train bombing or 9/11.

Musk's world will eventually start to collapse post election. He is a very arrogant and cocky man and has done a lot of damage to the US economy with his manipulations. People complain about George Soros, but Musk is sometimes doing worse. He assumes he has Trump under his thumb and he assumes he can intimidate and sabotage a Democrat administration. He is mistaken. Trump is no fool. Both Republican and Democrat congressional members are just waiting for the right time and then they will attack. Zuckerberg of Facebook/Instagram will get his too. Many of the western influencers who sold their platforms to Russian state actors will eventually have to take responsibility for their actions. They are slowly being exposed and they will eventually have to answer for taking foreign agent money and in some cases making false tax declarations. To a certain extent the Ukraine war has benefited democracy as it has exposed the free world's weaknesses to manipulation and disinformation campaigns. Better it is addressed now than when there is a worldwide conflict.

She may have had an illness and due to her long work hours succumbed. I think we can agree that migrant workers are often overworked and exploited. It is conceivable that she was in a foreign country, not conversant in Russian and most likely left to her own devices to survive in what can be a harsh environment in the best of times.

What was gibberish? You dismiss, but do not say what was incorrect. You make alot of assumptions.You now present yourself as an expert, but do not understand the very significant differences between the different schools of Buddhism. Your position is like insisting that the Church of Rome is the same as Pentecostal Protestantism since both are Christian faiths. Assuming that she has friends who can give her a funeral. And further assuming that the Russian state will go out of its way to give her a religion specific funeral. Russia is no different than western nations in that regard. Unclaimed corpses get treated as a pauper. They might be stored for a short time, or they may be disposed of in a pauper's grave. Sometimes they get cremated. However, someone, somewhere has to make a claim and has to be willing to pay the costs of repatriation. The family is trying to claim the body, but no one is responding and no one in the government appears to be trying to help a distraught mother claim her dead child. It is a sad tragedy for this family.

Ok. so basically you are a Canadian of convenience. You are in Thailand only because it is cheap. In effect you admit to being exploitive. It certainly explains your pro Russian sentiments. BTW, you may wish to follow the news from Canada closely, The government just announced another 10% cut back and a toughening of PR and visa requirements. Soon there will be obligatory residence much like the US Green Card rules. 🙂 And if the conservatives win the next election, a review of existing visas and a freeze on all new visas. You just might get to stay in Thailand and elevate their culture.

Don't dig yourself into a deeper hole. When is the last Thai funeral you attended where the body was not cremated? Thai buddhists almost never embalm or bury corpses. Ethnic Chinese and Christians can do that. Thai muslims bury within 24 hours. There are multiple obstacles to a decent funeral for a Thai in Russia. The Thai ceremony is supposed to be carried out at a wat or family home. Family and close friends should be in attendance. There should be a monk in attendance. This is to allow for the daily prayers and the giving of alms and a presentation of robes. None of that can happen in Russia. There isn't a Theravada wat, there are no Theravada monks and there are no family members. The funeral is also for the living. This is why the family wants either the body or the cremated remains returned as quickly as possible so that a proper Thai funeral can be given. Thai people put a great deal of emphasis upon respecting their traditions and the funeral is a major event, particularly for the parents who must attend to their child.

That chip is sure weighing you down. And yet for all your disdain for Thai culture, here you are obsessed with the country and desiring to live in Thailand. Why is that? If it is so bad, why would you want to be in Thailand. Surely your homeland is so much better that you would be more comfortable there.

If only more of them moved to Russia, the USA could rid itself of Russian stooges and hateful people. Of course, they wouldn't last very long. As soon as they find out they can't complain about everything and shoot up the local school, they would get homesick, especially after they had to eat Russian cuisine 7 days a week. They don't have Chik fil-a or Taco Bell in the outer oblasts. They might have Potato Pieter and Valeri Vodka outlets.

That chip on your shoulder must be very heavy. Yes, and your origins do show. Perhaps the reason why your country was poor was that it did not have a culture where families cared for each other.

Buddhism in Russia is a bit of a sham, much like it is China. The recognized apparatus must be state approved. As you note, it is not Thervada buddhism and is a variant of Vajrayana. One of the Russian Lamas objected to the invasion of Ukraine and was labeled an enemy agent. He fled for his life and now lives in exile.

Why would think that the Orthodox church have a Buddhist funeral ceremony? Do you think a Baptist Church would put on a Roman Catholic funeral? A mosque would host a Bahai funeral? Nor should an Orthodox Church be expected to provide a funeral for a Buddhist. It is not a reasonable expectation because the deceased was not baptized into the faith and did not accept the teachings of the church.

How cruel and disrespectful you are. You have no idea as to the family circumstances to call the family selfish. The woman had one child a minor, cared for by her elderly parents. It is expensive to raise a child. The grandparents were providing stability and 24/7 care and that is worth something. In Thailand, the parents care and support their children with the reasonable expectation that the children will care for the parent in old age. This is is how itis done in nations that are not welfare states.

The issue is not whether one religion is more tolerant than another. That can be a subjective opinion for some. Rather, what I wrote was historically accurate. Fact: Russia had state sanctioned pogroms where jews were intentionally massacred. State sanctioned persecution of Russian jews continued until the Gorbachev era. Fact: Russia had state sanctioned persecution of Polish and Lithuanian Catholics. Fact: Jehova Witnesses are persecuted in Russia. Fact: Yarovaya laws are now used to persecute protestants, and in particular to prevent their operations, to imprison their clergy and to seize their teaching materials including their bibles. Fact: Theravada Buddhism as practiced in Thailand is not a recognized religion in Russia. Only Vajrayana variant is allowed subject to its clergy being state approved. Therefore, my original position remains.

You have a valid point. The failure to be transparent is also found in USA, Canada and the sections of Mexico that cater to Canada/USA tourists. Years ago, the airlines used to do similar advertising their cheap airfares and then adding service fees and taxes. The laws changed to force them to be all inclusive in their pricing. No one complained then. It is deceitful not to show the full price.

You have made a significant point, although the Thai board of Investment - BOI does provide a split. Mind blowing. because of the overwhelming dominance of Chinese investment. I didn't appreciate how powerful and influential the Chinese were until you mentioned this. To be honest, I now get it why China holds so much influence over Thailand. I would even go so far to say that Thailand is becoming a puppet state. As of 2024 Approved Foreign Investment Projects in Thailand (Source Thailand BOI) - Top 4 International Investment Projects -Mainland China has 164 projects worth 69.283 billion baht and Hong Kong has 30 projects worth 24.287 billion baht for a combined Chinese total of 194 projects 93.607 billion baht -Singapore has 63 projects worth 53.683 billion -Australia has 5 projects worth 14.840 billion baht -Japan has 87 projects worth 12.885 billion baht

Russian religion is Russian Orthodox interpretation of Christianity. It looks down on other religions. They won't care about the Buddhist rites, so I don't know where you would come up with there being a proper ceremony. Russia is the country which is famous for its pogroms of jews and for its systemic discrimination against Polish and Lithuanian Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses. Today, Russia uses its Yarovaya law to persecute and to imprison protestants. The Russian mentality hasn't changed since the time it used to send its cossacks to massacre jews in the rural villages whenever the state needed an excuse to distract from the failures of the Russian state. The only thing that changed is the victims.