connda

They must have lost that after 2007 as I came here on a direct flight from LAX to BKK. I'd pay extra money for a direct flight and avoid stopovers.

Ukrainian POW will most likely be treated as POWs, well, if Russia chooses to take prisoners. Foreign fighters in the ranks of the Ukrainian forces will most likely be shot on the spot as a warning to any other Soldiers of Fortune.

It's one thing for the US to to pull out the Ledeen Doctrine and threaten "cr*ppy little countries" and then "throw them against the wall," ala Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, etc. It's another entirely to pull the same stunt on another nuclear superpower. "Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business." Michael Ledeen, the infamous "Ledeen Doctrine" As Trump so amply stated to Zelenky, Ukraine doesn't have the cards, and neither does the US. But Trump can and does bluff with maximum bravado. Of course, the US holds three Aces in modern weapons, the ability to send a ton of debt-fueled money to Ukraine, and a bevy of toothless sanctions, just like the previous administration. And just like the previous administration, the Russia ground-forces will just keep grinding the Ukrainian military down in a war of attrition and move Westward to the Dnieper River while pushing Ukrainian troops out of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Kursk. And then the bravado! Trump: "You WILL accept the ceasefire..." (so Ukraine can rest, retrench, and rearm - Russia has seen the movie before multiple times and has said so out loud, it won't work again) Putin: "...or else what?" This "Peace Through Strength" nonsense doesn't work on peer super-powers. It just creates the conditions for escalation. Trump is now threatening Russia, China, and Iran if they don't do as he tells them to do like good little vassals. What did that accomplish? You now have the Russian, Chinese, and Iranian militaries conducting exercises together as well as forging alliances. Grand plan! Threats and bravado aren't going to work for the US any longer. Those days are gone. If Trump stops the support for Ukraine, the war ends, and Donald J Trump becomes the "Man Who Ended The Ukraine War" and gets a Nobel Prize nomination. But keep up the threats and this simply doesn't end, and Russia grinds its way Westward until it carves out a buffer zone large enough to protect its own territory from NATO and the rather insane Russia-hating European elites who would love nothing better than marching on Moscow for a third time. Ask Napoleon and Adolf how that worked out for them?

He's 19, over the age of majority. He's an adult. And he's probably in Thailand doing the things a young adult lad would do.

The Troubles are still with us, 'eh?

bob smith - is this one of your many aliases? And a new one too. Only 19 hours old.

You can say the same thing about the poor folks who decided to vacation in Phuket on Dec 26, 2004. "...the timing of such an event would have been extraordinary."

No. More than likely some natural phenomenon like a large tidal surge, possibly caused by an earthquake. Tidal waves are preceded by an massive outgoing tide. Moses and friends make it across the Red Sea (A Miracle!!!). Egyptians follow in time to get hit with the tidal surge. Now, write it down and credit to your own god. YHWH's Bob's you're uncle!

And now Trump has reinstated weapons and intelligence again. That carrot and stick approach works well with a country like Ukraine, but I doubt seriously that it's going to work with a peer nuclear power. But it's getting easier to read Trump now that we've seen his approach to Geo-politics, and pretty much everything else as well: Stick, carrot, Stick, carrot, STICK, carrot..... The biggest problem with the US is that treaties aren't worth the paper they are written on. They may be Ok for 4 years or so, then a new administration comes in and unilaterally rips up everything that was agreed to before. Which is why Russia considers the US to be "agreement incapable." Then this "Peace Through Strength" nonsense. I've been reading that on signs at SAC bases since I was a kid. What's "Peace Through Strength" brought since the 1950s. Nothing much. We're still on the knife's edge of nuclear war. In the last two month the nuclear clock as probably been rolled back a 1/2 hour, but that can change in a matter of days.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

6 foot 1 inch fifty year old challenges 5 foot 7 inch seventy year old to a "fair fight."

You don't need skill - you simply need to be anything other that a straight, white, male. Well - according to the RAF and friends.

Ukraine has signaled its willingness to accept a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire rest, recuperation, and rearming period with Russia. Russia stated its position last year and reiterated it numerous times since: Ukrainian troops leave Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia then talks can begin. If the US/Ukraine refuse that condition, Russia will continue it's war of attrition and will continue moving toward the Dnieper River. The US is insisting the winner (Russia) who holds the winning hand and most of the chips has to fold their hand and push half the chips on the table back to the loser (Ukraine). It's not going to happen. Ukraine refuses to fold and leave the table, and the house (US/UK/EU) keeps providing credit in the form of more money and chips to the loser as the UK/EU pick-pockets the winner and steals chips off the table to supply the loser. Since March 12th 2025 Russia's conditions have been clear: territorial concessions (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia), neutrality and NATO Exclusion, demilitarization, de-Nazification, and cession of Western support - and now as well - elections in Ukraine as Russia will not sign agreements with Zelensky. There is nothing new here. Neutral Geo-political analysts understand this. My guess is that Ukraine will continue to reject those conditions, Trump and company will double-down with threats and begin sending large sums of money and equipment to Ukraine, and Russia will continue the march of the meat-grinder until they make it to the Dnieper River. Personally, I fully expect this to escalate unless Trump pulls the plug on funding and equipping Ukraine. It depends on which side of his ego he wishes to feed: The President Who Ended The War In Ukraine and Receives The Nobel Peace Prize, or The President Who Showed Those D*m Ruskies Who The Boss Really Is. In my book it's a coin toss. But hey, maybe I'll be surprised.

