spidermike007

How about the Dow at 3400? Unemployment at 36%? Just wait.

There is no doubt that the US political system is just as corrupt as the Thai system, it's just much further underground and much of the corruption comes through morally bankrupt individuals called lobbyists and their equally bankrupt overseers.

I wouldn't touch that topic with a 10-ft pole.

Some real news for a change. And it's only going to get worse. A huge correction is likely coming. Last quarter, the euro zone economy contracted 0.1%, official data has shown, and December's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) - seen as a good gauge of economic health - suggested activity has now declined in every month of this quarter. That would mark two consecutive quarters of economic contraction, meeting the technical definition of recession. https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/euro-zone-business-activity-declines-further-dec-pmi-2023-12-15/

Excellent point, not only a proven moron, but a fraudster, and a serial bankruptcy king, a draft dodger, and a man with multiple personality deficits.

Condensed milk is actually very dangerous here, because often times an open can is left out in the heat and hot sun for many hours, it spoils and it could cause food poisoning and all kinds of other ailments. I stopped asking for it, and I request they don't use it in soups, etc. Many people get sick from it.

Yeah that's a very interesting point, and one wonders what kind of crazy acts or shenanigans the highly toxic army government goons are going to pull, in order to maintain those senators, select new proxy senators, or somehow try to maintain that power base. Power hungry fools do not let go of power easily.

That owner would have to have been very much out to lunch to have not missed 8 million baht per year in revenue. The guy needs to have his head examined.

Absolutely. Like the zombie apocalypse.

No it's actually quite simple, I would like to talk to just a few retailers who say their business is good, either in Thailand or in the US. I haven't been meeting many. I have friends who are real estate developers in the US, and they own shopping centers and malls, and they all say the same thing, retail is way down and a lot of the stores are really hurting and having a hard time making rent. Find a car dealer who's willing to be honest with you and ask him how many cars did you sell last month? Find any retailer that sells medium to high-end products and ask them the same question, how much business did you do last month?

Yeah in the US right now the economy is unbelievably sluggish, in the retail sector. The government is not letting on at all, they're still creating fake numbers, they're still lying about inflation dropping, and the unemployment numbers are probably fake too. The economy is in really poor shape and I have a very bad feeling too, I think it's only going to get worse. Here I think the economy is quite bad too, the government is not admitting just how sluggish it is, after many years of The Prayuth Decimation.

I think I would need 200 hours of therapy after looking at the granny section, that would be utterly frightening.

On your own plane or on someone else's plane? Is that service currently available, and what is the cost?

It is simply inane to see somebody walking outside in an area that's uncrowded with a mask on, it feels like an atmosphere of the zombie apocalypse, and it does create a sense of fear and dread in the population. It's just not necessary at this point unless it is within a hospital or used for pollution. And I happen to enjoy warm coats in the winter time.

How about limiting a run at the presidency to only veterans, only people under 65 years old, people who have never filed for bankruptcy, and people who have children that are of age to serve in the military. And a promise that if the president declares war, his children will serve on the front line! How's that for a qualification?

No worries. The biggest joke is not a serious man. He is a publicity hound. Name the last person that he went after that was actually tried and convicted. I bet you can't name more than one.

Very sluggish. New car sales are way down. Condo and home sales are down. Retail sales are way down. Debt is up. Homelessness is up. Defaults are up. The last administration was a disaster. When will the army ever admit their failures and inadequacies?

Do you really think that the Hamas top dogs are right in the middle of Gaza right now? I'll bet you they're in Lebanon or Syria or Saudi Arabia or New York City. So who does that leave, that leaves women and children being slaughtered on a daily basis. Is that morally correct, morally bankrupt or is that genocidal?

Way too old. And a terrible running mate. A decent man. But, past his prime, as is Trump. If Trump ever even had a prime.

And it should be the case, the degree to which Israel is engaging in genocide against the women and children of Gaza is completely out of proportion to anything that was necessary, or required. It appears that they simply want to cleanse the Gaza of Palestinians entirely and claim all the territory for it. The callousness and hatred being shown is intolerable. Isreal is losing credibility all over the world, and they deserve that.

