Flashermac

I just remembered something else about the Thai Room. There was a sign over the entrance to the men's room that said ... "Beware of low door flame." They never did correct it, though many people must have commented to them on it. I even took my mother to dinner at the Thai Room when she came on a visit in 1983. She quite liked the Thai Room, though her German nurse friend wasn't too thrilled by Patpong. p.s. I used the green Santa because this afternoon I heard Christmas being played in the Tesco for the first time this year. Ho ho ho ...

There you are, I knew Stickman would have it. "We opened the Mississippi Queen in October 1972. At that time there were quite a few ordinary shops in Patpong, travel agencies, airline offices, tailors' shops and assorted restaurants including Mizus Kitchen and Tip Top. The Thai Room restaurant was very popular on Patpong 2." https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/weekly-column/2013/04/the-patpong-of-old/

The Thai Room on Soi Cowboy. It was there from VN War days to about the beginning of the 21st century. It had a fantastic menu of Thai, western, and vegetarian food, and waiters told me that foreign visitors sometimes asked to make a copy of the menu. I'd go there occasionally in the '70s, but in the early '80s it became my regular stop whenever I went to Patpong. A friend often went with me, and we would order a chicken in a basket and a large pizza, and split the meal between us. The food and service were consistently good, and the waiters remembered you. Someone bought it in the early 2000's, but they ruined it by changing the menu and cutting back on the portions and quality. Finally, the new owner turned it into just another go-go bar. The men's room was decorated with Trink the Dink sketches, plus the truthful statement "Joggers die healthier." (I knew two senior US Army officers who died of heart attacks when running in the States so they could keep and shape and not be forced to retire.) Here's part of the Trink the Dink graffiti. I met the "artist", an American who worked in Sow-Dee as it said on his T-shirt. He later wrote to Trink to apologise, saying he just did it for fun and didn't mean to insult him.

As you said, I don't know if this constitues a crime, but it isn't exactly praiseworthy. Of course the Kennedys, Clintons and Bushes are gilty of the same thing. Joe Biden’s Family Has Been Cashing in on His Career for Decades. Democrats Need to Acknowledge That. While Democrats pursue the impeachment of President Donald Trump for pressuring foreign countries to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, they are left making an argument that is at once true and electorally and ethically compromising: What Trump did — and continues to do — was an impeachable abuse of power, and it should be considered separately from the question of what Hunter Biden did. The problem for Democrats is that a review of Hunter Biden’s career shows clearly that he, along with Joe Biden’s brother James, has been trading on their family name for decades, cashing in on the implication — and sometimes the explicit argument — that giving money to a member of Joe Biden’s family wins the favor of Joe Biden. Democrats have been loath to give any credibility to the wild rantings of Trump or his bagman Rudy Giuliani, leaving them to sidestep the question of Hunter Biden’s ethics or decision-making, and how much responsibility Joe Biden deserves. Republicans, though, have no such qualms, and have made clear that smearing the Bidens as corrupt will be central to Trump’s reelection campaign. The Trump approach is utterly without shame or irony, with attacks even coming from failson Eric Trump. ... https://theintercept.com/2019/10/09/joe-hunter-biden-family-money/

Burisma ... a Ukrainian oil company. "Its founder, Mykola Zlochevsky, served as Ukraine’s minister of ecology and natural resources under President Viktor Yanukovych, who was swept from office by mass protests in 2014. Following that uprising, Western governments pressed Ukraine’s new leaders to investigate corruption. One of the initial subjects was Zlochevsky, who was accused of money laundering and abuse of power. Zlochevsky has denied any wrongdoing." Biden's son was a lawyer for Burisma, receiving a heft salary for whatever it was that he did. Burisma was under investigation, and Trump claims that Pap Joe, then the Vice Pres, used his influence to keep his son from being investigated. However, that has never been proven. "Trump has said and tweeted that the Biden family “was paid off, pure and simple” and accused the family of corruption, extortion and “pillaging” foreign countries. He’s called them “stone-cold crooked” and publicly urged Ukraine and China to open criminal investigations of them." Bloomberg is the source for all of the above quotes.

