spidermike007

32 minutes ago, sucit said:

My point is you witnessing that performance and seeming to think he is going to turn into a grand orator overnight. 

 

He is obviously not a good debater. I would say speaking to people who are not billionaires does not seem to be one of his strong points.

 

It seems obvious to me this is a skill you wont gain overnight. 

Not a big issue. He will improve. Trump is a fairly inarticulate speaker. But he is a performer. Like P.T. Barnum. The public may like that Mike is real and not an actor. Trump is a fictitious character. Mike is not. What you see is what you get. He speaks straight. He is sincere. I find that refreshing. 

He will continue to bombard the airwaves. Americans are addicted to TV. When I am at my friends house I often ask them to mute the commercials. They think I am bizarre for asking. They don't get it. So, the commercials will continue.

He has staying power. His numbers will go up. One bad debate means so very little. Warren and Bernie are obnoxious. He is centrist. He is so electable. He has minor baggage. But Trump has lowered the bar to the point where it does not matter. 

I like Pete. But can he win? He raised $76 million in 2019. Not bad. But, is it enough?

Surely the neighbors must have been foreigners. Very few Thais even seem to hear noise. Just part of their culture, I have encountered very few that are bothered by noise. The whole thing seems strange, but then again, we have so little info to work with, as the article was barely anything. 

2 minutes ago, sucit said:

I am just taking a wild guess here, based on your responses, and I will say that you missed his performance on stage, or lack thereof a performance I should call it. 

That was a tiny little thing. It is his first debate. No biggie at all. Water off a duck's back. He will be president. Did you see Trump's first debate? He got trounced. Means very little.

35 minutes ago, sucit said:

He was just demolished on stage, he is way behind in the polls, has no energy or any type of real grassroots support. Yet he will secure the nomination? Where did you find that tidbit? CNN?

Way behind on the polls? So, he dropped from 19% to 15% overnight, over a bad debate performance. Big deal. He is still in or near second place overall. He will win. Mark my words. Both the nomination, and the presidency. He does not need grassroots support. His support will build dramatically over the next few months. Well over 50% of the population, including myself, want to see Trump replaced by anyone. Just get him out. See ya Don. 

And by the way, CNN and most of the so called liberal media has been entirely dismissive of Mike, until he got up to 19% in the polls. The Guardian despises him. Only in the past few days have they taken him seriously. 

33 minutes ago, Kelsall said:

Please don't call him "Little Mike."  Maybe he's big in other ways.

He is big on many levels. I like and respect him. I say that as a tribute to Greta. And the way she always shows up Trump's bullying, by using his insults as a badge of honor. 

All of this coming from a man who had absolutely no experience whatsoever in the health field, prior to being appointed Health Minister of the nation. Talk about selecting from the bottom of the barrel. BOBA. The bottom of the barrel army. 

45 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

Which discount airlines are going to put up  1 billion baht or more and not  expect a sweetheart deal like the one now in place? And btw, which discount airlines have the money to pay for an airport?  

Did the discount airlines put up the money for the airport in Phuket, Pattaya, Surat Thani, or Krabi? No. That is the responsibility of the state, to promote tourism. The BA monopoly deal was a super corrupt deal, done a long time ago. The world is a different place. One would hope Thailand is capable of evolving along with it. 

This is an emergency situation. It needs to be dealt with, and it needs a high degree of intelligence and competence. Not something Prayuth or Pipat possess. Someone else needs to handle this, and it needs to be handled yesterday!

The tourism industry is teetering on the edge of a tragic drop, and has already been devastated by this highly destructive administration. This drop could crush millions of families dependent on tourism. Why take a chance? Who can trust the Thai authorities, and what they say? Why trust them? What have they done to earn that trust?

You know what they say about putting all of your eggs in one basket? I have been warning of the dangers of becoming too dependent on China for years. Now, after you have made your bed, you get to sleep in it. You have alienated all tourists but Indians and Chinese. Westerners are not coming here anymore for a dozen very good reasons. You insulted us. You demeaned us. You accused us of being evil, and you accused us of being criminals. You mounted campaigns touting us as bad for the nation. You demonstrated deplorable amounts of racism and xenophobia, and fear of the outside world. Some of your officials even went as far as saying we prefer to have tourists that look more like us! And now you want us to come back? Really? How soon you forget. Sorry, but we have not forgotten what was done and said. What we have forgotten is the nation named Thailand. There are too many alternatives now, and they are not only trying harder, they actually have competent people in charge! Surprise!

I think that even when the corona situation is contained, Thailand will suffer long term consequences from this. And in some ways they deserve that. I do feel for the Thai masses, who will be harmed greatly by this. But, in some ways they asked for it, by allowing the hapless army to assume this much control over the nation. That was a historical mistake, and we are just beginning to see the hazards of allowing incompetent fools, to helm the ship. 

Just try to imagine what that letter said, from this murderous fool- I am so sorry to have killed your daughter. All I ever wanted to do was take care of her, and protect her. But, she did not love me anymore. She said I was obnoxious, self-possessed, overly entitled, lazy, slothful, very jealous and possessive, small minded, a poor lover, and not able to provide a good life for her. And she wanted another man. Can you imagine that? I do not think she was right. I am smart, conscious, very handsome, and a good man. I did not really want to kill your daughter. She made me do it! I could not control myself. Wait. Maybe I am not that conscious or smart, after all.

10 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Thanks Mr Freud, I feel better now. How much do I owe you for this week's psychoanalysis?

 

BTW, you need a better couch.

My couch has often been referred to as a "Hugh Hefner love pit". But, I rarely use it for therapy.

1 hour ago, huberthammer said:

mate you left Samui, you hate everything about Samui so why would you have to voice your opinion on this. You are gone, it does not impact you, enjoy life and spare us your bitterness

Please. Get a life. I still enjoy my visits to samui, but yes i am thrilled to have escaped. You do not want to hear my opinions, do not read them. We all have the ability to express them here. No bitterness here. Just joy and fulfillment on a daily basis.

And they want us to trust them with 400,000 left in the bank year round, with no interest offered? And last month, the bank mafia in coordination with the immigration mafia, coordinated a new program that makes a retirement visa even more difficult. Now, you have to get dozens of letters from your bank, if you are using the income method. And it costs 6,200 annually from the bank, and takes a week!

Banks and insurance companies are mafia organizations, with a legitimate appearance. 

1 hour ago, emptypockets said:

Loss of face is a problem everywhere, except we don't call it face we call it being embarrassed, being shamed or being disrespected. All the same thing and often with over the top outcomes.

I disagree. In many countries a relationship ends and some of us reflect on it, walk away and learn from the experience. We become better men as a result of it. We do not attempt to harm the person who we just spent alot of time with. We wish then good fortune and move on. It is called evolution and progress. It is also called introspection, self analysis, and humility. 

There is a world of difference between being embarrassed over a breakup and the kind of mindless face that is autonomically practiced here. It is the absence of self knowledge, and often the result of very low self esteem. 

14 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

and what is so interesting, rich and unpredictable in thailand?

minivan crashes?

immigration new laws?

virus outbreaks?

too spicy som tam?

every place had it's pluses and minuses.

For me, the culture and ways of the people are still bizarre and mysterious. After all these years, I still cannot quite figure the place out. That really works for me. It keeps me stimulated. I love it here. I love every day here. I can handle the US for a month. After that I am so ready to return here. It is fun. It is strange. It works for me! 

And yes, the food can be glorious. It is the only cuisine I can eat every day and not get tired of it. It helps that my wife is a very accomplished gourmet cook!