spidermike007

What can one even say about this? Too bad Roper is already gone. And Eddie Heath. And Jimmy Savile. All swine. All responsible for destroying many, many lives of young boys. Hope they are able to find and prosecute some of the responsible parties, who are still alive. It appears to be alot bigger than any of us could have ever imagined. Thankfully, some very courageous victims are speaking out, finally. And I hope some of the clubs who have paid hush money face massive penalties, and that some of the officials who were complicit spend many, many years in prison, where they will be treated very well by their fellow inmates, and really made to feel at home. 

I will bet I am not the only one who is worried about today's youth. They seem to be growing up without much guidance, discipline, or parental participation. Many seem like wild animals. Little focus, and little sense of direction. It does make one give pause, about the future of the planet, under their guidance. Kind of makes me glad I am a bit older, and will not have to see much of it. Sounds like a dark, dystopian vision of the future, but when one really takes a good look at alot of today's youth, it is hard to avoid coming to a similar conclusion.

Thailand has always been a relatively safe place. When I talk to my wife, she grew up with two very good, solid parents, who were not afraid to impose discipline, set limits, and show her when she was out of line. It created a very focused woman, who has alot of kindness and respect for others. How many of the kids today receive that kind of upbringing? Will Thailand be as safe a place ten, or twenty years from now, as it is today?

Bury the cockroach as soon as possible. Put that vermin into the ground already. The oppression he caused, the pain, the suffering of his people, the unbearable poverty, the mass stripping of the land and forests, the restrictions on movement and travel, the lack of a living wage, all the while this insect was living in a gilded mansion, feasting on (illegal) lobster tail, and amassing billions of dollars. 

Be done with him. Good ridding. Thrilled he is gone. 

On 12/2/2016 at 7:30 PM, ilostmypassword said:

Onewest when it was owned by Steve Mnuchin got caught doing one of the lowest things imaginable for a bank to do.

 It backdated documents and invented documents so it could go ahead with foreclosures on people's homes. And this continued for a year after it promised the government that it would stop.

"Some of the largest mortgage servicers are still fabricating documents that should have been signed years ago and submitting them as evidence to foreclose on homeowners.

The practice continues nearly a year after the companies were caught cutting corners in the robo-signing scandal and about six months after the industry began negotiating a settlement with state attorneys general investigating loan-servicing abuses.

Several dozen documents reviewed by American Banker show that as recently as August some of the largest U.S. banks, including Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., Ally Financial Inc., and OneWest Financial Inc., were essentially backdating paperwork necessary to support their right to foreclose."

http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/176_170/robo-signing-foreclosure-mortgage-assignments-1041741-1.html?zkPrintable=1&nopagination=1

And Steve Mnuchin is a guy who's going to help drain the swamp?  Steve Mnuchin is a bottom feeder in that swamp.

An alligator is appointing reptiles for cabinet positions. When the majority of Trump supporters finally figure out who this guy is, how phony he is, and how disingenuous he has been this entire time, there is going to be alot of anger, frustration, resentment and disillusionment out there. So far, he is picking candidates that are primarily within the beltway. Insiders. Seasoned political types. Some would argue the experience is a good thing. But, it is not what he campaigned on. It is not what he promised. Already the promise of draining the Washington swamp seems to have been abandoned. How many more promises will be forgotten? My guess is the vast majority. This is a Barnum and Bailey huckster, who has spent his entire career saying, or doing anything to get the deal done. He has now sold the American people on his snake oil treatment, and when they wake up and see that it is not working, and that the wise man is not operating as he said he would, there will be alot of dissatisfied devotees out there. 

18 hours ago, kokopelli said:

Just a hunch, but as the one driver saw the red light coming he sped up and the other driver possibly jumped the light.  I often see this, at intersections, no one looks or waits a bit when the light turns green, just go forward.

Even more astonishing than that, is the guy who cuts in front of you, while entering the highway. Often I am cruising along at 100-120kph, and a guy cuts in front of me at a very unsafe distance. I look behind me, and there is nobody for quite some distance. Which means, that if he had waited 3 seconds, he would have been able to safely enter the highway, without putting the lives and safety of him, his entire family, and all of the people driving on the highway in his vicinity at risk. Surely, he could have seen that there was nobody behind me. 

