Rumak and Rattlesnake are having a discussion. Is this allowed on this forum? I would join in but had too many drink with the wife at dinner to participate.

3 minutes ago, atpeace said:

Rumak and Rattlesnake are having a discussion. Is this allowed on this forum? I would join in but had too many drink with the wife at dinner to participate.

well, just take a nice photo of you and the wife and post it here for us to see !!

i would say that any topic is open to anyone wanting to express their thoughts . why would you think otherwise ?

1 minute ago, rumak said:

well, just take a nice photo of you and the wife and post it here for us to see !!

i would say that any topic is open to anyone wanting to express their thoughts . why would you think otherwise ?

I was joking. I enjoyed the discussion! Sorry, I think I might have not been clear :)

On 5/27/2026 at 8:52 AM, rumak said:

Globalist financial guru and Trump ally Larry Fink is scared to death that Americans will wake up, rise up and start sabotaging AI data centers

Fink admits he fears that ordinary Americans will use inexpensive drones to attack and destroy billion-dollar AI data centers.

Leo Hohmann

May 21, 2026

If they did this, they would be pissed when they couldn't post their sabotage efforts on TikTok.

1 minute ago, atpeace said:

I was joking. I enjoyed the discussion! Sorry, I think I might have not been clear :)

1 minute ago, atpeace said:

I was joking. I enjoyed the discussion! Sorry, I think I might have not been clear :)

2 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I was joking. I enjoyed the discussion! Sorry, I think I might have not been clear :)

photos please ! hahaha No offense taken . Nice to hear that a few people on here enjoy dinner and drinks with the wife .

this is the "off the beaten track" corner of AN ..... where the elite meet to speak

2 hours ago, rumak said:

yes..... that sounds good ! save as much money as you can . paying rent is quite a drain with no return .

I will add one baht for every one you save . HAHAHA sorry, just kidding . Ole rumak never got one satang of inheritance .

but my advice is always FREE ! ( still, nobody ever wants it 🤪)

That's pretty much the plan, after years of living a bit more lavishly (relatively speaking, we were never 'hi-so' types but did enjoy 'the finer things in life' on occasion LOL.

Shifting priorities now, especially given the tough environment for a lot of people I know back home and in Thailand. I think a lot of people of working age and raising kids are doing the same, actually.

22 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

The Thai government is to this day very compromised (as evidenced by current PM Anutin, the unforgettable Covid Jabber Psycho Minister of Health).

The perfect example just popped up in my feed:

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

The perfect example just popped up in my feed:

YES.......... i was going to post that 😉 .

It's all ONE BIG CLUB ........ ( and still , years after my friend George (carlin) saying that , the only thing i have witnessed is the club getting bigger and badder)

i am definitely struggling .... trying to hold onto any positivity which the Trump team keep telling me to believe in . As you yourself admit .... life for the plebes is getting less pleasant (financially..and i must say , from my trustworthy gut, LESS free as time marches on )

Personally , my life has actually improved due to "retiring" from the stress of "getting ahead" , in the traditional sense, and then for the last 3 years focusing on correcting more than a few physical issues which crop up as the years go by . ( i have posted briefly on some, but not in depth because few , imo, are interested and in most cases just accept them and take the MEDS ) .

You are one who did try one of the "miracle" natural choices available ... Most of the other changes i have experienced , however, involve protocols and TIME to help alleviate ageing issues affecting so many ( the Main health forum here is full of them ) .

The internet searches (google, and the other "alternatives" ..... are still captured ! with, if anything, more censorship then before) .

Its ALGORYTHYMS . Yep, the big boys make sure you get what they want you to .

It just ain't "getting better" mi amigo ..... not IMO.... but i still am in the "wait and see" camp (barely) with you . I just really wish you would step away from the intellectualizations and just feel what is "blowing in the wind" .

as i see it ...and am living it... the only winners in this technological prison , which is deep into changing the meanings of all i find sacred (life, liberty, the persuit of happiness...etc etc )

and as such they are creating a technological hell .

hey, but what do i know ................