Beat me to it!

Thailand Poised for High-Speed Rail Revolution Linking Three Airports ...by 2075.

Op-Ed by James Howard Kunstler "But I do expect Ms. Bondi and Mr. Patel to develop a great many cases out of the aforesaid far-ranging corruption — overlooked by all those Inspectors General — that occurred throughout government at least since 2016, and probably involving a whole lot of well-know names, including Presidents Obama and Biden. It takes a lot of time and care to construct cases worth bringing to grand juries. Also consider that Dan Bongino will not take up his duties as FBI Deputy Director until March 15. As it happens, Mr. Bongino wrote several books about RussiaGate and its spin-offs. He will have a pretty good idea of exactly where to look and who to talk to, and he will be in-charge of making that happen. Be patient." https://www.zerohedge.com/political/glow-gaslight-fading

I think that is international. All woman seem to find toxic men highly attractive, especially in the West, and then if you read their social media they spend the rest of their lives wailing about it.

A "sell-off" would be 60% and personally I'd consider that to be a somewhat minor correction for all the corrections that should have happens but never happened because the market has been artificially inflated for so long. The stock market is one massive bubble. I deflationary recession would be healthy.

Yep. Not a Trump-free day goes by, does it, without the Trump-Mindworm forcing a IHateTrumper finger's to dance across the keyboards and post some vitriolic, froth-filled hatred-spittle into these forums regarding DJT. "The sky is falling, the sky is falling - and it's TRUMPS FAULT!!! Agggghhhhhh" 🐥 Sweet Jesus - four more years of this. Gawd! 🎯

Thai drivers have killed about a dozen animals within 200 meters from my home over the decade plus that I've lived here in rural Lamphun. But agreed, cows and ox make bigger dents than dogs and cats, and the occasional human.

Yeah - that "The Road Is Mine," attitude that farang riders from the US and EU have is suicidal. I know Thais who ride daily long distances, and I just don't see that same level of absolute deadly arrogance in Thai riders.

Every time I ever road on a bicycle in Thailand, I was never comfortable. I rode for 2 full years in the US while in university as my bike was my only transportation, and even on busy US roads I felt reasonable safe. Here? I know how people drive. I consider riding a bike next to suicidal. I finally just sold mine and use a stationary bike in the house for exercise. It's sad, but the alternative? No thanks. RIP

Wanna know what brings happiness bob. Contentment. Being at ease with life and the way things are in the moment. Wanna know what creates Hell? Unending wants. Go out, buy a 10,000 THB dinner, drink the best booze, take designer drugs, have an orgy, wake up with a massive hangover, rinse, repeat - because - all the hedonism didn't slake those wants one bit. You're still consumed by wants. So to end the way I started... Wanna know what brings happiness bob. Contentment. Being at ease with life and the way things are in the moment.

Op - do you research instead of parroting "experts" who are obviously anti-Trump. The Japenese Yen as held a place as a global "Safe Haven Currency" over the last 30 years, especially during the 2008 stock market crash when the Yen appreciated as stocks tanked. The yen overtaking the dollar is hyperbole at best. The USD remains the global reserve currency (58% of Forex reserves, per IMF 2024), dominates trade (88% of Forex transactions), and is backed by liquid U.S. Treasuries ($27 trillion market). The yen, at 4-5% of reserves, lacks the scale or global trust to “displace” it. Even if Trump’s tariffs (10-20% proposed) spark de-dollarization chatter, no currency—including the yen—has the infrastructure to replace the USD anytime soon. All Roche is saying is, "I hate Donald Trump - be afraid! I'm an "Expert" and I say that Trump brings DOOM! Muhhhaaahhhhhaaa." <laughs> "Is the Dollar IS DOOMED" In the long-run? Probably, unless Trump implements some fiscal and monetary measures to rein in its decline which has been a work in progress since Nixon went off the gold standard. Is the USD going to lose value. Probably. It was Trump's stated goal to devalue the USD to fix problems with the US balance of trade. Is the USD going to lose its place as a Safe Haven Currency? No. More than likely both the USD and JPY will remain "safe havens." Beware of Nightmare On Pennsylvania Avenue! Don't snooze or you'll lose!!! Donald J. Kruger is gonna get 'cha!

This is just hyperbolic poppycock. The Yen isn't going to replace the USD as the reserve currency or the world's "safe-haven currency" anymore than the Ruble or Yuan will anytime in the near-future.