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spidermike007
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Posts posted by spidermike007
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A friend of mine, who seems to be well informed about this, says it is about manufacturing, a relatively strong economy overall, and some BS about low inflation. The trade war with China seems to be helping Thailand, and tourism inflows remain fairly strong. I think Thailand is also benefitting from a weak US dollar due to the Trump manufactured trade war, and inane foreign policy on the part of the US.
Just a few contributing factors, though I think the inflation numbers are pure BS.
Global investors purchased a net $256 million of local equities this month through Jan. 30, the largest inflow since September 2016. The current-account surplus widened to $5 billion in December from $1.6 billion in November, beating the estimate of a $3.5 billion excess, according to central bank data. The balance has been in surplus every month since September 2014 and totaled $37.7 billion in 2018. Inflation remains benign at 0.4 percent in December, the slowest gain since 2017. The Finance Ministry expects 4 percent economic growth in 2019, with exports forecast to climb 4.5 percent. Tourists arrivals will hit a record 41.1 million in 2019, the government said the currency is also riding on a wave of optimism for emerging markets, as a more dovish Federal Reserve eases upward pressure on the dollar, while prospects that the U.S.-China trade tension may ease is boosting risk appetite.
https://thepattayanews.com/2019/02/01/baht-continues-to-grow-stronger-and-stronger-here-is-why/
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22 minutes ago, jesimps said:As long as I ignore the fact that she hardly ever does any housework and has always got her face in her phone then we get along fine (12 years together).
Housework? We pay a maid 350 baht a week, to do a thorough and deep cleaning of our house. It is the best 1400 baht a month we spend. My wife has far better things to do with her time, than clean our toilets! She does laundry, she cooks gourmet food, she takes care of everything I need, or want. Why should she have to clean the house too?
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He is right to slam this administration. They have been one of the most apathetic, indifferent and insensitive administration in recent memory, when it comes to traffic safety. Despite the constant stream of "declarations" and "crackdowns", nothing has been done to date.
Second, I wonder how many of the children who dies on the road, have been properly strapped in with either seat belts, or child safety seats.
The police only show up after the accident takes place. There is nothing in the way of traffic safety on the roads, or on the highways. Those traffic stops are all about weapons, drugs and handouts. Nothing to do with safety. I suppose there is no money in traffic safety. However, if they levied real fines for speeding over 120kph, for reckless driving, making severely quick lane changes, etc, there would be some money to be made, and the highways would be safer.
They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. There is no prevention. None. The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends the trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the franchise.
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The idea of sexual harassment in the US, has passed all reasonable boundaries. When Matt Damon recently came out and stated that there was a big difference between a little pat on the butt, and forceful rape, he was nearly crucified by some women in Hollywood, (especially the shrill, elderly, and way, way, way past the sell by date) Minnie Driver. That alone demonstrated to the most reasonable mind, how far out of control this "war on men" has gone. It is beyond ridiculous. It is petty, silly, surly, and just plain old dumb. Not to say there are not men who deserve it. But, a pat on the butt, or a man putting his hand on a woman's thigh, when they are engaged in a friendly conversation is NOT the same as rape and does not constitute sexual harassment. And yes, I would feel the same way if it happened to my daughter. Give me a break. This whole situation is stupid. American men have been emasculated already. Now, it is getting so extreme, pretty soon it might be illegal to even possess a male organ in the US.
So, I propose this. When a woman accuses a man of "sexual harassment" the burden of proof lies on her. She has to demonstrate some evidence. Otherwise, it is he said, she said. And in the US, she said always wins out.
It is the utter embodiment of a nation that has lost it's footing, has really never found it's identity, and has a population of women, 90% of whom, have no ability, willingness, wherewithal, or desire to connect with, manifest, or embody their inner woman, or express femininity for anything other than personal gain. The US is on the decline, and has been for the past 30-40 years. It is the Western Roman Empire, in the late 5th century AD, prior to Odoacer marching on Rome.
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I have no idea about the fighting skills of Bieber, but Tom Cruise was part of his wrestling team in high school, and has had some Jiu-jitsu training from Robb Alonso. I doubt Bieber could withstand a light slap across the face. He would go down like a ton of bricks. A lightweight in every sense of the word.
In these days of the UFC, a good Hollywood action flick has to have believable fight scenes to please demanding fans. For the cast of Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol to not drop the ball, the producers called up, yet again, practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu and other martial arts Robb Alonzo, who did a fine job of completing his mission.
