spidermike007

3 hours ago, xylophone said:

Well I have what Trump's money cannot buy.........integrity and intelligence, two things he will never have.

 

And I have enough millions to keep me happy for the rest of my life, so your assumptions are way off.....now, who is the idiot!

You hit it right on the head. No matter how much money or power Trump amasses, he will always be absolutely miserable. He wakes up in the morning feeling the deepest degree of misery a man can possible withstand. And you see it in his behavior all day long, every day of his life. Everything about his life is a total reflection of that misery and lack of fulfillment. So, you nailed it. The lovely thing about integrity is that you can feel really good about your life, the way you treat others, and the honor by which you interact with everyone. That is something Trump will never feel, nor understand. However, his lack of intelligence will probably prevent him from ever having that thought! 

17 minutes ago, doggie1955 said:

The majority of Americans do not support the wall... Boy did you get this one wrong!

I do not think so. Not sure who you have been talking to, or listening to, but every major survey I have seen, including those on the right, show a majority of Americans do not support the building of the wall.

Overall, only 4 in 10 favor building a wall. Fewer than half our respondents were convinced by the argument that a wall would prevent potential threats from coming into the country and would strengthen U.S. borders. Nearly two-thirds, including 4 in 10 Republicans, were persuaded by the counterargument: Because migrants can always find alternative routes to crossing the border, there are better methods for deterring illegal entry.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2019/01/11/americans-dont-want-trumps-border-wall-heres-what-they-think-should-happen-instead/?utm_term=.07fd1d7dc88d

But no poll has found that a majority of Americans support the wall or funding for the wall, or see it as a priority. A Quinnipiac poll of 1,147 voters reached on landlines or cell phones from Dec. 12-17 found that 54 percent of respondents opposed the wall and 43 percent supported it. A Harvard CAPS/Harris online survey of 1,407 registered voters conducted Dec. 24-26  found that 56 percent of those surveyed did not support a wall, while 44 percent did. Just 35 percent of those surveyed supported including money for the wall in a federal spending bill, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 2,440 adults conducted online Dec. 21-25.

On 1/14/2019 at 5:01 PM, grollies said:

As part of the pissing contest I would like to submit the following:

 

Something like this then mate....

 

 

Nah. I was referring to women more like the ones in these images, who can be found in abundance upcountry.

3 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Don't you mean sociopath? Many leaders including great leaders also have or had this in spades. Most of them had some sort of foil or counterbalance, a voice of reason from a respected confidante that kept them reasonably 'sociable' and limited their wildest excesses. With the schism in the GOP rent asunder by his unexpected election, nobody has DJT's 'ear' except possibly his son but that doesn't count for much unless maybe one is playing Monopoly.

No psychopath is correct. And a sociopath too, but most definitely a psychopath. 

According to the Society for the Study of Psychopathy, psychopath traitsinclude:

• Lack of guilt/remorse
• Lack of empathy
• Lack of deep emotional attachments
• Narcissism
• Superficial charm
• Dishonesty
• Manipulativeness
• Reckless risk-taking

Wow. So sorry to hear. I think Thailand has one of the highest ratios of stunners in the world. And what makes them even more beautiful is their ability to manifest the dignity within femininity, and their comfort level with being women. They just wear their womanhood in a way that puts most American women to shame. From what I am told, to some extent this lack of comfort with their femininity applies to some European women too, and nearly every Russian woman. Many Russian women use their femininity as a weapon. 

I guess I am fortunate, in that I love the more natural looking Thai women, and alot of the "tribal" looking women are something I find quite stunning. But, I do not go for the classic beauty at all.  

Wild Alaskan salmon is much cheaper in Thailand, than anywhere else in the world. New trucks can now be purchased for under 100,000 baht. All Thais are happy. There is no crime here. 

Anyone can say anything, and a percentage of the people will believe it. But, does that make it true? Of course not. Prayuth is feeling a level of desperation he has never felt before. He wants to maintain his power so badly, and with such intensity, he has his cronies manufacture these polls, in the hopes that some will believe them. They are pure fiction.

The facts are, he is incompetent beyond belief. He has hurt the Thai economy. He has not improved the lives of the average Thai. He has appointed every minister based on cronyism, and talent, intelligence, expertise and competence has never, ever been a consideration. Just think of Biggest Joke, appointed to head immigration. Lastly, he is universally despised by most Thai people, and nearly every ex-pat living in the country.

