Patong2021

Fair point and I agree with you, but it is an impractical solution for most people. One needs to own one's home and to have the land to set up an optional system. I rent and my landlord isn't going to let me go solar, nor do the condo bylaws allow for it. For others, if they don't get access to sufficient sunlight they can't go with solar.

So no use of motor vehicles in a big city then. If traffic signals go down in Bangkok, you might as well turn off the car and have a snooze, because you are not going anywhere. The only thing that can easily get around is a small scooter or a bicycle. At least with a bike you can put it over the shoulder and walk around an obstruction. Perhaps everyone should move to Issan and go jungle.

Spain still relies on fossil fuel for approx. 25% of its electricity generation. 50% of its electricity generation is by renewables. So, bashing the country on net zero goals doesn't work. The utility relies on cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants when solar is not available and for peak periods. Spain's use of soler energy has no bearing on this incident. The problem was with the power lines, not the form of generation. The event would have still occurred if there was a coal fired electricity generation plant.

Whether or not there is a green world, if the electricity fails, society comes to a standstill. It is electricity that operates street lights , home appliances, home lighting, traffic signals, telecommunications, and public transit. Not being green would not have prevented this event. One of the benefits of not living in the USA is that people do not go into savage mode as soon as there is a catastrophic event. Some countries have culture and civility. Why spread unsubstantiated claims? Do you get a thrill, or is this just your attempt to stir up people? After the initial disruption, the utilities intentionally cut additional power supply to prevent damage until they knew what the problem was. This is called a safeguard action. The utility explanation was; Red Electrica identified two incidents of power generation loss, probably from solar plants, in southwestern Spain that caused instability in the electric system and led to a breakdown of its interconnection with France. The electrical system collapsed, affecting both the Spanish and Portuguese systems. Spain was exporting power to France and Portugal at the time of the outage. Exports to France were close to the available net export capacity until 1000 local time. According to Red Electrica data, exports to France stopped at 1235 local time from 868 MW beforehand. The south of Spain was indeed experiencing fluctuations in its temperatures, going from cool to hot quickly in some regions. When the ground heats up very quickly the air above it warms, expands and becomes lighter. That rising warm air creates a pressure imbalance with the surrounding cooler, denser air. The atmosphere responds to this imbalance by generating waves, not unlike ripples spreading across a pond. These pressure waves can travel through the atmosphere. In some cases, they can interact with power infrastructure — particularly long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines. As the rapid heating induced anomalous oscillations in the very high voltage lines (400 kV) that connect Spain with France. It has happened before. As soon as the power was disrupted, automatic safeguard systems activated that started cutting power to protect systems. Once the location of disruption was identified, power could be restored. It is done in a step by step process to prevent system overload. Until an investigation is completed and hacking is demonstrated, the common sense explanation is reasonable, particularly since it has happened before, and the utility was aware of its risk. The real issue is the delay in upgrading the transmission lines and securing the power grid by updating safety mechanisms so that large areas do not need to be shut down.

How many of the people collecting pensions have actually contributed an amount that covers their full payout? It looks to me like only the top fifth of contributors actually cover a large part of their benefits. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/15195/production/_129112468_optimised-tax_burden-nc.png.webp

That is not "progressive". A few overlapping positions with responsible governments does not make one "progressive".

what will become of the Arabs who migrated to the lands now called Palestine and Gaza? Most of them are not descended from original inhabitants. This always comes as an unpleasant reality to Palestinian liberationists. Over 1 million arabs recruited from the region built the Suez canal. A large number settled in the land called Israel. Will they too be asked to leave. Not defending some of the settlers or land thieves as some are reprehensible bigots. However, they are in some cases settling on land that was originally part of greater Israel prior to the Arab expansionism and the Turkish colonial rule.

So it's a secret? Do we need to use our Buster Brown decoder rings? or maybe we need a special handshake?

Truly an idiotic comment. Progressive because his racial purity laws were brilliant? Or maybe the eugenics and mass murder of the disabled? The concentration death camps were holiday camps, right? Progressive because of his human breeding program? Or maybe it was the education, because we all know that ourging educators who disagree with the government is so very worthwhile.

Do say. We will all be educated.