2 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

That's pretty much the plan, after years of living a bit more lavishly (relatively speaking, we were never 'hi-so' types but did enjoy 'the finer things in life' on occasion LOL.

Shifting priorities now, especially given the tough environment for a lot of people I know back home and in Thailand. I think a lot of people of working age and raising kids are doing the same, actually.

That "tough environment" is just another phase engineered by the globos ....

the BIG WAR play continues....on and on... bringing in the "reason" for another acceleration of inflationary prices . which over time of course becomes normalized in the weak human mind.

(well, what can they do about it anyway ??) hahahaha Protest ? duhhhh

Meanwhile anyone who wants to "save" the old fashioned way... getting 4 or 5 % interest in a bank account .... well, ooops. .7 % here in Thailand !

taxes up.... utilities up.... food up..... forced insurance up ..... rents up ......medical (forget about it , just die )

its all in the plan ( gee, i hope trump is not in on it )

rumak clears his throat. goes to sleep

7 hours ago, rumak said:

That "tough environment" is just another phase engineered by the globos ....

the BIG WAR play continues....on and on... bringing in the "reason" for another acceleration of inflationary prices . which over time of course becomes normalized in the weak human mind.

(well, what can they do about it anyway ??) hahahaha Protest ? duhhhh

Meanwhile anyone who wants to "save" the old fashioned way... getting 4 or 5 % interest in a bank account .... well, ooops. .7 % here in Thailand !

taxes up.... utilities up.... food up..... forced insurance up ..... rents up ......medical (forget about it , just die )

its all in the plan ( gee, i hope trump is not in on it )

rumak clears his throat. goes to sleep

Is it really as bad as you seem to think? It surely isn't perfect but almost everyone i know is doing great financially which includes me to a lesser extent ( I'm just a waiting for the one of many of the bubble to pop). I'm definitely poorer than I was 10 years ago but still have enough money to live here comfortably and the losses were caused by my bad decisions.

If I was under 40 yo and didn't have substantial equity in a home for at least 10 years nor at least $300k in investments, I would be somewhat upset :) All the policies since the financial crisis have benefitted those that already have assets. It has been a wonderful period for asset owners and not because of the assets improving functionally but because the insane amounts of money pumped into the system which has doubled what people will pay for an asset.

This is going to end badly as in disastrous but when is a guessing game. The S&P PE is now at around 30 vs it 16 average. Houses as a percentage of income have almost doubled in the USA and other countries. When these numbers revert to their norms, it will be a scary period. Getting into the market now would be stupid IMO and buying a home could end in financial ruin.

I sit in cash and wait to pounce but inflation is taking its toll on my savings.

27 minutes ago, atpeace said:

If I was under 40 yo and didn't have substantial equity in a home for at least 10 years nor at least $300k in investments, I would be somewhat upset :) All the policies since the financial crisis have benefitted those that already have assets. It has been a wonderful period for asset owners and not because of the assets improving functionally but because the insane amounts of money pumped into the system which has doubled what people will pay for an asset.

Well, you have basically answered your own question ; those already with a substantial amount of assets and along for the insane hyper-inflation ride of the last 5 to 10 years are having a ball . Let's see what the percentage is regarding "everyone you know " :

The richest 10% of the world's adult population holds approximately 85% to 90% of total global net financial assets and household wealth. At the very top, the richest 1% alone controls about 45% to 50% of all global wealth.

Well , even if you and some here on this forum might ,sadly, only be in the 11 or 12 % segment ...

life can seem quite sabai sabai . Long term employment, pensions, "investments" in stocks (the casino run by the top 1 % ) , real estate (also controlled by the top 1 % ) .....Blackrock, Fidelity, Vanguard ........

Yep, everyone likes to think they are shrewd investors . But as you point out ... it really is because of the "insane amoung of monopoly money pumped into the system . Those living with "normal" incomes and lacking the ability or luck to ride the money train , without financial mishaps ... and often with great financial ruin due to the health system which is often referred to as the Medical mafia ( once again, controlled by the big 3 ) ....... are running on the proverbial hamster wheel . "Great, my home is now worth 300k more than 5 years ago . My land taxes have gone up 30% over that time . And my insurance. And my co-pay, and my ............etc etc."

