blazes

Beethoven is #1 for me. All of him, but especially Symphonies #3, 5, 7, and #9. And all the piano concertos and much much more. My all time favourite is the Piano Concerto #4.

UK: CPS rape report makes for grim reading – and it’s only the start Once again on AN, a headline that bears no resemblance to the story beneath. Trivialises a serious subject.

Diane Abbott is tainted for at least two very good reasons: 1. she is utterly thick; 2. she was once the girlfriend of Jeremy Corbyn. However: #1 is sufficient to absolve her of many sins. #2 - she was too young to know any better....

Not necessarily good news [sic] for Labour, since a lot of that "wad" (IMO) are going to be Red Wall former labourites who will not be returning to Labour for one very good reason: the policies of both major parties are not easily distinguishable. If in addition several Tory M.P.s who are presently representing Red Wall constituencies were to defect to Reform in the next six months, it would become much more difficult for Labour to have a working majority.

soars to seventh heaven What kind of sub-neanderthal mind could have dredged up so ludicrous a headline?

Yes they do. And if you are stupid enough to question your betters, we do have some defamation laws to help you change your mind.

Just looking at Dessert, I'd much rather have the profiteroles of Economy than the banana/walnut cake of Biz! Yuk.

Judging by the well-organized burglaries in Rayong (reported today), they do seem to have invented Daylight Robbery.

I am wondering whether most if not all opening "stories" on AN are generated by ChatGPT. The "English" in all these items has the syrupy blandness common to all AI generated $hite.

Oh dear...my weak joke fell on deaf ears. Sorry about that. Not your fault if you've never heard of Moscow, Idaho.

Yes, agreed. Especially the suburb of Hezbollah. Nice 'n peaceful, good neighbours.

Kiev, Idaho, correct?

Nok's absurd cockpit livery is sufficient to make me question the airline's general reputation...

We are headed (IMO) for at least a recession (probably deflation), which may force airlines to ease off. But while waiting for financial Armageddon to arrive, they are going to squeeze every last penny/satang/dollar etc from those still able to travel. American debt goes up by $1 Trillion every 100 days.

Penang (Georgetown). Hotel: High end but takes you back luxuriously in time: Eastern & Oriental hotel. Startlingly clean city after Thailand. And architecturally easy on the eye (again, after Thailand). Cheapest flight: Air Asia from DMK.

Clearly he's not a banker....can't imagine one of the gnomes of Zurich choosing Trang as his retirement spot. On the other hand, he is for sure a <deleted>....rhymes with banker....

Stories are beginning to appear in Canadian media about how recently-arrived immigrants (legal ones!) are seeking to return to their original hellhole. My (Thai) wife, working here in BC, has two co-workers who are so miserable with life here in Canada they are actually going back 'home". One will be returning to Medellin, Colombia, the other to Tehran [sic].

Flying from Gatwick only serves to illustrate how Bangkok is regarded as a bucket-and-spade destination.

So, what happened in the interim to the victim (A)? I hope she was able to achieve some kind of normality after experiencing this guy's treachery.

I am not sure that driving does indeed "keep costs down". Staying at hotel overnight? Various meals on way down? Possible death at any moment? Either from Thai driving or from sheer boredom. Surely this fare is not over the top?: Air Asia CNX-HHQ is $76 US. https://www.airasia.com/flights/from-chiang-mai-cnx-to-hua-hin-hhq

OP: why not eliminate all the stress of driving that distance (and the road between Bkk and HH is a nightmare) by just taking the direct Air Asia flight from CNX to HH? Then hire a car while you are there or just use Grab, all very cheap. And the air route may put years ON your life rather than the opposite you risk when you spend too much time on ANY Thai road.

Why on earth would you attempt to direct readers on this thread to something emanating from the narcissistic mouth of Sandy Cortez? Or to the disinformation channel for that matter?

Re: the horrendous traffic between HH and BKK: I hate it so much that when returning to Thailand I book a flight from Taipei to CNX, stay there for a week or so and then fly non-stop to HH on Air Asia from Chiang Mai. The only way you can totally avoid the traffic problems.

Yes, the whole world knows it, but not the Big Guy....

Aha, the Russians have arrived. Better late than never. Back in 1991 many of us on the left (when we were still blaming the Americans for all their colonialist interference in other countries) were wondering what the Americans would do now that Russia had been obliterated as serious global rivals. Surprise surprise, the Russians were resurrected (as they have been throughout the last century) and restored to their proper place in American life as the go-to Devil to blame when it comes time to "deflect" from whatever scandal is currently pre-occupying the American bureaucracy/elite.