AndreasHG

Obviously, there are many Russians who profit from the war and become rich from it. Those who can still afford a holiday in Thailand. The lucky ones who can afford to feast on lobsters and wine, despite the fact that the ruble has lost 10% of its value against the dollar in a year, and those who still have access to foreign currency. These people are not sent to die on the battlefields in Ukraine, and they certainly do not need food stamps to survive. By the way, true Russian oligarchs, unlike the humble, uneducated and yet enriched Russian commoners and plebeians you enjoy observing, only pair white Burgundy with their Maine lobsters. They would never spoil their Maine lobsters with a cheap, light-bodied red wine. Food stamps are intended for those Russians tightening their belts due to Putin's criminal war. Pensioners, government employees such as teachers, doctors, law enforcement, etc. are among the hardest hit by inflation because their wages and benefits are tied to the official inflation rate. And with the central bank benchmark interest rate at 21%, it is childish to believe that the real inflation stands only at 9%, as the official data suggest. Independent assessments put the inflation closer to 15-16% (with the interesting result that the Russian GDP may not be growing at all, contrary to what the regime would like us to believe). Instead of wasting your time spying on Russians feasting on lobsters and cheap red wine, you'd better spend more time reading, studying and staying informed. Just saying.

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.

In what might well be a world's first, the Thai taxman has been able to introduce two consumer taxes, both based on retail prices, albeit retail prices assessed using different criteria: one actual (7% VAT), and one calculated on a phantomlike "recommended" retail price (excise tax). Couldn't the Thai taxman simply increase the VAT on goods subject to the excise tax? This approach would have probably been too transparent and didn't leave enough room for the revenue department officers to exercise their good judgment and sole discretion, and be graciously rewarded for them.

Not a good reason to soaking him in coffee, but George Santos (a.k.a. Anthony Devolder, a.k.a. George Devolder, a.k.a. Anthony Zabrovsky, a.k.a. Delio da Camara da Costa Alemao) is not a politician: George Santos is a con man. He is the sixth member of the House to be expelled, the only Republican, and the only member expelled without first being convicted of a federal crime or having supported the Confederacy.

Just like a contagious virus, once the gene of stupidity starts circulating within a family, there is no way to contain it.

Iran went through different political phases, before turning into the dead-end street it finds itself in now. Iran made several attempts to normalize its relationship with the West, and particularly with the United States. The Iran-Contras affair in the first half of the 80s, and Mohammad Khatami's presidency, from1999 to 2005. Both wasted opportunities in my opinion, due to disagreements within the Iranian clergy on the appropriate course of action to be taken, and Western (especially American) intransigence. Interestingly, as recently as 2023 Khatami urged the "prioritizing of Iran's national interests" and called for the adoption of a “moderate” foreign policy. The same message was repeated when commenting Hamas attack on Israelis innocent civilians on October 7, 2023. While praising the attack as a "great Achievement for the people [of Palestine]" he again emphasized the necessity of political prudence, paying attention to national interests in Iran and avoiding hasty and provocative positions, considered the interference of political polarization in foreign positions harmful to both Iranians, Palestinians and Muslims, and expressed his hope that what has happened now in the occupied territories will ultimately benefit the oppressed people of Palestine and the nations of the region (Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's Reaction to Al-Aqsa Storm / Force and Occupation Are Not the Source of Legitimacy). Not everything is necessarily lost when it comes to Iran. And I hope Trump, with his out-of-the-box way of thinking, may find a way to crack this nut. After all, he didn't hesitate to sit down with rocket man during his first presidency. He may find the time to sit down with Ali Khamenei or, hopefully, with Khamenei's more pragmatic successor and have a fruitful meeting.