Looks like Marty Feldman. p.s. Here you go, Cav. Something to make your day.

This reflects something that has always struck me as most bizarre. An enlisted soldier's oath: I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. And now a commissioned soldier's oath: I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. Commisioned officers do not have to obey the orders of the President and their superior officers! WTF Note that the President told Vindman not to testify.

The BBC interviews Trump backers in West Virginia, a formerly solid Democrat state that has turned red. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-50355567/what-coal-country-makes-of-trump-impeachment

Or else it's so common it doesn't even make the news anymore.

SAMUT PRAKAN: A 23-year-old woman complained to police that her husband had fled with their winning lottery ticket, worth 6 million baht, even though they had agreed to share the money equally. Pornthida Chamnanwet, a native of Ubon Ratchathani province, filed her complaint at Phra Pradaeng police station about 10.30pm on Sunday. She said she and her husband Wijak Wannaprasit, 34, a native of Bangkok's Thon Buri district, worked in the same factory. They had cashed in a ticket for a three-digit prize with a lottery vendor on Nov 9. At the same time they bought two more government lottery tickets, one of which she picked. The ticket she chose, 017223, won a 6-million-baht first prize in the draw on Saturday. They had recorded their win at Phra Pradaeng police station, had their photos taken with the ticket and also signed their names on it, Ms Pornthida said. Then they returned to their rented room on Soi Suk Sawat 64. Overjoyed, they agreed to divide the prize equally between them, and were planning how they would each spend their share, she said. On Sunday evening, Ms Pornthida said, Mr Wijak told her she would have to make do with only 2 million baht. She asked why. Then they had argued. Her husband told her to go to court, and walked out with the ticket, she said. Ms Pornthida asked police to prevent her husband cashing in the ticket and said she would also ask the Government Lottery Office to block payment. http://thai360.com/index.php?/forum/11-news/&do=add

"Trump stumping for his opponent likely helped him get a big Black turnout." I hadn't thought of that. Good point. Actually, Trump is hardly loved by the Republicans, especially since he wasn't one of them until he realised he could never get the Dem nomination. Since he is still surprisingly popular, they will have to support him. If he is not the candidate in 2020, who have they got who could have a real chance against the Dem candidate, unless it's a real fruit loop?

US election 2020: Democrats respond to Obama's warning Democratic presidential candidates have given their reaction to a warning by former President Barack Obama against moving too far left in politics. Mr Obama's rare intervention into the Democratic race was a talking point at campaign events on Saturday. Some Democrats called for unity, while others defended their policy agenda. Speaking at a fundraising forum in Washington, the former president - considered a moderate - cautioned candidates against pursuing polices that were not "rooted in reality". Mr Obama, who was in office from 2009 to 2017, said "ordinary Americans" didn't want to "completely tear down the system". "This is still a country that is less revolutionary than it is interested in improvement," Mr Obama said to an audience of wealthy donuts on Friday. ... Although none of the Democratic candidates explicitly rebuked Mr Obama's comments, Mr Sanders mounted the strongest defence of his policy platform. ... Elizabeth Warren, another left-leaning frontrunner, struck a more conciliatory tone, choosing to praise Mr Obama's trademark health care policy, the Affordable Care Act. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50452177 BBC analysis: Obama has studiously avoided weighing in on the large field of Democratic candidates vying for the party's 2020 presidential nomination. Behind closed doors on Friday, however, he tipped his hand a bit. Sanders is preaching political revolution. Warren is urging "big systemic change". The former president clearly had those two frontrunners in mind when he suggested such aggressive talk risks alienating the kind of middle-of-the-road voters necessary to defeat Donald Trump next year. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Obama, despite being labelled a radical socialist by his conservative critics, governed as a pragmatic moderate. That created a fair amount of consternation of among progressives in his party, who thought he was one of their own when elected. Some view his presidency as a missed opportunity to enact fundamental structural reforms in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis. ...

