Hawaiian

You forgot you're and your.

I tend to agree with you. Americans also have various regional dialects which can also make a difference. People in Thailand have commented that my English is easy to understand. I can converse in the local Hawaiian pidgin English, but have chosen not to. So truthfully, I don't if I speak in any discernible dialect.

Not sure where you are coming from, and I am not referring to the country you were born in. First of all, I have some fairly interesting conversations with my Thai-born girlfriend. We have been together for many years and I have seen her English speaking skills improve greatly over the years, including an expanded vocabulary. She only finished high school and never took English lessons. Her parents only spoke Thai. Her brother and his wife both earned their doctorates at USC and were also on the faculty there. Today, he is prominent physician at a well known Bangkok hospital. He also does research on MRI brain scans. His wife now teaches at a major Thai university. She speaks impeccable English and I always look forward to talking with her. My girl's niece attended English language school after graduating from business school. Her English is also near perfect. We are very close and talk about all sorts of subjects, especially about food since I have been giving her lessons in Japanese cooking and a few American dishes. A few times she brought over a Thai Chinese guy who helped her set up her online business. He is another excellent English speaker and quite an interesting person to talk to about politics, Thai and international. My point is you have been talking to wrong people and maybe the right people don't want to talk to you.

Do you consider the Viet Nam Conflict a regional war? The U.S. along with South Korean forces failed to stop Ho Chi Minh's communist forces from overrunning the south. When was the last Vietnamese terrorist attack on the U.S. or anyone else for that matter. Today, American companies are very active in the country and Viet Nam has been cooperating with the U.S. in opposing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. You win some, you lose some.

If the mullahs were overthrown there is a good possibility of democratic reforms coming back, maybe not overnight like you say, but quicker than many think possible. Iran has a sizable population of well educated people that are not religious fanatics, especially the younger generation. Lately there have been frequent anti-government demonstrations demanding reforms and women's rights. The pro-government demonstrations you see are government sponsored and instigated. If really fair and free elections were held tomorrow, a pro-democracy government would most likely be voted in.

The Saudi's maybe looking to the day when they join the U.S. in confronting Iran. They have a sizable and capable air force and are now modernizing their navy with more advanced ships of varying types.

I know how it is supposed to work. Only Congress can declare war and the president is the one to wage war. Right now Congress is almost dysfunctional with the House passing a bill and the Senate shooting it down and visa versa. The President says one thing and his aides turn around and say just the opposite. As far as defense issues go, it seems most of the statements are coming from Austin or his spokespeople. This is why I have inferred he is calling the shots even though he officially lacks the authority to do so. This ambiguity is sending a signal to our enemies that the right hand may not know what the right hand is doing. They are testing the waters to see how far they can go before the we act.

I think it is Lloyd Austin who is calling the shots, is waiting for more American blood to be spilled. So far no deaths reported, so no real push back. Waiting for outrage from the American public when lives are lost to actually retaliate is the coward's way out. The Houthis in Yemen and the insurgents in Iraq are not one bit deterred by warning shots.

Disastrous for who? I would say it depends who sides with Iran and what kind of support is given. Most Arab countries don't want to see another potential nuclear power in the Middle East, especially a Persian one governed by religious fanatics. Both Russia and China do not want to see a nuclear armed Iran. Besides, Russia is fully engaged in Ukraine and China is busy repairing its economy. While the U.S. may have bases in the surrounding area within range of Iranian missiles, Diego Garcia is not. The U.S. already has formidable air power in the area. I don't think boots on the ground would be necessary to cripple Iran's military and severely damage its already weak economy. Personally, I think there are safer and better ways to contain Iran's belligerence without resorting to an all out war.

Wikipedia also describes the Hamas Charter or Covenant and its revisions which you failed to furnish. Most of is just a bunch of convoluted nonsense promoting the sovereignty of Islam.

Here in Hawaii the sovereignty activists want to restore the monarchy. The last heir to the crown recently past away. There are so many different activist groups with opposing agendas they would never come to an agreement to select the next king or queen. Good!

