Cameroni

I know I know, I'm not implying you did, but because Ashkenazis score somewhat higher IQ tests, Sephardim don't surprise surprise because they did not enjoy the same Central European education systems, that argument is sometimes trotted out. Even though Chinese, Japanese and S Koreans score highest. But pretty smart, I can certainly get on board with. It's their moral rectitude I admire, Normal Finkelstein is a class act all the way. As for the Russian economy, it is soaring at the moment, according to the Economist: "Across the world worries are mounting about the economy. In America and Canada unemployment is rising, while consumer sentiment remains depressed. Europe continues to flirt with recession. Don’t even mention China. Yet there is one place where the mood is quite different. Despite fierce sanctions and pariah status, Russia’s economy is growing strongly. It turns out that bacchanalian spending, at a time of war, really juices an economy." "This year Russian GDP is expected to rise by over 3% in real terms, continuing its fastest growth streak since the early 2010s" ."Other “real time” measures of activity, including one published by Goldman Sachs, a bank, suggest the economy is accelerating (see chart 1). Unemployment is close to an all-time low; the rouble is doing fine." "You might expect Mr Putin to be goosing the numbers. But the Levada Centre, an independent pollster, finds equally startling trends (see chart 2). Only once in the past three decades has sentiment been higher." https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/08/11/vladimir-putin-spends-big-and-sends-russias-economy-soaring It's an excellent article, well worth a read. Friendly countries like China and India will continue to invest in Russia. By sheer population size Russia is still an interesting market and its economy will continue to grow. However, in 5 years the enormous reserves Russia has accumulated since 2010 will be gone. This is why I don't think Putin will want this war to last forever. But of course Ukraine is in a much worse situation, economically.

Yes, in theory South Koreans, Chinese and Japanese should be outperforming everyone in terms of Nobel, as they score higher on IQ tests, but that may come in the future. South Koreans in particular seem terrifyingly smart, but Japanese too. Yes, survival for Israel is a focus, but they also have normal universities where the subjects forming the Nobel categories are taught. However, you will find very few nobel laureates from Israeli universities, which does not fit with their supposed super intelligence. I think Trump has a good rapport with Putin, and being the prime backer of Ukraine, they can tell them "if you don't sign this we'll pull the plug". It should be fairly straight forward, yes Putin will keep some of the land, but he's going to be highly pragmatic, as always, because this war, as you rightly pointed out is extremely costly for Russia and they cannot afford it indefinitely. Though clearly longer than Ukraine.

Speaking of San Khampaeng, along the San Kamphaeng road to Mae on is Nasi Jumpru. A superb thai restaurant. Nice inventive and original menu, good service and surroundings and moderate mid-range pricing

It's a great place. They have this thinly sliced spicy duck which is pretty, prettay good. Dim Sum, Hakka, Cantonese, Sechuan, BBQ, and a really impressive architecture makes an experience. Perhaps a bit too akin to those giant restaurants you get in China, but the food is really good. Price, for what you get, is obviously elevated but not crazy and quite acceptable.

I've met plenty of Ukrainians dodging military service in Thailand.

Why would any man stab an 11 year old girl? Presumably the Romanian was insane?

I could not agree more that we should value smart over dumb. Indeed that is why I'm surprised we do not have the smartest people in the relevant political posts but seemingly random lawyers in every country. Why is John Mearsheimer not US Foreign Secretary? Why is Douglas Diamond not head of the Fed? I am very grateful to all of the Jewish Nobel laureates who contributed key discoveries to mankind, but I think them being German, British or American had more to do with their achievements than being Jewish, because they benefitted from, at their respective times, the best educational systems in those countries. You will note that for decades now Israel has had its own educational system, and it has produced extremely few nobel laureates, which rather belies the fact that the past Nobel achievements were due to Jewsh genius rather than factors I refer to above. Anway, like you say, back on topic, as a Christian Taleban Vance's support for Israel has no limits, much like his boss. It is fair to say he is rabidly anti-Palestinian. He does not support more aid for UKraine and is anti-China. So yes,pretty much an echo of Trump. These two could end the war in Ukraine, but cause two new ones in the ME and Taiwan.

More feedback in case anyone's already tried them.

Foot massage?

Those ham and cheese toasties from Ezy are actually delicious. You basically told her you're a stupid idiot. Thais don't like that. You think you said "I'm saving you from getting pay docked". She heard "You're a stupid idiot and can't do your job right, but me, the clever Farang will tell you what you should do". It's pretty easy to understand.