Over eight weeks, for two hours a day, the stunt-double instructor and coordinator got Tom Cruise and crew’s martial arts flowing, with realistically fistic choreography for the third sequel of the film.
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I think it is highly likely that either the Saudis or the Israelis were behind these attacks.
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My wife and I have a really outstanding relationship. There are several contributing factors. Early on, we had issues, and many had to do with a lack of communication. I made her aware every time she said she did not want to talk about it, that she was sabotaging the potential we had, and that if she refused to discuss an issue, it would lead to one of us walking out the door. She got it, and since then we talk about issues, resolve them, and move on. Also, she has an exemplary character. Smart, funny, charming, she is a gourmet cook, patient, not think skinned, courageous, playful, light hearted, very, very supportive of me, and not jealous or possessive. She was jealous and possessive early on, like most Thai women. We worked on that, and I explained that I did not want or need to be owned by someone. And visa versa. She finally got it. Now, we have a very independent relationship. Most days she spends 6-10 hours with her girlfriends. It gives me much needed solo time, and when we are together it is delightful. Also, we take alot of solo trips apart. She goes off with her girlfriends, or her sister, on two to four day trips. Sometimes up to a week. She has taken trips to China, Korea, and around Thailand without me. She also heads up to her village for a week at a time. I go on trips with my friends, for a few days, and occasionally up to a week at a time. I love the lifestyle. I also go back to the US twice a year, once with her, and once without her. The independence is a large part of what has allowed us to be together for over a decade now, and really enjoy each others company. I cannot be around a woman 24/7. It has never worked for me. Our relationship is fun, fulfilling, and really comforting, and that is after over a decade of being together. Being apart quite a bit really contributes to that.
Also, I think it helped that she is the eldest child. An eldest child in a Thai family is given more responsibility, and I think they grow up to be more mature, and more solid. If I were to have to do this all again, I would only date the eldest one in the family.
Also, early on her english skills were marginal. I asked her if she wanted to study. She said yes, and I sent her to a good english school. She took it very seriously, and did three hours of homework per night. She learned to speak, read, and write english, and now she is nearly fluent, with the exception of some grammar issues, which are minor. And it also helps that she is very smart, and has a nearly photographic memory. I tell her a new word, break it down for her, and she never forgets it! Wish I had that capacity.
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1 hour ago, ezzra said:
The actor david carradine, also found a similar fate few years back in a hotel in BKK by stringing his parts and himself with a wire...
Carradine looked like a genuinely suspicious incident. Some experts said at the time, it would have been rather hard for someone to tie themselves up in such an elaborate manner. I believe he had help, and it was also deviance gone south! The partner no doubt fled like the wind.
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This is very fishy.
First and foremost, after uttering over 10,000 lies Trump has a credibility factor of less than zero. So, both Americans and our allies should be very skeptical of anything and everything he says.
Second, Bolton is behind this accusation, as he wants war more than anything. He is a warmonger, and even though he was badly burned in Iraq, and Afghanistan, he never learns.
Third, it is in the interest of the US to declare war. They are a nation of war, there is much money to be made from a war, and the defense industry lobbyists are probably visiting him frequently. He never, ever says no to a lobbyist. The corporations own this administration. Bought and paid for.
Fourth, what interest does Iran have in a war with the US? At this moment of heightened awareness and warlike rhetoric, would they be stupid enough to sabotage oil tankers? I really doubt it.
Fifth, the ones who gain the most from this, are either the Saudis or the Israelis. It is just American blood. Why would they care? Think about it, before accepting this man of dishonesty at his word.
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It is quite difficult to convince a meat eater, to reduce consumption, or even to try alternative forms of protein occasionally. Some just do not want to hear it. The environmental footprint seems like nonsense to them, and the methane component even more nonsense.
Personally, I think one of the most important, and often overlooked components in a healthy diet is the quality of fat. Cooking oil. If you are going to cook, with oil, which most people do, use a healthy oil, with a high flash point, to avoid unnecessary saturated fat. The only four healthy cooking oils available here are rice bran oil, sunflower oil, olive oil and coconut oil. For my taste coconut and olive color the flavor of the food too much. So, I use mostly rice bran, which tastes great with just about anything, has a very high flash point, and is inexpensive.
