AndreasHG

LOL: your incurable optimism made my day 😁

I understand. For Putin and the Russians, anything short than handing over the Ukrainians unarmed, with their hands tied behind their backs and chains on their feet to prevent them from becoming dangerous, only makes things worse. Well, get over it: Things are set to be getting much worse for Russia... ..."drill baby drill" will suffocate your economy and make your aggression in Ukraine much easier to repel for the US NATO allies.

Also Ukraine isn't fighting Russia alone. It is fighting against the whole Axis of Evil (Russia, North Korea, Iran, China, Cuba, Venezuela, etc.). And yet, the Axis of Evil, has proved to be a paper tiger together with russia.

Germany to supply Ukraine with 4,000 AI powered Mini-Taurus, extended-range drones. Europe alone is enough to undermine Putin's imperialist goals. Germany to provide Ukraine with 4,000 AI-powered 'Mini-Taurus' drones, Bild reports

LOL. This sentence will not age well. This is what is certain.

Russia hasn't been able to win a war even against Ukraine. Let alone the USA and the whole of NATO. Russia is just a poor paper tiger, and Putin has only been able to subdue the Russian people by mean of violence, incarceration and poison.

I really hope you get in full what you are wishing for and what you deserve. And realize, when it is too late, that having a third world political leadership, comes with perks such as a third world legal system, a third world economy, third world stock and bond markets, third world welfare, third world law enforcement and a third world currency. It's one single package and the US spiraling down into third world status (wokes would say 'emerging market' status) has just began. What made the USA a great power was first and foremost the rule of law, its predictability, its coherence over time and across different administrations. This is what has made long-term investing in the United States attractive. What trump is doing to the USA is what Hugo Chavez did to Venezuela or Juan Peron did to Argentina. And it didn't end well. Unfortunately, massive Latino immigration to the United States has radically changed the character of the country and nothing and no one can stem this tide. Trump is only the symptom of a terminal cultural illness. The death of the WASP USA and the birth of a Latino one. Enjoy the downward ride.

I don't know Musk, but certainly this is what Putin wants the world to believe. This is also what Hitler's propaganda claimed during the invasion of the Sudetenland. What led to WWII was not the firm reaction of France and the UK, but the lack of it.

Nothing compared to the shock caused by right-leaning dishonest media coverage of the 2020 election. Many fools are still convinced that the election was lost because of fraud.

America imports oil? The United States of America is a net exporter of oil. Is the US a bigger oil importer or exporter? The United States is also a top exporter of LNG (liquified natural gas). Natural gas imports and exports - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) At present the USA is already a formidable competitor of Russia in its key natural gas market (Europe) and the 'drill, baby drill' policy has the potential to send the Russian and the Middle Eastern economies tailspinning into chaos, by hurting their main, in some instances sole, source of income.

You may want to check this out: Does the Quran support honor killing? - Quora The issue with your statement is that it's simply not true, because wherever Islam arrived, honor killing was introduced too. Iran, Somalia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Chechnya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Indonesia, the Philippines are all countries home to non-Arab Muslim populations who widely accept honor killing. It is true that the also some non-muslim populations may have treated with leniency some crimes, when committed against women under specific circumstances. For example, the French Penal Code of 1810, established under Napoleon Bonaparte, has been at origin of the legal leniency concerning adultery-related killings in many European countries (the French Penal and Civil codes were adopted by many countries in Europe and beyond). But the leniency was applicable only in the case of "murder committed upon the wife as well as upon her accomplice, at the moment when the husband has caught them in the fact, in the house where the husband-and-wife dwell". And leniency didn't mean acquittal: The murder was still punishable with a minimum of 1 and up to 5 years in jail. But nowhere were the homicides of daughters, sons, sisters, mothers, excusable under the pretext of honor, as in muslim countries.

Median U-turns, a feature of multilane highways in Thailand, keep on killing people. It is one of the most dangerous (and most idiotic) road features ever conceived by human mind, forcing vehicles to slow down in a fast traffic line first, and then to start moving intersecting a second fast traffic line. I wonder why not convert them into roundabouts. They are much safer, not overwhelmingly expensive to build and, wherever they have been implemented, greatly contributed to make roads safer and save human lives.

BS: The administrative order (the so called "Obligations de Quitter le Territoire Français") issued by a prefect to leave France is, under French law, is not enforceable under most circumstances, and gives the illegal immigrant 30 days to voluntarily leave the country by his/her own means (https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F18362?lang=en). What has to do a French law with the EU is a total mystery to me. And we have seen the benefits of getting rid of the yoke of the EU in Britain: after Brexit net immigration skyrocketed. The EU is the excuse that inept and corrupt local politicians use to hide their guilt and confuse idiots. But we are intelligent and understand their game perfectly.

