Cameroni

Yes, indeed. That's the the point of those 32 billion to influence society.

It's seen that way, because prices are so low. But like I said you can get great cafes and pastries, spas, restaurants here, shopping malls too. There's almost nothing you can get in the US which you can't get here, and there's a lot you can get here, which if you get it in the US would cost 8 times more. It's an image thing, because of low prices, electricity poles and flooding.

I know what you mean, the quality of the beef is poor often in Thailand. And portions are small, it's true. Good pastries are not easy to find in most places, though in Chiang Mai we have L'Opera, Chouqette, Nana's, St Etoile, Petit Jardin. You have to research, but it is there. But then again even in Europe you have to look for a good bakery with good pastries.

Yup, had it last year in Chiang Mai.

Depends what you talk about. I lived in America and I was not able to find Cafes of the high quality that are all over the place in Chiang Mai. Those giant theme Cafes like a Disney world or Park. Shopping Malls also are of higher quality in Thailand than in the US. Restaurants, okay, there's great restaurants in the US, but there's equally awesome ones in Thailand. The thing is you don't get what you pay for in the US, you pay a giant price for a Thai massage, but it's unlikely to beat a 1300 Baht Spa massage in Thailand. There's degraded places in the US too, it's not all Wyoming super ranches.

Soros gave 32 billion USD to the Open Society Foundations. Think about that. 32 billion USD. This is what they do with this money: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/open-society-fellowship

200 Baht for a massage? What a rip off. I go to the monastery here, and pay no more than 150 Baht.

America shows Europe the way. Great article.

The restraint from the West in allowing missile strikes in Russia, is about the most rational thing the West has come up with. You should be extremely grateful that Western leaders are not so fried in the brain that they want a hot war with Russia. Your dreaming of Putin being dislodged is Disney worthy. Like when Hitler was fantasizing about the Allies falling out. It's not going to happen. The Russians love Putin. The economy is doing very well.

Well, it's kind of Ukraine's problem now.

They want to tax you?! How dare they! Did you not explain to them that you're from Canada? Still nothing?

Yes, it's horribly expensive here, constant rip off. Almost like Philippines. I was charged 70 Baht instead of 60 for Pad See Ew just now. It's outrageous.

The Greater Russia stuff is nonsense on stilts, but there is some truth to the fact that Russia could never accept a pro Western Ukraine. That's kind of the whole problem.

Lol, they're from a website that details in exruciating details the promises by the West not to expand NATO to the East. They prove in detail how Russia was lied to and misled. Absolutely disgusting to claim clear evidence like the one KhunLa provided proves nothing, when it proves things beyond the measure of a doubt.

What is breathtaking is the active role Ukraine has played in involving the US and UK intelligence services in their dispute with Russia. The Ukraine situation has echoes of Poland 1939, with Boris Johnson flying in to persuade Zelensky not to sign the peace treaty with Russia that was on the table. And of course the US and UK pledging their support for Ukraine, which turns out to be useless.

Absolutely brilliant analysis by Kennedy. "An explosive New York Times exposé by Adam Entous and Michael Schwirtz sheds light on major developments preceding the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the report, the Ukrainian government entered into a wide-ranging partnership with the CIA against Russia. This cooperation, which involved the establishment of as many as 12 secret CIA “forward operating bases” along Ukraine’s border with Russia, began not with Russia’s 2022 invasion, but just over 10 years ago. Within days of the February 2014 Euromaidan Revolution that culminated with the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych and ushered in a firmly pro-Western government, the newly appointed head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, reportedly proposed a “three-way partnership” with the CIA and MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence service. Ukrainian security officials gradually proved their value to the U.S. by feeding the CIA intelligence on Russia, including “secret documents about the Russian Navy,” leading to the establishment of CIA bases in Ukraine to coordinate activities against Russia and various training programs for Ukrainian commandos and other elite units. A graduate of one such CIA training program, then-Lt. Col. Kyrylo Budanov, went on to become the chief of Ukrainian military intelligence. Kyiv routinely pushed this relationship’s boundaries, violating the Obama administration’s red lines around lethal operations by carrying out assassinations of high-profile Russian fighters on territory controlled by Russian-aligned separatists. The Kyiv-CIA partnership deepened under the Trump administration, yet again putting the lie to the baseless idea that former President Trump was somehow amenable to Russia’s interests while in office." https://responsiblestatecraft.org/cia-ukraine-russia/

My favourite author. What a great writer he is.

Constitutional law was one of the classes I took as an undergraduate as well on my way to qualifying as a lawyer and going to work for the biggest international law firms in the world. Then I retired in the Cayman Islands. In Thailand now obviously.

Turkey is a European country? Really? Are you sure?

You think I don't see through your blatant attempt to pass GDP per capita off as a marker of wealth? If you think Iceland is richer than the USA you're truly clueless. They just have to divide the figure by fewer people because it's a tiny place, much like Britain. If you want to see true wealth, read this and weep: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal) Who is at number one spot??? Who is it?? Who!?!! I want you to say it!!! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!!

So you're saying the USA was number one. Thank you for this tribute. It is always a pleasure to see a table like this, where America reigns supreme at number 1 spot. I don't see Europe on there, is it on the list?

You don't consume sports shoes or hamburgers? What a sad, sad life, You probably eat mushy peas and wear sandals. How can you not know Iggy Azalea, the major Australian pop export since, well, ever. She has a stronger Southern US accent than even Elton John. Actually, I think you'll find it was BRITISH companies who used slaves in the Americas to line their pockets. We Americans stand for freedom, not the cruel exploitation of colored people, like the British Empire. True, the leftists have caused some issues in America, but cometh the man, cometh the hour! The time of reckoning will come in November when Superman and Elvis wrapped into one, Captain America himself, the great, the immortal, the legendary, Donald J Trump will ascend to power one more time to wreak a righteous vengeance on the leftist trolls. Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children..

Bollywood? That's like saying "rice" is the most popular food in the world, obviously the point here is internationally not for one particular group. Internationally the Hamburger is the most popular dish in the world, If you look at this list, 8 of the top 10 fast food chains are American. And we see them all over the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_fast_food_restaurant_chains Most people watch Hollywood films, Indian films have a big audience, but not as internationally diverse as Hollywood.

Great song.

Well, in terms of music it's self-evident, American music dominates. Even if English, Thai or Japanese acts are in the charts they're pretending to be American, like that Australian Iggy Azalea. In terms of food, the hamburger is the most successful food in the world. You can say it was really German, but it ascended to that position as an American fast food from American chains. In fashion it's the American version of sneakers that predominates, jeans, baseball caps, etc. In Academia it's American universities getting most prizes In films, well, I rest my case.