kamui

The iPhone App for iP Forum's (like Thai360.com) is free and makes the Forum very easy to use:

link

But I haven't seen an Android App.

 

I don't read much political stuff anymore because frankly its depressing. How much of this is political posturing? My Dem friends say that Obama is compromsing on cuts but the Republicans are not compromising on raising taxes primarily for the rich and corporations. Conservative friends are saying Obaama is using the bully pulpit and not playing fair. Who is right?

 

From the outside it looks really sad. The most powerful country in the world is able to agree on the basics of good governance.

The political establishment, i. e. the Dems and the GOP are looking like a bunch of sorry, more or less corrupt powerplayers, who have forgotten why they have been elected.

Nonetheless I still think that Obama still tries his best - but I am still not sure if is just lacking the ability to implement his political goals, or if the Zeitgeist and the political tide is just against him.

watched The Road Home again.

Zhang Ziyi stars in this film which has me in floods of tears everytime.

 

before that Hachi: a dog's tale with Richard Gere,based on a true story,again i was in tears.

first watched this while on a night shift with 5 other blokes and at the end we were all struggling to not show any tears.

"Hachi" is one of the most famous stories in contemporary Japan/Tokyo. The name of the real dog who was waiting for its owner every day at the station, even after his ownder died, is " Hachiko ". You'll find a sculpture of the dog next to Shibuya station. Today it's a well know meeting place at one of the most busies crossroads in the world.

In Japan Hachiko is a national symbol of loyalty...

Now wait for the 'liberal media' to start calling anybody who complains a kook/terrorist.

As as I understand all major intrusions into individual freedom (Patriot Act, Homeland Security, e.g./ except gun laws) are GOP inventions during GWB's reign.

Just look at the crap that comes out of the City of SFO. (No Happy Meals with toys; no circumcision; harboring illegal aliens (sactuary city). SFO is the center of Hell, IMO. (And, not coincidently, a keystone of today's Demoncrap Party. And I'm not even mentioning the invasiveness of the TSA under this administration.

 

HH

Hahaha, I guess you don't realize that you sound like your partents who warned not talk to hippies, and who told you that Jimi Hendrix, the Doors e.g. were pure evil and all who listen to them will burn in hell.

:content:

For sure. You seem to have forgotten the mid-term election results.

 

(BTW, the independents have already abandoned Barry and more will do so.)

 

Barry made so many promises that he can't keep, that only homos who want to join the military will vote for him again....and those on the dole.

 

HH

Defeating the Dems in the midterm elections and defeating Obama are two very different matters, especially since the GOP can't offer an alternative to him.

But I guess you know this anyway.

Seems to me Hugh, from my enlightened perspective, that a lot of people just won't vote. The promised Obama changes were not forthcoming and the Tea Party looks like a bunch of angry nuts.

The current GOP candidates are either wingnuts, losers, or completely incompetent, or even all three together. Does anybody really believes that they can win over the center and the independents?

Maybe the white folks are too smart to get caught.

I am not permitted to comment on this. :content:

Engage in a rate 10x rate? I read the link, but no source provided. My guess is that somebody pulled that number out of a hat. Unless you live in the U.S., you aren't really in a very good position to assess the social/demographic/judicial aspects of crime in the U.S.

 

HH

You mean, only US citizens are able to read and comment on US crime statistis?

I did read it anyway :content: and just copy the content without a comment, since it speaks for itself:

Quote:

"A comparison of the rates, relative to population, at which blacks and whites are sent to state prison for drug offenses offers what may be the most compelling evidence of the disparate racial impact of drug control policies: [color:red]the black rate (256.2 per 100,000 black adults) is ten times greater than the white rate (25.3 per 100,000 white adults).[/color][76] Disaggregating these rates by gender reveals that black men were sent to prison on drug charges at 11.8 times the rate of white men and black women are sent to prison on drug charges at 4.8 times the rate of white women. As Table 1 reveals, blacks are sent to prison on drug charges at greater rates than whites in every state for which the data are available."

"According to the 2006 surveys conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an estimated 49% of whites and 42.9% of blacks age twelve or older have used illicit drugs in their lifetimes; 14.5% of whites and 16% of blacks have used them in the past year; and 8.5% of whites and 9.8% of blacks have used them in the past month.[42] [color:red]Because the white population is more than six times greater than the black population, the absolute number of white drug offenders is far greater than that of black drug offenders.[/color]"

Race, Drugs, and Law Enforcement in the United States

And also' date=' most of the criminals still cling to their 3rd world "values" and cultural norms. Libral/progressive attitudes are also to blame.

 

HH[/quote']

 

Howdy HH. Really, you think there may be an ideological aspect to it all?

 

Frankly, I don't know. Its a head scratcher for a lot of social scientists.

 

Yep...I think that there is an ideological aspect. Goes back to permisiveness ("I'm ok, you're ok") and failing to hold people accountable.

 

HH

 

Come on. Liberal crime laws in the USA? Like the strange three strike law or the largest number of prisoners per capita in the world?

 

The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But it has almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners.

NYT

 

And is it liberal that blacks are jailed 10x more often than whites for drug offenses, despite the fact that "that whites engage in drug offenses at a higher rate than African-Americans.†Link

 

And here today's news in regard to individual freedom in the USA:

F.B.I. Agents Get Leeway to Push Privacy Bounds

.... and why did it take 10 years?

Because GWB diverted the military, resources, intelligence and money to Iraq.

haha... i'll be on my usual perch wednesday nite...