I wish him well. But at the same time, I am also concerned: Elon's main enterprise, Space X (and Star-link) depends for most of its revenues from federal government agencies, including the Pentagon. Approximately one third of Tesla profits, since the company went public, were earned from regulatory credits. Fines that Tesla competitors pay Tesla for not achieving their emission targets. These credits (more than $10B by the end of the year) add to the federal and state tax incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles. In addition to the above, Tesla will soon face federal agencies scrutiny, if really the company is on the edge to launch its robotaxi commercial service (a big if, given the current state of the FSD). The Boring Company will never generate positive cash flow without securing public contracts for its tunnels. X Corp. is also potentially subject to regulatory scrutiny. There are enough conflicts of interest arising from Elon Musk's oversaw of the Federal government machine to rise the hairs of any objective American taxpayer. And I am quite surprised to see that, the 21st century America tolerates, what the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries Americas, still permeated by WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) culture, would have never tolerated. A clear sign that the American exceptionalism is coming to an end, and the USA is sadly becoming mainstream Americas: in line with Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, etc., where conflict of interest is the norm, corruption is considered a fact of life, tax evasion a smart thing to do, getting rid of any opposition a legitimate act of government. Sadly, America is going catholic...

I guess you meant 24 and 36 months. This happens because a further decline in rates is expected further down the line.

Any data supporting your statement or it's just your imagination?

What makes Trump a perfect lookalike of Hugo Chavez is greed. Chavez died as the wealthiest man in Venezuela. A remarkable feat for the son of two modest schoolteachers, who spent his entire life working as a government employee (first in the military where he reached the rank Lieutenant colonel, and then as politician). I am sure Trump will take any opportunity to enrich himself and his family. And whoever may object, mention a conflict of interest, will be branded as traitor or enemy of the people, in perfect 'Chavez-like style' (it is already happening). I agree with you with regards to the resilience of the US economy, which is another order of magnitude compared to the Venezuelan one. And yet Trump can still inflict large and lasting damages. Take the tariffs on Mexican made vehicles as an example. There are many companies, including American ones, that have invested billions in manufacturing facilities there. It usually takes years to recover these investments. If punitive tariffs are introduced, these companies may have to write off those investments. Will they have the financial capability to invest in new manufacturing facilities in the USA? Will they do it, even if the tariffs are introduced without bipartisan support and may be reversed later on by a new administration? Think about reversing the IRA and the green economy policies, replaced with a "drill, baby, drill". One of the main assets of the USA, what makes the USA so uniquely attractive to investors, domestic and foreigners, is the relative stability of its legal, fiscal and regulatory environments, its predictability and long-term consistency. Rocking the boat may not sink it, but it won't be smooth sailing either. And Americans will foot the bill. They won't be alone, but they will definitely pay a price. To be fair it's not only Republicans who bear responsibility for this situation. Bipartisanism has been extinct in the United States for a while (and gerrymandering has played a role in killing it). And then there si the political damage. Trump the First gave the impression of being ready to reverse the USA alliances at any time. Not only he disparaged America's allies. He disparaged the USA as well. I heard the sentence 'You think our country's so innocent?' repeated again and again, and not once by USA's friends. Unfortunately, Trump the Second may kill whatever trust and goodwill toward the USA is left internationally, and my feeling is that the worse is yet to come.

Just like the right loves the KKK and Adolf Hitler. But I think you may agree, not all left-wingers are the same, nor all right-wingers. Therefore, I only take into account the opinion expressed by decent and intellectually honest people on both sides of the isle. Idiots' and brain-washed people's comments add no value to the conversation. Just like your ungrammatical comment above.

No doubt he has above-average abilities, especially above the average Dem leaders' abilities. The question is: is he going to use those abilities for the good of the US? All his life is testament of the fact that there is only one thing he cares about, and that's himself. Only God knows what a convicted felon might be capable of, given his nearly unlimited powers (i.e. immunity, courtesy of SCOTUS), a cohort of loyal followers executing his orders, and an equally unlimited, immense care for himself only. The name that comes to my mind is Hugo Chavez. A convicted felon himself, he turned Venezuela up-side-down. Unfortunately, not for the best.