Living here in Thailand, in retirement.....yes, i too am fairly comfortable . But, like some..... not blessed with a big inheritance, nor a pension ..because i chose the freedom of self- employment , and to "self insure" instead of be a slave to the medical insurers.

Mostly my angst is due to my strong sense of freedom, fairness, respect , honesty .....(blah blah blah haha) . All that, IMO, are becoming extinct as the tech revolution takes over.

enough for now . lots more i could express , but time to go out and enjoy my health and the luck i have in choosing to relocate here many moons ago.

Peace

Edited May 29May 29 by rumak

9 hours ago, rumak said:

That "tough environment" is just another phase engineered by the globos ....

the BIG WAR play continues....on and on... bringing in the "reason" for another acceleration of inflationary prices . which over time of course becomes normalized in the weak human mind.

(well, what can they do about it anyway ??) hahahaha Protest ? duhhhh

Meanwhile anyone who wants to "save" the old fashioned way... getting 4 or 5 % interest in a bank account .... well, ooops. .7 % here in Thailand !

taxes up.... utilities up.... food up..... forced insurance up ..... rents up ......medical (forget about it , just die )

its all in the plan ( gee, i hope trump is not in on it )

rumak clears his throat. goes to sleep

What you can do about it is buy an axe from your nearest hardware store, then find the people YOU feel is responsible for your problems. If everyone did that the world would end up a better place (or at least a less populated place).

12 minutes ago, rumak said:

Well, you have basically answered your own question ; those already with a substantial amount of assets and along for the insane hyper-inflation ride of the last 5 to 10 years are having a ball . Let's see what the percentage is regarding "everyone you know " :

The richest 10% of the world's adult population holds approximately 85% to 90% of total global net financial assets and household wealth. At the very top, the richest 1% alone controls about 45% to 50% of all global wealth.

Well , even if you and some here on this forum might ,sadly, only be in the 11 or 12 % segment ...

life can seem quite sabai sabai . Long term employment, pensions, "investments" in stocks (the casino run by the top 1 % ) , real estate (also controlled by the top 1 % ) .....Blackrock, Fidelity, Vanguard ........

Yep, everyone likes to think they are shrewd investors . But as you point out ... it really is because of the "insane amoung of monopoly money pumped into the system . Those living with "normal" incomes and lacking the ability or luck to ride the money train , without financial mishaps ... and often with great financial ruin due to the health system which is often referred to as the Medical mafia ( once again, controlled by the big 3 ) ....... are running on the proverbial hamster wheel . "Great, my home is now worth 300k more than 5 years ago . My land taxes have gone up 30% over that time . And my insurance. And my co-pay, and my ............etc etc."

Living here in Thailand, in retirement.....yes, i too am fairly comfortable . But, like some..... not blessed with a big inheritance, nor a pension ..because i chose the freedom of self- employment , and to "self insure" instead of be a slave to the medical insurers.

Mostly my angst is due to my strong sense of freedom, fairness, respect , honesty .....(blah blah blah haha) . All that, IMO, are becoming extinct as the tech revolution takes over.

enough for now . lots more i could express , but time to go out and enjoy my health and the luck i have in choosing to relocate here many moons ago.

Peace

Agree 100% and I'm just treading water and waiting. My cash like investments are not keeping up with inflation. I never would have guessed the wait would be 10+ years but it is what it is! I still am unable to grasp how easy it has been to keep the markets happy by simply expanding money supply. I get how it can as a quick fix but it has been a permanent fix for almost two decades until recently. There will be huge consequences when asset plummet to the historical average. I don't think the world has ever seen these types of valuations across almost all asset classes "EVER".

Even if the valuations flatlined, all the imaginary money people think they have would no longer be increasing at 10-15% a year. This is the best scenario IMO, and it would eventually lead to a breakdown of the financial system. Or maybe the markets will just keep increasing valuations to no end :)

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

What you can do about it is buy an axe from your nearest hardware store, then find the people YOU feel is responsible for your problems. If everyone did that the world would end up a better place (or at least a less populated place).