Is that due to a complete lack of consciousness, a total lack of patience, a desire to deliberately entertain risk, a real lack of driving skills, a complete lack of courtesy, or just a lack of common sense? Or all of the above? 

How long did you know her before getting married? So many of these issues I hear from guys seems to stem from not taking the time to get to know both her, and her family. 

I would definitely walk away. She does not sound like she has enough in the way of redeeming qualities. And next time really take you time. Always remember. Time is always your ally. It is never her ally. So, take your time. Do not allow the woman to step up the timeline. Most want to do so. Always engage in pushback. That is what real men do.

Never, ever, ever marry the same woman twice. It is one of the biggest mistakes a person can make. Walk away. Don't look back. You got divorced for a reason. Maybe she is showing a better face now, that she realizes all that is lost to her. But, has anything really changed? We all know how much real effort is required to really change one's self. Most are not capable of it. But, many are capable of putting on a show for a brief period. Do yourself a favor. Get your life back. Be a man. Stand up. Do credit to men all over the world and just walk away. Forever.

1 hour ago, DrDweeb said:

Back in Bangkok ... defiance and abuse from her and no admission or acceptance whatsoever. She is playing the victim card, as if her actions are my fault - delusional. She avoids confronting the truth (her despicable behaviour) and avoids the elephant in the room (unequivocal evidence of her deeds - now presented).

 

If she did not understand before, she knows now. She has had a month to find a room but hasn't even looked. She has until Monday night to get out, the boy can stay until she has a place for him and her stuff can stay as well until she has a place.

I expect her to be sleeping in the street unless the Italian sends her money - which he won't. I have surprisingly little pity for her, someone who I loved very deeply and whom I have invested almost a decade in.

 

It's strange how people can self destruct and blame others. Back to the village with both of them ... people with potential, re-consigned to the land. What a f*ing waste

Sorry to hear. Sounds like an exceptional lack of emotional development, combined with a complete lack of perspective on her life, or her actions. Just stick to your guns. You know what is right. Do not be swayed by any of the nonsense, and know that is all it is. Blame is very common here, when at fault. Always remember, the act of face, is the polar opposite of introspection, taking responsibility for one's actions, and owning a situation. The practice of face is the greatest act of cowardice a person can engage in. It is the very opposite of knowing ones self. It is a complete lack of humility, sorrow, or respect for others. So, it is to be expected. 

On 11/21/2016 at 11:03 AM, samsensam said:

 

the most important thing is to stay calm, stay strong and logical.

 

before any show down i would ensure valuable documents and cash, credit cards etc and any other things you dont want damaged/stolen are removed from the apartment to a safe place

 

let her know that you know what she has been up to, show her the evidence

 

tell her the relationship is over

 

tell her that the financial support has finished. immediately.

 

dont get into discussions or arguments or any drama, keep reiterating; the relationship is over due to her actions, financial support has finished due to her actions and she has to leave due to her actions

 

if she needs money she knows where she can go

 

if she needs somewhere to live she knows where to go

 

have a fall back position; as there is a child involved offer to pay for a room for a week to enable her to contact family, friends, her lover who will take over responsibility for her and the child

 

again; stay calm, strong and logical.

 

good luck.

 

 

Extraordinarily level headed words of wisdom. All men in a similar position would be well advised to follow this sage advice. Be like Bond. What would James Bond do in this situation? I believe he would handle it exactly like Samsensam advised. These are the words of a real man, acting like a real man, when the situation calls for it. 

2 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Never have taken a motorcycle taxi in Hua Hin  or BKK  and am not

going to start now. RIP to this old tourist.

Geezer

I use them alot in both HH and BKK. When the choice is between waiting an hour to get to a location that is not served by the BTS, or the MRT, or taking a 6 minute ride from hell, usually I choose the latter. Of course I realize there is a risk. There have been some close calls. But, most of these guys are relatively skillful, having been doing it for many years. Recently, someone cut right in front of us, and the driver skidded to a stop within just a meter of the car in front of us. I was impressed! We take our chances sometimes. I myself, utterly despise being caught in massive traffic jams, and will do nearly anything to get out of them, including taking this risk to life and limb.