Don't expect any global step back. The US is not a trendsetter anymore when it comes to passenger cars, especially EVs. The USA is a follower. In the nine months Jan-Sep 2024 these are the new registrations by geographic area (source Rho Motion, EVs include BEVs, PHEVs, HEVs and ERVEs): 1. China: 7.2 million, +35% vs 2023 2. EU & EFTA & UK: 2.2 million -4% 3. USA & Canada: 1.3 million, +10% 4. Rest of World: 0.9 million, +25% The US is already trailing behind in electrification, and things may only get worse under the Trump administration. Europe is having a bad year because of EVs government incentive cancellations (especially Germany), but it is on a solid recovery path compared to the first months of this year (see chart below). China is the world's largest passenger car market by far, projected to absorb 26.8 million passenger cars in 2024. USA are projected to absorb 15.9 million units (including pick-up trucks). The EU is the world's third largest market with total sales of passenger cars projected to reach 10.7 million cars in 2024 (excluding UK, and EFTA non-EU countries). Thailand is aligning itself especially to China, where hybrids in all their forms (HEVs, PHEVs and EREVs) are increasingly popular, at the expenses of all other forms of powertrains.

Anything kills. It's a matter of quantity, and fluoride is no exception. But we are talking of quantities of 3-5 mg per kg of body mass. Children toothpaste usually contains less fluoride typically between 100 ppm and 1,400 ppm. Adults' toothpaste between 1,350 to 1,500 ppm. Assuming the maximum concentration of 1,000 ppm, it would take the ingestion of a whole 150g toothpaste tube to poison, with a dose of 3 mg/kg, a 75kg healthy adult. The ethanol in your beer causes severe intoxication and the fatal dose in adults is approximately 5-8 g/kg body weight. But no worries: chronic ethanol users may have a much higher lethal level. 😀

Putting aside his stupid, sectarian opposition to vaccines and medical science for a moment, RFK seems fully in line with the social democratic practices that have been going on in Europe since the dawn of time. In Europe, prescription drugs are treated like tobacco: advertising to consumers is not allowed under any circumstance. And in Europe pharmaceutical products prices are negotiated and strictly controlled by government agencies, rather than based on “how much the patient would be willing to pay at most to treat his or her ailment.” The result is that drugs are much cheaper in Europe than in the US (often by a factor of 1 to 10 or 1 to 20) and yet pharmaceutical companies make healthy profits by selling them. The losers are all the middlemen positioned between big-pharma and consumers: distributors, promoters, pharmacies, doctors, clinics and hospitals and insurance companies. Their big fat profits are kept incheck.

LOL. Currently 480,000 miles with SkyTeam, former Gold with Miles&More, etc. But true, I don’t fly much with AirAsia at all, and I do my best not to. It's you the one that doesn't get it. What I tried to buy were specific seats, priority boarding, and I am not sure if anything else was included in the package. AirAsia don’t consider them upgrades but simply calls them Add-ons. AirAsia was so embarrassed that the offered the Add-ons for free. What is there in 'Add-ons for free' that you don't understand? Instead of contracting trolls like you to refute critics herewith, AirAsia would be better off investing in improving its customer service. Bo sucks.

Wiston Churchill would have considered Trump a buffoon. Trump would have labelled Churchill a RINO. Churchill was a doer, with a strong sense of duty and a reliable moral compass. His moral code was "In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Good Will". He stood up for right against injustice and aggression, and the virtue of prudence. Nowadays he would undoubtedly stand by Ukraine against Putin and his criminal war. He would have judged Putin for what the man is: a vicious criminal, who killed using Polonium, Novichok, who had Boris Nemtsov gunned down near the Kremlin, Anna Politkovskaya in her home, who poisoned Alexei Navalny, opposition leader and anti-corruption activist, and had him killed in prison four years later. Trump is the exact opposite of what Wiston Churchill was and stood for. Trump shines for being unresolved, sore loser, vindicative and braggard.

Thai police is far from perfect, but in general, I must say that 20 years ago it was worse, with corruption much more common. It was common for foreigners driving in Bangkok being stopped and being asked for money, even when having done nothing wrong. I always drove wearing sunglasses, to try to hide that I was a farang until I was so close to the police officers that they couldn't safely stop me. And yet Thai police was already much better than the Indonesian Police, for example. It's really a long, long time since I paid my last traffic related bribe. Maybe 10 years ago. And a long time since I paid my very last bribe in Thailand: for smoking in Sukhumvit and not disposing of the butt properly. The fine was 2,000 THB but we amicably agreed on a compromise and set for half of it. This was maybe five years ago. In the meanwhile, I quit smoking.