spidermike007

Well I don't know about the kids, but there's a very good chance that walking out on his wife was the smartest decision this man's ever made in his lifetime. So, I'd be a little bit cautious about being too judgmental, l without knowing the facts. You may be giving his ex far too much credit.

As much as I dislike Trump, Putin is by far the most evil of that group, he's a serial killing kleptocrat, and he is an extremely dangerous man. Been with his recent declarations of his willingness to use nuclear weapons where do you think that puts them on that list?

Of course they love him, the leadership most definitely has kompromat on him, and he does their bidding and has done that on countless occasions. If there's one thing that Putin can count on it is the absolute fealty, and obedience of Donald Trump. He is their ideal candidate.

I consider Patong to be a blight on planet earth, one of the most horrific places in Thailand, and someplace I hope and pray I never have to go back to. It is even worse than it was 10 years ago, and at least 10 years ago there were some pretty gals to look at. Now? It's like walking around a cow pasture, it's dreadful on every level. I hope the Thais boycott the place, the place deserves a boycott. Yikes.

I consider a lot of social media to be the worst thing that's happened to mankind in the last 50 years, and I think it's directly responsible for the degeneration of contemporary civilization. In addition, no doubt it is largely responsible for Gen Z being the weakest generation in the history of mankind.

Total and ridiculous nonsense, tourism is down around the world, the economy is in trouble worldwide, Chinese tourism is way down, and there's no way that town it's going to achieve this number. The second consideration is the quantity over quality only works if you're selling one or two dollar items at a swap meet.

I have a Thai friend who is a bigwig with the Internal Investigation Unit which is the equivalent of the FBI here and he tells me that immigration now interfaces directly with Interpol and they have all Interpol notices on their screens when a foreigner enters the country. So better screening is not required, perhaps some other measures need to be taken. I definitely agree about getting rid of bad apples such as Urs David Fehr, he does not belong in Thailand and he does not deserve to be in Thailand. But don't consider picking on all of us, most of us are your friends and allies, not your enemies.

If you really analyze your statement deeply, it is one containing a spectacular level of arrogance and a very earthling oriented opinion. To my mind the possibility that we're the only advanced civilization in the universe is bizarre and incorrect to a unscientific degree.

I am not fearful of any sort of immigration one way or another, I happen to love immigrants, people of color and the whole diaspora, in general. What I was simply making a comment on is that many Thais are very dissatisfied with the way things are progressing or the total lack of progress, to be more specific. If the European Zone was open to them I think a huge numbers would try to emigrate to Europe, that's all I was trying to say. No hypocrisy there.

The Army and the Judiciary seems to be working in direct contradiction to what they have been instructed to do, as there are currently multiple cases pending in court, and there are multiple individuals who are serving a decade or longer behind bars, for next to nothing.

That was a very poor assumption people, do not get highly aggressive by smoking ganja, just the opposite usually happens. This is very poor police work, and shows that they are very uneducated on the topic. He was high on something else no doubt about that, or he was just insane.

They were progressive. They wanted positive change. They believed it was possible. The people were behind them. The people also desperately wanted Thailand to move in a forward direction. Unfortunately, there are some highly toxic powers that don't believe in change or progress. It means less cash. And cash is their God.

One of the huge issues here is the princely treatment given to boys. They are nothing special. On any level. Yet, the parents let them get away with nearly anything, and spoil them rotten. What Thai parents need to start saying to their sons is this: You are nothing special. Your sister is as good as you, or better. She works harder, she is more ambitious and she does not take everything, and everyone for granted. So, until you prove to us, to the family, and to the community that you are special, by your deeds, actions, and hard work, you are not anything but a normal kid. Nothing more. My guess is there are alot of Thai parents who wonder later, where did I go wrong with my son, and why did he turn out to be so self entitled, so spoiled, so unwilling to put in a hard days work, and how did he become so rotten, and so undeserving of our care and protection? Also, it is my observation that alot of parents seem to have lost the art of parenting. The child sort of becomes the boss. This is epidemic in Thai households with the sons, who are treated as if they are very special, when they are just ordinary boys, who have proven nothing to the world yet, as to their worthiness for adulation. As a result, children today are less self-reliant. Many preteen children don’t yet know how to be alone at bedtime and they haven’t been forced to learn. Parents band-aid the issue by allowing co-sleeping.

Well, as far as we know. We are still quite primitive. If space travel was possible, it would have to be done at a speed faster than the 17,000 mph we have been limited to, by our basic technology. People insisted gravity did not exist prior to Newton. There is so much to discover, and it is likely we have not found 99% of what science has to offer yet.