Get out. Get out now. You are not liked. You are not wanted. You are way, way past your sell by date. Stop abusing your power, and just leave. 

22 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Terrorists, most of which currently I would suggest are not prominently from Catholic South America, may well prefer sea and air routes. But the drug dealers, gang member, criminal element, who do come via land, and do commit robbery, rape and murder, as well as becoming involved in drugs, trafficking etc do come via land crossing. It is these elements that are the problem. In a similar way that the illegals trying to enter Europe and the UK are often young single men prepared to do anything. They obscure the real refugees and genuine asylum seekers as the numbers are swelled by the economic illegals.

 

The "wall" should be a metaphor for imposing much stricter tighter border controls. As the Mayor of McCallen says, it might be a wall, or fence, or whatever. But the objective must be to stop the large numbers illegally entering and those who prosper from it surely?

Hard to argue with a voice or reason, rather than a lunatic screaming from a mountaintop, using only slogans, and inciting massive amounts of fear within the consciousness of the public. 

A couple of observations. Of course it might be preferable to have the grandparents look after the kids. Maybe. Not definitely. Alot of grandparents are incredibly permissive, and the kids learn no sense of limitations, and discipline. Second, Thai culture considers it ok to have the grandparents raise the kids, while the parents, or the single mother works a thousand kilometers away. This is not healthy for the child. to grow up without a parent around. 

Thirdly, in the US, the only real alternative parents have is a pre-school arrangement. This costs anywhere between $500 and $2500 a month! I know couples who spend more on child care, than they do on health care. And that says alot, considering that in the post Obamacare era, most couples spend anywhere from $1,200 to $2,000 a month on health care in the US now. Even for a private elementary school in the US, it is $2000 a month and up. That is inane, and more evidence that American society is breaking down, at a breakneck pace. 

The astonishing aspect of all of this, is that Thailand is one of the few nations, that is still promoting diesel vehicles. Most of the world is discouraging diesel. It is not worth the environmental devastation. If you walk into any BMW dealership, most of the cars on the floor area are diesel. It seems inane to me. 

Also, two things to consider about the post. One is that Beijing is a poor comparison, being one of the most consistently filthy cities on earth, when it comes to the air quality. And two, is that China is perhaps the most progressive nation on earth, at this moment in time, when it comes to the aggressive pursuit of alternative forms of energy. One can easily argue they do not have a choice. But, at least there is effort being made. Can the same be said for Thailand? 

Doug Rand, a former White House official in the Obama administration who worked on immigration issues, said the proposed changes to the lottery selection process were at best modest and at worst could cause chaos. Some immigration experts do not believe the new registration system will be ready in time for the next lottery, which occurs in the spring.

Any discussion of legal immigration is refreshing. The constant banter about the wall, and illegal immigration, is completely nonsensical, without a discussion of reforming the legal immigration system. The quotas are outdated, and need to be revised and expanded. The US is missing out on the best and the brightest from around the world, and runs a serious risk of becoming a nation of dishwashers, landscapers, and fruit pickers. 

However, I fear as usual, that this policy initiative is too little. As is usually the case with Trump and his administration, it is probably not a policy that is well thought out, and well planned. However, as I said, any discussion of immigration reform is desperately needed, and a good thing. 

On 1/11/2019 at 5:31 PM, Enki said:

Do you live in the same Thailand, I do?

Thailand is probably the only land in the world where the higher classes actually do care for the people. However people are slow to accept/react. The village I live, a huge deal of the farmers have a loan to develop their land and change it to less water consuming, more water retaining - by King Rama IX himself. In what other country of the world is the king educated enough to transform the landscape into a sustainable - clima change aware - agriculture? No idea what you are talking about regarding the tourist industry ...  

Well, when you are speaking of Bhumipol, you are talking about a man that was so exceptional and did alot for his people. He did really care. A royal like this man comes along once in a century or two, and Thailand was incredibly blessed to have him as their king. He was a great example. But, how do you equate him with the upper class? What has the upper class done for the average Thai lately? Besides Boonchai Bencharongkul, I do not know of any other super rich, hi-so, or elite who really looks after the masses. or has made much of an impact on Thai culture. At least Boonchai used his own money to buy the land for, and build MOCA, which is the most impressive fine art museum in the nation. He did it because the government would not do it, and he felt it needed to be done. That makes him a great man, in my book. If you know of any others, please enlighten us. 