My Thai girlfriend paid for her niece's English School after she graduated from business school. Her English is pretty close to perfect along with her business skills. She has her own online business doing consulting and making purchases for clients. She is the ideal student when I share my knowledge of Japanese cooking. Very innovative and a quick learner.

Donald Trump was not a politician until he got elected. He was scum before he got elected. Just saying.

England, like many other countries would be better of without their monarchies. They are relics of the past.

Not trying to start an argument. I was disagreeing with you about the importance tourism is to Thailand's economy. Any sector or sub-sector contributing 10% to a nation's GDP should be taken seriously. My reference to Hawaii is that the people in this state are making a big mistake by bashing the visitor industry. I believe Thailand would be also making a big mistake by dismissing tourism as a valuable business sector. Again, 10% (you mention 12%) is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to GDP. You may be interested in the info this link provides. I learned a lot from it. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sector.asp

Disagree all you want. Twelve percent is twelve percent. Ask any reputable economist and they will tell you that in situation the world is in, every penny, in Thailand's case, every baht counts. The Chinese would say, even in "normal" times this applies.

The same thing can be said of John Kerry flying around the world in his private jet preaching, first about global warming and now about climate change. All of bunch of hypocrites.

Yup, some people never appreciate something until they lose it. In the real Hawaii we have those bashing tourism and blaming the visitor industry for everything from the lack of affordable housing to the trash and litter along the highways which is mostly generated by locals. There are comments every day about diversifying the economy with no real feasible suggestions as to how to accomplish it. Besides the visitor industry and the military, there are really no viable solutions. Sugar and pineapple are gone, macadamia nuts are losing out to foreign competition like Kenya. Coffee production is okay, but constantly being attacked by invasive diseases and pests. Many of our prime agricultural lands are being sold to solar farm developers. In recent years NIMBYs have stopped a plywood veneer mill from being built. It would have processed hundreds of acres of mature tropical hardwood trees planted for that purpose. A water bottling plant was shot down because it was claimed it would deplete an underground spring pumping millions of gallons of fresh water every day into the ocean. This is after respected hydrologists said proposed well would have a minimal effect. And the list goes on and on. So Thailand needs to wake up and stop trying to kill the golden geese.

Believe it or not, there are some individuals here that would meet your qualifications for good marketing skills and economics. Some have studied and worked overseas in executive positions in the visitor industry. They are smart enough not to get in involved in the dirty dealings of Thai politics, because they would get laughed at and humiliated.

If we wanted to pay over 10,000 baht a night we would be visiting Japan, a country where I speak the language and have been all over from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Japan, today, has become a bit pricey even with the yen at 150 to the dollar. As far as Thailand goes we prefer the countryside and bungalow style accommodations. We visit Thailand once or twice a year, staying a month at time. Can't see paying so much for a room that we would spend so little time in because we are out and about with friends. The place we stayed at in Petchaburi is located on a 60 rai property, in the middle of nowhere. We are quite content to look after ourselves and don't need a lot of fancy amenities. Advertised rates were around 1,800 baht with a 33% discount. The peace and quiet was very enjoyable. As one poster mentioned, people with money always have the funds to travel and their spending habits are not greatly affected by a bad economy. The bulk of travelers. fall somewhere in the middle.

Have to agree with you about occupancy rates. Last month we stayed at a 20 acre resort in Petchaburi. We were guests of a local resident who insisted on paying for our 2 day stay. Checking the rates online, they were advertising a 33% discount, including breakfast. At breakfast in the huge luxurious dining room there were only three tables occupied. According to our guest, the place was always packed with Thais before Covid. Now, almost deserted. The owner is a wealthy ceramic tile and roofing manufacturer. It remains to be seen how long they will can afford to stay open. Breakfast

Your answer has convinced me that this forum has become a circus with deflections, fabrications, accusations, innuendos, misinformation, name calling and other forms of juvenile behavior. In other words, so much BS it has become a chore to read. I know I won't be missed. Who cares? I don't.

I don't know. You tell me. And please, no links from Al-jazeera.

If you consider casualties caused by Hamas's use of hospitals and peoples homes to store arms and munitions and their use of human shields as "horrific acts", then the obvious answer would be yes.

No need for further explanation. Just say they are inmates running the asylum and leave it at that.