Denim

Lets be clear. Trump is not negotiating a peace deal with Putin to end the war. He is listening to a list of demands that have not changed in three years and represent a complete Ukrainian surrender , not a peace deal. This complete surrender will allow Russia to gobble up the rest of Ukraine in the future , once it has paused to rearm. Looking into the future I cannot see any way that Trump will serve his 4 year term.

Russias financial strength ( until the war ) was primarily obtained from its vast natural rescources rather than from anything it manufactures China is different. Its formidable financial strength comes from its manufacturing. Just about everything is made by China by millions of workers working for private enterprises In the event of China attacking Taiwan the rapid placing of sanctions against it would have a devastating effect on its economy. Millions would be thrown out of work and its manufacturing base would suffer a hard and prolonged hit. In the event it triumphed over Taiwan those sanctions would remain in place like a pitbulls grip against its throat. China would survive but the communist party would definately be overthrown by the starving masses cut of from a lot of food by sanctions. I thought Putin would not be mad enough to invade Ukrain but surrounding himself with ' yes ' men convinced him it would be a pushover. I hope Xi Jinping gets better council from those close to him. Even with the temporary loss of America to the free world ( for Trump clearly is destined for a fall worse than Humpty Dumpties ) he must see that any war with Taiwan , if it drags on into many months , will not be sustainable in the long term and will be a disaster. Anyone who has been to Taiwan and traveled around it will know that is a country with formidable natural defences which Taiwan has had decades to improve upon and without a land border and a lot of sea to cross.....China will find it a very tough nut to crack.

Forget the London Eye. Wastes too much time for not much return. If you want a view and both have the stamina you can go up the fire of London monument in Pudding Lane. Long spiral staircase to the top but great views plus a bit of history. When you come down they give you a certificate to say you made it to the top.. A boat ride down the river is also good if not raining and you get to go under Tower Bridge. Stops at greenwich where you can see the Cutty Sark , grab a vietnamse buffet then go through the park to the Greenwich Meridian. On the embankment is HMS Belfast, an old warship that you can clamber all over. A walk over the millenium bridge will take you to a full size replica of the Golden Hind.. You can do a lot in two days but need to plan it well.

I agree with your observations. All the troll and aI posters are driving people into posting less. It is not surprising that the value and traffic of the site has declined since its hey day. Another thing that is really driving traffic away is all the threads about the doings of Donald Chump. Why they cannot be collated into one thread I don't know. Any new person coming accross the site for the first time probably thinks it is a site about American politics. However , I would continue coming here just for the visa and legal threads. They really are useful and all that keeps people coming.

I think it is the penal code they are violating here.

Proves my point. Wasn't even in office and two attempts. Doesn't really matter who does it . Disgruntled left or right , gay or straight , black or white or just another nut who wants to be famous. Just so long as it is done sooner rather than later before he drags America further down the drain.

Trump is just a temporary aberration. If ever there was a president likely to get assassinated its him. I doubt very much if he will complete his second term. He is just rubbing too many people up the wrong way. Even some of those who voted for him are regretting the folly of their decision.

Close. More like :

Well, Thailand has targeted just about everyone now. Maybe they should target the dead next. Cremate your loved ones in a beautiful ceremony at one of the countries many wats , mosques and churches.

His brain is very very very small. Think dinosaur. Big organism but not too bright. Also,he and his bum chum Musk are narcissists. That much is obvious.

Dark Side of the Lune. His self proclaimed authority and credentials hold as much water as a seive.

What most people are doing already without being told . Such a clear cluster **** is just not worth losing sleep over..

Passed out pi**Ed, otherwise how could you a fail to hear a train bearing down on you.

Yes Bob. It's just you. Nobody else. Only you.

No complaints then.

Some of those bipods are the female of the species.. Easy mistake without genital examination

It's just a different place to visit to see different things. There are pluses and minuses. They have a lot of stunning beaches and mountain hikes. The women are attractive and open minded. The food is so so. Not as good as Thailand but you won't starve. Takes a little more searching to eat well. Accommodation is not as good value as Thailand. For retirement and permanent residence though Thailand has to be better. Better infrastructure and a lot better medicare.

A place like Angeles City does attract low life and corrupt officials but elsewhere no issues.

If you listen to vloggers might as well stay at home, triple lock the front door and wrap yourself in cotton wool. A friend just spent three weeks there. Experienced traveler and had a great time. No issues.

Thailands flesh spots built their dubious reputation on cheap sex with young affable women who were fresh from the provinces and not too worldly wise. Their clients were mostly travelers, Americans on R&R and a few young resident lotus eaters. Completely different now. Sex with a harder nosed worldly wise woman who is not especially cheap. Condoms are the norm rather than the exception and the clients are 30 - 40 years older reinventing the wheel. It's past it's hay day but those that live or holiday there couldn't care less. Where else can they go ? No need to integrate or learn Thai. Perfect for some.

Well. Look on the bright side. It has been a learning curve. What you have learnt is that when the Thai government departments make grandoise announcements regarding new laws or crackdowns just ignore them or file them away on a dusty shelf at the back of your mind. Just keep up with immigration rules and DON't overstay your visa. Everything else can be dealt with if it becomes absolutely necessary. Wife never filled in a TM30 for 30 years as I was doing 90 day visa runs. When I was finally obliged to switch to doing an extension because of Covid the immigration officer asked for a TM 30. We looked blank and we just paid the statutory fine of 1700 baht. No hiisy fit , nothing . All smiles and see you agains. Not bad for 30 years.

And the result is :

And then I woke up. One hell of a dream or just pure fantasy.

Still good dog walking weather . Forty five minutes almost every morning since the cool weather started. Won't last much longer then too hot. 20250120_081636 (1).mp4

Peace prize no . Piece prize . Millions around the world have already awarded him this.