It is not just China. If you want to put the blame in the place it belongs, blame Prayuth and Prawit. Call it what it is. The Prayuth Decimation. They are the architects of the downfall of Thailand, the increased suicides, homelessness, crime, unemployment, and unhappiness of the people. Let us never forget. Though alot of nations shut down, Thailand waited far too long, and displayed a huge degree of timidity, when re-opening, with draconian restrictions and quarantine. That turned off millions of potential tourists. Add in the ridiculous army's fake sense of purity, and their attempt to homogenize and pasteurized the nation, and destroy the nightlife, and you have a huge degree of self sabotage and inane hubris. If Thailand ever figures out a way to drastically reduce the power and influence of their toxic army, it might be able to move forward and become a better version of itself. Until then, woe is the nation.

My question is this. If the extremely toxic and dangerously timid army were unwilling to take any risks whatsoever, with regard to Covid, why are they spending 22 billion plus baht on submarines? Obviously there is some risk in operating subs, and even more risk if as they say, they are purposed to protect against terrorist threats and any threat in the South China Sea. No doubt, the Chinese subs are likely poorly made. Thankfully the Chinese navy is incapable of traveling more than 1,500 km., in ideal conditions. Likely more like 600 km. in war conditions. And they have very few deep sea ports. Their navy is a threat only to their smaller neighbors. Thai naval forces have not operated submarines for over 60 years now, while neighboring countries, particularly those with a major dispute at sea with Thailand, such as Vietnam, are all equipped with modern submarines. This government is a whirlpool of conflicting loyalties and interests. It's leader has to manage those interests, and effectively buy the loyalties of the various parts of the armed forces. The submarines are the price he has to pay for the navy supporting him. They will end up unusable and unaffordable, as did the aircraft carrier. There is no strategic justification for the submarines. There is really no military threat to Thailand, none of the countries with which it shares a land border have the capacity for anything other than the occasional cross border firefight. If you look carefully at all the military procurement of recent years, they are all to support ambitions, and thus buy the support of the various rival groups within the armed forces. They simply do not add up to any sort of a coherent modernisation or re-equipment of what remains a largely obsolete, immobile and under trained force, able only to undertake the most mundane of garrison duties, whilst it's bloated leadership occupies itself with playing politics or their own largely unregulated business ventures. The government however (or more realistically those to whom it reports) must rely upon the military to keep it in power. It was put into power for one core function; to prevent the nascent political, social and economic liberalisation of Thai society which arose with the arrival of new technologies and communications, which have allowed a (younger) population which has long been kept ill educated and dependent for any advancement on its elders and sponsors, to communicate, educate themselves and develop business independent of those elders and sponsors. The Covid crisis was in a dimension beyond that, and it's timid, chaotic "rabbit in the headlights" response to the challenges it brought were simply because it did not know how to react, other than to use some of the opportunities to exercise power, in pursuit of that core function, which the social and political restrictions they argue the disease has necessitated, and granted them.

So far every subsequent strain of covid has proven to be weaker and weaker, more feeble and more feeble, though the transmission rates are higher, the fatality rates are consistently lower. Why should they be making special preparations for yet another more people variation? Perhaps common sense is finally prevailing?

Been gone for a long time and it's a crying shame because alternatives to getting on those clogged highways is desperately needed at this time and yet there seem to be a complete absence of creative minds at the leadership level, who are coming up with alternative means of thansport. How about small plane and helicopter rides from Hua Hin to Pattaya? Why is Hua Hin one of the least utilized airports in SE Asia? What would that be a 30-minute flight? Come on guys you could be doing a lot better than this.

Proper planning requires vision, it requires intelligence, it requires foresight, and it requires an ability to put greed aside, and do some things that improve the lives of the people. When the only consideration is the worship and adoration of the golden calf, these kind of problems happen.