99% of Thais use really toxic oil like soybean, cottonseed, or palm oil. There is alot of debate over canola oil, but I avoid it. Too much points toward it not being healthy when heated. The terrible three listed above are incredibly unhealthy, cause a slow death, high cholesterol, heart issues, blood issues and circulatory issues to say the least. Avoid them like the bubonic plague. Of course when eating out we do not have much of a choice. But, when dining at home, do yourself and your body a big favor, and get the wife to use high quality oils.
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Now he says:
"Of course, you have to look at it ... but of course, you give it to the FBI or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that," Trump told Fox News. "You couldn't have that happen with our country, and everybody understands that."
"If I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated, I'd report it to the attorney general, the FBI. I'd report it to law enforcement, absolutely."
However, this is total and complete BS. He would never report it, as he did not report it in 2016, when he colluded with Russia, to win the election, by a slim margin, with the help of the hapless electoral college. He will say or do anything, and by now, his credibility is near zero, with the majority of the American people, and 80% of the population around the world. Obviously, his attorneys advised him, that what he just said was tantamount to treason, and that in many other countries he would be put to death for such a move. So, now he backtracks. Like it means anything.
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Went to a bar last night in Hua Hin, and a small Leo was priced at 150 baht. A friend of mine paid a bar fine of 1000 baht in Bangkok recently, at a normal bar. And some say inflation is not rampant here?
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19 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:
Xi needs to learn to play first.
What cards do China holds?
China possesses countless cards.
1. They have cut their total worldwide exports to the US from over 50% 15 years ago, to less than 21% total. They are far less dependent on the US, than the US is dependent on them.
2. Xi has over 70 IQ points over Trump. Easily. Trump cannot negotiate his way out of a paper bag. A horrible negotiator and deal maker.
3. China is far more visionary than the US. US foreign policy extends about 6 months into the future. China? 50 years.
4. China growth in 2018 was 6.5%. US growth was barely 3%. Experts predict the Chinese economy will eclipse the US economy in a matter of years, and by 2030, will surpass that of the US. It is also possible India will surpass the US five years after that. The US is in decline. It is just a matter of time. I say this as an American, with some objectivity. Some less conservative economists project the size of China's economy to be double that of the US, by 2040. Not that far away. US influence is in decline, and Trump has precipitated that decline dramatically.
China is on course to be the world’s biggest economy by 2030, according to analysis that challenges Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. is not about to be overtaken.
The forecast was made by economists at HSBC Holdings Plc in a new study of 75 nations published on Tuesday. It also saw the Chinese as remaining the single biggest contributor to global growth over the next decade. The projections suggest China’s gross domestic product will stand at $26 trillion in 2030, up from $14.1 trillion today. The U.S. meanwhile will see its GDP rise more slowly to $25.2 trillion from $20.4 trillion.5. The US holds $22 trillion in acknowledged long term debt. Since Cheney passed that heinous resolution that allowed the US to conduct both the Iraq and Afghanistan campaign entirely off the books, the real debt is probably somewhere between $27 trillion and $32 trillion. China? Private debt is high, largely due to speculation in real estate. But, federal debt is relatively low, and China is sitting on over $3 trillion in cash, while the US has perhaps under a billion in actual cash. It continues borrowing from one program, to pay for another. Not a sustainable M.O.
By mid-2017, the total amount of official debt owed by the federal, state and local governments was more than $19.4 trillion. That figure was $22 trillion, as of Feb. 17, 2019. Some experts add more than $120 trillion in unfunded future liabilities on the federal government balance sheet.
Of the $22 trillion in government debts, more than $5 trillion (a little less than one-third) is actually owned by the federal government in trust funds. These are accounts dedicated to Social Security, Medicare and other entitlements. In other words, the government wrote itself a really big IOU and bankrupted one account to finance another activity. IOUs are formed and financed through joint efforts of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve.
Much of the rest of the debt is owned by individual investors, corporations and other public entities. This includes everyone from retirees who purchase individual U.S. Treasurys to the Chinese government.
China took the top spot among foreign creditors at $1.123 trillion, followed by Japan, at $1.042 trillion, as of December 2018.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/080615/china-owns-us-debt-how-much.asp
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This seer, and prophet, knows they will work things out. One never knows what it really means, when Trump utters such a statement. Perhaps he has spoken to his close friend Xi, due to the very special relationship they have. Trump does not appear to be fond of democracy, and as we all know, he coddles and greatly admires dictators. So, perhaps his version of work things out, means that Hong Kongers will lose all rights to protest, demonstrate and criticize the government. No doubt, something Trump would be very grateful for if it happened in the US.