I blame my damn parents ! Next life i will definitely make it a point to be born to folks who

are at least in the top 10% !

Stupid me . When filling out the form for what i wanted delivered in my DNA i went with Good looking, Intelligent, and funny !!

Now i know better . Just check the box that says : very high position in a Government controlled by Blackrock ,

jeezzzz

13 minutes ago, rumak said:

I blame my damn parents ! Next life i will definitely make it a point to be born to folks who

are at least in the top 10% !

Stupid me . When filling out the form for what i wanted delivered in my DNA i went with Good looking, Intelligent, and funny !!

Now i know better . Just check the box that says : very high position in a Government controlled by Blackrock ,

jeezzzz

I would have suggested "Prince", but that hasn't really worked out for Andy or Harry.

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I would have suggested "Prince", but that hasn't really worked out for Andy or Harry.

Didn't work out so great for me either .........

Edited May 29May 29 by rumak

More technology "news" from a source i enjoy from time to time . He's a bit like me (but a little smarter and writes whole articles where i get tired after a paragraph or two . But , hey ...... i think i compete fairly well on the "kinda crazy meter" .lol

i never did understand the science of air waves and satellites and micrchips and ....well, just how the hell we can in a second or two connect by voice and sight to someone down the street.... not to mention across the world !!

Still, i have a great gut ... nurtured by life's experiences dealing with our fellow humans .

And.... as the Wise Wolf article now confirms .... I was right to believe that my every move was being monitored . This definitely finally explains why, no less than a few hours or at most a day or two of me buying a stock it will nosedive like a shot bird.

Selling, of course, will have the opposite effect, with the price suddenly taking off like a rocket .

Amazing that a lowly pawn like me can have such an impact . The lord works in mysterious ways.... or is it WAVES ?

visit site...wise wolf : https://www.thewisewolf.club/p/my-wifi-is-watching-me-suffer

On 5/28/2026 at 7:03 PM, rumak said:

i am definitely struggling .... trying to hold onto any positivity which the Trump team keep telling me to believe in . As you yourself admit .... life for the plebes is getting less pleasant (financially..and i must say , from my trustworthy gut, LESS free as time marches on )

It was expected though, that there would be a storm to go through, and we are in the midst of it.

On 5/28/2026 at 7:03 PM, rumak said:

It just ain't "getting better" mi amigo ..... not IMO.... but i still am in the "wait and see" camp (barely) with you . I just really wish you would step away from the intellectualizations and just feel what is "blowing in the wind" .

I feel what is blowing in the wind just as much as everybody… but it doesn't prevent me from seeing the bigger picture, which is the return to a multipolar world. The result of this shift can only be a net positive for everyone, though in 2026 we are still feeling the nefarious effects of the dying unipolar world.

On 5/28/2026 at 7:03 PM, rumak said:

It's all ONE BIG CLUB

Putin and Xi are pulling the shots geopolitically and they are not part of the (increasingly shrinking) club, the main sponsor of which is Israel (if you cut through the BS and look straight for the beast's head). Israel's days are counted, as confirmed by many prominent Zionists. We are currently going through a major geopolitical and cultural shift, and Trump's shenanigans (as always) are attracting the spotlight and allowing for that shift to happen relatively unabated.

[gamb00ler is going to laugh at this post and he is very welcome to, laughter is good.]

On 5/28/2026 at 7:03 PM, rumak said:

You are one who did try one of the "miracle" natural choices available

Yep, following your advice and (based on Midwestern Doc's great articles), I used DMSO for a chronic tennis elbow: 90% of the pain disappeared within 3 days, 100% within 3 weeks. Absolutely amazing stuff.

7 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

We are currently going through a major geopolitical and cultural shift

Here is another aspect of the cultural shift. What's done is done, this shift is irreversible.

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

the (increasingly shrinking) club

c'mon ....... wef is alive and well , with blackrock head fink making the usual rounds assuring everyone (including thailand's chosen leaders) that he's got their backs. Literally !