They elected a conservative Democrat. "The fact is that Edwards won in Louisiana not because of Trump but because Edwards has been a popular governor with an approval rating north of 50%. He had a strong appeal to the black community in particular." CNN And Trump needs to worry about black voters, since his support among them is quite low.

The high cost of living tops the lists of worrisome economic problems faced by people today, according an opinion survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll. The survey, conducted between Tuesday and Saturday on 1,207 people nationwide, also asked the respondents for their ideas on how to solve them. A large majority, 65.5%, of the respondents identify as the most serious problem more expensive products and the high cost of living caused by rising investment costs and higher taxes. Among the solutions they propose are imposing price control, lowering fuel prices and taking tough action against those taking advantage of people. Some 39.2% choose the sluggish economy as the second most critical problem. They believe it is caused by the government's inability to solve problems, the strong baht and a decline in tourism. They suggest the government implement more effective policies and use the budget more effectively. The third most serious problem, cited by 31.76% of the respondents, is unemployment and layoffs. The respondents suggest the government create new jobs and take remedial measures to help affected workers. The fourth, mentioned by 25.7%, is lower incomes. They think the government should take actions to increase salaries and wages, lower taxes, as well as interest rates, and extend loan repayment periods. The fifth, cited by 17.5% of the respondents, is a decline in exports, trade and investments. They say the government should bolster confidence among foreigners and investors, promote tourism and come up with more economic stimulus measures. Asked what they want the government to do, 54.3% say it should cap product prices and apply measures to lower the cost of living; 38.1% suggest it should take urgent measures to create jobs and 31.1% say it should improve the quality of life. On who and what agencies they think can help solve the problems, 47.9% point to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha; 32.8% choose ministries such as finance, commerce, labour, industry and agriculture while 24.9% mention the opposition, particularly Pheu Thai and Future Forward parties. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1796079/poll-high-cost-of-living-major-concern#cxrecs_s

The Guardian is down on Trump, but even they call it right: "In the Nixon case, impeachment never even got to a vote of the full House let alone a trial in the senate; a delegation of senior Republicans told Nixon the game was up, and he preferred to resign than be removed. It’s conceivable the Trump story will end the same way, and yet few expect it. The settled view in Washington – which has been wrong before – is that this will break on partisan lines: the Democratic-led House will vote to impeach Trump, but two-thirds of the Republican-dominated Senate will not be ready to convict him, as the rules demand, and he’ll be acquitted." The Democrats voted unanimously not to convict Clinton, and the Republicans will be close to that in not convicting Trump. Obviously, guilt or innocence doesn't really matter to our politicians. Only staying in power does. So what does that mean for the 2020 election? Your guess is as good as mine.

Even Hillary ...

Hearsay is hearsay. Since when is it admissiable in a court of law, regard;less of who claims to have heard it? " Hearsay is defined as an out-of-court statement, made in court, to prove the truth of the matter asserted. These out-of-court statements do not have to be spoken words, but they can also constitute documents or even body language. The rule against hearsay was designed to prevent gossip from being offered to convict someone. "Hearsay evidence is not admissible in court unless a statue or rule provides otherwise. Therefore, even if a statement is really hearsay, it may still be admissible if an exception applies." p.s. I'd once upon a time thought of becoming a lawyer until I came to my senses. Even so, I took plenty of pre-law courses and scored high enough that I could have gone to law school.