Israel is an importer of oil and gas, it has a vested interest in keeping the oil and gas flowing and their prices low. Iran, on the other end, is an oil exporter, a member of the OPEC, and it has a vested interest in keeping the oil flowing. There is no structural reason for any enmity between Iran and Israel. The only reason is that after the revolution, because of Khomeini's obtuse dogmatic stance with regards to everything Western, and the hostage taking in the Theran American Embassy, Iran found itself out in the cold, without American protection, at the mercy of the Soviets (Iraq). Hit by sanctions, limited in its capability to export its oil, Iran was left with only one choice. Accept to act as a proxy for Russia and threaten the oil exporting countries in the Gulf, jeopardizing oil supplies and pushing oil and gas prices up, for the benefit of Russia.

Maybe because "that country" always behaved in a much more responsible way than Iran (and other countries on the US black list). Even the recent events surrounding Gaza are a reaction (maybe disproportioned, albeit I disagree) to the heinous crimes committed by Hamas on October the 7th, 2023. On the other end I do not see how bombing Iran can prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear deterrent. North Korea couldn't be stopped, and Iran has infinite more resources than the economically broken, tiny, enslaved, Asian country, Iran's nuclear program can be delayed but not stopped. There is another fact I find disturbing. The list of countries that are at odds with the US is getting longer and longer. It is much easier to make it into the list than to drop off of it. There was a time the USA and Iran cooperated in a transactional agreement, in which each partner had something to gain. It took a congressional committee, and the crucifixion of several dozen Reagan administration officials in front of the public opinion, including Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Lieutenant colonel Oliver North, to scrap it. After that, no more serious attempts to open the communication channels between the two countries was done. I consider that a lost opportunity. Iran is in a delicate geostrategic spot, right on the way from Moscow to the Iraqi and Saudi oil fields. The only serious military aggression post-revolutionary Iran recorded against its territorial integrity was carried out by a Soviet Union loyal ally (Saddam Hussein's Iraq), not by the USA and not by Israel. The Shah relied on the USA for his own and his country security. After the Khomeini led revolution, the USA left Iran out in the cold, giving Iran very few options.

Good: It's time Russians learn to produce what they consume, and not just exploit their natural resources and live like rentiers, killing or stabbing in the back each other, to secure a larger personal share of the oil and gas generated bonanza. When they will start having to use their brains to make a living, they may also start appreciating the unique value of each human being, and of the contribution each individual can benefit to the society, instead of regarding fellow citizens as dangerous competitors or useful cannon fodder.

These types of scams would be impossible if Chinese citizens had a modicum of trust in the Chinese authorities and were confident that they would follow the legal process. What they tell us is that corruption and malpractice are so common in China that Chinese citizens believe without hesitations they can be targeted with entirely made up accuses, have no recourse against them, and have to bend to any extortionary request advanced by those in position of authority. Xi Jimping's far-reaching anti-corruption campaign is nothing, but a purge directed against political rivals and has had no impact on the daily life of ordinary Chinese citizens.

I have a hard time understanding the stance of the British right leaning journalists working for GB News, unless they are promoting a pro Farage agenda. Brexit has caused a surge in the immigration of Muslims who have replaced Eastern European as a major source of cheap labor in the UK. This is something that happened with the Tories firmly in government, benefitting of an overwhelming majority in the House, and has nothing to do with Labor (which is certainly not improving the state of affairs anyway). In 2023 these were the top 5 nationalities of immigrants in the UK: Indian (250,000), Nigerian (141,000), Chinese (90,000), Pakistani (83,000), Zimbabwean (36,000). In total, approximately 1.03 million people from outside the European Union migrated to the UK in the year ending December 2023. This compares with 126,000 people from European Union countries, and 61,000 British nationals. In 2016, the year Britain voted for Brexit, the total number of people moving to the UK was made up of 264,000 non-EU citizens, 250,000 EU citizens and 74,000 British citizens. Not only immigration was lower and comparatively under control, but the ratio was by far more in favor of immigrants having an European cultural background. Bottom line: Britons have been screwed by Brexit. It's time to face reality, learn the bitter lesson and move on. This is the British way. Keep on moaning is utterly un-British.