I want to try the fish and chips from the Chippy at the Gate. Prices are high, but it looks good.

Few people would defend the hostage taking, but whilst I would love to discuss how this mess started way before then, when Israelis flooded into Palestine in the 1940s and 1950s, this is may not be the place to do that. I don't want to disrupt your thread. 214 of 965 or so is around 20%, so 80% of Nobel prizes went to non-jews. But I can assure you that religion had little to do with it, and the excellence of the German, American and British education systems had everything to do with it.

That was a good thing to do. He should get credit for that.

No worries, I just don't see it as an achievement to kill 15000 children. That weighs a bit more heavy for me than a few nobel prizes, which say more about the German and American education systems than anything else. But as you say, off topic.

Well, they made Taylor Swift a billionaire, which is bad enough.

Not from the conditions of the restaurants I've seen. I very much doubt Thais are among the biggest tippers on the planet. Americans yes, Thais, no.

Just because you have children does not make one "pro family". Whilst Walz has a good record generally on that he did not act very decisively to implement safety in the 2020 riots and law and order is also a topic families value highly. What Vance said was not a "gaffe". He was right, a lot of the Democrat leadership, Kamala Harris, Buttigieg and others, do not have children. I do not see how them making laws that affect families will be attracive to voters who, well, do have families. One other thing I don' like about Walz is that he is another apologist for Israel. Though I am aware that Trump is a nightmare in this regard.

Not from me.

If you are craving Chinese and want a classy and authentic Chinese my go to is Tolou. I find Tolou better than Shangri La.

It can and does happen of course, it is a spectrum, people swing both ways or discover later they're gay. But what interests me is how Thiel's mentorship of Vance came about, if Vance comes out in a few years that he's gay that's not my concern. Vance clearly is hardline pro-family, I'm not sure he's anti LGBT, he' just pro family. Sometimes being pro-family can come across as anti LGBT.

The Ukrainian troops rampaging through civilian settelement in Russia have killed 12 civilians and wounded 121 civilians, including 10 children. "Twelve civilians have died and 121 have been injured, including 10 children," governor Alexei Smirnov said in an online meeting with President Vladimir Putin and other governors. . https://www.barrons.com/news/russia-says-12-civilians-killed-121-injured-in-ukraine-incursion-65c26694 We can all see who is posting the lies and "disinformation", tgw. Only you! The Ukrainian troops are killing civilians, including injuring children.

12 dead civilians sounds like a rampage to me. I am surprised it is that many actually, you would have thought Ukraine would have been extra careful for there to be no dead civilians so they can claim a real propaganda victory. But 12 dead civilians really is murder and terrorising of innocent civilians. How many have been made homeless? For those who would say "Russia did far worse", some Russian soldiers may have, but what did these families do? Nothing.

It's what you call the media machine, she got a "Brat" makeover and all of a sudden her insane cackle was not at all insane, but merely evidence of her "Brat" status. Her tedious and boring persona became "electrifying" according to MSNBC. All the democrat superstars from Obama to Schumer to Pelosi to Taylor Swift and Beyonce got behind this superb candidate, and if they tell you she' great, well, they have to know, right? Right?

I noticed this left/right divide during the pandemic as well, with the left being fanatical proponents of masks, vaccines an curfews. Whereas the right refused to wear masks, use vaccines and found the curfews intolerable. It is symptomatic of leftist philosophy, if you think about it the leftists believe they are smarter than everyone else and their great genius is to put their brains to the use of the lucky majority, hence we should pay taxes to benefit everyone, use vaccines and wear masks, because the leftists, and they alone, know what's best for us, thanks to their superior thinking. Then of course there is an innate trust and reflex to obey the government and trust politicians, which leftists have. To all our great detriment, since the curfews cost the world billions and ruined many people. All for nothng, as it turned out. And not a single politicians was called to account.

I can't imagine he's gay because he has a wife and kids. But if you're telling me for a man to wear eyeliner is not weird, I would respectfully have to disagree. I know they have to wear make up for TV but I never saw Trump or Biden with eyeliner. Anyway, that's a minor detail. The fact that his meteoric rise is due to the sponsorship of Peter Thiel just makes me a bit suspicious. Because Thiel is gay and Vance's opinions are so very much not pro-gay, pro-gay-marriage. You just wonder how did this partnership come to pass? Again, not suggesting Vance is gay, but it's just so odd.