30 minutes ago, Sarathi said:

The issue is that monks can be disrobed to face charges, without ever being convicted. 

 

The attack on him is political, rather than criminal (other recipients of the same embezzled money have not been pursued)

 

The temple unfortunately became associated with Red Shirts after the then PM Thaksin went there to join ceremonies. The temple in fact have always remained staunchly non-partisan regarding politics, for the simple reason that taking any side would lost them 40-60% of their devotees. 

 

It's fine not to like the place (I don't), but take a balanced view.

This is the first time I have heard an objective analysis of why he has been charged. If true, it is quite an indictment of the powers that be. 

1 hour ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Cambodia  is  a country I will visit  after  I go to Vietnam,

or Philippines or Malaysia. or Indonesia.  Too corrupt for

me to spend a single tourist dollar.  Hope they may smarten

up  some year.

Geezer

Cambodia is actually an amazing place. Alot of the Kymer people are very nice, the language is gorgeous, food is ok, though not as good as Thailand or Vietnam, and the ancient ruins are some of the best in the world. There is alot to see, and do. But you are right about the government. Hun Sen has been allowed to get away with his own brand of thuggery for decades, due to the support of the US, and other hypocritical nations, that profess democracy, then turn a blind eye to oppressive regimes like we have in Cambodia, and Burma. Little has changed, though the liberals love to shout out how much progress is being made. All you have to know if that his personal security detail is comprised of over 5,000 men. That is all you have to know.

35 minutes ago, nausea said:

Indeed, the whole Thai tourist industry was built on this, and the much despised low budget backpackers financed by those same relatively rich parents. Go to any Thai tourist destination and you'll find five star hotels, and cheap guest houses. Doing a bit of reverse engineering, I would suspect rich Chinese, and their scions, would rather visit London or Paris, Thailand is a Skegness destination for the Chinese.

I believe you are absolutely correct. It appears that only the lower and middle class Chinese visit Thailand. Those on an extreme budget. The rich ones, the equivalent of the kinds of Western tourists who used to come here in droves, before they were pushed away, go to London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Dubai, and other comparably luxurious spots, that are well managed, offer truly five star service, reasonably priced shopping due to a rational duty and taxation, and have fairly competent governments. 

55 minutes ago, Jedsada3 said:

 

 

 

 

You all surely understand English better than me.

Can one of you show me where they say the car driver fled the scene?

They say " When the driver saw the red light coming, he gassed up instead of slowing down,”. Nobody said he didn't stop after the crash...

 

 

RIP Swedish man

I think it is a presumption. Many Thai men flee the scene of a crime. Many are emotionally unprepared for the consequences, when they have caused the accident out of carelessness. And since there is little in the way of a deterrent under Thai law, there is little incentive to stick around, and pay the price from the mayhem they have caused.

3 hours ago, The man from udon said:

Thais don't like the Chinese in my city purely because they are business minded people who own most of it.thais are either hard workers who will stay hard workers for the rest of their lives or on the gravey train of brown envelopes.what country around the world don't all the money and profits for themselves.its just Chinese are good at it.

The Chinese take their studies seriously. The Thais do not. The Chinese work their butts off. The Chinese are very smart. And inventive. And resourceful. And creative. And some of them think outside of the box. They do not own so much by accident. Their success is not an accident. Their ambition is extraordinary. Can the Thai people acknowledge some of that, and give the Chinese credit for it? Will they? Even if they do, will they do anything about it?

2 hours ago, Thechook said:

The guy invented the hamburger.  he put a pattie of ground up lips, noses and other intestines between 3 slices of bread, added fake yellow cheese, some old lettuce and tomato sauce.  The guy was a pure culinary genius.  This marvelous food in now being sold in what is claimed to be world famous "RESTAURANTS."  When I pick up a hot chick I always book a table at these restuarants.   A gentlemen must make an impression.  I tell her her to rap her lips around the best beef burger.  For some unknown reason they leave.