We've been through this before.... and the same "chosen" globos are still calling the shots . And speaking of shots .... STILL not taken off the market and STILL no accountability .

and STILL the inflation game going full steam ahead.

a few cherry picked quotes from a few people does not a case make . you know that

the wind , mi amigo . the wind !

10 hours ago, rumak said:

c'mon ....... wef is alive and well

It still exists and is still pushing its 'core values', but it is de facto a globalist body created for centralised lockstep coordination of every government worldwide. In a multipolar world, its reach and influence are greatly reduced. The fact that they are visible and talked about (which is great thing) has to be decoupled from their actual reach. They were much more powerful and relevant ten years ago, when 99% of the population had never heard of them or didn't care. A collapse of the EU (which I see as inevitable) will mark the end of this era (which on the scale of history will have been very brief, just over a century).

This short article presents a great summary of what I refer to when I say the Trump years brought a massive tectonic shift. It isn't a secondary issue, it is the core issue and to me it's all that really matters:

Davos: As an Era Comes to a Close

Trump's 'America First' doctrine conflicted directly with Davos's fundamental values, such as free trade, multilateralism, and institutional cooperation.

https://politicstoday.org/davos-as-an-era-comes-to-a-close/

11 hours ago, rumak said:

And speaking of shots .... STILL not taken off the market and STILL no accountability

Currently only available, on a free-willl basis, for ages 65+ and severely compromised people. RFK has also terminated future mRNA vaccine research and development funding through BARDA.

That's not ideal, but it's a far cry from 2023 when the Substack 'truth-tellers' were beating the drums about the 'WHO Pandemic Treaty' and the 'next pandemic' which was, they preached, inevitably on the cards with the approval of Biden and Trump alike. My (unpopular) opinion at the time was that it was unlikely to happen and that the WHO was an obsolete body.

Only time (often roughly a couple of years) tells whether a stance is relevant or not.

4 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

It still exists and is still pushing its 'core values', but it is de facto a globalist body created for centralised lockstep coordination of every government worldwide. In a multipolar world, its reach and influence are greatly reduced. The fact that they are visible and talked about (which is great thing) has to be decoupled from their actual reach. They were much more powerful and relevant ten years ago, when 99% of the population had never heard of them or didn't care. A collapse of the EU (which I see as inevitable) will mark the end of this era (which on the scale of history will have been very brief, just over a century).

This short article presents a great summary of what I refer to when I say the Trump years brought a massive tectonic shift. It isn't a secondary issue, it is the core issue and to me it's all that really matters:

Davos: As an Era Comes to a Close

Trump's 'America First' doctrine conflicted directly with Davos's fundamental values, such as free trade, multilateralism, and institutional cooperation.

https://politicstoday.org/davos-as-an-era-comes-to-a-close/

i believe i once read that.. not really getting impressed (as you are not with Leo's take on things) ... with the proclamations that a whole new way of doing things is .............coming..... just wait and see ......

America First trump talk , from my eyes seems much more like Big Corporations and Tech Monopolies and , oh yes.... Huge Ai data centers which will now take over all surveillance and possibly everything else . ( ok, i'm a dummy. it just SEEMS like that is what is happening . why i believe my eyes when the real genius is how this all really is bringing the american people (the world?) back to all the great fairness and freedoms that our founders envisioned. )

so , instead of focusing on what people say at these stupid meetings..... my mind just looks at the figures : The U.S. lost roughly 15,000 farms in 2025 alone, bringing the total number of farms below 1.9 million—a sharp drop from the 6.8 million farms recorded in 1935. Small Farms Bear the Brunt: The closure of smaller farms with annual sales under $50,000 accounts for the vast majority of this drop. [1]

1. Production Share: While small farms dominate in number, large commercial operations making over $1 million annually now control over half of all U.S. farmland. [1]

AND............... the same scenario can be seen in almost every field . The small go under, taken over by the big boys ( hello, again.....blackrock, fidelity, etc) . Small entrepeneurs are regulated out of existence , just as google does with eliminating alternative viewpoints to big pharma .

i was just going to delete all this.... because really, you always have a way of waving it away . I show what changes are taking place, you say they are being defeated , greatly reduced, or something to that effect .

you are probably right, that europe is self destructing . they just don't have the power to take over countries and oil fields like the US does.