Hey Sretta talk to us about sacrifices. What are you guys willing to give up? Are you willing to lower luxury taxes? Are you willing to offer a tax holiday for new companies? How about ownership of properties? Land? 5 or 10 year visas for management? Come on. Get real. Do something. Anything, but incessant blabbering, about policies that were designed by empty suits, that have no substance, nor any hint of progressive policy. Some regressive nimwits do not understand basic economics. By reducing taxes you stimulate the economy. In addition, if Thailand reduces its punitive wine taxes and luxury taxes, they might be able to attract more of those rich tourists they keep droning on and on and on about. The rich are smart with their money. And not only do they enjoy a nice bottle of wine with dinner, their wives also love to spend alot of money on luxury goods while they vacation. Impossible here. Who would buy a Prada handbag for $11,700 here, when you can get it for $4,800 in most world capitals? Same goes for wine. Who would spend $700 for a bottle of wine they could get for $125 at home. Some flagship stores with luxury brands are intended to lose money, and the brands know from the very start that they're not going to be profitable stores, yet they consider them to be valuable forms of publicity and the need for the brand to be seen. Let me know the last time you've seen anybody and a Prada store in Bangkok. Are they addressing critical issues, like the air and water quality, traffic safety, public transportation on the southern islands, rapid rail transport, and the lack of law enforcement? No. Nothing, and I mean less than zero is being done. These guys continue to occupy a self entitled dreamworld. Their gazillionaire status insures a total detachment from reality, facts, truth and practical concerns. It appears that Japan is averse to what they see as the increasing influence of China here. That is a big issue for them. Also, the US-China Trade war, periodic flooding, with no solutions in sight, and the baht appreciation are issues. Many Japanese companies are exiting China. This is an opportunity for Thailand. But, the extreme incompetence here seems to be inhibiting the ability to move the nation forward. Will Japan continue to invest here? Who knows? Will Chinese investment pick up? Probably. Will that be a good thing? Probably not. The fact is Thailand could be doing a dozen different things to make itself more attractive to both tourism and investment. But, all the things it could do, to make itself a better version of it's current self, would require sacrifice and vision. Not something this army led govt. is capable of. Major tax breaks, drastic lowering of luxury and wine taxes, allowing ownership of land and homes by foreigners, relaxation of inane visa laws, ridding the administration of xenophobic ministers, beginning a program of hiring based on merit, improving traffic safety, paying attention to the air and the environment. The list goes on and on and on. Will any of this happen? One can hope. But, it is unlikely as this administration is one of the least progressive on planet earth. They love projections, prognostications, declarations and platitudes. But when it comes to the nuts and bolts, and practical improvements, they are absolutely lost in space.

You are putting words into my mouth. I love immigrants. I think they are the best part of America. I find alot of white Americans to be quite boring, and many are like an empty suit. I mean that partially in jest, so you guys to not have to start defending our race. LOL.

I agree with all of that, and the truth contained within your statement shows the extent to which Trump is prepared to betray his faithful devotees. As a lifelong centrist dem, I think Biden should have stepped aside, and I think continuing with Harris was a dreadful mistake. She is a horror show and spectacularly incompetent and in way over her head. Her career in California was a disaster. I have spoken to multiple high-level Democrats, and not one of them wants Harris on the ticket. A sentiment that was touched upon just about a year ago in a piece in the Washington Post titled “Some Democrats are worried about Harris’s political prospects,” which outlined why Democratic strategists and party leaders were rightfully concerned about Harris’s “electability,” especially if Biden chose not to run and she became the Democratic nominee in 2024. A concern which has surely increased since then as the vice president continues to be mocked for various “word salad” answers to serious issues. https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4459705-democrats-have-a-kamala-harris-problem/ A polling gut-punch It was, without a doubt, an ugly poll. According to a November survey by USA Today, Ms Harris' public approval rating sat at 28%, making her one of the least popular vice-presidents in modern history - lower than Iraq War architect Dick Cheney, who was reviled by Democrats. If there was one moment that truly set off the spate of "what's wrong with Kamala Harris" stories that dominated the latter half of 2021, it was that "comically bad" poll, as the San Francisco Chronicle put it. The poll effectively framed the conversation about the vice-president as one of struggle and disappointment. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60061473 Harris has a gift for gaffes and ramblings. She said Tupac was the best rapper alive, decades after his death. She hinted that Joe Biden was a racist, or at least cozy with racists and racist policies, not too long before signing on as his running mate. She has a strange fascination with Venn diagrams. She defined the word culture as: “Culture is — it is a reflection of our moment in our time, right? And in present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment. And we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment that is a reflection of joy, because as you know, it comes in the morning. We have to find ways to also express the way we feel about the moment in terms of just having language and a connection to how people are experiencing life. And I think about it in that way too.” In other words, Harris often teeters between insincere and indecipherable, which is an unlikeable mix. https://www.ocregister.com/2023/07/29/kamala-harris-is-a-genuinely-terrible-communicator-and-a-liability-for-the-biden-administration/