Not even close to being true. The hamburger was invented long, long before this guy. All he did was add one additional half of a bun, an extra patty, and alot of high cholesterol junk. That is all he is famous for.

Fletcher Davis of Athens, Texas claimed to have invented the hamburger. According to oral histories, in the 1880s he opened a lunch counter in Athens and served a 'burger' of fried ground beef patties with mustard and Bermuda onion between two slices of bread, with a pickle on the side.

Correct me if I am wrong, but as I understand it, there is no penalty here, for hit and run. In other words, there is no additional penalty for fleeing the scene of a crime. No wonder. Between owning up to the responsibility, the costs involved, and the loss of face, one can see why so many cowards flee the scene of the crime. Until law enforcement gets serious about this, little will change, and the carnage will continue unabated. Way to go. The country is about to overtake Libya for the number one spot when it comes to road deaths, per capita. Not exactly the kind of number one a country wants to be known for. 

The real solution is about encouraging tourists, and ex-pats, from countries that spend real money, to come here and visit. That message seems to have gotten lost, in the fervor to court the Chinese tourists, many of whom do not spend much money at all here. 

23 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Shhhh....you'll upset the anti-US/pro-Castro crowd with stuff like this!

 

We were there one time in about 2001.  Took a boom box with us and left it with our friend from Guantanamo Bay when we left.  On the way home, he was arrested for having this.  The police said no way could he afford it, so it must have been stolen.  We had handwritten a note, in English and our poor Spanish, saying we gave it to him.  Didn't matter.  He spent some time in jail and lost the boom box.  Lovely country.  And people (who've never been there) wonder why most would never want to live there.  Whether they are rich or poor.

Very, very typical of the regime of despots. You have been made so poor by our policies, and our systematic repression of the people, that there is no way you could afford a $60 boom box. I know people who have been put into jail for the most minor of offenses. During my last trip in about 2008, "la grande cucaracha" (Fidel, for those of you who do not speak spanish. The grand cockroach). started losing his faculties, and really begun a heavy crackdown. He became very paranoid, and probably should have been put on heavy anti-depresent of bi-polar meds. He started having people locked up for the most minor of offenses. Women who were hanging out talking to their friends were locked up on suspicion of prostitution. It was quite sickening. I left a few days early on that trip, and vowed to never return, until they had cleared out the vermin. I hope that happens. Nothing of any real significance will happen as long as Raul is in power. No doubt he is less dogmatic than his older brother. But, he is also a pragmatist. If he can still maintain absolute control, while amassing many more billions of dollars, why not? 

I wish the best for the Cuban people. They deserve a better life, and they deserve better government. 

Looks like someone offended Hun Sen. Few get charged with corruption, in this most corrupt of nations, without offending someone high up on the food chain. 

The ambassador, who was arrested Monday, has denied any wrongdoing. "My arrest is unjust," he said to reporters as he entered the court.

Cambodia has a reputation as one of Asia's most corrupt countries. The problem is a political liability for long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose Cambodian People's Party fended off an unexpectedly strong challenge in the 2013 general election.

Suth Dina used to be an opponent of Hun Sen's government, but joined the ruling party in 2009.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cambodian-envoy-south-korea-charged-corruption-115137389.html

3 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Fascinating how government idiots and inbred elites think that business is just so easy.  They feel they can turn it on and off like a tap.  The truth is customers are hard to keep and easy to lose. 

 

It will be interesting one day to see how and who the zero RMB tours affected adversely.  It will go down in history in tourism studies as what a government should NOT do.  Using words like "exploit" and "lure" are poor choices too.

True that. But, they will also discuss how Thailand lost the golden egg of Western tourism too. Those tourists, unlike most Chinese tourists, spent anywhere from $100 a day, to over $1,000 a day. They brought real money into the country, and in exchange, were treated with utter and complete disregard, scammed, disrespected, and abused. Eventually, most said no more. Thailand thought the country was something very special, and that nobody would ever say no, or find alternative places to visit. The fact is that there are countless other spots, that offer better service, more expertise in food and beverage (especially wine), reasonable import duties to sustain a luxury goods market, better training, and far better english skills. Thailand simply lost sight of the big picture, and had very little vision, with regard to big spending tourists, who need to be catered to, instead of scorned.  