As far as the tourism industry, get out more, and talk to people. It is in tatters right now. 

Boonchai's first passion was art, but he embarked on a 35-year detour in 1977 when his father called him back to Thailand to help with the family business. Meanwhile, he became rich, and that certainly came in handy in fulfilling his vision for a world-class museum. He spent $30 million on the land and construction, and tens of millions more on the art. MOCA, as it's called, opened in 2012 near the airport, inside a giant white cube. With six stories filled with 856 works, it's one of the biggest contemporary art museums in Asia. "He's been around the Thai art scene a long time, collecting, being quite involved," says Andrew J. West, a Bangkok art critic and author. "MOCA is fantastic. The great thing about a private museum like this is that he had the money and made sure the quality is there."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesasia/2015/06/24/artistic-expression/#74e0e00e1238

This is a bit of an abomination. No host, due to overly PC America. A great comic made a joke about not wanting his son to be gay 10 years ago (probably a sentiment that 90% of the planet shares), and he is ousted from the position of being Oscar host. Hollywood, the Oscars and America needs to be ashamed of itself, for becoming this weak, and this pathetic, this politically correct. It is a symptom of a dysfunctional society. Comedy is comedy. You roast, toast, and fry everyone, of every persuasion. That is just what you do. And it is funny. Gay, straight, lesbian, men, women, Americans, Chinese, Russian, civilians, politicians, we are all targets. So what? Who cares? 

Some of these rather feeble people, with paper thin skin manage to find nearly everything offensive. Do you wonder why? Because they do not have lives. Get a life. Man up. Take it like a man or a woman. It is just a joke. Whats up when you cannot take a joke? Feeling a bit insecure, are we?

What difference does it make, really? While I do not condone breaking the law, in general, do the overstayers really hurt the nation? And how do they hurt tourism? Break that one down for me please. Just another excuse for this man to grandstand, which he is an expert at doing.

There are countless things this administration could be doing to improve the lives of the average Thai. But that would require them to care. Which they do not. They are here to protect the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. They are not here to address the problems of the common man and woman. And they absolutely refuse to do that, on any level. Think of public and traffic safety. What have they done in the past four year to improve that area? Think of tourism, which is something that benefits alot of average Thais. They have sabotaged tourism on so many levels, continued to appeal to the low to no baht Chinese package tour tourists, and continued to discourage Western tourists on many levels, and the result has brought devastation to the tourism industry, and hardship to millions of Thais. This has been the worst peak season in memory. Many other nations are at full occupancy. Thailand is down 20-30%. Does the government care? Does Prayuth care? Not one iota. That much is certain.

To Prayuth and the army, I say get out now. You are not needed. You are not wanted. You are despised by the masses. 

3 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

To Prayuth and the army, I say get out now. You are not needed. You are not wanted. You are despised by the masses. 

 

How do you know?

Everyone I talk to, that feels open to talk freely expresses real disdain for incompetent Prayuth and the hapless army. Especially those that are in tourism, who hold him responsible for sabotaging Western tourism. Many businesses are way, way down. He is largely responsible for that. Many of us hope he will be held accountable for his many sins. 

Quite a fascinating topic. When I think of alternatives, I have to consider Thailand to be in the top ten. I would be spending half my year in Spain, if money was not an object. But, it has become quite expensive, and I also hear they are buying into the me too movement, which makes it less desirable. The wine, food, lack of ridiculous tariffs, and traffic safety would be a real draw though. I love Mexico, but that place, and Colombia would not be an option for me, due to the safety issues, and having to always look over my back. Panama and Costa Rica, while certainly beautiful, are boring beyond my ability to handle. They are a bit like a latino Hawaii. Very, very vanilla (Thailand is anything but vanilla, thankfully) and both are expensive. So, where does that leave?

Biggest Joke, and the TAT will say anything, to claim credit for good news, or any accomplishment. Hopefully, the entire staff at the TAT and the Biggest Joke will be put out to pasture, once the Army gets handed their walking papers, in a couple of months. One can always be optimistic, right?

Andy Murray no doubt has been a great player, and has had some amazing results. Some players can deal with injuries, and some can't. Some can play through the pain, and some can't. 

