spidermike007

1 hour ago, WalkingOrders said:

He is sharp as a tack. And had the results, and will get them back again. Root for his success, it's in your best interest!

A Mnuchin definition of success would be to take over another bank for $1, and evict another 5,000 grandparents from their homes of 50 years. That is who this man is.

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

Strange, she was interviewed just 2 days ago and said that didn't happen, she was referring to basic over friendliness. 

Exactly. This woman has no credibility. And no imagination. As hard as I try, I cannot imagine Biden pinning her against the wall, in the very public halls of Congress, and applying the finger. It is an accusation that is beyond silly. It is positively dopey. And she is contradicting herself consistently. Whoever coached her on this (her spectacularly corrupt GOP sponsor) did a terrible job. 

How on earth was this guy selected for this job? This is true BOB (bottom of the barrel) recruiting. 

DUH! A six year old could have told us unemployment would get worse. We need this guy for that? The guy who evicted thousands of grandparents from their homes because they were two months late on their mortgage during the last financial crisis. An ethically bankrupt man, would be a kind description of him. 

End the curfew tonight. It is unnecessary and draconian, at this stage. End the lockdown asap. It is no longer required. A good job had been done to contain this, and it is virtually gone. Get over it. Let it go. Let the people make a living. 

And for the millions who have no job to go back to, due to a total economic lockdown, which was an experiment in insanity, support them for now. No ridiculous qualifications. If you jokers are serious, a Thai ID card should be sufficient for a paltry amount of assistance.  

14 hours ago, kingdong said:

But hard to act quickly and decisively when shackled by the constraints of political correctness.

Not applicable. PC is not in his playbook. If he wanted to act, he would have acted. The delay was an astonishing degree of hubris, ignorance, arrogance, politics, and insanity. Absolutely no justification for the lack of preparation. The US is now the pity of the planet. The world center of Covid. 

Will take some time to see how this all shakes out, but it is my opinion that the economic fallout from the inane economic shutdown, is going to be 200 times worse than Covid itself, and the recovery "ramp up" will be long and excruciating. Far longer than they say. It will not just bounce back. In the history of the world, as far as we know, there has never been a deliberate worldwide economic shutdown. It is light years beyond dumb. The "slowdown" will last well into 2021, for certain. And some industries may never come back, or will be a pale shadow of their former selves. No doubt homelessness will skyrocket in the US. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. The deliberate economic shutdown was an exercise in insanity. Prolonging it, at this point, is an extension of that insanity. Easy for the fools making the laws, as they are collecting full salaries, and benefits, while the masses suffer.

What will the start up of the economy look like? How many hundreds of thousands of restaurants will go under here? What about concerts? Will people be willing to hang out with crowds of 20,000, at a cost of hundreds of dollars for a crappy seat? Same with sports. Movie theaters? Cruise ships? Will the hordes just start descending on restaurants again, and pay high prices for a gourmet meal? The list goes on, and on and on. And in the end, hundreds millions worldwide could end up far poorer than they were before. And tens of millions could end up starving to death, compared to perhaps 250,000 or so total deaths worldwide from Covid. OK. The rich stay safe and financially secure. And the rest of us? And those of us who are self employed, without fortunes in the bank? 

Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. How will that effect many restaurants? If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 60% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese and Indians) are the ones who have been hardest hit by this idiotic worldwide economic shutdown. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. Most countries will still be required to have Covid letters, as the virus is still raging in many countries. And some countries will not issue that letter (impossible to get in the US). Plus, will the mandatory health insurance still be required? Will it be even stricter than before? And just what are people returning to? How about nightlife?

There are so many unanswered questions, it boggles the mind. One thing is for certain. Thailand will be feeling the effects of this for a very, very long time. So will the rest of the world. 

There is no second wave of Covid. There will not be a second wave. Covid is dead here. It is gone. What, 40 cases in the past week? Three deaths? Let it go. No reason to continue with repressive and egregious tactics, after the fact. Let the people get on with their lives. Stop the panic. Imprison guys like Dr. Jaras, who are inciting panic with their dire warnings of a second wave.

Does anyone else think there is an alternative agenda at work here? There are millions out of work, the economy desperately needs to ramp up, and the fear mongering, panic, bad information, and nonsense continue. I would understand if we had a situation like they are having in the US, or Brazil, or Russia. But, that is NOT the case. One or two new cases here and there is no reason to keep a country shut down. The over reaction is astonishing. It would be funny if it were not so sad. People are hungry, and the authorities are doing little to nothing to help them. Being poor really blows, especially in a place like Thailand. 

As deforestation soars, Bolsonaro on Thursday authorized the deployment of armed forces to deter illegal loggers and combat deforestation and forest fires in the region. 

Absolute nonsense. All will be forgotten in two weeks. Bolsonaro is not only one of the most ethically and morally bankrupt men on earth, he is also one of the least sincere, and he is a very dangerous man. The people of Brazil need to figure out a way to get rid of him, yesterday. He is a human hazard. He is a hazard to the planet. Environmental degradation is his M.O. He just does not care one iota. 

The re-opening of the economy is going to take a long time. This is the first time in history, that the economies of the world have deliberately shut down. It was an experiment in insanity.

And the consequences of this will be untold. Millions could remain out of work. Hundreds of millions could go hungry, or starve around the world. It is the little guy who is hurt the most. The governments? Here, they are all collecting full salaries and benefits, while debating whether or not to "help the masses" with $160 a month, then denying them when they apply. That is beyond cynical. 

Jaras is another ill informed panic mongering moron. Rather than letting him advise the government, he should locked up for inciting the public. 

It is true that it is going to take a long time for things to normalize here. But, it will have nothing to do with a fictitious second wave. It will be due to shutting down the economy for so long. The longer this insanity continues, the harder it will be to return the nation from oblivion. 

Let the people get back to work. Regain your senses. Maintain your sanity. This is NOT the Zombie Apocalypse!

Always remember one thing here. The police are local franchisees and they are not law enforcement. And regardless of how much the administration claims the opposite, the police are 100% above the law. Any and all laws. 

So, when something like this blows up and becomes public, everything is done to erase it, absolve the cops and make it go away. Who knows what took place with the wife, but someone obviously "worked on her". 

However we know the facts. And the crooked cops were busted in the halls of public opinion. That is about as much of a victory as we can hope for. 

On 5/8/2020 at 8:48 AM, newnative said:

    No, Hard Rock was not catering to Westerners.  When I used to live at Centric Sea I would cut through Hard Rock to get to Beach Road.  Mostly Asian guests.  True for most of the hotels in central and north Pattaya and many in Naklua/Wong Amat.

True. No doubt. Why would a Westerner want to stay there? It is the hotel equivalent to Disneyland. 

And there is no reason to not give hotels an option of opening earlier. Encourage domestic traveling and kick start the economy. The longer you wait, the greater the danger is of long term damage to tourism and the economy. Millions may remain out of work, for years to come.