AndreasHG

The real downsides of Bangkok are the traffic and, above all, the air pollution. The black dust that keeps on accumulating on my balcony and on my windows (and I live on a high floor) constantly reminds me of how bad is the PM 2.5 in the city. With regards to Pattaya the only good thing I can say is that it’s hell. And as Mark Twain famously said: “Go to Heaven for the climate, (go to) Hell for the company”.

I can only wish to Syria a future of peace, prosperity and democracy. Especially democracy would be a first in an Arab world dominated by unelected tyrants, more or less blood thirsty, but always unelected. Israel would have nothing to fear from a democratic and free Syria. Time to lift the sanctions, maybe subject to some conditions aimed at protecting Israel and the security of the Western countries, but without limiting the Syrian rights to self government. It’s up to them to decide if and how alcohol might be consumed. And it’s up to them to determine what role Syrian women might have in the country. One thing I know for sure is that Afghans, the majority of them who live in the countryside, are thousands years behind Syrians. They are not even comparable. Let’s help Syria rebuild itself and make of it an example that can inspire future generations of Arabs, and prove that personal freedom, civil rights, rule of law and a moderate, enlightened Islam can coexist. Let us not fall into the trap of extremists who would like the West to be perpetually at war with the Muslim world.

I use Talk360. It’s a Dutch VoIP service and it’s only possible to use its app for calls (in any country), but not to receive calls or SMS. The receiver will see your US phone number as the caller. Calls are charged $0.05 per minute (but charges may differ depending on the number you call, mobile or fix-line). I recharge my account when needed and Thai credit/debit cards are accepted.

Since I first visited Pattaya, 25 or so years ago, I don’t remember seeing any idyllic beach, or any cultural attraction worth visiting. Pattaya has always been predominantly about elderly farangs, standing on their last leg, seeking the company of Thai teenagers, cheap booze, bad Thai food and bug infested accommodations. There are some oases of peace and lush luxury in Pattaya. But their presence is hidden in a vast sample of the worst Thailand has to offer.

LOL. Instead the root cause of both the demise of the Tzarist Russia and the Soviet Union was the economy and the dare situation in which both the army and the civilian population were kept. Do a little bit of research. It’s never too late to get out from the black hole of ignorance into which the Soviet education has thrown you. You may start from this article published by the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/ztyk87h/revision/4

In Don's case, it's not so much that the bark is worse than the bite. It's that he wants to be petted. And both Putin and Xi Jinping know this too well.

The plan to reintroduce food stamps has been announced in Russian news outlets and is supported by the pro-Putin head of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, Anatoly Aksakov. Do you really believe that Russian outlets are full of BS and pro-Putin Duma members have no clue of what they talk about? Well, I strongly agree with you.

He was not. As a matter of fact, a jury convicted him. And he is such a law-abiding citizen that he has also been convicted of tax fraud (Chauvin represents himself in effort to withdraw tax fraud guilty plea | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul). Take a look at the following video and judge for yourself which country can tolerate such a behavior from a law enforcement officer (and I was a law enforcement officer myself). There is no place for officers like Derek Chauvin in any country where the rule of law matters. I don't know and don't care if Derek Chauvin is a racist. It took more than nine minutes to kill George Floyd. Nine minutes during which Floyd begged for his life multiple times. Derek Chauvin is a sociopath, and his place is in jail, securely locked behind bars.

LOL. Thank you for confirming. I always knew you have no idea.

If you prefer Russian news outlets (notoriously unbiased) you can read this: Putin's Russia is heading to the exact same spot that caused the Soviet Unione to collapse, and the Tzarist Russia to collapse: "it's the economy, stupid".

'The head of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, Anatoly Aksakov, supported the idea of reintroducing food stamps, as in the USSR. Earlier, the governor of the Kaliningrad region, Alexei Besprozvannykh, announced plans to introduce food social cards in 2025.' 'Dmitry Yanin, Chairman of the Board of the International Confederation of Consumer Societies (KonfOP), said mk.ru that the measure proposed by Anatoly Aksakov could help about 18 million Russians who live in poverty. He noted that each such citizen could be allocated 3 thousand rubles a month [approximately $28.80 at the current exchange rate], which would be allowed to be spent only on the purchase of food.' The proposal, a clear indication that the Russian economy is deteriorating under the growing cost of Putin's "Special Operation", has been announced on a number of Russian news outlets, including several online. Pensioners, government and state-owned enterprise employees are the one suffering the most due to the galloping inflation, because their pensions and salaries do not increase at the same rate inflation erodes their purchasing power. В ГОСДУМЕ ПОДДЕРЖАЛИ ИНИЦИАТИВУ О ВВЕДЕНИИ.. | Говорят Мытищи | VK В России задумались о введении продуктовых социальных карт: по примеру СССР - МК

Thank you for posting it: Very informative video.

In 2023, with the Tories firmly in government, benefitting of an overwhelming majority in the House, a total of 1.129 milion people immigrated to the UK (net of British nationals re-immigrating into the country). In 2016, the year Brexit was approved, 0.514 million immigrants were recorded. These numbers prove that a zero-immigration target is unachievable. Actually, the truth is, without immigration, the UK economy would be toast. If the Tories doubled the number of (legal) immigrants in few years, it's because they know at least one thing or two about the UK economy. Electoral promises to allure the masses are one thing, responsible policies, to keep the economy growing, are a completely different thing.

It's debatable. Taxes in most countries are a mix of progressive taxes and flat taxes. The US is no exception.

Dig a bit deeper and you'll find that the top 1% is made almost exclusively by the top salary earners (taxable earnings from 680k USD upward). Who Pays Federal Income Taxes? Latest Federal Income Tax Data An analysis on the top 25 richest people gave a stark result: 'According to Forbes, those 25 people saw their worth rise a collective $401 billion from 2014 to 2018. They paid a total of $13.6 billion in federal income taxes in those five years, the IRS data shows. That’s a staggering sum, but it amounts to a true tax rate of only 3.4%.' 'No one among the 25 wealthiest avoided as much tax as Buffett, the grandfatherly centibillionaire. That’s perhaps surprising, given his public stance as an advocate of higher taxes for the rich. According to Forbes, his riches rose $24.3 billion between 2014 and 2018. Over those years, the data shows, Buffett reported paying $23.7 million in taxes', i.e. less than 1‰. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2021/06/08/richest-americans-including-bezos-musk-and-buffett-paid-federal-income-taxes-equaling-just-34-of-401-billion-in-new-wealth-bombshell-report-shows/ The reason is that the Federal Income tax heavily penalizes salaries vs. capital gains. Capital gains are tax-free until they are realized. If this is a good thing or a bad thing is debatable. But the result is that the middle class, making its living working and earning salaries, bear the brunt of the federal expenses. The ultra rich and the 50% at the bottom of the pyramid live in a tax-free heaven, and their only concern (provided they are concerned at all) is the size of the public debt.