unicorn

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2024/08/23/rfk-jr-endorses-trump-after-calling-him-sociopath---his-reversal-explained/ "Despite recent public statements of support for one another, Trump and Kennedy, Jr., the two have expressed bitterness for one another in the past: In text messages obtained by The New Yorker earlier this month, Kennedy called Trump a “terrible human being” and said the former president was “probably a sociopath” while attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month. After Trump called Kennedy a “Radical Left Lunatic” whose votes would be a “WASTED PROTEST VOTE” in April, Kennedy referred to Trump’s comments as “unhinged” and a “barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims” while calling Trump “frightened” to debate him. Kennedy also said in April Trump “promised to drain the swamp” before he “filled his administration with swamp creatures” and “promised to protect our rights and then torpedoed the Constitution,” in addition to claiming Trump “ran up the biggest debt” in U.S. history during his presidency. In May 2023, Kennedy said “UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES” would he join Trump on a presidential ticket, as their positions on issues and philosophies “could not be further apart.” In 2018, Kennedy denounced Trump’s decision to not investigate a link between vaccines in children and autism, reportedly saying those who placed “tremendous faith” in Trump were “feeling enormous betrayal and disappointment.” That same year, Kennedy wrote in NBC News condemning Trump’s presidential policies, suggesting they did not “actively encourage democracy abroad” and instead reached “some of the most tyrannical governments in the world,” adding the practice was “a discredit to democracy.”...". Two of the most despicable human beings on the planet. Down there with Putin. At least Putin is a consistent murderer.

You're right. When it comes to body counts, Russia can win almost any war with almost any single country, since life is cheap in Russia. I don't see you volunteering for the fight against the hapless Ukraine, though.

Belgian gymnast Luka van den Keybus:

I was just expanding on the prior comment "...including parts of your own country occupied by Germans 1941-43...", to point out that 1943 was not the last time foreign troops have occupied parts of Russian soil. 😉 Well, your country certainly has an ample supply of corpses to keep that war going as long as it wants. Whether it can replace the military hardware and supply of trained fighter pilots is more questionable.

Lord, we need to have a rolling eyes emoji which can be left as a reaction to postings. The Chinese are hardly colonizing Cambodia. However, the Ukrainians may now be colonizing Russia! 😄 A screenshot from a video purportedly showing Ukrainian soldiers tearing down a Russian flag in Sverdlikovo, Kursk. Footage widely circulating online on Sunday appear to show at least two different groups of fighters ripping down Russian flags attached to buildings in Kursk.

If you think that remittances don't contribute to the till, you're deeply mistaken. Foreign cash coming into a country's economy forms an integral part of the economy of many countries (most notably the Philippines). Money spent by foreigners can very much stimulate a country's economy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remittance "...Remittances make up a significant portion of economies of developing countries. Many receive over 10% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in remittances each year, with some exceptional cases as high as a third of their GDP...".

Arthur Nory Oyakawa Mariano, Brazilian Olympic openly gay gymnast (and fitness model).

It looks as though you didn't look very carefully at all. I have to support @Moses on this one. I went through that airport just last year. Even a nod to the French colonials... 😉

Well, the Philippines is one country I've never visited. Someone considering moving there might consider contacting one of the organizations mentioned in this webpage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_culture_in_the_Philippines I'm not recommending the Philippines out of personal experience (although I do have a number of straight acquaintances from there, and know that one of my fellow physicians was happy retiring there). It just seems from the OP, the Philippines are much more welcoming to foreign retirement than Thailand. I'd be especially turned off by the Thai policy of double-taxing the money I'd be spending there already.

My thoughts would involve wondering why, with the information given in the original post, one would want to retire in Thailand rather than in the Philippines or somewhere else entirely. In Thailand, it sounds as though one gets double-taxed, probably can't get real permanent residency status or citizenship, can't own property, and I'd have to learn an entirely new writing script, adapt to driving on the left, and so on. Probably things are no more expensive in the Philippines than in Thailand. My sense, especially from reading this forum, is that one can even express oneself more openly in the Philippines (I keep seeing references to "He who cannot be named," and to lèse-majesté laws when it comes to Thailand). I'm completely baffled as to why anyone would choose Thailand over the Philippines to retire, except perhaps someone coming from a country in which one drives on the left side who doesn't want to adapt to a different driving style. I'd be curious to hear any rationale as to why someone would pick Thailand over the Philippines or somewhere else less hostile to foreigners spending money there.

Wow. Thailand's laws sound hostile to those who seek permanent residency there. There are many countries which are far more welcoming. Certainly, the Philippines seems to be one, but there are many more in other regions, including Belize and Portugal, where my sister has obtained permanent residency and soon citizenship. Portugal also has good infrastructure and healthcare. You'd think a country would be happy to have foreigners spend their hard-earned pensions there, rather than be assholes about it. Where does this hostility come from? Xenophobia?

Looks as though he's on tomorrow's menu at Harvard: 😄 https://www.foodpro.huds.harvard.edu/foodpro/item.asp?recipe=211003&portion=1/2&date=8-22-2024&type=27 Sebastian's Cafe Thursday, August 22, 2024 Wheat Syrian Bread 8z Ingredients: Wheat Pita Bread (Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Salt, Malt, Molasses, Sodium Propionate.) Ingredients: Wheat Pita Bread (Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Salt, Malt, Molasses, Sodium Propionate.)