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The day ministers and senators are picked based on merit, will be the day Thailand can start moving forward and becoming a great nation. Until then? Mediocrity.
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Hold on now. He has said on many occasions how special his relationship with Xi is. Now he is changing his tune?
China holds all the cards. Mr. "I cannot negotiate my way out of a paper bag" seems to be getting nervous.
The issue here is that Xi holds 70-80 additional IQ points over Trump. Trump is simply outclassed. Trump negotiating with Xi, is a bit akin to Brittany Spears playing chess with Boris Spassky. Checkmate!
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And this from the man who says no collusion. No obstruction. BS. He basically admitted he would collude again. I think in some nations what he is suggesting would be considered treason. But Mr. Treachery would know nothing about that.
This man does not get how dumb he is.
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11 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:
Great. And what would you do with the young people who made the dictatorship song, loved by all youngsters and many others?
Oh, sorry, my apologies, I get it. They are Thais.
That song was a reflection of how the Thai people really feel. The army is despised by most.
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2 hours ago, Pasuwan said:Should be deported. This is not Europe. If not happy here. Simply Leave.
A ridiculous and pathetic reply. Should be deported? For criticizing Prayuth? The man is a complete incompetent. The army is the worst thing to ever happen to this nation. And we don't have a right to complain, or mock them? This is all about a few generals who have very thin skin. That is all this is.
I thought this was a Democracy? Isn't that what we were told? Or was that another army lie? A "strongman democracy" perhaps? Like the PI, Cambodia and Burma?
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9 hours ago, Longcut said:
One of the problems with this country is, Thai's have no sense of humor. Sad, Sad, Sad.
Not true. Thais have a great sense of humor. But not when the joke is on them!
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10 hours ago, marcusarelus said:
Get your crown out because Pattaya has world class hotels, dining and shopping malls. And on a personal note, I lived in Pattaya for many years and the town saved my life. I got there a discarded, disappointed, disjointed derelict. After a couple years I was a handsome young man again with spring in my step and a reason to get up every morning. I'd been to a variety of expensive doctors in America who did nothing - nothing to help me even with their pills and polished diplomas.
Pattaya is one of the few cities in the world, that can make an ordinary man, who is getting on in his years, feel like Pete Townsend, or Mick Jagger, while walking down the street!
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Hold on a minute. I am confused. I thought that they said after the election was completed, the nation would progress from a military controlled junta, to a democracy. Was I mistaken? In a democracy, criticism of the government is allowed. It is encouraged. It is the hallmark of the free speech that a democracy affords, right?
So, what gives here? Is the army wrong? Have they over stepped their reach? Is it possible they have not adjusted from the heavy handed total control, to a more reasonable, and even tempered democratic approach? Or is this a sign of things to come? Are we really in a Burma or Cambodia style "strongman democracy"?
Or, is the issue here a foreigner being bold enough to criticize his hosts (his masters?)?
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Anytime a nation engages in this kind of significant infrastructure improvement, in the long run it has to be a good thing, regardless of the cost. It is very hard to get around quickly in this country. The roads are really congested, by a massive and totally unnecessary (if they had improved the rails decades ago, much cargo could be moved by rail) amount of truck traffic. The current railway is slow and antiquated beyond the reaches of one's imagination. Many areas are not accessible by air. So, this nationwide fast rail system makes alot of sense. I sure hope it happens soon.
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It has been proven by now, that anytime Trump is involved in a negotiation, expectations have to be kept very low. He is a terrible negotiator. NO is not a negotiating tool. He thinks the big stick is his stock in trade. It may have worked when he was buying small apartment houses from guys who really needed to sell. But, it does not work with China. Not with Xi, who outshines this guy by 70 IQ points.
Now, we find out all of the concessions that Mexico offered, were worked out 6 months ago. It was a big show. They were probably warned in advance of the threat. That is just who this guy is. Not a sincere or well intentioned bone in his entire body.
Lock him up! Donald. Get ready for prison. It awaits you after you are charged with multiple felonies, in 19 months, after you lose the election. Bye Bye Don.
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The perfect marriage
in Marriage and Divorce
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Small town living baby!