(or get away with this whopper : The U.S. national debt has officially surpassed the size of the entire economy. Debt held by the public recently crossed the 31 trillion dollar mark ....

Its all fkn crazy .

but, i aint no Billionaires , son .....

Edited May 30May 30 by rumak

3 hours ago, rumak said:

Huge Ai data centers which will now take over all surveillance and possibly everything else .

Huge AI datacenters which might take over surveillance… It is one possibility among several others. That is the issue I had with Leo's article, too many occurrences of "this is what is going to happen", "they are doing this because they are going to do that", "you will be made to do that", etc.

AI is a tool which can be used well or badly. Nothing has happened yet and just because Trump says something does not mean it will happen, as evidenced by the countless statements he has made before, the net effect of which was to draw attention and interest in a given issue. Example:

Remember when Trump did that press conference with Oracle's Larry Ellison by his side in January 2025, when they both appeared very enthusisatic about the prospect of "customizing mRNA vaccines to treat cancer within 48 hours"? A ripple instantly teared across the Substack landscape, as the Truth Tellers jumped to their keyboards to tell their subscribers: "You see? Trump is a globalist and now this is going to happen, then that is going to happen"…

Of course, when RFK defunded the mRNA platform six months later, a silence fell over the Substack universe… but was quickly broken by Trump's next statement, on which they all eagerly jumped. They are in a neverending hamster wheel while Trump remains ahead of them, calling the shots and directing the dynamics… for what result? Awareness expands among the general public, in great part thanks to X.

4 hours ago, rumak said:

i was just going to delete all this.... because really, you always have a way of waving it away .

I don't wave it away, I acknowledge it and then complete it with other existing factors in order to have a full picture and draw the most appropriate conclusion. For example, I never denied the dangers and nefarious intents behind CBDCs, and I always encouraged spreading awareness regarding those who promoted them… but I also immediately noted that Trump banned them (and terminated what had been initiated by the Biden administration) by Executive Order during his first week in office. Therefore, the most appropriate conclusion is that they simply aren't going to happen.

4 hours ago, rumak said:

The U.S. lost roughly 15,000 farms in 2025 alone, bringing the total number of farms below 1.9 million—a sharp drop from the 6.8 million farms recorded in 1935. Small Farms Bear the Brunt: The closure of smaller farms with annual sales under $50,000 accounts for the vast majority of this drop. [1]

1. Production Share: While small farms dominate in number, large commercial operations making over $1 million annually now control over half of all U.S. farmland. [1]

AND............... the same scenario can be seen in almost every field .

4 hours ago, rumak said:

The U.S. national debt has officially surpassed the size of the entire economy. Debt held by the public recently crossed the 31 trillion dollar mark ....

Both the above issues have existed for decades, it's just that now we are in an engineered acceleration phase (emphasis on "engineered") so the effects are felt a lot harder… But why?

The frogs were content with a slow simmer, but the heat was suddenly cranked up, jolting them awake.

not my laugh emoji . i am more the slowly move my head from side to side in the "oh boy" frame of mind (not to be mistaken with the Indian version which is a different variation. ) 😇

4 hours ago, rumak said:

not my laugh emoji

That'll be my number 1 fan gamb00ler.

2 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

That'll be my number 1 fan gamb00ler.

Fiction is often funny. Or the way kids try and explain how something works.... that is often very funny.

Edited May 31May 31 by gamb00ler

On 5/28/2026 at 3:06 PM, rattlesnake said:

Agenda 2030 and everything it entails is not going to happen and the 'rules-based global order' as we know it is on its last legs. To be replaced by what? A return to the geopolitical blocs as they existed before the creation of the League of Nations (1920).

As per the WSJ (and confirmed by Guterres himself):