The conclusions were based upon data for the 2021-2022 period. The theft numbers have dropped 20%+ and are still dropping. According to the insurance data there were 57,359 reported car thefts in Canada in 2024. In 2023, there were 70,475. 2025 data indicates a similar trend. It seems that Alberta has a problem because of the ease in which a car can be revinned. Other provinces tightened their rules. Alberta did not. Also, as a wealthier province, it has newer vehicles. Thieves like nice cars. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/auto-theft-canada-1.7457104

I don't think there is much to celebrate. The polls were once again proven wrong because they were indicating a Liberal majority and what we see is a MINORITY government. The liberals may cut a deal with the remnants of the NDP to get legislation passed.. The good news is now that Poilievre lost his seat, maybe the Conservatives can work with the liberals on important legislation. One thing it does say is that no one likes Poilievre. He was a professional politician, never having worked outside of politics and here he was always harping on the political machines etc. He did not get any support from provincial conservative governments who lined up with Carney. At least Carney knows finance and economics.

Not anymore. As the Trudeau government was sinking, it was forced to introduce new measures and there have been enforcement efforts since then. It still needs improvement, but they are working on it. The cars get stolen and are then shipped to Beirut, Dubai and Africa. Highest rate of thefts is now in Alberta, the law and order province. 🫠 https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2025/03/government-of-canada-reports-on-progress-to-reduce-auto-theft.html

Wht did you expect "security" to do? Grab him by the penis and lead him back? Maybe he walked out without anyone knowing? Many of the smaller hotels only have 11 perso on duty at night and they can be busy. Or maybe they did call the police.

I wonder if the ambulance had a defibrillator? If the person goes into V fib and there isn't immediate intervention, the person dies. One can do CPR all one wants but it won't help. That's why AED devices are located in large public areas (like airports) and is now mandatory in large work areas in many countries.

manslaughter. Driver will say that he was not aware , or that he could not move.

His own house is on fire. Before sticking his nose into the affairs of the neighbors, he should put the fire out in his own house.

Yes they are. And as governor of the state, he has certain powers in respect to oversight of municipal and county governments. Chicago is not known for its respect for the law, or good government. So, let him start there and show the rest of the USA how it is done. My point is that Illinois has a lot of problems and as governor that is where his focus should be, not on looking for a shot at the WH in the next election.

The UK money is being spent to degrade the Russian military and to contain the expansionist Russians. Ukrainians are dying so that British citizens do not have to.

Fair point. And most pensioners do not cost the NHS much as well. It is when people get ill that the misery starts. If you read the forum on the subject of health insurance, one of the common comments is that in the event of serious illness, the person would fly back to the UK. So, yes, they may not be costing anything, until they need medical care. Then it is back to the UK where non urgent care is still free and access to the free urgent healthcare system is available once the surcharge is paid, or worse, hospital charges are paid. The work around is UK citizens who return to the UK on a settled basis will be considered as ordinarily resident and will be eligible for free NHS care immediately. But, yes, I do understand your point.

Maybe Pritzker is right. However, he should first focus on cleaning up his state's problems and the mess of a city called Chicago.

Yes. However, other income is not, and there are many UK non residents with income from foreign investments who do not pay UK tax on that income. So he is contributing to the UK economy by spending his pension in Thailand? OK. Yes, I did state that excess over the threshold of 12,570 was taxable. He is not spending the pension on goods and services in the UK. There is no economic benefit for the UK from him. Exemptions from the law are obtained by a reciprocal social benefits agreement with another nation. Thailand did not agree. Is that the UK's fault? Other UK nationals have the agreement if they are living in the Philippines, Turkey USA, Barbados etc. A grant of what you demand would see hundreds of millions of pounds be sucked out to residents of Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, etc. That is why a reciprocity agreement is needed. Thailand won't enter into the treaty with the UK.

Yes, you are paying tax on your UK income. If you are a non resident, you do not pay income tax on other income. My apologies for not being clearer.

Much ado over a buffoon in a rental vehicle.

No it is not. He is more likely to be being paid out more than what he paid in. It is an acknowledged fact that National Insurance contributions do not fully cover the cost of pension payouts for the majority of beneficiaries. It is not the UK taxpayer's fault that Thailand did not agree to a social security agreement with the UK. The EEA group of nations, the Philippines , much of the larger Commonwealth Caribbean countries, Turkey and the USA have an agreement. He picked Thailand, a nation without an agreement. There is no reciprocal agreement with the UK. If there was, he could get his adjustment. It takes 2 to make an agreement and Thailand did not agree. As a resident of Thailand, he is not paying any UK income tax is he? He pays his tax in Thailand, and most likely is at a lower tax rate than in the UK. None of what he receives is spent in the UK in goods and services nor paid in taxes to the crown. The pensioners in the UK are paying taxes in the UK on their income in excess of £12,570 and they pay VAT and many, pay council tax either in full or in part. The cost of living is higher for UK residents than it is for Thailand residents. The UK pensioners spend their pensions in the UK and many have a part of their pensions clawed back by the UK government.