I thought he was horrendous. If he was better, it is only because Sretta is showing such a dismal performance to date. Prayuth had zero credibility, on any level. He was stunningly incompetent, and had long overstayed his welcome. He failed the nation miserably with this last wave of covid, which could have easily been avoided, had some precautions been taken by locking down Samut Sakhon province immediately, and later locking down Bangkok, as the army creeps promised they would. It was just another failure to uphold any and all promises he made. His word was about as good as the word of a snake oil salesman, in Tombstone, in 1872. Same applied to Anutin, Prawit, Phiphat, and the rest of the band of failures. What ever happened with his promises to root out bad apple immigration guys, on the border? They likely let in thousands, to line their greedy pockets. How about his promises to clean up the RTP, customs and immigration? Do they care at all, on any level, about anything other than their own enrichment, and the vintage of ridiculously expensive champagne or wine they would consume in the evening? Never forget. Prayuth was the one who chose to not lock down countless covid clusters, factories, and cities, and he bears huge responsibility for the current grave state of the economy. It all rests on his tiny shoulders. Never forget. Never, ever forgive him for that. There is no saying the extent of the corruption in the last administration, but the army is not exactly known for integrity. Likely the same applies to the failed Sretta administration.

Well, perhaps. But the need to show real arrests, for real reasons. Not arrests that make them look like fools, hooligans, and amateurs. They are such keystone cops, such a boil on the face of the nation.

Well, at some point we might find some proof of alien life. No doubt the universe is chock full of intelligent civilization. Just not here on earth. Considering the vastness of the universe, I consider it sheer hubris, that so many insist we are the only intelligent species in the entire universe. It would not surprise me if there were countless highly evolved populations on distant planets. How can anyone comprehend the vastness of this universe, and say it is likely we are the only form of intelligent life within it? No. We are alone is infinitely more terrifying. If earthlings are the best this universe has, that would be terrifying. We are an exceedingly unimpressive civilization. There are likely millions of advanced civilizations out there. It would be a most astonishing waste of space, to think otherwise! It is a near impossibility, to a truly open mind. We are a speck of galactic dust. There are thousands of galaxies within our local supercluster, spanning 100 million light years, just in this relatively small part of the universe. Our supercluster is but one part of a larger cluster, called Laniakea, consisting of 100,000 large galaxies, spanning 400 million light years. Each galaxy has how many solar systems? How many planets and stars? And many somehow use their intellects to presume it is nothing but empty space. Why? Because it cannot be proven? That is a weak argument. We are the chosen ones? That is sheer hubris, and a statistical near impossibility. Just look around. Are we really that amazing? I should say no. Not impressive. We have not even figured out nuclear fusion yet, and world peace is a distant dream. We are just now figuring out less invasive surgery. No cures for cancer, tinnitus, and so many other diseases. Advanced? Barely. And only by very modest standards. We have no idea how truly advanced telecommunication or teleportation works, and we have barely figured out the relationship between the health of our soil, and the way we treat it. We foul our environment to no end, we use a primitive oil product to power our vehicles, and we treat our great oceans like dumping grounds, and we abuse animals and people to no end. We are arrogant yes. Truly advanced? No. And if an alien group could contact us, why would they want to get in touch with us? For an advanced alien civilization, it would be like taking a dip into the universal sewer. Not only are we not alone, it is likely we are one of the least evolved civilizations even within our own galaxy, much less the vastness of the universe! Think about our history. Khan, Attila the Hun, Queen Mary I, Ivan the Terrible, Vlad the Impaler, Qin Shi Huang, Wu Zetian, Leopold II, Lenin, Mussolini, Amin, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, Pinochet, Kim Jung II, Hideki Tojo, Tsar Vladimir Putin, Than Shwe, King Abdullah, Trump, Bieber, Kardashian. Come on. Really? Why contact us? Why would an advanced alien race have any interest in lowly earthlings? What could we possibly teach them? Perhaps: 1. How to destroy your home (and only) planet, and how to behave as if we had multiple alternative planets to re-locate to, just in case! 2. How to hate each other. 3. How to create war. 4. How to generate electricity with spent uranium, that lasts tens of thousands of years. 5. How to create social media platforms which encourage self destruction, hatred, self loathing among the youth, envy and move culture backwards. 6. How to create reality TV, which tears at the very fabric of civilization, and appeals only to our lower nature. What else have I missed?

Why not? Who cares? Sleeping at normal hours is not for everyone. Some of us are off pattern sleepers, or insomniacs. What else are we going to do at 2am?

Biden and Trump are both way, way too old for that office. At least be truthful to yourself, for once.

Last years? How about the prior 9 years? This is 10 consecutive years of extremely harmful, toxic and regressive army leadership (do not even try to tell me this is a civilian administration). Of course companies are leery of investing here. And that will not change. Thailand is moving backwards at a very swift pace. Granted, that does not affect us much. If anything it keeps things cheaper for us. But, woe are the Thai people.

The entire planet laughed at Trump. And wept.

His sanctions destroyed 1000's of farmers. His business practices crippled small contractors. He lost the trade war with China. His 5 huge bankruptcies wiped out 1000s of small business owners. Trump destroys everything he touches. The last thing in world this guy is capable of is helping workers. Big corporations, yes. His huge tax breaks helped them. Not the average man. They are always last with Trump.