There was no way that Bill Clinton wasn't guilty of what he was charged, but the Dems in the Senate voted en masse to acquit him. Very different situations agreed, but the voting broke down almost entirely by party lines, not guilt. Not one single Democrat voted to convict Stiff Willy, though a few Republicans voted not guilty. Why should the Republicans be any different? Politicis is politics, and it's all about retaining or losing power. Meanwhile, I had never seen this before. Interesting: The Lead-crime hypothesis The lead–crime hypothesis is the proposed link between elevated blood lead levels in children and increased rates of crime, delinquency, and recidivism later in life. Lead is widely understood to be highly toxic to multiple organs of the body, particularly the brain. Individuals exposed to lead at young ages may be more vulnerable to learning disabilities, decreased I.Q., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and problems with impulse control, all of which may be negatively impacting decision making and leading to the commission of more crimes as these children reach adulthood, especially violent crimes. Proponents of the lead–crime hypothesis argue that the removal of lead additives from motor fuel, and the consequent decline in children's lead exposure, explains the fall in crime rates in the United States beginning in the 1990s. This hypothesis also offers an explanation of the earlier rise in crime in the preceding decades as the result of increased lead exposure throughout the mid-20th century. ... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead–crime_hypothesis?wprov=sfla1&fbclid=IwAR2WHkHUlNqlrCWDOSxtj5_YltaQMW9JG0RXCJ9D6pz74n3j8tJu2quhNcc

I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but it has to be proven by verifiable facts. I'll be surprised if they can.

Remember when "facts" used to mean real facts? Now there is shocking new "evidence" against Trump from a former acting ambassador who says he overheared someone telling someone else about something the guy he overheard claimed to have heard Trump say. Or something like that. That's it, Trump's finished. Now to get busy trying to impreach the vice president.

Crap, NY Times wants me to pay to read it. No way, since I'm just curious.

Hillary Clinton 'under enormous pressure' to run in 2020 Hillary Clinton has said she is "under enormous pressure" to challenge US President Donald Trump in next year's White House election. The former Democratic presidential nominee refused to rule it out, telling the BBC: "Never say never." Mrs Clinton, 72, said she thinks "all the time" about what kind of president she would have been if she had beaten Mr Trump in 2016. Seventeen Democrats are already vying to lead the party in 2020. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Emma Barnett while in the UK on a book tour, Mrs Clinton was asked whether she would run again. The former secretary of state, New York senator and US first lady replied: "I think all the time about what kind of president I would have been and what I would have done differently and what I think it would have meant to our country and the world. "So of course I think about it, I think about it all the time. Being able to do that, and look, whoever wins next time is going to have a big task trying to fix everything that's been broken." Pressed on whether she would throw her hat into the ring at the last minute, Mrs Clinton said: "I, as I say, never, never, never say never. "I will certainly tell you, I'm under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it. 🤣 "But as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans." Mrs Clinton did not elaborate on who was pressuring her to mount what would be her third White House campaign. The interview in London came as she promoted The Book of Nutsy Women, which she has co-written with her daughter, Chelsea Clinton. The Democratic race is still largely up in the air even as the first of the state-by-state votes that will decide which of the contenders challenges Mr Trump looms in Iowa in February. The perceived vulnerability of one front-runner, Joe Biden, has spurred former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take steps to enter the fray. Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, a close ally of former President Barack Obama, is also reportedly considering jumping into the race. But the deadline has already passed to file on the Democratic primary ballot in several states, including New Hampshire, which also votes in February. The filing deadline for Alabama expired last week, and the deadline for Mrs Clinton's former political heartland of Arkansas was on Tuesday. Some of the 14 states that will vote on so-called Super Tuesday in March have filing deadlines next month. Political gossip about whether Mrs Clinton might jump into the White House race continues to set tongues wagging in Washington DC. Some of this speculation has been stoked by the Clintons themselves. Last month when Mr Trump goaded Mrs Clinton to enter the presidential race, she retorted in a tweet: "Don't tempt me. Do your job." At a Georgetown University event in Washington DC in October, former President Bill Clinton said of his wife, who was sitting beside him: "She may or may not ever run for anything." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50399230?fbclid=IwAR1rEEzIitdTgVnsQeBIDgeLFOag6bB2pghgfg0w5RwkJU781e5VI1juc8Q