I, for one, will not miss him. He has been a crybaby, a mama's boy and is not much fun to watch, with his antics, temper tantrums, grimacing, outbursts, and tirades. I am sure some Brits won't like this, but I feel the sport would not be losing much. Sports is part sport, and part entertainment. He is not much of an entertainer and is not much fun to watch, in my opinion, as a professional tennis fan, since the late 1970's. He never had the panache of a Yannick Noah, Paradorn Srichapan, Stan Wawrinka, Rod Laver, or Tomas Byrdych,  nor the elegance or grace of a Roger Federer, Bjorn Borg, Steffi Graf, or a Stefan Edburg. He was never entertaining to watch, like a Boris Becker, Nick Kyrgios, John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Novak Djokovic, or Andre Agassi. 

He was simply a great player, who managed to win three majors, and two gold medals, which is a big deal. No doubt about that. But he did not bring much else to the game, in my book. He will be quite comfortable with his $100 million fortune, and he has brought alot of honor to the UK and Scotland. 

So nice to hear an intelligent voice of reason, amidst the panicked cries of "build the wall", or the country will go down in flames! 

The majority of Americans DO NOT support the wall, which is never going to get built. Only a percent of his base of devotees want the wall, and that is only due to constant brainwashing.

Roger stone was frustrated that Trump kept on forgetting to talk about immigration at the beginning of the campaign. He said Trump is a builder. He will remember to say build a wall. Hence the birth of the slogan and the fear mongering. The only terrorist apprehended at the border in the past 20 years was coming from Canada. All terrorists use the sea or come by air. None come by land. None. One in the past 20 years was caught. It is all a total ruse. Not only is illegal immigration way, way down, but if you look at crime statistics in the US, nine times more homicide is committed by American citizens, than by legal immigrants. And three times more homicide, by Americans, than by illegal immigrants. If Trump wants to solve the crime problem in the US, he has to get his own people in his administration and his team, to stop committing crime, then he has to stop committing crime, and then he can work on reforming his base, and then other Americans.

In a separate interview with NPR, on January 6, Darling expanded on his views. He is the mayor of McCallen, Texas.

“In certain locations, a wall or a fence or some deterrent makes sense but certainly not one across the great swath of the border in places where, ecologically, the damage would be much greater than a security benefit,” he said. “So it’s really a political football, I think. And just saying we’re going to build this great wall across the whole border makes no sense at all.”

17 hours ago, fruitman said:

If Thailand was smart they would print more Bahts and use them to upgrade the standards in the country...like making life more pleasant....build more parks, better beaches, better transport, stop floodings/droughts, real police, start large companies which work nationwide, safer roads and so on.....

You are making the classic mistake of defaulting to common sense and reason. And assuming those in power have vision, which they do not possess. There are countless things the administration could be doing to improve the lives of the average Thai. But that would require them to care. Which they do not. They are here to protect the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. They are not here to address the problems of the common man and woman. And they absolutely refuse to do that, on any level. Think of public and traffic safety. What have they done in the past four year to improve that area? Think of tourism, which is something that benefits alot of average Thais. They have sabotaged tourism on so many levels, continued to appeal to the low to no baht Chinese package tour tourists, and continued to discourage Western tourists on many levels, and the result has brought devastation to the tourism industry, and hardship to millions of Thais. This has been the worst peak season in memory. Many other nations are at full occupancy. Thailand is down 20-30%. Does the government care? Does Prayuth care? Not one iota. That much is certain.

To Prayuth and the army, I say get out now. You are not needed. You are not wanted. You are despised by the masses. 

“I prayed every day to Phra Siamdevathiraj,” he said, referring to the country’s supposed guardian angel. “Otherwise, it would have been even more severe. Countries affected by the storm were all harmed. Isn’t it strange that the storm just moved away from our country?”

Really people, you must re-elect me. Not only am I one of the smartest men in the world, but I also have Divine powers. All I have to do is ask, and the Universe answers. I am not a man. I am a deity. Can't you see?

This man is suffering from the kinds of delusions that come from being in power too long, and being surrounded by sycophantic souls, who accord him far too much respect and honor. He needs to get out. He is not liked. He is not wanted. He is not popular. He is despised, as well as the rest of his army. Get out now! Give your nation a break. Just once, try to be respectful to your people. Just once.