So, what happened? The Western tourists started to decline in number, and the genius minds at the TAT decided it was time to "lure" the Chinese. They came. But, they did not spend much money. Hotels, restaurants, gift shops, jewelers, galleries, spas, massage shops, bars, and countless other businesses suffered, and will continue to suffer from this extreme myopia, on the part of the officials in charge of tourism. Oh well. Can't say they were not warned. 

I had the good fortune of visiting Cuba many times, while "LA chcaracha grande" was still in power. I befriended many in Cuba. Amazing place. Extraordinary people. Great culture. But, all had the same thing to say about Fidel.

They had a great PR machine, and it would crank out alot of hyperbole about their educational and healthcare system being the best in the world. And you would then have numskulls like Michael Moore pick up on that, and run with it, to create utter disinformation campaigns. Yes, they did produce the greatest number of doctors per capita. But, most would have to leave the country to make a living, as they could not live very well on the $40 a month government salary. I met civil engineers, who had trained in Russia, and specialized in suspension bridges, who made $38 a month, and moonlighted as tour guides, to feed their families. All the while Castro was living in his gilded mansion, feasting on lobster tail, and socking away billions. For some of us, we were able to see for ourselves, and we saw that the dissemination was just that. When I would meet locals, they would nearly all say the same thing. Fidel was universally despised, and so was the regime. All of that was said in hushed tones, for fear of being discovered, and sent to one of his concentration camps, or marched before a firing squad. I would stop to chat with a local, and within minutes he would get picked up by the police. I would later find out he was held for days, under suspicion of offering either prostitution services or currency exchange. The government hated for the people to engage in exchange, as it gave them power and freedom. It was sickening. I stopped visiting, around 2008, as I got so disgusted with the government and the low quality of life the people had to endure under the despotic regime of the Castro brothers. They are absolute vermin, on every level. I was told by reputable sources that both brothers had fortunes into the tens of billions of dollars, and many of the generals were worth billions. Total hypocrisy. Castro lost his ideals, and sight of the bigger picture within 30 days of assuming power. It was all about the money, and the power, and the totalitarian rule. It was not about the people.

27 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

The Big Mac is the world's most iconic burger.  However, Delligatti doesn't deserve all the credit.  The double decker burger was actually originally developed by Bob's Big Boy.  Delligatti only replaced hamburger relish (ketchup and relish) with McDonald's Special Sauce (a tangy thousand island, basically the hamburger relish with mayo and more vinegar).  

Thank you. Not sure why people are even mentioning this guy. What did he do really? Reinvent something that already existed, and then claim credit for something new. Let's add an extra bun and patty. Wow. Amazing creativity.

19 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Nice points.

 

On the business side, IMHO the bar / restaurant owners / manager probably never considered this whole situation with any logical analysis:

 

- If they wanted to entertain some celebrities (highly overrated leeches in my opinion) they they had two choices:

 

1. Close the bar / restaurant to any other folks for the evening (and possibly piss off their regular customers).

 

2. Leave the bar / restaurant open to all but recognize that they need to manage the whole scenario including 'behind the scenes' needs to ensure nothing untoward happens, this could include other toilet arrangements for the celebrities. In fact from my knowledge of events where celebrities etc., are involved this would be normal practice. In other words being carfefull not to upset the regulars.

 

Some basics of business - the revenue stream. In most types of business anywhere, it's well recognized that approx. 80% of revenue comes from regulars / repeat buyers. Any business which ignores this point is strongly lacking in business and common sense.  

You are referring to a completely bizarre and alien concept called common sense and reason. Not only that, but when you add in the component of planning, and foresight, you are really entering new territory. What you suggest makes total sense. But, how often do you see that applied here, in the business world? How often do you see a visionary approach towards trade here?