 

The reserved table at Tilac? :content:

Full repeal of health care law fails in Senate

Republican efforts to repeal the health care reform law died a quick death in the Senate Wednesday, with a united Democratic caucus voting down a GOP repeal bill that cleared the House last month.

A procedural vote ended the repeal effort, 47-51, as expected. Democrats framed the Republican amendment as an attempt to take health benefits away from Americans.

....

Politico

VAT is 19%. Extremely bad for our (international) business.

I personally have no idea what if anything the GOP offered to the bill. All I do know is that I have 2 friends with small businesses (Restaurants) that had or will have to fire people to comply with the law and stay in business.

Strange that in Germany everybody has to have health insurance and we have medicare (for the unemployed, the poor, e.g.). And it seems that we pay much less, don't have coverage caps (no family goes bankrupt when one family member get cancer e.g.) and we don't have such a severe preexisting condition clauses - and we pay less and it is working well more or less.

Of course our system isn't perfect, there seems to be a lot of corruption and waste as well, but nevertheless.

Ended in 1996? 5555555555555555 Yeah, right. Great punchline, LK. But I've read better from you.

 

From just a week ago: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/19/welfare-tab-children-illegal-immigrants-estimated-m-la-county/

 

So no more government housing? No more subsidized utilities? No more food stamps? No more free breakfasts/lunches at schools? No more free milk? No more SSI? No more free medical treatment? There must be 100's of welfare/entitlement programs prized by the poor, disadvantaged, never employed, lazy, parasites that rely on guys like you taking away other people's wages to provide them with WELFARE. It's painfully obvious that since you left the country, you've lost touch with a lot of stuff.

 

HH

I guess, that's why Germany is doing so bad with just 3,3% grows, the lowest unemployment rate since the unification, with health care, unemployment insurance, labour unions, e.g.

Using mines would be a military act and that can only happen if we are under martial law. We probably would be in trouble with International law if we use mines.

 

No shit ... pretty sure the US is amongst several countries who have agreed not to use landmines again.

Love it when people from a country pioneered by immigrants start talking about closing the borders. Better chhange the sign on the sstatue while you're at it.

We had this kind of boarder within Germany: Patrols, German shepards, razor wire, spring guns, guard towers, e.g.

This kind of border is mostly used by dictatorships...

 

What's needed is an increased sophistication of the audience' date=' not a sterilization of media. Even the bullshit media.

 

[/quote']

 

Well good luck with that dave. I think what we're seeing is the result of political polarization and a general dumbing down. Government by sound bite and media spin. Maybe the shooting in Arizona will make people think but not for long IMO. The only thing that might make a difference is a rapid improvement in the economy.( But not by printing more money).

 

Voter education? It won't happen anytime soon.

The US state in the absolutely worst shape, Arizona, is moving more and more to the radical right. Voters support those politicians most who put the whole state into deep shit. That the politicians are responsible for the collapse of the state doesn't really matter to the voters as long as the politicians represent a pure anti-government ideology.

 

Interesting read: Tea Party in the Sonora: For the future of G.O.P. governance, look to Arizona

 

 

PS: reading the article explains McCain's recent flip-flops and his move the radical right. He is under threat by the Tea Party and fears that he won't be reelected.

"Same Same but Different"

About a German backpacker who goes to PP and falls in love with a BG (Some Germans can be really stupid... ) and later learns that she is HIV positive.

Great movie. Highly recommended.

I just posted some additonal info in the culture sub-forum: Rink

6VjZSx6bjqk

Heading for The City of Angels tomorrow I was thinking again giving http://kaiescort.rare-escort.com/ a try but then thought about it and said to myself : next time . Many things we are after are just illusions .

It must be real for this amount of money:

[color:red]SHORT TIME (up to 2 hours) $ 219[/color]

Bon voyage.

Its been a long 4 months away but as an industrial prostitute I have to whore myself for money.

Maybe you should do more short times. :content:

BTW, I might arrive on the 26th for a two weeks stay...

Me too!

JS wrote his last post in August 2009...

I am staying with a cold at home and downloaded some DVD rips in the last two days (I have a 25MBit VDSL connection now )

The Proposal: Was ok. Woudln't pay for it

District 9:

An intersting Sci-Fi movie. A new plot story in Sci-Fi genre.

My recommendation!

Star Trek (2009):

Typical Stark Trek story with a new twist. A lot of action. Needs to be watched in a movie with huge sceen and good sound system.

G.I. Joe:

A movie for 14 year old boys. Stupid story. Typical, uninspiring action and fight scenes.

Thailand's zero-sum tourism

By Anthony Allison

HUA HIN, Thailand - Thailand will step up efforts to prevent Chinese tourists from being cheated by so-called "zero-dollar tours", the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced.

That's the good news.

The bad news is, this statement was made in August, 2000.

So when Thai authorities recently stated that they would "discuss the problem and draft measures to address the problem", a strain of skepticism was inevitable.

"Zero-dollar" tours derive their name from package tours sold mainly in China, and to a much lesser degree in Korea, which include free air fare and low-cost accommodation. But once the incredulous (and gullible) tourists set foot in the Kingdom, the scam begins.

The groups are herded from one expensive jewelry shop to another, from pricey entertainment joints to expensive restaurants. Not being able to speak Thai, and virtually imprisoned within the group, they are ripped blind.

Unscrupulous tour operators (both Thai and Chinese) and their selected outlets in Thailand reap handsome rewards - one estimate puts the loss to the legitimate tour industry at as much as US$400 million a year. Officials claim that about 90% of Thailand's inbound operators specializing in Chinese tourists are of the "zero-dollar" kind.

Full story at Asia Times